AZ54

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2023/03/jimmy-garoppolo-on-texans-radar When I see this my first thought is the Texans plan to draft Anthony Richardson. Sign Garoppolo and you have a caretaker for a year or two until Richardson is ready. However, any of the other QB needy teams could take the same approach even if they trade up to #1. That of course would leave either Stroud or Young available at #3. Cards want to trade back and most likely want a bigger haul than just dropping to #4 would give them. Ballard has to sort out if he's happy with Levis as he might be the only option left. There are plenty of reasons for him to be ok with that. Poles needs to go get his draft treasure chest filled up so we can watch this show from the bleachers.

I agree. Use the FA money to fix other positions.

No to Miles Sanders. I think he has some of the same vision problem Montgomery has at times. While Sanders' 4.9ypc might look good behind that Oline, if he's an upgrade over Monty he should have run for far more than 1269yds last year. That's just 74yds per game. Between those two I'd stick with the known and likely cheaper commodity.

Paris Johnson all day. Protecting Fields is job 1, I'll find a slot WR somewhere even if it's next year.

Zone Blocking Scheme (sorry it was late).

I think Anderson has much more lateral quickness than Mack. Which leads me to believe Anderson will have a higher win rate if his first move is stopped than Mack does. To do that Anderson will have to match Mack's intensity and hustle which was elite but I like the odds of that happening. I like him but can't put Tyree Wilson in a category with Mack. That will have to be earned. The Chandler Jones comparison seems about right.

Agreed more power guy but seems to have enough agility to bend around the edge even if he didn't do that much in college. Again these 3-man fronts used in college make it hard to assess based on just highlights. I'm in agreement we need one strong edge setter to help keep the Oline from expanding the width of the play, and one DE who is more pass rusher so I can relax more when opponents have a 3rd and 10+.

Winning is the reason we play the game but for me this is very much a team sport across the board. Stars in this game can only take a bad roster so far. If Fields had played better, especially early in the season, we'd have won more games. If his supporting case had played better in the 2nd half of the season when Fields was playing at a higher level, we'd have won more games. There were 5 weeks mid-season where we led the entire NFL in offense and could only win one game (NE). I can't see how that was the QBs fault. FWIW Jimmy Garoppolo has a 70% W-L record. He's nowhere close to the talent Jackson or Fields are but, if that winning record is the QB standard, we'll see who pounds the table to sign him.

It is interesting that Fields and Lamar Jackson each threw for 2242yds last year. I find it surprising that Jackson has only eclipsed 3000 yards passing in one season. Fields still isn't on his level yet as he needed 3 more games to get that but he also doesn't have a Pro Bowl TE or any Pro Bowl player to throw to. I would like to see Jackson go elsewhere, to a team that will focus on his passing and pocket presence. He has improved a lot as a passer, better than I expected FWIW, and too often I don't like the way Baltimore is using him on runs even when he is obviously injured. If he played more like Mahomes and used those legs to buy more time behind the LOS I think his passing numbers would go up and his injuries down. Coaches need to help him learn that and then run as last resort.

If we were to sign him RT is where I'd like to see him play for us too it's still not clear if he fits our ZBS I've never watched enough of him to even hazard a guess but I definitely don't think he did that in Baltimore

You almost always need a top draft pick to find a starting LT. When you sit at the end of the first round you absolutely can't wait for your guy to be there at the end of the 2nd Rd.

There is a lot more noise that a deal with Carolina is a realistic and likely option. Poles said he has 6-8 Blue players and he wants to make sure he gets one of them. If 4 QBs go ahead of us that means dropping back no further than 9 or maybe 11 (using realistic QB needy teams). Poles also said teams want a deal early before FA so they can plan, which makes sense. That makes sense for us too. Of course Poles said to make the move earlier like that will require a bit more compensation. There is no doubt that Poles going public with all this in his interview with Peter King is using it as negotiating leverage. He let 'em all know to get their best and final offer on the table now. I don't think Richardson is a good option for Ballard and the Colts because it appears the owner wants a more proven player who can step in this year. You can probably say the same about Levis although he has more game experience. At this point the world knows someone is drafting a QB at #1 and HOU at #2. Unless they are really in love with one of them, there might be little point to Ballard trading up to 3 for either Levis or Richardson. He's in a tough spot and the price for #1 is going up. If I were him I'd be having a conversation with the owner on if he'd be comfortable with the time needed to develop Levis or Richardson or does he want the QBs with the higher floor? There is some suspicion that Rodgers could end up a Raider which is why they are quiet in all this noise so far. Don't upset the man by talking about rookie QBs. Whoever falls out of the #1 bidding is likely to take the Cards offer at #3. The Colts won't move beyond #4 so Raiders could be left out if they wait too long on Rodgers. Getting rid of Carr to pick up JimmyG seems like a stupid move although it's cheaper. If he's not an option I have to believe they will want to get into the QB draft hunt so you will hear more noise about "the Rodgers decision" this week. This is a fun week and from here we'll roll right into FA on 13 Mar.

