NFL Draft stuff

[TheLeviathan]

10 hours ago, gunnarthor said:

I'm sure you don't mean it that way but that's exactly the argument that kept Kapernick out of the game. Although, in that case, it was actually based on what the player did rather than his father.

I've been very vocal that I feel the NFL still has issues with racism and black quarterbacks and head coaches.  I think it's undeniable.  

I don't think that's the case here.  Deion has actively stated he intends to coach his kid in the NFL.  He pulled that dumb stunt with the jersey retirements at Colorado.  They limited the way he interacted with teams in the draft process.

One of the key decision-makers in a draft room is the current head coach.  Why on earth would you sign on to draft a player whose dad - an NFL legend and current college coach - is actively campaigning to take your job?  It's such a recipe for nonsense that I don't blame teams for avoiding it all.  

I think Sanders is actually a pretty good QB prospect.  He had a TERRIBLE offensive line last year and it makes the tape really tough to watch.  But this slide isn't about his talent or his race.  

It's his dad.

[TheLeviathan]

10 hours ago, Danchat said:

Felton was a bit of a reach on my board, but the production and measurables were very strong so I'll ignore the low grades from the draftniks and say that I like this pick. Maybe he can push Nailor for WR3 and add some depth, as I don't trust Rondale Moore and there's nothing behind Nailor/Moore.

I could see him as the punt returner too.  Kid runs hard and clearly has juice.  I can't say I watched much of this guy play, but the highlight reels I pulled this morning show some things to like.  

He doesn't have the makings of an elite player, but he's tough as hell with the ball in his hands.

[Vanimal46]

10 hours ago, Danchat said:

Even without the Sanders name, he's head and shoulders better than Dillon Gabriel, who is a borderline-draftable QB who is way worse in every respect that the Browns blew a 3rd on.

I actually like Gabriel the most out of this group of developmental QBs. I didn’t do go too deep on the class but I think Gabriel’s got a good enough arm to make it…

On the other hand, I have no idea why New Orleans took the 26 year old from Louisville. If he plays, he will have more mind numbing turnovers than Levis

[Danchat]

1 hour ago, Vanimal46 said:

I actually like Gabriel the most out of this group of developmental QBs. I didn’t do go too deep on the class but I think Gabriel’s got a good enough arm to make it…

On the other hand, I have no idea why New Orleans took the 26 year old from Louisville. If he plays, he will have more mind numbing turnovers than Levis

Fair enough, the draftniks I like think he was bad. I didn't realize he was barely 5' 11". Shough was a questionable one but I know some people who loved his tape. The only issue was he would go "blue screen of death" 1-2 times a game. Kinda reminds me of Darnold.

Shough is also likely to be the last player ever to be born in the 1990s.

[nicksaviking]

I like not having 6th and 7th round picks. The 5th round isn't a good spot to be in, but the guys you want in the 6th and 7th are likely to be available as UDFAs anyway.

[nicksaviking]

Five RBs this round. 

Still several I like quite a bit. 

[gunnarthor]

I joked about the steelers being committed to playing 16-10 score games but man, they really are. 

[Vanimal46]

1 hour ago, Danchat said:

Fair enough, the draftniks I like think he was bad. I didn't realize he was barely 5' 11". Shough was a questionable one but I know some people who loved his tape. The only issue was he would go "blue screen of death" 1-2 times a game. Kinda reminds me of Darnold.

Shough is also likely to be the last player ever to be born in the 1990s.

It’s a bizarre QB class. Ward I think will be good not great. Similar tier to current day Tua, Murray, Lawrence. Doubt he’ll ever reach top 10 QB status. 

Sanders and Dart in another tier of low end game manager type starter that you likely move on from in 2 years. 

Then the rest in a giant tier of backup/future spot starter. All flawed in one thing or another 

[nicksaviking]

Sam Howell as the backup QB. I like him better than most. When he was in Washington, I liked that he wasn't afraid to sling it all over the field and used his legs plenty. Lots of picks though, so not dissimilar to Sam Darnold.

