Draft Talk

[JMG5]

Seeing as we kept our draft picks, I'm still pulling for us to take a WR in the first unless we lose Armstead. Then I would be okay with us taking a tackle. Either way, I want a WR in the first or second. We need some more playmakers on offense.

[Dome]

On 3/14/2022 at 8:22 AM, whodatOL said:

Cap won't be a problem with Watson

5-years 230 fully gtd

turns out cap was a problem 😵

[Mid Iowa]

14 hours ago, Dome said:

5-years 230 fully gtd

turns out cap was a problem 😵

Yeah, and 3 first round picks, and more. Ouch!

[tyler735]

On 3/19/2022 at 10:50 PM, Mid Iowa said:

Yeah, and 3 first round picks, and more. Ouch!

Glad it wasn't us. Just way too risky for that type of contract and the amount of draft capital it took to land him. It's the type of move that could easily set the Browns back to the Browns of old for the next decade if he doesn't pan out with all of his off the field issues. 

[tyler735]

Sounds like Taysom Hill will be focusing on playing Tight End this season. 

I would think this means there is a good chance we bring in another QB this offseason. We have shown interest in several QB's this offseason including having meetings with Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett, and sending some higher ups front office personnel to Sam Howell's Pro Day yesterday

Will be interesting to see what direction we go in the draft as the projections on these 3 QB's are all over the place. I've seen them all listed as high as top 10 picks and as low as late 1st round/early 2nd round picks. 

 

[tyler735]

Looks like we just added another QB. Andy Dalton signed to back up Jameis Winston. With this signing I'd imagine it means unless a top QB in the draft starts freefalling on draft day that we are going to stick with Winston, Dalton, Book, and Hill* this year.

I'd imagine we are going to be looking at OL, WR, and RB in the early rounds of the draft now.

 

[Mid Iowa]

A killer QB is always a good thing, unless they're a killer to the cap. I think our entire Brass will be waiting on the "right" pick, and not a developmental player. Color me wrong, but these are my thoughts.

[JMG5]

Thoughts on the trade and who you think we will be taking with our 2 first round picks?

[SWATcha]

5 hours ago, JMG5 said:

Thoughts on the trade and who you think we will be taking with our 2 first round picks?

There's a lot of speculation that they're loading up to jump up even further for a QB. I'm really hoping that's not the case. I think Winston can do just fine. My hope is that they're positioning themselves for a LT and a WR.

[Raves]

30 minutes ago, SWATcha said:

There's a lot of speculation that they're loading up to jump up even further for a QB. I'm really hoping that's not the case. I think Winston can do just fine. My hope is that they're positioning themselves for a LT and a WR.

That was kind of my thought process.  They just lost their LT and 2 starting safeties and the WRs after MT are less than reliable.  Getting a second first will allow them to go after the best OT/S available at one of the 1sts as well as one of the highly rated WR talents.

I mean if at 16 they get Trevor Penning and then at 19 they get Chris Olave, I'd call that a home run for ensuring they aren't rebuilding but building upon what was already there.

[tyler735]

9 hours ago, JMG5 said:

Thoughts on the trade and who you think we will be taking with our 2 first round picks?

I think there are 2 trains of thought with this trade that allow us a ton of flexibility on draft day. Either we are looking to trade up for a QB such as Malik Willis, or if we can't make that trade happen,  we are in a great spot at picks 16 and 19 to address some of our needs on offense (LT, WR, and QB). As mentioned a guy like Penning wouldn't be a bad pick. Then looking into a WR such a Jameson Williams or Treylon Burks with the other 1st round pick. 

If we do trade up for Malik Willis. I think there are still solid options available at LT. For example, Eric Fisher is still on the market and should still have a few years left in the tank. It's also a deep WR class and I'd imagine a guy like Skyy Moore, Christian Watson, or George Pickens would be available for us in the 2nd round.

So far the guys that I'm aware of that we've visited are:

Malik Willis 

Kenny Pickett 

Sam Howell 

Jameson Williams

Treylon Burks

Skyy Moore

Jerome Ford (would love him in the 3rd round)

Edited April 5, 2022 by tyler735

[JMG5]

9 hours ago, Raves said:

That was kind of my thought process.  They just lost their LT and 2 starting safeties and the WRs after MT are less than reliable.  Getting a second first will allow them to go after the best OT/S available at one of the 1sts as well as one of the highly rated WR talents.

