MHS831

Because I sense tension and see myself as the Huddle ray of sunshine, I wanted to introduce some Tackles that may be unloved or misunderstood. I like them all, and I think they have the tools, fixable problems, and the experience to start soon in the NFL. I include some IOL that I like too. And if I am right, you will all ignore it and claim that you already knew this: Best offensive lineman available if we trade back or sit at 39: 2nd Creed Humphrey C (MHS choice for Center) 2nd/3rd round Wyatt Davis G (plug and play starter—love him as a G) 3rd round: Stone Forsythe LT (my sleeper pick—good pass protector, bad run blocker—fixable- MHS CHOICE) 3rd round: Spencer Brown Swing T (Long arms, ability to play LT-MHS CHOICE) 3RD/4TH Josh Ball, LT (35” arms, very underrated. Was impressive at SR bowl. MHS CHOICE)

I hope we trade back. I see a few gems at the top, but I see a plateau after that. Plug and play.

Jackson at nickel? The nickel is basically a substitute for the OLB on passing downs, but they have to mix it up on occassion. I prefer a S who can move, like Hartsfield. "In summary, the nickelback must be able to tackle, take on offensive linemen, read routes, move laterally, cover quick receivers, cover elite receivers, cover in short areas, cover deep and rush the passer. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2657993-next-big-thing-the-rise-of-nickelbacks-the-nfls-most-versatile-perfomers It requires a special athlete, and Jackson (unless someone can convince me) does not fit that mold. A versatile performer---Hartsfield seems made for the position. I see where Chinn could do it, but I do not want him there much.

Here is what people (me included, because I too am a people) forget--the draft is for 4 years, not next year. If it takes a player a season to develop, you scheme around the weakness and fill it with 1-year vets until that player is ready. Jordan Gross did not start at LT his first season--he played RT for a while. I think we are going to find a LT, but maybe not an opening day LT.

Yes--Travelle Wharton round 3, Ryan Kalil Round 2, Moton round 2--we could have a solid OL after day 1--and since today's draft is deep at OT (despite what some say, I see 3-4 who can start very soon) we will be OK.

I hear Rhule loves Grant. Might want to get to know him:

As rather unpopular as this pick seems to have been, it is perhaps the pick that will improve the Panthers more than Slater would have. And if Darnold balls, the Fields pick just becomes a player we trade to another team for the same value in 2-3 years. It takes a while for things to come into focus, for you to see their rationale, but CB is a trainwreck, and we had no CB1. That is worse than not having a WR1. I wonder how this might impact how we use Chinn, our S, and I am very happy Jackson will not be allowed to get near a 6-5 #1 WR again.

Snow I seriously see us taking a safety in round 2. and there is an edge, DT or two, etc. there. Remember, Seattle's "Leigon of Boom?" Is that where we are headed? And i have to admit, our current S situation bothers me a bit. Another thought from my slightly-active brain--we could go Center (IOL) here--there is better value there than at T. Ultimately? I think we trade back.

I think we had that coming into the draft.

We have an Elf in Paradise with a Miller listening to Motown.

What do you mean? Richard Sherman never talked smack because he went to Stanford. Deion Sanders? Sang in the church choir and was embarrassed about his girl voice. Aquib Talib? I think he is a mute. Josh Norman? Wanted to make friends, that's all. Seriously, I hope that was not on the top of Fitterer's list--this aint Seattle,and that may have been personalities and not a type.

There are some studs at the top of the second, so I would be interested to see him trade down from a top S or WR and bypass the OTs to try this. Walker is the type who could be all over the place on team boards. However, a developmental QB with upside is not a bad idea in this situation, should Darnold not work out. Mills was said to have come out a year too early. High school rankings do not mean squat, but neither does using an isolated incident to disprove a concept.

Maybe a RG, tbh. But I am guessing the Moton to LT is just not happening, yet Moton wants to be paid like an elite tackle-try him at LT if you are not going to draft one. As much as I wanted a LT, however, I get the CB1 move. I did a threat about analytics, and the numbers showed us all why we were losing. We seem to be adopting the "defense wins championships" theme. Today will tell a lot

I would too. At worst you have a pro bowl right Guard. Moton must have no ability to play LT--just wants to be paid like one. Teven could save you $23m you don't want to pay Moton--not the best plan. Some say Teven can play LT---I do not see it. The bottom line? We may think we have LT covered and become elite on D and add a slot WR---then address the OL on day 3---they may think Scott and Erv got this...I dunno.

There are 6 picks before we pick. I feel certain that the following will be drafted before 2.7: Let's say they go like this Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoaha LB Elijiah Moore, WR Trevon Moehrig S Teven Jenkins OT Terrance Marshall WR Christian Barmore DT If Moore, Moehrig, or Jenkins fall, I say we draft them. We could trade back and get a T who could start, or a S, or a WR: Sam Cosmi, T* Walker Little, T Liam Eichenberg, T Landon Dickerson, C* Wyatt Davis G* Creed Humprey C* Jaylen Mayfield T Dillion Radunz T Round 3 Spencer Brown T Josh Meyers C Brady Christensen T Personally, I think we trade UP for Cosmi or Jenkins.

What in the Silatolu Kugbula are you talking about?

And we still have not tried Moton on the left side since RR left.

that is who I want. Move Moton to LT since he wants to be paid like one.

