2023 Comprehensive Draft Thread

[Skinsinparadise]

Just watched the Senior Bowl game snaps focused on Wright.  Then rewatched a game.  Been awhile since I watched him so it was good for me to refresh. 

 

Wondering if the snap and trap which is his favorite go to move will work as well in the NFL?  You got to get your arms around the defender pretty good for it to work, and take advantage of the defender overcommitting so you can get maintain the balance leverage.  I am wondering about slippery defenders with good bend-balance and or those who can slip the other way on him with a spin move, or a power rusher who can get their arms under his and push him into the QB like a defender did on one rep.

 

Even Neal if memory served liked to use his big size to snap and trap in college but overall his pass protect was weak in season 1 in the NFL.

 

Though, Wright was good against Will Anderson and Anderson is a good challange because he can slip an O lineman's grip well. And he also played well against Ojulari.  Reading about him and watching some interviews, Wright comes off really competitive so brings his best against the best competition.

 

He has the typical big man weaknesses, where he's not the most agile dude who can sink his hips easily or can motor down field on the 2nd level like Bergeron or Mauch for example could.  For the run game, I doubt he excels with the outsize zone and hitting the 2nd level but instead he'd likely be a gap guy -- duo, etc.  Drops his eyes on the move when he run blocks at times and whiffs on some of his assignments.

 

Overall, i like his play.  Strong upper body.  Strong legs.  Seems very aware of defenders game plans, he adjusts quickly to wide 9 rushers and seems to spot counter moves quickly, on a run play I saw him block multiple guys and seemed aware of who needed to be pushed out of the way based on what the RB was doing.  He mirrors well.  He recovers pretty well.  He comes off smart.  Considering he seems to know what the defender is doing and is rarely fooled, I gather he studies a lot of film.  

 

He has long arms, but oddly super small hands but regardless he seems to have strong hands -- strong punches.   He doesn't have quick feet but for his size they IMO are quick enough.

 

Thinking about the NFC East.  The right side could be dealing with Reddick, Parsons,  Ojulari -- heck if he can deal with his Ojulari's brother i gather he can deal with him, too.  I got to think about how his skill set would fare against them.  

 

If I had to pick his superpower its that he seems to have an instinctual mirroring ability -- the defender can be going outside or inside, or fake one way and then go the other way with a counter of some sort but his eyes are rarely fooled, he's right there with the defender.  Defenders can slip by him but its rare that he just flat out whiffs on a block. 

 

 

 

 

 

He's a 5 star recruit

 

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/tennessee-football/darnell-wright-tennessee-volunteers-commitment-recruiting-2019/

 

Tennessee put a ton of time into recruiting Darnell Wright since Jeremy Pruitt’s arrival back in December of 2017. Those efforts paid off in a big way on National Signing Day as the nation’s final uncommitted five-star prospect made his decision — he is a Vol.

The massive 6-foot-6, 320-pound Wright is rated as the nation’s No. 10 overall prospect and the No. 2 offensive tackle in the nation for the 2019 recruiting cycle by 247Sports Composite Rankings. While Wright had scholarship offers from the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State and Penn State, Tennessee’s only competition for the Huntington, W.V., native was the in-state school, West Virginia.

“I just felt as though it was a good fit for me, not just football but academically,” Wright said of his decision.

 

 

https://atozsports.com/nashville/nfl-teams-will-absolutely-love-former-vols-ol-darnell-wrights-reasoning-for-playing-in-the-orange-bowl/

 

On Wednesday morning, Wright joined 104.5 The Zone’s “Ramon, Kayla, and Will” to talk about his time at Tennessee and his NFL future.

Kayla Anderson, one of the hosts of “Ramon, Kayla, and Will”, asked Wright specifically why he chose to play in the Orange Bowl against Clemson while many other top draft prospects were opting out of non-playoff bowl games.

Wright gave a no-nonsense answer that NFL franchises will likely love.

“I don’t know, I just like playing ball,” said Wright. “I thought it would be fun.”

That’s exactly what NFL teams are looking for in an offensive lineman — a guy who just wants to compete at all times.

Wright didn’t have any secret reasons for playing in the Orange Bowl. It wasn’t to improve his draft stock or send some message to the draft community. Instead, it was simply because he just wanted to play ball

 

 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[Always A Commander Never A Captain]

Lance Zierlein has his 1st mock draft up.

