**2023 NFL Draft Prospects**

[DaBoys]

32 minutes ago, matt79511 said:

When it came down to it, though, who made the dance?

The 4 teams competing for conference championships did it in similar ways. I think most would agree the Chiefs(1st in pypg) and Bengals(7th in pypg) did so with elite QBs. In the NFC it was all about the defense and ground attack. The Eagles(4th in rypg) and 49ers(7th in rypg). Ultimately the elite QB triumphs though. 

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

1 hour ago, DaBoys said:

The 4 teams competing for conference championships did it in similar ways. I think most would agree the Chiefs(1st in pypg) and Bengals(7th in pypg) did so with elite QBs. In the NFC it was all about the defense and ground attack. The Eagles(4th in rypg) and 49ers(7th in rypg). Ultimately the elite QB triumphs though. 

There’s a difference between building your offense around a successful ground attack and investing big in a runningback.

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

1 hour ago, DaBoys said:

I’d be less than thrilled with him in the top 10, but at 26 he’s just fine. Not exactly a quick twitch athlete. He has great size and length though. Strong side DE prospect. Probably not a 15 sack season guy, but I think he’ll be good against the run, and provided 6-10 sacks a year. I think a taller Anthony Spencer, who was ironically selected round 1 pick 26

Interesting. He ran a 4.53 40 at 268 lbs. Is a 9.71 RAS. Spencer wasn’t even close to that. Murphy’s testing numbers are a lot closer to Travon Walker’s.

I guess I’ll have to give him a watch.

[DaBoys]

2 hours ago, Nextyearfordaboyz said:

Interesting. He ran a 4.53 40 at 268 lbs. Is a 9.71 RAS. Spencer wasn’t even close to that. Murphy’s testing numbers are a lot closer to Travon Walker’s.

I guess I’ll have to give him a watch.

Those are great pro day numbers to be sure. He didn’t participate at all at the combine. He only had 6.5 sacks last year. I just didn’t see an explosive athlete. Alas, those numbers do change my mind a bit. Testing like that probably assures him to be off the board by 26 anyway. 

Edited April 19, 2023 by DaBoys

[DaBoys]

3 hours ago, Nextyearfordaboyz said:

There’s a difference between building your offense around a successful ground attack and investing big in a runningback.

Sure, but the teams I mentioned did invest big in a RB. 

The 49ers gave up a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and $12M a year for CMC. The Eagles spent pick 53 on Miles Sanders. They didn’t end up signing him but are one of the few NFL teams to host Bijan Robinson this year. Hell, the Bengals spent pick 48 on Joe Mixon and pay him $13M a year. The Chiefs are actually the only team of the 4 that has a 1st round RB in Clyde Edwards. The Chiefs have actually drafted twice as many RBs as the Cowboys since 2016. Edwards round 1, Hunt round 3, Thomoson Round 6, and Pacheco round 7. 

If drafting Zack Charbonnet at 58 and Tagging Pollard is all we’d have to do to qualify for investing big on a RB, then all of the championship teams last year “invested big on RBs.”

Edited April 19, 2023 by DaBoys

[DaBoys]

4 hours ago, Nextyearfordaboyz said:

Interesting. He ran a 4.53 40 at 268 lbs. Is a 9.71 RAS. Spencer wasn’t even close to that.

Also to be fair to Anthony Spencer he actually participated in the combine and Murphy did not. He ran a 4.73 laser timed 40. So if Murphy ran a 4.53 hand timed 40 on the notorious Clemson fast track, it’s a bit unfair to say they were nowhere close. 

“At the NFL Combine, 40-yard dash runs are officially laser-timed, which amounts to more accurate and objective results. At pro days, 40-yard dash runs are almost always hand-timed. Often, pro day times are slightly faster, and this can be attributed to human error.

 

Expert analysts supported this belief, discussing “fast tracks” at Clemson and Ohio State, and pointing out that nine wide receivers ran sub-4.40 yard dashes across the 2021 college pro day circuit. Kentucky won the fastest track award in 2021 with 4 prospects running sub 4.3. Including Kelvin Joseph at 4.28.”

 

You have to take pro day times, especially schools like Clemson and ohio state, with a grain of salt but you can accept combine times at face value. A 4.53 clemson pro day vs a 4.73 combine time are indeed similar.

 

Either way, my point wasn’t that Murphy and Spencer are identical athletically, but I’m projecting similar NFL production. Which is solid but nothing freakish. 

Edited April 19, 2023 by DaBoys

[WizardHawk]

Killing time with 3 different versions of mock drafts.

