2024 Comprehensive Draft Thread

[seamonster]

Is there any reason not to pick Drake Maye? Any? Big prototypical QB with a strong arm that's put up numbers and looks like Herbert's doppelganger.  Seems like a no-brainer unless the USC unicorn Mahomsian QB falls to the 2 spot. 

[Anselmheifer]

8 minutes ago, ThatNFLChick said:

Daniel Jeremiah first mock draft

 

 

 

Highlights: Fuaga at 10 to the Jets. I keep seeing this. And Bowers at 15? That's crazy. Our two 2nds would get us to 15. I would do that in a heartbeat. Bowers is going to be an instant impact guy and a top 3 TE in the league. 

[The Consigliere]

1 hour ago, FootballZombie said:

 

Man jumped up 5 points in my book due to snow experience. lol.

 

Maybe 6 as I'm currently wielding my trusty shovel Excalibur to fight the elements.

 

Living with El Nino out here. We got NOTHING in December, nothing, now we've gotten 5 feet in two weeks and are set to get another 2-2.5 feet this weekend. Pretty crazy. Otoh, last year we got 700+ inches, craziest winter ever. Just got my new shovel in the winter this week. Last year broke my old one lol. 

Edited January 19 by The Consigliere

[The Consigliere]

1 hour ago, Anselmheifer said:

 

Highlights: Fuaga at 10 to the Jets. I keep seeing this. And Bowers at 15? That's crazy. Our two 2nds would get us to 15. I would do that in a heartbeat. Bowers is going to be an instant impact guy and a top 3 TE in the league. 

I don't see any chance he goes that low. I think there are needs, and interests in terms of slotting that are going to make the earlier presumption of a top 6 pick, potentially not play out. I think an OT, the 3 QB's, and Harrison/Nabers are definitely going ahead of him, well, the OT is more based on need, but I think at this point, you start to imagine he can go somewhere around 6 or 7 and after. The reality that Atlanta at 8 wont take him and Chicago at 9 wont either does allow for a bit of a fall after that. 

 

Basically it seems like his slots are likely:

5th

7th

10th

11th

12th

 

But 15? Granted the raiders arent taking him at 13, but 15 seems the craziest scenario. I suspect hell go 5th, 7th or 10th. 

[mistertim]

1 hour ago, seamonster said:

Is there any reason not to pick Drake Maye? Any? Big prototypical QB with a strong arm that's put up numbers and looks like Herbert's doppelganger.  Seems like a no-brainer unless the USC unicorn Mahomsian QB falls to the 2 spot. 

 

Right now Williams is my 1 and Maye is my 2, so I'd be good with either of them. As far as negatives on Maye, a lot of it has to do with inconsistent footwork/mechanics, which can lead to inaccuracies on his passes.

 

I've noticed it in my viewing especially on the shorter 3 step drop stuff and some intermediate. He seems to rely quite a bit on his natural gifts to the point where he'll try to muscle some throws with just his arm without his lower body being in sync, so his footwork gets super sloppy. Sometimes it works since he does have a big arm, but plenty of times it doesn't and passes sail on him.

 

The guys who can do that sort of stuff consistently are few and far between and IMO it's mostly just a natural gift. Mahomes can do it. So can Williams. Maye not so much.

 

So he'll absolutely need to clean up his footwork and mechanics in the NFL. He also seems to be much more of a pocket passer who thrives within a system vs tons of improvising. He can do it, but it's not his bread and butter. And there's nothing wrong with that. But if you're looking for an Allen/Mahomes type who consistently makes something out of nothing with off script plays, then you're looking more for Williams vs Maye.

[Est.1974]

Yet to see a compelling argument for Maye at #2. All seems to be about issues that can be fixed. Going to be an interesting run into the draft. Bears clearly dictate everything really.
 

Still amazed how few people are prepared to go all out for Williams. Seems 

like the perfect scenario for Harris, Peters and Co.

