BYU may have not played the toughest schedule, but Wilson took what he had and did real well with it. Weaknesses, sure, but over-all he may be just what the current NFL is trending to, an under center type with the ability to throw across his body and hit hard targets. His records and ratings are fantastic... some are even making a joe Burrows comparison with him and some of the numbers are remarkably close. BYU and LSU are apples and oranges, but in my opinion, when you scout these QB's you know that and they look for talent in a player in spite of the team or schedule. Look at Chinn, he's not to shabby on defense and came from a 'weak' situation. There are a miriad of examples of players tearing it up in the MAC, for example, and they turn out to be studs in the NFL, so my point is, you dont necessarily find the best fits from the top ranked best schools. All I know is he is high on a lot of peoples radars for a reason. He isnt being ignored because he plays at BYU.
Jeremy Chinn had knocks on him, not because he wasn't big and athletic coming out of a small school like Southern Illinois. His pass coverage and ability to diagnose/read the QB was his big flaw and people just thought he was a box safety/hammer, myself included. Don't understand the comparison of Wilson to Chinn, especially when Chinn was the 5th safety taken in this past draft. Chinn obviously fixed the question marks and is easily in running for D rookie of the year. That's all him bettering himself, not because he came from a small school. Again, I'm not going to blame Wilson for the covid-schedule, I'm just unimpressed that he spent 8 of 10 games bum-slaying inferior opponents with bottom-tier NCAA defenses when the best opponent with the best defense he faced in 2020 made him look like just another guy--as well as his sample size from 2019 where multiple good opponents made him look like just another guy. Furthermore--everybody is "on a lot of people's radar." Pundit/talking head speculation season is about to really pick up steam come Black Monday (then get bigger the day after the superbowl), where mock drafts come out 20x per week and the flavor of the month/favorite player X changes just as frequently in the name of clicks/hot take vignette views which makes these people money while NFL teams are just going to be boring and silent until they sign someone or draft someone. I remember how Drew Lock was supposed to be #2 behind Kyler Murray according to these same people (some suggested he should have been the #1 guy taken) going into the 2019 draft, with Haskins behind him and Daniel Jones a late 1st/early 2nd projection by the talking heads. Then what happened? Wilson has a ton to fix for the next level as does any/every player. The rest is up to him. Just like Chinn, who you mention, it wouldn't shock me if Wilson gets taken 65th overall in the 2nd round with multiple other guys at the same position taken in front of him. He can still be a stud depending on if he's in the right situation. Wouldn't shock me if he's 2nd overall, top 10, or 1st round. Wouldn't shock me if he's exactly who I think he is and isn't cut out for the pros.
The Jets may have put themselves in the least favorable position at the top of the draft that I can remember off-hand. They currently sit at #2, behind the Jaguars and in front of the Bengals. If we assume that Trevor Lawrence will be the starter for Jacksonville in 2021, and we know the Bengals are not in the market for a passer, then the question becomes whether or not a team is willing to sell the farm for that #2 pick or if the Jets would want to stand and make a pick. Right now, I don't believe Justin Fields is a safe enough bet to take at that #2 overall spot and I imagine that most general mangers are split on his projection. That puts the Jets on the clock for a non-passer for the first pick of a new head coach, unless they go with another arm but that would be assuming a player like Trey Lance would be a target. If that's the case, what is the argument for Lance over Darnold? If you want to go with Zach Wilson here and change the direction of the offense, I can understand that move. But again, are you really getting that much better of a player than Sam Darnold that you would rather restart at passer than to build up the rest of the roster by either making a selection or selling the pick? Let's assume for the moment that most general managers believe that the Bengals are going to draft on the OL (pretty safe assumption). That means a team looking to jockey for a preferred player at that position may be willing to pay the premium to move up to #2, but the asking price for that move may be too high for a team like Philly, Chicago or Minnesota to want to make that move. The next potential driver would be for someone to want to get ahead of the teams trailing the Bengals in order to select a targeted player. Maybe a team like Carolina, Atlanta or Dallas would be willing to either secure a pick (in CAR's case) or to jump the Panthers to make sure they get their player. Because of where they sit and the type of talent that will be available if they just remain patient, I don't see a lot of the necessary panic it may take to drive up the price. Basically, that pick is tremendously devalued because of the team needs surrounding it and the fact that the top player on nearly every team's big board will go directly ahead.
