Last Guy on the Bench

McD looks like a he wants to marry him once he starts explaining his notebook. You can see McD right at the end of that section trying not to smile and doing everything he can to restrain his glee.

Can't argue with that. Another super impressive guy. I hadn't watched much of him, because of the reports that he doesn't tackle (which now seem way overblown). But the more I see, the more sure I am that at worst he will be a decent starting corner. At best, he's got the juice and the mentality to be an all-pro if he puts it together.

I'm going against the chalk to say Bernard. Can't say I had ever heard of him pre-draft, but watching the highlights, reading the scouting reports, and, most of all, listening to him (super impressive guy), he's the kind of player I just love. And I still have a soft spot for a playmaking linebacker, because I am old and haven't quite caught up to the fact that LBs aren't nearly as important as they once were. He's not the best player we drafted (probably), and could just be a kind of useful backup in his career. But I'm hoping he's stamped for bigger things. Love the way he plays. Shakir would probably be second for me.

The most early crowd noise on opening day: Josh comes out of the tunnel Von makes a tackle (especially if a sack) Araiza out for his first punt Not necessarily in that order.

Kiper very high on him on ESPN. Lots of INTs and PBUs. Be interesting to see how he does against NFL talent in training camp. That's a big jump.

Agreed. And my big hope is that Hodgins is fully healthy and can nail down the final spot as a legit outside (though not speed) guy, passing both Kumerow and Stevenson. Really liked him as a draft pick, and it sounds like he has impressed in camp, but just had too many injuries. Who knows, though? I also wonder if they will really keep all three slot-type guys - Crowder, McKenzie, Shakir. Could well be, but could one of them possibly be cut?

From the comments under that highlight video: "ATG MVP Sports Highlights 25 minutes ago He wore 34 in 2017, 26 from 2018-2020, and 2 in 2021!"

I was confused by this too. Thought the highlights were of two different guys who were both fast as *****. But looks like he's both. If you google image search his name, he's wearing 26 and 2 at different times.

I loved Ed Marinaro when I was a kid. Loved that whole Vikes team really. But Good Lord, that was cringe.

Anyone have a preference for best draft tracker? I usually just use the NFL site, but am curious if some have a better interface, more info, etc.

I think the NFL network will stream on the NFL app, but only on smartphones/tablets. Don't think you can stream on a computer or to a TV. Better is to take a free trial from one of the TV providers (YouTube, Hulu, Fubo, etc.). I used up all my free trials (though you can get more with a different email), so I ponied up for half price Sling for a month, which gives me NFL Network and ESPN. But you can get all that for free if you have an email that hasn't been used yet for a trial.

I think he was saying that it depends on how immediately you need them to play. He said he would be comfortable with a high floor/low ceiling guy if he had good vets at that position and the draftee didn't need to play right away. But he said if it was a real position of need, he might take the high floor lower ceiling guy. He worries that if you plug a high ceiling guy in too soon you are setting him up for failure.

Good tip. I haven't watched ESPN in a few years. Maybe I will try them on Days 2 and 3. Thanks. I much prefer analysis and clips of the later picks to all the rehashing of Round 1 that seems to go on. If ESPN is better at that, then I'm in.

The Bills move up slightly and shock everyone by taking Devin Lloyd.

Ha ha. I really enjoyed that (a sign of draft addiction - another sign is I've watched that terrible movie twice). Telesco is the dude.

Thanks. People who judge mocks by percentage of exact player at exact draft position are missing the whole point. Mocks give you a pretty decent, if imperfect, sense of the shape of the draft and of the ranges and scenarios for various players. In Sharp's tables, the top 20 are startlingly accurate (9 of the top 10 were predicted to be top 10, and 7 of the next 10 were predicted to be in the 11-20 range). Precision naturally decreases as you go down. Mocks that go into the later rounds should be looked at with a much broader lens (e.g., how many guys predicted to be Day 2 were actually Day 2). There is no sense expecting a super close correlation the farther down you go, but I bet you still get a reasonable sense of the shape and of the bulk of the players going in a given (expanding) range. There is a lot of useful information in aggregated mocks, especially for Rounds 1 and 2, unless you are trying to figure out exactly who the number 56 pick will be or something insane like that. Then they are useless. But so is everything else, including detailed notes from the war room of the team actually picking number 56, since even they only have a mock-like idea of who will be there.

"That's what I do. You ever seen the Patriots vs. Isaiah McKenzie?" 😂

Looks like he's put on some weight.

Same for me. I had GamePass live for years living overseas, but since I moved back to the U.S. last year, I've been very happy to pay the $99 and just watch the games on delay, Sunday afternoon or evening. I actually like not spending my fall Sundays stuck in front of the TV. I get the beautiful fall early afternoons, and then I come in to watch the game, in total ignorance of what happened. I also love jetting past the commercials this way.

I hear you about the Internet bragging. But why do you think streaming is unreliable? Can’t remember the last time I had any issue streaming live sports or anything else.

Highest paid? Funny response underneath, with Will Smith screaming, "Keep Josh Allen's name out your f*&#&$ mouth."

Doubt he'll be there when the Bills pick - maybe if they move up. Would be amazing to grab him in the 2nd. I'd actually be comfortable taking him in the first (behind Williams, Wilson, Olave - who are likely all gone by 25).

CB LB TE P WR OL Maroon/Burgundy-ish

Here's a good breakdown of Lloyd, with lots of tape examples. Lloyd Draft Profile Video

Lord, I hope not. My heart couldn't take it. I hope when we win it all this year we're up early and cruise to a 50 point victory. I hope the rest of the country is completely bored by how dominant the Bills are. That Chiefs game almost killed me. I want more playoff wins like the *Pats game. Now that was relaxing.