Bear Hands

@Captain MorganThanks a ton for the updates

There are only 3 players drafted in-house from before 2020 (Shaq, Ian Thomas and Moton) We used 9 picks on last year's 5 player draft. None look like sure things. 3 will likely not be here much longer (DJJ, Zavala, & Jammie). Leaving us Bryce and Mingo as question marks. The prior year, we used 8 picks on 6 guys...and only 3 are still here: Icky, Mays, and Barno It's bad. Baaad

Yeah, this draft is being kind of slept on in that regard. If we can get a guy that becomes a bulk of our run game, can hit home runs, & pass catch, that's huge. There's 5 IMO that would instantly take majority snaps here: Brooks, Benson, Corum, Wright and Lloyd. That is a huge get even considering the shelf life of RBs. If they can do it all, you get a great addition to an offense that has been god awful.

Some notable guys Brugler hears from sources may go higher than expected, per the Beast and his pod appearances: Kris Jenkins Jr. Michigan (35 to LAC via trade) Patrick Paul (36 to WAS) Mike Hall DL Ohio State (43 to ATL) Cole Bishop S Utah (60 to BUF)

Yeah I'd echo that with Ladd. My gut says the top-4 and Ladd are gone. He just seems too useful of a tool for a contender offense like DAL, KC, or BUF. AD is a toss-up. So then--the 2nd round field is potentially around 6 guys IMO: Coleman, Polk, Franklin, Legette, Roman Wilson, Pearsall (been quiet on his front though) I view Javon Baker (big fan) and Xavier Worthy a notch lower, but they're nice at 65. Then I really like some additional guys like Malik Washington (I think everyone loves him at this point), Brenden Rice, J Cowing, CJ Johnson

This dude is one I'm big on - had a good EW Shrine game and a great season of stuff. I could see him taking snaps pretty quickly as a rookie. Caught 53 balls and had 17 TDs for Memphis. This kid WAS their offense.

The way his first round fell is definitely a possibility. Bills get aggressive for BT Jr., and only AD goes after that. A lot of those teams in the 20s have OL, DL, and DB needs. I like his first 4 rounds.

Fair argument. Stretching a defense vertically is just as important as spreading them out.

There's a few good double-dip combinations that could be nice. Legette would be more palatable with that type of scenario as well. Could end up with: McConkey/AD Mitchell 33 + Polk/Roman/Legette/Pearsall 39 (maybe even a minor trade down from 39 to the 40s) Or BPA 33, and this: Polk/Roman/Legette/Pearsall 39 + Malik/Baker/McMillan/Rice later I'd personally love a scenario where we end up with Ja'Lynn Polk, Trey Benson & Malik Washington somehow. Those are the dudes I'm all about.

A lot of nothing honestly, but figured to at least post the content.

Valid - good discussion btw. I will say, this is where I get a bit more sold on specific players over filling a void. I do think there's validity in balancing positional priority in the draft with BPA, so I understand where you're coming from -- I'm more so just finding myself pretty compelled by this guy. I'm not a huge fan of Arnold and Kool-Aid, but they do check boxes and are overall really sound prospects. If available, hell yeah, they or even DeJean would be optimal. Do note - McKinstry isn't a ballhawk by any means and Arnold has even less CB experience than Sainistrill. Elsewhere, TJ Tampa isn't that good in the run game, played a lot of off-man and only had 3 picks his entire career. So you're banking on him rising to his potential. Wiggins - he's hot/cold, has the size and some injury concerns. It's just a big crop of different guys. I've read mixed reviews on Lassiter and will be honest, don't know much on Rakestraw. You look a little further on the boards, and I think the Max Melton and Dru Philips types seem just as exciting at around the 3rd round. This will all be about what the board presents. Looking at the prospects themselves, their production, consistency, accolades, word about their character/IQ, and how it seemed they fit in on their team (i.e. Mike S. being defensive captain & his team's voted MVP), that can tell a lot about success at the next level when all factored in together.

*added and edited the OP to reflect some updates. McMillan WR and Benson RB came in for visits

Yeah it was weird with Chinn - I still don't get what the deal was. Interestingly enough, historically, Evero used Bryce Callahan, Kyle Fuller and then found his way to McMilian at NB/his primary slot corner in the box, all undersized (2) 5'9 and (1) 5'11. I just don't think Chinn fit what he likes in the position. Chinn was also on the sidelines when Horn was healthy and we played Jackson outside and Hill in the slot. So he didn't even settle into the role consistently. Under 200 snaps total on the year. Edit - add: Also tried K’Waun Williams there who's also 5'9ish. His LAR days - Darious Williams 5'9

You’re saying that because you don’t value the position - I disagree considering our scheme and how the NfL is these days. If people are serious about BPA then trust the process—and these are the talents to consider.

Jackson Powers-Johnson may be falling, medicals being cited: Matt Miller: https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2024/insider/story/_/id/39828289/2024-nfl-draft-latest-buzz-rumors-news-prospects-risers Brugler: https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2024/4/10/24126191/jackson-powers-johnson-oregon-medicals-injury-history-concussions

Yeah those guys are cool. They tend to have a nice blend of film analysis and analytics w/ their approach. Typically have good in depth stats they consider when talking about these guys.

I think that's all very fair to consider. Decent comp. I'd say there's shades of Devin McCourty who ended up converting to FS but had some good years at CB. For his best case? - no doubt easy ones to point to would be Anton Winfield or Asante Samuel.

I'm looking at it like we suck and will still suck. But maybe we get a good player or two.

Played 22% outside, 151 snaps of 684, but played one of the highest % of MI defensive snaps. What's a given is that he played a lot in Michigans's 4-2-5 with diverse assignments--which people saying he's slot exclusive or nickel aren't really considering the responsibilities for his potential role in the Fangio-hybrid penny package we run...this kid would get used 90%+ of snaps easily.

He's been pretty consistently top 40 on PFF this offseason (currently #34). #43 overall for Brugler.

His receiving highlights:

Tons of smoke. but for real—I like what I’m coming across with this kid. There’s so many from Michigan, and DB has been at my periphery, but digging into it, you can see why scouts and coaches would be fans of him. If a team is a sucker for size, Kool-Aid, Tampa or Rakestraw may be higher, but if you’re talking intangibles and ball hawking, he’s one of the tops in the entire draft. Depending on how certain squads grade their DBs, I could see him as high as DB4 on some team boards.

Take anything with a grain of salt right now. Just posted this in another thread: He had that huge interception at the end of the title game. Some fun notes: 2X team captain, was named team MVP for the best defense in the country. Described as a player coach and influencer, per the DB coach, he "changed the mindset of everybody on our team" Former wide receiver so has the aggressive/ballhawk mentality (this kid doesn't drop INTs) 6 INTs, 2 pick sixes last year, 3 picks took back for 70+ yards Played 20% outside, 80% slot, had good capabilities blitzing. 5 TFL, 2 sacks Only flagged for 1 PI in college (in the title game) covering Polk Seems like he was a BIG part of that team and its leadership.