G.M.O. - 2018 NFL Draft

Is there any chance you could tell me about him? I tried to look him up but nothing of use came up.

 

It's a typo. Mark Korte.

 

Rams Offseason review

Main Assumption
My starting assumption was that I was going to be signing Aaron Donald to a new contract worth $20m per year. He is currently due to earn $6.9m, so while I had actual starting cap room of about $44.5m, I treated it as is I had about $13m less, so $31.5m or so. I've eventually gone slightly over that soft cap, but I imagine any deal with Donald would be slightly backloaded through a signing bonus, so I'm not concerned by that.

Initial needs
I had a fairly desperate need at CB (two starters became free agents, Trumaine Johnson and Nickell Robey-Coleman, and my other starter, Kayvon Webster, is coming off an injury). I also had a need at center, as John Sullivan became a free agent, and nose tackle, as Tyrunn Smart (2017 6th round rookie) was not a good fit for the position (he's a 300lb gap shooter) and Tyrunn Walker is JAG. Beyond that, I also had a decision to make on the franchise tag which would define another need, whether to tag Sammy Watkins at $16m or tag LaMarcus Joyner at $11m. I decided on Joyner as his tag was much better value (and I thought I'd be able to get Sammy back for about $12m). So I had a need for a WR as well, but whether this was a #1, #2 or #3 guy kinda depended on the market). After that, I was down to long-term needs, so a replacement LT for Whitworth, more pass rushers to replace -Robert Quinn, an MLB to replace one of Barron or Ogletree (as their cap hits aren't great) and a 3rd down back to give Gurley a bit of a breather on passing downs.

Tags
- Franchise tag, LaMarcus Joyner, S, $11.1m - as explained above.
- Matt Longacre - 2nd round RFA tender - $2.9m - He had a good year last year and I had a big need at edge rusher, so this was an easy call.
- Exclusive rights free agents tags on Troy Hill ($630k), Malcolm Brown ($630k) and Garrett Sickels ($430k). These were all fairly easy calls. Brown is a 2-down backup for Gurley, Hill is an ascending CB and Sickels is a young pass rusher who hasn't shown anything yet, but is dirt cheap.

Free agent moves
- Bashaud Breeland CB, $7.3m - I needed a solid starting to replace Trumaine Johnson, but didn't have the cash to take Trumaine Johnson or Malcolm Butler to the end of their bidding. Breeland is an acceptable but not fantastic guy - I'd prefer him as a CB2 than CB1, but he fits Wade's D and he was pretty decent value given the CB market. I'm working on the assumption that he didn't cut his foot in our reality.
- Max Unger, C, $3.85m - maybe his name recognition and reputation is better than his actual production, but I had a burning need at center. The other options (Richburg, Sullivan) became too expensive, and when Unger was cut by the Saints he became my #1 target. I was very happy to get him at a relatively low price. He's old ish, but not so old that I need a succession plan in place straight away (and Austin Blythe, the backup, might be fine).
- Brice Butler, WR, $3.3m - once Sammy Watkins went out of my budget, I decided I needed a #3 WR who could be mostly a deep threat, but have the ability to do all sorts if necessary. That's basically the role which Sammy played last year. Butler has said he wants to start, and I think he would be a starter for me (assuming I start in 3 WR sets, which is likely. He's got 4.3/4.4 speed, so he fits the role quite nicely and has potential. I would have preferred Tyrell Williams, but he also went out of my price range.
- Justin Ellis, NT, $3m - I had a big need at NT. Michael Brockers started the season at NT, but moved to DE and played out of his mind, so I want to keep him there. Once Brockers got hurt in the Falcons game we really struggled to stop the run, so I really wanted a run stopper, and to allow Tanzel Smart to move back into a DE role when he can get penetration, which is more suited to him. Ellis was my top NT on the market, so I was happy with him at a low price.
- Tyrunn Walker, NT, vet minimum - he's a backup.
- Davon House, CB, vet minimum - he can hopefully fill in at one of the CB slots, or if not he provides solid depth. His injury issues seem to be the main thing keeping his value low, so he's a handy low-risk signing.
- Cody Davis, S, $800k - he's a good backup and a very good special teamer.
- Pernell McPhee, OLB, vet minimum - he has some pass rush ability but is also quite versatile. I have young pass rush specialists on the roster (Ebukam and Ejuan Price particularly), so a guy who can play the base down, provide a bit of pass rush, and be generally fairly reliable is pretty handy.
- Seantrel Henderson, OT, $800k - He's basically a utility OT, pencilled in as the backup RT. He might not make it through training camp.
- Luke Joeckel, OL, vet minimum - He's a utility OT, pencilled in as the backup LT and LG. He also might not make it through training camp.
- Jake McQuaide - LS, $1,000,000 - Low price for a 2016 and 2017 Pro Bowler.

