2018 Comprehensive NFL Draft Thread

[Skinsinparadise]

I was watching some Ian Thomas, versus Ohio State, Penn State, he looks fast for a TE, good hands, blocking not bad -- he's at least engaged when it comes to run blocking.  Cooley likes to say Davis and Reed are beyond bad as blockers, they play as if they are disinterested.

 

 

Lance Zierlein‏Verified account @LanceZierlein 21 Nov 2017

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Watching Indiana TE Ian Thomas now. Focusing on his run blocking. He goes from really bad in first game of the season vs Ohio State to fairly impressive against Michigan over course of half a season. Classic case of having the ability to do something & needing to unlock it.

 

 

 

 

 

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[skinny21]

9 hours ago, Voice_of_Reason said:

I’ve been saying for ages we have a good roster with almost zero impact players at impact positions (Pass rush as a whole, WR, RB).

 

We have an 8-8 roster.  What takes that to 10-6+ are impact players. We need impact players.  

Our pass rush was actually quite productive last year... like astonishing so.  Of course, losing Galette and perhaps Brown could cause a regression (likely minor if Smith/Kerrigan stay healthy), and so could losing two corners.  

 

Agree about the others though - dangerous back and receiver are 2 of our top needs for sure.  

 

 

@SkinsinparadiseYeah, Ian Thomas looks pretty solid.  There a number of guys that performed well as pass catchers and at least decently as blockers.  Some of them even held their own vs OLBs and DEs.  Goedert, Schultz, Fumagalli, Hurst, Thomas, maybe Smythe and Brenneman, etc.  I don’t really like Gesicki in the pass game (too plodding for my taste), but he should be decent (I’m betting he could fill in at FB too).  Andrews is very intriguing - looks like a monster out there with mammoth hands - I’m just uncertain about his blocking (even though he more than has the size).  

[JamesMadisonSkins]

I re-signed Gallette, Grant and Bergstrom. I landed ILB Preston Brown ($4m/yr), FS Lamarcus Joyner ($7m/yr), WR Albert Wilson ($3m/yr), LG Luke Joeckell ($3m/yr), CB Marcus Williams ($1.5m/yr)

 

In the draft I passed on two trade-down opportunities (Pats 1.31 + 2.12 + 3.31) and NYG (2.2, 3.2, 4.2) to just go straight up and pick the best logical player at each pick ... and got ILB Roquan Smith, TE Dallas Goedert, NT Kendrick Norton, WR Deontay Burnett, OT Brandon Parker, CB Brandon Facyson, QB Chase Litton

 

This is one of my least-favorites. I love Smith and Goedert but every time we pick in the 1st or 2nd round the players I think would have the biggest impact on our team are gone. So I keep coming back to a trade-down. I tried to mitigate this a bit by going for RB (Crowell), WR (Wilson), CB/S Joyner, LG Joeckel, and ILB P. Brown + Depth at CB with Williams ... but still feel like trading back into the 20's and getting an impact DT there helps. IDK, #13 right now just isn't lining up per the mocks to be a great spot for us to match up with needs, but obviously that could change.

 

Even Denzel Ward and Josh Jackson were off the board so if I wanted to go after a top-flight CB, it wasn't an option. I love Smith at ILB and he'd be a beast, but not sure how he'd fit next to Preston Brown, but I got that result anyway. In the end the middle is solidified with 2 stout ILBs, a NT in Norton and a FS in Joyner. But only come away adding Crowell at RB, Burnett and Wilson at WR and TE Goedert, which is probably a big upgrade from what we have now, but nothing that screams "stud" outside of the potential of Goedert but that's likely 1-2 years out.

[JamesMadisonSkins]

On the flip side, I went "all-in" and spent albeit $12m in cap space.

