Another boring day at work, so I figured I would make my top-5 positional rankings list with sleepers and notes.
QB:
1) Dwayne Haskins Jr. - Ohio State - I like his short-to-midfield accuracy and the way he sees the field, but I have many concerns about him, including his limited experience. He has tools to work with and room to grow, but, to be honest, I wouldn't take him at 6. I wouldn't take any QB at 6.
2) Drew Lock - Mizzou - the arm talent to make all the throws, but the mental aspect of his game must come around. Boom or bust guy.
3) Brett Rypien - Boise State (a little smaller than you'd like, but he has good mobility, sneaky arm strength and great accuracy/ball placement. Puts a beautiful touch on his throws so they drop right into the basket.).
4) Ryan Finley - NC State - weak arm, but very good accuracy. WCO QB)
5) Daniel Jones - Duke (inconsistent, but there are some tools to work with)
Sleepers: Tyree Jackson - Buffalo (if you loved Josh Allen, you'll love Tyree Jackson. I think he's working with Jordan Palmer, so hopefully he tightens up his release and throwing motion)
Jordan Ta'amu of Ole Miss (he got benched for talented freshman QB Matt Corral, but Ta'amu does have a lot of tools to work with).
RB:
...Shit, this isn't important. We have our RB :D But I do like someone like Qadree Ollison of Pitt or Devin Singletary of FAU to spell Saquon and compete with Gallman.
WR
1) DK Metcalf - Ole Miss (H/W/S speed who suffered a serious neck injury, but I think is a 100%. He has the tools to be a dominant WR in the NFL)
2) N'Keal Harry - Arizona State (will need to answer questions about speed and separation, but you can't deny his physical talent. Big, strong, excellent 50-50 guy.)
3) Riley Ridley - Georgia (underutilized at Georgia, IMO, but he's an excellent route runner, excellent size, good hands, great burst off the LOS)
4) Kelvin Harmon - NC State (size, strength, hands, route-running. We'll see how fast he runs.)
5) Deebo Samuel - South Carolina (explosive. Simply explosive.) Hollywood Brown of Oklahoma also fits this description.
Sleepers: Preston Williams - Colorado State (this year's Antonio Callaway. Transfer from Tennessee. Williams can be a game-breaker, but he can't stay out of trouble)
Emmanuel Hall - Mizzou (he's a burner. Exceptional quickness off the LOS)
Lil'Jordan Humphrey - Texas (another physical mismatch who has off-the-field concerns. He was great this year with Ehlinger and hopefully he answers the speed questions at the Combine. Plus, he has an awesome name.)
TE:
1) TJ Hockenson - Iowa - underutilized but has all the traits to be a top TE in the NFL
2) Noah Fant - Iowa - freakish athleticism and long. Should be fun to see him at the Combine.
Don't really know much about the rest, TBH (though guys like Kaden Smith of Stanford and Irv Smith Jr. of Alabama looked pretty good from the little I've seen of them). A sleeper of mine is Zach Gentry of Michigan. He's a former QB so he's still learning position, but he's a solid blocker and an excellent RZ threat. Why? He's 6'7!
Also, Dawson Knox was vastly underutilized at Ole Miss. So was Foster Moreau at LSU.
OT:
So I'm going to do things a little differently here. I don't really know how to rank these guys. What that means is that the goal for an OT is to not be heard from. That's why I liked Ryan Ramczyk so much. He held steady protection on pass plays and paved the way for his RBs on run plays. Can't ask much more than that. What separates a dominant OT from someone doing his job very well? I don't really know, to be honest.
So the guys who do their jobs well?
Jonah Williams - Alabama - the big thing about him, like it was with Pugh, is the lack of arm length. Other than that, checks all the boxes.
Greg Little - Ole Miss - he had an up-and-down season, but he reminds me a lot of Cam Robinson from a couple of years ago.
Andre "Dilly Dilly" Dillard - Washington State - EXTREMELY sound pass-protector. A huge reason for Gardner Minshew II's great season
Cody Ford - Oklahoma - short in height but wide in girth, he is surprisingly nimble on his field and has the technique down
David Edwards - Wisconsin - had an up and down season, but has the tools to be rock solid on the right side.
Yodny Cajuste - West Virginia - don't challenge him to a boxing match
William Sweet - North Carolina - not a lot of experience, but he was solid from the little I saw of him.
I'm more down on Jawaan Taylor of Florida than others are. I saw a guy who had sloppy technique and who got by with brute power most of the time. That may fly in college, but not in the NFL. Sadly, he actually kind of reminded me of Ereck Flowers coming out of Miami.
3-4 DE/4-3 DT
1) Quinnen Williams - Alabama - best player in the Draft. The most dominant defensive player in college football this season.
