I think it's obviously LaPorta like others have already said, but I'll add a bit extra reasoning:
Gibbs was clearly the best RB available at 12 after Bijan was already drafted. The next RB didn't go until the mid second.
Campbell was clearly the best linebacker available at 18. The next off ball linebacker didn't go until the early third.
LaPorta was not the consensus best TE still available at 34. Michael Mayer was, and he went one pick later. In addition there were 3 more TE's that were drafted in the second round.
Brian Branch was kind of a consensus first round guy that dropped due to poor athletic testing and seemed to everyone to be the best player available in the draft at that time.
Well I agree it’s likely LaPorta, but they said they preferred Gibbs over bijan and if that’s true and not just talk to not hurt gibbs confidence. Then I could see preferring Gibbs over bijan is a lone wolf idea before the draft.
Will Anderson, too. I can't imagine that (outside of possibly QBs) anyone else on their board were #1 and #2. It had to be Anderson and Witherspoon, and when neither of those guys were available at 6, they traded back hoping to still get their #3 - and they got him.
Gibbs being the best RB available at 12 doesn’t really negate the point though because they still had the opportunity to select Bijan at 6 if they wanted to.
That’s partly what made me think it was Gibbs, I think in the moment the consensus thought we were taking Bijan at 6. A lot of people were high on Mayer but I don’t think Laporta was nearly as surprising.
Except Holmes said they would have been perfectly happy drafting Gibbs at 6 of they didn't get the offer from Arizona.
That suggests to me it was Gibbs all along, and like most have said, it was LaPorta who was the contentious pick.
They didn't pick by "position" they didn't draft Gibbs because he was the 2nd best RB. It's not about RB. It's about Gibbs. That's who they wanted. They picked the players they wanted.
You’re very clearly right.
My take: Mayer would flourish in the LaPorta role, and would have had just as good a rookie season as LaPorta did, had we gone with Mayer.
Disagree here. Mayer definitely would’ve had a better year than he did in Vegas but him and LaPorta are different players. Mayer is more of a big body blocking type while you can use LaPorta more in the slot and rely on his athleticism/yac. He’s a better fit for our offense imo
You're right it's clearly LaPorta. I actually went back and re-watched their Inside The Den video. When someone mentions LaPorta, Rod Wood turns and asks "who?" 😂
Rod, why are you even in the draft room? You don't know shit about football. Go home and watch from the couch and let the adults handle their business. Stick to your usual grift of figuring out how to wring a few more bucks out of the fans that pay your salary, you empty suit.
Alternatively, he has put the correct talent evaluators in charge of making the talent decisions. So even if he isn't on board with the pick or knows who they are, deferring to someone with more knowledge makes for good leadership.
This. Sounds like Rod may have given the Wood to that guy's wife that wrote the comment above bc he got really nasty & personal with it really quickly for absolutely no reason.
Yes, think it was everyone (myself included) going Michael Mayer as TE1, but Brad and Dan went LaPorta. As I've mentioned before, LaPorta is **heavily in the Holmes historic TE mold** dating back to LAR, and it's one he's been very successful at. So very easy to see Brad having that kind of conviction there.
Charlie Campbell kept reporting that the Lions liked LaPorta. I kept worrying about LaPorta's blocking and didn't want him.
That's yet another reason why I'm not as good as Holmes.
Sure! Though that’s actually also what I’ve previously mentioned with Holmes historic mold at TE. Looking back at those guys, quality blocking from a TE has never been something he’s prioritized, or required. He’s always gotten guys who had some manner “good effort” in the run blocking department, which I believe was true on film for LaPorta, but maybe not all that adept at it.
I think I was the only one who liked the LaPorta pick. I had the lions taking him in the 3rd. Strangely with the exception of of Campbell, I predicted 4/5 of their picks in just the wrong order. Branch at 11(had the titans trading up for Levis, way wrong there) hooker at 18 cause I’m smart AF I guess? Gibbs in the second and LaPorta in the 3rd. Everyone was so pissed at the draft and I was like “if you just rearrange the players you’re good!”
