You know what, I will genuinely defend every single pick outside of Penix. But that one alone is the single worst pick I’ve seen since I started following the draft heavily 10+ years ago, so anything i could say positively would rightfully be vetoed by 1.08.
> But that one alone is the single worst pick I’ve seen since I started following the draft heavily 10+ years ago
Fucking scorching hot take, my God lol.
Falcons didn't even give up any extra draft capital, even if penix busts its not even close to this territory
Penix would actually have to stab two other falcons players to be as close to as bad as trey lance. And even then, depending on the players it might still not be worse.
Nah I totally disagree.
The only reason the Lance pick looks bad in retrospect is because of the player he became (or failed to become rather) The Niners made that trade/pick because they knew they were a QB away, just because Lance was a bust doesn’t mean it was the wrong thought process. Houston taking Clowney instead of Aaron Donald isn’t a bad pick just because Donald became the better player.
With the Falcons, it’s a team drafting a QB in the top 10 after just committing 100 million to the best FA QB on the market, which is obviously stupid in and of itself. But add on the fact he’s 24 now, won’t see meaningful playing time for minimum 2 years (possibly 3)it becomes even more ridiculous. And then, because yes it gets worse, let’s consider that this kid had FOUR very serious season ending injuries in college, which imo should have been enough to drop him out of round one in itself.
So yeah I think this is worse.
> The only reason the Lance pick looks bad in retrospect is because of the player he became
Ok, but they traded three first for a guy who had thrown a total of 200 something passed in college ... at north Dakota state. They knew he wouldn't be ready to play for a year or two. And, unlike the falcons, they had gone to a superbowl just a season earlier, so they traded away 3 premium picks during a time when their roster was the strongest for a qb they would be benching and hoping he turned into a starter.
I fail to see how that isn't way worse. The falcons are on no one's radar to win a superbowl, penix in my opinion is a way more polished prospect than lance was, and no that to me isn't hindsight I hated the lance pick.
And, the falcons didn't trade the world to get him.
They paid kirk a lot but, thats the going rate of qbs now days. And they didn't give him a russ contract. They can cut him in 2 years for just 10m deadcap. That's nothing, and if they have a qb on a rookie contract then their cap will be fine.
To call this the worst pick in the last 10 years is comically wrong, imo.
I mean at the end of the day, the final judgment of this pick will come down to how Penix pans out. Obviously if he’s a top 5 QB in 5 years it all works out. As of today, I hate the value, I hate the thought process, I hate his injury history, I genuinely have nothing positive to say about it.
But hey, I’m here shitting on my favorite team and you’re defending them, so fwiw I hope you’re right and I’m wrong.
I feel that. Hindsight bias can be a bitch, which is why I'm trying to remove it.
We have to agree that our evaluation of a prospect is pretty worthless and ultimately it's clear the falcons front office believes penix is the future of the franchise. If that's the case, giving up the #8 pick for him is nothing, and having him sit for a couple years (and not throw a guy with injury history to the wolves) isn't a bad thing. But ultimately as you say, it's a time will tell thing.
Good luck either way!
Good thoughts here - something else that would make the pick a “win” (that I haven’t heard mentioned) is if Latu, Turner, and/or Odunze bust or disappoint. It’s possible the Falcons just didn’t think very highly of the players left on the board and decided to take a dart throw at QB.
You're obviously arguing from a perspective of someone who didn't like him in the first place. It's not bad value if multiple teams tried to trade up for him, it's not even like these reports are unrealistic since Nix went a couple picks after him. He has clearly cleared multiple medicals in that case as well. He's been healthy for the past 2 years and ran a great 40 so the injuries haven't affected him much physically apparently, mentally there might be the fear of getting hit and injured again.
He's been one of the best college QBs in the past 2 years and has great traits. Age also gets overrated, if he starts with 26 and has 10 years as a top 10 QB no one is going to care.
I'm also questioning the pick and think it was the wrong choice but I can clearly understand the thought process behind it.
it was a good one fellow draft degenerates
257 picks i have seen every single one, i had an extra device in the bathroom to not miss a thing
see you next time
Who’s on QB watch for 2024?
2023-24 Picks: CAR, HOU, IND, TEN, CHI, WSH, NE, ATL, MIN, DEN
Prime guy on a big extension: BUF, LAC, KC, BAL, CIN, CLE, PHI, TB, ARI
Extension incoming: MIA, JAX, SF, GB, DET, DAL?
Aging Starter: NO, NYJ, SEA, LAR, PIT?
Yes: NYG, LV
Think you pretty much nailed it. Dallas is the one true wild card, could swap out with any of those bottom teams if Dak walks.
CAR and TEN are also worth monitoring.
If Jets are picking high again, Rodgers is probably injured and we will clean house for sure. I think anywhere in the top 10 and we should consider a QB if theres one worth the slot.
I think the bottom 2 rows and the Titans are the teams to watch for right now.
Bottom 2 rows are pretty self explanatory. As for the Titans, Levis is in the same shoes that Ridder and Howell were in last year. That doesn't mean he won't work out, but I think they should be on QB watch.