[Warhead36]

2 hours ago, seamonster said:

Is there any reason not to pick Drake Maye? Any? Big prototypical QB with a strong arm that's put up numbers and looks like Herbert's doppelganger.  Seems like a no-brainer unless the USC unicorn Mahomsian QB falls to the 2 spot. 

No real logical reason unless Maye just absolutely bombs at the combine. He has everything you want in a QB prospect: size, arm, reads Ds, coachability, durability, age. He has some footwork issues, but that's easily coachable. He's as blue chip a prospect as you can get but there are fans on here who'd rather stay on the path to mediocrity and "trade down and stack the roster first".

[Warhead36]

5 minutes ago, Est.1974 said:

Yet to see a compelling argument for Maye at #2. All seems to be about issues that can be fixed. Going to be an interesting run into the draft. Bears clearly dictate everything really.
 

Still amazed how few people are prepared to go all out for Williams. Seems 

like the perfect scenario for Harris, Peters and Co.

Ok here is why Maye is not just my #2, but my #1. Yes if I had the #1 pick I'd draft Maye:

 

1. Size. 6'4'' goes a long way. Historically the best QBs are around this height range. Its a big advantage. Don't have to worry about not seeing the field or getting passes batted down, etc.

 

2. Arm talent. Dude has a cannon and can easily make every throw at every part of the field. Maybe not quite Mahomes or Allen arm but on a scale of 1-5(with those guys being 5)he's probably around a 4.5 ish. And his throws are quick and effortless, not like he has some crazy long windup or anything. 

 

3. Accuracy. While he does occasionally struggle with the short stuff(mostly due to footwork issues which I'll go over later), he is an absolute killer with the 15-25 yard intermediate crossers, you know the ones that the best QBs destroys D with. Deep ball accuracy is fine, nothing amazing but not something he can't do.

 

4. Mobility. Kid is a great athlete. I believe his 40 time is faster than Josh Allen's. He's no Lamar Jackson or anything and you're not gunna run an offense based around him running, but he can take off and pick up cheap 1st downs on broken plays with his legs. Admittedly he isn't great throwing on the run though, one of his few issues(will go over later).

 

5. Mental game. Maye can go through reads and hit his 2nd, 3rd, even 4th options. He can decipher coverages and pressures. He can change the play and adjust protection. His mental game is so advanced and he displays it at a level that elite QBs in the NFL do. We aren't talking about a kid who ran some one read rinky dink gimmick offense. 

 

6. High level experience. He has two years of good experience playing at a high level, so you don't have to worry about him being some one year wonder. People crap on the ACC but I believe someone said they had the best Ds out of any conference in the country after the SEC. Yes he played better Ds than Williams or Daniels or Penix or Nix.

 

7. Lack of supporting cast. I'm not sure if any of his teammates get drafted, at least not very high. Meanwhile Daniels is throwing to 1, possibly 2 1st round pick WRs, and Penix has a 1st round WR and all world OL. Maye had to carry his team which he did. Without Maye, UNC got trashed in their bowl game. Meanwhile Williams's replacement threw 6 TDs for USC. Just saying...

 

8. Age. This is such a big point for me. He's only 21. 21! He's a year younger than Williams and 2 years younger than Daniels, Penix, and Nix. Those two years are a HUGE difference. He already possesses so many elite traits at such a young age. Imagine how much better he'll be at 23. And because he's younger, his bad habits and issues are not as heavily imprinted, meaning he'll be easier to coach out of those.

 

9. Character. By all reports Maye is a stand up guy. Teammates love him. Coachable. Works his butt off. NO reports of immaturity or anything like that. You don't have to worry about him working on his branding or endorsements or crying to his momma or painting his nails or etc. etc. etc. He's just a quiet assassin. Boring persona. Think Cousins but with way more physical talent.

 

10. Durability. He's never had any sort of major injuries. He had an ankle injury against UNC this year but came back to play. He has not missed a start in two seasons(other then opting out the bowl game at the end of this past season).