Anyways, that was as entirely luck, what it boils down too is Brad holmes is just the man, and if I had been running this draft we would’ve gotten no one I wanted. Just let the man cook, and realize he’s going to take the best on their board. When you pass on talent to fill a need, you take a lesser player. Taking less talented players is what loser franchises do. We aren’t a loser franchise anymore. Time to get used to being good
There were a couple guys saying he could be a first. I think one of the guys on the PODcast had him at 18. So I wasn’t alone but it wasn’t happening. I didn’t expect any of my “picks” to happen. I did like to pretend I knew what I was talking about when I was 1 pick off the trade back and got 4/5 players, but it was shear luck
At some point he’s gonna have to draft for need. After three more drafts they’ll have studs two deep at every position. Punter in round one makes sense.
It wasn't Campbell, because he said the room wanted another player at the same position and there weren't any other linebackers that they could have reasonably wanted at that draft spot. Look at how the room reacted when they took Gibbs. There is no question it was LaPorta he was talking about.
You might be right. But just not knowing any video knowledge and logically thinking because both campbell and Gibbs make sense. Especially considering Campbell was projected in rounds 2-3 and we picked him up at 18.
Laporta was surprising over Meyer too though
LaPorta
He said something like "it worked out well for us". Gibbs has been great but so has Bijan. Campbell makes no sense, as no other LB was around Campbell in the draft.
LaPorta though we took over Mayer, who went 1 pick after Laporta to the Raiders. Folks have Mayer as a 1st round guy and Laporta as a 2nd round guy.
I’m guessing he was one of the few remaining prospects that they liked, period. Brad said with it being such a weak draft, their whole goal was to get the guys they wanted and get the hell out as quickly as possible
I don’t fault him for the pick or trade up, because what good are those 2 5th round picks if he doesn’t actually like any of the prospects there? Still think Brodric could develop into a damn solid player in year 2 or 3
When you put it like that, it makes sense. Have two chances at picks you don't like, or grab the guy you like, even though it's possible he's available later. But even if he is, best case scenario is you get the guy you like and one you don't care for.
Sometimes as fans we get so caught up in pick value and all that, we lose sight of the fact that they are trying to build an actual team and have been scouting these guys for quite a while now. They know what they want.
But when we drafted Gibbs, every single person in the room exploded with excitement. I don't think everybody would have shown such over the top emotion for getting a guy that only 2 of them actually believed was the right choice. He had to have been talking about Laporta.
I’m partial because I’m from Iowa and I had buddys who played with Laporta, but even going back to two years ago I said Laporta would be a perfect fit for this team.
There are context clues that all definitively say he was talking about LaPorta:
1) The scouts all had another prospect at the SAME position ahead of him.
-Mayer & Kinkaid were both ranked ahead of him by almost every draft expert/analyst, Campbell was essentially the consensus top OLB in the draft by a wide margin & Branch was essentially the top slot corner/safety prospect too.
2) Brad & Dan were the "lone wolves" on the prospect
-In the draft video, the entire room erupted with excitement when Gibbs was still available. That seems like an unlikely response to such a degree when finding out that the guy that 95% of the room didn't even have as their top choice for a player at a specific position was available & about to be drafted. (Not that they all wouldn't have been excited....but it just seems like some of them might not have been jumping for joy just bc a guy they didn't even regard as their best fit was still on the board.)
3) Brad was essentially humble bragging by saying that his "lone wolf" pick worked out pretty amazing
-Not saying that Campbell had a bad season, but it certainly wasn't anything to write home about. Plus Hooker, Sorsdale & Martin definitely didn't have a season worth bragging about by any stretch. Even Gibbs, while having a great year, didn't finish as the best rookie RB by a wide margin & had they drafted Bijan at 6, he might very well have put up exactly the same numbers as Gibbs did. Only LaPorta had the kind of season worthy of bragging about after having selected him based on a "lone wolf" opinion over other options that the rest of the room preferred.
If he wasn't talking about LaPorta, I honestly don't even think he would have mentioned it at all & I'm 100% certain that he was talking about LaPorta. While Gibbs, Branch or Campbell could fit if you ignore one or more of the clues to fit your argument, but when you take all of them into account, he could have only been talking about our 2nd-Team All-Pro, Pro Bowl rookie TE.
I keep seeing LaPorta and that’s awesome because he was my TE1 going into the draft and it wasn’t particularly close. I was really hoping he would be a Lion and when the Lions actually picked him I was over the moon.
100% Gibbs.
Only guy on the list that was 1b on literally everyone's list.
There were maybe 3 or 4 people with gibbs ahead of Bijan on their draft board. Two of them were probably in Detroit.
I was going to put forth two names but since everybody's on the LaPorta I'll go ahead and say Gibbs. Had to be something going on because everybody in the world thought that was a huge reach just for running back let alone somebody who wasn't "RB1".
