Grade The Class of 2021

[jolly red giant]

I will repeat again -

If Paton gets Rodgers then he gets a A+ for the draft

if he doesn't get Rodgers then he gets an F for the draft.

[Cutler06]

1 hour ago, jolly red giant said:

I will repeat again -

If Paton gets Rodgers then he gets a A+ for the draft

if he doesn't get Rodgers then he gets an F for the draft.

That's a very myopic view, you have no idea what Fields is going to become nor the impact the players drafted will have on this team over the next decade. 

[AKRNA]

1 hour ago, Cutler06 said:

That's a very myopic view, you have no idea what Fields is going to become nor the impact the players drafted will have on this team over the next decade. 

Personally I think the QB from Alabama will end up being the most successful in this draft class.

[jolly red giant]

13 hours ago, Cutler06 said:

That's a very myopic view, you have no idea what Fields is going to become nor the impact the players drafted will have on this team over the next decade. 

Of course we have no idea what Fields will do - but if he turns out to be a franchise QB it doesn't make any difference if every other players in the draft class turns out of be a pro-bowler - we still won't have a QB.

Fields fell into Paton's lap and it made zero sense passing on him when we don't have a franchise QB. if Paton doesn't get Rodgers and Lock ends up a bust then Fields turning out to be a NFL calibre QB will mean that Paton's tenure as GM could be short-lived and he is unlikely to get another crack at a similar job when he is dispensed with here. At best he will have a couple of seasons to get his hands on a franchise QB and will be out on his ear if he doesn't do it.

[jolly red giant]

12 hours ago, AKRNA said:

Personally I think the QB from Alabama will end up being the most successful in this draft class.

And if he turns out to be a franchise QB then it also completely undermines Paton as a GM.

[Cutler06]

6 hours ago, jolly red giant said:

And if he turns out to be a franchise QB then it also completely undermines Paton as a GM.

Wow. easy to hear you think we should've selected a QB in this draft, I too was disappointed when we didn't draft Fields, he was my favorite at the 9th selection as well. But the questions was to rate the DRAFT, not who we DIDN'T draft. There could easily be 2-4 Pro Bowlers in this draft and you'd give that an F ?? While it's understood that the available evaluation process was limited, if we did get a few Pro Bowlers then Paton did a bit better than an F. 

I also think there are other factors involved with Paton's selections, was this draft more of an evaluation of Fangio's ability ? It feels like Fangio's influence on this draft was apparent as it fills wants/needs he deemed necessary to build the defense he feels will make HIM successful. And if Fangio fails, would Fields or Jones be a better fit for the NEXT coach's offense, a bit undetermined so would you want to make that potential mistake ? Also,  both Fangio and Paton have expressed "comfort" in the current QB situation (more of Fangio's influence ?) so yet another pitfall for Fangio, essentially giving  Paton reason to establish his new regime. all while building this defense into a top 5 for his new coach, creating a young offense with weapons at all skill positions (sans a QB to be hand selected by a new coach) all while building cap space 

Now everyone is entitled to their opinion, but all worth discussing. It just feels the F you opined isn't based on what happened as compared to what you wanted to happen, and didn't .

 

[BroncoBruin]

Silly hyperbole to emphasize the critical importance of getting a QB. 

[jolly red giant]

16 hours ago, Cutler06 said:

 But the questions was to rate the DRAFT, not who we DIDN'T draft. There could easily be 2-4 Pro Bowlers in this draft and you'd give that an F ?? While it's understood that the available evaluation process was limited, if we did get a few Pro Bowlers then Paton did a bit better than an F. 

Of course the grade relates to who we didn't draft - there were more than 250 players selected and the Broncos took 10 of them.

Yes there could be 2-4 pro-bowlers in this draft class. The problem is that the purpose of the draft is not to draft pro-bowlers - it is to draft players to build a roster capable of winning the SB - and you will not compete for a SB without a franchise QB (particularly in the AFCW).

The Broncos are falling way behind in the QB stakes league wide. After this draft class PFF ranked the Broncos dead last in terms of starting QB with Lock at the helm. At the moment we are in a situation where half the teams in the NFL are set at QB - another 7-8 have rookie contract players who likely will be or are better than Lock - 3-4 have serviceable QBs - and the Broncos are bottom basement with the likes of the Eagles and Panthers in QB hell. 

If you are in dire need of a QB and a QB (who was ranked as the second best QB in the draft up to a month before it took place) falls into your lap at 1.9 then you just have to take him and see if he can develop into a franchise QB. If you fail to take that QB (or the guy who went 1.15) then it most definitely has to be taken into account when giving a grade.

