Goldfish's Way Too Early Draft Rankings 2020 (All up)

[Hunter2_1]

9 hours ago, Daniel said:

I mean, I didn't put us at the top, but I think we did better than like the Falcons, or the Saints.  And definitely better than the Pats.  I assumed we'd be somewhere in the 15-20 range.  27 is pretty ridiculous IMO.

You've mentioned the Pats a few times, but you seem to be swayed by your personal opinion of the kickers' life choices, and the fact that you didn't know anything about the number 1 pick. (This is completely based off your posts). I personally have neither NE nor TEN high, and I expect NE very soon on this list, but what is clear is that Goldy watches A LOT of tape so I'm happy to defer to him. Is it not true that Mike was trying to trade out of the Wilson spot?

 

*id probably agree with your personal opinion on rohrwasser, but we evaluate on talent

Edited May 1, 2020 by Hunter2_1

[Hunter2_1]

8 hours ago, CBears019 said:

I'm curious because I keep seeing this comment come up when people are evaluating the Bears draft class/Kmet pick - if the Bears only had 1 or 2 tight ends at the time of the draft would people still feel the same way?  I'm not saying that Kmet was a great pick, I was personally hoping for Winfield Jr.  Yes, the Bears have an absurd number of tight ends on their roster currently.  They just cut Dax Raymond, so they're down to 9 now.  Adam Shaheen is expected to be one of the next to be cut.  Most of their other tight ends are no-name guys who won't be on the roster week 1.  My guess is week 1 they'll have Graham, Kmet, and Demetrius Harris dressing.  Graham's contract is for two years, but most of the guarantees will be paid this year, so he's not likely to be on the team at this time next year.  Bears needed a tight end for the future, so they grabbed the top-rated tight end in the class.  I'm not expecting him to be Gronk, Kelce, etc., but if he could be like a Kyle Rudolph I don't think it's a bad pick at all.  Take a look at the Bears tight ends since they traded Greg Olsen...it's not pretty.

People don't expect the Bears to enter the season with 10 tight ends on their roster......right?

I'm pretty torn on this. He will make your team, will make catches, can be flexed out wide and will take the number 1 TE spot one day. On the other hand, this was a terrible TE class and the perceived number 1 TE can't block. I don't understand how you can be a number 1 TE and not block these days. It's early for a non-blocking receive-only TE, but someone may have picked him up if you hadn't, so again, pretty torn. 

It depends, do you think it's a good spot to draft a receive only TE? I think you could swap your Kmet and Jaylon picks around and it would look better - but you got both, so it's irrelevant. If Kmet was a reach, Jaylon was a bit of a steal.

Edited May 1, 2020 by Hunter2_1

[goldfishwars]

26. New England Patriots

This Class In One Sentence:
A confusing mash of questionable value, PATRIOTS PICKS ®, ‘I quite like that guy’, absent receivers and PR nightmare kickers 

Pre-Draft Needs 
QB, WR, TE, OL, LB, EDGE, LB, S

Selections
2. 37. Kyle Dugger  | S | Lenoir–Rhyne
2. 60. Josh Uche  | OLB | Michigan
3. 87. Anfernee Jennings  | OLB | Alabama
3. 91. Devin Asiasi  | TE | UCLA
3. 101. Dalton Keene  | TE | Virginia Tech
5. 159. Justin Rohrwasser  | K | Marshall
6. 182. Michael Onwenu  | G | Michigan
6. 195. Justin Herron  | OT | Wake Forest
6. 204. Cassh Maluia  | LB | Wyoming
7. 230. Dustin Woodard  | C | Memphis

Picks Heading In
1. 23.
3. 87.
3. 98.
3. 100.
4. 117.
4. 125.
5. 172.
6. 195.
6. 204.
6. 212.
6. 213.
7. 241.