 

https://www.nfl.com/news/lance-zierlein-2023-nfl-mock-draft-1-0-buccaneers-select-tom-brady-s-successor

 

He's got us taking the Guard, Torrence with guys like Joey Porter and Paris Johnson on the board.

 

Here's his page on Torrence:

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/o-cyrus-torrence/3200544f-5269-4111-dab8-fa9ef6354288

 

Those are some big worries with Torrence. Not athletic enough and can't play with leverage? Ouch.

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

[Skinsinparadise]

18 minutes ago, Always A Commander Never A Captain said:

 

 

Here's his page on Torrence:

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/o-cyrus-torrence/3200544f-5269-4111-dab8-fa9ef6354288

 

Those are some big worries with Torrence. Not athletic enough and can't play with leverage? Ouch.

 

Torrence IMO is a high floor prospect at guard, mainly because he's a wall in pass protection.    I go back and forth on it but everything being equal I'd rather trade down if possible and take Mauch over him because especially at RG I want a dude who can move on the 2nd level, road grader type.    But I wouldn't hate Torrence, phone booth guy, which is fitting especially in our division contending with Dexter Lawrence and the Eagles interior, he's a difficult player to blow up IMO on the interior.   1082 snaps in 3 years, gave up zero sacks, only 1 hit.  Those are insane numbers.  

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[mh86]

13 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

 

Phelps looks good. I’d like him in the ~6th

[Chump Bailey]

Top Ten CB’s

 

1. Cam Smith, South Carolina
2. Joey Porter Jr, Penn State
3. Christian Gonzalez, Oregon
4. Brian Branch, Alabama
5. Devon Witherspoon, Illinois
6. Eli Ricks, Alabama
7. Deonte Banks, Maryland
8. Kelee Ringo, Georgia
9. Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State
10. Garrett Williams, Syracuse *Tyrique Stevenson, Miami * Clark Phillips, Utah *Anthony Johnson, Virginia

 

[RWJ]

11 minutes ago, Chump Bailey said:

Top Ten CB’s

 

1. Cam Smith, South Carolina
2. Joey Porter Jr, Penn State
3. Christian Gonzalez, Oregon
4. Brian Branch, Alabama
5. Devon Witherspoon, Illinois
6. Eli Ricks, Alabama
7. Deonte Banks, Maryland
8. Kelee Ringo, Georgia
9. Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State
10. Garrett Williams, Syracuse *Tyrique Stevenson, Miami * Clark Phillips, Utah *Anthony Johnson, Virginia

 

Like you list CB but I would swap #1 and #2. 

[mh86]

5 hours ago, RWJ said:

Like you list CB but I would swap #1 and #2. 

I think 1-2 are close 

1 minute ago, mh86 said:

I think 1-2 are close 

One thing about sims is he looks like he doesn’t take the best angles on tackles 

[KDawg]

6 hours ago, Chump Bailey said:

Top Ten CB’s

 

1. Cam Smith, South Carolina
2. Joey Porter Jr, Penn State
3. Christian Gonzalez, Oregon
4. Brian Branch, Alabama
5. Devon Witherspoon, Illinois
6. Eli Ricks, Alabama
7. Deonte Banks, Maryland
8. Kelee Ringo, Georgia
9. Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State
10. Garrett Williams, Syracuse *Tyrique Stevenson, Miami * Clark Phillips, Utah *Anthony Johnson, Virginia

 

No Witherspoon?

[Koolblue13]

21 minutes ago, KDawg said:

No Witherspoon?

Spoons at 5. Grab a coffee coach. 

[Rolo Tomasie]

15 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

Slow feet?  Bergeron moves really well IMO.  Just to see I wasn't crazy,   I just read some other write ups just now about him from PFN among other items and they highlighted his quick feet.

 

He's not hefty, doesn't have a belly like Darnell Wright or as big of an upper body who I like better.   But at 323 pounds at 6 '4, he probably has enough weight but yeah he looks on the leaner side. The red flag to me as far as lean, I think is Freelend 6 '7, 312

 

I don't always love how Bergeron anchors in pass protection.  To each their own though, I like Bergeron, don't love him but I'd be cool with him at 47.  Matt Miller's last mock had him go ironically just one spot before our pick.

 

 

 

 

SIP I'm well aware of the draftnik narrative that Bergeron is athletic and quick footed.....just saying that I don't see it. Feel like it's a bit of groupthink. I'm probably exaggerating saying he is slow footed, but I watch him and I'm surprised anyone is calling him quick or athletic. He's a JAG to me.