Fanspeak - DRAFTPLEX board

26: R1 P26 RB Bijan Robinson - Texas

58: R2 P27 WR Jonathan Mingo - Ole Miss

90: R3 P27 G Chandler Zavala - North Carolina State

129: R4 P27 LB Marte Mapu - Sacramento State

169: R5 P34 QB Clayton Tune - Houston

212: R6 P35 DL Jerrod Clark - Coastal Carolina

244: R7 P27 TE Brayden Willis - Oklahoma

 

PFN-

26. Michael Mayer

TE Notre Dame

58. Marvin Mims Jr.

WR Oklahoma

90. Tyler Steen

OT Alabama

129. Roschon Johnson

RB Texas

176. Terell Smith

CB Minnesota

212. Dante Stills

DT West Virginia

244. Earl Bostick Jr.

OT Kansas

 

Fanspeak - Bengals Big Board

26: R1 P26 OT Darnell Wright - Tennessee

58: R2 P27 WR Cedric Tillman - Tennessee

90: R3 P27 RB Israel Abanikanda - Pittsburgh

129: R4 P27 LB Owen Pappoe - Auburn

169: R5 P34 CB Mekhi Garner - LSU

212: R6 P35 QB Clayton Tune - Houston

244: R7 P27 DL Nesta Jade Silvera - Arizona State

 

[matt79511]

If anyone is wondering how Reddit is taking things re: the draft, Matts just downvoted me and basically called me stupid for saying Ferguson and Hendershot would be better off as secondary and tertiary options at TE. “No one can say that, not even the coaching staff!”

Edited April 19, 2023 by matt79511

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

7 hours ago, DaBoys said:

Sure, but the teams I mentioned did invest big in a RB. 

The 49ers gave up a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and $12M a year for CMC. The Eagles spent pick 53 on Miles Sanders. They didn’t end up signing him but are one of the few NFL teams to host Bijan Robinson this year. Hell, the Bengals spent pick 48 on Joe Mixon and pay him $13M a year. The Chiefs are actually the only team of the 4 that has a 1st round RB in Clyde Edwards. The Chiefs have actually drafted twice as many RBs as the Cowboys since 2016. Edwards round 1, Hunt round 3, Thomoson Round 6, and Pacheco round 7. 

If drafting Zack Charbonnet at 58 and Tagging Pollard is all we’d have to do to qualify for investing big on a RB, then all of the championship teams last year “invested big on RBs.”

I can’t really argue with anything here, except to say 1) I don’t view spending a 2nd round pick as too much to invest in an RB, that’s a pretty good sweet spot and 2) is the reason any of those teams have good running attacks because of the investment at RB? KC is certainly winning in spite of a wasted pick on CEH. Cincy has gotten 3.9 you from Mixon over the past 3 seasons. Eagle spent a 2nd round pick on Sanders, which is reasonable, and certainly he wasn’t a clear driver of their success as a team. CMC might be the exception, but that rushing attack/scheme was lethal before he arrived, and he drives a lot of surplus value taking snaps as a WR.

At the end of the day, I would actually be ok with Bijan at #26. He is very talented and does bring a lot of value in to passing game. I’m just arguing that drafting one in the top-2 rounds is not make-or-break. If we don’t draft an RB the entire weekend - we’ll be just fine.

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

18 minutes ago, matt79511 said:

If anyone is wondering how Reddit is taking things re: the draft, Matts just downvoted me and basically called me stupid for saying Ferguson and Hendershot would be better off as secondary and tertiary options at TE. “No one can say that, not even the coaching staff!”

Is he banned here, or did he just quit? 

[matt79511]

12 minutes ago, Nextyearfordaboyz said:

Is he banned here, or did he just quit? 

I would assume perma-banned but I don’t really care. He has the same username over on Reddit 

My larger point is that that segment of the fanbase gets soooooo mad when you question Ferg and Hendo. It’s pretty funny

Edited April 19, 2023 by matt79511

[Dallas94Ware]

On 4/17/2023 at 9:24 AM, Nextyearfordaboyz said:

From Brugler’s 7 rounder:

Dallas Cowboys

1 (26): Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
2 (58): Daiyan Henley, LB, Washington State
3 (90): Anthony Bradford, G, LSU
4 (129): Tyler Lacy, DT, Oklahoma State
5 (169): Jake Moody, K, Michigan
6 (212): Clayton Tune, QB, Houston
7 (244): Durrell Johnson, Edge, Liberty

I don't hate this. 

But I would totally hate it if I knew what else was available at 26 and found out players of higher impact were there. Tight End, when there's a quality one on the field, can indeed change the tact of an offense and the approach of a defense. But all too often TEs, particularly those high drafted athletes, struggle to catch on in the manner they were expected to. And with two young guys developing both into solid blockers and pass catchers, I would hate selecting one high if there are higher impact positions or better players left on the board. If not, yeah, pull the trigger..kid has a ton of promise and if he is good at the next level, it eases the burden on everyone else.

