2024 Comprehensive Draft Thread

[gooseneck]

4 hours ago, Forehead said:

I can't figure out how to share my draft results from PFF, but I didn't bother with trades, just went straight up with the picks as they came.

 

5 - Fashanu, OT - Penn State

36 - Fautanu, OG - Washington

38 - Tuimoloau, Edge - Ohio State

70 - Guyton, OT - Oklahoma

96 - Corley, WR - Western Kentucky

101 - Eichenberg, LB - Ohio State

132 - Mondon, LB - Georgia

166 - Baron, Edge - Tennessee (I don't actually know who this guy is)

197 - Warren, TE - Penn State (Homer pick, but he catches TD's.  Also, he is Donnie Warren's kid.  He isn't really, but you believed me for a second because his last name is Warren and he plays TE)

 

Able to snip and cut but could not get all the draft on.  Still working on it-My problem is it seems like different sites are all over the board on ratings- for instance on this draft I picked Trotter at 71 as he was rated no. 74.  Elsewhere, he is rated as high as 20.  I liked Kiper; I remember when he had Brian Urlacher rated no. 7 and no one else had him going before the fourth round until they saw Kiper's rating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 1, 2023 by gooseneck

[Always A Commander Never A Captain]

9 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

Was listening to Jay on Standig's podcast about the roster.  He lets all it loose because he has nothing to lose.  Some interesting points hearing it from his perspective. Most of which echoes many of our points

 

A.  He admits this team, including who he drafted, didn't get elite talent.   He thinks Allen and Payne are very good players but they aren't game wreckers like Chris Jones or Donald, etc.  Ditto Terry.  

 

B.  He thinks on defense the main needs are edge and corner.  then LB.

 

C.  He thinks this team needs a tall WR

 

D.  He's been on the lack of TE talent all season.  He loves Bowers and likes him as a pick.

 

E. He thinks O line needs an upgrade especially the interior

 

He's a big fan of adding elite talent.  You work the rest of the roster around elite talent.  The great teams tend to have some elite players.  Interesting to hear him say that while also admitting that both his regime and Ron's didn't find elite guys.

 

He likes Howell a lot but doesn't rule out a QB if they love one.

 

Responding to Jay's points here.

 

A - We all know that. But each of those guys were still, in hindsight, pretty good draft picks. Especially Terry, that's awesome value in the 3rd round.

 

B - I think FS is up there, but all of the defensive issues are difficult to pinpoint due to JDR's scheme and communication issues. Coaching mostly or players mostly or both?

 

C - Of course he does, he was obsessed with the corner fade route. He's not wrong though, however I'd say a better statement is the team needs a WR with some muscle. McLaurin is our beefiest WR by far. Everyone else is 10-30 pounds lighter. You can see guys like Dyami, Dotson, etc can't quite separate through hand fighting like normal. There are some tall WR's in this draft that can also get bullied a bit.

 

D - Anyone know what's up with Cole Turner? He had one game with 31 snaps, caught 4 passes for 35 yards and then was demoted. Since then he's averaging 7 snaps a game.

 

E - That seems to match a lot of other NFL media. They think our IOL is worse off than our OT's.

Edited December 1, 2023 by Always A Commander Never A Captain

[RVAskins]

11 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

A.  He admits this team, including who he drafted, didn't get elite talent.   He thinks Allen and Payne are very good players but they aren't game wreckers like Chris Jones or Donald, etc.  Ditto Terry.

I think a lot of this can be placed squarely at the feet of the coaching staff. They have done nothing to bring out the best in these and other players.

