G.M.O. - 2018 NFL Draft

I can get it.

 

Imma pretend we are actually in Dallas and piss of the Cowboys stragglers that stuck around to see the ending. It's the reason I traded for the last pick.

 

Speaking of which...The Chargers would like to announce the hiring of new WR's coach Hines Ward. No longer will he be on HNN's "Morning Express with Robin Meade....Hines thought he was going to get the Steelers job, but felt snubbed when they decided to go with Ward's former college coach, Darryl Drake. The Chargers swooped in, and are quite pleased with the newest member of our coaching staff. Anthonny Lynn long admired Ward during his career, and thinks he'll be a tremendous asset to the Chargers staff...

 

After our seventh round pick, the New York Jets draft has concluded:

Round 1 (6): Quenton Nelson, Guard, Notre Dame
In a ideal situation for the Jets, one of Rosen, Darnold or Mayfield would have fallen to the sixth pick and we would have taken a potential franchise Quarterback to sit and learn behind Bortles and McCown. I had been in talks with Denver to move up an extra spot to avoid the potential snipe by another QB needing team but I in the end I found myself unable to match the amount of draft capital that was given up by the Bills. To avoid reaching for a riskier prospect in Allen or Jackson I went in the opposite direction and took Quenton Nelson, who I believe to be the safest pick in the 2018 draft. Nelson has the size and ability to become a consistent All-Pro guard for the foreseeable future and instantly upgrades both our run blocking and pass protection. While Guard isn't exactly the highest value position and our current options in the position aren't terrible, a player of Nelson's quality is simply too valuable to pass up.

Round 1 (23): Lamar Jackson, Quarterback, Louisville
After missing out on a potentially franchise quarterback at the start of the first round, I saw an opportunity to trade back into the end of the round to pick up a falling quarterback prospect, Lamar Jackson. Jackson had seen 5 quarterbacks picked before him for understandable reasons. Players of his style have, in recent years, been falling out of favour with the majority of NFL teams. For many, the risk of sub-par passing ability and potential injury are too much to ignore for the potential upside. However, for the New York Jets, it is absolutely worth taking a risk on the potential of Lamar Jackson. As the saying goes: if you don't buy a ticket, you can't win the raffle. Jackson has a real star quality about him and has the physical and technical ability to completely take over games at times. The majority of this ability is found in his feet. Jackson's scrambling and improvisation skills can create huge holes in defences, often making it impossible to effectively defend against. As a result of this, Jackson would force the Jets offense to be heavily reliant on RPOs and Play Action but this is increasingly becoming the norm for many Rookie NFL Quarterbacks anyway and it has already seen considerable success in the past. While still far from perfect, Jackson's passing ability has also seen a lot of improvement during his time at Louisville and the New York Jets give him the opportunity to sit and learn behind Bortles and McCown, refining his technique and transitioning his game from a College to Pro level. If he is deemed worthy as a prospect, a rebuilding Jets team have the opportunity to mould their offense around the style of Lamar Jackson in order to utilise his skills to the fullest potential.
If this all goes wrong he might still be a decent wide receiver

Round 2 (17): Sony Michel, Running back, Georgia
To compliment the already-competent running back committee of the New York Jets, the second round gave us the opportunity to pick up the true star of the 2017 Georgia running back committee (fight me on it). Michel is my second-highest rated running back prospect as a result of his size, quickness and intangibles. Michel has all the requirements to provide a consistent offensive threat in the NFL. I also considered Michel's pass protection and leadership qualities when making the pick, as the New York Jets continue to build up locker room leaders on both sides of the football. I see Michel as the perfect lead back in an NFL running back committee, utilising his no nonsense, north-south style running without having to regularly focus on pass catching or more creative assignments. The Jets will go into the 2018/2019 season with Sony Michel, Jeremy Hill, Bilal Powell and Elijah McGuire all providing valuable options for the Jets backfield.

Round 5 (20): Chad Thomas, EDGE, Miami
Thomas is high potential, big risk prospect that was picked to attempt to give additional options to both the Jets pass-rush and run defence. On tape, Thomas often showcases first/second round physicality and skill sets but is often let down by his lack of instincts and football IQ. With the right coaching, Thomas has the opportunity to supplant the less-than-stellar options for the Jets as a edge rusher but needs to show the desire and training to become the player his potential allows him to be. Another reason why a player of Thomas' size and potential may have fallen this far is questions over his devotion to football. Working with the likes of DJ Khaled and Rick Ross, Thomas has established himself as talented music producer in Miami. The Jets will need to be sure that football is more important to Thomas than music.

