2019 NFL Draft - Day 3 Debrief

[GunnerBill]

And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain. After 7 rounds and 254 picks over 3 nights the book has finally closed on the 2019 NFL draft. Let's quickly look back at day 3...

 

The Bills picks...

No more trading around for the Bills on the final day, they stood pat and selected 4 players at the spots they had going into day 3. To me by far the pick of those was Linebacker Vosean Joseph in the 5th round. When @BuffaloHokie13 and I were speculating in the shout box yesterday morning about possible fits at #147 my view was no way he makes it there and yet as the pick came into view there he was sitting out there as the #4 player left on my board and just waiting to be picked. He is a perfect Sean McDermott linebacker, he can run sideline to sideline, can cover, but can be used to attack the line of scrimmage too and has some pass rush upside as a blitzer in particular. This is a guy who will provide depth as a rookie but could have a legitimate shot at being Lorenzo's long term successor a year from now. I like Jaquan Johnson in the 6th as well. He was the #6 BPA on my board at the point the Bills picked him and I had him going a round or so earlier too. He can cover, and can hit, and while he is possibly a little undersized he is a potential fit as a hybrid in those big nickel packages McDermott likes to run and he will have an immediate impact on special teams too. To me this is a guy who makes the 53. The two 7th rounders were not guys I'd really looked at to be honest so I don't have much of a view - I suspect both are camp fodder / practice squad guys who will find cracking the roster a challenge but let's see. 

 

My overall conclusion from the 8 picks the Bills made is we got: 2 guys who will start as rookies (Oliver and Ford); 2/3 guys who will be depth and rotational players as rookies with the potential to start in 2020 (Knox, Joseph and hopefully Singletary - though I remain a little sceptical on that one); 1 guy who I think will be career depth and STer (Johnson) and then two practice squad guys. If that turns out to be true it will end up being a very good draft class. 

 

The UDFAs

Lots of excitement abounds over University of Buffalo Quarterback Tyree Jackson but I suspect he has a hard time making the roster. Would be nice to see him stick until the final pre-season game to see him run out there as a starter in a Bills uniform and fulfil an ambition. Similarly Cam Lewis the corner from UB too. Both have a chance if they show well to stick on a practice squad. Lewis is (to this point at least) the only corner they added over draft weekend so he might even have a squeak of a roster shot if they keep 6 corners - though the top 5 are very well set (Tre, the two Johnsons, EJ Gaines and Levi) he would be competing with Ryan Lewis and Lafayette Pitts for the 6th spot. However, the two that have the best chance to stick are Tyrel Dodson from Texas A&M who I had a draftable 4th/5th round grade on and is another of these typical McDermott linebackers - a little undersized but fast, instinctive, can run sideline to sideline and cover though needs to work on his hitting; and David Sills out of West Virginia who is a wirey, raw receiver with some size and a decent knack for high pointing the football but only average speed and a bit sloppy in his route running which restricts his ability to separate. Some are surprised he went undrafted, and while I am a little too I always thought he was likely a late day 3 guy and he will need to really work on improving as a route runner to be able to separate in the NFL. There is upside there though and he isn't without a shot in what promises to be another crowded receiver battle for the final roster spots. 

 

Other noteable moves

I've given Arizona a bit of a pasting in days 1 and 2 so only fair that I give them some kudos for what I thought was one of the better day 3 hauls. Hakeem Butler with the first pick of day 4 has a chance to be a decent big possession guy and rezone target (as a #3 or #4 recevier) and Keesean Johnson who followed him is smooth with good hands but a bit speed deficient - that said I expect Arizona to keep about 7 or 8 wideouts for Kingsbury's air raid system. Lamont Galliard in the 6th and Michael Dogbe and Caleb Wilson in the 7th were all guys I had on my board and I think all can play in the league though probably as backup and rotational guys rather than every down starters but will improve the depth on that roster. The best pick of their day though was Deionte Thompson with the first pick of round 5. I had a 1st round grade on him and he has slipped because teams think he plays too light. What utter hogwash. He isgoing to be a very good free safety in this league and when you pair him with 2nd round pick Byron Murphy and the legend that still is Pat Pete you suddenly have a pretty good looking defensive secondary. I thought the Bengals did some good day 3 business too. Ryan Finley is a backup level Quarterback only to me but he at least gives Andy Dalton something to think about and in Renell Wren (DT, Arizona St) and Jordan Brown (CB, South Dakota St) they got two high ceiling defensive projects. They also double dipped at the running back position with Trayveon Williams from Texas A&M and Rodney Anderson from Oklahoma. Add those two to Joe Mixon and there is some serious depth and punch (no pun intended) to that backfield. Detroit did good business through rounds 4 and 5 adding Austin Bryant out of Clemson (the 4th man on the defensive line whose 3 teammates were all first rounders) he should immediately contribute as a rotational defensive end and Penn State corner Amani Oruwariye who could easily start for them as a rookie opposite the most underrated elite player in the league Darius Slay. The running back they picked up from Maryland could end up being a late round steal too. 

 

And then there were EIGHT...

So at the point the final pick went in last night it left 8 guys of the 146 I had evaluated and given a draftable grade still on the board. I thought it might be worth a quick review of where they have ended up as UDFAs.

 

1. Preston Williams, WR, Colorado State - MIAMI DOLPHINS

2. Malik Gant, S, Marshall - NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

3. Emmanuel Hall, WR, Missouri - CHICAGO BEARS

4. Joe Giles-Harris, LB, Duke - JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

5. Daniel Wise, DT, Kansas - DALLAS COWBOYS

6. Tyrel Dodson, LB, Texas A&M - BUFFALO BILLS

7. Gerald Willis, DT, Miami - BALTIMORE RAVENS

8. Te'von Coney, LB, Norte Dame - OAKLAND RAIDERS

 

There were also two other guys I mentioned in my "sleepers" post a couple of months before who I had kind of 7th/UDFA type grades on and therefore were not on my board as such but who I liked as priority free agents - Alex Wesley a little slot/gadget receiver from Northern Colorado who has signed with the New York Giants and Chris Johnson a big rangey safety from North Alabama who has signed as an UDFA with the Houston Texans. Good luck to all of those guys in their respective camps (yes, even Malik Gant) because they all deserve a shot at playing in this league. 

 

And that, ladies and gentlemen...... is a wrap. Until next year! ☺️

 

[Chandler#81]

Regrets? Do you have a few? Too few to mention?

 

On behalf of every member here, a hearty THANK YOU, GB!

 

As for Vosean, I watched all the Gator games. The knocks on him -reckless/undisciplined/runs into blockers is due in large part to the D scheme @ Florida. They allow and encourage their LBs to roam free and attack at will. I think he’ll adapt well to NFL coaching.

[fansince88]

Great post summing it all up @GunnerBill. Much appreciated.