[Chump Bailey]

Meh, best I can do thus far, but am curious to see how it evolves in the coming months. Don't think it's too shabby considering this was compiled in a few hours but damn it was hard there are so many good prospects  

 

Top 20 RB’s

1. TreyVeon Henderson Ohio State
2. Trey Benson Florida State
3. Will Shipley Clemson
4. Jaylen Wright Tennessee
5. Blake Corum Michigan
6. Jonathon Brooks Texas
7. Donavon Edwards Michigan
8. Marshawn Lloyd USC
9. Braelon Allen Wisconsin
10. Cody Schrader Missouri
11. Jo'quavious Marks Mississippi State
12. Montrell Johnson Florida
13. Devin Neal Kansas
14. Ray Davis Kentucky
15. Bucky Irving Oregon
16. Dillon Johnson Washington
17. Jalen White Georgia Southern
18. Dylan Laube New Hampshire
19. Jawhar Jordan Louisville
20. Jarquez Hunter Auburn * Frank Gore Jr. Southern Miss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[OtisDriftwood25]

1 hour ago, Chump Bailey said:

Meh, best I can do thus far, but am curious to see how it evolves in the coming months. Don't think it's too shabby considering this was compiled in a few hours but damn it was hard there are so many good prospects  

 

Top 20 RB’s

1. TreyVeon Henderson Ohio State
2. Trey Benson Florida State
3. Will Shipley Clemson
4. Jaylen Wright Tennessee
5. Blake Corum Michigan
6. Jonathon Brooks Texas
7. Donavon Edwards Michigan
8. Marshawn Lloyd USC
9. Braelon Allen Wisconsin
10. Cody Schrader Missouri
11. Jo'quavious Marks Mississippi State
12. Montrell Johnson Florida
13. Devin Neal Kansas
14. Ray Davis Kentucky
15. Bucky Irving Oregon
16. Dillon Johnson Washington
17. Jalen White Georgia Southern
18. Dylan Laube New Hampshire
19. Jawhar Jordan Louisville
20. Jarquez Hunter Auburn * Frank Gore Jr. Southern Miss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No offense but having Will Shipley number 3 discredits the rest of the list. He has been given every opportunity since his Freshman year but squanders it every time. Every time I watch Clemson the announcer throws down your throat Will Shipley. Averaging 5 yards per carry as a running back for Clemson is plain bad.

Edited December 1, 2023 by OtisDriftwood25

[Going Commando]

8 minutes ago, OtisDriftwood25 said:

No offense but having Will Shipley number 3 discredits the rest of the list. He has been given every opportunity since his Freshman year but squanders it every time. Every time I watch Clemson the announcer throws down your throat Will Shipley. Averaging 5 yards per carry as a running back for Clemson is plain bad.

 

What?  Shipley is one of the only two players in that offense who is good.

[Going Commando]

4 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

Whomever lands Caleb, even though he's a diva, I think will be good in short order.  His off platform ability is out of this world, ditto his arm talent.  I saw one play where he got a bad snap, struggled initially to find the ball, had to go back like 6 yards to retrieve it and then grabbed it under pressure and threw a perfect 30 yard pass off his back foot.  Sick.

 

He's got the best arm talent I've ever seen at the college level.  Everything about his game kind of springs from that.  He has Mahomes level creativity and he plays without any fear because he knows he can always cook something up no matter the call/situation.

 

Trevor Lawrence was an amazing prospect and he is well on his way to being one of the best players in the NFL, and I think Caleb is more talented than him.  As the season has played out, it's become clear that he's a cut above Drake Maye.  Maye is like a rich man's Justin Herbert, and he would be an awesome #1 overall prospect in almost any other year.  But Caleb is like a good bet that you're getting the next Mahomes.  His creativity is such an overwhelmingly powerful weapon that he can pretty much do all of the heavy lifting for an offense.

 

This is a pretty incredible class to pick top four.  There are three historically good prospects at QB, WR, and TE respectively, plus another really great QB prospect who could have gone #1 in any of the last ten drafts except the Lawrence and Burrow years.

[Going Commando]

13 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

A.  He admits this team, including who he drafted, didn't get elite talent.   He thinks Allen and Payne are very good players but they aren't game wreckers like Chris Jones or Donald, etc.  Ditto Terry.  