Players from the Senior Bowl that Rhule might seek later in the draft: Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma: Do not underestimate the importance of a C in any offense. Paradis is gone soon. Creed is the best C for our needs. Could he fall to round 3? Doubtful. This is a pick people would hate then love for 10 years. Shi Smith, WR/KR, Gamecock Nation: was one of the players who displayed improvement each day of practice and showed well during the game, leading the American Team in receiving yards. Could he be there in the sixth? Richie Grant, S, UCF. If you wanted to find Grant on the field, all you had to was follow the ball. He was around it all week long. Good in one-on-one drills. I fear that Rhule takes him in round 2. Robert Hainsey, OL, Notre Dame. Good fundamentals, good interviews, and he even demonstrated the ability to play T, G, and C. Rhule will draft this guy in the fifth of sixth round if he is there. Cade Johnson, WR, South Dakota State. He consistently won in one-on-one drills, flashing his impressive quickness. If your NFL team needs a good slot receiver, Johnson is a player to keep an eye on. 4th-6th round. Quincy Roche, edge rusher, Miami. He just kept showing up in team drills. He has heavy hands and a motor that runs hot. 3-4th round? Spencer Brown, OT Northern Iowa. Many analysts have compared him to Lane Johnson. At a whopping 6’9″ and 321 pounds, Brown has rare athleticism seen from FCS tackles. A former tight end, his agility and quickness are at a different level than the FCS opponents he lines up against. His nastiness and toughness as a blocker are even more endearing. I think he can play LT. Would love him in round 3. Liam Eichenberg, OT/G Notre Dame. An Outland Trophy finalist, Eichenberg was a stalwart anchor for the Irish this season. Eichenberg isn’t an elite athlete, Eichenberg struggled in Notre Dame’s last two games. Frankly, he is a bit overrated due to short arms and the last 2 games. 3rd round grade.

Great question. No. We could go WR, S, or OL. Remember, Rhule was at the SR Bowl, and going from memory (which is a red flagged warning) there were several OL he liked. He has vets right now to fill the voids, but I have no idea what we will do. Do you leave Trevon Moehrig on the table to take Sam Cosmi? I do not. Rhule has been in love with Richie Grant (S, UCF) for some time. I'd rather have a T, but there is that.

Another thought: A lot of you wanted Fields, and time will tell, but Darnold was a #3 overall pick that we got for a 2022 #2 and #4. Let's give him a shot. Had we taken Fields, we would still be stuck with Jackson on the final year of his deal, Pride (bless his heart) and 2 30+ free agents who have done nothing lately. Last year, we gave up first downs on third down HALF of the time. The completion percentage against us outside the numbers was 71%. You cannot win doing that. Full stop. If we take Fields, we do not get the CB1. We might have to try to find a CB in round 2 to stop the bleeding, and hope Scott/Erving can play T. Basically, we'd still suck and Darnold would be blamed for it.

This was a necessary pick. We wanted to run more man with the CB1--do you put Jackson on Thomas? Do you let Pride take on Julio? As I said (and others as well) there were maybe 2 CB1s in this draft, depending on how you look at Farley's back and Newsome--who was not on the Surtain/Horn level. We did what we HAD to do yesterday, and came away with the CB1 with the most upside. We all knew that day 2 would be the key to the draft. So here we go.

It is frustrating, but we are doing EXACTLY what we should have done. Horn had a 30% completion rate against him last year. Our CBs had a 71% completion rate OUTSIDE THE NUMBERS!!! Teams coverted first downs on us nearly half the time 49.1%. The league average is in the 30s. The average team gets the ball for 12 possessions per game-but if you can't get off the field, they have longer possessions and you have fewer possessions. The average possession in the NFL is equal to about 2 points. Last year, the panthers pass defense was so bad, it cost them the equivalent of 4 points per game--just by allowing first downs on third down. That is three wins and 1 tie if we could only get off the field. That is how we lost games last year. We HAD to have an alpha CB--a #1 CB--to shut down the alpha WRs in the NFL--Thomas, Evans, Jones--do you think Pride was that guy? Jackson? We needed a superior athlete who was good in man / press coverage and can play zone. A tall CB. Horn was the best player we could have drafted, and it makes sense now. Go look at the remaining players for round 2 and pick me out a CB1. I will wait right here. See you in a minute. THERE AREN'T ANY. Go look at the remaining players for round 2 and pick me out a starting caliber LT--there are at least 4. Oh, and why did we not take Fields? Because you do not bury your talent before you develop it. Darnold needed a vote on confidence and we gave it to him. Sure, Fields could be better, but he may not--and then you have no QBs. Tomorrow, we will draft a LT and the village will rejoice. We may draft a S first, and if so, we will move back up into the second round to get a T. We are doing exactly what we needed to do.

There are 5 tackles on the board--- Jenkins (he can play LT) Radunz Cosmi Eichenberg W. Little We pick 8th, and there will be 2-3 WRs, a C, a S, an edge or two--expect a run on OTs, but we will have one or two from which to choose--I say Radunz, Eichenberg, Little. We might even drop back. I also predict that Atlanta may draft Mond or Mills.

I had round 2 all over him, so it was an easy oversight. Raiders? I think, going from memory--you know how good they are at drafting.