Re-signed Edge Gallette ($4m/yr), WR Grant ($2m/yr), WR Quick ($1m/yr), C Bergstrom ($1m/yr)

Free-Agency: FS Lamarcus Joyner ($7m/yr), DL Sheldon Richardson ($9m/yr), ILB Preston Brown ($4m/yr), LG Jonathan Cooper ($4m/yr), WR Cody Lattimer ($1.5m/yr)

 

Brought back Bergstrom for depth on OL (which I think we'll need losing Long obviously). Lattimer a former high-pick speed guy who has never had a good QB in Denver, so kick the tires on him. Joyner would be our FS or slot CB if Nicholson emerges at FS. Richardson would start opposite Allen on the DL and making Ionoidis rotational with McGee and Lanier and likely makes McClain expendable (June 1st cut?). Also gives you a Richardson-Allen pressure duo on nickel packages. Rumblings that Zach Brown isn't needed back make me nervous basing my off-season around bringing him back, so I let him go (and he signed for $7m a year in FA) and replaced him with Preston Brown on a cheaper deal. Then Jonathan Cooper, who Matt Williamson says would be a good fit on an already good OL (rather than anchor a line as a top guy), would fill-in nicely at LG on a cheap deal.

 

I like FanSpeak a lot. But I have been trying to read Jason from OTC quite a bit and figuring out what he thinks guys will sign for. He said Cooper likely fetches $3m a year. I gave him $4m, cause we threw $4m at Lavaou a few years ago, so would be shocked if we brought in a LG for less than that, especially a former 1st rounder who should be better than Lavaou. Also offered Joyner $7m even though previous iterations had him signing for $5m or $6m a year because I think he gets paid. I wanted it closer to the reality. I also signed Galette for $4m a year even though he's been taking $2.5m mainly to be more realistic. Finally, Richardson actually turned down $8m, but accepted a 5 year $45m deal. 

 

Draft:

*traded 1.13 to Dallas for 1.19 and 2.19

*traded 2.19 to Carolina for 3.21, 3.24 and 5.24

1.19 Denzel Ward, CB OSU

2.12  Nick Chubb, RB Georgia

3.21 Josey Jewell, ILB Iowa

3.24 Tim Settle, NT VT

4.12 KeKe Coutee, WR TTU

5.12 Will Clapp, G/C LSU

5.24 Kameron Kelly, FS SDSU

[freakofthesouth]

Y'all,

 

I found a possible late round gem at ILB that I wanted to share with you guys.  Some of you will know the name, others may not... I didn't:

 

Shaun Dion Hamilton.  Everything I'm seeing and reading about him says he could have great NFL potential.  The only real knock is his durability, but, I mean, players get hurt sometimes, that's part of the business.  College injuries can hurt draft stock and in this case that could benefit a team (hopefully our team) seeking to draft a position that is a light class... So yes he suffered a torn ACL in 2016 i believe and then a broken knee cap last season.

 

a couple of my thoughts and then a couple quotes and I'll leave it to you guys to find some tape to watch on him.  To even be on the field for Alabama's defense is a great achievement.  SD Hamilton apparently shows the potential to be that QB of the defense, where he can read and dissect the offensive plays... they say this is one of his strengths.  His size, a bit shorter than preferred at the position but slightly heavier than Roquan... projects to be 3-4 ILB... seems to have great reaction and speed and is seemingly really great in coverage (see article linked below, he successfully covered Evan Engram often which would also be a good fit for us.)

 

He did in fact get a combine invite, and while he may not do every drill as he is still recovering, he recently posted a workout video and the dude looks like he is healing up nicely.  Depending on how he tests, he will be drafted, but probably not till 5th round or later, I would say?  Seems like someone we could bring in to build at a position that has been a trouble area for years. 

 

https://www.seccountry.com/alabama/shaun-dion-hamilton-alabamas-next-great-linebacker (note: this article is from last year)

Quote

Like everyone who lines up for the Semi-Professional Football Club of Alabama, Hamilton is a special athlete. He’s explosive in small spaces and covers ground in an instant.

