BearFan PHX

to compare, here is Campbell, look how stiff he is, how high he plays, and his bad handfighting, plus how he is leaky inside. Yuck! This film is 1:38 long - well under 2 min

I think in the end, this all comes down to player evaluation - this is the nature of our debate. We all say we would take a blue chip LT if he was available, so the question is whether Banks is one. Here is a highlight film. There are some bad reps on it too. He is young, only newly 21. But if you look at the good reps, against premium competition, you see the makings of a Pro Bowl LT. He looks fluid and his hand fighting is excellent. He plays with great bend and pad level. Good anchor. He delivers a good punch and absorbs and tames violence at an elite level. He seeks out contact, not a catcher. He is a beast. I think we should consider that he is a blue chip prospect, coming out young as a Junior, who could really benefit from being molded by Roushar. Draft Buzz says ceiling is All Pro LT, and FLOOR is All Pro OG: (from Draft Buzz) Banks projects as a high-ceiling prospect who could excel at either tackle or guard, with the versatility to be a day-one impact starter at either spot. His advanced pass set technique and fluid movement skills translate beautifully to tackle in systems emphasizing quick-game concepts and RPOs, while his natural leverage and explosive power could make him an elite interior force. Though slightly shorter than ideal for tackle, his technical mastery and exceptional awareness more than compensate for any length limitations. His processing speed and technical foundation project particularly well to zone-based systems where his fluid movement skills and expertise in combination blocks can be maximized. While he's shown clear starter ability at tackle, his unique skill set could reach even greater heights at guard, where his natural leverage and explosive power could make him one of the league's premier interior linemen. His quick mental processing and natural feel for angles should allow him to dominate at either position. Banks has the tools to develop into a Pro Bowl-caliber player at either spot, with his ceiling potentially even higher at guard. His floor appears to be that of a quality starting tackle, with All-Pro potential if kicked inside. This film is 1:49 long - under 2 min.

when I talk about reaching, I mean drafting earlier than the average team might, but I dont think Ersery is a lesser talent or there would be no point. But I understand the fundamental difference of opinion. I dont want Jones, and some people think he is decent and a good placeholder for a year. And if i thought that, I'd probably be talking about Jeanty right now. So I get it, and I respect the difference of opinion. And if we do go into the season riding Jones and Amagadje, I sure hope that they outperform my expectations, maybe due to a better system and better coaching. And I will be thrilled to see it if thats what happens. But just in my gut, after watching some film on all these guys, I would rather see Banks or Ersery than Jones next year, even if it meant taking a guy everyone thought would go at 25 at 10. If Ersery is worth the 10th pick, and no trade downs were available, it's OK to spend the value on him thats your evaluation of him i think. So it just comes down to our differences in eval on Banks, Ersery, Jones and Amagadje, and that is the stuff that makes the world go around.

exactly. we disagree about this. I do see LT as a gaping hole that needs filling. so much about this roster is first class, Braxton Jones is the odd man out.

On nfldraftbuzz.com, they had a setting for picking not by draft buzz player rankings, but "consensus" rankings, whatever that is - sounds like a lot of opinions averaged out, I dunno whos opinions but they arent smart. Look at this ridiculous, insane, impossible draft. Whoever is making these consensus evals is really dumb LOL

yes BPA is always the best way to go, but we were unable to fill that LT need in free agency. Its a hard position to fill, and maybe this is the year to do it, and get a guy to protect Caleb for the next 10 years. i think Banks or Ersery could be that guy. Maybe Conerly?

