20 picks away for the Eagles and about 10 guys I'd be really happy with. Knowing my luck most of them will be left and they draft a guy I hate.
lol... I know the feeling. I thought this draft was odd to say the least, kind of surprising with what would seem obvious moves not happening. Lots of twist and turns and surprises in my opinion.
I wasn't advocating for Jackson as a QB, although I think he brings a lot to the position. But the Ravens didn't trade up and give up a future 2nd for him to be a WR. They obviously are buying in and that means Flacco is on the way out. I agree 2019 seems more likely but it just seems to me there's more to this story than has been made public at this point. The post-June 1 trade is just an option for the Ravens.
Sutton was my add-on. Hernandez is legit. I always saw Landry as a 2nd Round guy, but still worthy of our list.
Me too. Hate to say it but the Packers maneuvered themselves very nicely. Worst play of the day was hands down the Saints. He may yet be. Always a run first team tho so not that surprised they didn't take him in the 1st.
I cannot see anyone taking Flacco's contract in a trade. What I do see is an outright Post-June 1st release after the 2018 season. No guaranteed money after this season in his contract, and cutting him after June 1st spreads the dead money out to 8mil in 2019 and 2020 but it creates 18 plus million in cap space for the team in 2019 while Lamar will still be on the peanuts rookie 5 year deal. Joe will not be a Raven after this season, in my opinion. The only way he gets to stay is if he somehow gets this team to the Super Bowl this season......which I just don't see considering the schedule this year in facing the AFC West and the NFC South.... For the record, everyone is comparing Lamar to RG3, I kinda see Russell Wilson in him. He didn't have an OL at Louisville the last couple of years and while under constant pressure, he still put up ridiculous numbers and had to rely on his legs more than he should have. With an upgraded line, I think he will have a great chance to do something awesome.
Flacco's contract is only so bad for the Ravens because of how much money they kicked down the road with bonuses. His base salaries are the only numbers that matter for a future team and they are actually pretty reasonable moving forward: 2018 12M 2019 18M 2020 20M 2021 24M Without looking it up I'd bet Flacco doesn't crack top 15 highest QB cap number in any of those seasons. Probably most likely. Gives Jackson a year but it also delays the transition to a Jackson friendly offense by a year. EDIT: To be clear I mean probably most likely he stays a year. I don't believe he will be cut unless he simply doesn't want to play anymore. If this Jackson move lights a fire under him and he wants to continue his career there's no reason the Ravens won't receive compensation for his services. His contract is a plus for a team if he's traded prior to the '19 season.
It will be interesting to see how many wrinkles the put into the offense for Jackson, and then how much it increases in usage as the season wears on.
I guess so and if it was just Jackson it wouldn't have me guessing so much. It's the combination of the RGIII signing with the Jackson selection that just gives me that feeling that another shoe will drop at some point. That and the local criticism Flacco has received from beat writers who in the past have defended him.
I think we will see more and more of Jackson as the season goes on and I agree that he is most likely the future in Baltimore sooner rather than later.
1(1) Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield QB, Oklahoma A Even though Baker is my fourth ranked quarterback his score is the kind that would justify taking him in the top 5 picks (similar total to Carson Wentz), but the real reason this pick gets an 'A' from me is the idea that it takes a certain amount of guts to draft him at #1 overall. It kicks conventional wisdom in the balls and shows that John Dorsey is not going to hold back when it comes to righting the ship in Cleveland. I have many more thoughts on this pick that I will unpack later on. 1(2) New York Giants: Saquon Barkley RB, Penn St. A+ It's pretty easy to give this pick an 'A+' grade considering Saquon Barkley is one of the best prospects regardless of position to come out in the last decade. He's just about everything a scout looks for and his upside is meteoric. 1(3) New York Jets: Sam Darnold QB, USC A+ This pick gets the 'A+' because of how well the circumstances played out for the Jets. New York made a move up of only 3 picks, gave up 3 second round picks to do it, but it all manages to work out because they end up with the quarterback they most coveted. 1(4) Cleveland Browns: Denzel Ward CB, Ohio St. A- The only reason this pick takes a slight knock is because of the fact that they passed on Bradley Chubb, in my opinion the best defensive player in the draft, to snag my second rated cornerback. Ward's upside is real and he very well may live up to this selection, but I still would have preferred the killer on the defensive line. 1(5) Denver Broncos: Bradley Chubb DE, NC State A+ The Broncos sit at their spot and end up the recipient of the #2 overall prospect on my big board. The idea of adding Bradley Chubb to a defense that already has Von Miller is a scary good one. 1(6) Indianapolis Colts: Quenton Nelson OG, Notre Dame A+ Make the trade down from #3 overall, add a bunch of high second round picks and still end up with a top 3 player in this draft? Yep, moves like that can help to get things going in the right direction again for Indianapolis. 1(7) Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen QB, Wyoming A It was the right thing to do for the Bills and in the long run may pay off huge dividends. The trade up didn't cost nearly what it should have so it is an immediate win-win. 1(8) Chicago Bears: Roquan Smith ILB, Georgia A+ The Bears sit still at #8 and get a top 5 positional player in this draft. This is a really solid pick and the kind that will have fans in Chicago liking the style of play that Roquan brings on Sundays. 1(9) San Francisco 49ers: Mike McGlinchey OT, Notre Dame A This pick makes a lot of sense for San Francisco now that they have identified their franchise quarterback. It give them the flexibility to move on from Trenton Brown and it puts the long term successor for Joe Staley on the roster. 1(10) Arizona Cardinals: Josh Rosen QB, UCLA A+ The Cardinals make the move up and grab a quarterback that should have been off the board in the top 5 picks. Josh Rosen will be the starter in 2019 and the Cardinals will have their franchise quarterback. 1(11) Miami Dolphins: Minkah Fitzpatrick FS, Alabama A+ One of my favorite players in the draft, Minkah gives flexibility in the backfield but ultimately could become a lock down corner. The Dolphins make the smart move and go BPA. 1(12) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Vita Vea DT, Washington A The Bucs get serious about addressing the interior of the defensive line and do it with one of the best prospects on the DL. Vea will make an immediate impact on defense for Tampa Bay. 1(13) Washington Redskins: Da'Ron Payne DT, Alabama A One of two big men on the defensive line that the Redskins scouted heavily. I'm a bit higher on Payne than most are and I see this as a very high value pick for Washington. 1(14) New Orleans Saints: Marcus Davenport DE, UTSA B- This pick takes a big knock considering it cost two first round selections. Davenport has upside but is far from a finished product and the odds are long that he lives up to the price paid. 1(15) Las Vegas Raiders: Kolton Miller OT, UCLA B+ I understand the pick for the Raiders but I'm not as high on Miller as most. Plus, with Edmunds and Alexander available and needs at LB and CB it doesn't feel like Vegas maximized their value.