Favorite Pick
Josh Uche – I would have preferred Zach Baun, but Uche was a nice pick-up all the same. As a pass-rusher he can rip and dip and has genuine bend-the-edge flexibility. As an off-ball linebacker he is surprisingly smooth in space and can be a devastating blitzer. There’s not a huge amount of power to his game to be an edge full-time, but perhaps could fill that hybrid rush/off ball role Jamie Collins and KVN rotated through to good effect last year. 

Most Questionable Pick
No Wide Receiver – Let’s ignore the kicker selection for now, because that’s a situation (rightly or wrongly) which has gotten a lot of attention. Let’s instead focus on the fact that the greatest wide receiver class in living memory did not yield a single selection from a receiver needy Patriots. I guess when you’ve got an underwhelming 1st round rookie heading into year 2, a beat-up 34 year old slot and a player who cost us a 2nd round pick in a panicked trade, you’ve got to stick with that plan. 

Overview
With Brady and a host of starters leaving in free agency, the roster looks short on star power outside of the cornerback position right now. For the second year in a row, the Patriots saw teams trading up ahead of them to select players that may have been targets of theirs in Kenneth Murray and Jordan Love. So, it was no surprise to see a trade back soon thereafter. We’ll also never know for sure if they were in on Love, the fact no move was made to trade up indicates it would have been a warm affection at most. With no other additions at QB through the draft, Jarrett Stidham emerges as a huge winner. 

The selection leading up to 37 was a real mystery, with so many paths to choose and such little inspiration from previous 2nd round selections to draw inspiration from. Kyle Dugger was the eventual selection, which was somewhat of a surprise given that the Patriots rarely invest high picks on small school players and his was tiny. That small school background didn't impact him too much when he stepped up at the Senior Bowl and became one of the standouts there. He looks more comfortable on the front foot, coming down hill or planted in and around the box and feels like a natural successor to Pat Chung - someone to match-up on tight ends. The question will be around how quickly he can acclimatise to playing in the NFL. 

Anfernee Jennings in the 3rd was consistently mocked to us and you can see why, he’s a stout edge-setter who has some versatility inside and outside and plays at a program where Belichick has close ties. But he just isn’t quite talented enough to be considered good value here. Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene were the next two selections off the board with trades up that felt kind of unnecessary with both players selected ahead of the bigger names in the tight end class. Asiasi had a breakout year at UCLA and at almost 280 pounds, he’s a big dude with surprising hops and capable of receiving and blocking in-line which isn’t a trait you saw peppered across the class. Keene has more of an H-back skill-set, but had a huge workout at the combine and played at a number of spots at Virginia Tech. It's kind of like Gronk and Hernandez, but on a smaller scale. 

It would have been little surprise to any Pats fan to see us invest a pick at kicker, having done so on specialists in the past. It was probably surprising to see us select who we did given so little was known about him, I’ll ignore the other stuff for now. Michael Onwenu was linked to the Pats throughout the process, so it wasn’t a huge surprise to see his name in the 6th round. He has some athletic limitations, but is powerful and heavy-handed inside and I think that’s a good selection. Can’t say I was a huge fan of Justin Herron who moves well, but lacks the length and power to thrive inside or outside right now. Cassh Maluia feels like the core special teams pick we like to focus on late and Dustin Woodard is more offensive line depth and has some versatility at center and guard. 

[Trentwannabe]

I’ve read that it was well known within Buffalo that had Dugger been there at 54, he was going to be the pick. 

[candyman93]

The Sanu trade is still a head scratcher 

[Hunter2_1]

4 hours ago, goldfishwars said:

We’ll also never know for sure if they were in on Love, the fact no move was made to trade up indicates it would have been a warm affection at most.

He was available at 23 when we bailed. I can't see how we were ever in on him.

[goldfishwars]

5 minutes ago, Hunter2_1 said:

He was available at 23 when we bailed. I can't see how we were ever in on him.

That is a good point

[CBears019]

5 hours ago, Hunter2_1 said:

I'm pretty torn on this. He will make your team, will make catches, can be flexed out wide and will take the number 1 TE spot one day. On the other hand, this was a terrible TE class and the perceived number 1 TE can't block. I don't understand how you can be a number 1 TE and not block these days. It's early for a non-blocking receive-only TE, but someone may have picked him up if you hadn't, so again, pretty torn. 