I don't think Brown is a great player. The fact is his first team already gave up on him when he was at RT which almost nobody does without a reason. He came to KC and played well at LT but he also has a magician behind him. We have a magician too but I don't want him to have to pull rabbits out of his hat that often again. Brown wants top dollar. KC is basically saying if we lose him we can replace him with a top draft pick. They also are banking on the fact no other team will pay him top dollar so they can match. That has risk as seen last year with the FA WRs. I think Brown's best fit remains RT and even then I'm not sure he's an ideal fit for what we do on offense. OTOH McGlinchey has some pass pro issues too but we know exactly what he'll do in the run game for us which is really good. And he'll be asking for less than Brown. If Poles signs him I'll trust the decision but I doubt he's benching a top 15 LT after just one season when there are so many other glaring holes to fix.

I looked at the numbers but when watching the drills they just didn't seem to bend well. Even the Daniel Jeremiah was commenting the same and that power is their game. We may very well end up with or even need one DE like that who can really contain the edge, so it's not necessarily a bad thing, but it would be nice to have that one speed rusher who can really bend around the edge. Perhaps you are right and it's just a learning curve for Van Ness. I think Foskey might be more limited but when I say not as high it just means they drop back a bit on my "board" not that I wouldn't draft them at all. If it's early 2nd Rd and all 3 are on the board I'd take Will McDonald ahead of them even though I know he's going to be more of the pass rush specialist and less run defender. I feel like it's easier to find guys like Foskey or Van Ness every year. Regardless of that whole "Iowa doesn't start young guys" excuse Van Ness wasn't a starter so that's still a bit of question mark. Besides I remember a young James Daniels getting snaps as a Freshman/Soph at Iowa. There are a couple edge guys we don't have info on yet that fit into day 2: Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Keion White. Anudike is more speed rusher, White more bull rusher. Anudike has more of the style I'd like to draft and he has some strength to get through double teams and the hustle to chase down plays late.

Foskey and Van Ness are both pretty linear athletes. Van Ness with really good power but seems like that's about all he'll bring to the table. They'll both be players that can set the edge and pick up some ocassional pressures/sacks especially if they get support with pressure up the middle. That's what you see on tape from both and I'm not quite as high on either after the combine.

Watched a bit of Campbell film (against the Cyclones and Kentucky). He is struggling to get off blocks, or around them, and often reads plays late. It's as if he's the opposite of what you see with Sanborn. Links if you care to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMkX16NXlDg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GefOq9EKi0o

Zach Kuntz tested well but he occasionally looks a bit uncoordinated when he's running. He needs to get with a professional trainer and work on balancing his strength and flexibility. There is a lot of potential for him but he plays soft like he's afraid to get hit and if that's on his ODU tape imagine what NFL players will do to his mindset. For someone with 10 1/4" hands he bobbles too many catches. Late Day 3 or UDFA only and see if he can develop.

Seeing rumors about a team further back than Poles expected inquiring about #1. Speculation is that it could be the Titans at 11 which would likely include a player. The one player we'd likely want is Jeffrey Simmons. They drafted Treylon Burks and Nicholas Pettit-Frere last year.

I'd call Ryan Pace in ATL and tell him the price has gone up.

RBs... there is some good depth at this position. If we can trade down and have extra picks in Rd 2 and 3 we have to consider the value of not signing any FA RB and just drafting one. Use that money on a vet elsewhere to help this roster. If for no other reason than we cannot fix the DT/DE issue in the draft. At best we'd get one contributing/starting DE and DT. If for some reason that didn't work out in the draft it seems likely there will be a decent FA RB still available after the draft as a fall back option. Bijan Robinson is just fast and smooth. You couldn't even tell he was stepping over the bags in one drill he ran so fast. His ability to cut at speed without looking like he is changing direction makes him hard ot tackle. We aren't going there in the first round but all I'm asking for is that this guy needs to be outside our division. Jahmyr Gibbs looked as advertised. Achane is fast but he's a smaller guy so don't think he can handle a heavy workload. You'd have to pair him behind Herbert. Tyjae Spears looked good in all drills. I really liked what Chase Brown did. He's just good all-around and has the deep speed needed to hit the occasional home run. I wouldn't mind drafting him and his brother. Chase seems like a good fit to replace Montgomery. If he's there late on day 3 I have no issue drafting Deuce Vaughn. He's just electric in the open field. He's 5'5" so nobody wants him blocking in the backfield and many teams likely don't want him at all. His agility on jump cuts is insane and his hands looked really good (if you don't overthrow him). Unlike a lot of smaller guys he does have some legit deep speed. He didn't run the forty today but there are plenty of highlights of him being chased 50, 60, 70 yards downfield. Question is can he return kicks? Hopefully we'll see that at his pro day.