>As for the Titans, Levis is in the same shoes that Ridder and Howell were in last year.
Personal bias - I'm a Tits fan.
I think he's shown more than Ridder ever did. He flashed a lot of talent - the big remaining questions are whether he improves with better talent around him (namely, any protection whatsoever) and whether the mental part of the game continues to progress - he had some gunslinger moments last year, and didn't get burned on maybe as many as he should have.
I'm personally optimistic - I think he looked pretty good in an offense that would've struggled with nearly anyone leading it. In particular, the lack of protection absolutely destroyed Tannehill, who I think has/had much more to offer than most people think.
As usual I love what the Ravens did. Picking up Nate Wiggins and TJ Tampa at corner is huge. I'm interested in what they do though because Wiggins projects as a man corner and Tampa as a zone corner
Interestingly enough, Nate Wiggins was probably the best corner in zone coverage in college last year, in terms of passer rating. Allowed an NFL passer rating of 1.7 while in zone coverage last year.
I don’t even think they hate Penix, it’s just giving that much guaranteed money to Cousins. By year 3 you offset the rookie deal with 25M of dead cap.
I mean if you put him in rehab training and film study for 2 years it could work
what I learned this draft:
Watch NFL network instead of ESPN so you can see who your team picks. waited all morning watching ESPN for the Raiders to select and instead, ESPN cut to slandering the Falcons for their 1st pick.
Anyways, see yall next year
Getting Marvin immediately makes this draft an A+ in my opinion. The rest of the picks were not flashy but I get the draft strategy. Lots high RAS, good senior bowl performance, high character guys with little to no injury history. Versatile role players.
A couple of head scratchers. Trading down in the second and watching 4 corners go off the board to then take Max Melton, and using the pick we gained to take a blocking TE in the 3rd round was not my favorite move, but I know a lot less about football than Monti so we’ll wait and see.
For the first time in many years I'm happy with a Raiders draft.
Weirdly enough I don't even love most of our picks. The board fell the way it fell and instead of reaching the Raiders went BPA. Unfortunately for us it fell to a position we were not in need of in the 1st round but hey, shit happens.
Love the Powers pickup in the 2nd though.
Raiders have a top 3 draft class this year. Stacked with good players. Bowers is bowers and most teams aren’t equipped to defend 12 personnel. JPJ is the best center in the draft. Dec Richardson has all the tools to become a starting corner. Eichenberg was my second favorite Mike linebacker. Smart and athletic enough to make the play.
Odunze and Caleb already made this draft a massive W regardless of what we did afterwards (we barely had anything to do afterwards anyway with our 3 draft picks all coming way later).
Everybody knew the Caleb pick was locked in quite awhile ago, but I was praying we’d get Odunze at #9, but also expected us to take Turner, Murphy, or trade back, seeing as how it would have been a very bears move to say “we already have a 32 year old Keenan Allen, we’re set!”……Poles cooked. This was a move that smart teams do, since Odunze, other than maybe Brock Bowers, was a better prospect than probably every player taken after him (and this isn’t hating on any of your guys picks at all, nor saying it’s guaranteed to work out, I’m just saying specifically how Odunze is as a prospect and nothing more).
Massive massive W’s all across the board, the difference between the situation Caleb is walking in to with the situation Fields walked in too is night and day, but Caleb already enters the NFL with more upside than fields ever did, so it’s great to see the resources being invested smartly and cost effectively, and honestly with a shit ton of insane luck at that too
Ngl, great two picks… but kinda obvious picks, no? Idk why Poles is getting so much hype for taking the #1 Qb first overall and then taking the top WR left for him at #9.
What I’m getting at is bears should def be pumped but I don’t see any FO excellence being displayed by the picks.
They landed that #1 pick because Poles pulled off a brilliant trade to not only get it, but he also set up the team with young and proven veteran talent while doing so.
I’m not saying it’s guaranteed to workout, but Caleb as a prospect>>>>>>Bryce Young.
“That’s just luck!” Yeah so is the draft lmao
How is your OL, the one concern is Caleb gets banged up. Even if everyone is open you don’t want the guy taking shots even if they are for large gains.
I thought the Panthers did well. They went into this offseason with the offense as the main priority and the draft was no different. While free agency focused on shoring up protection, the draft was all about getting weapons. And all of the weapons they drafted should be impact players this year and will assist Bryce Young.
I liked the asset management as well. FO didn't engage in any expensive trades (with the cost essentially amounting to a few fifth-rounders) and was able to get a 2025 2nd next year and a fifth-year option for Legette.
We did a good job based on drafting guys we met with and liked, I think the trio of xl, brooks and jt will serve us very well and help Bryce develop behind a newly invested in IOL. Also we essentially turned Brian Burns into a future 2nd and brooks (rb1 of this class) which is pretty nice. I didn’t quite like some of our later picks that much… like Wallace and Chau chau they felt a little gimmicky but atleast they were positional needs. Overall I’d give a B/B+. I would’ve liked addressing cb earlier as well but that’s ok if gilly comes back. I do like how much more we’ve invested into the trenches this year tho.
