I can get things organized this weekend and set up a couple spreadsheets so we are running more than one this year. @LAOJoe and @RTTRUTH - Are you guys running a mock this season?
I cannot say for at least a couple weeks. I should have a new job starting so it's a big unknown. Torgo and Lyman might be down though.
I could definitely help out. We’re selling our house right now, and house shopping. So I’m a bit busier than usual. But certainly interested.
I think this is wild are there still people out there who think the Bears are not taking Caleb #1 overall? You simply cannot, as a GM in the National Football League, march Justin Fields out as the future of your franchise by passing on a QB at #1 overall two years in a row. They passed on Stroud last year in order to build the roster around Fields. He still has issues with processing and they are not going to get resolved. That is always going to limit his ceiling and thus the teams ceiling. Does anyone really believe that Fields has a chance of beating Mahomes or Allen in a superbowl? If you don't believe that... You have to take Williams. Passing again and watching Caleb or Maye or Daniels (because you have your choice) play great somewhere else will cost you your job when Fields is just adequate enough. Don't fall for it. Otherwise you give Daniel Jones a $40 million a year contract because the league just didn't catch up with his one read, run up the B gap, gameplans yet. But I'm not bitter or anything.
I do think Fields issues can be resolved with an upgrade to the interior of the line and a couple of weapons to help... They added D'Andre Swift, which in my opinion is an update at RB.. They still need to address the interior of the line, but I personally think adding Marvin Harrison and getting the O-Line fixed would get the Bears closer to a Super Bowl than not upgrading the WR room, not upgrading the interior of the line and bringing in a rookie QB that, imo, is way over hyped. Do I think that's what they will do... No, it's just my opinion of what I think they SHOULD do. The Patriots have committed to a rookie QB, the Bears can get a pretty nice package of picks to simply move back to #2 or #3 and personally, I think they would be helping their team immensely. Again, this is an armchair QB opinion, not something I believe the Bears will do. I'll answer your question with a question, how many Super Bowls has Josh Allen won? Now his team is purging their talent because their window to win has closed.. so yeah, I don't think I will worry about that one. The bigger question is, can Fields lead an upgaded roster TO the Super Bowl. They need to get past the 49ers and Lions over the next season or so... Yes, I think he is capable... but that is blind faith because he hasn't shown it yet behind a patchwork offensive line. Put him on a roster with a good line and good players and I believe he will lead that team to more wins than a 2024 Bears team that stays pat at #1 and drafts Williams. That's my answer...
How many have any AFC QB's other than Mahomes played in since Allen really came on in 2020? Just 1... and the Bills lost to Mahomes in the Playoffs that season... If Allen was playing in the NFC I bet he'd have made more superbowls by now lol. But that's sort of the point isn't it. If you can't envision your guy dueling with QB's at that level you should be looking for an upgrade. And yes I realize that is MAYBE a handful of guys. I have gotten to a point where I simply believe processing is an innate QB trait. You can either do it at a high enough level for it to be a strength or you can't. Fields can't. That isn't going away. (Again definitely no Daniel Jones bitterness coming through) I actually see Fields and Jones having a LOT of the same problems as QB's at this point. Which is why I had 0 interest in trading for Fields as a Giants fan. You can make them better. You can cover up for them. But is what you really want an expensive QB who isn't good enough for the roster problems his salary will inevitably create? QB hell isn't having a bad QB. It's having a guy who you are committed too that isn't good enough to do anything unless the roster around then is perfect and keeps you in the playoff hunt and never a serious contender. Swing big at QB. Win big or lose big. But never settle for ok when you have a chance to swing big.
Is this a common thought here or a you thought. I'll be honest I am just bothering to get around to watching QB's this year and with the Giants picking 6th... I never figured I needed to watch Williams at all. Starting with McCarthy since he is the most "realistic" choice since I assume the other QB's go 1-2-3 this year.
it’s sure as hell not common. I’ve never given a shit about what a talking head is regurgitating. It’s a common theme that Williams is the clear cut #1 in the class. I think it is a lot closer, imho. I think there could be 3-5 QBs that can become starters in the NFL, so don’t take this the wrong way. I just don’t think any of them are Patrick Mahomes.Full disclosure, I didn’t catch Mahomes pre draft either…. I’m notoriously hard on QBs. That’s because so few succeed.
If you guys got JJ, you might end up with the best one in this class, IMO. Fucking kills me to say that out loud.
I am all over the place with my QB track record lol. I was right about Mahomes being QB1 and potentially special. But that was also my first year ever watching QB's so maybe I was just mesmerized by the lack of defense he faced lol. I had Lamar Jackson as QB 2 in his class... But I had Rosen as QB1 and didn't want anything to do with Allen because of accuracy and footwork issues. I loved Haskins... I have shifted and evolved my criteria for what I look for in a QB over time. But I haven't actually watched anything on Williams so I don't know if he is getting hyped for hero ball that doesn't translate or for being able to create plays on his own out of structure. Those things probably look the same at times but are incredibly different.
We shall see. I have tried to avoid reading much on the kid because I wanted fresh eyes when I sit down with the tape. I've only watched two games so far and I get why people say there isn't much there. His QB cuts are like half as long as other QB's. Rumor is the Giants love Maye. Hard to "settle" for someone who isn't your QB1 in order to pass on the kind of WR's that seem like they will be available for the Giants.
