Goldfish's Way Too Early Draft Rankings 2024 (All Up)

[minutemancl]

26 minutes ago, FrantikRam said:

 

I think the NFL has been littered with QBs who failed because the team around them was bad....I guess we'll see how this goes for the Patriots.

Hard to argue against that. But what I can say with certainty is that elite QBs, guys like Mahomes, Allen, Herbert, Burrow and a few others, will actively elevate the team they are on. The QBs who have failed, by the nature of their failing, proved they aren't that. They might have proven to be pretty good starters if they were in better situations, but the top tier guys succeed regardless of situation. THAT is the QB you are looking for. If you think Maye has that chance, you have to take him, because then you are a real threat to win it all for as long as he plays.

[Daniel]

1 hour ago, Chiefer said:

Tight End switch?

I think it has more to do with the jersey that the head coach wore in college than anything else, honestly.  But yeah, upside, lotto ticket QB and possible TE conversion is the other reason.

28 minutes ago, FrantikRam said:

 

I think the NFL has been littered with QBs who failed because the team around them was bad....I guess we'll see how this goes for the Patriots.

9 minutes ago, Chiefer said:

For every CJ Stroud, there’s plenty that fail because the team around them sucks. 

Yeah, and the league is just as littered with probably more teams that are "a QB away" because getting a QB is hard.  If you build a strong team but for the QB, you probably aren't picking high enough to take a true elite prospect.  Gotta hope a guy falls and you trade up to get him, then are able to develop him and/or get rid of the problem that's keeping him from being the guy.

Pats did the right thing.  If you have a shot at getting a QB who is legit, you take it without exception imo.

[minutemancl]

11 minutes ago, Chiefer said:

For every CJ Stroud, there’s plenty that fail because the team around them sucks. 

We have one year on him so it could definitely change, but right now, Stroud looks to be one of those elite QBs that would succeed regardless of the situation and elevates his team.

[goldfishwars]

11. New York Giants

This Class In One Sentence:

No upgrade at quarterback, but six very solid selections instead

Pre-Draft Needs (According to https://www.nflmockdraftdatabase.com/team-needs-2024)

WR, QB, OT, CB, RB, IOL, EDGE

Selections

6. Malik Nabers | WR | LSU

47. Tyler Nubin | S | Minnesota

70. Andru Phillips | CB | Kentucky

107. Theo Johnson | TE | Penn State

166. Tyrone Tracy | RB | Purdue

183. Darius Muasau | LB | UCLA

Best Pick

Malik Nabers – It’s been widely reported the Giants wanted up to get Drake Maye, so Nabers was a Plan B type of pick. But it’s a hell of a fall-back plan. He has rare explosive gifts as a deep threat and as a runner after the catch. He can single-handedly dictate coverages, which should make the game easier for Daniel Jones to navigate. The Giants haven’t had an explosive receiver of this nature since OBJ was in town.  

Worst Pick

While I really like what the Giants did in the draft on the whole, not a single pick spent on the offensive line is a surprise given their struggles last season and the moderate spending on borderline starter talent in free agency.

Overall

After failing to tempt the Patriots at pick 3, the Giants decided they were out on the quarterback conversation for another year and that’s probably the right decision if they weren’t confident they would be getting a significant enough upgrade. Instead, Joe Schoen, who seems to enjoy a lower profile than most league GMs despite his locale, stuck at the spots they had and did a decent bit of shopping.

After Nabers, Nubin was the number one safety on most boards. He’s uber-smart and has a natural feel for the safety position. He’s a good run defender who fills the alley and is quick to diagnose. He’s also good in coverage, has high-end ball skills and can make turnovers. The lack of high athletic testing is more of a concern if you haven’t seen him play. Andru Phillips at 70 is also nice. He is just a pain in the *ss competitive corner. There is less than ideal length but he is very sticky in coverage, has quick feet and easy change of direction. 

