2021 Comprehensive Draft Thread

[Going Commando]

22 minutes ago, Malapropismic Depository said:

One of the most beautiful 16 yard runs I've ever seen

 

Folks are making the Kamara comparison really frequently with Etienne, and I was going with that for a while too.  But he doesn't have Kamara's feet, and Kamara doesn't have any power in his game at all, whereas Etienne has some real power in his style.

 

Kamara is what New Orleans was hoping Reggie Bush would become.  Bush was drafted about ten years too early, he would have been better in today's NFL rather than the NFL of AD and Steven Jackson and LT.

 

Dalvin Cook is my comparison for Etienne.

[Going Commando]

Hubbard is the guy who runs like Kamara.  Not as twitchy and the hips and feet aren't quite as fluid.  But he's got the same no-panic, almost lackadaisical style.  He even had a similar backwards, falling into the endzone and reaching out with the ball to score TD today that Kamara had last week against the Packers. 

 

He is an incredibly patient runner.  One of the most patient I can remember seeing at the college level.  It comes from him knowing he can stop, flip his hips, and then absolutely burn up the entire backside of your defense and beat everyone to the edge and then just horse it down the sideline for 30 easy yards.  He never forces anything as a result of that.

 

He is one of the best players in CFB and I'd have him pushing for top ten consideration in this year's class.  This is already an incredible RB class, and we haven't even gotten to see the Pac-12 or Big-10 guys do anything yet.  There could end up being five first round worthy RBs by the end of the season.  Hubbard, Harris, and Etienne are first rounders.  Master Teague and Journey Brown could end up being first rounders too.  Gonna be a lot of good second rounders too, especially some of the Pac-12 guys.

 

And I still like my guy Pooka Williams as a late round sleeper option, despite his slow start to the season.  He is an absolutely sensational weapon, just needs a smaller workload than the studs at the top of the class.  His team is trash though.  That's one of the least competitive secondaries I've seen from a power 5 program, and the defense as a whole is complete garbage.  Chuba and Tylan Wallace tap-danced all over them.

[redskindan07]

Alright so we need OL, S, WR, TE, and LB help, it will be interesting to see how FA vs the draft will be used to fill holes

[mhd24]

If we aren't taking QB, and Sewell is gone, I'm going for Chase or Pitts.

[Warhead36]

7 minutes ago, mhd24 said:

If we aren't taking QB, and Sewell is gone, I'm going for Chase or Pitts.

I want a stud MLB or lockdown CB. Lets build a powerhouse D and wait to get our QB later.

[KDawg]

Right now, for me, it’s:

 

1. Sewell or Lawrence

2. Fields

3. Parsons 

4. Chase

5. Pitts

6. Leatherwood 

7. Holland 

8. Waddle

9. Vera-Tucker, Brown, Smith

10. Moses

11. Cisco

 

This will change many times... especially when I think of other guys

[Mr. Sinister]

7 minutes ago, KDawg said:

Right now, for me, it’s:

 

1. Sewell or Lawrence

2. Fields

3. Parsons 

4. Chase

5. Pitts

6. Leatherwood 

7. Holland 

8. Waddle

9. Vera-Tucker, Brown, Smith

10. Moses

11. Cisco

 

This will change many times... especially when I think of other guys

 

So long as it's a beer prospect 👊

[Going Commando]

1 hour ago, Warhead36 said:

I want a stud MLB or lockdown CB. Lets build a powerhouse D and wait to get our QB later.

 

Those would be nice, but the CB class looks kind of flawed to me.  Micah Parsons is a great prospect, but it's kind of a bummer that he's not playing this year, and when you weigh in position value, that hurts the idea of taking a stack linebacker high.  I think that's why they tend to fall on draft day.  This is a hypothetical and would depend upon the individual grades of the available players in reality, but bear with me: Am I better off picking Micah Parsons with a top ten pick and then taking the leavings of another premium position in the second round and beyond?  Or am I better picking a stone cold stud at WR or TE or RB or OL and then picking a Nick Bolton or Jabril Cox on day 2?  I think the answer is the second scenario, assuming you can get a player with a grade that's close to Micah Parsons with that first rounder.