2) Ed Oliver Jr. - Houston - it's a risk to take someone his size, but the guy has had a phenomenal career at Houston...and don't mistake him for a one-trick pony. He's very good against the run too.
Edge Rushers
1) Nick Bosa - Ohio State - freakish size, strength, athleticism and speed. He's going to be a really good one.
2) Josh Allen - Kentucky - my third best player in the entire draft. Has elite bend, athleticism and size off the edge)
3) Brian Burns - Florida State (fuck Florida State, but Burns is really good. Excellent length, burst and bend/ He's a bit underweight now, but once he beefs up, look out. And even though he's underweight, he's still damn strong. I've seen him outmuscle OTs.
4) Clelin Ferrell Clemson - solid two-way player. Don't think he'll ever be a star, but he has a very high floor.
5) Jachai Polite - Florida - a bit undersized and doesn't have the length that teams will crave, but he can beat you with power and speed.
Sleepers: Malik Carney - UNC - he was suspended for 4 games for something non behavior-related. But this guy has a ton of talent. 6.5 sacks in 8 games, 9 FF in his career. Very strong against the run. He's the total package.
Shareef Miller - Penn State - had a rivalry going with Haskins when they played, but what got me on board was how he wrecked havoc on Wisconsin's talented O-Line.
ILB:
1) Devin White - LSU - my fourth best player in this draft. He can blitz, cover, bump against the run...he can really do it all. What sets him apart from Roquan Smith are the instincts, but White is definitely a bigger, more well-rounded athlete. I would not hesitate one bit to take him at 6.
2) Devin Bush Jr. - Michigan - undersized, but he's a dog. Speedy. He was the Defensive Player of the Year and the Big 10 Player of the Year.
3) Germaine Pratt - NC State - you know how the Giants have always had a problem covering TEs? Pratt can solve that. Fast with pretty good instincts and a good tackler. Needs to get stronger to take on blockers.
4) Mack Wilson - Alabama - don't like the game tape against the run. He overpursues and doesn't finish his tackles. However, what I do love his his size, athleticism and coverage ability.
5) Drew Lewis - Colorado - athletic, instictive, smart and surprisingly, one hell of a blitzer. A real sleeper.
Sleeper: Don't have one right now.
CB:
1) Byron Murphy Jr. - Washington - reminds me of Denzel Ward from last year. A little undersized, but feisty, competitive, speedy and a ballhawk.
2) Deandre Baker - Georgia - everything I just said about Murphy applies to Baker...except Murphy is faster and has better speed to cover downfield.
3) Greedy Williams - LSU - didn't have a great year, but he has the tools to be a #1 CB. Lots of things to like, but his positive attributes didn't translate to his game on the field, from what I've seen.
4) Rock Ya-Sin - Temple - my only real exposure to him was during Senior Bowl week. Daniel Jeremiah praised him to the sky.
5) Trayvon Mullen - Clemson - Defensive MVP of the national title game against Tua. I like his length.
Sleepers: Michael Jackson - The U - didn't have as good as a season as he had in 2017, but still played well for the most part.
Iman Marshall - USC - had an up-and-down career at USC after so much promise early on, so he's worth taking a gamble on on Day 3 for that reason.
Safeties:
1) Taylor Rapp - Washington - EXCELLENT in the box. He wasn't asked to drop into coverage much from what I've seen, so I don't know how versatile he is, but against the run? You won't find many better.
2) Deionte Thompson - Alabama - terrible game against Clemson, but he had a good year regardless
3) Nas Adderley - Delaware - I thought he was great Senior Bowl week. Definitely opened my eyes. He got three Raiders stickers!
4) Juan Thornhill - Virginia - he absolutely destroyed my 'Canes. Has CB experience, so we know he's rangy and surprisingly, he's a reliable tackler.
5) Marquise Blair - Utah - he can cover, he can pick off balls and he can hit you like a truck. What's not to love?
Sleepers: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson - Florida - can't tackle, but his ball skills, versatility (former CB) and instincts will attract a lot of teams. Reminds me of Malcolm Jenkins.
The Giants should be able to add more talent to the team through the draft again this year. Hopefully all the late end picks can add depth on defense and the OL
No, I don't think he lasts in the NFL. Fun player, but I don't see him having a long career in the NFL.
Did you forget about Guards? UW has two very good ones (safer bets than the OT, IMO).
RB -- Chris James would make my sleeper list; Between # crunch and injuries didn't get enough time on the field, but produced when he did
Where would you rank Edwards and Connelly, their ILBs? Both (especially Edwards) will play on Sunday. I also like OLB Van Ginkel a lot. I expect his stock will rise if invited to the combine; if not he could be a bargain. The other LBs are surer bets, but he has a higher ceiling, IMO.
It's already been decided that we don't need a FB, but I like Ingold a lot.
