2022 Comprehensive Draft Thread

[Koolblue13]

1 minute ago, KDawg said:

The 4-2 isn't a 3-4 or a 4-3 over.

I wasn't saying that it was. 

 

I'm definitely done.

 

 

[Koolblue13]

 

[Commander Wolffe]

1 hour ago, mhd24 said:

Kiper just posted his updated mock.  He has us taking Stingley.  Lloyd falls to 19.  Dean falls to 29!  Whatever you make of Kiper, he has contacts in the league.

 

Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU

Circle April 6 on your calendar. That's when scouts will get the chance to see Stingley on the field for the first time since he injured his foot in September. He had surgery on the Lisfranc injury and didn't work out at the combine. It's a crucial day for a corner once viewed as a potential No. 1 overall pick. As a true freshman in 2019, he was one of LSU's best players on the way to its national title. Stingley has played in just 10 games over the past two seasons and has some inconsistent tape. I'm still betting on his upside, but he could drop if he doesn't test well.

Washington had major injury issues at corner last season, and it could upgrade its unit with Stingley. I also thought about a receiver to partner with Terry McLaurin for new quarterback Carson Wentz.

 

I thought the narrative under Ron Rivera in Carolina was they always draft DBs in the lower rounds and find gems. I think we go WR in the first. 

[Koolblue13]

 

[CommanderInTheRye]

2 hours ago, mhd24 said:

Kiper just posted his updated mock.  He has us taking Stingley.  Lloyd falls to 19.  Dean falls to 29!  Whatever you make of Kiper, he has contacts in the league.

 

Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU

Circle April 6 on your calendar. That's when scouts will get the chance to see Stingley on the field for the first time since he injured his foot in September. He had surgery on the Lisfranc injury and didn't work out at the combine. It's a crucial day for a corner once viewed as a potential No. 1 overall pick. As a true freshman in 2019, he was one of LSU's best players on the way to its national title. Stingley has played in just 10 games over the past two seasons and has some inconsistent tape. I'm still betting on his upside, but he could drop if he doesn't test well.

Washington had major injury issues at corner last season, and it could upgrade its unit with Stingley. I also thought about a receiver to partner with Terry McLaurin for new quarterback Carson Wentz.

 

 

Those of you who are Drake London fans will be interested to know that Kiper has him rocketing up draft boards post-combine. Must have been a demon in interviews and on the chalk boards.

 

He has the Jets taking him fourth overall…

 

 

4. New York Jets

Drake London, WR, USC

 

“The Jets have had a nice start to free agency, filling voids at tight end (C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin), safety (Jordan Whitehead), cornerback (D.J. Reed) and guard (Laken Tomlinson). They haven't yet added an outside wide receiver to help Zach Wilson, though, which means they could be eyeing one with either of their top-10 picks. They could get their choice of the best receiver in the class here, and really, if they want to take one, there's no need to wait.

 

London, 6-foot-4 and my top-ranked wideout, had 88 catches for 1,084 yards in eight games in 2021 before a broken right ankle ended his season. He can be a weapon in the red zone. With London and Corey Davis on the outside and Elijah Moore and Braxton Berrios working out of the slot, New York would have a young and talented receiving corps for Wilson's second season.”

 

 

 

As far as the consensus top two qbs go Kiper has the first one lasting into the bottom half of the first round…

 

18. New Orleans Saints

Kenny Pickett, QB, Pitt

 

“The Saints tried and failed to add Deshaun Watson, so are they definitely committed to Jameis Winston now? I don't think so. If the board shakes out this way -- with all of the passers available -- why shouldn't they take Pickett? He's the most NFL-ready of the bunch, leveling up last season with 42 touchdown passes and just seven interceptions. He is super accurate. He understands how to run an offense and lead a team. He could be the Saints' future.

 

This is a strange quarterback class, and the range on when Pickett and Malik Willis come off the board varies from everyone I talk to in the league. No one knows for sure. I would not be shocked if either of them fell into New Orleans' lap here.”

 

 

Quickly followed by Malik Wilson… bye bye Dwyane “Strip Club” Haskins…

 

20. Pittsburgh Steelers

Malik Willis, QB, Liberty

 

“The structure of Mitch Trubisky's new contract with Pittsburgh -- just $5.25 million guaranteed over two years -- means this organization absolutely could draft a quarterback here. Trubisky could be a bridge to Willis, who is raw but supremely talented. As I said when I projected him to the Steelers in my previous mock, he is the most talented quarterback in this class. Willis could compete with Trubisky, Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins in training camp, but he wouldn't be under immediate pressure to start in Week 1. That would be crucial for him.