[DWinzit]

29 minutes ago, Rolo Tomasie said:

SIP I'm well aware of the draftnik narrative that Bergeron is athletic and quick footed.....just saying that I don't see it. Feel like it's a bit of groupthink. I'm probably exaggerating saying he is slow footed, but I watch him and I'm surprised anyone is calling him quick or athletic. He's a JAG to me.

He looks pretty agile to me and I agree he would be a nice target in a trade back scenario. It seems his issue is more related to him looking a little stiff in the middle of his body. Like he needs to get lower in stance with more knee bend. He doesn't get knocked down but can get knocked back some as he seems a little higher than he should be. I see him as a good player that could benefit from a little NFL coaching, not a jag

[KDawg]

1 hour ago, Koolblue13 said:

Spoons at 5. Grab a coffee coach. 

Oh, he’s so unacceptably low I missed him.

[DWinzit]

10 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

 

These guys all played well and deserve the accolades. I thought Mauch might be higher due to him getting moved all around. They let him him get exposure at 3 positions. 

 

Land and Mapu received some special mentions from Jim Nagy

 

Andre Carter is another lesser known guy that showed up nice. No idea of what the Army commitment will mean to him

[Skinsinparadise]

1 hour ago, Rolo Tomasie said:

SIP I'm well aware of the draftnik narrative that Bergeron is athletic and quick footed.....just saying that I don't see it. Feel like it's a bit of groupthink. I'm probably exaggerating saying he is slow footed, but I watch him and I'm surprised anyone is calling him quick or athletic. He's a JAG to me.

 

I appreciate the discussion. i woke up early looking for something to do.  I read this post and decided to rewatch Bergeron especially after just rewatching Wright last night.  I'll probably rewatch Harrison next.  I rewatched three games.   And of course to each their own, I am just explaining my take -- more for myself really because its time for me to rewatch these guys so I can do a better job seperating that 2nd tier.   

 

I'll summarize Bergeron IMO as a solid, high floor player, based on diving in some more.  Not special but solid and steady.  I think if you put him at RT, he will likely be good enough for what we need and if coached up some can he helpful as to springing some longer big play runs.  

 

I am with PFF and for that matter Logan Paulsen who made a similar point which is on the O line you don't want to have a position where you suck.  It's about having good players at each spot, doesn't have to be great.  And steady-consistency is important at that spot, and I think Bergeron is capable of that.   I do think he will be there at 47 or in that vicinity.

 

To your point, I don't make my own evaluations based on draft group think by a long shot so I can appreciate you not doing the same.  My journey on Bergeron is I pay attention to who other people on this thread like and tout and eventually I watch them myself.  I saw @KDawg liked Bergeron. He coaches defense and has a good eye for O line play. 

 

And when I watched him the first thing that I recall that struck me watching him was his quick feet-and general speed so you saying that was his weaknesses struck me.  So I wanted to see if others agreed with me, that's all or whether I was on an island on it.   But in general I don't mind being on an island.   I liked for example Ivan Pace early on and noticed very little love from the media draftniks about him.

 

So on rewatch, I'll double down on my impression from the first time I watched him, quick feet IMO --  above average for a tackle to my eyes.  But as I've said here over time lets see if the combine confirms or refutes how things might look.  Maybe you are right?  So I'll wait for that verdict. 

 

He has strong hands, and really active hands he gets a grip on you he's hard to dislodge.   Pass rushers can use counter moves to slip around him but he counters pretty well.  He doesn't look to me as strong-stout for example as Wright does.

 

He held his own against the Clemson pass rushers which is a good sign for the NFL but at times did get TE help.

 

There is something about him, I have a hard time quantifying it where while he holds his own as a pass blocker, mirrors well, etc -- he doesn't come off like a dude with the most powerful anchor where you wonder if he can get overpowered at times in the NFL. 

 

As a run blocker, I like his potential as to 2nd level blocks, because he can move.  I think zone or power because he seems to block well in short space or on the move.   I put two clips below, where he started at the 50 and keep pushing his dude, ultimately 10 yards down the field, which is the 2nd clip.    Sometimes he fails locking into his assignment on the 2nd level but I think a good coach can help with that.  I don't like him the way I do for example Mauch as a run blocker though.