 

The two elite players we've had over the last ten years are now playing in San Francisco after being traded for a song.  Ron has often had problems with elite players in his coaching career because he can't handle players with big egos and can only coach choir boys.  Beyond that, our franchise has long had very adversarial relationships with our prominent players.  And we've also had an enormous amount of trouble with player development.  This is a bad franchise and most people don't thrive here.  Add it all up and you get a talent drought.

[KDawg]

4 hours ago, Going Commando said:

 

The two elite players we've had over the last ten years are now playing in San Francisco after being traded for a song.  Ron has often had problems with elite players in his coaching career because he can't handle players with big egos and can only coach choir boys.  Beyond that, our franchise has long had very adversarial relationships with our prominent players.  And we've also had an enormous amount of trouble with player development.  This is a bad franchise and most people don't thrive here.  Add it all up and you get a talent drought.

Trent Williams and who?

 

You can’t mean Chase Young.

 

You used the term players and not prospects. Young was an elite prospect but has been anything but as a player for most of his career. Mostly due to injury. But the point stands.

[Skinsinparadise]

6 hours ago, Going Commando said:

 

What?  Shipley is one of the only two players in that offense who is good.

 

Yeah I forgot about Shipley as to RBs, I talked about him here months ago.  3rd down back in the pros i am guessing, really good pass catcher. 

[Skinsinparadise]

7 hours ago, Chump Bailey said:

Meh, best I can do thus far, but am curious to see how it evolves in the coming months. Don't think it's too shabby considering this was compiled in a few hours but damn it was hard there are so many good prospects  

 

Top 20 RB’s

1. TreyVeon Henderson Ohio State
2. Trey Benson Florida State
3. Will Shipley Clemson
4. Jaylen Wright Tennessee
5. Blake Corum Michigan
6. Jonathon Brooks Texas
7. Donavon Edwards Michigan
8. Marshawn Lloyd USC
9. Braelon Allen Wisconsin
10. Cody Schrader Missouri
11. Jo'quavious Marks Mississippi State
12. Montrell Johnson Florida
13. Devin Neal Kansas
14. Ray Davis Kentucky
15. Bucky Irving Oregon
16. Dillon Johnson Washington
17. Jalen White Georgia Southern
18. Dylan Laube New Hampshire
19. Jawhar Jordan Louisville
20. Jarquez Hunter Auburn * Frank Gore Jr. Southern Miss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You watched that many RBs already?  Wow.  That's a lot of time.

 

I've watched 9 of those players but only 6 of them heavily.  Judging by those players alone i got a very different take than you.  But I got a long way to go.

 

I like Jonathon Brooks but with a torn ACL in Novemeber, not sure he's coming out in the draft from what I've read.

[Darrell Green Fan]

15 hours ago, Est.1974 said:

We should not even consider bringing Gibson back. He’s not very good and can’t be trusted with the ball.

 

Yeah I don't understand why people suggest he can play WR when he has not shown the ability to be a receiving RB at this level.  

[Chump Bailey]

1 hour ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

You watched that many RBs already?  Wow.  That's a lot of time.

 

I've watched 9 of those players but only 6 of them heavily.  Judging by those players alone i got a very different take than you.  But I got a long way to go.

 

I like Jonathon Brooks but with a torn ACL in Novemeber, not sure he's coming out in the draft from what I've read.

 

Quick and dirty just the way I like it  

 

Thanks for the info on Brooks - did not know. 

7 hours ago, OtisDriftwood25 said:

No offense but having Will Shipley number 3 discredits the rest of the list. He has been given every opportunity since his Freshman year but squanders it every time. Every time I watch Clemson the announcer throws down your throat Will Shipley. Averaging 5 yards per carry as a running back for Clemson is plain bad.

 

Well, it's not like I have access to every game film. It's just a hunch on my part from what little I can actually go by. For a guy that spends as little time as I do and does not watch college ball, I do hit a lot more than I miss. Been doing this for a bit too. 

