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I'll get this thread started. For a bonus, I'll do a quick recap of AFC North, my favorite drafts and the ones that don't look so good.
1: Baker Mayfield: Oh Baker, man, what hasn't already been said and debated about him? I'll try and keep this short...
I think Baker is probably going to be, at minimum, a decent game manager. He is accurate, he knows where to go with the ball and how to set up a defense. His arm is probably somewhere in the strong to average category. Will he ever lead a passing offense? Will he ever be that franchise guy? He definitely has a chance. He needs to improve in some key areas but I think he's probably the best chance they have had since Couch.
2: Denzel Ward: I love Ward, it's rare to find guys like this in any draft. He's not big physically, but his athletic ability, technique and willingness to get down and dirty is rare. He fills a large need as the shutdown man cover and can truly be a dominating cover guy for this defense. Pair that with the improving pass rush, he's exactly what they needed.
3: Austin Corbett: This pick had me head scratching at first. I think Corbett is probably an interior guy, maybe a center, maybe a guard. I didn't know how he would fit and you want to draft a starter at 33. Then I heard Hue said if he doesn't work at tackle, they would consider moving Bitonio to tackle and Corbett inside. I am fully on board with that because he is a nasty blocker. Overtly physical, takes his man out of the play, nasty, and wants to break the will of other players.
4: Nick Chubb: Favorite player in this draft. He, IMO, is the best running back prospect in most years. He is a physical runner with good burst and can be a problem in the open field. He didn't look like he would make a full recovery last year but this year, he has looked much more athletic. I know some fear what happened against Alabama...maybe it's just a bad matchup for him. I'll take his full body of work over what happened in one game. He reminds me so much of Hunt or Lynch where he is always going to get you positive yardage.
5: Chad Thomas: An Ogbah clone and has nearly the same flaws coming out. He doesn't give 100% effort every play. Now I think that's a common problem with big guys. Sometimes it's hard to give that effort every play. I will say, unlike Ogbah, he's not that impressive when he is giving full effort. He's more of a clean up guy than a natural pass rusher. I do think he's strong setting the edge but...ehhh. Not my favorite prospect.
6: Antonio Calloway: A total and complete Shithead. I know he was acquitted, I don't freaking care. As a football player, he is very talented. He reminds me of DJ Moore or Stephon Diggs. He has problems staying focused and disciplined catching the ball. With the ball in his hands, he is dynamic and can break the play wide open. I just wish he wasn't a shithead.
7: Genard Avery: I really like him. Super athletic, effective pass rusher who is going to be moved to full time off the ball linebacker. He's a good teammate, good leader and oozes effort. I think using him as a hyper aggressive blitzing linebacker and special teamer until he gets the position down is the right thing to do. Should have some sort of impact plays sprinkled in this year:
I didn't see the last two guys. Both are supreme athletes with profiles that could mean success.
Overall, this is a solid but not the game breaking draft I was hoping to see. They did successfully identify the biggest needs on the team, which means the front office knows how to self scout. They also were fairly successful in identifying good talent, I would say. Ward was clearly my CB1, Corbett could have been a first rounder, Chubb was an easy top 40 pick and Mayfield, for all his warts, does sound like he was QB 1 on his board. I wish they went with some more production and less shitheads in the 3rd day but I'm not going to be harsh. I think they had a successful draft but left some meat on the bone, so to speak.
The AFC North:
Steelers: They had a rough couple of days. Edmunds was a fringe 2nd round pick that they way overreach on. Thank god they didn't get Evans. I'm not scared by Washington, although I do think he is an adequate Bryant replacement. We will see on Rudolph but I don't think he's anything super special. Starter and likely Ben successor but he's not Tom Brady. Think they mismanaged a lot of assets. Of note, Samuels is a move around do everything kind of guy. Okorafor is not bad.
Ravens: Wasted a pick on a 25 year old TE who frankly isn't that good in Hayden Hurst. But then Ozzie made it up to everyone and one last parting shot to the AFC North and got Lamar. If Lamar pans out, it's going to be a headache for a long time here. It's a good thing Lamar can run, too, because Zeus Jr is going to get wrecked in the North. Of note with their later selections, I think DeShon Elliot is a really good player and a steal where they got him and Zach Sieler is the next Matt Judon. Solid but some real clankers like Hurst, Brown, Lasley and Young.
Bengals: The Bengals finally realized that they needed a center and took Billy Price. Thankfully, they also totally ignored their other tackle spots and Glenn isn't that great so OL is still a huge weak spot. However, the Bengals know how to find pass rushers. Malik Jefferson and Sam Hubbard is two very good edge players to get added to their defense which already has Lawson on the outside. Of their other players, Andrew Brown is a hell of a player when he is motivated and Logan Woodside could be a good long term backup QB.
I don't think anyone in the AFC North, including the Browns, had a great class.
I'm getting a little long winded here so I'll wrap this up quick with a few notes:
The Cardinals and the Packers had the two best classes IMO. Rosen and Kirk is going to be a really solid connection for a long time. They also managed to get one of my favorites in Chase Edmonds later to add to David Johnson in the running game.
The Packers really solidified their pass defense with Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson. Pettine really has some weapons there, along with King. They also managed to steal ESB in the 6th round, which is just crazy value.
And boy did the Raiders and Bills have bad classes. Jon Gruden is actively out to destroy the Raiders with those two tackle in Parker and Miller. Neither is going to be ready any time soon and Tom Cable hasn't developed a prospect in his life. The Bills took Josh Allen
Ok, so I'm done now but please, I'd love to read your thoughts on the draft as well.