 

Explosive linebackers who fly sideline-to-sideline don’t exactly grow on trees, but they’re more readily available now than they have been in any previous era. The truly special ones also possess the ability to flip their hips, seamlessly change directions, and drop into coverage.

 

Hamilton showed throughout his junior season that he can do just that: He held up well against both running backs and tight ends in man coverage, not simply sitting in a zone and racking up tackle stats.

 

Although he’s a remarkable athlete, Hamilton’s best skill remains diagnosing and attacking. He reads, then fires. And when he arrives, he brings punishing power.

 

[skinny21]

Hey @JamesMadisonSkins  - hate to keep harping on this, but I think we’re looking at 20m or less in cap space for FAs. 

 

That may even be generous - we’re at 49 now, - 15 for draft picks/in season stuff, and - 15 for Smith’s contract gets us down to 19.  If we keep an additional 2m for in-season (which we did last year I believe, though we rolled over 1.8* and perhaps we thought we would be able to roll more over) and pay Smith 17 this year... we’re down to 15m.   

 

Just rechecked Spotrac and OTC ... 

 

Spotrac - slightly under 35m in cap space (rule of 51) including Smith for 17, but not including Dunbar and Foster.  

OTC - slightly more than 49m, including Foster and Dunbar, but not including Smith.  

Makes sense I guess... they both seem to agree on ~32m after adding those 3 contracts.  

 

So, 32 minus draft/in-season and we’re left with around 15-18 to play with.  

 

* not certain here... we had 1.8 to roll over at the end of the season, but signing Foster and Dunbar before the league year has begun may affect that.  

[Skinsinparadise]

https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/02/26/nfl-combine-mike-mayock-draft-prospects-mmqb-peter-king?utm_campaign=themmqb&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social

 

Mayock on Barkley: “My philosophy towards high-level running backs is if you believe the kid is a top-10 running back, and you are willing to commit to that, to the philosophy of carries and touches, draft him. And I think recent history tells you that is correct. Zeke Elliott, Leonard Fournette, Todd Gurley, Christian McCaffrey, all four of them have made their teams better. However, as you get down to the second, third and fourth rounds, man, there is a lot of really good backs, especially when they can catch the football. Tarik Cohen, fifth-round pick. Alvin Kamara, I gave him to Green Bay in my mock draft. I thought he was a first-round pick. I still don't understand why he wasn’t. I think Sony Michel from Georgia compares favorably to him in the run game. I don’t know if he catches the ball as naturally and I know he doesn't run routes as well, so combine and pro day are going to be really important for Sony Michel.”

 

Receiver is a thin position this year, and recent classes have been terrible in the first round. Prompted by Mayock, let’s look at the receivers in the first round of last three drafts:

• 2015: Amari Cooper, Kevin White, DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor, Breshad Perriman, Phillip Dorsett.
• 2016: Corey Coleman, Will Fuller IV, Josh Doctson, Laquon Treadwell.
• 2017: Corey Davis, Mike Williams, John Ross.

 

Wow. Is that awful. One of 13 has played like a first-rounder. Amari Cooper. One!

“I think there is some trends emerging,” Mayock said. “It’s a pass-first league. Who were the best rookie wide receivers last year? JuJu Smith-Schuster and Cooper Kupp, taken at 62 and 69 [overall, respectively]. If you look back since '14, at all the first-round receivers, there is a history of injury problems—guys who can’t answer the bell and most of them had that history in college that we didn’t pay attention to. All three of the ones last year—Corey Davis, Mike Williams and John Ross—had durability concerns coming into last year’s draft. And I’m not saying they can’t become great players, because it typically takes a couple years at that position. I’m just saying, hey, beware of a history of injury at that position. Take a look at drafthistory.com and go back and look at those four or five draft classes.