Trade
Austin Ekeler ($555k) for pick 6.24 - He filled the need for a third down back and was cheap. He also has a little upside as an actual full-on backup RB, which could make Brown expendable after this year.

 

Draft
Going into the draft, my main need was a CB who could potentially start as a rookie (although with a foursome of Breeland, Webster, Hill and House, he doesn't need to be a starter). Beyond that, my main needs were depth and succession plans - particularly at LT, MLB and OLB.

I had pick 1.23. At this point in the draft, my 3 main targets (Brian O'Neill, James Daniels and Isaiah Oliver) were still available, so I took the risk to trade down with the Jets to 2.05 and pick up an extra 3rd round pick, in the hopes that one of those guys would still be available at 2.05.

Turns out they all were, so at 2.05 I picked Isaiah Oliver, as he filled the most immediate need. He's a good press corner and seems to fit Wade's system very well, so I was very happy with both the pick and the value was fine (I had him as a borderline 1st/2nd grade). I particularly liked how hard he works, always looking to get involved in plays. He was also really excellent at beating blocks on screen plays. My main concern with him is his transition from backpedal to tracking long routes, which seems to be slow, and whether he has the long speed to recover. He definitely has the ball skills to make plays when he's in the area, but I do have concerns about him as an NFL athlete. He might end up being best in the slot.

Then throughout the second round, I was watching the board and watching both Daniels and O'Neill drop through the second. Eventually, when I was about to go to bed and Daniels had gone, I put out a standing offer to trade back up into the second. It was costly (3rd, 4th and 6th) to get from 3.07 to 2.27, but it allowed me to take Brian O'Neill at 2.27. I love O'Neill and had a him as my #2 OT with a late 1st grade. He's a very smooth mover, really good pass blocker and excellent in space and on screens, which is something the Rams ask Whitworth to do quite regularly. I'm not 100% convinced about his hands (he got beaten very quickly once by Chubb, but so did lots of people and he held up well against him the rest of the game). My major concern is his lack of strength, but I can happily let him mostly sit for a year and build up his strength and technique behind Whitworth. As a former TE, he has a lot of value as a 6th OL, as he can probably leak out on passing plays occasionally too (he was the target on a few screens in college), so I'd expect him to get 100-200 snaps as a rookie anyway.

My next pick was 3.23 and I only had one guy I was targeting for it, Shaquem Griffin. I'm not sure there's a guy who has had a better single game than Griffin did against Auburn last year. That tape convinced me he has the speed, athleticism, strength and desire to be a good NFL LB. I know a lot of people think his size and weight probably limits him to being a 4-3 LB, but he plays a lot heavier than his listed weight. He is also probably better coming at the LT, using his arm with the missing hand, rather than his fully formed arm, which is bizarre but brilliant. My main concern is whether he can tackle, which he did fine in college but might struggle with in the pros. If he doesn't work out as a pass rusher, he's a ready made replacement for Barron inside (assuming he can tackle. If he can't, he's a replacement for Ogletree...). I had a 2nd/3rd round grade on him, not really as a late second rounder, but more as "I can't decide where I'd pick him, could be early 2nd to late 3rd". If he had two hands, I see a clear first rounder.

The trade up for O'Neill left me off the clock for 2 full rounds until 5.23. At this point, I'd filled my main needs for the whole offseason bar MLB. I had Jake Cichy as my second highest rated player and he filled a need, but Geron Christian was far and away my highest rated guy (I had him as a late 2nd/early 3rd guy). I loved his versatility (switching back between RT and LT during games - he always blocked on the open side of the field). His hands don't look great, but he's got good run blocking power, decent athleticism and good balance. I'm not sure he can ever be a good starter, but even if he's not he can be a good backup at every position apart from C.

