tukafan21

I'm dying to know how the first 7 picks of this draft went that Hunter fell all the way to 8. He's still not on my draft board for a variety of reasons, but there is no way in hell that he gets passed up by 7 teams

I'd be shocked if he's still there at 8 I think Shedeur will be a bust in the NFL, but I just think there are too many QB needy teams that the Sanders name/hype is going to make sure he gets drafted by then. Just can't see how both NY teams and the Raiders all pass on him, MAYBE the Raiders pass on him if they hire Ben Johnson and he doesn't like Sanders, but I think any other HC gets hired there and there isn't any chance he's there at 6 and they don't take him.

The problem with it isn't about it being successful or failing, it's what happens if they BOTH happen? What does Jerry do if Shedeur is amazing but Deion is an awful coach, or if Deion is an amazing coach but Shedeur is shitting the bed and it's clear very fast that he needs to be replaced? You're tied to them both and if you need to replace one, you are going to need to replace both as there's no way you can get rid of one while the other one stays. If you cut/trade Shedeur, Deion is going to quit. If you fire Deion, Shedeur is going to hold out and demand a trade. And these days, how many coaches are able to stick around for 10+ years with one team like you hope the QB you draft will be there? It's almost like the best case scenario for them is that they do well for a few years and when you have to fire Deion to bring in a real NFL HC, Shedeur is good enough to get you a good return in a trade.

I just googled it and yes, the Cowboys are still currently the most valuable team in the world, and by a decent amount, they're worth $10.1 Billion while #2 is the Warriors at $8.8 Billion. Also seeing the list, how the fug are the Rams the 3rd most valuable sports team in the world? I get why the Cowboys got there in the 90's, but I'm shocked they're still #1 on that list, they seem less relevant than ever.

lol nice timing, yea, dreams ruined. Although, part of me wonders if they actually would bother trading up or just have Shedeur refuse to talk to any teams pre-draft and threaten to not sign with them and sit out the year. Because if they do that, I'm not sure any team would bother risking a wasted pick by taking him, he'd just fall to them at 12 anyways. In a questionable QB draft to begin with, is any team really going to throw away a Top 10 pick by taking a guy they couldn't meet with pre-draft and is saying he won't sign with anyone other than the Cowboys anyways?

Oh, it just hit me that odds are, they'd be giving up that 2026 1st to move up to get Shedeur, which would take the above scenario off the table. Darn... because that would have been funny

If they ate that dead cap hit, it could potentially set up for the funniest thing in NFL history. Because if they cut Dak, then trade a bunch of assets to go get Shedeur, and eat the dead cap hit on top, there is almost no chance of them putting a competitive team on the field in 2025. What does Jerry then do in the lead up to the 2026 Draft when he's sitting there with the #1 pick, Arch Manning enters the draft, and he has to make the call between keeping Deion and Shedeur or dumping both of them to get Arch.

Not enough to make it worth it as they’d still need to move up again. Cant see how they’d make it worth our while when they’re only 4 spots behind us already, they’d be better off just loading up an offer to move all the way up to where they need to get

I hate the majority of things at the combine, even some of the actual football drills. The NFL combine would be like the NHL testing draft prospects while they're wearing sneakers and on a hardwood floor. Or the NBA holding their combine on carpet and the players compete barefoot. Even things like the QB's throwing, just isn't the same as throwing without shoulder pads isn't the same as throwing with them on. The NFL combine should be in full pads and the drills should better represent what a player needs to do in games, even some of the shuttles/cones drills aren't really football moves as much as a way to judge some foot speed and cutting ability in a vacuum, but not doing it in an "on field football way" I'd rather see them test players based on positions, so like for WRs, time them needing to run a 15 yard out from one hash to the opposite sideline. Or have them run a "40 yard dash" that has them run 10 yards straight and then on a 45 degree angle for the remaining 30 yards as if they're running a flag or post route. Then the opposite for DB's, they need to run backwards for 10 yards and then turn for a sprint over the final 30 and that is the "DB 40 yard dash." For RB's, make them chop their steps 5 times and then see how long it takes them to then run 10 yards or something that more mocks them waiting on a handoff and then hitting the hole. Yes, I realize that's not going to happen, but I think things like that would be much more beneficial to judging how timed things would translate to the field.