 

The other thing is that good stack linebackers kind of need a lot of other things to be going right around them in order to make a big individual difference.  Dallas has those two linebackers who are absolutely awesome and their defense still sucks.  The position is kind of like a finishing piece of the build rather than the foundation.  I think you've got to get your line and your secondary right first, and then when you do, then you can have a journeyman guy like a Fred Warner flying around out there and killing it.

 

But at the end of the day, you can't get too cute about positions in the draft.  It's so damn hard to hit on a draft pick that you ultimately have to just pick the best guy available in order to have a chance at picking hits.

[Going Commando]

1 hour ago, KDawg said:

Right now, for me, it’s:

 

1. Sewell or Lawrence

2. Fields

3. Parsons 

4. Chase

5. Pitts

6. Leatherwood 

7. Holland 

8. Waddle

9. Vera-Tucker, Brown, Smith

10. Moses

11. Cisco

 

This will change many times... especially when I think of other guys

 

Which Brown is that on your list, Journey Brown?

 

The only ones I disagree with are Leatherwood, Holland, and Cisco.  I've seen some websites that are similarly high on them though, so I could be off.  I think Leatherwood needs a big season to justify a top ten ranking because I didn't really love what I saw from last year's cut ups.  I kind of came away with an unsettled gestalt from watching him.  His game isn't very pretty or clean, and there would be only a handful of snaps in some games where I felt like "this is what an NFL pass rep should look like."  The physicality is good though and his speed and twitchiness is first rate, so there is an athletic foundation there to build upon.  He feels like a Tennessee Titans type prospect.

 

Cisco reminds me of Delpit.  He walks the walk of a big dog All American, and he does make spectacular plays, but he ****s up so much.  I think he tries to do way too much and doesn't always play team ball.  I don't know that he's one of those guys that can walk that line of playing fast and aggressive but also smart.  He's a freak of an athlete though.

[Going Commando]

Journey Brown's highlight reel from last season is incredible.  Think of how fast Chuba and Etienne are.  Now speed them up.  That's Journey.  He has a legit shot to time sub 4.3 in the 40.  It's true shot out of a cannon track speed where he accelerates the whole way to the end zone on 50 yard runs.  He's got good balance and strong legs too.  That bowl game against Memphis was something else, I haven't really seen dominant raw speed at the position like his since Chris Johnson.

 

This RB class is shaping up like 2008, only the first round WR group is awesome too.  I think 1/3 to 1/2 of the picks in the first round will be HB, WR, or TE.  Convenient for us.

[KDawg]

That’s Deonte, but I like Journey, too. Just not sure a RB is in our future.

[Anselmheifer]

Where do you guys project we will be picking? Without SAQUON, I think we beat the Giants twice. We are going to win a little more than I like. Five games maybe? Pick around 10?

[KDawg]

10 minutes ago, Anselmheifer said:

Where do you guys project we will be picking? Without SAQUON, I think we beat the Giants twice. We are going to win a little more than I like. Five games maybe? Pick around 10?

Between 2-6 wins. Between 5 and 10 barring epic collapse?

[Skinsinparadise]

14 hours ago, Anselmheifer said:

Where do you guys project we will be picking? Without SAQUON, I think we beat the Giants twice. We are going to win a little more than I like. Five games maybe? Pick around 10?

 

I wonder, Giants have beaten us 8 out of the last 12, swept us last year, creamed us in a game.  It wouldn't surprise me if we split the series. 

 

If we have to get a QB, i am warming up to FA.  I watched all of UF's game last Sunday, its hard for me to get Kyle Pitts out of my head.  Weeks ago, I didn't want to go that high for a TE.  But like I said when I watched him months back, the dude moves like a receiver.  I think he's going to be a killer weapon.

 

Obviously we need O line too.  I love Sewell, but not sure we have a shot at him.    Will see. 

[Skinsinparadise]

14 hours ago, Anselmheifer said:

Where do you guys project we will be picking? Without SAQUON, I think we beat the Giants twice. We are going to win a little more than I like. Five games maybe? Pick around 10?

 

Trying to think of who we beat?  The Lions?  Bengals?  Panthers?  Giants twice?  I'd guess we will 2 of those games, 3 tops. 