 

If the Steelers go a different direction, they still have holes to plug along the offensive line and in the secondary.l

 

 

 

For the contingent of Devin Lloyd lovers out there we might be able to get him with a judicious trade down…

 

 

 

 

 

19. Philadelphia Eagles

Devin Lloyd, ILB, Utah

 

“Here’s a spot to fill Philadelphia's void at off-ball linebacker. Lloyd was one of the best all-around defenders in college football last season, racking up 111 total tackles, eight sacks, 20 tackles for loss, four interceptions and a forced fumble. He has some juice as a blitzer and can cover tight ends and running backs in the passing game. Lloyd's 4.66 40-yard dash at the combine means he doesn't have the straight-line speed of former top-five pick Devin White (a linebacker I've compared him to), but I don't think he should drop past the Eagles.

 

That's three early starters for the Eagles here, with Lloyd, Chris Olave and Jermaine Johnson II.”

 

 

 

And my favorite under the radar qb lasts until the end of the round. Might we snag him or a Desmond Ridder type if one slips into the early second round.

 

32. Detroit Lions (via LAR)

Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss

 

“lI'm going to stick with Corral to the Lions, but I keep hearing it's not out of the question that he is the first quarterback off the board. He didn't work out at the combine, so teams haven't gotten a look at him since his ankle injury in early January. He's going to throw for scouts at his pro day Wednesday, and he could create some buzz there. He throws a ball with some zip and is extremely tough, though he doesn't have a huge frame (6-foot-2, 212 pounds). The biggest question revolves around the offense he ran in college; his coaches didn't ask him to make many reads. There will be an adjustment in the NFL.

 

For the Lions, I just don't see Jared Goff as the future. This allows them to get a potential quarterback of the future on a team-friendly five-year contract.”

 

 

Edited March 22, 2022 by CommanderInTheRye

[bowhunter]

Posted this in the FA thread, but todays NFL still has room for a pass catching big guy out of the backfield. An H-back, FB, TE combo with hands and big enough to punish as a runner when needed. I really like Jeremiah Hall from Oklahoma. He may even be available as an UDFA. Thoughts?

 

[Inigo Montoya]

From the same site that had the Devin L Breakdown... I'm leaning towards the Nat'l Champ D Leader with a trade down if not a WR: 

 

[KDawg]

I wish we had a way to get Wydermyer at TE. But… we don’t.

[Conn]

9 minutes ago, KDawg said:

I wish we had a way to get Wydermyer at TE. But… we don’t.

Can possibly get him as an UDFA according to Pauline. The athleticism of a bad OL and serious maturity issues apparently 

Edited March 22, 2022 by Conn

[Inigo Montoya]

4 minutes ago, KDawg said:

I wish we had a way to get Wydermyer at TE. But… we don’t.

3rd round prospect right? I would have to think he's an option with a 1st round trade back. I'm usually not a trade back person, due to needing stars and lack of partners to trade with... I think we get a shot this year. 

1 minute ago, Conn said:

Can possibly get him as an UDFA according to Brugler. The athleticism of a bad OL and serious maturity issues apparently 

I thought he was rated as one of the top or the top TE?

[Conn]

Sorry, Pauline not Brugler:

 

 

Seems like a guy who could fall far. Those athleticism numbers are horrendous, so you’re already vastly lowering the ceiling on his outlook anyways. Elite TE’s these days are almost exclusively elite athletes. This guy has Tom Brady speed and no explosion, and character concerns? Doesn’t bode well. 

[KDawg]

2 minutes ago, Conn said:

Sorry, Pauline not Brugler:

 

 

Seems like a guy who could fall far. Those athleticism numbers are horrendous, so you’re already vastly lowering the ceiling on his outlook anyways. Elite TE’s these days are almost exclusively elite athletes. This guy has Tom Brady speed and no explosion, and character concerns? Doesn’t bode well. 

Wonder what happened. Dude was a problem at TAM for a few years. Not good. I retract my statement.

[Anselmheifer]

26 minutes ago, KDawg said:

I wish we had a way to get Wydermyer at TE. But… we don’t.

