AZ54

Knowing that in just ~6mo we went from Darnell Mooney being our #1 WR to our #3 WR this doesn't bother me at all. Certainly I'd love to have that pick back but there is no WR at that pick who will help us with Job 1 (below) as much as Claypool will this year. JSN is the only WR I'm high on in Rd 1 but he's a slot WR. With Moore and Mooney we would really need a good big-body WR who can work the sidelines. We got one. We're obviously rebuilding the entire roster but IMO Job 1 in 2023 is validating Fields is our future QB. We've hedged that bet by having two 1st Rd picks next year, one a likely top 10 pick. Now with Claypool, Moore, and Mooney the WRs are good. Maybe we'll add 1 more to the mix for depth. TE is good at top 2, again can add 1 more for depth. RB has a good rotation too IMO. Center is a bit of a question mark but Whitehair represents the floor there and that's an upgrade over last year. Last year's starting C Patrick is this year's backup. We have just 1 piece remaining at RT and then it's all on Fields to show us. When you consider how far the offense talent has come in 6mo, especially given the weak WR FA market, the fact we need just one more key piece is a great position to be in heading into Poles' 2nd draft. If we get the correct RT, and if Fields is who we think he is, our offense should be good this year. If this talent isn't enough for Fields to play well then we know what must be done.

I'm still running mocks but now it's mostly to learn about some day 3 selections. I'd be pretty happy if the draft fell this way for us. I traded back with the Jets who wanted Broderick Jones, and gave me 13/43. Then at 13 I took PJJr. I'm not a big Mazi Smith fan but he was too good of a value at 61 and can fill the 5-tech role in a good rotation with Billings. Our run defense will be significantly improved. Mingo instantly upgrades and replaces ESB. In day 3 Wilson was good value and worth the injury risk at this point in the draft. With Mingo and Wilson we'll have good depth this year at WR and enough pressure to push Claypool to earn a new contract. TE Ben Sims is ranked as a UDFA but he's got good speed and hands, not the most agile runner, but is good enough to challenge for the 3rd TE role. Ω

For me there are only 2 defensive players worth taking at 9: Jalen Carter or Tyree Wilson. Both have negatives: Carter mental and Wilson health with that foot injury. Those type of injuries are always a huge concern especially for an athlete who has to push 300lb men around. I'd say we have an outside chance one of them is available at our pick but not very likely both will be. I'll guess those concerns worry Poles enough that he prefers using either one to help our effort to trade down.

That discussion wasn't about sustained success, rather would you draft a top QB knowing your Oline was bad. I would because I think I could then focus on building the line and that talent is easier to find than a starting QB. He would prefer to build the Oline first then add the QB.

1) Lots of Dline players had their best game against the Best Oline. 2) Demeco Ryans didn’t want him. But he’s a better athlete than AQM or Gipson. He’s also more versatile along the front. He’s better depth than last year and I like the move. We’re in the window where teams don’t sign FA until they see what they got in the draft. Green didn’t find the longer term deal he wanted and wasn’t comfy waiting until after the draft. I don’t think one year deals are hard to come by. So he’s looking for team that he feels gets him his best chance at a better contract in 2024 and he chose our coaches to help him do that. There is also playing time opportunity and we got loads of that too. I don’t know what we’re paying him but this feels different from last year where we had to be the “too high” bidder or last chance option even for depth players.

Even if I were to grant that JSN would get 1000 yds receiving next year I’d still make the case that getting a proper RT in Rd 1 will yield more net offense and points. In other words JSN might have his yards because he’s working the shorter routes and Fields has less time to throw. That comes at the expense of yards to DJ Moore and Mooney on deep and intermediate routes.

I can’t make any good argument for drafting a slot WR in the top 10. Especially not when we have far greater needs at more critical positions. If the goal is to add a skill position player to make the offense better Bijan is a far better prospect who can impact both the running and passing attack and I wouldn’t take him in the top ten.

There's a lot of smoke these days around the draft including some potential trades. At the top of my list is the spectacle in NE where Belichick is reportedly shopping Mac Jones. I'm so old I can remember when the media loved Jones and how he was the better pick over the other QBs. What this could mean for the draft I'm not sure and I have no clue what kind of value Jones would garner. At this point it seems clear we'll see 3 QBs go in the top 5: Stroud, Young, and Richardson. Levis is the wildcard but will he drop out of the top 10 or does Tenn come up and grab him at 9? What exactly is Belichick plan at QB? Hendon Hooker? Trade up to get Levis if he drops? https://www.profootballrumors.com/2023/04/latest-on-patriots-mac-jones Lamar Jackson has turned down something like $260mil. I have no clue where this one goes but there doesn't seem to be much interest from other teams to trade for Jackson mostly due to injury concerns with his style of play. What is the Ravens fall back plan? They don't draft until the 22nd pick. https://www.profootballrumors.com/2023/04/ravens-offered-lamar-jackson-175mm-in-total-guarantees-deal-no-longer-on-table https://www.nfl.com/news/ravens-gm-eric-decosta-sees-more-than-four-guys-in-draft-that-can-be-significant There are a few others that might not be big Rd 1 trades but could be part of package deals: Austin Ekeler and Deandre Hopkins. Somewhere I saw an article with a few more names but can't find it now.

Fact is most teams field a decent Oline. What we've had to endure the last 2 years is frightening. I still would have taken Fields when we did over any Oline player. I agree that we can disagree.