 

“Number two: It takes a long time for these wideouts to develop. They are not used to quality press coverage, and they are not used to the complexity of NFL defenses. Nelson Agholor was supposed to be a bust, but he got moved inside in year three and finally contributed to a degree. I look at this and say what do we learn from this and apply to this year’s draft class. I want to figure out Courtland Sutton, the big kid from SMU. It looks to me like the bigger guys without any injury issues have been able to contribute quickly. Go back and take a look and see if it holds out. I think [Alabama’s] Calvin Ridley and [Texas A&M’s] Christian Kirk are really good route runners. It will be interesting to see what they run. You can’t bang the table for any one guy that is going to come out and catch 60 balls next year. What are we going to see at the combine? I’m intrigued by that.”

 

[Always A Commander Never A Captain]

21 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

I think the reason why Keim is saying if they bring Zach Brown they are unlikely to sign Roquan Smith is they both seem natural Mo-LBs versus Mike-LBs.   

 

22 hours ago, Warhead36 said:

I think an Allen/Ion DT combo works just fine if you draft a Roquon Smith and pair him with Brown at ILB. Along with Kerrigan and Smith, that's a hell of a front seven.

 

Also, Roquan Smith and Zach Brown would be a disaster without an amazing DL.  Our ILB's would get manhandled by blockers.  Foster can at least withstand some contact and he looks to initiate first to keep Brown cleaner.  But with Smith and Brown?  Both will try and avoid contact and both seriously struggle when someone (even a TE) engages with them.

[Darth Tater]

I suspect that finding a diamond in the rough has a lot more to do with a late pick or UDFA becoming a great contributor.  I don't think that Milot, Coleman, Olkie, Manley, Kubin and Grant became mainstays for years is because they were top talents (only Coleman and arguably Grant did not go to a top college programs) because they were elite college athletes. I think much has to do with the fact that they had an NFL coach that knew how to teach them and use the talents they did have and were in a situation where they were needed to be more than just solid.  Coleman was a great athlete who had time to learn. Manley was drafted as a teams demon and a pass rush specialist who soon was able to take over full time (as late as the spring of 1983, the Redskins were still looking to replace him as the starter).  Milot and Kubin were products of schools known for generating linebackers who could be coached.  Olkie seemed to be a man of determination. Commonality seems not to be as much about great talent picking (though that was important) but organizational stability and quality.
 

[FrFan]

 

[JamesMadisonSkins]

@skinny21 Yeah I know. And I've tried not to get too carried away, but wanted to do an "all-in" off-season as much as FanSpeak allowed me to do. I obviously don't know how they structure their contracts but since they do use Overthgcap for their calculations, I trust them. I cut Ziggy Hood and had that off-season with about $11.9m leftover. Of course, those deals were backloaded to a certain extent. I wouldn't expect that sort of off-season ... maybe 1 premier guy ... MAYBE 2 but then that's likely it.

 

I also don't love the draft in that scenario. Just don't see us accumulating a ton of picks. 1 let alone 2 trades like that is pretty unlikely and dumb to try to project. Oh well.

[markmills67]

2 hours ago, skinny21 said:

Hey @JamesMadisonSkins  - hate to keep harping on this, but I think we’re looking at 20m or less in cap space for FAs. 

 

That may even be generous - we’re at 49 now, - 15 for draft picks/in season stuff, and - 15 for Smith’s contract gets us down to 19.  If we keep an additional 2m for in-season (which we did last year I believe, though we rolled over 1.8* and perhaps we thought we would be able to roll more over) and pay Smith 17 this year... we’re down to 15m.   

 

Just rechecked Spotrac and OTC ... 

 

Spotrac - slightly under 35m in cap space (rule of 51) including Smith for 17, but not including Dunbar and Foster.  

OTC - slightly more than 49m, including Foster and Dunbar, but not including Smith.  

Makes sense I guess... they both seem to agree on ~32m after adding those 3 contracts.  

 

So, 32 minus draft/in-season and we’re left with around 15-18 to play with.  

 

* not certain here... we had 1.8 to roll over at the end of the season, but signing Foster and Dunbar before the league year has begun may affect that.  