Wish granted! Look how powerful you are! 

[Going Commando]

Yeah I think we've got a semantic issue in the way we are defining our linebackers in this thread.  I tend to use the term stack linebacker to mean the linebackers who play in a stack on top of the defensive line in order to differentiate from the linebackers that tend to play on the line of scrimmage, but this isn't a great term because there are many times when these same players are either playing with basically no depth at the snap or they are lined up so deep and over top of a slot receiver that they are in a defensive-back type of position.

 

I've seen a lot of places call them "off-ball" linebackers but that is pretty vague too.  Maybe this is the best we can do though, and we can take it to mean the players who operate from 2 point stance in a space roughly defined as wide as the tight end box to a depth that does not include deep zones.  The depth is really nebulous because of how NFL defenses hide their coverages by varying the depth of their linebackers and DBs and making a lot of noisy movement pre-snap.

 

I like that Devin Lloyd video KB posted because it demonstrates how aggressive your reads and steps have to be in order to play downhill like he does.  That mentality is what we need on our defense in order to have a dominant group, and it's what we're currently short of.  But I guarantee you if Lloyd comes here and takes over the field general role and keeps doing that kind of aggressive playmaking, that Holcomb and Jamin will follow his lead and start playing that way more too.  He will lift the confidence of everyone around him.

15 minutes ago, KDawg said:

Wonder what happened. Dude was a problem at TAM for a few years. Not good. I retract my statement.

 

Yeah he was really good as a Freshman.  Basically a full grown man with excellent toughness and athleticism and pretty much looked like he was on track for the first round.  I thought he was getting better, not worse, but I only watched A&M's offense for Spiller and Green so I didn't pay attention to him.  Wonder what happened?

[mistertim]

The LB discussion is very interesting but it immediately reminds me of

 

 

[Going Commando]

52 minutes ago, Inigo Montoya said:

From the same site that had the Devin L Breakdown... I'm leaning towards the Nat'l Champ D Leader with a trade down if not a WR: 

 

That's a fun video.  I prefer Lloyd over Dean because I think he's more physical and he has better ball skills in coverage, but I would be happy with Dean if Lloyd is gone.  My case for Lloyd over Dean is that Dean has the stone hands of a defensive player whereas Lloyd has those soft quick hands of a kid who used to play receiver.  And Lloyd can bump linemen and flatten those pulling sniffers and he tends to blowback runningbacks and kind of toboggan like a penguin off of them.

 

I think both of these two linebackers have legit All Pro potential, and that not only are they head and shoulders above the other linebackers in this class, I think they're better than the LBers from '19, '20, and '21.  My question is, if Devin Lloyd goes top ten, would 11 be too early for Dean?

Edited March 22, 2022 by Going Commando

[Skinsinparadise]

5 minutes ago, Going Commando said:

 

That's a fun video.  I prefer Lloyd over Dean because I think he's more physical and he has better ball skills in coverage, but I would be happy with Dean if Lloyd is gone.  My case for Lloyd over Dean is that Dean has the stone hands of a defensive player whereas Lloyd has those soft quick hands of a kid who used to play receiver.  And Lloyd can bump linemen and flatten those pulling sniffers and he tends to blowback runningbacks and kind of toboggan like a penguin off of them.

 

I think both of these two linebackers have legit All Pro potential, and that not only are they head and shoulders above the other linebackers in this class, I think they're better than the LBers from '19, '20, and '21.  My question is, if Devin Lloyd goes top ten, would 11 be too early for Dean?

 

 

I am a Lloyd over Dean person too but love both players.  I think you can get Dean further down the first but I doubt he escapes the Eagles -- Eagles seem as hungry for a LB as this team is judging by reports.

 

He clearly has special intangibes.  i am a big fan of going for these guys who are special beyond their acutal talent as for work ethic, leadership, smarts, etc and Dean fits all those checkmarks.  

 

 

[skinny21]

4 hours ago, KDawg said:

This is wrong. We don’t need someone that can play in the middle of the box. We need backers who can play all around football. Mike backers are typically bigger body two down backers. If you envision Urlacher or Lewis when people say MIKE, they are exceptions not the rule. 
 

The need is for guys like Lloyd, Jamin Davis, Nakobe Dean. Inside backers, yea, but not traditional Mikes. We can say the difference doesn’t matter and a backer is a backer but that is false. It’s not a nitpick. It’s different skill sets. 