 

Jaylen Warren was one of my guys too at some point  

Edited December 1, 2023 by Chump Bailey

[KDawg]

RBs:

 

TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State - Stout frame and a good athlete. A couple things really stand out about Henderson, the first is how he always squares his shoulders at the potential of contact and contacts the ball. When he's in traffic, he's square. He also has really good burst and vision. I can't really tell how fast he is. I think the answer is "fast enough", but I don't think he qualifies as a burner necessarily. He's a downhill power back that can help in the run or pass game and is physical.

 

Blake Corum, Michigan - Corum is a 5'7, 210ish pound bowling ball. And I'm going to say it, and I know it's going to be met with a little resistance, but I don't care. This guy is the modern day Barry Sanders in the way he plays. He sets up defenders and uses their momentum against them in ways that not many backs can do. He finds the holes, reads them and gets there. There isn't a move that isn't in his repertoire. He hurdles, he jukes, he shimmies, he jab steps, he spins, he redirects... His height keeps his pad level low and his weight keeps him from being an easy tackle in contact. This guy is a player and I think he is a legitimate special player. 

 

Trey Benson, Florida State - Want to talk about a physical specimen? That's Trey Benson. 6-1, 215. He is a very "classic" running back. Decent as a receiver, but not used as much as you'd expect in that aspect.  This guy has incredible balance. Not for a "big back" but in general for a football player. He's another guy who squares into contact and just delivers a blow. He carries the ball high and tight and again, his balance is otherworldly. He is explosive, strong and punishing. You are NOT tackling him unless you square up and deliver a blow. You hit his hip you fall off. One word really describes this human: Beast. Although I'm not sure he is human. 

 

Bucky Irving, Oregon - He's an electric player. He's the smallest back of this group that I watched. He doesn't break tackles or put guys in a blender but he has very good change of direction, excellent burst and really solid vision. If you go for his feet because he burst by you he's going to get his foot out of your grasp too quickly to bring down. I love how he fights for every yard he can get. While not breaking tackles guys will often have him corralled and going down and he'll somehow free his foot and fall forward for a couple extra.  I want to like him better as a receiver than I do

 

Will Shipley, Clemson - I like him, don't love him. I think there is a place for him in the NFL, but I don't think it's as a bellcow type back. But you cannot deny that he finds ways to make something out of nothing on a routine basis. He is stronger than you think he'd be, he plays with a chip on his shoulder, he's productive and has good vision. He looks slow as heck on film, though, and I think that will lower his NFL value. But I DO think he's a guy that will get taken somewhere by someone and they will appreciate him and he'll stick around and get some carries. He is a "box" back. Meaning inside the tackle box he's just as dangerous as many others. It's his open field game that limits him some value wise. 

 

Braelon Allen, Wisconsin - Bulldozer. Just a bulldozer. This guy runs and people fall. He is FUN to watch. It's actually amazing to watch this guy work. He gets downhill and a little different than some of these other strong backs that break tackles... He breaks tacklERs. Death and destruction follow in his wake. He's okay on swings, but he's not a guy you're going to put in that position. He is a dominant, downhill, destroy you and make your family leave you out of embarassment kinda dude. I love watching him play. 

 

Audric Estime, Notre Dame - He is a combination of Henderson/Allen, but not what either of them are in totality. He is a good short yardage power back and he does a nice job when you need a few yards. He is hard to tackle, gets downhill with authority and makes defenders pay. He has a bit more wiggle than you'd expect. I think he's another guy that can make himself a career in the NFL without being an every down bellcow. He will be a very valuable pick in the mid rounds of the draft.

 

Marshawn Lloyd, USC - He has incredible patience. A great combination of power and speed. Bigger defenders are tougher for him, but if you are his size or lower he isn't going down from basic arm tackles. He has 13 receptions this year but he should be getting a lot more use in that department. He is a do everything back that is shifty and quick and quite frankly way under talked about. Has excellent wiggle and is absolutely electric in open space as a receiver despite his low # of receptions.