 

I don't think any of these tackles in that 2nd tier are special or freaks or anything killer including Darnell Wright who I am high on.  That's why my favorite analogy with this class is we have a bunch of Jon Jansen types, not Chris Samuels.  But if the goal is get a RT who doesn't get our QB killed which is needed.  I think Bergeron would be fine.  I prefer Wright.  I got to rewatch Anton Harrison and decide where he fits compared to those 2.  

 

 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[Skinsinparadise]

28 minutes ago, DWinzit said:

These guys all played well and deserve the accolades. I thought Mauch might be higher due to him getting moved all around. They let him him get exposure at 3 positions. 

 

Land and Mapu received some special mentions from Jim Nagy

 

Andre Carter is another lesser known guy that showed up nice. No idea of what the Army commitment will mean to him

 

I am started to catch up to the Senior Bowl reps and game for that matter.   I mentioned on gameday that Mauch looked good to me in the game.   I watched the Wright clips.  I watched the Bergeron clips.

 

If Ron is as obsessive as he seems to be the Titans of the NFC East -- running downhill with Brian Robinson, sprinkled with some big runs for Antonio Gibson -- its hard for me to see him not failling hard for Cody Mauch and Darnell Washington.

 

And I gather I am still on on island about this but if I am going deeper in the draft, Brayden Willis.   

 

Bring some nastiness to the run game with really good 2nd level ability.   If you want to bully other teams than bring some bullies to do it. 

 

I know TEs who are really good blockers are boring in theory.  But Darnell Washington is such a freak on that front both as a pass blocker and run blocker and yeah he can catch too.  If they trade down deep in the first, I think I'll be one of the few here who wouldn't jump off a bridge if they took him.  I am still a Michael Mayer guy.  But if they are trading down or somehow Washington falls to 47, he'd be on the table for me. 

 

I think he will be a better pro than college player.  In college he was overshadowed by an elite go to TE.    We talk here about how some players are productive in college but don't have the size-athleticism to match it in the NFL.  That point though goes both ways -- you bring a dude who is a freak athlete with ability to the NFL they can exceed expectations.  If Darnell runs in the 4'6s as some suspect.  Who is the other 270 pound, with a frame that looks like he was built in a lab who can run that fast and is that level strong?  And again, I'll wait to the combine maybe his athleticsm isn't all that its cracked up to be, will see, but it looks it to me. 

 

In the past some here talk about Kittle's elite athleticism and he slipped through the cracks in the draft and made the point that it happens a lot.  Get your Kittle in the 5th.  I've watched a lot of TEs in recent years, and I don't think it happens a heck of a lot at least not lately, maybe the NFL has caught up to the point?

 

I don't see another Darnell Washington in the next tier grouping. Maybe 5 years ago, he would slip to the 4th round.  But clearly not in today's times. 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[KDawg]

26 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

I appreciate the discussion. i woke up early looking for something to do.  I read this post and decided to rewatch Bergeron especially after just rewatching Wright last night.  I'll probably rewatch Harrison next.  I rewatched three games.   And of course to each their own, I am just explaining my take -- more for myself really because its time for me to rewatch these guys so I can do a better job seperating that 2nd tier.   

 

I'll summarize Bergeron IMO as a solid, high floor player, based on diving in some more.  Not special but solid and steady.  I think if you put him at RT, he will likely be good enough for what we need and if coached up some can he helpful as to springing some longer big play runs.  

 

I am with PFF and for that matter Logan Paulsen who made a similar point which is on the O line you don't want to have a position where you suck.  It's about having good players at each spot, doesn't have to be great.  And steady-consistency is important at that spot, and I think Bergeron is capable of that.   I do think he will be there at 47 or in that vicinity.

 

To your point, I don't make my own evaluations based on draft group think by a long shot so I can appreciate you not doing the same.  My journey on Bergeron is I pay attention to who other people on this thread like and tout and eventually I watch them myself.  I saw @KDawg liked Bergeron. He coaches defense and has a good eye for O line play. 

 

And when I watched him the first thing that I recall that struck me watching him was his quick feet-and general speed so you saying that was his weaknesses struck me.  So I wanted to see if others agreed with me, that's all or whether I was on an island on it.   But in general I don't mind being on an island.   I liked for example Ivan Pace early on and noticed very little love from the media draftniks about him.

 

So on rewatch, I'll double down on my impression from the first time I watched him, quick feet IMO --  above average for a tackle to my eyes.  But as I've said here over time lets see if the combine confirms or refutes how things might look.  Maybe you are right?  So I'll wait for that verdict. 

