Buffalo Junction

If Sweat puts up good combine numbers at 260 pounds he might sneak into the top 10. I seriously thought the kid was around 245-250. That extra weight makes him viable in 4-3 schemes.

He’s been injured too often the past couple years. At this point of his career I think a full season would be unlikely. Awesome in his prime though. He used to drive Suh crazy; really fun to watch those two match up.

It’s a rarity. The combine is primarily about confirmation of all the tape scouts and GMs have watched, and Interviews conducted. However, stock can definitely rise and fall. Big risers are generally small school players that confirm their physical traits are elite, or seriously injured players proving their injury is healed. Guys who fall big generally do something asinine during the process that sets up a massive ?.

I’d add that a solid position group without any dominant players can still be considered a position of need in the first round. Under that definition DL is a need for us if there’s blue chip talent available at our first pick. Aside from Hughes, who’s long in the tooth, we don’t have any dominant DL players... Just a whole bunch of average.

Anyone else curious about what a pair of “QB whisperers” see in both of our failed QBs? Manuel and Peterman are very different QBs. What common traits make them fits for Gruden and Reids’ respective west coast variants?

Sort of a safety corner tweener with the way he was used in coverage. They used him a lot to cover slot receivers in zones and he’s able to play some press. I’m curious to see how he times, but the kid has a knack for being around the football. As it stands now probably 4-5 round prospect. The gem of that secondary is Lonnie Johnson.

He definitely looked to be building up. Dude got there then... zilch. We should consider Eddie Royal too. He was in the same group with Jordie Nelson and DeSean Jackson his first year... then nothing but crickets. Went from 90 receptions to 30 while playing the same number of games.

Grönk is such a freak that I find it hard to compare anyone to him. The guy just has a different mold like LT. I don’t think it’s fair to even try and compare someone to that. However, there are still plenty of guys below that level of freakishness that are in the HoF. The difficult part is predicting... especially with TEs.

Keep in mind though, that if you open the doors for 2 year wonders the list grows exponentially with guys like Ryan Grant (back to back 1200 yard seasons), Brandon Jacobs (b2b 1000 yards), etc. there are simply a ton of players that fit that mold because of injuries.

I’m not arguing that. He spent the first part of his career backing up Bennett until the 96’ playoffs when Bennett got injured. Levens had 2 healthy seasons after that. Damn shame, but knee injuries in the 90’s were still a big deal.

Paup was a damn good player. Only time I saw him live was when we were back in Wisconsin (whole family is packers fans) for a funeral in 93’. No sacks, but Paup basically shut down the edge for most of the game. People forget he could destroy a run game too. The highlight was Reggie White though. He single handily snuffed Elway's comback in the 4th with back to back sacks.

Allowable, but Levens’ downfall was an injured knee. Plus, in his “other 1000 yard season” he also had 70 receptions for 570 yards for a total of about 1600 yards. As an aside, those Holmgren designed screens may be the best ever created. Heck, Andy Reid is still using them effectively.

Talk about fortunate circumstances... The guy went from playing with Reggie White to playing with Bruce. It’s not often that you see a 4x probowler spend most of his career being the second best pass rusher on his team.

I think you’re on point. Metcalf is the most likely to me, as I think he’d be the first WR taken and likely a pick 10-15 guy without that neck injury. All things considered, this WR class reminds me of the 2008 class. Let’s hope they walk away with a Nelson or Jackson instead of a Hardy or Sweed.

Which is why “owner” or “Davis” are in most of my comments. The dysfunction trickles down from the top. Gruden is just the final straw. You don’t bring in a personality like Gruden and hand him that contract and implied power unless you’re unhappy with your GM, absolutely clueless, or insane.

I’m sure you’re about as happy as a dead pig in the sunshine... Fact remains, McKenzie had an UDFA backing up Carr in 16’ then a 4th round rookie and EJ Manual in 17’. I couldn’t tell you if that’s on McKenzie or Mr Bowl Cut. What I can surmise for other league wide occurrences is that the team falling apart after Carr’s injuries didn’t help McKenzies employment situation.

You’re absolutely correct. Fans and owners fully understand that there’s a quarterback shortage. In fact they’re so understanding that their sympathy for GMs and coaches provides them with the faith and patience to endure decades of losing without becoming upset or frustrated with performance. I’m quite sure that I’ll never have the intellect or wisdom to comprehend the depth of faith and trust displayed by owners and their teams fans; especially Raider Nation. I swear those cats must have studied under the Dahli Lama for they are extraordinary examples of steadfast sensibility and are known worldwide for their reasonable natures.