Well I thought Darnold would be a bust so I'm all for replacing him. Just as soon as he was proving me wrong it didn't take long for him to reaffirm my initial thoughts. The question is do they believe they got someone at #2? If they do then they should go for it but if they are thinking "meh" then they should by all means pass because they can just take a QB next year instead. Yes they might draft later but a reach at #2 makes no sense when you can just take the same type of confidence QB at maybe #10 (being generous) next year. Take a QB if you are sure, if not take a sure talent at #2 or trade down. From 2 to 4-6 while picking up another 1st and maybe a 2nd or 3rd would be ideal but I'd take 2 2nd to move back to 5-6 if I were the jets and didn't like a QB.
The reality is that we still don't know if Sam can become a quality starter in the NFL. He's had Todd Bowles, Jeremy Bates, Dowell Loggains and Adam Gase for coaches while being surrounded by one of the worst supporting casts in the NFL. New York's level of 'bad' is the type that sees them still have a 3-11 record when Darnold doesn't produce a single turnover. He's had 36 starts, had the living shit pounded out of him in most of them, and had the holes in the roster around him magnified by a completely inept coaching staff. The Jets hiring of Adam Gase is still shocking to me nearly 2 full years later. If it's the same coaching staff, it just doesn't matter what they do at #2. Taking a quarterback at that pick in this draft doesn't make any sense considering the starting lineup he would be thrust into, but if a new head coach falls in love with one of the arms that are not connected to Trevor Lawrence then you have to give him the opportunity to build the team around that pick. At the same time, there's no guarantee fortune will shine on them for a chance to get a preferred arm next season.
Assuming Gase is gone (and even if he wasn't), why not go best player available? The Oregon LT Sewell is garnering high praise and comps to Joe Thomas and Taylor Lewan. Don't know much about the Jets, but assuming their 2nd and don't get Trevor Lawrence, why not take the LT who otherwise would likely be #1 if Lawrence wasn't in this year's draft?
and he's still there when lesser stuff is not tolerated around the NFL. Headscratcher to say the least.
I would agree that I don't want this current staff to corrupt anyone else. Gase must be a hell of a sweet talker.
Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins declares for NFL draft Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s best defensive player earlier this week. The junior declared for the 2021 NFL draft Thursday. He will not play in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on New Year’s Eve. “In support of my family and my dreams, I would like to announce that I am declaring for the 2021 NFL draft, and I am turning my focus towards preparation for this dream,” Collins wrote on social media. “I wish all my teammates the best of luck in the Armed Forces Bowl.” Collins totaled 54 tackles, 11.5 for loss, and four interceptions. He had a 96-yard interception return for a touchdown against Tulane in overtime. Collins finished as the runner-up to Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah for the Butkus Award, which honors the nation’s best linebacker. NBC
Highly drafted quarterbacks rarely transform bad franchises Those who think the Jets killed the future of their franchise by winning on Sunday and giving the Jaguars the lead in the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes may want to look at how great teams are built. It’s hardly ever by losing enough to earn the first overall pick, and using that pick on a franchise quarterback. In fact, of the NFL’s eight current division leaders, none drafted their quarterback first overall. None even drafted their quarterback in the Top 5. Four current division leaders used a first-round pick on a quarterback, but none followed the “tanking” model to get him: The Chiefs were a playoff when they traded up to draft Patrick Mahomes. The Bills were a playoff team when they traded up to draft Josh Allen. The Packers were a playoff team when they drafted Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers were a 6-10 team but had been in the playoffs the two years before that when they drafted Ben Roethlisberger No. 11 overall. The other four division leaders did not draft their starting quarterback in the first round: The Seahawks drafted Russell Wilson in the third round. The Saints signed Drew Brees as a free agent. Washington traded for Alex Smith after the Chiefs decided to move on from him. The Titans traded for Ryan Tannehill after the Dolphins decided to move on from him. But while the NFL’s best teams didn’t get their quarterbacks at the top of the draft, what about the teams that do have a Top 5 draft pick quarterback? Some of them may make the playoffs this year, but overall the results are more bad than good: The teams that have a quarterback picked in the Top 5 on their roster (the Browns, Dolphins, Bengals, Jets, Rams, Cardinals, Bears, Lions, Eagles and Falcons) have a combined record of 60-78-2 this season. Bad franchises are often bad for reasons that no one player can change, and sometimes quarterbacks who look like great prospects either languish on bad teams or prove not to be so great. There’s no guarantee that Lawrence can transform a franchise. NBC ___________ _________________ Kinda goes along with what we've been talking about. You cant really 'fix' a franchise with a highly drafted QB alone... more needs to happen and a lot of factors are involved.
