Goldfish's Way Too Early Draft Rankings 2022 (All Up)

[FalconFan13]

14 minutes ago, Daniel said:

Texans and Bills being high is a no brainer. Great drafts by both.

Possibly a hot take, but after the first two picks, I didn’t think the Giants did so hot. 

Thats not to hot take at all i think alot of people think that.  I thought after those 1st 2 picks they were going to have the number 1 or 2 draft when all was said and done.   But still those 2 picks alone make it a very solid draft none the less lol but i think everything after that was a round plus reach on almost every pick.

[goldfishwars]

7. Atlanta Falcons

 

This Class In One Sentence:

Terry Fontenot ushers in the new ‘from the ground-up’ era in Atlanta

Pre-Draft Needs

Everything

Selections

Round 1. 8. Drake London  | WR | USC

Round 2. 38. Arnold Ebiketie  | EDGE | Penn State

Round 2. 58. Troy Andersen  | LB | Montana State

Round 3. 74. Desmond Ridder  | QB | Cincinnati

Round 3. 82. DeAngelo Malone  | EDGE | Western Kentucky

Round 5. 151. Tyler Allgeier  | RB | BYU

Round 6. 190. Justin Shaffer  | OG | Georgia

Round 6. 213. John FitzPatrick  | TE | Georgia

 

What I liked:

With five picks on days one and two, the Falcons had a perfect opportunity to put together a pretty handsome class and achieved that.

Some draft fanciers loved Drake London. He wasn’t my top receiver due to his non-typical physical profile. Without the sort of quickness normally required for a thriving NFL wideout, he’ll need to make a living as a contested catch guy – someone who’ll have to master the subtle arts. He is a rare specimen however, a dominant behemoth at USC who also knew how to exploit the soft areas and didn’t fear double coverage. The Falcons have two receivers capable of dominating the aerial game, and have the length to tidy up imperfect passes thrown their way.

Ebiketie might have been ‘my guy’ in this class – a top 20 calibre player coming off an insanely productive final season at Penn State. He’s powerful and twitched-up and can set an edge in the run game. He’s an ascending player too. Troy Andersen had an insane career at Montana State, having been recruited to play linebacker and ended up playing Running Back and Quarterback ball before settling into his preferred role. He’s got a rare physical profile and is coming off an FCS Defensive Player of the year season and impressed pretty much everyone at the Senior Bowl.

I love the Ridder pick-up in the third round. The investment is small and doesn’t prevent the Falcons from looking at the position next year if needed. He’s smart, athletic and there’s something about him to suggest he has the mental make-up to have a shot at this level. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’ll probably get an opportunity to prove otherwise sooner than later. If he hits, or shows enough, as a round 3 selection, that could be huge.

DeAngelo Malone joined Ridder 8 picks later. It feels like he will be something in the NFL, whether a linebacker or pass-rushing specialist – or a blend of the two. Of the remaining selections, Tyler Allgeier has a decent enough all-round game to suggest he can log meaningful minutes in a non-competitive back room. Justin Shaffer was one of the better late round bets to contribute something on an offensive somewhere – even as swingman.

What I didn’t like:

It’s not a class without its risks, in fact most of the players selected carry something of that with them. Probably with the exception of Ridder, whose ceiling may well be that of a decent league back-up.

[43M]

Atlanta had a pretty decent draft, but I dont know if I agree with top 10.   Obviously it comes down to who you like and who you dont.    Im not a big fan of Drake London.      I dont think he is a "bust" in general, but I dont think he will ever live up to being the 8th overall pick.     As a PSU fan, I really do like Ebikeite's chances as a pro...he should at least be a 6 to 9 sack a year guy, and he has a decent overall game so I think he will be a building block on that D.    I honestly dont know much about Troy Andersen, so I wont give an opinion.    Ridder IMO is a 5th or 6th round talent.   The thought of the Steelers drafting him before day 3 was making my blood boil.   I do recognize that he has some tools to work with and some upside...but I personally dont expect him to be more than a career backup.     Malone is solid value there.