1: Baker Mayfield: Oh Baker, man, what hasn't already been said and debated about him? I'll try and keep this short...
I think Baker is probably going to be, at minimum, a decent game manager. He is accurate, he knows where to go with the ball and how to set up a defense. His arm is probably somewhere in the strong to average category. Will he ever lead a passing offense? Will he ever be that franchise guy? He definitely has a chance. He needs to improve in some key areas but I think he's probably the best chance they have had since Couch.
2: Denzel Ward: I love Ward, it's rare to find guys like this in any draft. He's not big physically, but his athletic ability, technique and willingness to get down and dirty is rare. He fills a large need as the shutdown man cover and can truly be a dominating cover guy for this defense. Pair that with the improving pass rush, he's exactly what they needed.
3: Austin Corbett: This pick had me head scratching at first. I think Corbett is probably an interior guy, maybe a center, maybe a guard. I didn't know how he would fit and you want to draft a starter at 33. Then I heard Hue said if he doesn't work at tackle, they would consider moving Bitonio to tackle and Corbett inside. I am fully on board with that because he is a nasty blocker. Overtly physical, takes his man out of the play, nasty, and wants to break the will of other players.
4: Nick Chubb: Favorite player in this draft. He, IMO, is the best running back prospect in most years. He is a physical runner with good burst and can be a problem in the open field. He didn't look like he would make a full recovery last year but this year, he has looked much more athletic. I know some fear what happened against Alabama...maybe it's just a bad matchup for him. I'll take his full body of work over what happened in one game. He reminds me so much of Hunt or Lynch where he is always going to get you positive yardage.
5: Chad Thomas: An Ogbah clone and has nearly the same flaws coming out. He doesn't give 100% effort every play. Now I think that's a common problem with big guys. Sometimes it's hard to give that effort every play. I will say, unlike Ogbah, he's not that impressive when he is giving full effort. He's more of a clean up guy than a natural pass rusher. I do think he's strong setting the edge but...ehhh. Not my favorite prospect.
6: Antonio Calloway: A total and complete Shithead. I know he was acquitted, I don't freaking care. As a football player, he is very talented. He reminds me of DJ Moore or Stephon Diggs. He has problems staying focused and disciplined catching the ball. With the ball in his hands, he is dynamic and can break the play wide open. I just wish he wasn't a shithead.
7: Genard Avery: I really like him. Super athletic, effective pass rusher who is going to be moved to full time off the ball linebacker. He's a good teammate, good leader and oozes effort. I think using him as a hyper aggressive blitzing linebacker and special teamer until he gets the position down is the right thing to do. Should have some sort of impact plays sprinkled in this year:
I didn't see the last two guys. Both are supreme athletes with profiles that could mean success.
Overall, this is a solid but not the game breaking draft I was hoping to see. They did successfully identify the biggest needs on the team, which means the front office knows how to self scout. They also were fairly successful in identifying good talent, I would say. Ward was clearly my CB1, Corbett could have been a first rounder, Chubb was an easy top 40 pick and Mayfield, for all his warts, does sound like he was QB 1 on his board. I wish they went with some more production and less shitheads in the 3rd day but I'm not going to be harsh. I think they had a successful draft but left some meat on the bone, so to speak.
The AFC North:
Steelers: They had a rough couple of days. Edmunds was a fringe 2nd round pick that they way overreach on. Thank god they didn't get Evans. I'm not scared by Washington, although I do think he is an adequate Bryant replacement. We will see on Rudolph but I don't think he's anything super special. Starter and likely Ben successor but he's not Tom Brady. Think they mismanaged a lot of assets. Of note, Samuels is a move around do everything kind of guy. Okorafor is not bad.
Ravens: Wasted a pick on a 25 year old TE who frankly isn't that good in Hayden Hurst. But then Ozzie made it up to everyone and one last parting shot to the AFC North and got Lamar. If Lamar pans out, it's going to be a headache for a long time here. It's a good thing Lamar can run, too, because Zeus Jr is going to get wrecked in the North. Of note with their later selections, I think DeShon Elliot is a really good player and a steal where they got him and Zach Sieler is the next Matt Judon. Solid but some real clankers like Hurst, Brown, Lasley and Young.
Bengals: The Bengals finally realized that they needed a center and took Billy Price. Thankfully, they also totally ignored their other tackle spots and Glenn isn't that great so OL is still a huge weak spot. However, the Bengals know how to find pass rushers. Malik Jefferson and Sam Hubbard is two very good edge players to get added to their defense which already has Lawson on the outside. Of their other players, Andrew Brown is a hell of a player when he is motivated and Logan Woodside could be a good long term backup QB.
I don't think anyone in the AFC North, including the Browns, had a great class.
I'm getting a little long winded here so I'll wrap this up quick with a few notes:
The Cardinals and the Packers had the two best classes IMO. Rosen and Kirk is going to be a really solid connection for a long time. They also managed to get one of my favorites in Chase Edmonds later to add to David Johnson in the running game.
The Packers really solidified their pass defense with Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson. Pettine really has some weapons there, along with King. They also managed to steal ESB in the 6th round, which is just crazy value.
And boy did the Raiders and Bills have bad classes. Jon Gruden is actively out to destroy the Raiders with those two tackle in Parker and Miller. Neither is going to be ready any time soon and Tom Cable hasn't developed a prospect in his life. The Bills took Josh Allen
Ok, so I'm done now but please, I'd love to read your thoughts on the draft as well.