I read somewhere that signing our draft picks and in season stuff only comes to about 8m. Our draft picks without a 3rd round pick comes to about 4.5m, plus about 5m in season around 9/10m tops I would say.

 

HTTR 

[JamesMadisonSkins]

4 hours ago, markmills67 said:

I read somewhere that signing our draft picks and in season stuff only comes to about 8m. Our draft picks without a 3rd round pick comes to about 4.5m, plus about 5m in season around 9/10m tops I would say.

 

HTTR 

Yeah, I think I read that between the draft pool and in-season $$ we'll need about $8 million. Typically you use $3-4 million in-season but last year it was way higher than normal due to our injury situation, which makes sense. So starting with about $34 million, less about $10 million, you have yourself $24 million to spend. That's decent money especially if you plan to manipulate the deals a bit with guarantees, etc. I also think you can find yourself cutting someone like Terrell McClain on June 1st to save extra $$ if you had to. I think a much more realistic off-season would go like last year ... where you bring in what you expect to be 4-5 starting quality players but no "studs." Which is safe, but then also sticks you with someone like Terrell McClain. 

 

Re-Sign: ILB Zach Brown ($5m/yr), Edge Junior Gallette ($3m/yr), WR Ryan Grant ($1.5m/yr)

Free-Agents: WR Albert Wilson ($3m/yr), CB Prince Amukamura ($3m/yr), LG Jonathan Cooper($3m/yr), RB Isaiah Crowell ($4m/yr), ILB Todd Davis ($2m/yr)

 

Draft: 1.13 Derwin James, FS Florida State; 2.12 Harrison Phillips, DT Stanford; 4.12: Keke Coutee, WR TTU; 5.13: Kevin Tolliver III, CB LSU; 6.14 Brandon Parker, OT NC A&T

 

Picked James > R. Smith at 13 because both were basically tied for quality and the need at FS outweighed ILB. Went Harrison Phillips over DJ Moore in the 2nd, even though Moore would provide the speed and upside, there's still some upside on the Skins team with Doctson and Crowder + depth of Grant, Wilson (FA), Harris and Davis. Recent trends of 1st and 2nd round WRs haven't been ideal, so I chose to wait a bit to grab a WR in the draft to bolster the depth and long-term outlook. Phillips would make the DL excellent up-front and fits more the mold of what the Skins covet in a DL. 

 

Redskins spent 4 of their first 5 picks on defense last year (Allen, Anderson, Moreau, Nicholson) + their 4 biggest FA signings (Swearinger, Brown, McGee, McClain). The team has a lot of pieces on defense that should work when healthy. This draft continued that trend, mainly because the offense doesn't have too many glaring holes after the FA cycle (adding Cooper, Wilson and Crowell). I wanted to add some OL depth but didn't want to at the expense of other needs. Parker in the 6th adds a project/small school guy to groom as a backup OT if/when we lose Nsheke. Coutee is the deep threat to take the top off the defense and won't be relied upon to make an immediate impact, and Tolliver is your typical "high upside" guy that falls. 

 

Off-season adds on offense: LG Jonathan Cooper (FA), RB Isaiah Crowell (FA), WR Albert Wilson (FA) WR Keke Coutee (4th), OT Brandon Parker (6th)

Off-season adds on defense: ILB Zach Brown (RS), Edge Junior Gallette (RS), CB Prince Amukamara (FA), ILB Todd Davis (FA), FS Derwin James (1st), DT Harrison Phillips (2nd), CB Kevin Tolliver III (5th)

 

Done spamming this thread for a bit. Thanks for indulging my FanSpeak obsession today. 

[skinny21]

4 hours ago, markmills67 said:

I read somewhere that signing our draft picks and in season stuff only comes to about 8m. Our draft picks without a 3rd round pick comes to about 4.5m, plus about 5m in season around 9/10m tops I would say.