I mean if at 16 they get Trevor Penning and then at 19 they get Chris Olave, I'd call that a home run for ensuring they aren't rebuilding but building upon what was already there.

I would be happy with this outcome. 

[JMG5]

8 hours ago, tyler735 said:

I think there are 2 trains of thought with this trade that allow us a ton of flexibility on draft day. Either we are looking to trade up for a QB such as Malik Willis, or if we can't make that trade happen,  we are in a great spot at picks 16 and 19 to address some of our needs on offense (LT, WR, and QB). As mentioned a guy like Penning wouldn't be a bad pick. Then looking into a WR such a Jameson Williams or Treylon Burks with the other 1st round pick. 

If we do trade up for Malik Willis. I think there are still solid options available at LT. For example, Eric Fisher is still on the market and should still have a few years left in the tank. It's also a deep WR class and I'd imagine a guy like Skyy Moore, Christian Watson, or George Pickens would be available for us in the 2nd round.

So far the guys that I'm aware of that we've visited are:

Malik Willis 

Kenny Pickett 

Sam Howell 

Jameson Williams

Treylon Burks

Skyy Moore

Jerome Ford (would love him in the 3rd round)

Jameson is an absolute burner. I would love him across from MT, but I don't think he's going to be available by the time we pick. The depth at WR seems great for this class, so if we miss out on one of the top prospects we should be able to snag a solid WR in round 2 like you mentioned.

As for the QBs, they're all underwhelming to me. If we stay where we are and draft one I wouldn't hate it, but I don't want us using even more draft capital to get a meh prospect. Winston will be fine for the next couple of years. We should get him some weapons and see what he can really do.

I don't know much about the OTs in this class, but that would also be a smart pick. Premier position on a cheap contract would certainly help with our cap flexibility going forward. If we draft a LT we can keep Ram at RT and hopefully not miss a beat.

At the end of the day, no matter which positions they select, I just want them to get the right players regardless of position. Hitting on these picks is incredibly important.

[tyler735]

My ideal scenario Mock Draft (with trades):

 

1st Round (Trade Giants Picks 16 and 19 for 5th pick): Malik Willis- QB Liberty

 

This likely would likely be a controversial pick for many Saints fans, as he is probably the biggest enigma in this draft class. That said, I'm completely sold on taking a risk on Malik Willis. He possesses a skillset that few NFL QB's have possessed in NFL history with his combination of elite arm talent and elite athleticism. He has that Michael Vick "flick of the wrist" arm strength to make jaw dropping passes. He also isn't far off from a guy like Michael Vick in terms of athleticism (Vick was a little bit more explosive...Willis is a stronger more built player) has been (handtimed) at 4.37 in the 40 at Auburn and was clocked at 20.5 mph at the Senior Bowl. The more I've read on his situation and development in college, the more optimistic I am that he will live up to his potential in the NFL. He played behind one of the worst if not worst OL in D1 football last season, yet continued to make big play after big play for Liberty.

Willis has come off very well in interviews and seems like an intelligent guy that is willing to put in the extra work to continue improving his game and not just rely on his rare athletic skills. That isn't to say I don't think there will be a learning curve for him, there likely will be, but I think the wait would be worth it. We also have Jameis Winston who was solid last season to be our starter this year. Seems like a perfect scenario to let Willis develop and learn the pro game behind Winston this year. I have a feeling if we don't make this trade to get him at pick #5, we are going to spend the next decade regretting it facing him multiple times a year as both the Panthers (6th Pick) and Falcons (8th Pick) have shown interest in him and appear to be likely landing spots. 

 

2nd Round: George Pickens- WR Georgia

 

We still need some help at WR and getting a guy like Pickens could be an excellent value in the 2nd round. He tore his ACL before the 2021 season, so he was able to play the last few games of the 2021 season. That said, Pickens possesses just about every trait you'd want in a #1 WR. Has good size at 6'3" 200lbs. Was timed around 4.45 in the 40. He's a great route runner and may just have the best hands out of any WR in this draft class. He also has shown impressive body control to regularly make spectacular catches on 50/50 balls down the field and toe tap sideline catches. Had he not tore his ACL or had he came back for his senior season, I'd be surprised if he wasn't a consensus 1st round pick. He's completely healthy and ready to play now. He's a guy that could slot in as our #2 WR immediately across from Michael Thomas. There is a ton of depth in this WR class and getting Pickens here could turn out to be a steal.

