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Goldfish's Way Too Early Draft Rankings 2021 (All up)


goldfishwars

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If you're one of the top 14 graded drafts and there are 14 playoff spots, your draft grade is probably considered good.

Now, if your draft grade is 14, that may be good, but it is not great. A fringe playoff team isn't considered the contender that a top seeded team is, for example.

The context of this Patriots draft is in the Brady situation and the Patriots missed opportunity at getting a potential top pick prospect in Justin Fields for a fraction of the cost to trade up compared to sitting back for a consolation in Mac Jones or some other day 2 level QB prospect.

This also represents a typical Belichick draft criticism which is that he is relying on the small circles of people he is friends with and picking a player based strongly on that familiarity. The hope going into this draft was that the Patriots would open up their draft process to be more inclusive of their scouts opinions and input. The decision maker is Belichick but the franchise needs to refine it's drafting if it hopes to remain competitive; the strategy has always been trading back and getting "value". This Mac Jones situation feels a lot like a story where Belichick said it wasn't worth the collateral to get Julio Jones because Jonathan Baldwin was the same caliber player at a lower pick. It doesn't seem like Belichick's scouting has improved nor his philosophy or strategy to the detriment of the Patriots if in fact he is wrong for not acquiring Fields instead of Jones.

 

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13. Washington Football Team

Washington Football: Where is WFT ranked in NFL.com's draft grades?

This Class In One Sentence:
A few straight years of good drafting and this roster looks kinda loaded all of a sudden.

Pre-Draft Needs 
LB, OT, CB, S, WR

Selections
1 19. Jamin Davis - Kentucky | LB |
2 51. Samuel Cosmi - Texas | OT |
3 74. Benjamin St-Juste - Minnesota | CB |
3 82. Dyami Brown - North Carolina | WR |
4 124. John Bates - Boise State | TE |
5 163. Darrick Forrest - Cincinnati | S |
6 225. Camaron Cheeseman - Michigan | LS |
7 240. William Bradley-King - Baylor | DE |
7 246. Shaka Toney - Penn State | DE |
7 258. Dax Milne - BYU | WR |

Picks Heading In
19. 
51. 
74. 
82. 
124.
163. 
236. 

What I Liked
This is a nice haul, with strong selections throughout and a high emphasis on athleticism. Cosmi has to learn some pretty fundamental techniques, he’s been getting by through tight end level athleticism to this point. There’s a lot of untapped potential there and Washington have a good crop of young lineman to fight for spots on that line now. Similarly, Benjamin St. Juste has some top tier athletic potential at corner – huge due at 6’3 and with an 80-inch wingspan. He’s still learning the position, but that’s a good spot for him to land on a team with a dominant front – it should make that transition easier. 

I like the Dyami Brown selection at 82, I thought he could have gone earlier than that. He didn’t test out as a burner despite being the primary deep threat at North Carolina – but there is more to vertical route running that being fast. Brown has a phenomenal double move and tracks the ball superbly well. He's certainly well-placed to thrive in this year’s offense with Fitzy willing to take his shots. 

Elsewhere, Bates is a solid-ish second tight end level prospect. I really like Darrick Forrest, similarly he’s a versatile safety who was a team captain at Cinci and plays smart. I love the two late shots on the DPR’s in Shaka Toney, who might have had the quickest first step in the class, and William Bradley-King who was a little more heavy-handed and skilled at the point. I wouldn’t be shocked to see either of those guys lining up on third down with Chase or Montez switching inside on third down. 

What I Didn’t Like
Davis, Cosmi and St. Juste all carry higher than average bust-potential given their relative low floors – so coaching plays a big part on what happens from here. 

I like Jamin Davis and I don’t think this is a bad pick relative to how much the league seemed to like him. But I do think that’s an expensive pick to spend on a player with eleven career starts and at a position which doesn’t always move the needle. Yes, I get that it feels a need and that he’s a lengthy high-end athlete – but he’s going to have to get better at taking on blockers to show the all-round skill-set to fully justify this pick. 
 

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We are into the genuinely helpful drafts. No one gets worse on draft day, but everyone from #14 on got significantly better.

FWIW this is about where I would have put the Chiefs, unless you count a a year of Orlando Brown as part of their haul.