And just to clear that picture a little bit, their player rankings arent necessarily supposed to predict the actual draft order, because raw playing rankings dont take into account teams needs and styles. If they get it generally right, that means the evaluations were right, but draft order is something else. I love the DraftBuzz simulator on random 2 setting. It does seems to have Travis Hunter and some others dropping, maybe unrealistically, due to team needs, but they do take the guys i think are more reasonable for us early, so its like a worst case scenario simulator. I guess thats kind of like having 12 players go before your pick at 10 in a way, if im not taking Hunter if he falls because its not realistic, because if he was taken, someone else would be available instead, but I think its a good way to make sure you can get what you need no matter what happens. It helps answer questions like: who are the 2nd round and 3rd round HBs you KNOW will be there? What defensive help is available in rounds 2 and 3 on the DL or at S What skill players, WR or TE are available in 2 and 3 and for me, the question that slants everything else for me this year: Where can we get a starting quality LT at pick #39? And I think the answer to that is it's too late by then. That's the main question I hope the simulators and mock drafts can answer. I have a feeling Ersery is going a lot earlier than people think. So Ive been running scenarios where I take an OT at 10 no matter whether its Banks or a reach. ANd Im finding lots of good talent at HB, S, DT, WR and TE in rounds 2 and 3. But no reliable OTs.

That makes a lot of sense generically in an average draft, and Jeanty is definitely the best back in the draft by far, and a good pick at 10, but I dug into that idea, and no one I like at OT falls to the 2nd round reliably. Often i had to go to Grant from W&M and he's definitely an intriguing project but he isnt gonna start at LT on day one the way I think Banks, Ersery or Conerly could. This is what keeps painting me into the corner about taking an OT at 10 and even reaching if necessary to get one who is slotted in the later part of the round, and having to take him early. The truth is there are some very good backs available in round 2, and defensive help too, especially at safety. None of those players is Jeanty, but the falloff there is a lot less than OT. To me, the only way to take Jeanty, would be if we could package our 2nd rounders together and move up to snag Ersery at 20 or 25 or something like that. If we had that pick there locked down, then Id feel very comfortable taking a non OT, especially Jeanty. But without that certainty, I feel like we're boxed into taking OT. Our two holes are OT and HB. After that we could add talent, but the starters are filled if we dont get a guy at any position. But right now, OT is wide open, and Swift aint gonna cut it for me. So OT and HB in the first three picks. (I say three picks becasue we pick #39 and then again #41, and New Orleans between the two is looking for the same kind of safety we are, so Id take the S at #39 and the HB at #41 right after, even though the HB is more important to us.

and we can debate and criticize things we dont agree with too.

I do think Bagent has trade value. QBs also get hurt, and having a good backup can save a season. You might be right that a 6th is what others might pay for him right now, but I wouldnt let him go for less than a 3rd or maybe even more because of what he is worth for us. I think Bagent could be a starter somewhere and be in the 15-20 ranked QB in the league in the right situation. I think the Jets would do better with him than JF, for example. Im in no hurry to get rid of him. I think he's pretty damned good. Not Caleb Williams good, but pretty damned good

we need 4 or 5 first round picks every year.

If Bagent is really still QB2, and Keenum is supposed to be a veteran voice for Caleb, then he doesn't really need to be on the 53 man roster to do that? I suppose that opens him up to being poached off the practice squad, but unless there is an injury, why would a team do that and pay his contract, when they could have just signed him already at the same amount? and as QB3, he can already play as an emergency QB if necessary without being on the 53 i think?

I like DraftBuzz's ratings as well. In any draft year, whichever site makes it hardest for me to get the players I want is the one i use. Call it worst case scenario planning. But thats just another way of saying they value the players I like the same way I do. As for next year's draft, my crystal ball is already getting bad reception on this one hahaha

yikes!

Before the combine, all these same sources had Membou as a guard, and listed far lower. Then he wins the Underwear Olympics and suddenly hes a top 10 pick? I don't buy it. Hes undersized and the film shows he quits on plays. i think hes got some Nate Davis in him. I think we either take Banks at 10, or we are going to take Conerly or Ersey with our first pick. And since that's early to take those guys who are slotted into the second half of the first round, if Banks isnt there we will want to trade back before taking one of those two if possible. And to me, that's where all the Jeanty, Warren noise comes into play. Either or both may drop to us, and we are probably blowing smoke to set up a trade down for us. Maybe just a couple slots to Dallas for example. We'll see what happens, but the more homework I do, the more convinced I become about this. OT with our first pick, Banks, Ersery or Conerly, POSSIBLY Simmons if they know more positive news than I do about his medical prognosis. But since that's probably unknown to everyone right now, I think it's one of those first three, with or without a trade back.