There are two ways to interpret this: 1) A Jason Kelce as in 6th Rd draft pick who in two years will work his way into being a Pro Bowl player? This version is likely Rd 2 pick because there is some concern with the "floor". 2) A Jason Kelce perennial Pro Bowl Center from year 1? This version is 15-32 1st Rd pick because the floor is pretty good on draft day.

Justin Fields, Trevor Lawrence albeit both are still a work in progress but IMO are on the right path. Joe Burrow Tua was playing very well this year before his head injuries although I'm not sold on him. Justin Herbert Josh Allen Andrew Luck Naturally the draft history is riddled with 1st Rd failures too, even at 1st overall: Murray (serious fence sitter as a talented head case), Mayfield. Now OTOH the 49ers had everything built except QB, went all-in on Trey Lance, and now a 7th Rd pick is their starter. Chiefs had everything built including a good QB playing at a Pro Bowl level and still felt it was worthwhile to trade up to take Mahomes. In the end you still have to make the right decision as to which of these college QBs is the unicorn. Looking back over the last decade, on average you only get a little over 1.1 - 1.3 starting QBs per draft depending how you count players like Carr. I may have missed a name in there somewhere but then again, some years the draft yields zero long term starting QBs. https://www.drafthistory.com/index.php/positions/qb

The QBs are the unicorns and are a whole lot more difficult to find than any Oline position. Not only are the QBs rare if the rest of your roster is ready to compete then you almost certainly won’t be in the draft position needed to draft the QB. Zero chance I’d pass on a starting QB just because I had a gap to fill on the line.

Smokescreen they could have made their decision to remove him from their board or move him way down if you have a team behind you that you think might really want Carter then to get them to trade up they have to think he is a target for you or the teams who pick in between carter and one of the QBs are the most likely bait for a team to trade up to 9

Knowing you are a build the trenches believer I’m shocked you’d be happy with that draft. I would be incredibly disappointed to see our first round pick used on a safety. A RB with our next pick would be rubbing salt in the wound. I’d be on my way to Best Buy to get a new TV to replace the one I just broke and wouldn’t see the OT you finally drafted with our third pick.

Yeah you might think he’d want someone to trade up for him.

I watched just one game of Joe Tippman against Mich St and didn't make it past the 4min mark. For a top center he gets rag-dolled... a lot. He has some good plays mixed in but quite often I see DTs shedding his block and on a lot of them it looks easy to toss him aside and frequently Tippman ends up on the ground. The only reason for an Oline player to be on the ground is because they just buried the defensive player across from them. You can even see LBs get off his block pretty easily. This is far from the first example in the game (first example happens in first 30s) but at the ~3:30 mark on the goal line he gets tossed aside and the DT gets right in the backfield. To his credit while sitting on his butt at the 2yd line he does hold up both arms to signal TD. No other draftable Center I've watched so far has given me the same "Musti" feeling I get with this guy. Maybe this was just a bad game. TDN has him rated at 38 overall and I just don't see that in this game. All players have negatives but when I can find them that quickly and that often it concerns me especially for someone with a 2nd Rd grade. (I didn't even read this until after I wrote this post and I was curious where he was ranked.) https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/joe-tippmann-b6994694-fab6-4281-9688-d006948d0aef/ "Tippmann’s physical profile is outstanding but it comes with a few drawbacks. Tippmann has to work harder to get underneath his opponent’s pads due to his height. He is inconsistent with bending at the knees and will find himself leaning from the waist. This creates block sustainability issues. He can be a bit over-aggressive to get the jump on quicker defensive linemen, resulting in him lunging and not connecting. Tippmann could benefit from improving his punch timing. Too many times, defensive linemen attack quickly, get their hands into his chest, and win the leverage battle. This also makes him susceptible to the push/pull technique. Defenders tend to attack his right shoulder/hip to force improper weight distribution creating balance issues. "

Perhaps but given that LA is dumping salary you might think the team that knows him best would have hung onto him as a cheap backup, if nothing else. Instead they thought so much of him they cut him before the end of the season. $1M is dirt cheap for a player that can get you 3-5 sacks. I have no problem with Poles grabbing players like this just to see if anything comes of it. I would definitely have a problem if Poles was counting on him as a contributor this year and altering FA/draft plans because of it. Let him come in and compete with guys like Robinson and Gipson.

I think Lewis is nothing more than a big... maybe. There has been nothing in his career to date to indicate he'll fix any issue at all on our defensive front.

I read somewhere that Trevis Gipson was ranked as one of the better run defending DEs last year by PFF. He might be valued more than we think by the team. That may also mean that we will lean more toward signing or drafting one guy who is pure pass rusher after we take care of RT and 3tech.

I think you are right about Nolan Smith especially now that we have one athletic freak at MLB we don’t need him at LB I don’t think he’sa good fit at DE in this scheme.

It's been shocking how much global warming has impacted the fishing industry. Or is this your draft board?

Van Ness in the top 10 is concerning for a guy who was backup in college. I know the whole "Iowa" story and they play seniors first blah blah blah. (I'm glad I chose Iowa State where the best players play) I wonder if Van Ness isn't an ideal talent for us as a 3-tech. His style is more physical which would serve him well inside and with his quick first step and length he should be slippery. At 275lbs, put 10lbs on him and let him loose. I wouldn't draft him at 9 but if we trade back a bit to target 3-tech/RT with two top 40 picks.

Glad you mentioned that, it was one of the kool-aid plays I thought about when I typed that statement. A lot of defenders looked good against our blocking last year.

Pixote gets airtime in each video. I like his content although I don’t always agree with every assessment. He’s willing to put his opinion out there and many of those videos take a lot of work to put together.

These guys...