Back to the point: We need a Devin Lloyd type to pair with Jamin. Yes. 
 

We could cover that hole with Hamilton as a Buffalo/Free and Curl playing the other role as well.

 

We also need a #2 receiver. We need a shutdown corner. 
 

Can only cover so many big needs at a time when people don’t want to play here. 
 

So staying at 11 and taking the player we have rated highest on our board, hopefully at LB/FS/WR will be what we do. Close one hole. Hope it masks others.

I’m probably (almost certainly) being obtuse here, and I’m pretty sure these are some dumb questions, but… given what you’ve written, why does RR say we need a mlb?  Or why does the staff see Jamin and Holcomb as outsider linebackers (if I have that right)?  Suggests to me they don’t see them (or at least one of them?) as fits when we’re playing a 4-2?

I do get the idea that we need a downhill linebacker that can shed blocks (and/or avoid the trash/traffic) and be the qb of the defense… but is the idea that we’re hoping Davis can be the 2nd or if he can’t, that we can make do with Holcomb?

 

nevermind kdawg - I should have read on before posting - you cleared it up with subsequent posts I think (thanks )

 

Edited March 22, 2022 by skinny21

[Skinsinparadise]

Speaking of special intangibles

 

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32436681/the-best-usc-drake-london-come

 

The best of USC's Drake London is still to come

 

To say London was a born athlete would be an understatement. The innate ability to excel at any sport without much of a learning curve was a feature, and his parents treated it as such. Dwan, who coached him in football through middle school, calls it physical genius. Cindi calls it magic. Both avoided pressuring their son -- Dwan said he didn't want to come off as a LaVar Ball-type -- and adopted a posture of openness. If there was a sport London wanted to play, they let him play it, and usually, he thrived.

 

"The more he would move, the calmer he was," Cindi said.

Soon, London was able to take his talents outside of the family backyard to bumblebee soccer, T-ball, flag football, then tackle and even track and field.

"We always said, 'Even if you want to play chess, we'll be there.' ... But it always came back to basketball and football," Cindi said.

Basketball was London's first love, and it remains his favorite sport. It's why, even as he developed into a superstar wide receiver and potential first-round NFL draft pick, he stayed committed to both sports at USC, finally giving up basketball before his junior season. The decision was bittersweet, but it brought about a new, exciting reality.

 

For the first time in his life, London was able to focus exclusively on football.

The results? Through six games this season, he is second in the nation in receiving yards per game with 138.7 and leads the Pac-12 in yards after the catch, first downs, catches of 20 yards or more, contested catches, missed tackles forced and yards per route, per Pro Football Focus. London came into USC thinking he was going to be a "role player," but two and a half seasons in, he already has a spot at No. 10 on Mel Kiper Jr.'s draft board.

If a ceiling for London exists, right now it's nowhere in sight.

"In terms of character dedication, commitment, talent," London's high school basketball coach Ryan Moore said, "he's one in a billion."

 

Graham Harrell believes God to be fair.

If a wide receiver has been blessed with size and ball skills, then his route running and agility will not be up to par. If a wide receiver has great agility and route running, as well as great size, then the ball skills are a little off. It's how the football universe maintains balance. But in the case of London, USC's offensive coordinator questions that creed.

"Drake's somehow got everything," Harrell said. "He's a giant with incredible ball skills. If you're that big and have those kinds of ball skills, you can't get in and out of breaks, you're a little stiff. [God] can't give them everything, but he has the total package."

 

 

..."I love watching Megatron," London said of former Detroit Lions legend Calvin Johnson when asked about NFL comparisons. "I wouldn't say I try to model my game after Megatron, because he's a specimen of his own, but definitely Mike Evans. Our body types are pretty similar, so I try to mimic him."

But there are undoubtedly similarities between London and Johnson. Johnson was a two-sport high school star recruited to play both baseball and football at Georgia Tech. For London, basketball has only served his football career well. When he goes up for a ball against a corner in a one-on-one situation, Moore envisions him grabbing a rebound over taller players. When he jumps to catch a pass with one hand, former USC assistant basketball coach Jason Hart pictures a one-handed dunk off a lob. When he beats a defender on a route and breaks free, Dwan likens it to a crossover on the court. And when he tracks a ball in the air and gets to the spot before anyone else, London credits basketball for that footwork.