All true. But Peyton Manning and maybe a Matt Ryan sure helped. My point is they are right that an elite looking passer won’t save your team, but it goes a long damn way if you simply draft well aside from him
Did Justin Fields just set back Trevor Lawrence's #1 draft rating... maybe combined with DeVonta Smith's WR performance for Bama and lets not forget, Mac Jones (QB)? I have lots of questions and yesterdays CFP games raise a lot of questions, but maybe im putting too much emphasis on a days worth of football. Some very impressive stuff went down Friday.
I think you will see a lot of knee jerk reactions and analysts looking to drum up clicks off of what transpired, but Trevor Lawrence will be a Jaguar in 2021. The bigger takeaway should be the thing that was obvious to some pre-game - Ohio State simply has a deeper stable of high caliber athletes than probably any other team in college football.
Your right. Just saw an article (NBC) of probably many, that said; Justin Fields just gave the Jags something to think about, lol. They (JAX) probably consider everyone available and how each one would fit next seasons scheme. Trevor's stock, in my opinion, is safe, especially when you look at the overall picture. And besides, Fields and the Buckeyes still have a game against Alabama, who can look like an NFL team at times.
Was definitely an impressive game from OSU. And definitely Fields gave the Jets added confidence that he’s probably a worthwhile option at 2. I still think Bama will pull out the championship though. Not by a lot, but they’re still my pick. As for the game last night, I think OSU benefited largely from 3 things. * Their use of tempo variance. The analysts did a good job pointing out how that confused the Clemson D on a few occasions. They weren’t ready for the snap on a few occasions and found their gap responsibilities suffering at times. * The surprise heavy use of the TE squad. Something they really didn’t use all year and therefore I doubt something the opposing D really planned for. TEs made big plays all night. * Haven’t heard it mentioned yet, but in a game that big I gotta assume it hurt Clemson a lot not having their usual OC there. Sure the fill-ins trained under him. But I think despite understanding what certain schemes are used for, the honing of that feeling for what will keep the D off balance or how to properly mix up the play calling for an elite opponent probably separates the mentors from their pupils. Two other random player observations. All that said, it wasn’t Lawrence’s best game by any standard. Too many blocked at the line, and pocket awareness just wasn’t up to snuff. Despite overall team play, it wasn’t Shaun Wade’s best game either. His lack of situational awareness, poor use of leverage, and hit-and-miss route recognition all made me think he’s more of a 20-35 kind of pick than anywhere near top 10. But then again I said the same thing about Eli Apple. Maybe his workouts redeem some of the stink of what happened last night.
Treading lightly here, in truth I haven’t scouted him yet (Shaun Wade). I’m just saying that I’ve heard his name floated as a possible top 10 pick, and that game didn’t do much to back that up. It’s possible I love the rest of his tape, but only time will tell