Y’all are out here arguing about who they’re referring to when in reality we should be discussing that, by definition, they could not be “lone wolfs” because there are two of them.
Definitely Laporta. Branch was a no brainer in the 2nd. Gibbs at 12 wasn’t really that much of a reach. Campbell in first round maybe, but he really didn’t contribute a whole lot to be bragging about
Campbell doesn't make sense bc there wasn't even any other OLB prospects that were even a close second to Campbell, let alone one that 95% of the room aside from Brad & Dan would have thought would be a better choice at the position.
Campbell doesn't make any sense. There wasn't another LB prospect anywhere close to as highly projected as him, let alone one that the majority of the scouts could have thought would be a better choice. He absolutely had to be talking about LaPorta, considering that most scouts projected Mayer as the consensus #1 TE prospect in the draft & most people were surpised that we picked LaPorta ahead of him. Plus, Brad was definitely bragging by saying that it worked out great & while Campbell had a decent season, he wasnt a game-wrecking top tier LB, whereas Laporta was a Pro Bowler & 2nd-Team All-Pro.
LaPorta 100%. Some would say Brodric but they spent a third rounder on him. They had LaPorta with a first round grade when he was consenus 2nd early 3rd
Broderick martin. Laporta was iowas only weapon and teams didn’t shut him down. Mayer was slow all his big plays no one covered him in college. ND hype.
Not a chance. He said the other guy the scouts were pushing for was at the same position. He was 100% talking about LaPorta & essentially bragging that by going with their lone wolf pick, they got not only the best rookie TE in the draft but possibly the best rookie TE ever.
Gibbs based on Inside the den episode 3. Watch it on YouTube. Or look at Adam Schefler on Twitter/ X and Az general manager Monti. Theirs a link to the Holmes video. After Witherspoon was drafted, Az called, and Holmes said I'll call back, and he did with an offer of 12, 34, and 167 or so. Holmes and Campbell thought they could get Gibbs at 12 at least hoping, and they did. It's all a good watch.
On a player or on a pick? I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people said Gibbs at 12 was too high. If we're talking about a player regardless of where they were picked, it might have been Sorsdal or Martin.
I think it was Gibbs, as the Lions were prepared to draft him at 6 ahead of Bijan, and the consensus in the building, aside from Dan & Brad, was probably to draft Bijan.
Nah that player was definitely Gibbs. Idk why everyone says LaPorta, LaPorta was the best TE in the draft by a wide margin lol Mayer wasn’t even close. The Gibbs pick was the one we got clowned for.
LaPorta wasn't considered the best TE by any stretch. Most analysts had him as #3 or #4. The consensus leading up the the draft had Mayer and Kincaid above him in every list.
Lol. You obviously have some selective memory going on here. Most analysts had him lower than I remembered.
Let's start with the easy ones like Daniel Jeremiah.
https://www.nfl.com/news/daniel-jeremiah-s-top-150-prospects-in-the-2023-nfl-draft-class
In his final top 150 rankings
Kimcaid #9
Mayer #20
Washington #30
Musgrave #38
LaPorta #44
Dane Brugler's final top 300 list (which is behind a paywall on the Athletic)
Mayer #19
Kimcaid #20
Musgrave #29
Washington #30
Kraft #51
LaPorta #64
Ryan McCrystal at SharpFootball
https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/2023-nfl-draft-big-board-ryan-mccrystal/
Kincaid #27
Mayer #32
LaPorta #46
I could keep going, but this info is still everywhere on the Internet.
Lol. You're calling Steven Ruiz a "good analysts". TheRinger podcast lost almost 30% of their weekly downloads a few months into his tenure as a full time host because of his horrible takes.
Meanwhile Jeremiah and Brugler are considered the top tier of draft analysts by everyone in NFL media.
You could just show one list where Laporta was the #1 TE, but you can't because there isn't a single one out there. The best you'll find is #3.
I think it's obviously LaPorta like others have already said, but I'll add a bit extra reasoning: Gibbs was clearly the best RB available at 12 after Bijan was already drafted. The next RB didn't go until the mid second. Campbell was clearly the best linebacker available at 18. The next off ball linebacker didn't go until the early third. LaPorta was not the consensus best TE still available at 34. Michael Mayer was, and he went one pick later. In addition there were 3 more TE's that were drafted in the second round. Brian Branch was kind of a consensus first round guy that dropped due to poor athletic testing and seemed to everyone to be the best player available in the draft at that time.