 

He has strong hands, and really active hands he gets a grip on you he's hard to dislodge.   Pass rushers can use counter moves to slip around him but he counters pretty well.  He doesn't look to me as strong-stout for example as Wright does.

 

He held his own against the Clemson pass rushers but at times did get TE help which is a good sign.

 

There is something about him, I have a hard time quantifying it where while he holds his own as a pass blocker, mirrors well, etc -- he doesn't come off like a dude with the most powerful anchor were you wonder if he can get overpowered at times in the NFL. 

 

As a run blocker, I like his potential as to 2nd level blocks, because he can move.  I think zone or power.   I put two clips below, where he started at the 50 and keep pushing his dude, ultimately 10 yards down the field, which is the 2nd clip.    Sometimes he fails locking into his assignment on the 2nd level but I think a good coach can help with that.  I don't like him the way I do for example Mauch as a run blocker though.

 

I don't think any of these tackles in that 2nd tier are special or freaks or anything killer including Darnell Wright who I am high on.  That's why my favorite analogy with this class is we have a bunch of Jon Jansen types, not Chris Samuels.  But if the goal is get a RT who doesn't get our QB killed which is needed.  I think Bergeron would be fine.  I prefer Wright.  I got to rewatch Anton Harrison and decide where he fits compared to those 2.  

 

 

 

 

I’m not sure how you watch him and think he doesn’t have quick feet. He doesn’t look like a nimble cat, but watch on each play. He gets his feet into position to leverage the defender and cut off a rush lane and then uses his hands to slow/neutralize the defender. If you notice, he’s never really out of position, and that’s because of his footwork. 
 

My concerns with Bergeron aren’t technique, skill, or feet. It’s how will he hold up against NFL edges? But that’s my concern with all of these guys. Darnell Wright has been awesome the last few weeks and his film is good. I ask that question. PJJr, who I think is OT1 is the same. Skoronski it’s my biggest question mark. 
 

Those guys are more freakish than Bergy, too. So I get the reluctance to buy in to him. But Bergeron’a feet are very good.

[Skinsinparadise]

48 minutes ago, KDawg said:

I’m not sure how you watch him and think he doesn’t have quick feet. He doesn’t look like a nimble cat, but watch on each play. He gets his feet into position to leverage the defender and cut off a rush lane and then uses his hands to slow/neutralize the defender. If you notice, he’s never really out of position, and that’s because of his footwork. 
 

My concerns with Bergeron aren’t technique, skill, or feet. It’s how will he hold up against NFL edges? But that’s my concern with all of these guys. Darnell Wright has been awesome the last few weeks and his film is good. I ask that question. PJJr, who I think is OT1 is the same. Skoronski it’s my biggest question mark. 
 

Those guys are more freakish than Bergy, too. So I get the reluctance to buy in to him. But Bergeron’a feet are very good.

 

Agree.  I had to rewatch him to make sure my first impression -- quick feet and generally good athleticism held to my eyes.  And it did.

 

His combine should be interesting.  I think if he kills it, he will be a riser.  If its good combine but not special (which is what I suspect) I think he ends up somewhere where we pick in the 2nd round.   I suspect he will have one of the better 40 times and 10 times in this group.  But will see.

 

As we know, none of these guys are Trent Williams.  We aren't going to get an elite tackle.  But if we end up with a solid to good one and get another good player or two in the interior it can go a long way. 

 

Bergeron to me looks solid.  If he runs something that pops in the combine I'd be further intrigued by what he can do as to run blocking-2nd level.

 

I like Wright in pass protect.  I wonder about him in the run game though -- he definitely has the body for gap runs, power, duo, counter, I wonder about zone.   I don't see him motoring down the field on the 2nd level.

 

I got to rewatch Anton Harrison, its been awhile.  But I recall him being really fluid-nimble in pass protect.   In that 2nd tier, he's been somewhat forgotten by the draft media because he wasn't at the Senior Bowl.  On the same token, I haven't really thought about his play in awhile so need to refresh.

Edited February 8, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[method man]

Logan Paulsen confirming on Keim’s pod an inkling I was feeling about Dawand Jones. He is a very cerebral player who prepares and can tell you what a guy is going to do against him. I got the feeling about him reading an interview he did before the Senior Bowl and he seemed completely locked in

 

That aspect about him is a huge plus because one doesn’t necessarily have the context about his weight. I get the sense from him it is more intentional than laziness

[CobraCommander]

1 hour ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

I am started to catch up to the Senior Bowl reps and game for that matter.   I mentioned on gameday that Mauch looked good to me in the game.   I watched the Wright clips.  I watched the Bergeron clips.