I see alot of people putting them top 10, so maybe others see more upside in this class than I do, which is perfectly fine.    However, London and Ridder in the first three rounds makes it hard for me to be as encouraged as others seem to be.    I dont hate their draft, but there are probably 6 or 7 draft classes lower on this list that Id take over theirs.

But again....it all comes down to individual views of these players.

[TheRealMcCoy]

3 hours ago, FalconFan13 said:

I mean i had the chiefs in the 3 to 4 range so they are pretty high on the list lol.  Greenbay i like because they picked 4 guys i had with a 2nd round grade or better.  While also taking a total of 6 to 7 guys i had with a 3rd or mid 4th round grade or better.   Rest of the draft was solid but still thats 6 guys i could see doing really good work on the team and i'll take that all day long.

Fair enough. I'm not as high on Devonte Wyatt as the consensus and while I do like Quay Walker a good deal and its possible he could eventually become the best LB in this class with his tools. I just don't see how you spend a pick THAT high on him. I would've liked them to trade back from 22 if that was their target. I also don't love them giving up 2 second round picks to move up into the high 2nd round for Christian Watson. Again just like Quay maybe his tools will lead him to developing into one of the top guys at his position from this class, but I didn't see that off the tape and would have him more in that 8-10 range in this class. He did show he can run more routes at the Senior Bowl  and  maybe he develops in GB. I mean Davante Adams wasn't the nuanced receiver when he came into the league that he ultimately became, but his kind of development is kind of unusual.

 I thought they should've probably moved up in the 1st round to go get a WR. It didn't end up costing the Lions all that much to move up with the Vikings a whole 20 spots from 32 to 12 to get Jameson Williams. The Packers MO isn't moving up in the 1st round and I get that, but you are in the twilight years of Rodgers now is the time more than ever to break that pattern.  As far as the Georgia defenders they took they are cool, but I would've rather them taken a Daxton Hill as I think they run a lot of 3 safety sets and I like him a good deal more than Darnell Savage who has a couple more years left on his deal. Hill could play in the slot and some have talked about even possibly moving him to outside corner cause he has the 2nd longest arms to any CB taken in the 1st round minus Sauce Gardner. I think he's gonna be a great player at the next level and he also isn't 24 years old like Wyatt who will be nearing 30 when looking for his next extension. I'd much rather have had Travis Jones for at the end of the 2nd round than Wyatt at the end of the 1st. He is a better fit as a NT if you wanna kick Clark out of that spot more.

I'd much rather the Packers had gone with had Skyy Moore at 53 (one pick ahead of where he actually got selected) I thought the Chiefs got one of the bigger steals on day 2 with him. Obviously its hindsight to say Moore would've been there and obviously the Packers have a fetish for big receivers. They seemingly won't draft a WR that is 195 or so until like the 3rd round (Cobb & Rodgers come to mind). If they did want a bigger receiver they possibly could've got Pierce or Pickens at or near that first 2nd rounder they had with a small trade up for Pickens who went the pick before their first 2nd rounder.

I thought they could've addressed TE at some point, cause to me they are really weak there.

I did like some of the picks they made and value they got for them like that Sean Rhyan pick in the 3rd, Zach Tom (fits their athletic thresholds I believe) at the end of the 4th, Kingsley Enagbare with the last pick in the 5th round (!!!!), Rasheed Walker in the late 7th round. I think it was more the early draft that I think they could've managed better, but yeah. It's more of a B draft for me than a A- or A. What they did in the 2nd half of the draft kinda saved it. I could look back on the draft if Wyatt is a great immediate contributor these next 2-3 years and Walker/Watson hit their ceilings and have them as one of the better classes in that top group. But, for now I couldn't grade what they did and how they managed their assets and lack of really trying to give Rodgers the best help over the next few years to perform at the highest level he can. It was a good draft to me, but not as great as what it could've been unfortunately. For trading away Davante Adams I would've hoped for more from them. Maybe the 19th ranking in this thread is a little low for them, but I definitely don't think I'd grade what they did in the draft as top 5-7.