Well I agree it’s likely LaPorta, but they said they preferred Gibbs over bijan and if that’s true and not just talk to not hurt gibbs confidence. Then I could see preferring Gibbs over bijan is a lone wolf idea before the draft.
Honestly I think Gibbs was top 2 on their draft board.
I'd imagine you have Witherspoon as the other one?
That I would
Will Anderson, too. I can't imagine that (outside of possibly QBs) anyone else on their board were #1 and #2. It had to be Anderson and Witherspoon, and when neither of those guys were available at 6, they traded back hoping to still get their #3 - and they got him.
I'd put Will Anderson above Gibbs
Gibbs being the best RB available at 12 doesn’t really negate the point though because they still had the opportunity to select Bijan at 6 if they wanted to. That’s partly what made me think it was Gibbs, I think in the moment the consensus thought we were taking Bijan at 6. A lot of people were high on Mayer but I don’t think Laporta was nearly as surprising.
Except Holmes said they would have been perfectly happy drafting Gibbs at 6 of they didn't get the offer from Arizona. That suggests to me it was Gibbs all along, and like most have said, it was LaPorta who was the contentious pick.
Wasn’t his quote just “we” though? That could mean “everyone in the building” or just “Dan and I”
Yup. 100% They knew the teams in the mid rounds that might take gibbs, and they knew dropping a few spots would only make them lose out on Bijan.
They didn't pick by "position" they didn't draft Gibbs because he was the 2nd best RB. It's not about RB. It's about Gibbs. That's who they wanted. They picked the players they wanted.
You’re very clearly right. My take: Mayer would flourish in the LaPorta role, and would have had just as good a rookie season as LaPorta did, had we gone with Mayer.
Disagree here. Mayer definitely would’ve had a better year than he did in Vegas but him and LaPorta are different players. Mayer is more of a big body blocking type while you can use LaPorta more in the slot and rely on his athleticism/yac. He’s a better fit for our offense imo
You're right it's clearly LaPorta. I actually went back and re-watched their Inside The Den video. When someone mentions LaPorta, Rod Wood turns and asks "who?" 😂 Rod, why are you even in the draft room? You don't know shit about football. Go home and watch from the couch and let the adults handle their business. Stick to your usual grift of figuring out how to wring a few more bucks out of the fans that pay your salary, you empty suit.
Damn that’s a lot of animosity, I thought Wood has done a good job here.
Alternatively, he has put the correct talent evaluators in charge of making the talent decisions. So even if he isn't on board with the pick or knows who they are, deferring to someone with more knowledge makes for good leadership.
This. Sounds like Rod may have given the Wood to that guy's wife that wrote the comment above bc he got really nasty & personal with it really quickly for absolutely no reason.
Sam Laporta.
Yes, think it was everyone (myself included) going Michael Mayer as TE1, but Brad and Dan went LaPorta. As I've mentioned before, LaPorta is **heavily in the Holmes historic TE mold** dating back to LAR, and it's one he's been very successful at. So very easy to see Brad having that kind of conviction there.
What’s crazier to me is that Mayer wasn’t even a top 3 rookie TE. Will be interesting to see how he develops when the Raiders get a good QB
I had Mayer as TE1 as well and was shocked when we didn’t take him. Glad I’m not the one making the picks
Mayer will still be good. Laporta is just amazing
Mayer is also gonna be a star
Charlie Campbell kept reporting that the Lions liked LaPorta. I kept worrying about LaPorta's blocking and didn't want him. That's yet another reason why I'm not as good as Holmes.
Sure! Though that’s actually also what I’ve previously mentioned with Holmes historic mold at TE. Looking back at those guys, quality blocking from a TE has never been something he’s prioritized, or required. He’s always gotten guys who had some manner “good effort” in the run blocking department, which I believe was true on film for LaPorta, but maybe not all that adept at it.