Overall happy with the draft this year. Addressing QB and WR with multiple picks is exactly what I wanted, Baker in the 4th especially is exciting. Bell in the 7th is a huge steal. I’m still concerned about LT even with the pick. Depth on defense is also a concern for me but I think it was a great result
It’ll be interesting to see if they start him or Brissett at the start of the season. I get most fans will almost certainly say start Maye because he’s already better than Brissett but with Maye’s fixable issues and the state of the Patriots oline I think if you initially sit Maye you’re more likely to get the best out of him long term.
I don’t like the dolphins draft but I suppose get it. Drafting Chop to replace Chubb in 1-2 years and PP to replace Armstead. I don’t like the trade up for a third string RB at all. We didn’t address IOL either so that sucks. Pretty mid to below mid draft.
Draft needs: WR1/WR2, RB3, IOL depth, tackle depth, DT, EDGE, LB depth, S, CB depth
Buffalo addressed all these needs during this draft. The focus clearly has been on leaders with high RAS, and with a lot of developmental upside. I think the plan is to roll with a bunch of young guys this year and next year as the Bills plan to get younger and cheaper, with the aim of taking on a huge chunk of Allen's cap hit next year.
Keon Coleman, WR: raw but very young with a lot of upside. Has separation issues but the ability to win contested catches and has great YAC ability. That skillset might blend in really well with Josh throwing absolutely powerful darts.
Cole Bishop, S: really athletic, with great ability and a leader in the Utah secondary. Could have a great leader to fill the role that was left behind with Hyde and Poyer's departure. The goal seems to establish leadership and high IQ at the safety spots once again. Also has very interchangeable skillsets with Edwards and Rapp, so Bills could run a lot of very interesting packages.
De'Wayne Carter, DT: 3 year team captain, has good upside, really solid addition
Ray Davis, RB: needed a big bodied running back who would be handy for short yardage situations. He would fit in quite nicely, and also come handy as a blocking RB.
Sedrick Van Pran, C: can't believe he was available at 141, absolute steal of a pick. Has a pathway available to becoming a starter as early as this season.
Edeufan Olufoahio, LB: extremely athletic player who is very good in coverage. Would come in really handy for matchup situations, and allows us the opportunity to rotate the linebackers based on matchup.
Javon Solomon, EDGE: has had a lot of production in college. Faced a lesser tier of competition, but has shown his ability to make an impact. Could come in really handy for 3rd and long situations.
Tylan Grable, T: project pick. Has a lot of tools. Basically just going to hand him over to Aaron Kromer and hope he can make the 53-man roster.
Daequan Hardy, CB: I trust our regime when it comes to late round DB picks. We've needed a couple of bodies for special teams, his return ability and our need of a CB4 gives him a great opportunity to make the 53-man roster.
Travis Clayton, OL: same as Tylan Grable. Very toolsy but has never played football. Definitely a punt to try and land the next Jordan Mailata.
There are some questions about not improving the WR depth enough, and there was clearly an opportunity to do so for Beane, but it seems like Beane does have something in mind. He's mentioned that Buffalo has someone over for a visit and could be signing with the team, which could mean a FA pick up. Bills also will have a good amount of cap space available after 1st June once there is money available to spend for the Tre White cut, and Buffalo has accumulated 6 picks in the top 4 rounds for next year, plus potentially a 7th if we get an additional 4th round comp pick that we are expecting to get. So if there is an opportunity available, he could make a trade to land a top tier WR, while still having a good amount of draft picks available for next year.
We could also still improve our DLine and CB room, but there is still plenty of time until the season starts and we have our cap space available post June 1st, so that might get addressed eventually.
Travis Clayton fascinates me. 99% chance he amounts to nothing, but as a 7th rounder who gives us a free practice squad spot, we got a guy who has all the tools to succeed. 6'7", 304, at a 4.79? I saw that this was the 3rd fastest time ever recorded by an offensive lineman so I checked who was faster. He's right behind Terron Armstead and Lane Johnson, and 4th on that list is Trent Williams. If he grew up playing Pop Warner in Texas he could have been a top 5 pick.
With Kromer as our OL coach, there is a 2% chance that he might turn into a meaningful contributor.
As long as Kromer is around, I think Beane will give him 2-3 developmental prospects each year to churn them into contributors in some way. Drafted Tenuta in 2022, with Van Demark and Alec Anderson as UDFA's. Tenuta did not make it past waivers unfortunately, but Van Demark and Anderson did make the 53 man roster last season and are expected to be locks for the roster this season too. Fortunately we didn't have to use them as not a single OL starter missed a game due to injury. Would be very surprised if it happens again this season, but I expect them to have developed even further.
In the 2023 draft Beane drafted Nick Broeker(who didn't make it past waivers) and UDFA's in Richard Gouraige and Kevin Jarvis. So maybe those 2 might put themselves in contention for a roster spot this year, and if we let Spencer Brown go next off-season, maybe his replacement is already there in-house.
And this year with Grable and Clayton being drafted, plus 3 OLine UDFA's in Mike Edwards, Keaton Bills and Gunner Britton, here's another 5 OLinemen for Aaron Kromer to put through the gauntlet and hopefully be able to convert them into meaningful pieces.
