Bear Hands

Thanks - fair enough. He’s grown on me but I’m always open to hear it out on the opposing end. For me- I see some really strong traits you don’t commonly find in prospects. To your point though, I can see the RM Jr comp because he is intense physically/at the point of attack, but he has really good zone awareness that you need in that Rams/Fangio tree hybrid spot. Not to mention he graded out super high against the run. Communicates well on field, student of the game, and hearing how he took it up a notch between 2022 and 2023 speaks volumes to what he can do at the next level. I mean, the dude was voted MVP by his peers on that team, made countless big time plays at the biggest moments…I don’t see the shade for him. I can see the dislike for the position but said my take on that front. My spidey sense just tells me there’s something with him but I’ve been wrong before. Seems people want this stout outside shut down corner but I love these versatile tweeners that operate in the box and become this dynamic centerpiece. McDuffie was a revelation this past year.

He played boundary, in the box and NB. He would be out there a huge snap percentage-likely bulk. I just dispute that he’s just a NB, especially given the modern trends with nickel and dime and how the hybrid developed in Fangio’s scheme. I also just think this dude brings it and has the extra Kuechly-esque gene. You just don’t get that IQ and leadership out of any prospects. I’m not even a big Michigan fan or anything but he’s an easy sell IMO if you dive into it. https://www.thedraftnetwork.com/2024/04/10/mike-sainristil-nfl-draft-interview Great insight in here.

Curious to the “not good” bit. Open to hear what you think his deficiencies are. Best defender on the best defense in the nation, started more at CB at Michigan than Arnold did at Bama and is arguably (and statistically) the best ballhawk in the draft. What makes him a work in progress? I get if people don’t want to invest high in a primary slot corner (although I think it’s flawed if you look at any currently successful team)…but would love to hear more.

Thanks for the effort - Maybe my post is being misinterpreted-I'm just saying list of names.. Who do you think we end up with vs. who you want us to get Although do appreciate you typing all that up - good stuff

Wanted to bump this thread bc there is definitely a misperception with corners going on around these parts, especially a modern slot defender. --so here's my attempt to sell it-- The Texans, who we're all slobbering over building how we should have, started their rebuild around Stingley (3rd overall) and a certain sub-6' Baylor slot DB in Jalen Pitre (at 37) who's been awesome. SEA has w/DROY finalist Devon Witherspoon who is rotating in and out of slot (monster year), the Lions just took Brian Branch high, CJ Gardner Johnson has been rolling the past few years... Most notably, Trent McDuffie is the best in the game and a big reason why KC won the SB, the taller Jalen Ramsay popularized the refined roles for a versatile slot defender role, but the crop of these guys are all 6'0 and under, playing all over the field and heavily in the box. They are also super important in the 2-high shell defense we run. With lighter boxes, run support is critical. They need to cover the middle of the field, man up against larger slot receivers and TEs, and not to mention get mixed in as a blitzer. Just go check out Sainristil's HUGE game saving play against OSU's 6'4 250 Cade Stover and some of his monster run stops over the season. It is also a critical position for Evero's defense bc this guy is communicating just like a LB and it's why I sense why Chinn wasn't quite a fit--he just didn't have the presnap mentality we needed in this regard. You need to be a coach on the field in a Kuechly-esque sense. I think it 10000% makes sense why we're considering Sainristil. Ok, table pound over.

With that evolution, it's a big reason why nickel or dime is 80%+ of many-to-most team's defensive looks. And who is on that guy most of the time? The slot defender, in the box, that has a multitude of responsibilities communicating presnap and sticking to the powerful RBs AND the slipperiest guys in the game at WR. You gotta be versatile, excel in man-to-man, zone, play strong against the run and blitz...all in the box. They're communicating with the DBs, LBs, they're responsible for filling the B gap, C gap. They're basically a coach on the field and have hybrid LB responsibilities. Which I find interesting people don't hold that role in higher regard. The league does. Trent McDuffie was basically the Chiefs defensive MVP this past season and a huge reason they won the SB. I'm looking at Kenny Moore, Jalen Ramsey, Gardner-Johnson, Marlon Humphrey, K'Waun Williams...these are some of the best in the game. [insert my paragraph hyping Sainristil again] Michigan's defensive captain, team MVP, excellent tackler, ballhawk, & could be right there for us R2. Just saying... This is also why Chinn may have not worked out for Evero. He was a monster athlete and a Kam prototype, but he wasn't a do-it-all in the box type of slot guy. Which is the Ramsay/Mr. everything slot role I sense we're seeking.

Being a handful of days out, I was interested to see where everyone's guts vs. wants are. Time to get both predictive and give a shout to your top prospects...no novels here, just interested to see where fans' heads are at. What I think we'll do: (I'd be nervous but still somewhat excited) Nate Wiggins CB Clemson Xavier Legette WR South Carolina Jonathan Brooks RB Texas Brenden Rice WR USC Austin Booker EDGE Kansas Who I want: Zach Frazier C WVU Ja'Lynn Polk WR Washington Malik Washington WR Virginia Ben Sinnott TE Kansas State Caelen Carson CB Wake Forest Blake Watson RB Memphis *Shoutout to Sainristil, Kneeland, & CO State's Kamara. Some additional targets I like.

I barely associate numbers with guys on this team anymore since it's been such a revolving door. Here's to someone making us remember what the times were like when we did.

A PFF with some different flavors: 33 (2) - Kool-Aid McKinstry CB Alabama 43 (2) - Roman Wilson WR Michigan 79 (3) - Javon Baker WR UCF 81 (3) - Junior Colson LB Michigan 101 (4) - Bralen Trice EDGE Washington 121 (4) - Blake Watson RB Memphis 136 (5) - Mohamed Kamara EDGE CO State 141 (5) - Malik Mustapha S Wake Forest

Good link, good perspective from these guys.

Pretty much.

I have many concerns. Thing is..we met with him like 4-5 times so am just bracing and hoping my concerns are things he can quickly prove wrong, overcome and/or build up.

There will be an animated, highly argumentative thread that begins the moment pick 32 is made on Thursday night that will roll into Friday afternoon and I'm here for it. My gut is preparing me for Legette.

Yeah. They didn't have much else there--White isn't that good a runner and Edmunds was the backup who's pretty bad. And had a bit lackluster OL in respect to a ground game. Yet he was still strongly dedicated to the ground game.

But if you want a good sleeper back - check out Blake Watson out of Memphis. He could be a diamond in the rough. Explosive receiving back and runner.

With Canales, he gave Rachaad White almost 300 carries and nearly 60 targets receiving. And factor in our new prized possession in Hunt- he led the top-running OL in Miami that was paving lanes for Achane/Mostert to amass almost 2,000 rushing yards in a wide zone scheme. Note they had McDaniel and the speed at WR and RB to help stretch the field in multiple different ways. We just don't have the guy to fit the bill. Chuba and Miles aren't forcing any defense to adjust. Getting a feature back that can hit home runs is super critical to any success we'll have. I would not be surprised if one of 5 (Brooks, Corum, Benson, Wright or Lloyd) ends up on this team as our new main guy whose name you'll hear quite a lot moving forward.

Lol. Canales even clarified he was talking about changing his own personal material/portfolio from Seattle colors to Tampa to Carolina in 18 months time. Newton is such a phhfff

@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.