 

 

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

[Est.1974]

I think I’d take Parsons overs Ja’Marr Chase. In fact in that scenario, we may well move to #4 to get Fields.

 

 

[Riggo#44]

Is Chase that good? I'd trade back in that situation--if we are out on Lawrence, Sewell, slide back.

[Skinsinparadise]

34 minutes ago, Riggo#44 said:

Is Chase that good? I'd trade back in that situation--if we are out on Lawrence, Sewell, slide back.

 

I think Chase is that good.  

56 minutes ago, UK SKINS FAN 74 said:

I think I’d take Parsons overs Ja’Marr Chase. In fact in that scenario, we may well move to #4 to get Fields.

 

 

 

I got to watch some more Parsons.  I love the idea of a stud MLB with this defense.  One of my man crushes on that front last year was Patrick Queen who seems to be killing it in Baltimore.  I liked Parsons in the 2 games i watched but didn't fall hard for him but i got to dive in more -- i love what I read about Parsons.

 

Back to Chase, I got to dive into him where I study him but just casually watching LSU last year he looked awesome.  Ditto when I was watching other LSU players before last year's draft, Chase was hard to ignore. 

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

https://www.nfl.com/news/five-takeaways-from-trey-lance-s-showcase-game

 

Here are five takeaways from his performance on Saturday:

1) Lance is even bigger and stronger than he was last season. He looked like Dak Prescott from a build standpoint.

He was really driving the football as a passer, and he broke a lot of tackles when he ran the ball. He'll immediately open up opportunities to use designed QB runs for the NFL team that drafts him. At 6-foot-4 and 226 pounds (per school measurements), Lance could be turned loose as a runner in a similar way to how the Bills use Josh Allen.

2) There was some rust to knock off, which is something I expected with this being his first game after such an unusual offseason. He missed on a couple deep balls that I'm sure he'd like to have back, lost a fumble and threw the first interception of his career on Saturday in his 17th career start (that's right -- he did not throw a pick on 287 attempts last season). He got locked on the seam on the pick vs. Central Arkansas and took the defender right to the ball.

Let's maintain some perspective here, though. Lance and his NDSU teammates faced an odd trifecta on Saturday: It was their biggest game of the year, it was their first game of the year and it was their only game of the year. Understandably, I think he was a little bit juiced up early on and you saw that with some of the balls that were overthrown. He looked more comfortable in the second half.

3) Lance showed poise and the ability to come through in the clutch. NDSU trailed by three early in the fourth quarter before putting the Bears away, so it was good to see him lead a comeback victory, but his most impressive moment came later in the final quarter when the Bison held a four-point lead. Facing a third-and-4 with about three minutes left in the game, he drove a deep out and the throw was on the money. It basically secured the win for the Bison. I was happy to see him deliver one of his best throws of the day on that play.

4) There's still room for improvement for him in a lot of areas, but the skill set is undeniable. Lance showed ideal athletic ability, toughness, arm talent and competitiveness. All of the tools are in the box, but his competitiveness as a runner really stood out on Saturday. He has the ability to impact a game even when he misses some throws because of his ability and toughness as a runner.

5) I compared Lance to Andrew Luck after studying him this summer. However, I can't remember Luck missing some of the layups that Lance missed in this game. When it comes to size, arm strength, athletic ability and competitiveness -- I still see a lot of Luck in Lance's game. I just think the former Colts QB was a little more accurate. Today, Lance reminded me more of Dak Prescott. So, he's somewhere in the range of Luck (former No. 1 overall pick and four-time Pro Bowl selectee) to Prescott (two-time Pro Bowl selectee and former Offensive Rookie of the Year who's on pace to throw for more than 6,000 yards right now).

In other words, Trey Lance is really good.

Follow Daniel Jeremiah on Twitter @MoveTheSticks.

[Riggo#44]

There's a lot to like about Lance, but I watched that game. He wasn't sharp, but man that athletic ability was fun to watch.

 

Whoever takes him (and honestly I wouldn't be pissed if it was us), he sits for the 1st year. He needs to get up to NFL-speed. 