[TheRealMcCoy]

2 hours ago, 43M said:

Obviously it comes down to who you like and who you dont. 

But again....it all comes down to individual views of these players.

Like you said that's obvious. Draft grades are a fun, but often a fruitless exercise as there are a lot of different factors we can't accurately project with any real certainty. I think you could use the consensus board more so rather than your own opinions on players to see if they got good value and factor in your own opinions to a lesser extent, but no matter how you do draft grades its gonna be subjective at the end of the day. It's a fun exercise to do right after the draft to drive engagement and create more discourse, but ultimately in 2-3 years at the minimum is when we should be giving out the real grades for draft classes. Draft grades immediately after are just preliminary. If you watch enough college players year after year you know there are bound to be a good amount you got right, but even more you got wrong. As long as someone puts a reasonable amount of thought into why they liked or didn't like a draft class I'll hear out their perspective even if it doesn't match up with mine. Plus, it's interesting to go look back at these draft grades when we have seen multiple seasons of these guys. I forget which place it was that destroyed either the Seahawks 2011 or 2012 draft class with a horrible grade, but then it was fun to look back at and laugh at years later.

Edited May 9, 2022 by TheRealMcCoy

[Daniel]

******* loved the Falcons draft. London was my top WR, Ebokeite was my fourth Edge, Anderson was my second LB, and I like Ridder in the third.

Easy top 5 draft for me.

[goldfishwars]

5 hours ago, 43M said:

  I dont hate their draft, but there are probably 6 or 7 draft classes lower on this list that Id take over theirs.

But again....it all comes down to individual views of these players.

I think Atlanta's class will probably have the widest range of opinions on it. 

[FinSting]

2 hours ago, TheRealMcCoy said:

Like you said that's obvious. Draft grades are a fun, but often a fruitless exercise as there are a lot of different factors we can't accurately project with any real certainty.

One minute you're a 1st-rd draft pick, next minute you're dancing shirtless on top of a car

[goldfishwars]

2 hours ago, TheRealMcCoy said:

 It's a fun exercise to do right after the draft to drive engagement and create more discourse, but ultimately in 2-3 years at the minimum is when we should be giving out the real grades for draft classes. 

Perhaps, but I don't think 2-3 years down the line necessarily proves whatever opinions kicking around now wrong. So much boils down to landing spot, opportunity, coaching, organisational stability, staff turnover, injuries - really that last one is a way bigger factor than we would all want to admit.

It's like when Patriots overdraft players who become functionally decent players, which you could attribute that to the quality of coaching in New England (which is good), their ability to maximise strengths and, crucially, the general stability of that franchise. When we take Kenneth Sanchez from Grambling State in the first round and he becomes a good slot corner, or whatever, myopic Pats fans will point to that as Belichick having a mystical third-eye when it comes to the draft. But that completely ignores the factors that means Sanchez has benefited from landing in New England for the reasons stated. And you shouldn't park the fact they could have gotten a better talent at that spot AND, potentially, drafted Sanchez where he should have landed all along. 

I guess what I'm saying is, my rankings are right, and when I'm wrong it's not my fault. 

[Ray Reed]

This man @TheRealMcCoy just got the adderall prescription eh?

[Daniel]

1 hour ago, FinSting said:

One minute you're a 1st-rd draft pick, next minute you're dancing shirtless on top of a car

*sobs*

[Hunter2_1]

Troy Andersen was a top 5 pick in the entire draft, for me. But I didn't like London or Ebiketie that much. So, as Fishes said, it's polarizing. 

[goldfishwars]

6. Seattle Seahawks

 

This Class In One Sentence:

In a year we expected more chaos from The Messy Franchise, we got competency…?