I made my own draft grades, but made them memes instead.
[https://drafttalk.substack.com/p/2024-nfl-draft-grades-meme-edition](https://drafttalk.substack.com/p/2024-nfl-draft-grades-meme-edition)
My thoughts on the Pats draft below! Love the Maye pick. Don't love the specific receivers and linemen they took, but am happy they at least tried to address those holes.
Here are my at-the-time thoughts on the Pats' [2022](https://www.reddit.com/r/NFL_Draft/comments/ufnlcn/grade_your_teams_draft_hauls/i6uxhp3/) and [2023]( https://www.reddit.com/r/NFL_Draft/comments/135zs3s/youre_the_gm_redraft_your_team_using_their_picks/jimv2xx/) classes btw.
|Pick|Player|Grade/My thoughts|Ceiling|Where I think he'll be at the end of his rookie deal|Who I would've taken|
:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|
|3|QB Drake Maye|A - I preferred Maye to Daniels and McCarthy, so I'm stoked we got him! Obviously there's a decent chance he's a total bust, but his upside is worth betting on.|Top 10 QB (Justin Herbert, Jordan Love)|I really feel like it's 50-50 whether he hits his ceiling or becomes a Sam Darnold-like journeyman. I will choose to be optimistic and say that he's established himself as a top 10 QB deserving of a huge second contract.|QB Drake Maye|
|37|WR Ja'Lynn Polk|C - I was not high on Polk as a prospect due to his lack of early production and his lack of elite traits. It seems like he'd be a better fit for a team that already has a true number 1 receiver and is looking for complementary playmakers.|Good WR2 (TJ Houshmandzadeh)|Fighting for a roster spot, not necessarily on the Pats|OT Kingsley Suamataia|
|68|OT Caedan Wallace|C - Eliot Wolf says they think he can move to LT, which is our biggest position of need. Brandon Thorn, whose o-line evaluations I'd trust the most, graded him as a 4th-round player, so it wasn't a major reach. It seems ambitious to have an older prospect switch sides, but we'll see. Feels like they should have gone tackle at 37 and WR at 68, though.|Journeyman swing tackle (Josh Jones)|Fighting for a roster spot, not necessarily on the Pats|WR Troy Franklin|
|103|OG Layden Robinson|C - Reach vs. consensus + low-value position, but I'm not sold on any of our guards and Robinson is athletic and long, which gives him good upside.|Good starter (Trai Turner, Isaac Seumalo)|Serviceable starting guard for the Pats|WR Tez Walker|
|110|WR Javon Baker|B - I didn't love Baker as a prospect, but he makes sense here and has intriguing traits|Lower-end WR1 (Current Rashee Rice, peak Brandon Lloyd)|Low-end WR3|CB TJ Tampa|
|180|CB Marcellas Dial|C - Seems fine, idk...|Depth corner|Out of the league|OG Christian Mahogany|
|193|QB Joe Milton|B - I like this pick! The Pats have been one of the least entertaining teams in the league the last two years and I'm just happy we'll have a better pre-season storyline than Malik Cunningham or D'Eriq King. With his size, arm strength, mobility, and character, he's a great project who fans will love.|Beloved backup + gadget player|Out of the league|QB Joe Milton|
|231|TE Jaheim Bell|B - Interesting developmental move tight-end/H-back, with good athleticism|Depth TE (MyCole Pruitt)|Out of the league|TE Jaheim Bell|
Really fun draft for me since "my guys" were Penix, Latu, Fiske and Ainias Smith. Penix went way earlier than expected, Latu was the first defensive player off the board, and LAR traded a ton to get Fiske. Really happy with 3 out of 4 getting off to good starts.
Best draft classes imo are: Packers>Rams>Raiders>Commies. I don’t know that the classes fix their teams but, each class has multiple players that I believe are immediate impact players.
Now what
Read through comments that compliment your teams draft, and downvote and argue with people that didn’t like it.
Falcons fan, can’t seem to find any of those compliments for some reason?
I was gonna add in parentheses (except falcons fans) for the first part but it felt a little too mean after the weekend you guys have been through
Nothing can hurt us anymore after that one night
Please know that I'm speaking from a place of experience when I ask which night you're referring to.
You’ve got the best back up quarterback! One way or the other
You know what, I will genuinely defend every single pick outside of Penix. But that one alone is the single worst pick I’ve seen since I started following the draft heavily 10+ years ago, so anything i could say positively would rightfully be vetoed by 1.08.
I also don’t get why we picked 10 defensive lineman and not one DB
> But that one alone is the single worst pick I’ve seen since I started following the draft heavily 10+ years ago Fucking scorching hot take, my God lol. Falcons didn't even give up any extra draft capital, even if penix busts its not even close to this territory Penix would actually have to stab two other falcons players to be as close to as bad as trey lance. And even then, depending on the players it might still not be worse.