 

Frank Gore, Jr - Southern Miss - I lied earlier. He's the smallest back that I watched. He runs like Dad. He will get every tough yard you want despite his smaller stature. Good back with good vision and an excellent pedigree. Tough, smart, and has what looks like elite change of direction on film. His size against NFL talent will be a concern unless he can find a way to get bigger. But Gore in open field is dangerous. 

 

Devin Neal, Kansas - He runs like a bigger version of Gore, actually. Good hands and good athleticism. He plays like he is bigger than he is... which is a detriment and a boon all at the same time. He takes a ton of big hits and he fumbles. But he's also fearless and aggressive. 

 

 

 

1. Trey Benson, Florida State

2. Blake Corum, Michigan

3. TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State

4. Braelon Allen, Wisconsin

5. Marshawn Lloyd, USC

6. Bucky Irving, Oregon

7. Audric Estime, Notre Dame

8. Will Shipley, Clemson

9. Frank Gore, Jr. - Southern Miss

10. Devin Neal, Kansas

 

 

I keep hearing people say that this isn't a very good running back class. Man... I totally and completely disagree. Corum, Henderson and Benson are fantastic. The next tier of back is potentially one of the better groups of talent that we've seen.

 

I didn't watch Raheim Sanders. In 2023, he has 62 carries despite playing in 6 games. There is something going on there... 62 carries, 209 yards and 2 TD. I like him as a prospect in a lot of ways but something beyond my knowledge of him as a prospect is happening and I don't expect him to be in this class.

 

I haven't watched enough of Donovan Edwards to get a good feel yet, either. 

 

Brooks isn't coming out.

 

Ultimately I think this is a good RB class (and small school guys aren't included here yet)... I think we need to take a dive into this class to compliment Robinson.

 

I think Marshawn Lloyd is going to be my big riser/guy from this group aside from Corum. He and Braelon Allen.

Edited December 1, 2023 by KDawg

[Warhead36]

Gibson is getting some hate but I feel like he's played pretty well the last several weeks as we're finally seeing him used more as a weapon in the pass game. I wouldn't mind bringing him back and I don't think he'd cost too much. With that said, our new analytics guy Shen is super against paying RBs so we'll probably let him walk and draft his replacement in the middle rounds which I don't hate either.

[KDawg]

Just now, Warhead36 said:

Gibson is getting some hate but I feel like he's played pretty well the last several weeks as we're finally seeing him used more as a weapon in the pass game. I wouldn't mind bringing him back and I don't think he'd cost too much. With that said, our new analytics guy Shen is super against paying RBs so we'll probably let him walk and draft his replacement in the middle rounds which I don't hate either.

Here’s the beauty… if he tests FA and no one bites there no reason this team couldn’t bring him back as a RB3, draft a guy and have BRob, draftee, Rodriguez and Gibson in camp. 

[Warhead36]

1 minute ago, KDawg said:

Here’s the beauty… if he tests FA and no one bites there no reason this team couldn’t bring him back as a RB3, draft a guy and have BRob, draftee, Rodriguez and Gibson in camp. 

I'd be okay with that too. I do think some team will pick him up though as a 3rd down pass catching back who can also return kicks.

 

He'll probably end up with the 49ers and thrive because Kyle maximizes RBs better than anyone.

[JamesMadisonSkins]

I'm not sure if we end up trading back in R1 because we will likely either play our way into a spot where trading back takes us out of the last top OT option OR we are sitting at 4/5 with Olu or Alt and don't want to pass them up.

 

But I wouldn't be surprised if we do something with one of our early 2's. Use the first one and then trade the 2nd one back for a mid-2nd and a 3rd. And then use that 3rd to trade back for a later 3rd and a 4th/5th. 

 

Basically, with a new FO with a *supposed* bent on analytics, it wouldn't shock me if the first thing they try to do is churn the roster as much as possible. And in that case, the best way to do so is to accumulate picks ... and it doesn't have to be multiple 2's and 3's on top of what we have ... wouldn't surprise me if we try to add 3-4 picks in the Rounds 4-6 range. 