J

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12. Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs select Missouri LB Nick Bolton at pick No. 58 in 2021 NFL draft

This Class In One Sentence:
Almost madness for a team with no first-round pick and only six selections to have a draft class this good. 

Pre-Draft Needs 
WR, LB, OL, DL

Selections
2 58. Nick Bolton - Missouri | LB |
2 63. Creed Humphrey - Oklahoma | C |
4 144. Joshua Kaindoh - Florida State | DE |
5 162. Noah Gray - Duke | TE |
5 181. Cornell Powell - Clemson | WR |
6 226. Trey Smith - Tennessee | OG |

Picks Heading In
58. 
63. 
144. 
175. 
181. 
207. 

What I Liked
I like how solid the draft is all the way through, matching value at each pick with a need on the team. It really has been an unlikely, yet impressive off-season for the Chiefs as they re-tooled the roster in ways which seemed improbable. The Nick Bolton selection at 58 is solid, someone who makes up for his lack of size and athleticism with uncanny play recognition. He as a skill set that has been somewhat of a missing piece on this defense. 

At 63, Creed Humphrey feels like one of the steals of the draft after a strong draft season which appeared to put him in the frame as a first round selection. He tested out of his mind at his pro day, and whilst the short arms might pigeonhole him as a center only in the NFL, he’s been a durable bull who flashed periods of dominance during his time at Oklahoma. 

There’s stuff to like about the four remaining selections. Joshua Kaindoh flashed high end athleticism as a pass-rusher at Florida State. They've turned less into more. In a shallow Tight End class, Noah Gray is probably worth a fifth-round flyer as someone who can compete for the second tight end spot. Cornell Powell was one of the most refined route-runners in the class and has a genuine chance to crack the rotation on a thinner receiver roster. 

Then you have the selection on Trey Smith, who might turn out to be another steal should his medical condition get clearance. He’s just a huge and powerful human being at 6’5 and 320 pounds and he plays to every inch of that frame. He’s had two major incidents of blood clotting in his lungs and although the Issue believed to be under control now, it’s obviously put more than a few teams off given his talent. 

What I Didn’t Like
I genuinely cannot think of anything egregious, especially given the lower-than-average draft capital to work with. I’d have it ranked higher if I didn’t have a logjam of teams who drafted at least equally as well. 

Edited by goldfishwars
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I think Washington had a pretty bad draft aside from Jamin and Cosmi, and Jamin was a bit of a reach. Cosmi never looked like a pro bowler either, just an average starter who won't necessarily hurt you. The rest of the class is bench guys, besides maybe Shaka, if he can add 15lbs and keep his athleticism. Dyami has the worst hands I've seen in years. St juste is just an average athlete. Yea, not a good draft imo.

Edited by Jeezla
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21 hours ago, DoleINGout said:

 

The context of this Patriots draft is in the Brady situation and the Patriots missed opportunity at getting a potential top pick prospect in Justin Fields for a fraction of the cost to trade up compared to sitting back for a consolation in Mac Jones or some other day 2 level QB prospect.

This also represents a typical Belichick draft criticism which is that he is relying on the small circles of people he is friends with and picking a player based strongly on that familiarity. 

 

I'm curious your perspective on the prospect Belichick made this Mac selection in part because of his familiarity with a not-super-athletic QB who has shown great ability for accuracy and brainpower. I mean in a lot of ways, I see much more similarities between Mac and Brady than Fields and Brady (DEFINITELY NOT saying Mac will be even a quarter of the player brady is). It really only came to mind when you talked about familiarity for Beli

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15 minutes ago, Dbrog24 said:

I'm curious your perspective on the prospect Belichick made this Mac selection in part because of his familiarity with a not-super-athletic QB who has shown great ability for accuracy and brainpower.

That would always factor into a QB analysis by Belichick or anyone else for that matter. The fact that accuracy and brainpower are Mac's only supposed strengths has to be considered otherwise what are you scouting in him to make him a first round selection that he had no business being in the first place except for at the very end of the first.

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9 hours ago, goldfishwars said:

Cornell Powell was one of the most refined route-runners in the class and has a genuine chance to crack the rotation on a thinner receiver roster. 

Very good off season for the Chiefs but this draft pick was my favorite of theirs. Really think a lot of teams missed the boat on this player.

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