 

Now on to the negatives. There are very few but I'll go over them and also why I don't consider them that big of a deal:

 

1. Footwork. At times his footwork can get sloppy, leading to some missed throws. Bit of a case of happy feet. It isn't OMG god awful but it is a concern. But its also something that can be coached up. You pair him with any decent NFL coach and those issues will be resolved within a year, two tops. 

 

2. Relies too much on arm talent. This is such an "lol" issue to me. Every young QB has this issue at first and after like a year of NFL football they figure it out. 

 

3. Struggles under pressure. Yeah you know who else struggles under pressure? Literally every other QB in the history of football. 

 

4. Not great at improvising. Maye is fantastic in structure but doesn't improv well. In this area he gets absolutely steamrolled by Williams. It could be an issue in big games against top Ds when he's under pressure more and needs to be able to make plays on the run. Honestly this is the one issue that does give me some pause, because I think its an innate trait(you either have it or you don't). But I can live with it because his strengths are so good.

 

 

Overall, factoring in everything, Maye is a legitimate blue chip QB prospect in what is considered a very strong QB class. This isn't a case of reaching on the 2nd best QB after #1 gets taken, or reaching for a bum like Kenny Pickett or EJ Manuel because you're a desperate. This is a home run swing of course. This is a guy that can completely alter the course of our franchise. Get him year 1, pair him with a legit coach, and a GM that has proven he can build teams, and by 2025 we'll be competing for division titles every year a decade.

2 hours ago, Anselmheifer said:

 

Highlights: Fuaga at 10 to the Jets. I keep seeing this. And Bowers at 15? That's crazy. Our two 2nds would get us to 15. I would do that in a heartbeat. Bowers is going to be an instant impact guy and a top 3 TE in the league. 

Wow yeah I don't see Bowers dropping to 15. I think he's a perfect fit for the Chargers at 5. Im as anti TE in round 1 as much as anyone but the idea of pairing Maye with Bowers for the next decade is super tempting. Would require addressing OL completely in FA though.

[Skinsinparadise]

Finally got to Payton Wilson. Love this guy.  Was 27th on the Freaks list.   Seems a high character guy aside from a bar fight his freshman year, had a fake ID on him etc, but that's typical college stuff, who didn't hav a fake id?

 

123 tackles.  6 sacks.  3 picks.  6'4, 238.   Good against the run, good in coverage.    Missed some time for a shoulder injury

 

Good recognition skills.  And whether its upfield or lateral pursuit or chasing a player from behind, he runs hards, covers a lot of ground and is a very  sound tackler.  Shed tackles well.  Baller. 

 

Takes good angles.  Chased down speedy receivers mulitiple times in one of the games I was watching where they had a good head start.  I posted one of those plays

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 19 by Skinsinparadise

[ThatNFLChick]

 

[RWJ]

8 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

Finally got to Payton Wilson. Love this guy.  Was 27th on the Freaks list.   Seems a high character guy aside from a bar fight his freshman year, had a fake ID on him etc, but that's typical college stuff, who didn't hav a fake id?

 

123 tackles.  6 sacks.  3 picks.  6'4, 238.   Good against the run, good in coverage.    Missed some time for a shoulder injury

 

Good recognition skills.  And whether its upfield or lateral pursuit or chasing a player from behind, he runs hards, covers a lot of ground and is a very  sound tackler.  Shed tackles well.  Baller. 

 

Takes good angles.  Chased down speedy receivers mulitiple times in one of the games I was watching where they had a good head start.  I posted one of those plays

Love this guy.  Heck of a LB.  

[Skinsinparadise]

6 minutes ago, RWJ said:

Love this guy.  Heck of a LB.  

 

I recall @Going Commando pushing him in a post I caught so I made a note to watch him.  His stats are crazy -- tackle numbers, picks, sacks.  Only a 4% missed tackle rate.  

 

In one of the games I watched he played some edge.  They move him around though and blitzed well at the A gap. 

 

He's a well rounded weapon on defense.  What grabs me the most is how quickly he gets to the ball. 

Edited January 19 by Skinsinparadise

[mhd24]

11 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

I recall @Going Commando pushing him in a post I caught so I made a note to watch him.  His stats are crazy -- tackle numbers, picks, sacks.  Only a 4% missed tackle rate.  