Some random draft thoughts this morning - The Vikings are probably moving up for a passer, so my best guess is that it will be with the Chargers at #5. The Patriots may be in play, but I think the move down with the Giants makes more sense for the Pats. The price for Minny may be too high and the short drop to #6 will be more appealing, considering it would give them flexibility to either continue to drop and stack, take one of the top 3 non-quarterback options, or simply draft a passer to groom long term after adding additional draft capital to rebuild a shallow roster. For the Chargers, dropping from #5 to #11 may be a low drop, but adding two firsts to a roster that already has their franchise passer makes a lot of sense, considering the various spots they could fill. It's going to take an infusion of talent at multiple positions to overtake the Chiefs, not just one player at the top of a draft class. If it's not #3 or #5 for the Vikings to move up, then #7 feels like the absolute lowest they may still be able to draft their passer of the future. The Titans may be willing to drop down a few spots to start rebuilding some of their roster while they sort out whether or not Will Levis is the long-term answer at passer. I said a few weeks ago that Daniels is likely the #2 pick in this draft, and I have no reason to back off of that opinion at the moment. Caleb is going #1 overall, so whatever reporting comes out over the next month that Daniels may be in consideration, just ignore it and look to see what the actual noise is around Maye. Drake should be drafted ahead of J.J., and there's an easy argument to make that he should be taken ahead of Daniels, but we watched the Jets go all in on Zach Wilson over a fucking pro day throw, so anything is possible... Like I mentioned previously, Brock Bowers is probably a reach to go in the top 10. This isn't a Kyle Pitts level athlete, and the recent memory for GMs of Kyle going early yet not producing game changing statistics is going to temper a lot of enthusiasm for drafting Bowers early. I think the Jets at #10 are likely the absolute high-water mark for Brock. A lot of people have Harrison, Nabers and Odunze off the board by pick #8. Don't be surprised if one or possibly two of those names sneak down to pick #9. Dallas Turner is going to be coveted by a lot of the teams that draft in that top 8 picks, a team is going to move up for at least one passer (4 could go in that first 8) and TEN likely isn't viewing pass catcher with the same gaze as some of the others in that group. It comes down to a numbers game, and there may not be enough bus tickets available for all 3 of those receivers to catch a ride into that top 8. Circling back to the Chargers - Moving down for them in a trade with the Vikings makes way more sense than standing on that #5 pick. They likely could have their choice of CB at #11, and the value this year at pick #23 looks very strong. The signing of Chase Young by the Saints and the emergence of Carl Granderson likely moves them towards drafting OL in the first. If the board falls favorably, they could have a crack at landing one of the first 3 offensive linemen taken in this draft. I still feel that Denver at #12 is the team that would be willing to make the farthest leap down the board for additional draft capital in this and next year's draft.
Speaking of the Chargers, I dont see how they have no choice but to move down and add picks as Herbert has lost a huge portion of his weapons. WRs Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, RB Austin Ekeler and TE Gerald Everet, all hit the highway, so maybe their hand has been forced, maybe Im reading too much into this? Taking one of the better O-lineman makes sense tho, but they have their work cut out and seeing Harbough and Hortiz make moves might be fun. It was interesting to see the Vikings actually invite McCarthy in for a workout, it was surprising to hear, imo. I didnt know teams did this and Im curious as to why exactly they did this. Do you have an opinion on Bo Nix? Is he statistically inflated or is he a real deal type?
He's an interesting prospect to evaluate. There's a lot to like in his arm talent, but the offense he worked in makes some of the transition projection difficult. I don't think he's in play for MInnesota. I believe the smoke around McCarthy for the Vikings is real, and he is probably going to be their target. Some people will view him as a safer bet than Maye, others won't, but I don't think his ascension in this draft cycle is born purely out of media hype or a wanted narrative. There is a natural passers skill set there to work with but, like any other draft pick, his landing spot will be crucial. He didn't face a lot of adversity in Michigan, so you really have to dig in on details and rely on them heavily to get some idea of what he may bring at the next level. I think the OL in LA is better than what some are stating. They just drafted Quenton Johnson and Joshua Palmer should have a starting role going forward. They signed Gus Edwards to be the plow back that Harbaugh prefers, so I don't think they view it as a must to grab a weapon in that top 5. If the Cardinals were to pass on Harrison, then maybe they want to rethink moving down and take that specific dude, but there are going to be receivers available in rounds 2 and 3 with solid quality. If the Chargers understand that this first year needs to be viewed as the stepping stone to competing for a division title in 2025, then this draft will be about cementing cracks and rebuilding foundation blocks instead of splash picks.
Daniel Jeremiah 2024 NFL mock draft 3.0: Vikings go get J.J. McCarthy; Jets jump for Marvin Harrison Jr. By accident just now, I read this. I kinda hope this type of thing happens...
It's NEVER happened before and would be a bit wild but it's definitely possible. You need to get in front of the Giants if you want a QB. (Full disclosure as of this moment I don't think the Giants take McCarthy if he's there at 6 but can you risk it?) But knowing the QB's being successful is like a 50/50 at best it's just crazy to see. But to have a class with 3 - 4 legit top 10 prospects and the draft board to fall the way it did with QB needy teams in 1 - 3 is just pushing to a historic pace for QB selection.