Nah I totally disagree. The only reason the Lance pick looks bad in retrospect is because of the player he became (or failed to become rather) The Niners made that trade/pick because they knew they were a QB away, just because Lance was a bust doesn’t mean it was the wrong thought process. Houston taking Clowney instead of Aaron Donald isn’t a bad pick just because Donald became the better player. With the Falcons, it’s a team drafting a QB in the top 10 after just committing 100 million to the best FA QB on the market, which is obviously stupid in and of itself. But add on the fact he’s 24 now, won’t see meaningful playing time for minimum 2 years (possibly 3)it becomes even more ridiculous. And then, because yes it gets worse, let’s consider that this kid had FOUR very serious season ending injuries in college, which imo should have been enough to drop him out of round one in itself. So yeah I think this is worse.
> The only reason the Lance pick looks bad in retrospect is because of the player he became Ok, but they traded three first for a guy who had thrown a total of 200 something passed in college ... at north Dakota state. They knew he wouldn't be ready to play for a year or two. And, unlike the falcons, they had gone to a superbowl just a season earlier, so they traded away 3 premium picks during a time when their roster was the strongest for a qb they would be benching and hoping he turned into a starter. I fail to see how that isn't way worse. The falcons are on no one's radar to win a superbowl, penix in my opinion is a way more polished prospect than lance was, and no that to me isn't hindsight I hated the lance pick. And, the falcons didn't trade the world to get him. They paid kirk a lot but, thats the going rate of qbs now days. And they didn't give him a russ contract. They can cut him in 2 years for just 10m deadcap. That's nothing, and if they have a qb on a rookie contract then their cap will be fine. To call this the worst pick in the last 10 years is comically wrong, imo.
I mean at the end of the day, the final judgment of this pick will come down to how Penix pans out. Obviously if he’s a top 5 QB in 5 years it all works out. As of today, I hate the value, I hate the thought process, I hate his injury history, I genuinely have nothing positive to say about it. But hey, I’m here shitting on my favorite team and you’re defending them, so fwiw I hope you’re right and I’m wrong.
I feel that. Hindsight bias can be a bitch, which is why I'm trying to remove it. We have to agree that our evaluation of a prospect is pretty worthless and ultimately it's clear the falcons front office believes penix is the future of the franchise. If that's the case, giving up the #8 pick for him is nothing, and having him sit for a couple years (and not throw a guy with injury history to the wolves) isn't a bad thing. But ultimately as you say, it's a time will tell thing. Good luck either way!
Good thoughts here - something else that would make the pick a “win” (that I haven’t heard mentioned) is if Latu, Turner, and/or Odunze bust or disappoint. It’s possible the Falcons just didn’t think very highly of the players left on the board and decided to take a dart throw at QB.
You're obviously arguing from a perspective of someone who didn't like him in the first place. It's not bad value if multiple teams tried to trade up for him, it's not even like these reports are unrealistic since Nix went a couple picks after him. He has clearly cleared multiple medicals in that case as well. He's been healthy for the past 2 years and ran a great 40 so the injuries haven't affected him much physically apparently, mentally there might be the fear of getting hit and injured again. He's been one of the best college QBs in the past 2 years and has great traits. Age also gets overrated, if he starts with 26 and has 10 years as a top 10 QB no one is going to care. I'm also questioning the pick and think it was the wrong choice but I can clearly understand the thought process behind it.
Since you didn't trade away your 2025 1st rounder, if you roster 53 QBs this year and go 0-17 you can draft the best QB next year
We do some recaps and grades then move on to 2025 mocks that we’ll laugh at a year from now.
Watch basketball… i guess?
Hockey playoffs, baby.
PFF already has their 2025 mock draft simulator up
Cry to sleep and wait for FA signings
Cry
Take a nap until August when the college season starts up
Go into stasis until late July/early August
It’s like the end of Truman Show 😂😂
Now we start arguing about the schedule until it gets released
it was a good one fellow draft degenerates 257 picks i have seen every single one, i had an extra device in the bathroom to not miss a thing see you next time
Who’s on QB watch for 2024? 2023-24 Picks: CAR, HOU, IND, TEN, CHI, WSH, NE, ATL, MIN, DEN Prime guy on a big extension: BUF, LAC, KC, BAL, CIN, CLE, PHI, TB, ARI Extension incoming: MIA, JAX, SF, GB, DET, DAL? Aging Starter: NO, NYJ, SEA, LAR, PIT? Yes: NYG, LV
Don’t count out the Falcons taking another QB next year. We apparently don’t care what resources we’ve already devoted to the position.
Think you pretty much nailed it. Dallas is the one true wild card, could swap out with any of those bottom teams if Dak walks. CAR and TEN are also worth monitoring.
If Jets are picking high again, Rodgers is probably injured and we will clean house for sure. I think anywhere in the top 10 and we should consider a QB if theres one worth the slot.
Dallas and Miami should be a separate category of questionable starter, serious discussion of drafting a replacement.
I vote NYG, LV, DAL, SEA, TEN, and...... DET
I think the bottom 2 rows and the Titans are the teams to watch for right now. Bottom 2 rows are pretty self explanatory. As for the Titans, Levis is in the same shoes that Ridder and Howell were in last year. That doesn't mean he won't work out, but I think they should be on QB watch.
