Top 3 best and worst drafts of 2021.

[Suffering_Bills]

Before I even begin, a disclaimer: YES, we all can't truly judge any draft class until 3 years after the fact. YES, I don't know the inner workings/mindset of any front office in the league, nor am I a professional scout. However, for draft purposes, I am not biased towards any team in the league. This is just my opinion, which I am entitled to, same as anyone else. There will be those that of course disagree with my take on things, and that's fine. Just don't take my writings as a personal attack. Also, I won't be including teams that had no 1st-rounder, even though Seattle and the Rams clearly underwhelmed with their selections. The N.F.C. North was great, the N.F.C. West was awful. That all being said....

The three BEST drafts:

#1. DETROIT.

This franchise needed a break, and some hope, and I think they got it in this draft. It all starts in the trenches, right? Boy, did they get a ton of help in that regard. They picked up a top-3 talent in Sewell, who will be their franchise left tackle for many years. The Bengals and Dolphins both will regret passing on him, I truly suspect. Onwuzirike and McNeill fill out their DT rotation completely, and both are good players. The value and need selections continued in the 3rd and 4th rounds, with the selections of Melifonwu and St. Brown. They're not challenging for the Super Bowl this year, but what an awesome haul for the future. Beyond even that, this is a potentially franchise-identity-altering draft. Simply an outstanding job.

#2. MINNESOTA.

If they would have stayed at #14 and taken Vera-Tucker, whom the Jets traded up with them to select, that would have been just fine. If they would have taken Darrisaw, even better, IMHO. But, to trade down to #23, get TWO extra 3rd-round picks, and STILL select Darrisaw?? Major win. Without a 2nd-rounder, they had a total of four 3rd-round selections, and it was kind of a mixed bag, albeit an interesting one. I'm kind of on the fence with the selections of Mond and Surrat, but I love the picks of Davis and Jones, who both fill immediate needs. The rest of their picks all appear to be talented depth selections, and I can't find fault with any of them. Keep an eye on Zach Davidson, the TE they selected late in the fifth round.

#3. DENVER. 

Quantity AND quality, is the best way I can describe this draft haul for the Broncos. The ONLY question I have about these selections is if they should have taken Justin Fields over Surtain. Highly doubt I'm alone in this question. Surtain is more of a safe, sure thing, true, but it's hard to pass on a potential franchise QB, especially when you have Lock and Teddy B. as your signal-callers. Other than THAT, quite the group of picks. Javonte Williams will fit into the RB rotation from day one, and he is clearly the future at the position. Quality player. The selections of both Meinerz and Browning in the 3rd round could pay HUGE dividends down the road. The rest of their picks were all value, talent, and depth. Very nicely done.

HONORABLE MENTION: CLEVELAND.

Now, the three WORST drafts.

#1. LAS VEGAS.

I know, I know; easy target. But..... -it's true, in all reality. I couldn't find a single mock just prior to the draft that had Leatherwood going any higher than 31st, and even those were pretty rare. In my personal mock, I had him going to Dallas in the 2nd round.... as a guard. Simply put, this was a reach, perhaps not of Biblical proportions, but still. They had better options available at that point in Darrisaw, or even Jenkins. They made up for it a bit with the selection of Moehrig, at pick #43. That was decent. Where they REALLY dropped the ball, I think, was with the 3rd-round picks of Koonce and Deablo. They went at #79 and #80, respectively, and I feel neither was worthy of even a top-100 pick. Very underwhelming. Sad.

#2. INDIANAPOLIS.

They needed edge-rush help, so, similar to the Bills, they doubled down on defensive ends with their first two picks, with Paye in the 1st, and Odeyingbo in the 2nd. That's the good news. The bad? Odeyingbo suffered an Achilles injury in January, and he might need a redshirt season. But, wait! It gets better: Can either of them play offensive tackle?!? Christian Darrisaw was there for the taking at that slot, and if you don't plan on protecting Wentz, what was the point of even bringing him on board? They also basically completely ignored some needs at CB and WR, and the rest of their picks were pure "blah." Unless Paye is an immediate, MAJOR impact player, this entire draft class will be a legendary fail for Indy.

#3. SAN FRANCISCO.

This was nothing more than a classic case of putting a very expensive, suspect egg in a single basket. Hard to think of a rookie with more pressure and expectations on him than one Mr. Trey Lance. Oh, and I would be remiss if I were not to mention the fact that the Niners mortgaged their future just a BIT, right? I'm not rooting against him in the slightest, but if Lance doesn't make the Pro Bowl in the next 2-3 years, this will set the franchise back for QUITE a long time, unfortunately. Just saying. Especially if Justin Fields winds up having a superior career in Chicago. WAY too much risk for me. The selections of Banks in the 2nd, and Sermon in the 3rd should at least help them to run the ball a bit, you'd hope.