My final pick was 6.20 and, very happily, Jake Cichy was still there. Beyond injury, I can't really see why Cichy is ranked as a 6th/7th round guy - for me he's a 3rd/4th kinda guy, assuming his injuries check out (he had a torn pec and torn ACL in college). He lacks college film a bit (he only played 20 games) but he did enough in those to convince me (his game V Iowa was spectacular, with the only concern being that he's not hugely aggressive when blitzing, but then his tape against USC put that to rest).

I was hoping to trade back into the 7th to get Allan Lazard (who I had a 3rd round grade on), but it was not to be.

So following all that, the Rams depth chart is:
QB - Jared Goff (Sean Mannion; Branden Allen)
RB - Todd Gurley (Malcolm Brown; Austin Ekeler)
3rd Down RB - Todd Gurley (Austin Ekeler; Tavon Austin)
WRs - Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Brice Butler (Josh Reynolds; Pharoh Cooper; Mike Thomas; Tavon Austin)
TE - Gerald Everett (Tyler Higbee)
LT - Andrew Whitworth (Luke Joeckel; Brian O'Neill; Geron Christian)
LG - Rodger Saffold (Luke Joeckel; Aaron Neary; Geron Christian)
C - Max Unger (Austin Blythe)
RG - Jamon Brown (Jake Eldencramp; Geron Christian)
RT - Rob Havenstein (Seantrel Henderson; Geron Christian)

NT - Justin Ellis (Tyrunn Walker)
DE - Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers (Ethan Westbrooks; Morgan Fox; Tanzel Smart)
OLB - Robert Quinn, Matt Longacre (Pernell McPhee; Samson Ebukam; Carlos Thompson; Ejuan Price; Garrett Sickels; Shaqeem Griffin)
ILB - Alec Ogletree, Mark Barron (Bryce Hager; Cory Littleton; Jake Cichy)
CBs - Bashaud Breeland, Troy Hill, Kayvon Webster (Davon House; Isaiah Oliver; Kevin Peterson)
S - LaMarcus Joyner and John Johnson (Cody Davis; Blake Countess; Marquis Christian)

K: Greg Zuerlein
P: Johnny Hekker
LS: Jake McQuaide

So in summary, I've returned all but 4 starters (2 downgrades from Watkins to Butler at WR and Trumaine Johnson to Breeland at CB; 1 upgrade from Smart to Ellis at NT; and 1 staying the same from Sullivan to Unger at C) and added a lot of competitive depth (I'd expect all of the rookies apart from O'Neill to climb the depth chart through training camp, although I'm only expecting Oliver to be a full-time starter.

All in all, I'm happy. Happier with my draft than with free agency (mainly because I was watching the Rams knocking it out of the fucking park with trades in reality, which made it tough by comparison). I'd give myself a 6/10 for FA, 9/10 for the draft and an overall 7.5/10.

 

Late to the game here but I wanted to poke in because I actually really like Jackson. I may take some heat for this but I have him as my QB 2 in this draft. That comes with a MASSIVE asterisk that if you are taking him you have to buy in to him being your guy. It changes the entire structure of the offense, the type of guy you need to have as a backup QB how you approach the running game etc... Because of that I see him as the QB in this draft for whom fit matters the most (I actually think the Giants are one of the landing spots that would make sense with Shurmer as HC and already having Beckham and Engram in place...). He isn't going to walk in and be your day one franchise QB but he can do different things.

I wouldn't let him see the field until you teach him 2 things 1) how to protect his body -- dude needs to slide and get out of bounds. 2) Get his throwing base fixed. His base is too narrow and it is a large part of why he floats too many passes high. Get those things straitened out and unleash him upon the NFL.