It depends, do you think it's a good spot to draft a receive only TE? I think you could swap your Kmet and Jaylon picks around and it would look better - but you got both, so it's irrelevant. If Kmet was a reach, Jaylon was a bit of a steal.

Exactly.  I don’t think Kmet would have been there for the Bears to take at #50.

[Hunter2_1]

2 minutes ago, CBears019 said:

Exactly.  I don’t think Kmet would have been there for the Bears to take at #50.

What do you think of the player ?

Edited May 1, 2020 by Hunter2_1

[CBears019]

16 minutes ago, Hunter2_1 said:

What do you think of the player ?

Strictly speaking, i like him.  The Bears NEEDED a legitimate tight end.  They reached on him, and had I been the GM I would have gone a different direction at #43, but Kmet fills a need so I’m not freaking out over the pick.  Like  you said he’s not much of a blocker at this point which is disappointing.  But iirc he hasn’t been playing football that long and he’s split his time with baseball.  Hopefully 100% dedication to football will allow him to develop some blocking skills. 

I remain hopeful that he will become a productive player for the Bears.  Use his size to create mismatches and become a red zone threat.

[goldfishwars]

25. New Orleans Saints

This Class In One Sentence:
Only the Saints could make four picks, one of which is a terrible QB and still land a better draft than several other teams. 

Pre-Draft Needs 
LB, WR, OL, RB, QB

Selections
1. 24. Cesar Ruiz  | C | Michigan
3. 74. Zack Baun  | OLB | Wisconsin
3. 105. Adam Trautman  | TE | Dayton
7. 244. Tommy Stevens  | QB | Mississippi State

Picks Heading In
1. 24.
3. 88.
4. 130.
5. 169.
6. 203.
7. 240
 

Favorite Pick
Zach Baun – We won’t know for sure how much the diluted sample impacted his draft position, but I would guess a bit based on the fact I thought he could have been a target for the Patriots in round 1. Baun probably fits best as an off-ball linebacker, who can come down as rusher on 3rd down where he can win with speed and bend. If he can’t win the off-ball job early, there should still be a lot of value in having him come in as a pass-rush specialist early on. 

Most Questionable Pick
Cesar Ruiz – Definitely not a bad selection, but perhaps unexpected given that the Saints have a decent interior offensive line and last year’s center selection played very well as a rookie. Ruiz has some versatility to play guard and some very intriguing traits, so this might tell us something about they feel about Andrus Peat or Larry Warford moving forward. I think might have been tempted to get Brees a receiver in this spot. 

Overview
It was brief, four selections were made, one of which on a terrible quarterback and yet the Saints still had a better draft than some teams with bigger hauls. Ruiz, Baun and Trautman are all talented enough to make early contributions and that’s probably all they really need on a roster which is well stocked for them to make another run. It’s a system that’s worked for them in the past, notably last year - but the problem with tiny classes is that you can’t simply assume every pick will hit. 

Of the remaining two selections, Trautman’s selection at the end of the 3rd was a combination of good value, as he was expected to go earlier, but also pretty bad value given they traded away 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th round picks away to get him. The move was very Saints, their targets have always meant more to them than the picks in their back pocket. A small school TE, Trautman impressed at the Senior Bowl with his blocking in-line and ability to create space in short-intermediate areas as a receiver. 

Tommy Stevens is not a good quarterback, but will draw inevitable comparisons to Taysom Hill given his athletic skill-set and Hill’s career arc is probably his route to hang around. The Saints liked him enough to give away next year’s 6th to get him. 

[Daniel]

9 hours ago, FalconFan13 said:

That all depends on who you ask as far as the CB's go as it seems their are 3 teams who were trying to take Terrell in the top 20  Falcons, Raiders, and Saints.   I personally didn't have either player in the top 25 but i did like Terrell better than Fulton thats for sure.   Nfl.com had Terrell rated with a higher grade as well on their draft scale.   Davdison was considered about the same caliber of player as Wilson at different position as both were around late 1st to mid 2nd round players and i like both guys quite a bit.   The prospect that im 100% sure has our class rated higher to Goldie than the Titans one is Hennessey though because he liked Henn quite a bit.   

