I viewed him as a likely top 7 pick and had him going to the Broncos in my projection mock. I believed that a lot of the work Cleveland put into him was because they intended to possibly move down from #4 overall to #6 with a small deal to the Colts so that Indy could lock up Chubb. It would have only cost the Colts one of the multiple seconds they acquired from the Jets to make it happen. But with Chubb on the board at #4 and no trade coming in... I understand that Ogbah is on the roster and that he has very tangible upside (I was pretty high on him coming out) but having too many superior pass rushers is never an issue in my opinion. You never know how the board is going to fall and the Browns obviously wouldn't want to pass on Ward anticipating that another CB of good quality would be available at the top of the second, but with hindsight being available, taking Chubb and landing a corner later might have been preferable. I scored Ward out with a lower number than both Lattimore and Conley so I don't have the same opinion of him that you do, but that's not me taking a swipe at your guy. This is the draft thread and I'm simply giving my opinion.
This is one of my concerns with Ward. Bigger receivers may bully him at times with height and reach. My other concern is at the line of scrimmage. He is decent in press, but he can struggle to reroute and receivers with strong horizontal movement and quick breaks after the first step too often create immediate separation. Having him line up against Antonio Brown will quickly refute or confirm those concerns as he is probably the best in the league right now at getting that quick cushion through horizontal movement. It's always interesting to see how a defensive back conforms to his new scheme and I'm looking forward to seeing how well Denzel fairs on the outside against professional receivers.
Chalk it up...It's really not that bold if ya think he's better than Lattimore, which I already stated that......There aren't many with his skills.
I don't believe he is, and that's why I think this will make for some good conversation at a later date.
Broncos were likely the main reason that Dorsey went ahead and grabbed his guy. You are exactly right Tim. There was a LOT of chatter Thursday that Browns were gonna take Chubb, and Denver was gonna grab Ward with the next pick..
The biggest concern I have with Ward is his tendency to play the receiver with his back to the QB. I think this is something that can be remedied in the NFL. If he trusts his back pedal more, which he excels at and turns just a smidge sooner, I think he will be more effective vs the taller receivers. He has an uncanny knack for reading a receiver though and knows just when to throw his hand up to knock the ball away last second without ever seeing the ball. He also plays completely through the play. Many of his defenses come during the catch and the fact he never gives up on trying to get that ball out. His hands must be strong because he knocks and pulls away more balls than he loses. I don't think he gets bullied at all by tall receivers, by the way Tim. On the contrary, he has played well against taller receivers. Every one knocks him for his size, but he's 5' 11"..he is one of the tallest CBs in the top tier group of this draft class. He's also taken a hit for his play against Simmie Cobbs, a taller receiver. They show how he was beat against him for the TD and another catch, but they don't talk about the 2 plays he beat Cobbs...along with shutting down their other tall receiver Donovan Hale for most of the game. Cobbs had a big game against the Buckeyes, but most of those yards came against other defenders. Everyone assumes Ward was on him all game, because he beat Ward for the TD. Indiana did catch, if I remember correctly, 6 balls against Ward which was WAY out of his normal range...but other than the TD and getting beat for a 20 yard gain by Hale, the other passes were once the Buckeyes switched to a zone defense to protect the lead. He had a fair share of wins that game as well. Indiana tried to pick on Ward and threw his way a lot in that game..games that followed increasingly saw defenses game plan away from him and his numbers improved tremendously as the season progressed because teams wanted to stay away from his coverage.
I think there were 26 or 27 CBs invited to the combine and of those, I believe only 6 weighed less than Ward (that's off of memory so admittedly it could be off). I have a marker at 185 pounds for 5'10" and up as a DB. I don't scrub guys off of my board that don't hit it, but it is a caution flag because of the weight difference involved against professional receivers compounded by the obvious height concerns. The taller the DB's stature when given the same weight (EX: 6'1" at 185) they less leverage they can generate. The more height and length the better the ability to compensate for a receivers height, weight and reach but body type plays a large part in the ability to keep receivers from boxing you out. He has the athletic profile of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie but he's just over 2 inches shorter so I expect his leverage to be better against professional receivers. I think his long speed being one of his best traits will make him an excellent asset in the slot against teams that like to send receivers up the seam in any vertical route but he will need to work on his ability to shield and reroute if he is going to be a successful starting corner on the outside. I believe the possibility is there, but I don't think he has the upside that Lattimore or Conley did coming out last season.
I still contend it's not that bold in reference Denzel Ward....He's a lock to be among the best at what he does. We might have to implement what my fantasy league does on draft day. We have something called - "The Stupid Bet Book"...Everybody was drinking and making ridiculous claims and wagers that all were forgotten the next day, so about 15 years ago, we brought an official bet book, so all the crazy claims and wagers weren't forgotten. It has added a shitload of fun to the draft each year when we pull out the book, and see to it that the many absurd, alcohol fueled wagers are paid off.... FTR: My entry last year was a $20 bet with a Green Bay fan that the Browns would win a minimum of 6 games...So looks like I'm paying for his first few free agents this year. smh...
The really funny part...I initiated the bet at 8 games! The Green Bay guy suggested we make it 6, because he felt that at 8 W's, he was simply taking advantage of my blind love for the Browns...lol! Damnit...