 

If Ron is as obsessive as he seems to be the Titans of the NFC East -- running downhill with Brian Robinson, sprinkled with some big runs for Antonio Gibson -- its hard for me to see him not failling hard for Cody Mauch and Darnell Washington.

 

And I gather I am still on on island about this but if I am going deeper in the draft, Brayden Willis.   

 

Bring some nastiness to the run game with really good 2nd level ability.   If you want to bully other teams than bring some bullies to do it. 

 

I know TEs who are really good blockers are boring in theory.  But Darnell Washington is such a freak on that front both as a pass blocker and run blocker and yeah he can catch too.  If they trade down deep in the first, I think I'll be one of the few here who wouldn't jump off a bridge if they took him.  I am still a Michael Mayer guy.  But if they are trading down or somehow Washington falls to 47, he'd be on the table for me. 

 

I think he will be a better pro than college player.  In college he was overshadowed by an elite go to TE.    We talk here about how some players are productive in college but don't have the size-athleticism to match it in the NFL.  That point though goes both ways -- you bring a dude who is a freak athlete with ability to the NFL they can exceed expectations.  If Darnell runs in the 4'6s as some suspect.  Who is the other 270 pound, with a frame that looks like he was built in a lab who can run that fast and is that level strong?  And again, I'll wait to the combine maybe his athleticsm isn't all that its cracked up to be, will see, but it looks it to me. 

 

In the past some here talk about Kittle's elite athleticism and he slipped through the cracks in the draft and made the point that it happens a lot.  Get your Kittle in the 5th.  I've watched a lot of TEs in recent years, and I don't think it happens a heck of a lot at least not lately, maybe the NFL has caught up to the point?

 

I don't see another Darnell Washington in the next tier grouping. Maybe 5 years ago, he would slip to the 4th round.  But clearly not in today's times. 

 

 

 

 

In Case anyone was wondering those TEs are OJ Howard, Evan Engram and David Njoku.

[KDawg]

31 minutes ago, method man said:

Logan Paulsen confirming on Keim’s pod an inkling I was feeling about Dawand Jones. He is a very cerebral player who prepares and can tell you what a guy is going to do against him. I got the feeling about him reading an interview he did before the Senior Bowl and he seemed completely locked in

 

That aspect about him is a huge plus because one doesn’t necessarily have the context about his weight. I get the sense from him it is more intentional than laziness

In my book the top five tackles are:

 

Paris Johnson

Dawand Jones

Darnell Wright

Matt Bergeron

Broderick Jones

 

The tackle with the absolute highest ceiling is Peter Skoronski

 

The biggest risk/reward is Jaelyn Duncan.

 

Blake Freeland, Anton Harrison and others would be solid pieces as well. Still need to fully rank these guys and then do it again after the combine. But that is my feeling now. 

[Going Commando]

Darnell Wright has three major issues which keep me from being comfortable taking him at 16.

1 - noticeable lack of flexibility in lower half.  I thought his knees were fine because of how fast he looks, but now I'm seeing a lack of knee bend and comfort sliding in pass pro in his early season cut ups.  Given the fact he wears two big braces, I think there is a chance something comes out in his medical that isn't good.

2 - vertical sets are crap.  He gets zero depth on his kick step and this dovetails with his flexibility issue.  That's why he gets lit up by guys who counter back outside with explosiveness.  And I noticed he was the only tackle who just refused to vertical set at the SB practices.  Most he could do was a 45 set, and I think he might have a problem going backwards.  If he isn't good at vertical setting then he's going to struggle with NFL edge speed on wide rushers period, which is the very reason why we want to kick Cosmi inside to RG.

3 - the one that didn't make sense to me until Always a Commander pointed out he has tiny hands--block sustain.  I think he's the odd prospect who has really good punch strength and really fast hands, but also really poor grip strength.  For a dude who shows advanced hand fighting technique and who stuns a lot of rushers with his first punch, his hands are super easy to clear. He's always trying to snatch dudes and dump them off balance because I think it's how he copes with a lack of mirror speed and grip strength to stay velcroed on to the block.  He gives up pressure to guys who figure out how to weather his punch and have some hand technique of their own:

 

 

Contrast that to Peter Skoronski, who doesn't have Darnell's length, but can mirror like a crazy man, and those big mitts of his never get cleared once he latches on.