I liked Terrell more than Fulton as well, by a small bit.  In my mock I had Terrell one spot lower than where the Falcons took him, but Fulton had been a projected first rounder through almost the entire pre-draft process, and almost every mock I had seen had him in the second, Fulton in the first, and that's what I'm talking about.  I think the Falcons did well with the Davidson pick, but Terrell was a reach with comparable corners on the board for a full round after.

6 hours ago, Hunter2_1 said:

You've mentioned the Pats a few times, but you seem to be swayed by your personal opinion of the kickers' life choices, and the fact that you didn't know anything about the number 1 pick. (This is completely based off your posts). I personally have neither NE nor TEN high, and I expect NE very soon on this list, but what is clear is that Goldy watches A LOT of tape so I'm happy to defer to him. Is it not true that Mike was trying to trade out of the Wilson spot?

 

*id probably agree with your personal opinion on rohrwasser, but we evaluate on talent

Yes, and we obviously can't get too deep into this, but I'll try to keep within forum rules: it's a bad choice regardless of your personal feelings since someone like that is a liability.  For PR reasons, for what they might get into off the field, etc.  It's like when you draft a player with rumors of gang affiliation or violent criminal history.  The feelings part don't enter into the objective quality of the decision, but the risk of fallout and their future behavior does.

That and kickers shouldn't be drafted pre-seventh round, almost full stop, and of the kickers I was hoping the Titans would take with their last pick, he wasn't one of them, even for talent reasons.  I wanted Blankenship, Bass, or Aguayo in a pinch.  It was too high a pick and an unnecessary risk for a kicker I also didn't think was in the top 3.  Which is why I think it's an objectively bad decision.

I also thought Jennings and Asiasi were big reaches, so IMO the relevant talent they added is Dugger and Uche, and that's about it.  Keene I liked, but a little later than they picked him, and more for development.  I pretty much hate the 2020 Pats' draft almost as much as I loved their 2019 one.

Second bold: Everyone thinks so, since the Titans needed depth at more positions than they had draft picks for.  JRob said they were able to talk to some and generate a little interest, but not enough to trade back from Wilson.  I think Love going to Green Bay surprised them, and they expected a QB to be what people were after.  Also, of the remaining tackles on the board (Cleveland, Jones, etc), none are the big, powerful run blocker the Titans were looking for.  So they liked his fit.

[Chiefer]

Wow usually the Chiefs are up by now

[SmittyBacall]

22 minutes ago, goldfishwars said:

Of the remaining two selections, Trautman’s selection at the end of the 3rd was a combination of good value, as he was expected to go earlier, but also pretty bad value given they traded away 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th round picks away to get him.

I think Trautman will go down as one of the biggest steals of this draft. He’s going to be a really good pro.

[jebrick]

23 hours ago, Ray Reed said:

Yeah I wasn't particularly big on Pittsburgh's draft at all, but I couldn't really tell if that was me a.) actually not loving their picks, b.) me being a ravens fan and innately wanting to dislike their picks, or c.) me being a salty Maryland alum who's had to watch my least favorite team roster more terps than anyone in recent memory.

Tomlin's son goes to Maryland and Matt Canada ( new QB coach) also coached at Maryland.

The Steeler draft, like many of their drafts is meh.  They do not need a starter at any position.  Only depth.  They took several high ceiling low floor players which is always a risk.  Dotson is my favorite and McFarland my least.  Claypool has a ceiling of Plaxico Burress and a floor of Devin Funchess.  We are hoping for the former.  Highsmith's biggest knock is LOC.  He looked very good vs Clemson.  Gave them fits so they needed to have a RB on his side.  Dotson is as starter ready as you can get.  The rest might hope to make the PS.