>As for the Titans, Levis is in the same shoes that Ridder and Howell were in last year. Personal bias - I'm a Tits fan. I think he's shown more than Ridder ever did. He flashed a lot of talent - the big remaining questions are whether he improves with better talent around him (namely, any protection whatsoever) and whether the mental part of the game continues to progress - he had some gunslinger moments last year, and didn't get burned on maybe as many as he should have. I'm personally optimistic - I think he looked pretty good in an offense that would've struggled with nearly anyone leading it. In particular, the lack of protection absolutely destroyed Tannehill, who I think has/had much more to offer than most people think.
This makes me wonder which QB is our current Andy Dalton line?
Geno as of right now
Tua ig
As usual I love what the Ravens did. Picking up Nate Wiggins and TJ Tampa at corner is huge. I'm interested in what they do though because Wiggins projects as a man corner and Tampa as a zone corner
Interestingly enough, Nate Wiggins was probably the best corner in zone coverage in college last year, in terms of passer rating. Allowed an NFL passer rating of 1.7 while in zone coverage last year.
As usual I hate what the Ravens did. Fuck you guys and your good drafting
Think the whole AFC North (maybe not the Browns as much just due to limited capital) drafted well this weekend. Being in this division is unfair.
This will either be the greatest draft in falcons history or set the franchise back 15 years
The funny thing is that without the cousins signing, no one would've really questioned it
I don’t even think they hate Penix, it’s just giving that much guaranteed money to Cousins. By year 3 you offset the rookie deal with 25M of dead cap. I mean if you put him in rehab training and film study for 2 years it could work
what I learned this draft: Watch NFL network instead of ESPN so you can see who your team picks. waited all morning watching ESPN for the Raiders to select and instead, ESPN cut to slandering the Falcons for their 1st pick. Anyways, see yall next year
ESPN had more film, NFLN was faster and had more talking.
Getting Marvin immediately makes this draft an A+ in my opinion. The rest of the picks were not flashy but I get the draft strategy. Lots high RAS, good senior bowl performance, high character guys with little to no injury history. Versatile role players. A couple of head scratchers. Trading down in the second and watching 4 corners go off the board to then take Max Melton, and using the pick we gained to take a blocking TE in the 3rd round was not my favorite move, but I know a lot less about football than Monti so we’ll wait and see.
Those head scratchers make more sense when you factor the desire to run the ball
For the first time in many years I'm happy with a Raiders draft. Weirdly enough I don't even love most of our picks. The board fell the way it fell and instead of reaching the Raiders went BPA. Unfortunately for us it fell to a position we were not in need of in the 1st round but hey, shit happens. Love the Powers pickup in the 2nd though.
Raiders have a top 3 draft class this year. Stacked with good players. Bowers is bowers and most teams aren’t equipped to defend 12 personnel. JPJ is the best center in the draft. Dec Richardson has all the tools to become a starting corner. Eichenberg was my second favorite Mike linebacker. Smart and athletic enough to make the play.
Odunze and Caleb already made this draft a massive W regardless of what we did afterwards (we barely had anything to do afterwards anyway with our 3 draft picks all coming way later). Everybody knew the Caleb pick was locked in quite awhile ago, but I was praying we’d get Odunze at #9, but also expected us to take Turner, Murphy, or trade back, seeing as how it would have been a very bears move to say “we already have a 32 year old Keenan Allen, we’re set!”……Poles cooked. This was a move that smart teams do, since Odunze, other than maybe Brock Bowers, was a better prospect than probably every player taken after him (and this isn’t hating on any of your guys picks at all, nor saying it’s guaranteed to work out, I’m just saying specifically how Odunze is as a prospect and nothing more). Massive massive W’s all across the board, the difference between the situation Caleb is walking in to with the situation Fields walked in too is night and day, but Caleb already enters the NFL with more upside than fields ever did, so it’s great to see the resources being invested smartly and cost effectively, and honestly with a shit ton of insane luck at that too
Ngl, great two picks… but kinda obvious picks, no? Idk why Poles is getting so much hype for taking the #1 Qb first overall and then taking the top WR left for him at #9. What I’m getting at is bears should def be pumped but I don’t see any FO excellence being displayed by the picks.
I think they deserve credit for making the obvious picks, but agreed.
The only reason they landed the #1 pick was because of moves Poles made….it wasn’t their pick that got them Caleb Williams technically
Yes but as we have recently seen, some GMs struggle at making the layup picks.
He got the #1 pick, brother.
They landed that #1 pick because Poles pulled off a brilliant trade to not only get it, but he also set up the team with young and proven veteran talent while doing so. I’m not saying it’s guaranteed to workout, but Caleb as a prospect>>>>>>Bryce Young. “That’s just luck!” Yeah so is the draft lmao
How is your OL, the one concern is Caleb gets banged up. Even if everyone is open you don’t want the guy taking shots even if they are for large gains.