[philibusters]

12 hours ago, Always A Commander Never A Captain said:

 

Responding to Jay's points here.

 

 

 

B - I think FS is up there, but all of the defensive issues are difficult to pinpoint due to JDR's scheme and communication issues. Coaching mostly or players mostly or both?

 

 

 

We have been without our starting FS since he was hurt in week 5 (against Chicago).  Not that Forrest cannot be upgraded, but when Forrest returns, he'll send Percy Butler to the bench.  In terms of Butler, he has been up and down.  Some pretty solid weeks, but some pretty bad weeks.

[Warhead36]

I like the idea of trading one of our 2nds and one of our 3rds to move back into the 1st to grab someone who slides. Ideally a RT if there is a run on them in the 20s.

[JamesMadisonSkins]

13 minutes ago, philibusters said:

 

We have been without our starting FS since he was hurt in week 5 (against Chicago).  Not that Forrest cannot be upgraded, but when Forrest returns, he'll send Percy Butler to the bench.  In terms of Butler, he has been up and down.  Some pretty solid weeks, but some pretty bad weeks.

 

This was also Forrest as a rookie. Barely saw the field and was written off. I'm not willing to write off Butler or Quan Martin long-term. My issue with Martin was using a 2nd on him when we clearly needed OL. 

 

Our secondary has potential, at least with the safeties. We will need to replace Curl if we don't bring him back.

[method man]

We really need a traffic controlling leader who has the ability to play single high. I would be so on board with giving the guy Jessie Bates money. Let Kam leave and have Forrest and Martin be your box guys

[JamesMadisonSkins]

10 minutes ago, method man said:

We really need a traffic controlling leader who has the ability to play single high. I would be so on board with giving the guy Jessie Bates money. Let Kam leave and have Forrest and Martin be your box guys

 

My concerns with the secondary are primarily at CB. We'll likley lose Fuller. I am not out on Forbes yet. I think he can be coached up. But we have St. Juste and Forbes, we need an ACE ... plus I think St. Juste is entering his final year in 2024. 

 

We should draft a pair of CBs in the mid-rounds, and sign a value FA to come in and be our #1/#2. It kind of fits my strategy to prioritize the offense in 2024 and do our best to stopgap the defense. A new DC, scheme change, coaching, etc. can improve our defense and if we add the right pieces through FA and mid-rounds of the draft, we can stopgap the defense and address it more thoroughly in 2025. 

 

The offense should be the focus of the early parts of the draft. 

Edited December 1, 2023 by JamesMadisonSkins

[method man]

12 minutes ago, JamesMadisonSkins said:

 

My concerns with the secondary are primarily at CB. We'll likley lose Fuller. I am not out on Forbes yet. I think he can be coached up. But we have St. Juste and Forbes, we need an ACE ... plus I think St. Juste is entering his final year in 2024. 

 

We should draft a pair of CBs in the mid-rounds, and sign a value FA to come in and be our #1/#2. It kind of fits my strategy to prioritize the offense in 2024 and do our best to stopgap the defense. A new DC, scheme change, coaching, etc. can improve our defense and if we add the right pieces through FA and mid-rounds of the draft, we can stopgap the defense and address it more thoroughly in 2025. 

 

The offense should be the focus of the early parts of the draft. 

I am comfortable with giving BSJ and Forbes shots as the starters with a Moreau type as a backup for insurance they falter. I feel confident both guys can bounce back next year in a better scheme with better coaching and playing with a better FS

[Riggo#44]

9 minutes ago, method man said:

I am comfortable with giving BSJ and Forbes shots as the starters with a Moreau type as a backup for insurance they falter. I feel confident both guys can bounce back next year in a better scheme with better coaching and playing with a better FS

 

This is kind of my question too. How many times did we see the defense give up a big play and the DBs just kind of stand around with their arms out, looking dumbfounded? No one knew what they were supposed to do. And it wasn't just this year, it's happened a lot under the current staff.