 

There is another, lesser issue with Wright too, in that I don't think he has any range as a move blocker.  I noticed TN just didn't use him that way at all, basically just limiting him to seals and having the RG always do the pulling.  They ran shockingly little outside zone.  I noticed he kind of struggled a bit in the practices when they ran outside zone, kind of overran the play and couldn't work back to the fit.  This kind of athletic limitation isn't a deal breaker, but it's definitely a bummer when you're talking about spending a first round pick on a tackle prospect.

 

I don't think Wright is a safe enough bet to be value at 16.  There is too much bust factor with him for my comfort level despite the fact he does have a super blue chip pedigree, a ton of starts, and some intriguing film and technique.  I think there is a chance he ends up at guard in the NFL, and if you're looking at guards at 16, then you're better off doing a slight reach for Torrence IMO.  I like the value of Dawand Jones at 16 a lot better than Wright.

[Skinsinparadise]

1 hour ago, method man said:

Logan Paulsen confirming on Keim’s pod an inkling I was feeling about Dawand Jones. He is a very cerebral player who prepares and can tell you what a guy is going to do against him. I got the feeling about him reading an interview he did before the Senior Bowl and he seemed completely locked in

 

That aspect about him is a huge plus because one doesn’t necessarily have the context about his weight. I get the sense from him it is more intentional than laziness

 

I was just listening to it during my run.

 

For Dawand, Logan implied he comes off as a dude who is a bit flashy personality wise so he wondered if that would be a detriment.  But he saw he can recite the strengths-moves of the pass rushers at the Senior Bowl, so he assumes that he prepares well.

 

He thinks Dawand and D. Wright are plug and play players and can start right away and be bedrocks at their spots.  He thinks they go in the first.  He thought the next best in that group were Bergeron and Steen but sees them a notch below.

 

He is maybe changing his mind about taking a CB first and then a OT.  He's leaning on doing the reverse.  He doesn't think Dawand and Wright are that far behind the top 3 tackles in the draft.

 

For me personally, I am intrigued by Dawand, I said it from the jump over a month ago when I watched him for the first time.  I just have some buyer beware of players with ballooning weight like that.  it's been a long time so I'll rewatch him soon, maybe today.

 

He made one point about Mauch, almost in the identical way that I did weeks ago which is he's similar in ways to Cosmi so do we need two of them?  I thought about that and am thinking why not?  But I get the thought.

 

He got into the corners.  His early take is 1. Witherspoon. 2. Gonzalez.  3.  Porter.  He likes Witherspoon's all around game the best.  He loves Gonzalez's freakish traits.  He saw Porter as more of a press corner and scheme dependant compared to the other two.

 

He said Smoot is a big Emmanuel Forbes guy, Smoot thinks Forbes is the best CB because he loves corners who take chances to make plays. Paulsen and Keim then joked that Forbes probably reminds Smoot of himself, went to the same college, smallish, etc.

Edited February 8, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[Skinsinparadise]

32 minutes ago, KDawg said:

In my book the top five tackles are:

 

Paris Johnson

Dawand Jones

Darnell Wright

Matt Bergeron

Broderick Jones

 

The tackle with the absolute highest ceiling is Peter Skoronski

 

The biggest risk/reward is Jaelyn Duncan.

 

Blake Freeland, Anton Harrison and others would be solid pieces as well. Still need to fully rank these guys and then do it again after the combine. But that is my feeling now. 

 

I got to rewatch.  Rewatching Wright last night and Bergeron this morning really helped me at least in my mind seperate those two players.

 

I wrote up something about Dawand somewhat of a long time ago so I have to refresh.   I watched enough of Paris and B. Jones to think I got a handle on them.   

 

I got to rewatch Anton Harrison. 

 

Freeland I went back and forth on, mostly liked but the Senior Bowl exposed my concern about him is that he's tall, lanky and plays high, doesn't sink his hips enough -- so at the moment I am down on him. 

 

I am with Paulsen and Ledyard about Steen is a bit underrated.  I recall that was my impression on my first watch but I have to rewatch him.

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[UK Skins]

This is a fantastic discussion, thanks guys. I'm always amazed at the depth of analysis we get on this board, cheers