Pre-Draft Needs

QB, OT (haha), LB, CB, DT

Selections

Round 1. 9. Charles Cross  | OT | Mississippi State

Round 2. 40. Boye Mafe  | DE | Minnesota

Round 2. 41. Kenneth Walker III  | RB | Michigan State

Round 3. 72. Abraham Lucas  | OT | Washington State

Round 4. 109. Coby Bryant  | CB | Cincinnati

Round 5. 153. Tariq Woolen  | CB | UTSA

Round 5. 158. Tyreke Smith  | DE | Ohio State

Round 7. 229. Bo Melton  | WR | Rutgers

Round 7. 233. Dareke Young  | WR | Lenoir–Rhyne

 

What I liked:

Just once, as with the Chargers, I would like to see a Seahawks team take a damn football field with a quality offensive line. I think I just to see what that would look like. I mean, it's a burning curiosity as opposed to a deep desire. John Schneider has been the GM in Seattle for 12 years and they have never had one under his watch. He's never put one together. Just imagine if he had achieved that, at last? In Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas they have two tackles who have played a whole lot of Air Raid offense and could be the team's starting book-ends for years. Crazy. Does Pete know offensive linemen can travel forwards AND backwards? What's funny is that there is way more on tape of these guys doing the latter. 

In Charles Cross, the Hawks drafted a guy with 1,300 pass block snaps under his belt. The man is a snap-to-snap smooth technician at sliding and bending, cutting-off and mirroring. Great pick, and such a sensible selection for a front office which has made some howling choices in the first round. What happened there? I know I was geared up for a  damn good chuckle, and got nothing but proficiency and the Patriots picking Cole Strange in return. Lucas in the third is less-refined, which is probably why he landed there. Still, he has ideal physical proportions and consistently locked rushers up in the passing game at Washington. 

Mafe will need to improve as a run defender, but had a hugely impressive Senior Bowl rushing the passer - he's better on the attack than holding the edge. Again, he's traditionally not what the Seahawks have sought high, but he's sure explosive and powerful when hunting. Walker III is a beast as a down to down volume runner who can hit up and power things up with breakaway speed. He flashed hints he has more to give as a receiver. 

I like the mid-round corners, both physically what Seattle have traditionally coveted there. Bryant comes in a little more pro-ready package, whereas Woolen  is one big bet on traits and those traits are outrageous. Tyreke Smith has something to like as a rotational edge, but the late shot I really liked was spent on Bo Melton in the 7th round. He did go late, so this could be a nothing-at-all - but he's a deep-threat who can track a football and that's a skill-set which has thrived in this offense.

What I didn’t like:

We are getting to the portion of the draft where there is little to dislike, mostly minor quibbles. Personally I’d have preferred Josh Paschal over Mafe in the second – who's more of a rounded defensive player. Kenneth Walker III is arguable value in the 2nd for a back who hasn't shown a lot in the passing game. It could be a sign Chris Carson's career is about to end with that neck injury. I guess it makes more sense if that is true, and knowing Rashaad Penny isn't a sure-thing to continue the good form, given his shaky career to date. 

I think the Seahawks should have taken at least one mid to late round shot on a QB. The investment would have been tiny and the upside enormous if they had landed a franchise player. I guess they like Drew Lock enough to let him fail before they take an extensive peek at next year's class, when Pete is another step closer to 80 years old. Maybe they'll have rebuilt this thing by then.

[Tk3]

On 5/8/2022 at 12:04 PM, goldfishwars said:

9. Buffalo Bills

 

This Class In One Sentence:

Just Brandon Beane adding mild needs to a stacked team like it’s nothing, like the competent piece of scum he is

Pre-Draft Needs

CB, RB, DT, TE, OT

Selections

Round 1. 23. Kaiir Elam  | CB | Florida

Round 2. 63. James Cook  | RB | Georgia

Round 3. 89. Terrel Bernard  | LB | Baylor

Round 5. 148. Khalil Shakir  | WR | Boise State

Round 6. 180. Matt Araiza  | P | San Diego State

Round 6. 185. Christian Benford  | CB | Villanova

Round 6. 209. Luke Tenuta  | OT | Virginia Tech

Round 7. 231. Baylon Spector  | LB | Clemson

 

What I liked:

I do like that that the Bills did not panic and took a running back in the first round as expected. Beane is just too smart for that nonsense, thankfully for them. 