Really, at this point, the only reason to ever put stock in a 40 time is if someone who is supposed to run say a 4.5, runs in the 4.7 range or something awful like that, it would be a bit of a red flag. Because like you said, it's really about the start you get, which for some players who never ran track and thus never worked on that start until they are done with college and to get ready for the combine, can really hurt their time and make it not accurately comparable to their actual in game speed. And even beyond that, they're out there running it in essentially underwear these days, which again, running in a dead straight line in underwear does nothing to translate to the game when they're in full pads running routes with defenders out there. And that's my point, not that speed doesn't matter, but in game speed on tape is FAR more relevant to evaluating a player than their combine 40 time is. If the 40 yard dash wasn't the most known and visible element of the combine, I really think it would have been eliminated by now.

I think the NFL would do everything in their power to try and convince Jerry not to hire Deion for this exact reason. If you have a QB prospect that many think should be drafted in the Top 3, tell teams he will refuse to play for them if they draft him, because his dad was just named HC of a team drafting #12 and they strong-arm teams into not drafting him so he falls to his dad's team, it's going to create an ugly situation for the league to deal with. Yes, I realize it would be a pretty unique and one off situation, but if/when it works, what would stop players from starting to do the same and refuse to meet with and/or play for teams they just don't want to play for? Especially with NIL these days and many of the top QB's coming into the league already as millionaires, it will give them even more ability to say they are willing to sit out a year to re-enter the draft than play for a team they don't want to go to. All it takes is for it to work one time, and then the next player to try it will make teams too afraid to draft them and risk losing out on their 1st draft pick for the year.

You're right, he doesn't play at 4.59 40 yard dash speed, he plays faster than it I honestly wonder what people are watching when they say he looks slow, almost every breakdown of him actually calls out his speed and how it's unexpectedly good for a player of his size. Too many people confuse "speed" with "short area quickness" Because yes, short area quickness is his biggest negative, but again, 6'5" WR's just don't have that kind of speed. It would be like Bucs fans being upset that Mike Evans doesn't have track speed.

The point is .06 seconds of a difference in a 40 yard dash has essentially zero bearing on in game NFL speed. I didn't say speed doesn't matter, but if you watch his tape and think his top end speed is slow, then you just want to see that and are kidding yourself. Yes, he takes a few strides to really get up to full speed, but that's just something that comes with a player of his size, again, he's never going to be as quick as a 6' guy like some of you seem to think is needed to be a successful WR.

In no world would the Eagles give us Brown for our 2nd when there 100% would be teams out there who would give them their 1st for him. He turns 28 soon and just signed an extension through his prime, someone like the Chargers would absolutely give them their 1st this year for him. And even if not that, I could see the Patriots giving them their 2nd which would be well before ours, or a whole bunch of other teams who need WR help, that Rams 2nd is going to be late.

Sure, everyone gets their turn, and when the teams pay guys like Higgins, Top 5 money, they generally end up being overpays because while they're really good, they just don't provide the ROI on that contract. It's nothing against Higgins, I like the player, but with his injury history, Chase always taking the main attention, having Burrow as his QB, and the lack of top WR FA's, it has all the markings of being a bad signing compared to whatever he's going to get. The Patriots with all their cap room could give him a Top 3 WR contract and he plays really well for them, and it still be an overpay in the end.

Maybe, but the QB needy teams know they aren't going to be great next year anyways. I'd rather go with a Jameis or sign Cousins once he's cut and just draft someone in a better QB draft next year, than possibly waste a 2nd round pick on a guy who may never be a starting QB in this league.

I couldn't see him being drafted in even the 2nd round this year, and 3rd rounders get a 4 year contract for $5.5-6 million. With how much NIL the top QB's can get as transfers, I'd have to think someone like him could get at least 2, if not 3 million for just next season. As long as he doesn't poo the bed, he's still likely a 3/4 round pick anyways, with the potential to work his way into the 1st or 2nd which would then get him a bigger contract as well. Now if he's being told he won't fall past the 2nd, then sure, maybe it makes more sense, but I'd be surprised if that's what he's hearing and will end up happening.

Given the available options in FA this year, Higgins is likely going to end up getting a Top 5 WR money type of contract in the end. You don't think that will be an overpay? He's good, but he's not even Top 10 WR good, let alone Top 5

So many of those "test off the chart at the combine" type of guys end up just physical freaks who never pan out though. I'm not saying that's the case for him, but in general, I hate going after guys who fly up draft boards because of the combine, tape speaks for itself.