 

New York Giants draft recap

1.2 -- QB Josh Rosen, UCLA
The marquee acquisition. Rosen is my QB1 in this class and feel like the right fit for what I want out of a QB and the perfect kid for a guy like Shurmer. Rosen has a wrap as a kid who won't just by in you have to explain why you want certain things and how your playbook will make that happen. He will question a coach and hopefully make both himself and the coach better in the process. Shurmer, I think, has an offense that is adaptable and a personality that can work with Rosen rather than be in conflict with him. Best passer and mechanics in the draft, precision accurate, takes snaps under center. I love this kids tape. I take the risk assuming his medicals are not a huge concern but, frankly, I don't have access so I have to assume. If Eli has a slow start Rosen will be breathing down his neck by week 4. I am hoping having actual competition stokes Eli's competitive fire and maybe we see some of the playoff Eli in the regular season for the first time since 2011. Either way I have lined up my succession plan. In a draft with this much top talent at the QB spot the Giants picked a really good season to suck and I took advantage. I considered trading down but Rosen was always plan A and everything else was plan B.

2.2 RB Derrius Guice, LSU
There was a chance I look at Barkley at #2 if he is on the board and Rosen went to the Browns. But Barkley went #1 and Guice was sitting there just waiting for his name to be called. The Giants have a few options at RB but none of them wow you. I like what "Wayne Train" Gallman offers but Guice just offers more. Having a solid RB option should make it easier for Eli to run the offense today but also for the future transition to Rosen. Two birds one stone.

3.2 OLB Lorenzo Carter, Georgia
Bringing in James Bettcher and switching the Giants defense to a 3-4 was a bold move. They have some pieces that adjust really well and some others that maybe are not so perfect. JPP and Vernon are likely going to be cutting some weight and getting down to about 255. What I lack is a guy with length and speed. Carter solves that problem for me. He should be a solid rotational piece early as an OLB while he works on his craft. In a perfect world JPP finds a nice fit in Bettcher's defense but in the real world the hope is Carter can make JPP and that albatross of a contract expendable sooner rather than later.

4.2 Traded for JuWuan James
The Giants desprately needed O-line help and while he is more expensive than a rookie James is entering the prime of his career and is a rock solid RT. This lets me avoid having to invest an early round pick into a tackle and instead take a luxury item like Guice. Locking James in early allowed me to approach the draft differently after getting priced out of FA for the top talent. Being forced to re-sign Justin Pugh at 11 million APY made me want to puke in my mouth a little but knowing James has the RT spot locked down makes me feel a littler better about that.

4.35 OT, Alex Cappa, Humboldt State
What is there not to like about Cappa? Violent hands, good work ethic, spending the offseason in LeCharles Bentley's gym training his butt off. Cappa is something of a project right now but he has tackle feet. His arms are a little short and he is a little light in the pants but I think he puts in the work and he is going to be a very good LG someday with possible tackle upside and at this point in the draft that is about all I can ask for. The level of competition he faced was pretty low but he looked absolutely dominant against them which is what you want to see. Had a pretty good week at senior bowl practices but then wasn't spectacular in the game when they had him play inside and then swung him out to tackle later. My Giants are expecting this season to the Ereck Flowers last in blue, this gives me a second developmental guy to compete for that spot next offseason in addition to Chad Wheeler who is already on the roster.

5.2 S/CB Tarvarus McFadden, Florida State
I had a choice to make at 4.35 -- take Cappa and hope Duke Dawson falls to here or take Dawson and hope Cappa does. Ultimately I liked my other options at CB more than O-line -- and thus McFadden. He may ultimately be a safety for the Giants but they need additional bodies at the CB position and DRC is not long for this roster. (Hell the real Giants already cut him!) I added some older depth but need a guy who I can develop.

6.2 DL Mike Ramsay, Duke
Missed my pick thinking I would be home from my kids science fair in time and got a guy I know nothing about. I won't pretend but thanks for getting me someone here admins!

All in all I am really happy with how this shook out. I got my QB of the future, a real RB, a rock solid RT and a bunch of guys to develop. I don't think my Giants are super bowl contenders in 2018 but this draft starts to set them on the path to be very competitive in the near future.

 

Ya my mistake on the typo. Did you find what you were looking for?

 

These picks are backwards. I took Akins and the Bears were later autoed Conklin.

 

Yep! Thanks for checking.

 

fixed...thank you

 

**ATTENTION

Lyman posted the sign up sheet for his first collaborative mock draft -
https://live4sportnetwork.com/forum/threads/r-h-s-c-mock-draft-sign-up-sheet.13335/

If you're interested, jump in and sign up before your team gets nabbed by someone else!