Round 6 (5): Auden Tate, Wide Receiver, Florida State
Tate is a receiver that I expected to go in rounds 3 to 5 and therefore simply a BPA pick for me. After a fairly poor showing at the combine, particular in his less-than-impressive 40 yard dash, Tate's draft stock has fallen considerably. However, on film Tate seems to move much faster than his 40 time would suggest and his speed was never the most important part of his game anyway. The receiver's main selling point is his size and the awareness to use that size to his advantage. I don't believe Tate will never be the Jet's number one receiver but his red-zone threat and ability to catch through contact could be a great weapon in the NFL, especially to a rookie Quarterback.

Round 7 (22) Airius Moore, Linebacker, N. C. State
Often overlooked as a prospect as a part of the star-studded N. C. State front seven, Airius Moore is a competent linebacker who showed consistent and effective production in college. With my last pick of the draft I was looking for a linebacker with good pass-coverage skills to backup Darron Lee and I believe I have found that in Moore. Moore is more of a depth signing for the Jets defense but should provide a decent level of production to our scheme if Darron Lee suffers an injury.


Overall, I'm pretty happy with my draft. I am slightly concerned with my current options at tackle and in pass rushing but unfortunately many of the players I was hoping for were picked just before I had the chance. In the end I often took a BPA approach to the draft and took players that I believe would or could have a significant impact at the pro level. Nelson and Michel should instantly improve the Jets offense, Tate provides an alternative option that has often been missing for the Jets and Jackson has all the potential to become a franchise quarterback for the future. On defense, Chad Thomas is a high potential pick with the opportunity to provide the same level of skills as a first or second round pick given the right coaching and Moore will be an important backup option as an interior linebacker.

 

Matthew also had interest in that final pick.

But two players for one pick sealed it. Especially with one of "my guys" (Josh Perkins was on our roster in 2016, got hurt in 2017, injury settlement, and Philly scooped him up before we were eligible to resign him) as one of the two.

 

Quite appropriate that the Falcons once again do NOT get Hines Ward.

In the 1998 draft, the Falcons took Georgia Tech star linebacker Keith Brooking in the first round. In the third, WR was a glaring need, and Georgia star Hines Ward was there for the taking.

Instead, Dan Reeves (who had control over personnel) went for Jammi German, WR, Miami. The foothills of the Appalachians still carry the final echoes of my scream.

Even worse, the reason Reeves passed on Ward was that he thought Ward wasn't a very good blocker. WTF??? Reeves was great at drafting linemen, but he couldn't assess WR talent at all.

 

Matt you are up again x3.

 

He certainly comes with a championship pedigree. Hopefully the on-field tenacity he displayed throughout his playing career can work to his advantage as he begins his new phase...

I actually spent more time than I'd like to admit coming up with a suitable replacement for my WR coach..lol! But this is not the worst idea...

 

Watching FRIENDS just now reminded me on how much nipple you see in that show. Damn.

 

@matthewwillson29

 

Interesting side note.... In my receivers coaching search, I noticed that both the Colts and the Seahawks, also do not have a WR's coach on current staff...

 

Tim how are we setting up UDFA?

 

Jackson instantly becomes the focal point of your entire draft - and your entire mock offseason. A mobile quarterback isn't a bad thing, especially when he can throw on the run. But you do have to rethink everything in terms of having that type of QB rather than the classic pocket passer.

I'd say great job on the value side of it. You only paid a third rounder to move up from your second round pick and grab him where you did, and you recovered that value by getting Tate with your sixth rounder. The net effect is you got roughly the same overall value as if you had taken Jackson in the early second and followed up with a WR in the third.

That works, and landing your new franchise QB in round two is a serious win. I have no idea where he'll actually go in the draft. I'd say he's certainly worth a first rounder for a team with the right system fit.

Now you just have to double check your roster and make sure you're the right system fit.

 

The Cincinnati Bengals Select
Justin Lawler DE Southern Methodist

 

Alphabetical order, backwards then forwards?

 

The Cincinnati Bengals Select
Tanner Carew LS Oregon

 

It might be easier to just have it by division. Not as much of a hassle on our part. We did that last year.
https://live4sportnetwork.com/forum/threads/undrafted-free-agency.9106/

 

Last year you did it by division.

A good alternative would be to do it by first round draft order, forwards then backwards.

 

Long snappers are people too !

 

The Cincinnati Bengals Select
Daniel Carlson K Auburn