"It wasn't just football season I was being competitive," London said of the multisport approach. "It was also basketball season. So I was always on edge, always looking to win."

 

London peels off his helmet after a recent USC practice that featured a handful of NFL scouts observing, folds his hands behind his back and speaks in a soft voice. The higher pitch is a reminder that he's still, as USC tight end Malcolm Epps puts it, a "big kid." The subdued demeanor is evidence of what those close to him call a "low-key" athlete who still hangs out at the local Target and go-kart track in Moorpark with his longtime friends when he's back in town. Underneath those pads, though, are hints of something more confident burgeoning.

 

Just ask Moore, who once challenged London at a basketball tournament to not go soft at the rim, only to have London dunk the ball on consecutive possessions and shoot him a look each time. Or ask Cindi, who has seen her son become a little bit more confident with each interview, a little bit more open with each tweet he sends or Instagram posts.

London is not a phone guy. Or a social media guy. But he knows he needs to lean into those things as his profile gets bigger. Then again, he's still rewiring his brain after surprising himself and turning into the team's best player and one of the best receivers in the country.

"I don't like to post a lot of the time," London said. "Everything's not about you. I just tried to keep to myself a lot, but I've been working on it, especially in this era. You have to be good with that type of stuff, especially for NIL."

 

Anyanwu and his parents are encouraging London to post when the opportunity is right, while also only accepting NIL deals that make sense for him. (For instance, he's into cars and would like to be sponsored by a tire company at some point.) On the field, there's no question that he already has the tools to carry him far.

"It's all just rolling his way right now," said USC wide receivers coach Keary Colbert, who is from Oxnard, a neighboring city to Moorpark. "Like a basketball player, they get in a rhythm, and things just roll your way. I think he's just in a rhythm right now and everything is going his way."

And yet, London still hasn't reached his full potential. But the runway is now clear and with a single sport in mind, the big kid with the Little Tikes hoop is ready for takeoff.

[KDawg]

11 minutes ago, skinny21 said:

I’m probably (almost certainly) being obtuse here, and I’m pretty sure these are some dumb questions, but… given what you’ve written, why does RR say we need a mlb?  Or why does the staff see Jamin and Holcomb as outsider linebackers (if I have that right)?  Suggests to me they don’t see them (or at least one of them?) as fits when we’re playing a 4-2?

I do get the idea that we need a downhill linebacker that can shed blocks (and/or avoid the trash/traffic) and be the qb of the defense… but is the idea that we’re hoping Davis can be the 2nd or if he can’t, that we can make do with Holcomb?

For when we are in the 4-3. Which is rarely. Lloyd can play there in short bursts (as can Wagner). But adding a Mike for a 4-2  isn’t worth the hassle. But because Lloyd is an all around backer he can take that Bostic role in the times we are actually 4-3 aligned. 
 

Keep in mind one of the two current guys is coming off the field in the 4-2… unless we want one of them covering a slot.

Edited March 22, 2022 by KDawg

[“Misdirection”]

How does London compare to someone like Kennan Allen? Tall big body WR who runs great routes but may not have that elite speed. 
 

Is that a fair comp?

[actorguy1]

Pick

11

 

Washington Commanders

 

 

Kyle Hamilton

Notre Dame · S · Junior

The Commanders stop the slide of one of the highest-rated players in the entire class. Don't worry about the 4.59 40 time -- the versatile safety plays fast in pads.

[Est.1974]

Is Drake London really viewed as a top 15-20 pick. Don’t see it to that level at all.

[Skinsinparadise]

26 minutes ago, Est.1974 said:

Is Drake London really viewed as a top 15-20 pick. Don’t see it to that level at all.

 

I do, unless he runs poorly next month.  He's supposedly going to run in april.  What do you think makes him a bottom half first rounder and not a top 20 pick?

[RWJ]

46 minutes ago, actorguy1 said:

Pick

11

 

Washington Commanders

 

 

Kyle Hamilton

Notre Dame · S · Junior

The Commanders stop the slide of one of the highest-rated players in the entire class. Don't worry about the 4.59 40 time -- the versatile safety plays fast in pads.

If we don't trade down in the draft, I'm all for Kyle Hamiton!  I want us to trade down though as I have put my thoughts and ideas about the draft out here.