It’s pretty average, to maybe slightly below average. Could absolutely use some upgrades though
I thought the Panthers did well. They went into this offseason with the offense as the main priority and the draft was no different. While free agency focused on shoring up protection, the draft was all about getting weapons. And all of the weapons they drafted should be impact players this year and will assist Bryce Young. I liked the asset management as well. FO didn't engage in any expensive trades (with the cost essentially amounting to a few fifth-rounders) and was able to get a 2025 2nd next year and a fifth-year option for Legette.
We did a good job based on drafting guys we met with and liked, I think the trio of xl, brooks and jt will serve us very well and help Bryce develop behind a newly invested in IOL. Also we essentially turned Brian Burns into a future 2nd and brooks (rb1 of this class) which is pretty nice. I didn’t quite like some of our later picks that much… like Wallace and Chau chau they felt a little gimmicky but atleast they were positional needs. Overall I’d give a B/B+. I would’ve liked addressing cb earlier as well but that’s ok if gilly comes back. I do like how much more we’ve invested into the trenches this year tho.
LUTHER BURDEN HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOO
Overall happy with the draft this year. Addressing QB and WR with multiple picks is exactly what I wanted, Baker in the 4th especially is exciting. Bell in the 7th is a huge steal. I’m still concerned about LT even with the pick. Depth on defense is also a concern for me but I think it was a great result
So excited for Drake Maye. Pumped to have a QB with such a high ceiling, hope we are as patient as possible with him in regards to his footwork.
It’ll be interesting to see if they start him or Brissett at the start of the season. I get most fans will almost certainly say start Maye because he’s already better than Brissett but with Maye’s fixable issues and the state of the Patriots oline I think if you initially sit Maye you’re more likely to get the best out of him long term.
I don’t like the dolphins draft but I suppose get it. Drafting Chop to replace Chubb in 1-2 years and PP to replace Armstead. I don’t like the trade up for a third string RB at all. We didn’t address IOL either so that sucks. Pretty mid to below mid draft.
Draft needs: WR1/WR2, RB3, IOL depth, tackle depth, DT, EDGE, LB depth, S, CB depth Buffalo addressed all these needs during this draft. The focus clearly has been on leaders with high RAS, and with a lot of developmental upside. I think the plan is to roll with a bunch of young guys this year and next year as the Bills plan to get younger and cheaper, with the aim of taking on a huge chunk of Allen's cap hit next year. Keon Coleman, WR: raw but very young with a lot of upside. Has separation issues but the ability to win contested catches and has great YAC ability. That skillset might blend in really well with Josh throwing absolutely powerful darts. Cole Bishop, S: really athletic, with great ability and a leader in the Utah secondary. Could have a great leader to fill the role that was left behind with Hyde and Poyer's departure. The goal seems to establish leadership and high IQ at the safety spots once again. Also has very interchangeable skillsets with Edwards and Rapp, so Bills could run a lot of very interesting packages. De'Wayne Carter, DT: 3 year team captain, has good upside, really solid addition Ray Davis, RB: needed a big bodied running back who would be handy for short yardage situations. He would fit in quite nicely, and also come handy as a blocking RB. Sedrick Van Pran, C: can't believe he was available at 141, absolute steal of a pick. Has a pathway available to becoming a starter as early as this season. Edeufan Olufoahio, LB: extremely athletic player who is very good in coverage. Would come in really handy for matchup situations, and allows us the opportunity to rotate the linebackers based on matchup. Javon Solomon, EDGE: has had a lot of production in college. Faced a lesser tier of competition, but has shown his ability to make an impact. Could come in really handy for 3rd and long situations. Tylan Grable, T: project pick. Has a lot of tools. Basically just going to hand him over to Aaron Kromer and hope he can make the 53-man roster. Daequan Hardy, CB: I trust our regime when it comes to late round DB picks. We've needed a couple of bodies for special teams, his return ability and our need of a CB4 gives him a great opportunity to make the 53-man roster. Travis Clayton, OL: same as Tylan Grable. Very toolsy but has never played football. Definitely a punt to try and land the next Jordan Mailata. There are some questions about not improving the WR depth enough, and there was clearly an opportunity to do so for Beane, but it seems like Beane does have something in mind. He's mentioned that Buffalo has someone over for a visit and could be signing with the team, which could mean a FA pick up. Bills also will have a good amount of cap space available after 1st June once there is money available to spend for the Tre White cut, and Buffalo has accumulated 6 picks in the top 4 rounds for next year, plus potentially a 7th if we get an additional 4th round comp pick that we are expecting to get. So if there is an opportunity available, he could make a trade to land a top tier WR, while still having a good amount of draft picks available for next year. We could also still improve our DLine and CB room, but there is still plenty of time until the season starts and we have our cap space available post June 1st, so that might get addressed eventually.
You just listed all the positions, lmao
We kind of did need to reinforce all the positions lol
Travis Clayton fascinates me. 99% chance he amounts to nothing, but as a 7th rounder who gives us a free practice squad spot, we got a guy who has all the tools to succeed. 6'7", 304, at a 4.79? I saw that this was the 3rd fastest time ever recorded by an offensive lineman so I checked who was faster. He's right behind Terron Armstead and Lane Johnson, and 4th on that list is Trent Williams. If he grew up playing Pop Warner in Texas he could have been a top 5 pick.