No idea. I didn't get a chance to watch Beal at Western Michigan given his unusual circumstances.
Much appreciated, Bruce. It's all my subjective opinion. I don't watch as many players/games as Sy or Dave Te, but I do enjoy it.
Thanks. I think he goes somewhere in the third round.
Why so.
the more i see and read i think #6 could be a perfect spot for us to pick up a stud at a position we've sorely needed since Pierce....hell even with pierce here we still needed LBers. we can't stop the run or cover TE's. it needs to end.
just like last season, none of the QBs available looked like can't miss guys. take an early mid-rounder and see what you got. then do whatever is needed in 2020 to secure one of the other guys.
the more i see and read i think #6 could be a perfect spot for us to pick up a stud at a position we've sorely needed since Pierce....hell even with pierce here we still needed LBers. we can't stop the run or cover TE's. it needs to end.
just like last season, none of the QBs available looked like can't miss guys. take an early mid-rounder and see what you got. then do whatever is needed in 2020 to secure one of the other guys.
Enough with the mid round QB’s. This team has nothing in the pipeline really at any position group. Using a pick on a developmental QB is a waste.
What about his teammate WR Brown?
That said, it may be a project for next year.
But I agree generally that the simplest overlooked stat of all on WRs may be number of catches made. So simple it gets overshadowed some years by the old height,weight,40 combo.
Singletary particularly caught my eye for this role, but I think he may go higher in the draft than I would wish the Giants to consider a RB. While not as gifted, Ryquell Armstead of Temple is also a down hill runner and shares some other attributes with Singletary. If he winds up an UDFA, the Giants could do worse than bringing him to camp, unless they're convinced that Penny can also handle that role.
Video: Armstead Highlights - ( New Window )
Why so.
Two reasons: 1) because we're in a 3-4 and we arguably are set there for a while with Hill and Tomlinson; and 2) because I believe the point of 3-4 D-Linemen is more to eat blockers than to penetrate and rush the QB.
What about his teammate WR Brown?
AJ Brown reminds me A LOT of Hakeem Nicks. Haha, it was the first comparison that came to mind.
But yeah, it's the neck injury. I don't know if Metcalf will take part in the Combine, but if he does, he's going to blow it out of the water.
My only exposure to him was at the Senior Bowl and yeah, Andy Isabella is a nice little player in the mold of Welker, Beasley and Edelman, but there are players like him in every draft and I'm just not one to fawn over guys like him with a somewhat limited ceiling.
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Would Sam Beal have made your CB list if he was in this draft if all his play from 2017 stayed in line with 2018?
No idea. I didn't get a chance to watch Beal at Western Michigan given his unusual circumstances.
Go it. Thanks
I like him, but not as much as the other 5 as an ER. The difference? Sweat doesn't have the bend that someone like Burns, who is just as tall, has. Because of that, I like the idea of Sweat's hand in the dirt as a 4-3 DE more than as a 3-4 ER, which is what we need.
He's an athletic freak, but much like Robert Nkemdiche (who is my comparison to him), I wonder about his motor and why he didn't take more advantage of his incredible physical gifts.
BBetter than ever...
BBetter than ever...
Nothing better than the guy who thinks shit is flying over everyone's head, meanwhile he doesn't realize people are capable of respecting and listening to someones opinion even if they aren't a professional scout.
How weird of someone to post a draft prospect thread on a football forum. The audacity! the horror!
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I get that he didn't have a great year, but he was injured and his athleticism is off the charts.
He's an athletic freak, but much like Robert Nkemdiche (who is my comparison to him), I wonder about his motor and why he didn't take more advantage of his incredible physical gifts.
He was injured this year. His sophomore season is the tape you want to see.
To me, any RB that can take it to the house every time he touches the ball is by definition a down hill runner.
Anakim - thanks for the time and effort pulling this together. Helps alot for non-CFB watchers like myself.
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Nothing better than the guy who thinks shit is flying over everyone's head, meanwhile he doesn't realize people are capable of respecting and listening to someones opinion even if they aren't a professional scout.
How weird of someone to post a draft prospect thread on a football forum. The audacity! the horror!
If you want to swim in that shit, have at it, hoss.
BBetter than ever...
Good to see you, Davidson. We've missed you on the hockey threads. Luckily, it's perfect sweater and zubaz weather.
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In comment 14282024 Davisian said:
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Nothing better than the guy who thinks shit is flying over everyone's head, meanwhile he doesn't realize people are capable of respecting and listening to someones opinion even if they aren't a professional scout.
How weird of someone to post a draft prospect thread on a football forum. The audacity! the horror!
If you want to swim in that shit, have at it, hoss.
If you wanna pretend he stated "I'm Mel Kiper's offspring" instead of prefacing his opinion with "i'm bored at work"
have at it, hoss.