 

In one of the games I watched he played some edge.  They move him around though and blitzed well at the A gap. 

 

He's a well rounded weapon on defense.  What grabs me the most is how quickly he gets to the ball. 

 

I'd be really tempted to take him at 36.  His injury history might push him down to that range.  The only issue is if teams are comfortable with his medicals.  Great LBs are usually early 2nd rounders (LaVonte David & Bobby Wagner come to mind)

[RWJ]

1 hour ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

I recall @Going Commando pushing him in a post I caught so I made a note to watch him.  His stats are crazy -- tackle numbers, picks, sacks.  Only a 4% missed tackle rate.  

 

In one of the games I watched he played some edge.  They move him around though and blitzed well at the A gap. 

 

He's a well rounded weapon on defense.  What grabs me the most is how quickly he gets to the ball. 

The shoulder injury is the only concern I have.  He plays with such intensity using his body like a human missile leading with the shoulder it could very well come back and bite him.  I have him on my Wishlist with our 1st 3rd round pick.  Adam Peters has selected some good LBs in the 3rd and beyond.   

[Always A Commander Never A Captain]

3 hours ago, ThatNFLChick said:

 

 

I disagree with that. Alt is more explosive than Olu, that's kind of Olu's weakness. He's not quite "sloppy technically" either because that's what works with weird body style. He's very consistent with his "sloppy technique", and it probably looks sloppy but I don't think he can do much else. His body style is weird. So much of his mass is in his legs and ass. He's out there doing a sumo deadlift for every pass rep. It's why he's not explosive and can't run block. When he gets his feet together and tries to change directions like Alt...it's not pretty. I don't think Olu is an athlete. But he's very effective in pass pro at his own style.

 

I think you can teach Olu to use his style to run block decently in the Pro's (and then have to scheme to it). But he'll never be Trent Williams.

 

Latham is his favorite? Woof. The whole post kind of says the OT class has depth but lacks great talent. You know what, scratch that. I'm looking back at past years OT drafts and Penei Sewell is probably the last great OT talent in like a decade. Loads of great IOL talent though. Man, the top of the draft used to have so many high quality OT prospects. I guess the pervasive thought that college OL aren't NFL ready is actually true. I'm looking at drafts from 10-15 years ago and there were great OT prospects at the top of a lot of those drafts.

 

In perspective to OT draft classes from the past decade, this one is really good. It's just that OT's coming in are a lot more hit and miss lately than we realize. This makes me want to go hard for Onwenu or Williams in FA. Let some other franchise spend time developing an above average OT.

[OtisDriftwood25]

5 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

I recall @Going Commando pushing him in a post I caught so I made a note to watch him.  His stats are crazy -- tackle numbers, picks, sacks.  Only a 4% missed tackle rate.  

 

In one of the games I watched he played some edge.  They move him around though and blitzed well at the A gap. 

 

He's a well rounded weapon on defense.  What grabs me the most is how quickly he gets to the ball. 

Yeah I watched him a couple times this year and he was a difference maker. Only thing I did not see enough of which you need in this league is pass coverage. Just seems like an attitude you want on this defense. Will run through a wall.

[illone]

6 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

Finally got to Payton Wilson. Love this guy.  Was 27th on the Freaks list. 

 

 

That was a pretty good defensive unit, too. Shut down Drakey lol.  

 

I didn't watch much Wolfpack this year, how is he in pass covg?

[skinsarethebest]

10 hours ago, seamonster said:

Is there any reason not to pick Drake Maye? Any? Big prototypical QB with a strong arm that's put up numbers and looks like Herbert's doppelganger.  Seems like a no-brainer unless the USC unicorn Mahomsian QB falls to the 2 spot. 

Yes, Jayden Daniels is a reason to not pick Drake Maye.

[Going Commando]

This is so dominant:

 

He's one of the best speed to power players I've seen in CFB in a long time.  The way he blows back OLs on contact, runs them straight back into the QB, and ragdolls players in the backfield reminds me of Aaron Donald.