Surprised it took a 5th rounder to get him though. 

[TheLeviathan]

2 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Sam Howell as the backup QB. I like him better than most. When he was in Washington, I liked that he wasn't afraid to sling it all over the field and used his legs plenty. Lots of picks though, so not dissimilar to Sam Darnold.

Surprised it took a 5th rounder to get him though. 

It didnt, we moved back 30 spots and got him.

[Danchat]

And Sanders goes to the Browns... great value, but why did they waste a 3rd on Dillon Gabriel who is considerably inferior to him? Odd situation.

[nicksaviking]

Mil Kiper isn't pissed off because he cares about Sanders, he's pissed off that his his draft ratings took a huge hit with his evaluation miss.

[Vanimal46]

Browns doing Browns things. Bizarre landing spot for Shedeur

[nicksaviking]

Tell me the Vikings traded their pick for a future pick or Blake Corem or something. Don’t trade back for 6th round picks!

[Mike Sixel]

39 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Tell me the Vikings traded their pick for a future pick or Blake Corem or something. Don’t trade back for 6th round picks!

Fifth and sixth are random. More darts make sense, imo.

[gunnarthor]

I actually like the 6th round picks. King will be a nice fit and the TE is exactly what they needed. Really, really good off-season 

[Mike Sixel]

9 minutes ago, gunnarthor said:

I actually like the 6th round picks. King will be a nice fit and the TE is exactly what they needed. Really, really good off-season 

King sounds like a bigger Pace. 

[Parfigliano]

4 hours ago, Danchat said:

And Sanders goes to the Browns... great value, but why did they waste a 3rd on Dillon Gabriel who is considerably inferior to him? Odd situation.

Why did they sign DeShaun Watson to that ridiculous contract?

[Mike Sixel]

24 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

Why did they sign DeShaun Watson to that ridiculous contract?

Ownership interference.

[nicksaviking]

3 hours ago, gunnarthor said:

I actually like the 6th round picks. King will be a nice fit and the TE is exactly what they needed. Really, really good off-season 

I would have rather had Chris Paul who the Rams traded up to get and sounds like the same player as King, but much better.

I could really care less about a TE who will only play on special teams.

I wish they wouldn't even think about players in this area of the draft; there's a good chance they could have gotten both as UDFAs. 

[nicksaviking]

4 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Fifth and sixth are random. More darts make sense, imo.

I think the numbers show that fifth round is much higher at hitting, the major drop offs are after the second and than again after the fifth. Don't even bother with 6-7th rounders. Use them to trade up every single time if you can.

[TheLeviathan]

The UDFA haul was pretty damn good.  Batty and Logan Brown were both highly thought of prospects pre-draft.  

[DocBauer]

I'm an inside out guy. To this day, I believe the best teams have the best lines. I LOVE the OL additions made. And I actually think Brandel is a quality OL, who was better when playing next to Darisaw before he got hurt. And I don't think Brandel should be dismissed as a quality part of the OL. Depth is very important. And nothing says Jackson is a day 1 starter, though he might be. Brandel has already proven himself as a quality backup before 2024. But when you look at the OL right now, it's the best we've had in YEARS, with quality depth. That's damn important for a better running game, as well as protection for our young QB.

We MIGHT have been able to trade down for additional picks. But IOL came off the board quickly. And there was a dropp off if we didn't grab Jackson. And that was a priority for the FO. I can't disagree.

I really wanted a DL in the 3rd round. I understood that WR was a "silent" need due to Addison having a pending suspension. And while Nailor finally had a healthy and productive season, he's on his last year of his rookie season. And while he's an amazing talent when healthy, Rondale Moore isn't a given. So picking Tai Felton in the 3rd round actually makes a lot of sense. He's Addison-like in being slight with speed, maybe needing to add a couple pounds, and might be as fast if not faster, but maybe needs to learn to run routes better. I see the reasons for his selection and the potential.