As a Patriots fan, I’m generally weary of Florida corners but Kaiir Elam is a good prospect and comes in a prototypical size and speed package. What's more, he's supposed to have blown evaluators away with his football knowledge and dedication to the sport. That's important to the Bills, and the video of their new player yelling ‘Put The Playbook On The Plane’ at a confused and panicked Terry Pegula was a highlight of the whole weekend.

I love the James Cook pick-up in the second, who looked to be having an extremely good draft night when he was chosen. He comes into the league with little tread on the tyres and shares an eerily similar speedy skill-set with his older brother - albeit in a slightly lighter package. He offers speed off-tackle and can do wonders for a passing game looking for new ways to attack defenses.

Terrel Bernard is a smaller, faster linebacker, and was the heartbeat of the Baylor defense - a well respected team captain who that ship sail. His playing style is eerily similar to Matt Milano who has thrived in McDermott's defense. Khalil Shakir has plenty of talent as a receiver in the 5th round, where he might be a steal. He did a bit of everything in that funky offense in Boise. I'm annoyed at how much I liked him for the Pats and now he's in Buffalo. Eww. Yuck. Punt God in the 6^th? Sure. 

The team also selected a guy called ‘Baylon’, that is brilliant. Imagine a baby named Baylon. Imagine saying ‘my name is Baylon’, like that guy must have to.

What I didn’t like:

Oh, I don’t know - Christian Benford, is he any good?

Nice write up.. Feels good to be top 10. I thought it was a good draft - but not splashy, which I expected would put us somewhere in the ~12ish range

[animaltested]

Really, REALLY not a fan of taking a QB on day 3 for the sake of taking a QB on Day 3. Since the 2012 NFL draft (Russell Wilson, Nick Foles, Kirk Cousins) here are ALL of the QBs taken on day 3 (Up to the 2020 NFL Draft):

Mike Glennon
Matt Barkley
Ryan Nassib
Tyler Wilson
Landry Jones
Brad Sorenson
Zac Dysert
BJ Daniels
Sean Renfree
Logan Thomas
Tom Savage
Aaron Murray
AJ McCarron
Zach Mettanburg
David Fales
Keith Wenning
Taj Boyd
Garrett Gilbert
Garrett Grayson
Sean Mannion
Bryce Petty
Brett Hundley
Trevor Siemian
Jacoby Brisset
Cody Kessler
Connor Cook
Dak Prescott
Cardale Jones
Kevin Hogan
Nate Sudfeld
Jake Rudock
Brandon Allen
Jeff Driskel
Brandon Doughty
Davis Webb
CJ Bethard
Joshua Dobbs
Nathan Peterman
Brad Kaaya
Chad Kelley
Kyle Lauletta
Mike White
Like Falk
Tanner Lee
Danny Eting
Alex McGough
Logan Woodside
Will Grier
Ryan Finnley
Jarrett Stidham
Easton Stick
Clayton Thorston
Gardner Minshew
Trace McSorely
Jacob Eason
James Morgan
Jake Fromm
Jake Luton
Cole McDonald
Ben DiNucci
Tommy Stevens
Nate Stanley

Its been a 0.02% chance of finding a "Franchise" player at QB on day 3. If you are super lucky (0.05%) you might find a plus backup/spot stater (Brissett, Glennon? & Minshew).

Just would rather spend a day 3 pick on a rotational depth piece with special teams versatility than hoping I defy the odds and land a Brandon Allen-AJ McCarron-Sean Mannion type player.... at BEST.