 

This guy and Brock Bowers are my two "if they fall to ~15 I'm trading up no matter what" players.  He's the best defender in the class.

 

Latu is close to him though, and he might actually fall to 15.  He doesn't have anywhere close to Verse's utterly dominant play strength, but he is a special athlete with elite instincts, get off, change of direction speed, and motor.  He's Micah Parsons fast and explosive to where he just routinely flies past blockers before they finish their sets, and adjusts track to find the football in a step.

 

Dallas Turner is really good too, and he is widely ranked the DL1 in the class, but he's DL3.  Verse and Latu are DL1 and DL2.  All three of them are a tier better better than Fashanu and Fuaga (and at least two tiers better than Alt), and should be top ten picks along with the three QBs, and three pass catchers.  Teams are going to reach on these OLs and push some of the best players down to the teens.  We're gonna have three OLs in the top ten, and that means there is a reasonable chance that Latu, Bowers, Turner, or Verse will still be on the board in trade up range.

 

I still hate the Montez Sweat trade, but if trading him makes getting a future All Pro like Latu or Bowers or Verse possible, then that would majorly cushion the blow.

[mhd24]

14 minutes ago, Going Commando said:

This is so dominant:

 

He's one of the best speed to power players I've seen in CFB in a long time.  The way he blows back OLs on contact, runs them straight back into the QB, and ragdolls players in the backfield reminds me of Aaron Donald.

 

This guy and Brock Bowers are my two "if they fall to ~15 I'm trading up no matter what" players.  He's the best defender in the class.

 

Latu is close to him though, and he might actually fall to 15.  He doesn't have anywhere close to Verse's utterly dominant play strength, but he is a special athlete with elite instincts, get off, change of direction speed, and motor.  He's Micah Parsons fast and explosive to where he just routinely flies past blockers before they finish their sets, and adjusts track to find the football in a step.

 

Dallas Turner is really good too, and he is widely ranked the DL1 in the class, but he's DL3.  Verse and Latu are DL1 and DL2.  All three of them are a tier better better than Fashanu and Fuaga (and at least two tiers better than Alt), and should be top ten picks along with the three QBs, and three pass catchers.  Teams are going to reach on these OLs and push some of the best players down to the teens.  We're gonna have three OLs in the top ten, and that means there is a reasonable chance that Latu, Bowers, Turner, or Verse will still be on the board in trade up range.

 

I still hate the Montez Sweat trade, but if trading him makes getting a future All Pro like Latu or Bowers or Verse possible, then that would majorly cushion the blow.

 

 

I don't see these lineman dropping to around 15 GC (unless Latu's medicals cause him to fall).

 

Atlanta is assuredly going to take one of these defenders.  They won't reach for a QB at 8 (I think Kirk goes there in FA).  They cannot take skill 4 years in a row.  Their OL is solid.  That leaves defense.  The first defender in the draft is going to probably go at 8 to Atlanta.  The Titans have to take OL considering how they are tied to Levis and will probably get their pick of OL1.  NYG won't take OL as they have Thomas entrenched at LT and are going to give Evan Neal the opportunity to not be a bust at RT.  NYJ have to to take OL because they are pot committed to Rodgers.  

 

Minnesota at 11 is assuredly going to go edge as Hunter is most likely gone in FA.  New Orleans needs a major infusion of youth on defense (although OL is also a glaring need as Ramzyk might be forced to retire).  Denver is stuck in no mans land and probably wants to trade down since they have no 2nd with the Sean Payton trade.  That is the best spot for a trade up team.  Vegas won't take edge with Wilson taken top 10 last year.  Seattle is probably the floor for Latu.  Verse/Turner go at 8 (Atlanta), the other goes at 11 (Minnesota), and the lone remaining (Latu) slips a little due to the medicals.

[Going Commando]

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

In perspective to OT draft classes from the past decade, this one is really good. It's just that OT's coming in are a lot more hit and miss lately than we realize. This makes me want to go hard for Onwenu or Williams in FA. Let some other franchise spend time developing an above average OT.