Now - we cannot predict what will happen - Fields and Jones might turn out to be busts - but if either go on to become a franchise QB then the  Paton blew a massive opportunity to set himself and the Broncos up for the next 15 years - either way you have to 'fire that dart'. If Paton fails to get Rodgers then the Broncos are going to be basement dwellers in the AFCW no matter how good a roster we have and how good Fangio is as a defensive mastermind. Furthermore, this roster is capable of winning the SB if it had a QB - but it doesn't - and this roster is not going to exist indefinitely (there will be at least 5 holes that have to be fixed next year either through huge contract extensions or signing/drafting top ranked players). 

It was a major missed opportunity - and potentially a decade and a half long mistake - and it most definitely has to be considered when giving a grade.

[thebestever6]

On 5/22/2021 at 9:17 AM, jolly red giant said:

Fields fell into Paton's lap and it made zero sense passing on him when we don't have a franchise QB. if Paton doesn't get Rodgers and Lock

Zero sense? He had Surtain ranked higher on his board makes all the sense in the world. He seemed more surprised Surtain fell to the pick than Fields. 

[jolly red giant]

3 hours ago, thebestever6 said:

Zero sense? He had Surtain ranked higher on his board makes all the sense in the world. He seemed more surprised Surtain fell to the pick than Fields. 

Again - not the issue - PS2 is likely to be a very good player in the NFL - but CBs are available in every draft - highly ranked QBs are not, and certainly not where the Broncos will be picking next season.

[thebestever6]

2 hours ago, jolly red giant said:

Again - not the issue - PS2 is likely to be a very good player in the NFL - but CBs are available in every draft - highly ranked QBs are not, and certainly not where the Broncos will be picking next season.

Obviously the NFL wasn't as high on him as you were I mean he fell to 11 and the niners felt a raw lance was worth 2 more firsts and a third. Going on the narrative written on Ohio state qbs I'll trust the NFL.

[Cutler06]

7 hours ago, thebestever6 said:

Obviously the NFL wasn't as high on him as you were I mean he fell to 11 and the niners felt a raw lance was worth 2 more firsts and a third. Going on the narrative written on Ohio state qbs I'll trust the NFL.

Not to poo-poo your party but wasn’t Mahomes selected 10th ?? And I get your point about OSU quarterbacks but I really like Fields too, I’ll be watching his career. 

Edited May 24, 2021 by Cutler06

[thebestever6]

15 minutes ago, Cutler06 said:

Not to poo-poo your party but wasn’t Mahomes selected 10th ?? And I get your point about OSU quarterbacks but I really like Fields too, I’ll be watching his career. 

Mahomes was viewed as that raw untapped talent he was viewed as a legit late first first round development qb . Usually those spots are for third round picks that skyrocket pre draft process and he skyrocketed to 10 . The air raid offense at Texas tech did him no favors. Even if you do like fields I don't hate him just think PS2 was the better selection the notions that QBs won't become available couldn't be further from the truth.

From 2009-2016 no first round QBs from those drafts remain on the roster environment is everything and picking fields over Surtain and possibly switching staffs next year spells as a disaster. I can see Chicago moving on from the staff without big fireworks so we'll see how it plays out.

[jolly red giant]

11 hours ago, thebestever6 said:

Obviously the NFL wasn't as high on him as you were I mean he fell to 11 and the niners felt a raw lance was worth 2 more firsts and a third. Going on the narrative written on Ohio state qbs I'll trust the NFL.

Again - not the issue.

the fact that Fields dropped to 1.9 means that it should have increased the determination for Paton to take him because he wasn’t costing draft capital to move up.

This is not about how high people were on Fields - it is about the fact that the Broncos don’t have a QB and one who is potentially a franchise QB fell to 1.9. Paton keeps talking about throwing darts in the draft - and given that the Broncos were in QB he’ll for the last 5 years, that is one dart he should have thrown.

It is evident since the Broncos have been in for nearly every QB traded this off-season that they want to move on from Lock - Paton chose not to pull the trigger on Fields because he was protecting his reputation in case Fields was a bust - instead he should have been acting in the best interests of the team.

[AKRNA]

4 hours ago, Cutler06 said:

Not to poo-poo your party but wasn’t Mahomes selected 10th ?? And I get your point about OSU quarterbacks but I really like Fields too, I’ll be watching his career. 

Ya gotta keep in mind though, Mahomes had his rookie season on the bench, learning from Andy Reid and watching and learning from Alex Smith. He was also drafted onto a playoff team loaded with offensive talent.

Not too many rookie 1st rd QB's have that luxury.