For as much as the Raiders don't make any sense for Ben Johnson, I kinda get it if he's being sold by Brady on "I'm Tom Brady, you know I'm going to find a way to succeed, we know we're a mess, come join me and a new GM and we're going to build it up right so you know your job is secure for a while at the same time" If that's what they're selling him, it probably gives him at minimum 3 years as HC, if not 4, no matter how badly it goes during that time, because they're selling him on letting him build up the team from the ground up how he sees fit. In today's coaching landscape, for a 38 year old first time HC, getting that kind of assurance and having Brady in your corner, probably is quite appealing.

LOLOLOL I will make any bet that anyone wants that he runs 4.59 or under. Anyone who actually thinks he's running a 4.6 or higher has clearly never watched him play, that's absolute nonsense.

Said this last night in the Bryce thread, but he's also the perfect pairing for what Bryce does well (and doesn't). The biggest negative people on here have towards him is his top end speed. Well, Bryce doesn't have the arm to take advantage of that type of player anyways, Bryce doesn't have the "throw the ball past the defense and let a Tryeek type run it down" type of arm. Bryce has the "heave it 50-60 yards for a jump ball" type of arm, which again, is PERFECT for what T-Mac does best, and that's make contested catches down the field by high pointing the ball before the defender can break it up. What Bryce also does well have is having the ability to put touch on the ball to place it where he wants, which is a perfect fit for T-Mac and his size. Bryce would be great at placing the ball high and towards the sideline where no defender is going to have a chance at making a play on the ball given T-Mac's height and catch radius. Combine it with his vice grip hands and it's a great fit with the two of them. Bryce also doesn't have the rifle for an arm that will zip a ball into a tight window and get to the WR before a DB can get in there to challenge the play. Which again, is exactly what T-Mac is great at, he's so good at making catches in traffic while he's getting hit, because he has that big body and catches the ball with his hands out away from his body and the defender's contact. People get too hung up on what T-Mac doesn't have in the speed and quick twitch type of game that the Jefferson and Chase type of WRs have. They don't look enough at what he excels at and how it brings something else to the table that 99% of WR's just can't because they don't have the height and subsequent catch radius that T-Mac has. T-Mac is a faster Mike Evans with a slightly less physicality to his game because Evans is a good 20 lbs bigger. It's why I always compared him to AJ Green, that's who's game I've always seen when watching T-Mac.

I'm surprised Ewers is entering the draft instead of getting a huge NIL payday to transfer somewhere else next year. I'd have to imagine he'd pull in a few million as a transfer, which basically would be how much he'd get on a full mid round pick rookie contract, while also maybe having a good season and working his way into a higher draft pick.

Spoken like someone who hasn't watched nearly enough of T-Mac other than a few short highlight clips to know his game. The only thing he doesn't have is the short area quickness in the way that you're looking for, as you seem to want that Jefferson/Chase type of WR, which sure, he's not that. But him and XL are nothing alike, let alone having the same strengths and weaknesses. In particular, T-Mac's #1 strength is LITERALLY XL's #1 weakness, their hands. T-Mac has vice grips for hands, catches darn near everything, and does it all with hands catches, the opposite of XL. Beyond that, you mention prioritizing route running, of which, T-Mac already runs a complete NFL route tree at a high level. Yes, he needs to work on his get off the line at the snap and get a little crisper on some of his cuts to create separation, but again, all players need to work on something, that's just what his is. It doesn't change that he is already a great route runner, there are just some small elements of it that he can improve on. Even then, it's like I've been saying, the trade off of not having that true elite separation like the smaller WR's get, is how good he is at using his body to keep the DB's from being able to break up passes and just making contested catches in general. You lose a little bit of separation, but his 6'5" body gives him advantages that the smaller WRs just don't have. Again, your post here insinuates that T-Mac is a slow, plodding big WR who isn't a proficient route runner, which couldn't be further from the truth. I have no issue with people wanting other players over T-Mac, or just not wanting him at all. But they need to be logical reasons, not made up ones in your head because you don't actually know the player and his abilities.

Straight line running speed in a 40 has no bearing on route separation other than straight go routes, and even then, running a 40 isn't running in football games in a pads. AND... if THAT is your concern with T-Mac, then you might as well take him off your draft board, because he's not a go-route guy that is going to run past and separate from the DB. The deep ball is his specialty, but not because he out runs the DB's, it's because he high points the ball and can make those catches over defenders before they even have a chance to break it up.