 

Andrew Thomas was an elite OT prospect too.  Not as good as Sewell, but Sewell was the best OT prospect since about Orlando Pace or Joe Thomas times.  Prospects for any position don't get better than he was.  The guy was the best player in CFB at like 19-20.  Similar to how Bowers is at TE.

 

The OT class doesn't have a Thomas or Sewell in it, but it is definitely unusually strong at the top.  I'm not the biggest Alt fan because I think he lacks play strength, but he fits in with a top tier of OL that is basically blue chip 20 year olds with elite size. You don't usually get guys with the traits, resumes, and age related upside that he, Fashanu, and Latham all have, much less three in the same class.  And they might not even be OL1 because of Fuaga.  It's a really good group, and it's going to push OL talent to us in the second round.

 

The one guy I don't see it with is Guyton though.  He's not even a good college player, and to me his issues with play strength, physicality, and the ability to hold blocks are so major and fundamental that I don't think he'll even be playable at the NFL level for a while.  He's so unready for the next level that I would worry about him getting the kind of runway needed to justify his draft pick, because you can't take a guy in the top 50 and redshirt him for his first two seasons just to teach him how to be an OL and get him strong.

 

The other second round OLs are good though. If they truly have 36"+ arms, then Patrick Paul and Kiran Amegadjie would be first round picks with their physical profiles in other years. 

[Est.1974]

14 hours ago, Warhead36 said:

here is why Maye is not just my #2, but my #1. Yes if I had the #1 pick I'd draft Maye:

I don’t agree, but great post all the same

[mhd24]

4 minutes ago, Going Commando said:

 

Andrew Thomas was an elite OT prospect too.  Not as good as Sewell, but Sewell was the best OT prospect since about Orlando Pace or Joe Thomas times.  Prospects for any position don't get better than he was.  The guy was the best player in CFB at like 19-20.  Similar to how Bowers is at TE.

 

The OT class doesn't have a Thomas or Sewell in it, but it is definitely unusually strong at the top.  I'm not the biggest Alt fan because I think he lacks play strength, but he fits in with a top tier of OL that is basically blue chip 20 year olds with elite size. You don't usually get guys with the traits, resumes, and age related upside that he, Fashanu, and Latham all have, much less three in the same class.  And they might not even be OL1 because of Fuaga.  It's a really good group, and it's going to push OL talent to us in the second round.

 

The one guy I don't see it with is Guyton though.  He's not even a good college player, and to me his issues with play strength, physicality, and the ability to hold blocks are so major and fundamental that I don't think he'll even be playable at the NFL level for a while.  He's so unready for the next level that I would worry about him getting the kind of runway needed to justify his draft pick, because you can't take a guy in the top 50 and redshirt him for his first two seasons just to teach him how to be an OL and get him strong.

 

The other second round OLs are good though. If they truly have 36"+ arms, then Patrick Paul and Kiran Amegadjie would be first round picks with their physical profiles in other years. 

 

What are your thoughts about the IOL guys like Barton, JPJ, and Van Pran (I know you've posted before that you are really high on him)?  If we go after Owenwu in FA (Fowler on ESPN said the Pats are likely not retaining him despite have 70 million in cap space), that could solidify the need at RT.  Ron told Keim that the new FO wants to focus on the middle of the field.  That means a strong IOL, DT rotation, LB, and S.  I could see us taking your a LB and IOL with our 2nd rounders (obviously taking QB at 2) with this strategy.

[KDawg]

7 hours ago, skinsarethebest said:

Yes, Jayden Daniels is a reason to not pick Drake Maye.

Why do you feel that way? I’m not disregarding your opinion. I just don’t understand it.

[Koolblue13]

19 minutes ago, Going Commando said:

 

 

 

The other second round OLs are good though. If they truly have 36"+ arms, then Patrick Paul and Kiran Amegadjie would be first round picks with their physical profiles in other years. 

Those two are physical specimens and the right coaching staff could turn them into the next Trent Williams type of OT.