DIS-HONORABLE MENTION: NEW ORLEANS.

[NinerNation21]

2 hours ago, Suffering_Bills said:

#3. SAN FRANCISCO.

This was nothing more than a classic case of putting a very expensive, suspect egg in a single basket. Hard to think of a rookie with more pressure and expectations on him than one Mr. Trey Lance. Oh, and I would be remiss if I were not to mention the fact that the Niners mortgaged their future just a BIT, right? I'm not rooting against him in the slightest, but if Lance doesn't make the Pro Bowl in the next 2-3 years, this will set the franchise back for QUITE a long time, unfortunately. Just saying. Especially if Justin Fields winds up having a superior career in Chicago. WAY too much risk for me. The selections of Banks in the 2nd, and Sermon in the 3rd should at least help them to run the ball a bit, you'd hope.

 

It was a ballsy move in the 1st, but measuring the success of the pick on pro bowls within a defined window is a poor way of going about it. The Pro Bowl doesn't mean crap and rarely gets the most deserving players in the game.

A better measurement is Lance not only keeping the 49ers a playoff contender after he takes over, but elevating the team to constant Super Bowl contender. He has a lot to learn, but he's not as far off as some people think. 

As for the rest of the draft class, it wasn't what many people thought would happen, but they did add some real talent to the roster. 

• Banks - While he's often casted as a power-only run blocker, he graded extremely well in zone blocking and is an exceptional pass blocker. He's a day-one starter at RG, which was our only starting spot up for grabs.
• Sermon - Fits the offense to a tee and is now one of 2 RB's on the roster with a contract past 2021. He easily the front runner to be the main man starting in 2022.
• Ambry Thomas - Could be a little rusty after not playing in 2020 and taken a bit high, but is very athletic and fits our coverage scheme really well. 
• Jaylon Moore - Dude is almost a 90th percentile athlete at guard and was a 3-year starter at LT and gave up less than 5 sacks in his career. He's a nice late-round flier.
• Lenoir - He was my least favorite pick, but he has the skills to be nickel corner in the mold of our very own K'Waun Williams. 
• Talanoa Hufanga - Versatile safety who is a special teams ace and is lauded for his extremely high IQ. He has late-round gem written all over him.
• Elijah Mitchell - A 200+ lbs RB who runs a 4.3 and can catch the ball out of the backfield. If Mostert had a clone, it'd look like Mitchell.

This was not a sexy draft class and didn't include a pass catcher and a high-profile corner like most 49er fans wanted, but this class is full of immediate impact guys who are tailor-made for the schemes on both sides of the ball. 

[Suffering_Bills]

2 hours ago, NinerNation21 said:

It was a ballsy move in the 1st, but measuring the success of the pick on pro bowls within a defined window is a poor way of going about it. The Pro Bowl doesn't mean crap and rarely gets the most deserving players in the game.

A better measurement is Lance not only keeping the 49ers a playoff contender after he takes over, but elevating the team to constant Super Bowl contender. He has a lot to learn, but he's not as far off as some people think. 

As for the rest of the draft class, it wasn't what many people thought would happen, but they did add some real talent to the roster. 

• Banks - While he's often casted as a power-only run blocker, he graded extremely well in zone blocking and is an exceptional pass blocker. He's a day-one starter at RG, which was our only starting spot up for grabs.
• Sermon - Fits the offense to a tee and is now one of 2 RB's on the roster with a contract past 2021. He easily the front runner to be the main man starting in 2022.
• Ambry Thomas - Could be a little rusty after not playing in 2020 and taken a bit high, but is very athletic and fits our coverage scheme really well. 
• Jaylon Moore - Dude is almost a 90th percentile athlete at guard and was a 3-year starter at LT and gave up less than 5 sacks in his career. He's a nice late-round flier.
• Lenoir - He was my least favorite pick, but he has the skills to be nickel corner in the mold of our very own K'Waun Williams. 
• Talanoa Hufanga - Versatile safety who is a special teams ace and is lauded for his extremely high IQ. He has late-round gem written all over him.
• Elijah Mitchell - A 200+ lbs RB who runs a 4.3 and can catch the ball out of the backfield. If Mostert had a clone, it'd look like Mitchell.