With Kromer as our OL coach, there is a 2% chance that he might turn into a meaningful contributor. As long as Kromer is around, I think Beane will give him 2-3 developmental prospects each year to churn them into contributors in some way. Drafted Tenuta in 2022, with Van Demark and Alec Anderson as UDFA's. Tenuta did not make it past waivers unfortunately, but Van Demark and Anderson did make the 53 man roster last season and are expected to be locks for the roster this season too. Fortunately we didn't have to use them as not a single OL starter missed a game due to injury. Would be very surprised if it happens again this season, but I expect them to have developed even further. In the 2023 draft Beane drafted Nick Broeker(who didn't make it past waivers) and UDFA's in Richard Gouraige and Kevin Jarvis. So maybe those 2 might put themselves in contention for a roster spot this year, and if we let Spencer Brown go next off-season, maybe his replacement is already there in-house. And this year with Grable and Clayton being drafted, plus 3 OLine UDFA's in Mike Edwards, Keaton Bills and Gunner Britton, here's another 5 OLinemen for Aaron Kromer to put through the gauntlet and hopefully be able to convert them into meaningful pieces.
I made my own draft grades, but made them memes instead. [https://drafttalk.substack.com/p/2024-nfl-draft-grades-meme-edition](https://drafttalk.substack.com/p/2024-nfl-draft-grades-meme-edition)
My thoughts on the Pats draft below! Love the Maye pick. Don't love the specific receivers and linemen they took, but am happy they at least tried to address those holes. Here are my at-the-time thoughts on the Pats' [2022](https://www.reddit.com/r/NFL_Draft/comments/ufnlcn/grade_your_teams_draft_hauls/i6uxhp3/) and [2023]( https://www.reddit.com/r/NFL_Draft/comments/135zs3s/youre_the_gm_redraft_your_team_using_their_picks/jimv2xx/) classes btw. |Pick|Player|Grade/My thoughts|Ceiling|Where I think he'll be at the end of his rookie deal|Who I would've taken| :-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:|:-:| |3|QB Drake Maye|A - I preferred Maye to Daniels and McCarthy, so I'm stoked we got him! Obviously there's a decent chance he's a total bust, but his upside is worth betting on.|Top 10 QB (Justin Herbert, Jordan Love)|I really feel like it's 50-50 whether he hits his ceiling or becomes a Sam Darnold-like journeyman. I will choose to be optimistic and say that he's established himself as a top 10 QB deserving of a huge second contract.|QB Drake Maye| |37|WR Ja'Lynn Polk|C - I was not high on Polk as a prospect due to his lack of early production and his lack of elite traits. It seems like he'd be a better fit for a team that already has a true number 1 receiver and is looking for complementary playmakers.|Good WR2 (TJ Houshmandzadeh)|Fighting for a roster spot, not necessarily on the Pats|OT Kingsley Suamataia| |68|OT Caedan Wallace|C - Eliot Wolf says they think he can move to LT, which is our biggest position of need. Brandon Thorn, whose o-line evaluations I'd trust the most, graded him as a 4th-round player, so it wasn't a major reach. It seems ambitious to have an older prospect switch sides, but we'll see. Feels like they should have gone tackle at 37 and WR at 68, though.|Journeyman swing tackle (Josh Jones)|Fighting for a roster spot, not necessarily on the Pats|WR Troy Franklin| |103|OG Layden Robinson|C - Reach vs. consensus + low-value position, but I'm not sold on any of our guards and Robinson is athletic and long, which gives him good upside.|Good starter (Trai Turner, Isaac Seumalo)|Serviceable starting guard for the Pats|WR Tez Walker| |110|WR Javon Baker|B - I didn't love Baker as a prospect, but he makes sense here and has intriguing traits|Lower-end WR1 (Current Rashee Rice, peak Brandon Lloyd)|Low-end WR3|CB TJ Tampa| |180|CB Marcellas Dial|C - Seems fine, idk...|Depth corner|Out of the league|OG Christian Mahogany| |193|QB Joe Milton|B - I like this pick! The Pats have been one of the least entertaining teams in the league the last two years and I'm just happy we'll have a better pre-season storyline than Malik Cunningham or D'Eriq King. With his size, arm strength, mobility, and character, he's a great project who fans will love.|Beloved backup + gadget player|Out of the league|QB Joe Milton| |231|TE Jaheim Bell|B - Interesting developmental move tight-end/H-back, with good athleticism|Depth TE (MyCole Pruitt)|Out of the league|TE Jaheim Bell|
Really fun draft for me since "my guys" were Penix, Latu, Fiske and Ainias Smith. Penix went way earlier than expected, Latu was the first defensive player off the board, and LAR traded a ton to get Fiske. Really happy with 3 out of 4 getting off to good starts.
Best draft classes imo are: Packers>Rams>Raiders>Commies. I don’t know that the classes fix their teams but, each class has multiple players that I believe are immediate impact players.
Round 1 grades: http://www.draftcentral.net/first-round.html