2024 WR Draft Class

[BillsFanForever19]

22 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

thread is a good read on Legette’s history.  
He’s worked hard to get to this point.  
Both his parents passed away years ago.  
 

guy seems he’d be real easy to root for!

also,  “XL”  his initials is a fantastic nickname for this beast.

 

The guy is the total package. Size, build, speed, playmaking ability. And in listening to him talk at the Combine and reading about his history - I'd be surprised if he didn't wow them in the Interview process as well.

 

As I've said to people before, if you're someone who's scared by him being 23 after spending an extra year in College or the one year wonder thing - without those things we wouldn't get a whiff of him. He'd be up there with Nabers and Odunze in the Top 10.

 

From what I've seen of him on video and how he measured and performed at the Combine, he's the perfect fit for what I feel Beane is looking for. I'll take the age and one year wonder concerns for what he's got. 

Edited March 7 by BillsFanForever19

[Warriorspikes51]

4 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

The guy is the total package. Size, build, speed, playmaking ability.

 

As I've said to people before, if you're someone who's scared by him being 23 after spending an extra year in College or the one year wonder thing - without those things we wouldn't get a whiff of him. He'd be up there with Nabers and Odunze in the Top 10.

 

From what I've seen of him on video and how he measured and performed at the Combine, he's the perfect fit for what I feel Beane is looking for. I'll take the age and one year wonder concerns for what he's got. 

I’ll sign up for him right now. Especially if it only requires a trade up of 2-3 spots or staying at 28.   He looked noticeably bigger compared to the other WR’s.  He’s an intimidating presence
 

I know you won’t like it, but depending on what we do in UFA, perhaps Troy Franklin now drops into the mid 2 within trade range and we could come away with a fantastic combo at WR.  He looks much faster in games than 4.41…

Edited March 7 by Warriorspikes51

[DJB]

15 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

The guy is the total package. Size, build, speed, playmaking ability. And in listening to him talk at the Combine and reading about his history - I'd be surprised if he didn't wow them in the Interview process as well.

 

As I've said to people before, if you're someone who's scared by him being 23 after spending an extra year in College or the one year wonder thing - without those things we wouldn't get a whiff of him. He'd be up there with Nabers and Odunze in the Top 10.

 

From what I've seen of him on video and how he measured and performed at the Combine, he's the perfect fit for what I feel Beane is looking for. I'll take the age and one year wonder concerns for what he's got. 

To issue is that he didn’t do much prior to his 23 season. That’s a red flag for NFL success 

[Dan in Owego]

WR fatigue has set in for me 🤪, taking a small break to focus on O-line prospects. But seriously, looking forward to pro days and hopefully some interviews of these WR prospects, still think movement of order on the top 15 or so will take place between now and the draft.

[Warriorspikes51]

9 minutes ago, DJB said:

To issue is that he didn’t do much prior to his 23 season. That’s a red flag for NFL success 

He had stuff working against him. He was switched to QB in high school and his development at WR was delayed a bit.  
 

If his work ethic continues there’s no reason he can’t turn into a DK Metcalf 

[BillsFanForever19]

57 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

I’ll sign up for him right now. Especially if it only requires a trade up of 2-3 spots or staying at 28.   He looked noticeably bigger compared to the other WR’s.  He’s an intimidating presence
 

I know you won’t like it, but depending on what we do in UFA, perhaps Troy Franklin now drops into the mid 2 within trade range and we could come away with a fantastic combo at WR.  He looks much faster in games than 4.41…

 

Honestly, if Beane went WR in Round 1 and Round 2 - I wouldn't be upset about it. I just don't see it. Especially after today. We're going to need another Starter in Round 2.

 

As for Franklin, I'm kind of out on him. I don't necessarily *expect* it - but I wouldn't be shocked if he slid to Round 3. Everything that had me high on him, was dispelled at the Combine. Weighed in even less than was expected. Was shorter than expected. Ran slower than people he was expected to be faster than - including dead last in the 10 yard split. And was terrible in drills.

 

Listening to the Cover 1 guys talk about him turned me off even more. Watch the whole part titled "Which WR Hurt Themselves" starting at 32:10 and listen to them both talk about him. I think he was over hyped on this board:

 

 

At this point, I feel like there's probably a WR I'd prefer over him at 60 even if he were there and we were going WR again.

 

45 minutes ago, DJB said:

To issue is that he didn’t do much prior to his 23 season. That’s a red flag for NFL success 

 

I'll bet on the traits, the skills, and the head on his shoulders rather than generic stats that base only on age and not scheme, team fit, or the player themselves.

 

Like I said, it's a fair concern to have and is something that makes him in play for us. But I'll take the chance there. 

Edited March 7 by BillsFanForever19

[transplantbillsfan]

I listened to Bruce Nolan's podcast and he has his WR rankings.  For those who don't know, he's been a writer and podcaster for Buffalo Rumblings for years and he knows his stuff.  Very knowledgeable in scouting.