The small school thing is likely a way to gain value on players that fit their physical and intellectual prototypes. If we’re honest we have to admit that a guy with Zay’s physical makeup doing what Zay did in the SEC is a top 10-15 pick. I think they’re willing to take shots on guys like this in the first 2-3 rounds and at the end of the draft. It’s a small sample size, but they also seem to go high floor in the middle rounds. That small school trend will likely continue. They seem to have faith in their ability to coach and develop these kids. Also, keep in mind their idea of prototype may not fit our usual expectations. Corner is a good example of this. They could be targeting guys that have size, agility, and intelligence to play zone over size speed man guys. They might have a guy like Lonnie Johnson (UK) rated a lot higher than we think.

Carr was a good pick. However, the injuries derailed his performance. The issue isn’t that Mckenzie whiffed, but rather he failed to have a backup plan at QB. Then he failed to address it in the ensuing draft. The difficulty in analysis comes from separating McKensie’s moves from Davis’ meddling. Mckenzie is likely at least a middle of the road GM.

This is a key point that a fair amount of people neglect to mention on the national level, and it’s a critical component moving forward. Allen is not only coachable, but has the intelligence and work ethic for the coaching to be effective. Simply put, he’s going to be a better QB next year, particularly if he spends the off-season making his footwork instinctual and improving his touch. Also, this “coachable” trait seems to be something McBeane drafts for... They’re looking for intelligent guys with drive and physical tools. I think moving forward we will see them continue this trend where they’ll take the “coachable” prototype in the first two rounds despite inconsistency in college performance or lack of elite competition.

I think he will be the first TE off the board, and might be the first receiving option to get drafted. Him coming out definitely pushes Fant down. I do think that Beane may be more comfortable with Smith because of the info that Daboll may have provided. I actually wouldn't rule out a trade with say GB - our 1st and 2nd for both their 1sts and whatever makes up the difference... In that case I could see us taking Smith with that second 1st rounder. This WR class reminds me of 2008 - the James Hardy draft. All the talent was late 1st - early 3rd. There were some serious gems (Nelson and Jackson), but a lot of the talent washed out. Butler actually reminds me of Hardy to a fair degree. I absolutely agree that the weakness in top offensive talent will drive up the value for a few players. Namely Hockenson and Metcalf. Without that neck injury I think Metcalf would have been the defacto #1 WR in the class and a top 10 pick. I do think that Montez Sweat may climb after the combine. A team may take a flier on Simmons or an OT as well. It's going to be an interesting draft. If Hockenson runs a 4.55-4.6 I wouldn't be surprised to see him be the first offensive skill position player taken. Definitely a strange year.

I see him as more of a Witten type, and not a Gronk. I think he'll be a reliable, top end, do it all TE. I watched 5-6 Iowa games this year, and while he stood out I didn't come away with the impression that he was an overwhelmingly dominant force. That said, I think he's the best blocking TE in the draft that can reliably catch the ball... Furthermore, I think he might actually have the best hands in the draft. I would absolutely take Gronk in the top 10.... You have to remember though.... When Gronk came out he had back issues, ran a 4.65, and had occasional games where his concentration was off. Without the back problems he would have gone around 15-20. That's what I'm saying about Hoch.... Amazing prospect, but he hasn't done anything to blow everyone away.

He may very well be one of the best TE's in the NFL by his third year. Those things are difficult to predict. However, he's still a TE.... which means that the positional draft value isn't there for a top 10 pick unless he puts up freak (Vernon Davis 4.38) numbers at the combine in the 40 or vertical jump. Teams would rather try and find a Gronk or George Kittle between the 2nd and 5th than spend a top 10 on a TE. It's a strange year though. Without any other sure thing playmakers or QBs in the draft his value might be bumped up and a team may pull the trigger early. Fact remains, I don't see anything about him that says he'll be a transcendent player though. Excellent, yes.... But the type of guy that completely redefines the position on his way to the Hall of Fame? No. I don't see that. Is he worth the #9 pick? Perhaps, but it's dependent upon the value of the defensive players left on the board.

He’s not transcendent enough at that position to warrant a top 10 pick. He’s not Gonzalez or Vernon Davis. I could see him at 15 though. I doubt he could drop past NE. Heck, he might not get past GB if all the good edge guys are gone by then. At 9 though... Nah. There’s probably better value at edge, corner, OT, or DT unless the kids pulls a 4.4 40.

With that neck injury I’d be making Sterling Sharpe comparisons instead of Julio Jones.... The talent is there. Teams just have to be 100% sure about the injury risk, and accept that he might be forced out of the league early.