This was not a sexy draft class and didn't include a pass catcher and a high-profile corner like most 49er fans wanted, but this class is full of immediate impact guys who are tailor-made for the schemes on both sides of the ball. 

I understand your points.

[LuckIsGOAT]

BEST

1. 49ers

2. Browns

3. Football mTeam

WORST

Bucs Saint and Raiders no order

 

Edited May 25, 2021 by LuckIsGOAT

[Suffering_Bills]

On 5/25/2021 at 4:05 AM, LuckIsGOAT said:

BEST

1. 49ers

2. Browns

3. Football mTeam

WORST

Bucs Saint and Raiders no order

 

Nah

[LuckIsGOAT]

19 hours ago, Suffering_Bills said:

Nah

What is your disagreement

[Suffering_Bills]

On 5/28/2021 at 1:21 AM, LuckIsGOAT said:

What is your disagreement

There's a few, but the clear #1 would be your indicating that the Niners had the best draft.

[NYRaider]

On 5/10/2021 at 6:14 AM, Suffering_Bills said:

#1. LAS VEGAS.

I know, I know; easy target. But..... -it's true, in all reality. I couldn't find a single mock just prior to the draft that had Leatherwood going any higher than 31st, and even those were pretty rare. In my personal mock, I had him going to Dallas in the 2nd round.... as a guard. Simply put, this was a reach, perhaps not of Biblical proportions, but still. They had better options available at that point in Darrisaw, or even Jenkins. They made up for it a bit with the selection of Moehrig, at pick #43. That was decent. Where they REALLY dropped the ball, I think, was with the 3rd-round picks of Koonce and Deablo. They went at #79 and #80, respectively, and I feel neither was worthy of even a top-100 pick. Very underwhelming. Sad.

Leatherwood is an elite athlete at OT and is a plug and play starter for us. Moehrig is also a plug and play starter for us. Wasn't a huge fan of the Deablo pick so the jury is out on that one. But Koonce was getting 2nd round hype and has the tools to be a solid pass rusher.

[Suffering_Bills]

On 6/1/2021 at 3:13 AM, NYRaider said:

Leatherwood is an elite athlete at OT and is a plug and play starter for us. Moehrig is also a plug and play starter for us. Wasn't a huge fan of the Deablo pick so the jury is out on that one. But Koonce was getting 2nd round hype and has the tools to be a solid pass rusher.

Okay

[NYRaider]

Just now, Suffering_Bills said:

Okay

We'll see how it plays out but we got two plug and play starters with our first two picks. 

[DisplacedViking]

Best:

1) My favorite team

2) 2nd favorite team

3) Team the media says did the best

Worst:

1) Least favorite team

2) 2nd least favorite team

3) Team the media is piling on

Reality: Nobody knows yet and most drafts will be judged on team performance.

[dll2000]

On 6/1/2021 at 2:13 AM, NYRaider said:

Leatherwood is an elite athlete at OT and is a plug and play starter for us. Moehrig is also a plug and play starter for us. Wasn't a huge fan of the Deablo pick so the jury is out on that one. But Koonce was getting 2nd round hype and has the tools to be a solid pass rusher.

If a player is good in a sense it doesn't really matter where they were drafted.

In another sense it does matter if you could have traded down and still got said player or picked another player and later got same player.

I think the big complaint with Raiders of late is they are just taking guys they like as soon as they can and not playing the board vs. their competitors to maximize value.

It's okay to target the guys you want, but if you know where other people value same guys and it is much lower than you, that would allow you to both get your guy and parlay that into more players.

 

 

[dll2000]

Denver drafted a good football player, but they passed on two potentially good QBs when they don't really have a quality one and are ostensibly a QB away from a really good offense. 

That could work out when all is said and down as most or many QBs bust, but at moment it seems like a bad decision. 

Unless they get Rodgers.  But that seems odd that it wouldn't have happened already.  

[NYRaider]

5 minutes ago, dll2000 said:

If a player is good in a sense it doesn't really matter where they were drafted.

In another sense it does matter if you could have traded down and still got said player or picked another player and later got same player.

I think the big complaint with Raiders of late is they are just taking guys they like as soon as they can and not playing the board vs. their competitors to maximize value.

It's okay to target the guys you want, but if you know where other people value same guys and it is much lower than you, that would allow you to both get your guy and parlay that into more players.

If we took Moehrig at 17 and Leatherwood at 43 no one would be talking crap about our draft. 

[Dr A W Niloc]

Best:  New England, Chicago, Baltimore (HM: Kansas City)

Worst: San Francisco, Rams, Miami (DM: Raiders)