 

He actually ranked his top 17 WRs in the draft and broke them into 5 tiers:

 

Tier 1

Marvin Harrison Jr.

Malik Nabers

Rome Odunze

 

Tier 2

Brian Thomas Jr.

Adonai Mitchell

Ladd McConkey

 

Tier 3

Ricky Pearsall

Javon Baker

Roman Wilson

 

Tier 4

Xavier Legette

Xavier Worthy

Ja'Lynn Polk

Brendan Rice

Troy Franklin

 

Tier 5

Malachi Corley

Jalen McMillen

Keon Coleman

[BBFL]

9 minutes ago, transplantbillsfan said:

I listened to Bruce Nolan's podcast and he has his WR rankings.  For those who don't know, he's been a writer and podcaster for Buffalo Rumblings for years and he knows his stuff.  Very knowledgeable in scouting.

 

He actually ranked his top 17 WRs in the draft and broke them into 5 tiers:

 

Tier 1

Marvin Harrison Jr.

Malik Nabers

Rome Odunze

 

Tier 2

Brian Thomas Jr.

Adonai Mitchell

Ladd McConkey

 

Tier 3

Ricky Pearsall

Javon Baker

Roman Wilson

 

Tier 4

Xavier Legette

Xavier Worthy

Ja'Lynn Polk

Brendan Rice

Troy Franklin

 

Tier 5

Malachi Corley

Jalen McMillen

Keon Coleman

Polk, Legette & Franklin a whole tier below Pearsall, Wilson and Baker….?!? 🤡

 

I know Franklin didn’t have a great combine but the tape doesn’t lie, there’s no way he’s a whole classification below those 3. Same with Legette. 
 

 

[transplantbillsfan]

9 minutes ago, BBFL said:

Polk, Legette & Franklin a whole tier below Pearsall, Wilson and Baker….?!? 🤡

 

I know Franklin didn’t have a great combine but the tape doesn’t lie, there’s no way he’s a whole classification below those 3. Same with Legette. 
 

 

 

No way... huh????  Have you scouted all these players thoroughly and do you have a scouting background?

 

I agree it was eye opening that he put Pearsall, Wilson and Baker ahead of a bunch of guys everyone's talking about in the late first round, but it's quite possible we're the ones who are wrong.

[BBFL]

Just now, transplantbillsfan said:

 

No way... huh????  Have you scouted all these players thoroughly and do you have a scouting background?

 

I agree it was eye opening that he put Pearsall, Wilson and Baker ahead of a bunch of guys everyone's talking about in the late first round, but it's quite possible we're the ones who are wrong.

No, I didn’t claim myself an expert but I’ve watched a lot of UofSC and Oregon games. Im fine with them being below the tiers 1 and 2 but I’d have him on par with at least Pearsall and Wilson at best. More so Legette as he didn’t bomb at the combine if that’s the basis and the guy was really the only option Rattler had. Productive against Florida and Georgia to boot even with double coverage…

[The Jokeman]

17 hours ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

The guy is the total package. Size, build, speed, playmaking ability. And in listening to him talk at the Combine and reading about his history - I'd be surprised if he didn't wow them in the Interview process as well.

 

As I've said to people before, if you're someone who's scared by him being 23 after spending an extra year in College or the one year wonder thing - without those things we wouldn't get a whiff of him. He'd be up there with Nabers and Odunze in the Top 10.

 

From what I've seen of him on video and how he measured and performed at the Combine, he's the perfect fit for what I feel Beane is looking for. I'll take the age and one year wonder concerns for what he's got. 

He's the guy most likely to fall to us at #28 that I'm happy drafting although I like Thomas Jr. and Mitchell better. The one year wonder is fair criticism but as his NFL.com draft writeup states, it was his only season with 30 or more targets. 

[transplantbillsfan]

9 minutes ago, BBFL said:

No, I didn’t claim myself an expert but I’ve watched a lot of UofSC and Oregon games. Im fine with them being below the tiers 1 and 2 but I’d have him on par with at least Pearsall and Wilson at best. More so Legette as he didn’t bomb at the combine if that’s the basis and the guy was really the only option Rattler had. Productive against Florida and Georgia to boot even with double coverage…

 

Have you watched a lot of Pearsall and Wilson?

[BillsFanForever19]

41 minutes ago, BBFL said:

Polk, Legette & Franklin a whole tier below Pearsall, Wilson and Baker….?!? 🤡

 

I know Franklin didn’t have a great combine but the tape doesn’t lie, there’s no way he’s a whole classification below those 3. Same with Legette. 

 

With Franklin, i'd say that there's a difference between watching the highlights and watching all of his tape.

 

In talking about him above, I posted a link to Cover 1 discussing him. One of the major concerns is that he has a hard time dealing with press and getting off the line. They mentioned games where he struggled against CB's who aren't NFL level players. The things that made him attractive were that he had Elite speed near Worthy and was 6'3". And even though he looked skinny and frail, he was listed at 190 lbs. Even with those things, there's a myth that Franklin was a consensus 1st Round pick and a complete WR. That wasn't true even before the Combine, except for this board. Many prognosticators believed he was a 2nd Round pick behind a lot of guys already. Mel Kiper didn't list him in his Top 10 WR's.