 

3rd Round: Troy Andersen- LB Montana State

 

This guy reminds me quite a bit of Taysom Hill in terms of just how versatile and freakishly athletic he is. While at Montana State he played QB, RB, and LB. He switched full time to LB towards the end of his college career and displayed game-changing ability from that spot. He tested as well as just about any LB in NFL history at the combine running a 4.42 40, and 36 inch vertical at 6'3" 243lbs. He's still a bit raw at LB, but has a very high ceiling. Seems to be pretty solid in coverage and he has no problem going side to side running down plays. He had 147 tackles last season, which was 2nd in FCS Football. He seems like a great prospect to bring in to groom behind Demario Davis. With his athleticism I'd imagine the coaches could even have a little fun with his skillset.

 

4th Round: Jerome Ford- RB Cincinnati

 

I think he would be a tremendous value if he is here in the 4th and honestly wouldn't mind if we traded into the 3rd round to get him as I think he will go earlier than most of his current projections. He's probably my favorite sleeper prospect in the draft, and I think he will be one of those mid round RB's that turns out to be a feature RB in the NFL. He started his college career at Alabama much like a certain Alvin Kamara, but things just didn't work out for him there, so he transferred to Cincinnati for the 2020 season He didn't play a ton in 2020, but this past season, he finally got the chance to showcase his skills and played a key role for Cincinnati in what was one of their best seasons in program history. He has the size to be a feature back and also has the athleticism to score from anywhere on the field. In under 300 carries at Cincinnati, he had 4 touchdowns of over 70+ yards. Ran 4.4 in the 40 at the combine and has ran 10.50 in the 100m, so he has legit speed to be a weapon on offense. Given how his college career turned out with the transfer from Alabama after being stuck being guys such as Najee Harris, he has very limited treat on the tire as he didn't have a ton of carries in college. While he was being recruited by Alabama one of the biggest strengths to his game was his receiving ability. He didn't get to showcase it a ton with Cincinnati this past season, but when he had chances in the receiving game he made the most of them. If Kamara misses time, he seems like a guy that could step in and help be a playmaker on offense.

 

5th Round- Tyquan Thornton WR Baylor

 

He's a guy that possesses excellent athleticism. He ran a 4.28 40 at the combine. For a guy running that fast at the combine, you'd expect his highlights to be filled with him running 9 routes for big plays, but that isn't really the case. He had a lot of production in the redzone and showed he could make an impact there. He seems like a work in progress with some of the nuances of the game, but has solid hands, size, and athleticism. Wouldn't mind taking a chance on him and seeing if he can refine his game some more. Worst case, with that type of speed, he is someone that Winston (or Malik Willis) could utilize as an occasional threat downfield, which is something we haven't really had in quite some time. Harris has shown flashes, but is limited with his size.

 

6th Round: BPA

Feel like there could be some interesting names on the board at Tight End at this point. If a guy like Jelani Woods, Isaiah Likely, or Jalen Wydermyer were still on the board, I'd lean towards taking one of them.

 

Overview:

This draft would help fill positions of need at WR/RB with guys in Pickens and Ford that I feel could contribute as rookies, and also would provide us with a potential franchise QB to groom for the future in Malik Willis. I think Troy Andersen could be a really good future starter at LB and wouldn't be forced into action right away as he could learn behind one of the best in the game in Demario Davis and would probably be an ace on special teams right away as well. The one area I didn't address in this draft was LT. I think signing a veteran such as Eric Fisher would be a viable option for a few seasons until we find a younger replacement at LT. We are pretty well set on the rest of our OL, and have shown we can have success even without Terron Armstead as he has given us quite the sample size over the years with missed games. I don't view LT as an absolute must and would rather target our potential franchise QB in Malik Willis early in the draft. 

Edited April 20, 2022 by tyler735