Bear Hands

The Athletic FS had a Panthers fan write in about Mykel vs Jalon. Derrick K was surprisingly in favor of Mykel but gave a pretty compelling argument. You’re getting a baseline great run defender with some nice pass rush potential. You’re not getting the hyper athletic, violent, burst off the snap type, but he’s a grinder who can maintain a great level of play throughout a game. He’s the ideal type to eventually have paired with the more peppy/athletic edge rusher. No one says to avoid a 1B just because you don’t have or can’t find a 1A. And who knows, he could still become a double digit sack guy. 86” wingspan is monster. With Jalon, you’re using him as an EDGE. So you’re banking him fitting a super rare spot, that only Parsons has really followed through at. Myles Jack and others just didn’t work out as well. They mentioned you may just be getting a shorter Luvu-plus rather than a Parsons-lite. Mykel at 8 will not surprise me in the least, and it could be a solid move.

Yeah my guess too - so 8 and 111 for 11 and 43. I also have a hard time seeing Grant lasting that long - T Sweat did, but dropped bc of character concerns. From a write up and prospect spotlight standpoint this is nice, but from a predictive side, not so sure.

Fun write up. I like the idea of Golden for us but I’m just unsure if that’s where our FO’s head is at Round 1. Think he could be a great fit for our offense. So this scenario assumes SF trades 43 and 11 for 8? Ill be honest, not the biggest Kennard fan but otherwise good stuff.

It could make sense, but I don't know who it would be if we're talking QB. I just don't see the Steelers trading up that far, it's not in their blood. I strongly feel they're angling for Milroe or Dart, and will be patient. No need to get aggressive for those guys. Other teams won't have an issue letting the Saints pick Sanders haha. Our best shot is 1 of Campbell/Membou (or maybe it could even be Banks) are available & a team like SF or SEA with a boatload of picks and OL needs makes the trade. Or it's Jeanty and the Bears/Cowboys/etc. really want him. Put yourself in other team's shoes - no one else is worth trading up for. This draft is Carter, Hunter, & Jeanty...then a huge field (25+) of late-1st/early-2nd round talent. If anything, it's the OL scenario. Seattle or SF are the perfect spots - move into the teens, add a 2nd, and a future pick (at min) The only Shedeur options I see would be CLE (we get 33 & next year's 1st minimum) for 8 or NYG and we get 34, 99 and 2026 1st type package.

word of the day: prolix

Yeah in a dream scenario, someone trades with us, ahead of NO for Sanders. That, or 1 of the 2 top OLs are our only shots at a trade down IMO. Basically, that would be PIT or long shot SEA or LAR. We land someone like Ezeiruaku, then with added picks, have the assets to get more immediate impact guys.

Burns has never filled out his frame and worked on his torque to become a relevant run blocker. But because of his pass rush skills (minus his missed sacks/bad angles), you’re stuck putting out there on running downs needing to overcompensate elsewhere on your front-7 in run defense. Frustrating to have. When the boom/busts that have the run defense floor, it’s a bit more manageable than having teams just gash us for 5.0+ ypc consistently with some flashy guy whiffing on sacks, eventually getting to 8-10 on the season.

This has been my gut since the initial reports back in Jan/Feb about him. I’ve warmed up to Williams (Stewart less so) through the process. He’s not going to be the most athletic but could become a top 1B type which is still a big add. His limited burst and athleticism caps his upside but he’s still a very solid prospect worth it in this class (relative)

Another scenario: 1. Ward 2. Hunter 3. Carter 4. Campbell 5. Membou 6. Walker 7. Warren …

Fun to see the crazy range of wants in this thread - makes for such a Wild West offseason of opinions

I get a sense they are weighing defense along w/ BPA. Whoever the staff likes between Mykel/Ez is my sense here. I would also throw in Harmon but our FAs along with Brown/Robinson make it a tough fit. Trade downs may be unlikely in our spot so taking that out per request, Membou could be BPA, but gut says we go DBPA. Positional value is there, upside is there, Less anxious about them vs Shemar. I don’t think there’s offensive skill guys worth it - maybe Golden. There’s no ILBs, no safeties worth it, Will Johnson - injuries, Barron - is he just a NB/FS? It’s Mykel season.

I think it’s this pick 5-15ish stretch that the tough spot. There’s just no high end first rounders you typically see at our spot. There’s a few blue chippers and then the rest are mid to late firsts at best. It’s also why I don’t expect a trade down, but one can dream. But it won’t be much capital gained in this draft.