 

Then he gets to the Combine and he's not 6'3" - he's actually 6'1". He's not 190 lbs, he's actually 175. And his supposed elite speed was nowhere near Worthy and slower than guys like Legette and McConkey, only ranking 10th among WR's. More concerning was his 1.61 10 yard split, ranking dead last among all WR's there. Confirming the concerns at the line. Then he does his on-field work and performs poorly. Running the gauntlet so badly Daniel Jeremiah was calling him out on Live TV.

 

The Combine exposed him. There's a difference between not looking great there and having every single one of the things that made you attractive dispelled and the things that were a concern highlighted. There's a lot wrong with that list you were commenting on. But Franklin being in Tier 4 instead of 2 or 3 doesn't shock me.

Edited March 7 by BillsFanForever19

[BBFL]

14 minutes ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

Have you watched a lot of Pearsall and Wilson?

Not as much as Legette and Franklin, hence why I didn’t say above… But they were both more productive than Pearsall and Wilson…

 

Wilson played better competition but he wasn’t exactly dominating or the teams he faced. Alabama was his best game. Baker had a great season. Again, I have no problem them being in the same tier but a whole classification below is wildly absurd imo. 

[Warriorspikes51]

I’ve heard Sal mention the possibility of trading up several times now. He said could be higher than Beane usually goes. Like 15-20 range.

 

is Brian Thomas Jr. who we covet?

 

 

[Dr. Who]

16 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

I’ve heard Sal mention the possibility of trading up several times now. He said could be higher than Beane usually goes. Like 15-20 range.

 

is Brian Thomas Jr. who we covet?

 

 

Personally, I'd rather take Legette at 28, and trade up from 60 to grab McConkey, but I think Ladd may go in the first.

[BillsFanForever19]

1 hour ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

I’ve heard Sal mention the possibility of trading up several times now. He said could be higher than Beane usually goes. Like 15-20 range.

 

is Brian Thomas Jr. who we covet?

 

I'd say if we were to make a move like that, it's clearly Brian Thomas Jr. to me. I don't think we'd have to get that high for someone like AD Mitchell and I don't think we'd give up what it would take to get that high to Draft a guy like Worthy, with the amount of questions mark he has outside of Speed. In my opinion, anyone else but those two (and the top 3 guys who will be long gone) will be available at 28 or with a smaller move than that.

 

But I'd caution reading anything into it. Sal has brought this up a number of times, but he always says that it's his gut instinct talking and an uninformed prediction. Not something where he's talking about the possibility of it happening because he's heard something.

Edited March 7 by BillsFanForever19

[transplantbillsfan]

1 hour ago, BBFL said:

Not as much as Legette and Franklin, hence why I didn’t say above… But they were both more productive than Pearsall and Wilson…

 

Wilson played better competition but he wasn’t exactly dominating or the teams he faced. Alabama was his best game. Baker had a great season. Again, I have no problem them being in the same tier but a whole classification below is wildly absurd imo. 

 

I don't watch College Football AT ALL!!!  But my understanding is that Michigan didn't pass the ball all that much.

 

Most scouts have JJ McCarthy above Bo Nix or Michael Penix even though McCarthy has significantly less production.

 

Also... remember Josh Allen...

[Turbo44]

1 hour ago, Dr. Who said:

Personally, I'd rather take Legette at 28, and trade up from 60 to grab McConkey, but I think Ladd may go in the first.

I think you have it backwards. McConkey you’d have to take at 28 and Legette at 60. Might have to trade up a bit to get Legette, but wouldn’t cost you a ton to move from 60 to like 50.  This is my plan B: McConkey then a true z receiver like Legette, worthy, Pearsall or Franklin. 
 

plan A is trade up for Thomas

 

either plan would be dynamic with Josh:

 

diggs, McConkey, Legette, Shakir and our TEs

 

or

 

diggs, Thomas, Shakir, our TEs and a late round WR

 

both scenarios are very possible as we have 11 picks and Beane isn’t drafting 11 players

[Warriorspikes51]

1 hour ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

I'd say if we were to make a move like that, it's clearly Brian Thomas Jr. to me. I don't think we'd have to get that high for someone like AD Mitchell and I don't think we'd give up what it would take to get that high to Draft a guy like Worthy, with the amount of questions mark he has outside of Speed. In my opinion, anyone else but those two (and the top 3 guys who will be long gone) will be available at 28 or with a smaller move than that.

 

But I'd caution reading anything into it. Sal has brought this up a number of times, but he always says that it's his gut instinct talking and an uninformed prediction. Not something where he's talking about the possibility of it happening because he's heard something.

ehhh sounded a bit different than what you’re referring too.  

2 hours ago, Dr. Who said:

Personally, I'd rather take Legette at 28, and trade up from 60 to grab McConkey, but I think Ladd may go in the first.

thad be fun!!!