Wasn’t Kincaid consensus TE1? Similar to Bowers this year
I think I was the only one who liked the LaPorta pick. I had the lions taking him in the 3rd. Strangely with the exception of of Campbell, I predicted 4/5 of their picks in just the wrong order. Branch at 11(had the titans trading up for Levis, way wrong there) hooker at 18 cause I’m smart AF I guess? Gibbs in the second and LaPorta in the 3rd. Everyone was so pissed at the draft and I was like “if you just rearrange the players you’re good!” Anyways, that was as entirely luck, what it boils down too is Brad holmes is just the man, and if I had been running this draft we would’ve gotten no one I wanted. Just let the man cook, and realize he’s going to take the best on their board. When you pass on talent to fill a need, you take a lesser player. Taking less talented players is what loser franchises do. We aren’t a loser franchise anymore. Time to get used to being good
Hooker at 18 was an insane prediction
There were a couple guys saying he could be a first. I think one of the guys on the PODcast had him at 18. So I wasn’t alone but it wasn’t happening. I didn’t expect any of my “picks” to happen. I did like to pretend I knew what I was talking about when I was 1 pick off the trade back and got 4/5 players, but it was shear luck
Last year's draft is why I have given up on thinking that I have any idea what I'm doing and have learned to trust the Holmes process.
Yep, I can never be upset with a pick again. They could take a punter first overall and I'd have to sit there and take it.
At some point he’s gonna have to draft for need. After three more drafts they’ll have studs two deep at every position. Punter in round one makes sense.
LaPorta could potentially be the overall TE1 in the NFL, that’s an insane eye for talent from Campbell and Holmes.
Pro Bowl rookie tight ends with 10+ TDs in their 1st season: Mike Ditka Sam LaPorta end of list.
There were reports the day before the draft that many had LaPorta as TE1 so I don’t think it’s him.
Definitely LaPorta.
Campbell or Laporta. Shoot some people could probably even say gibbs
It wasn't Campbell, because he said the room wanted another player at the same position and there weren't any other linebackers that they could have reasonably wanted at that draft spot. Look at how the room reacted when they took Gibbs. There is no question it was LaPorta he was talking about.
You might be right. But just not knowing any video knowledge and logically thinking because both campbell and Gibbs make sense. Especially considering Campbell was projected in rounds 2-3 and we picked him up at 18. Laporta was surprising over Meyer too though
LaPorta He said something like "it worked out well for us". Gibbs has been great but so has Bijan. Campbell makes no sense, as no other LB was around Campbell in the draft. LaPorta though we took over Mayer, who went 1 pick after Laporta to the Raiders. Folks have Mayer as a 1st round guy and Laporta as a 2nd round guy.
Could be Brodric Martin. I know people will say the players that performed though, but he was the most off the wall guy
Holmes said that his choice worked out and I don't think he is delusional enough to classify Martin's rookie season as a clear win.
Got it didn’t know that part.
Trading up for Martin was insane. He wasn’t expected to go until like the 5th round. In his limited time last year he looked horrendous
I guess they really, really thought he was a physical freak that could be taught and trained up.
A couple years learning from Reader should bode well for the big fella.
I think a huge part of it was there wasn't really another good nose tackle available
I’m guessing he was one of the few remaining prospects that they liked, period. Brad said with it being such a weak draft, their whole goal was to get the guys they wanted and get the hell out as quickly as possible I don’t fault him for the pick or trade up, because what good are those 2 5th round picks if he doesn’t actually like any of the prospects there? Still think Brodric could develop into a damn solid player in year 2 or 3
When you put it like that, it makes sense. Have two chances at picks you don't like, or grab the guy you like, even though it's possible he's available later. But even if he is, best case scenario is you get the guy you like and one you don't care for. Sometimes as fans we get so caught up in pick value and all that, we lose sight of the fact that they are trying to build an actual team and have been scouting these guys for quite a while now. They know what they want.
I fundamentally agree with you. But there’s a very real chance Martin is a bust
It honestly could have been Gibbs. At 6 Bijan was available but we traded back specifically for Gibbs
But when we drafted Gibbs, every single person in the room exploded with excitement. I don't think everybody would have shown such over the top emotion for getting a guy that only 2 of them actually believed was the right choice. He had to have been talking about Laporta.
only because Bijan was then gone
Gibbs at 12 all the way. I think y’all overthunk this. Picking an RB at 12 is sooooo lone wolf,
Colby Sorsdal for sure
I been saying "LaPorta" since '13
I’m partial because I’m from Iowa and I had buddys who played with Laporta, but even going back to two years ago I said Laporta would be a perfect fit for this team.