Kicker has been a thorn in our side since Dan Bailey turned cold. Thought we had it nailed down, but I guess we didn't. Drafting one is not ideal but neither is missing chip shot after chip shot. I'm on board for throwing a dart to fix that.

The best of this little mock by Brugler is Bradford, the Lsu OL. I've read him pegged as high as late first and as late as middle of day 3. Largely in part because of his constant reliance on upper body power off the line, engaging often times too high to consistently win at the next level. But with experience at LT and G at LSU, his size, his experience on special teams (dude can move) and his raw power, he has the potential to a real steal in round three as a future bulldozer inside if he learns to keep his pads low, his hands high and his feet under him. Best pick in Bruglers mock. But I for some reason doubt his availability that late. I could really envision some sneaky team taking him very early round 2 after sleeping on it from Thursday, and realizing his physical traits at the position far outweigh the unknowns.

[WizardHawk]

16 minutes ago, Dallas94Ware said:

The best of this little mock by Brugler is Bradford, the Lsu OL. I've read him pegged as high as late first and as late as middle of day 3. Largely in part because of his constant reliance on upper body power off the line, engaging often times too high to consistently win at the next level. But with experience at LT and G at LSU, his size, his experience on special teams (dude can move) and his raw power, he has the potential to a real steal in round three as a future bulldozer inside if he learns to keep his pads low, his hands high and his feet under him. Best pick in Bruglers mock. But I for some reason doubt his availability that late. I could really envision some sneaky team taking him very early round 2 after sleeping on it from Thursday, and realizing his physical traits at the position far outweigh the unknowns.

I've been catching up on Bradford past couple of days. Definitely flying under the radar it would seem. Size, strength and movement all at elite levels. I've seen him ranked in 200s for the most part, outside of Bruglar. 

He's certainly worthy of being in the conversation at 58 from what I've seen

[Dallas94Ware]

12 hours ago, Nextyearfordaboyz said:

There’s a difference between building your offense around a successful ground attack and investing big in a runningback.

Let's not forget how Dallas attempted to do this between Murray's remarkable year behind the single best season I've ever witnessed for an offensive line in my far too many years being involved in or watching the sport, and the drafting of Zeke.

The investment in the run game was already there. Fredrick, Martin, Tyron, Leary/Collins and even to an extent Doug Free were all either well paid, highly drafted or long term developments of an undrafted steal (Leary). The offense was designed around the athletic wide angle run game, utilizing a ton of stretch and one cut zone based blocking, with play action bootlegs off of that staple in the playcalling. 

But with Joe "The Clepto" Randle, McFadden and Morris all getting chances, it was clear - if you have the best race track, it's really only going to waste if you're driving around it in a Ford Focus. Sure, it'll work. But it really takes off when you hit that track with a Corvette (or insert your option for raw horsepower here).

Investing big in a running back, as I have said before, is extremely worth it - IF and only if, your offense is already built around a ground game with investments on the OL, the proper staff in place, the right system to make it shine, and if that team is deep enough to win now. Investing big in a runner without all the pieces in place to make it turn the tide between possibly playoff bound and possibly super bowl bound is just unwise. Ask the Steelers and Giants, with two of the most gifted runners in the NFL, who will be looking for new, big paydays with half their best productive years behind them before the team was ready to make use of those years.

[Dallas94Ware]

10 minutes ago, WizardHawk said:

I've been catching up on Bradford past couple of days. Definitely flying under the radar it would seem. Size, strength and movement all at elite levels. I've seen him ranked in 200s for the most part, outside of Bruglar. 

He's certainly worthy of being in the conversation at 58 from what I've seen

100 percent man. If he is there at 58, they better be all over it. Even if he can't get his feet to stay under him, you kick him further inside at Center and maybe end up with an Andre Gurode situation where the fewer lateral motions and lower need for pad balance turned him from potential bust to pro bowl player.

That's at worst case. Best case, the staff drills those feet and pad level into him and we not only nail down left guard, but potentially right tackle when Steele wants to be paid more than we can afford and Tyron decides his 8th injury plagued season is enough for him.

And depending what is or isn't available at 26, I'd have to consider him there. Consider. Not definitely go for it. But getting that fifth year is a very good thing, and if the alternatives are another receiver, or another linebacker or DB, and all these other positions I keep hearing...I'd rather overdraft this kid and know the traits he has could very easily develop into another Tyler Smith situation.

Ive always been a staunch proprietor of over drafting your guy. Get that extra year at a manageable price. Get your guy without risking someone else coveting him enough to over draft him. Because it certainly happens all the time.

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by Dallas94Ware