[Always A Commander Never A Captain]

3 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

I got to watch some more Parsons.  I love the idea of a stud MLB with this defense.  One of my man crushes on that front last year was Patrick Queen who seems to be killing it in Baltimore.  I liked Parsons in the 2 games i watched but didn't fall hard for him but i got to dive in more -- i love what I read about Parsons.

 

I'm on board the Parsons train as well.  From what I've read Patrick Queen is raw, makes mistakes, but also makes enough positive plays that you can deal with the growing pain.  Compare that to Isaiah Simmons, who apparently is only making mistakes (somehow), and isn't seeing the field much.  I still can't believe Queen fell to Baltimore in the draft.  I thought he could go as high as #12, but for sure in the teens.  Then 2 more LB's went ahead of him, one of whom is barely seeing the field.

[Skinsinparadise]

2 minutes ago, Alcoholic Zebra said:

 

I'm on board the Parsons train as well.  From what I've read Patrick Queen is raw, makes mistakes, but also makes enough positive plays that you can deal with the growing pain.  Compare that to Isaiah Simmons, who apparently is only making mistakes (somehow), and isn't seeing the field much.  I still can't believe Queen fell to Baltimore in the draft.  I thought he could go as high as #12, but for sure in the teens.  Then 2 more LB's went ahead of him, one of whom is barely seeing the field.

 

Queen is struggiling in coverage but been good as a run stopper and rushing the passer.  What i liked about him was he plays like a ball of energy and we saw that last week.  from the 2 games i watched, Parsons likewise plays with a ball of energy. 

[mhd24]

4 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

Queen is struggiling in coverage but been good as a run stopper and rushing the passer.  What i liked about him was he plays like a ball of energy and we saw that last week.  from the 2 games i watched, Parsons likewise plays with a ball of energy. 

 

 

I think its obvious we'll be aggressive in FA (with all our cap room) and will target skill position guys.  Unless we get Sewell, I think its unlikely O-line is the pick.  I just don't see Ron bypassing QB if he gets a chance to take Lawrence, Fields, Lance, or even Trask.  Its the biggest need on the roster.

Here's highlights of Kyle Trask's latest game (also for Kyle Pitts fans):

 

 

[philibusters]

I am a huge Maryland fan and hence Big 10 fan.   Two guys who I think will be good pros from the Big 10 are Rondale Moore who would be the top receiver I would take from the conference.   I also am always impressed by Paddy Fisher the LB from Northwestern.  In terms of Micah Parsons, I think he is a good player.  It was obvious he was a future pro, but I didn't really pay close attention to him, so I will watch him more closely this year. 

 

In terms of Maryland, we don't have a lot of pro prospects this year.   On defense, Shaq Smith is the only pro prospect.  He is switching positions.  Maryland uses a 3-4 defense and he was an outside LB last year.  He is switching to Inside linebacker last year.   He is from Baltimore and was rated the number 3 LB in his high school recruiting class before signing at Clemson.  When he transferred to Maryland there was a lot of fanfare.  Then he had a very mediocre season last year where you hardly noticed him.   He certainly didn't do anything to make you think he was a future pro.  Still I think the feel amongst the coaching staff is he is a very talented player with pro potential.  Maryland has had a couple high profile transfers in the past 3 years who were not amazing college players for the Terps, but are now pro's in JC Jackson (starting corner for New England) and Bryan Cowart (backup DE for New England) so maybe Shaq Smith fits that profile.   Still if he gets drafted we are probably talking about rounds 5 to 7.  I am just hoping he has a better year this year than last because he was a total non-factor last year.

On offense there are only two senior starters and neither has any pro potential in my opinion.  Looking further ahead in the future, Maryland has a trio of WR's that may have some NFL potential in Junior Dontay Demus, Sophomore Jeshaun Jones, and Freshman Rakim Jarrett.   Sophomores Jaelyn Duncan (offensive tackle) and Austin Fontaine (Center) also may have some NFL talent.   Maryland also has the younger brothers of two recent top 5 NFL picks as starters in sophomore Taulia Tagovailoa at QB and freshman Isaiah Jacobs at RB. The younger Jacobs will likely win the starting gig as a true freshman this year.