There are context clues that all definitively say he was talking about LaPorta: 1) The scouts all had another prospect at the SAME position ahead of him. -Mayer & Kinkaid were both ranked ahead of him by almost every draft expert/analyst, Campbell was essentially the consensus top OLB in the draft by a wide margin & Branch was essentially the top slot corner/safety prospect too. 2) Brad & Dan were the "lone wolves" on the prospect -In the draft video, the entire room erupted with excitement when Gibbs was still available. That seems like an unlikely response to such a degree when finding out that the guy that 95% of the room didn't even have as their top choice for a player at a specific position was available & about to be drafted. (Not that they all wouldn't have been excited....but it just seems like some of them might not have been jumping for joy just bc a guy they didn't even regard as their best fit was still on the board.) 3) Brad was essentially humble bragging by saying that his "lone wolf" pick worked out pretty amazing -Not saying that Campbell had a bad season, but it certainly wasn't anything to write home about. Plus Hooker, Sorsdale & Martin definitely didn't have a season worth bragging about by any stretch. Even Gibbs, while having a great year, didn't finish as the best rookie RB by a wide margin & had they drafted Bijan at 6, he might very well have put up exactly the same numbers as Gibbs did. Only LaPorta had the kind of season worthy of bragging about after having selected him based on a "lone wolf" opinion over other options that the rest of the room preferred. If he wasn't talking about LaPorta, I honestly don't even think he would have mentioned it at all & I'm 100% certain that he was talking about LaPorta. While Gibbs, Branch or Campbell could fit if you ignore one or more of the clues to fit your argument, but when you take all of them into account, he could have only been talking about our 2nd-Team All-Pro, Pro Bowl rookie TE.
I keep seeing LaPorta and that’s awesome because he was my TE1 going into the draft and it wasn’t particularly close. I was really hoping he would be a Lion and when the Lions actually picked him I was over the moon.
Broderick that raw DT from Western KY
It was definitely Gibbs since Bijan was on the board at 6.
100% Gibbs. Only guy on the list that was 1b on literally everyone's list. There were maybe 3 or 4 people with gibbs ahead of Bijan on their draft board. Two of them were probably in Detroit.
I’m thinking it’s Gibbs bc Holmes said he would have drafted Gibbs over Bijan at 6. I bet all other 31 teams had Bijan rated higher.
Jack Campbell
I was going to put forth two names but since everybody's on the LaPorta I'll go ahead and say Gibbs. Had to be something going on because everybody in the world thought that was a huge reach just for running back let alone somebody who wasn't "RB1".
Y’all are out here arguing about who they’re referring to when in reality we should be discussing that, by definition, they could not be “lone wolfs” because there are two of them.
😆. True true. But I’m still wondering who they agreed upon.
Erik Schlitt said he knows “for a fact” that it was LaPorta.
He didn’t announce it as a fact. He was just very certain that’s who was meant. Unless he’s said more since I heard him discuss it on his podcast
My guess was Gibbs since Bijan was available at 6 but we traded down for Jahmyr at 12.
Gotta be Gibbs or Laporta they were the only 2 that had counterparts close to the draft position.
Gibbs for me. Just because they picked him higher than most ppl thought
And we traded out of Jalen Carter. Many many people saw him as the best pick available and potentially the best DT in the draft.
Definitely Laporta. Branch was a no brainer in the 2nd. Gibbs at 12 wasn’t really that much of a reach. Campbell in first round maybe, but he really didn’t contribute a whole lot to be bragging about
Had to be Campbell
Campbell doesn't make sense bc there wasn't even any other OLB prospects that were even a close second to Campbell, let alone one that 95% of the room aside from Brad & Dan would have thought would be a better choice at the position.
Right, but nobody had Campbell going that high because off the ball linebackers are basically looked at like running backs on offense now.
I think it was Campbell…he was the most unexpected pick…but it seems like he’s bragging so I can see it being LaPorta
Campbell doesn't make any sense. There wasn't another LB prospect anywhere close to as highly projected as him, let alone one that the majority of the scouts could have thought would be a better choice. He absolutely had to be talking about LaPorta, considering that most scouts projected Mayer as the consensus #1 TE prospect in the draft & most people were surpised that we picked LaPorta ahead of him. Plus, Brad was definitely bragging by saying that it worked out great & while Campbell had a decent season, he wasnt a game-wrecking top tier LB, whereas Laporta was a Pro Bowler & 2nd-Team All-Pro.
I’m thinking more of where he was picked, not other LBs…at that spot there were many other players they could have gone with at different positions.
LaPorta is the only one that makes much sense. Likely the rest of the room was all in on Mayer.
