It seems we say this every year the last few years but this draft is bonkers for perceived value and little consensus. I can guarantee maybe no more than 10 players that I know will go in the 1st round. There are also many guys that could go much later or earlier in the 1st/2nd round than expected. Look at the names already selected. Many of them could go higher or day 2.
And for many of those I am not saying some lower and some higher. For many it is both higher or lower. That is how bonkers this draft is to me. Now I have my own opinions which are still building since I started late this year but just looking at the surface; it's nuts.
I think the NFL GM's are much more willing to gamble then ever before. At least it sure seems that way to me. Most likely a generational thing.
Nah, it’s the more immediate and greater exposure to public opinion, combined with the hair trigger firings of anyone and everyone. It’s got everybody tripping
RT, you were a good sport last year, do want to do another AV bet? I'll give you a shot (with the odds) to get even... All three of Oakland's 1st rd picks in this mock (Haskins, Gary, Dillard) will be off the board in the real deal before the 15th pick overall... If not, you pick my Av to wear until August 1st...and if it happens, well, you know.
This one might swing more wildly than most differences from one mock to the next. In addition to all the extra pro days, leaking news about medical issues and drug tests, etc, we also have the added feature that the GMs here filled their rosters in free agency differently than the real teams. Our final mock will plug holes in the rosters as they really are, not as we have made them to be here.
Other than Metcalf, I was more impressed with Andre Dillard at the NFL Combine than any other prospect...I've got a cornerstone piece right there.
Jeremiah swears he’s the best pass blocker in this draft. I’m sure the run heavy teams won’t bother. Scouting OLs on WSU is funny. They’ve never heard of the run
Gary was my 1B if Sweat was taken ahead of me at #14 - which he briefly was. I would have been quite happy with either one and had strongly considered taking Gary anyway. Both fit the fast/physical/explosive profile that Dan Quinn wants, and while both are capable day one starters, they will both need time and honing of their techniques to break through as pass rushers. I don't know if the Falcons have the defensive line coaches for that, which is part of why I resigned Bruce Irvin on a vet min deal - the young guys on the line will need a mentor in addition to coaches.
Are you concerned at all with the medical on Sweat? I think he's a helluva prospect, but that "minor" heart issue has me concerned... It's probably nothing, but after Hurst fell like he did last year, I'd want to be extra sure on him...
For purposes of this mock, I'll roll with it as I already have more depth than the real team. If he can't go or is limited, it's a loss but I'm insured, so to speak. I won't have the luxury of that extra depth in a non-GMO mock, so yeah, I'd tread a bit more carefully.
I have to be honest I HATE Gary and I don't care much for Dillard. I can understand why you are excited about them though.
Sweat's issue appears to be minor. Not that we know the details but the fact that the NFL let him test / workout tells you something as they have flat out sent prospects home before.
For that matter I really am more concerned about the coaching on the d-line than the prospects. Dan Quinn might get in there and be more hands-on with the prospects than in past years, as he's planning to run the defense himself. Otherwise, no kidding, our new defensive line coach was the head coach at the high school a few miles down the road from the training complex until 2015. Then he joined the staff at Georgia State for a year. Then he joined the Falcons as a lower level defensive assistant (along with one other guy who had just done an internship with the team) for a year. And then former UGA coach Mark Richt brought him down to Miami to join his staff at UM. Again he stayed for just one year. So... just one year in the NFL as an assistant, one year at a lesser college program, and one year at a major conference college. This is the guy who's going to do a better job than Bryant Young at developing Atlanta's pass rush??