Last day. Lots of good options among the Oline. Drills can't tell you much more than how well they move but standouts IMO and in no particular order: Skoronski... on the wave drill he covers more ground than anybody in a balanced manner with his feet under him. We know he can block, arm length issues or not, he looks like a 10yr starter somewhere on the line. Broderick Jones... looks like a beast and maybe not as fluid as Paris Johnson Jr. he's pretty good. Paris Johnson Jr. ... as OTs go he's got the easy movement and agility you want on the edge. Matthew Bergeron ... looked good and I haven't even watched or heard anything on him until today. Cody Mauch, Darnell Wright, and Steve Avila were all as advertised. Anton Harrison likely is on our list. Never heard of Sidy Sow but he looked good out there but his draft profile pretty much says he can't block so maybe he's a late round prospect worth trying to develop. Emil Ekiyor moved well although a bit slow John Michael Schmitz... he looks really strong but also a bit slow pulling and stiff movement wise.. not sure he's a good fit for our scheme. Olu Oluwatimi also looked a bit stiff in motion. Jaelyn Duncan was high on my list but he just looks awkward in motion. Not saying he comes off the list entirely but if blocking in space is the expectation he might struggle a bit in the NFL. Dawand Jones is just a big mountain but will struggle a bit if asked to get on the move. Love the guy but not sure he fits what we want to do.

TEs... I watched their drills and it looks like there is some good depth in this group. If I were drafting an inline TE early I'd take Darnell Washington ahead of Mayer. He's just a beast in blocking and his one-handed catch in the redzone drill was spectacular. I know it's just a blocking sled in one drill but all except 2 TEs had to work hard moving it. Mayer and Washington showed the best power and walked it backwards with control but Washington just took it 8 yards backwards like it was a toy. In these drills you know when someone or something is different and Washington is that. That shows up in game film where he is destroying DEs and he's more than good enough on routes to be effective there too. LaPorta as a 3rd Rd pick looked good all-around. Dalton Kincaid didn't participate due to injury but just from the chatter he's going to be a first round pick.

Another good day for the Bears. The QBs stole the show and that was without Bryce Young participating. CJ Stroud just made every throw look easy to make, and easy to catch. Anthony Richardson might still need work but not in terms of his athletic ablity and his ability to throw. He probably moved himself into the top 10 and maybe top 5 given that there is a blueprint for bringing along a young athletic QB (Lamar Jackson, Justin Fields). Levis looked good throwing the ball too as well and certainly didn't hurt himself. You could say that a QB needy team could take any of the 4 but fortunately they are all different enough in what they offer that there will be preferences for who fits your offense best, or timeline (i.e. Richardson). At this point I'd say first overall could be Young or Stroud. Richardson and Levis will battle it out for 3rd/4th. WRs... some stood out to me and mostly I like the gauntlet drill and a couple of the routes: deep and intermediate because you can best see their hands and quickness. Tank Dell looked smooth and quick in everything. Likewise with Josh Downs and Zay Flowers who solidified their draft stock. Dell is likely moving up from where ever he was ranked, he's not even listed on Drafttek WR group. At 175lbs JSN looked quick and clean in his cuts but doesn't appear to be full speed yet. He didn't run the forty because he's only been at full go on his hamstring injury for 2 weeks. If he's close to full speed he's not very fast. Jalin Hyatt ran well but seems to fight the ball. I prefer receivers who have easy hands and make the ball stick on first touch. Andre Iosivas looked good all around. I think he moved up after running a 4.43 forty and a 6.85 3-cone. Beyond that he catches the ball well. Rashee Rice also impressed with good hands and moves well around the field. Michael Wilson (lengthy injury list) performed well and he gets a lot of good PR. It's hard to guess where he'll go but I wouldn't be surprised if he's a day 3 selection just because of the competition. The one WR who surprised me was Ronnie Bell out of Mich mostly because I haven't seen his name anywhere. He wasn't necessarily elite in anything just seemed to always perform well. He had a knee injury in 2021 and his draft profile says he might need scheme help to uncover in the NFL. Some guys need more than a year to get fully healthy and up to speed after those injuries so he might be worth a shot. A couple guys I was watching for weeks: Xavier Hutchinson I think helped himself. He has no lack of making contested or difficult catches. His concerns were speed and getting separation and I think he answered those with a 4.53 forty and 6.91 3-cone. He looked good in drills too. Jayden Reed ran a 4.45 and I thought he might be a bit faster but he did show quickness in his route running and good hands. Overall if we want to improve our WR depth on day 3 we should be able to get that done. We're talking about stepping up from ESB and Pettis. A 2nd Rd pick should be able to contribute on game days (Downs/Flowers) and possibly some of the guys in Rd 3.

I saw that last night and smiled. There is now no way he can stay put at 4 and even trying to wait for draft day to get a deal done adds more risk. Ballard is now firmly between a rock and a hard place.

I should have just stuck with A A because it took 3 or 4 spell checks to get his name right.