 

HTTR 

Our draft picks, minus the 3rd rounder, will cost us 6.5m (Spotrac has it broken down by pick).  Then you have to pay your PS guys (and all of the moves associated).  Then we paid an additional 22 or so guys in-season to replace the IR players.  

 

Wish I could find an accurate accounting, but I would say somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-10m for all those moves.  

[JamesMadisonSkins]

@skinny21 the $4.5 million number is for the Top 51. Expanding to 53 takes it to $5.6 or so. Last year we used a ton for in season due to the injuries. Way more than normal. I think the normal “cushion” is $4-6 million for in season contracts and PS. So yeah about $8-10 million for picks + in season maneuvering.

 

so about $24 million to spend on re-signs and new guys and with the way contracts are naturally structured, I’d expect to bring back Brown/Gallette and still have enough for 1 premier FA + 2 average adds and depth or 2 premier and then just small veteran/depth moves. Or 4-5 middle-tiered FAs, like last year

 

I want to say we went into last year’s FA cycle with $55m in cap space. Then Kirks tag made it $31m and then your usual cushion of picks and in-season takes you to about where we stand now. And we signed quite a few guys

- Pryor for $8m APY (one year)

- Swearinger for $4.5m APY

- McClain for $5m APY

- McGee for $5m APY

- Zach Brown for $4.5m APY (one year) 

 

So disregarding how those deals were actually structured, that’s $27m in APY signed by the top targets alone. 

 

Looking at Swearinger’s deal it appears to be $3.3 - $4.3 - $5.8 million each year over 3 years. So definitely backloaded or at least accelerated each year. 

 

So if you sign Sheldon Richardson for 4 and 40, I think you’d expect 7-9-11-13 as the cap hits each year of the deal. So a 10m APY has a $7m cap hit this year type of thing. 

 

I know this isn’t the FA thread but it is in context with the discussion, but my apologies. 

[Rufus T Firefly]

7 hours ago, markmills67 said:

I read somewhere that signing our draft picks and in season stuff only comes to about 8m. Our draft picks without a 3rd round pick comes to about 4.5m, plus about 5m in season around 9/10m tops I would say.

 

HTTR 

You have to pay for expanding the roster from 51 to 53, plus all IR players at that point= about 3 mil

Practice Squad= last year was 3.3 mil

Drat picks, minus the salaries of players they replaced- about 2.5

In season= last year we started the season with about 6.5 mil and spent most of it.

 

And then you have RFAs, Everett and Nsekhe. Using last year's tender amounts (should go slightly up this year), tendering them at the lowest level would cost about a combined 2.5 mil above the minimum salary players they replace.

[FrFan]

3 hours ago, JamesMadisonSkins said:

Done spamming this thread for a bit. Thanks for indulging my FanSpeak obsession today. 

Not so fast ! How about selecting a TE in the draft ?

[wilco_holland]

11 hours ago, FrFan said:

 

 

? at some point our Front Office had A.J. Smith in consultant role and Scot as GM. I don't think ever comes out what really happend but man that structure was promising. If you look at what Brown's did... Man we could have Scot bring in some of his old Packers guys to work with him. 

 

But yeah...

[FrFan]

30 minutes ago, wilco_holland said:

 

? at some point our Front Office had A.J. Smith in consultant role and Scot as GM. I don't think ever comes out what really happend but man that structure was promising. If you look at what Brown's did... Man we could have Scot bring in some of his old Packers guys to work with him. 

 

But yeah...

The Browns say Hi There ! They're running the  Packers 2.0 FO with Scot working on 12 draft picks including 5 in the first two rounds, and  they have $112 mil in cap space. They're definitely helping the process to succeed, and I'm not even mentioning Josh Gordon who might finally get his act together.

It looks like they're done with what I call the dragon complex (hit in the tail it takes twenty years to react to the brain), while we're still the same old Redskins.

