Mr. Scot

From our pal Ellis...

...and concludes he'd be talked about as a clear first rounder if not for the medical questions. QB Carson Strong could be the Draft's biggest wild card Excerpts: If it weren't for the concern with Carson Strong’s right knee in which he had to replace cartilage with cartilage from a cadaver in 2021, we might be talking about the former Nevada quarterback as a first-round pick. Watching the film, he’s only second to Liberty’s Malik Willis when it comes to arm talent. Strong has been open about his recovery process. He said his dad advised him not to play the first part of last season because the surgery he had typically required a year to heal and he came back in six months. Strong was determined to be there for his team and boost his draft stock. He admitted his knee affected his play and mobility. ... Despite the injury, he threw for 4,175 yards, 36 touchdowns and only eight interceptions, while completing 70 percent of his passes in an offense that emphasized vertical passes. Strong practiced and played in the Senior Bowl without a knee brace. If there were a game today, he could play but the concern is with the longevity of his surgically repaired knee. “Each team views it a little differently,” said Dane Brugler, The Athletic’s draft expert. “(Strong) has had numerous surgeries and is healthy to go play a game right now. But long-term there are concerns. Enough that will take him off some boards. Decent chance he’ll end up being a terrific value for the team willing to take the chance.” ... Strong throws a beautiful deep ball, can zip passes into tight windows and has a good sense of ball placement. He has experience playing under center in a heavy dropback offense, can manipulate defenses and changes protections and audibles at the line of scrimmage. As far as traits, his biggest weakness is his mobility, but if you’re betting on him, you’re betting that he’ll be able to move better as his knee continues to heal. ... According to Pro Football Focus, Strong is tied for first with 55 big-time throws since 2020. Basically, big-time throws are throws that are high in difficulty and value. For example, a long-distance throw into a tight window that results in a third-down conversion or touchdown would be considered a big-time throw. Even though Strong attempted a lot of high difficulty throws, he’s only thrown 19 interceptions in his three seasons as a starter. ... Strong has prototypical size (6-foot-3, 215 pounds), has good arm talent, is aggressive and has experience throwing concepts that will translate to the NFL. His mobility could be an issue but again if you’re betting on his knee, you’re betting that he can move a little better if he gets healthier. He’ll never be confused for Josh Allen, but you don’t have to be a scrambler to win in the NFL. Drafting him will be a gamble with his medical history, but if he can get healthy and stay healthy, a team could be getting a first-round type talent at the most important position later in the draft.

Rosinski weighs in...

I don't know if I have a favorite myself, but the gold standard is still the Rooneys. Some people would say Robert Kraft but the Rooneys have been at it way longer.

The credibility of the person you responded to is damn near close

Do you normally expect teams to actually come out and say "Yes, we're going to fire this coach if he doesn't win this many games this season"?

Apparently there's some dispute to that...

Some of us have been dreaming about that sort of thing for years now.

... in light of the recent moves made by the Saints (per Jeff Howe in The Athletic). But there might be an unintended consequence with the Saints’ early chess move. For example, maybe the Panthers were hoping to slide a few spots to get their quarterback, rather than staying at No. 6 for Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett or Matt Corral. Now, though, if the Panthers’ preferred QB is still on the board when they’re on the clock, they might not risk a move back with the Saints lurking. The same could be said for QB-needy teams like the Falcons (No. Seahawks (No. 9), Commanders (No. 11), Vikings (No. 12) or Texans (Nos. 3 and 13). Or maybe the Saints’ preemptive strike will cause those teams to make an early, aggressive move of their own. The Steelers, who pick at No. 20, also know they’ll have to contend with the Saints in the quarterback market. Suddenly, an imperfect quarterback class — one that might’ve led to a more patient approach in the draft — might have just become the main draft storyline, with teams knowing they’ll almost certainly need to fend off the Saints to get their guy.

Kinda concerned about his NFL knee...

Agree completely

Nah. Take a tackle.

I agree about investing in the line no matter what kind of QB you get, but we've spent a pretty good amount of resources this offseason on doing exactly that. I'd add that while I'm not that big a fan of rankings, a guy performing significantly worse from a clean pocket concerns me way more than a guy being worse when harassed.

Not really. I just dislike bullsh-t arguments. I acknowledge Pickett could turn out to be a really good quarterback. He certainly has the kind of tools that I tend to prioritize. My worry is that he's one of those guys who peaked in college and either won't be good in the pros for very long we won't be good at all.

Well, except Carson Strong

"The first thing I care about...is winning." Yeah, that was a good one

Yeah, figured it was bullsh-t.

Given that he's talking to Congress, I wouldn't say he's "waiting" on anything.

Mind you, Hue Jackson said he had evidence too. But if Friedman actually does, that's big trouble for Snyder.

Who's to slay we'd offer a bad deal, though? And I've seen more than one trade be influenced by who was doing the trading.

Can you actually back that up?

Very possible. I still wonder what happens if Joe Schoen gets a call from his old buddy Dan Morgan though.

Anderson himself said his prime frustration was with the playcalling. I know there's a narrative that Anderson hates Darnold, but I've never seen any actual evidence of that outside of fan speculation.

Related... Campen's been busy...

Darnold had already been here for months when Anderson signed his extension.