If I’m putting myself in a team’s shoes - you’re looking at these prospects and Warren hits most boxes for a TE with a plus on most. So yeah, he’s a great prospect, no doubt, 1st round talent as a TE. But when I look at him through the lens of that PSU offense, they were running so much through him, I’m not so sure it was beneficial to seeing how he translates. They were getting him open in the flat, running weird trick plays, and designed a lot of ways to find him on delayed seam routes and such. So a lot was structured around getting him the ball in creative ways to advance the ball, in steady sequences, methodically down the field. Thing is, yeah he’s catching a ton, is big, and can block, but throw him into an NFL offense in a more traditional sense, he’s gonna be stickied by speedy LBs and big nickels. I just wonder how he is in a more isolated fashion— when he’s just a piece of a greater NFL offense getting shadowed by more talented defenders. I think it could still be great but I have question marks when it’s at the TE position. Will he look no different than other very solid TEs or is he this offensive centerpiece at the position that doesn’t come along often (Bowers, Gronk, Kelce, Witten, TG, etc)? I think he brings a ton and could be one of the safer TE prospects, but what I’m unsure about is if you’re really getting this new age Witten type people are crowning him as. Even if that’s the case, is that worth it? If he wasn’t in PSU’s Franklin/Allar offense, would you be seeing the same output? More questions than anything - I could get on board with it, but it’s hard for me to really project because of how that offense was (which was so frustrating at times).

What I keep wondering is if he would really be going ahead of Kincaid, Mayer, & even LaPorta in the 2023 draft? I guess.. probably? Maybe? I feel that Bowers just reset expectations for a TE1 and now it just has everyone hot and bothered. Rewind one more year to a historically deep TE class, what’s Warren really bringing that LaPorta or Mayer didn’t? I personally don’t see some major edge making him this unicorn TE at the top.

I also think the term “local source” is a stretch here lol. It’s X speculation from fans; they aren’t media, press or anything.

I don't think trade charts will align well with trades that actually happen in this draft. Teams swapping a few spots or even 10ish spots in R1 are all in the same wheelhouse - they are well aware the players are all roughly holding similar value from #8-50. Which is why trades may not be prominent until we're in the mid-teens. The higher teams won't want what the lower/offering teams are willing to give. Unless they're cool with less value than normal. No one is tossing a future first for Sanders. And rumor from PIT beat reporters they are focusing on the lines Round 1 anyways.

Missed this yesterday - his highs are more appealing to me, a bit more physical/more pass rush upside, we've had some meetings with him. Was being a bit predictive. Thought it was a fun way too bookend.

Matt Corral and Malik Willis went. These guys know it’s not 1st guaranteed these days. Not the biggest deal.

He's my favorite kicker based off photos alone. The hair is chef's kiss Also has the power leg. The anti-Piniero

Yes please

I think you make fair points and it’s good convo. Walker’s big ability is disrupting the passer right now, so naturally, his role should be primarily an edge at the onset. I could have framed it in a better way that wasn’t as off-ball centered.

The trade scenario I thought of was with Membou and the Seahawks at 8. They’ve expressed strong interest in him. If the Walker buzz is as strong as rumored, Membou (or maybe Campbell) could be the odd man out there at 8. NO, CHI, MIA plenty of teams need OL ahead of SEA and they have a ton of picks. We get 18 and one of their seconds at min. This year may not be as good a return as other years but the player value could hold — we still end up with Ez/Mykel/Tet/etc. at 18.

The Beast comes out tomorrow which usually drops a lot of hints and good intel. Will probably influence some opinions and stuff so wanted this out before

That’s a stretch. He was much better in zone and took on spy responsibilities well this past season. If you’re talking 2023 he had some growing pains but what he was asked to do with UGA translates to a diverse role in the NFL. Nolan Smith in ways - Eagles started playing him more off all this past year along with edge work and it turned out nicely.

I just don’t think Sanders goes at 2 or 3. And with how Thib’s career trajectory looks and Burns’ disappointing season, it sounds like an organization that has no problem going with an edge rusher again. Graham doesn’t push the needle for them/isn’t a target. Carter in NY could easily happen. Heck, KT could be on the block for all we know. Probably a good call if they’re thinking about maximizing assets. I also don’t see JAX, LVR, NYJ, or anyone else further down trading up for Carter at 3. Takes two to tango. The capital required isn’t worth it. Even though he’s one of the few blue chips, he’s not generational and worth that type of package.