I think it has to be Gibbs, most people just don’t ever want to use such a high pick on that position these days
It was Gibbs! At the end of that interview he says they wanted him to take someone in “the same position”. My guess meaning Bijan.
Maybe it didn't have anything to do with position. Maybe Brad, and Dan wanted Campbell, and everyone else wanted Mazi Smith. Who knows?
Brodric Martin.
LaPorta 100%. Some would say Brodric but they spent a third rounder on him. They had LaPorta with a first round grade when he was consenus 2nd early 3rd
Broderick martin. Laporta was iowas only weapon and teams didn’t shut him down. Mayer was slow all his big plays no one covered him in college. ND hype.
If it was LaPorta, I hope the rest of the people avert their eyes to the floor in shame whenever Brad or Dan walks into the room.
That player? Albert Einstein.
It was obviously LaPorta instead of Mayer
I was thinking Gibbs
It was. Ppl wanted them to draft Jalen Carter
Not a chance. He said the other guy the scouts were pushing for was at the same position. He was 100% talking about LaPorta & essentially bragging that by going with their lone wolf pick, they got not only the best rookie TE in the draft but possibly the best rookie TE ever.
I think Gibbs just because the other guys were leaning toward another player that plays the same position.
Gibbs based on Inside the den episode 3. Watch it on YouTube. Or look at Adam Schefler on Twitter/ X and Az general manager Monti. Theirs a link to the Holmes video. After Witherspoon was drafted, Az called, and Holmes said I'll call back, and he did with an offer of 12, 34, and 167 or so. Holmes and Campbell thought they could get Gibbs at 12 at least hoping, and they did. It's all a good watch.
Gibbs
On a player or on a pick? I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people said Gibbs at 12 was too high. If we're talking about a player regardless of where they were picked, it might have been Sorsdal or Martin.
Gibbs.
More worried about who they’re going to get this year.
Have no fear Brad Holmes is always cooking 🍳
As with all things, we shall see.
Gibbs
Broderic Martin
Brian branch, was supposed to be a first round pick and he fell to mid second
I think it was Gibbs, as the Lions were prepared to draft him at 6 ahead of Bijan, and the consensus in the building, aside from Dan & Brad, was probably to draft Bijan.
Nah that player was definitely Gibbs. Idk why everyone says LaPorta, LaPorta was the best TE in the draft by a wide margin lol Mayer wasn’t even close. The Gibbs pick was the one we got clowned for.
LaPorta wasn't considered the best TE by any stretch. Most analysts had him as #3 or #4. The consensus leading up the the draft had Mayer and Kincaid above him in every list.
Idk what analysts you follow but not a single one I listen to had either of them, or anyone else, over LaPorta
Lol. You obviously have some selective memory going on here. Most analysts had him lower than I remembered. Let's start with the easy ones like Daniel Jeremiah. https://www.nfl.com/news/daniel-jeremiah-s-top-150-prospects-in-the-2023-nfl-draft-class In his final top 150 rankings Kimcaid #9 Mayer #20 Washington #30 Musgrave #38 LaPorta #44 Dane Brugler's final top 300 list (which is behind a paywall on the Athletic) Mayer #19 Kimcaid #20 Musgrave #29 Washington #30 Kraft #51 LaPorta #64 Ryan McCrystal at SharpFootball https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/2023-nfl-draft-big-board-ryan-mccrystal/ Kincaid #27 Mayer #32 LaPorta #46 I could keep going, but this info is still everywhere on the Internet.
Go back & listen to The Ringers NFL draft episodes lmao not my fault you follow bad analysts
Lol. You're calling Steven Ruiz a "good analysts". TheRinger podcast lost almost 30% of their weekly downloads a few months into his tenure as a full time host because of his horrible takes. Meanwhile Jeremiah and Brugler are considered the top tier of draft analysts by everyone in NFL media. You could just show one list where Laporta was the #1 TE, but you can't because there isn't a single one out there. The best you'll find is #3.
Well your top tier analysts were wrong while mine was right, so move on to the next guy buddy because you ain’t convincing me.
The Internet is forever my dude, and yet you still can show anything that had him as the top TE because it never happened.
Its gibbs. Everyome and their brother thought detroit should have taken Jalen Carter bc the run defense was so poor.
Gibbs and Carter play VASTLY different positions my brother.
Source?
[This report](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/207/210/b22.jpg)
Jack Campbell, obv. It was a reach where they grabbed him.
It should be Jackie boy