@Campbell same question for me with the Eagles I assume? I'll tr to get to it tonight. Just checking in.
First off, they have quite a few very important needs. If the opportunity presents it self once the Draft kicks off, I hope Kwesi is ready willing and able to trade up and go QB, but only if he can land a prospect such as Richardson or Hooker, I think I prefer either of them over Levis at this time. Seems to me the Vikings may be willing to sweeten the pot a bit by a possible trade of Cook. That sounds desperate, but they should be desperate at this point, IMO. If none of those two QB's are available, Im thinking DT or Edge at #23. A LB (ILB) wouldnt be bad, but i believe somebody up on the line would be a better fit. If they would go LB a guy like Jack Campbell or Drew Sanders would be nice. As Im typing this i cant help but think of the Vikings not having a legit WR2 also, but that may happen in later rounds. Definitely dont need a CB in the 1st round, that position is deep and someone good will be available further down. Seems like a lot of Mocks have the Vikings going DB in the 1st, but i am very against that. Bigger fish to fry early on. Im really anxious to see what kinda move the Vikings do. I sure hope they can move up if their target is available (whom ever that may be). Simply put, The Vikes are in so deep of hot water, Im not sure what they should do, lol.
I’m not declaring anything, each prospect is still a long shot for the NFL. Too many variables involved to achieve success in that level. BUT, this class of QBs.. I don’t recall a draft with 5 guys that have so much potential. We could be witnessing history if everything falls right for each of them.
I'm wondering if the possibility of a draft like the 1983 class is not that far off from happening again (6 QBs). Teams willing to take the risk of drafting passers of non-prototypical stature will increase the likelihood of injuries that will put them back in the hunt for arms sooner, rather than later. Throw into the mix the idea that hitting on quality passers will always be a limited endeavor and you end up with an increased chance of arms that shouldn't be taken early pushed up the board. There's already an inflated value on suspect projections for quarterbacks, but if you start seeing teams taking the heightened injury risk, I believe the over/under on passers each season is going to start exceeding the current average of just over 3 that has been running since 2010.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andrew Luck, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Tom Brady are recent retirees, throw in Aaron Rodgers who will probably be gone soon and even Matt Ryan, Marcus Mariota types... and then there's the bounced around and injured types like, Bridgewater, Mayfield, Carson Wentz (insert, Jackson, maybe Tua, Jimmy G). Thats a lot of QB's and Im sure I missed several that are no longer around or have very short time left in the NFL. Im wondering if the outgoing of these QB's has something to do with the increased spotlight or attention prospects are getting? Maybe more focus is on NCAA prospects because of the higher demand these days? Everyone would love to land a Patrick Mahomes or Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow type and those 3 are phenomenal talents, but are the prospects on that level, or are they just getting the hype because of the demand?
I think it’s just because of the talent of this class. Last years class was just the opposite. There was talk that they could make it through the first with NO QBs..
The other reason for this is that front offices are starting to realize that at $40,000,000 + per season on a second contract the odds don’t favour you winning. Hard to put talent around a cap hit that size. We are right at the precipice of a team taking that plunge and drafting a young guy over giving a 2nd contract to a guy in the top 8-12 range. The Josh Rosen/Kyler deal might not be the same thing, but proves some owners are willing to call a spade a spade and go for broke.
I think we could possibly get to 5, pretty realistic scenario actually. 6 would depend on the talent pool being watered down enough to be willing to take one out of the next tier if QB and I just don’t think this class is that watered down to get there. I could see 2 more going in the second round, but I don’t see 6 going in the first.
I'd love it if the Falcons did trade down from #8 (you've seen me move down in countless mocks), but it kinda depends on who's on the board. I'm getting the feeling that if Jalen Carter does fall to #8, he'll be staying in Georgia. If he's already gone (I've seen mocks saying Seattle takes him, which makes a lot of sense), I think it becomes a lot more likely for Atlanta to drop down - if the offer is there. And I do believe our new GM Terry Fontenot is much more likely to move down than Dimitroff. I covered a media event one time, I think in the middle of the 2009 season, when Dimitroff openly said he didn't like the idea of trading down the way Belichick did in those days. (Note that through the 2007 season, Dimitroff led the college scouting group for New England). He compared it to giving up the best Christmas present under the tree. Fontenot has moved in the second round in both of his drafts. In 2021 he moved down, and last year he moved up. He has openly said moving in either direction is on the table. So I'd say it's possible, given the situation and the offer.
I should have been clearer in my post - I don't see any scenario where 6 passers are taken in this draft. However, I do think the trend for more passers to go in the first round is probably going to escalate within the next 6 seasons. I think there are GMs (and definitely owners) that are going to want to adopt this philosophy, and it could be another catalyst to consider my original take, however... Chiefs, Rams, Bucs, Chiefs, Patriots, Eagles, Patriots, Broncos, Patriots, Seahawks, Ravens, Giants, Packers and Saints, would be the list of Super bowl winning teams going back to 2010. That's a large enough sample size to run against that narrative, and the results are pretty obvious. Only Russell Wilson, Carson Wentz and Patrick Mahomes were on their rookie deals. That's three of fourteen championships won by teams that were not paying out a significant salary to their primary passer. You can make the argument about Brady taking less, or Mahomes deal being more team friendly (second championship), but I would counter that this would point more to the idea of teams being able to build culture into contract negotiations or needing to learn when to walk away from a bad contract. It's my primary consideration for why I believe the Ravens should find a path sooner, rather than later, to separate themselves from Lamar.
Ok, let's pass this question onto someone else... @dlinebass5 - Is Jalen Carter a "must draft" player if he slides into that #9 spot?
The scenario I have them at now is giving up their 17 and 32, moving up in the first and getting a mid to early fourth in a kick back.
The success or failure of Jalen Carter is going to come down to things that you and I can't see - stuff that's not on tape. If the team has spent extensive time with him, investigating the facts of this case, etc, and feels that he's mature enough to succeed at the next level, then sure. The problem is that this defense crucially needs talent on the DL, and I'm not sure the draft has a surefire guy that fits their needs later. That said, I still think I'd prefer them to draft on the OL. You've gotta protect your franchise QB, and I don't see them having made the necessary moves to do that already.
I think there are a lot of Bears' fans that would agree with you here, but I still find it interesting that there may be enough of a slide that Carter could get down to a spot where he may have been taken originally (before the questions), considering Chicago's need and the level of talent he displays. Ultimately, I don't think it's a decision the Bears will have to spend anytime pondering, because I don't see him making it past the Lions at #6.
Just hoping we don't get another Laremy Tunsil situation. Pace passed on him for Leonard Floyd, who he was always drafting, even after he surprisingly fell down the boards for the bong incident. That certainly proved to be a bad decision.