I'm really torn on Ingram-Dawkins. 

Georgia kids have a lot of talent these days, but he's a TWEENER who might not have the OLB twitch and speed needed, and might not have the bulk and strength/ancor to play the 5 spot. I read how good he can be once he works on technique to be a good rusher as well as a good run defender. But is he an OLB or a DT? Honestly, there were a couple of guys i liked better. I just want to understand where the "untapped potential" I've read about translates. I'm thinking he adds a couple more pounds and sticks on the DL.

I do like the King pick. He's sort of a Pace clone. And that's a good thing. He'll compete for a depth spot that might push Asamoah out. 

Not quite sure what to think about Bartholomew as the TE selected. He was NOT on my radar. I had Fidone and a couple other TE options for them to select. After examing him in a little more detail, I do see a someone who has the ability to be a "Mundt" kind kind or replacement 3rd TE at worst, but might be a little faster and more athletic. I like the potential there.

I'm disappointed there wasn't a way to grab a good RB. But with so few picks, you just aren't going to get everything you want. And I'm glad they didn't dip in to the 2026 picks for this year. Gives them more flexibility next year for numbers, as well as trade options.

Not a lot of blue chip talent in this draft, but they added some guys who are athletic and still have upside.

[DocBauer]

I like a number of the UDFA they signed. A number of them were listed amongst the top options available at their positions, FWIW, and a few had draftable grades.

TYLER BATTY, DL from BYU is an older player, so there are questions about upside. He's more of a run defender with a good motor who might have some upside as a pass rusher. Good development option who had a draftable grade.

LOGAN BROWN, OT from Kansas languished at Wisconsin, transferred to KS, and then had a coming out party as a starter. He was supposed to be picked in the 4th or 5th. Big and athletic, but still needs some technique work. Could be a major steal with time.

I was hoping for a development C and they got one in JOE HUBER from Wisconsin. Hard to bet against Whiskey OL. He's played all over the OL, needs some strength work and polish, but might be a future backup as a IOL.

CHAZ CHAMBLISS lead Georgia in sacks, and might have lead in TFL, but I'm a little unsure on that last one. He's a tweener but high energy and tough player. Could move to ILB and surprise with a year of development?

BEN YUROSEK, TE from Georgia might have slipped through the cracks. His numbers at Stanford were quite good, but they dropped when he got to GA. He was used more as a blocker and far less as a offensive option. But reportedly a good blocker and good athlete with soft hands. And the Vikings need 4 TE on the total roster. (practice squad). Again, there's some real upside there.

DORIAN MAUSI was a beast for Auburn in 2024 after transferring from Duke. 81 tackles, 9 TFL, 2.5 sacks. Supposedly runs a 4.69 40. Hes alternated between Mike and Will in his career.  The more I've read about him I'm surprised he wasn't drafted. 

I don't know what to think about the RB, TRE STEWART from Jackson State. He's on the smaller side and only runs about a 4.5 40. He was tearing things up in D2 and then moved to D1 Jax St this last season for 1,600 yards and a bunch of TD. Good vision and a 1 cut runner when he sees a hole. Huge production, but it's a big jump from a smaller conference to the NFL. But if the instincts are real?

In a down year for QB, and some very weird/surprising action despite that, I was hoping the Vikings would find an UDFA that had some talent KOC and staff could work with in hopes of developing a future backup option. I don't know if the Gophers MAX BROSMER IS that guy. But most lists have him as the #1-3 guy not drafted. MAYBE he's got some potential?

While I don't want to dismiss any of the other kids signed, I see mostly roster fodder beyond this collection of options. But other than RB Stewart, all of these other guys were 4th-7th round options on most drafts lists. The one thing Kwesi and his staff have done over the past few years is identify kids with good athleticism and upside. I think it's a good bet 1 or 2 might make the roster. But even still, there's a very interesting collection of PS guys here with potential with a year to work with them.