[Audible_Red40]

Last Chance U:  John Franklin III

 

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/02/26/watch-former-florida-state-auburn-qb-and-fau-wr-john-franklin-iii-allegedly-runs-4-19-40-yard-dash/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs&yptr=yahoo

 

WATCH: Former Florida State, Auburn QB (and FAU WR) John Franklin III allegedly runs 4.19 40-yard dash

 

https://youtu.be/vVkYYjahRgk

[repo_4]

2 hours ago, Audible_Red40 said:

Last Chance U:  John Franklin III

 

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/02/26/watch-former-florida-state-auburn-qb-and-fau-wr-john-franklin-iii-allegedly-runs-4-19-40-yard-dash/?ocid=Yahoo&partner=ya5nbcs&yptr=yahoo

 

WATCH: Former Florida State, Auburn QB (and FAU WR) John Franklin III allegedly runs 4.19 40-yard dash

 

https://youtu.be/vVkYYjahRgk

Pfft. Let me know when Clifford Franklin becomes available. THE fastest Franklin.

[Skinsinparadise]

 

[Skinsinparadise]

I haven't watched Hurst at all.  I noticed late last year when the mocks starting popping up some were comparing Hurst to be a Donald, type.  I see he has some serious fans, especially PFF.   You got Keim today saying interior pass rush is a a desire this off season.  One of the beat guys, maybe it was Finlay (can't recall) who said they aren't per se looking for pure run stuffing DT but instead a Dt who can play in the nickel and stop the run and provide pass rush.   Maybe a guy like Hurst fits that better than a Payne or Vea?

 

http://www.espn.com/blog/washington-redskins/post/_/id/35714/redskins-should-focus-on-front-seven-running-backs-at-combine

Defensively, the Redskins want another interior pass-rusher and must figure out what they're doing at inside linebacker -- will They re-sign Zach Brown? If not, that's on the list as well. After trading cornerback Kendall Fuller, they could use more depth at this spot (the same is true at safety).

 

https://www.ndtscouting.com/ledyard-maurice-hurst-is-the-best-idl-in-the-2018-nfl-draft/

I have a take that was once lukewarm, and is now hot, and should be freezing cold. Michigan’s Maurice Hurst is the best interior defensive line prospect in the 2018 NFL Draft, and it is not close. Vita Vea, Derrick Nnadi, Taven Bryan, Da’Ron Payne and others all offer intriguing traits and characteristics, but none of them can make the consistent high-value impact that Hurst can.

In terms of explosiveness, Bryan is the only other top interior defensive lineman who can rival Hurst, and he isn’t nearly as flexible or nuanced in his rush game after that initial burst. Hurst has the ability to quickly capture a guard’s edge, and then either turn a tight corner to the pocket or get back underneath with a counter. 

 

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/draft-michigans-maurice-hurst-the-next-gerald-mccoy

Michigan's Maurice Hurst: The next Gerald McCoy?

 

Michigan DI Maurice Hurst has been an incredible, disruptive interior defensive lineman this year in large part to his quickness and athleticism, and we at PFF are very high on his NFL prospects even though he doesn’t have the prototypical size of a first-round pick at defensive tackle. Hurst was our highest-graded player overall in all of FBS college football with an overall grade of 96.8 at season’s end, which edged out Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield’s 95.2.

 

 

1. Mike Renner‏Verified account @PFF_Mike Feb 21

   More

   If I need a NT in this class I go up and get Vita Vea If I need a 3-tech I go up and get Maurice Hurst For me, there’s no close second at either position

   14 replies22 retweets103 likes

    

 

[wilco_holland]

Yeah Hurst is my draft crush but I rather play him in a 4-3. I see him in the line of players like Short (Carolina), Atkins (Cincy), Donald (LA). 

 

But...if I look at a player like Corey Liuget. He played pretty good in both systems. So yeah not sure yet if we can get the most out of Hurst. 

[duffy]

Somewhat pleased with this draft despite not taking a RB. Decided to go with the QB project instead. 

 

I'm not sure how St Brown was available so late, but I'd love to see it happen. 

 

Kirk in the 2nd? Yes please.