1(16) Buffalo Bills: Tremaine Edmunds ILB, Virginia Tech A Really good pick here for the Bills. Buffalo did a solid move of manipulating the board and coming away with their quarterback and a potential stud at linebacker. 1(17) Los Angeles Chargers: Derwin James SS, Florida St. A+ I'm pretty sure the Chargers didn't expect to have Derwin James fall to them. This was an ideal scenario for Los Angeles and the potential return on investment is chart bending. 1(18) Green Bay Packers: Jaire Alexander CB, Louisville A+ One of my favorite picks in the draft, the Packers move down then back up to take Alexander. The add draft ammo for next season (future first) and get a targeted player. I honestly wanted to add another '+' to this grade. 1(19) Dallas Cowboys: Leighton Vander Esch OLB, Boise St. A+ This is a very good pick for Dallas and it's someone I believed they would target in round 1. Vander Esch can play multiple roles at LB, provides them with a solid starter now and gives them their eventual centerpiece on defense. 1(20) Detroit Lions: Frank Ragnow C, Arkansas A I like this pick for Detroit maybe a bit more than I do for some other teams. It fits a need for the interior of the line and his style of play should mesh well with what they do on offense. 1(21) Cincinnati Bengals: Billy Price C, Ohio St. A For Cincinnati, taking Price makes a great deal of sense and he likely was there pick once McGlinchey was off the board. It's not sexy but it's a very good pick for the Bengals. 1(22) Tennessee Titans: Rashaan Evans ILB, Alabama A This is a rock solid move by the Titans. I was pretty sure they would be moving up to grab a player on defense and Evans is definitely worth the price. 1(23) New England Patriots: Isaiah Wynn OG, Georgia A- It's a need and I understand New England making the move here, but I feel like there was much better value available. The pick gets a slight push from me though because on my notes for Wynn his play is summed up with one word - solid. 1(24) Carolina Panthers: D.J. Moore WR, Maryland A- Steve Smith reincarnated? Perhaps, but the pick makes enough sense for the Panthers that it gets a bumped grade even though I consider Smith the #8 overall prospect at his position. 1(25) Baltimore Ravens: Hayden Hurst TE, South Carolina B+ The only reason this pick gets a slight bump up is because of how badly the Ravens need to sort out the position, but I do not consider Hayden a first round talent. It works for Baltimore, but I'm really not that high on this pick. 1(26) Atlanta Falcons: Calvin Ridley WR, Alabama A+ I really thought that interior pass rusher would be the pick here, but the drafting of Calvin Ridley is one of my favorite moves on day one. As I mentioned in the most recent podcast, Ridley needs to be in a rhythm passing attack where his strength at gaining separation through perfect routes can be utilized and Atlanta is an ideal spot for him to succeed. 1(27) Seattle Seahawks: Rashaad Penny RB, San Diego St. A- This pick gets a slight bump up in grade because it fits into what I believe was the perfect direction to go for the Seahawks, specifically, to take a running back. I was a bit shocked when it was Penny that went here, but ultimately it's the right move for the offense to get a play-maker in the backfield. 1(28) Pittsburgh Steelers: Terrell Edmunds FS, Virginia Tech B+ I like Terrell Edmunds upside, but I don't like him being selected ahead of Justin Reid (the score differential between those two players is pretty wide). I'm extremely interested to see how Pittsburgh fits him into the defense as I would not be surprised if he gets some looks at LB. 1(29) Jacksonville Jaguars: Taven Bryan DT, Florida A- It's tough to argue against a team adding firepower to the defensive line so ultimately this should be a good pick. It takes a slight hit from me though because I feel like there might have been better value available. 1(30) Minnesota Vikings: Mike Hughes CB, UCF A This is a really solid pick for the Vikings and one that probably pays immediate dividends. Adding a solid third corner now that has the upside to take over one of the starting spots when free agency forces changes is a smart move at the bottom of the first. 1(31) New England Patriots: Sony Michel RB, Georgia A This pick states empirically that this draft is about winning right now. Sony Michel gives them a solid threat in the backfield that will help them get back to the AFC Championship. 1(32) Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson QB, Louisville A This pick gets a solid grade from me because of how Baltimore went about it. Instead of drafting Lamar early in the first they wait and trade back into the bottom of the round to get the additional year while adding a potential franchise quarterback for the future.
Tim any chance you've seen any 2016 tape of Edmunds? I'm told it's quite impressive. I wasn't aware he played with a shoulder brace all season until he could no longer take the pain and had the surgery. Made me feel better about the pick.
Thank You Cleveland Browns!!! You could of had the most dominant pass rush tandem for the next 5 years now MY Denver Broncos do. Thank You!!!