The quality selections continued into day three. Theo Johnson is a perfectly sized tight end prospect at 6’6 and 250. He’s a big-time athlete, with an almost perfect RAS score. The blocking is adequate, but the route running shows high potential. He wasn’t a stats producer in four seasons at Penn State, hence the 107 pick, but I like the bet here. The Giants needed something at running back, and Tyrone Tracy was a favorite later-round running back of mine. He's a runner who is genuinely elusive and has high-end contact balance. Darius Muasau is a smaller linebacker, but had a great Shrine Bowl week by all accounts. He could be a useful Special Teams early on.

[Chiefer]

2 minutes ago, Daniel said:

 

Yeah, and the league is just as littered with probably more teams that are "a QB away" because getting a QB is hard.  If you build a strong team but for the QB, you probably aren't picking high enough to take a true elite prospect.  Gotta hope a guy falls and you trade up to get him, then are able to develop him and/or get rid of the problem that's keeping him from being the guy.

Pats did the right thing.  If you have a shot at getting a QB who is legit, you take it without exception imo.

I mean it’s fine line between finding your guy and making sure the cupboard is stacked enough for you to help a young QB. 

From my own personal experiences a Chiefs fan I prefer to stack the cupboard. Because you don’t have a QB it’s likely that you’ll be picking high later anyways.
 

[Jakuvious]

1 hour ago, FrantikRam said:

 

I think the NFL has been littered with QBs who failed because the team around them was bad....I guess we'll see how this goes for the Patriots.

I don't disagree, but sometimes you have to just be flexible and roll with what falls to you. They could build the team up first and then never have a chance to get a QB like Maye because they're drafting in the teens every year. They had Maye available, now, so that's what they went with, and I think that's reasonable. If you think the team is bad enough that it will ruin the young QB, he doesn't have to play year one.

But I think if you believe Maye is the guy, you can't pass on that.

[minutemancl]

Pretty solid spot for the Giants. I think anywhere from 13-7 is reasonable for their draft.

A decent number of draftniks had super high opinions on Andru Phillips and Tyrone Tracy, which it seems like GFW is one of them, which really influences how you view the Giants draft. 

The lack of OL picks is a bit surprising, but I think it represents a little bit of a mindset shift for Schoen and the FO. They've spent a TON of draft capital on OL since he's been here. I think the idea is 'let's develop those young guys we already have, and if the goal is to fortify the OL and turn them into at least an average unit, let's grab some vets rather than more young guys we have to develop'. It makes sense, at least.

I will not forgive them for passing on Chrisian Mahogany in the 6th though for Muasau. Mahogany has potential starter potential. I feel the same way about him as I did Trey Smith from a few years ago, and if history repeats itself I'm gonna be pissed. He's even a Jersey guy!

[Hunter2_1]

3 hours ago, FrantikRam said:

Pats fans, do you want to see Maye starting from day one?

I'm of the opinion that they don't have the team around a QB and should have traded down, but I can see the argument for not assuming you'll be picking that high again

If he’s good enough and proves he should from camp, sure. I expect Briskett to start though, because you can’t go back on the alternative. Once you do start Maye, there’s no going back. So might as well get some games out the way first to see what we got.

Im hoping our OL and WR corps aren’t as bad as many think. They couldn’t get worse at least….

[Hunter2_1]

6 minutes ago, Jakuvious said:

I don't disagree, but sometimes you have to just be flexible and roll with what falls to you. They could build the team up first and then never have a chance to get a QB like Maye because they're drafting in the teens every year. They had Maye available, now, so that's what they went with, and I think that's reasonable. If you think the team is bad enough that it will ruin the young QB, he doesn't have to play year one.

But I think if you believe Maye is the guy, you can't pass on that.

Last sentence - exactly 

If you don’t think QBs like Maye come around all that often, and you don’t plan to be in bottom 3 again, you gotta take him when you’re there. The opportunity presented itself

[Armbar]

8 hours ago, goldfishwars said:

Caedan Wallace

He’s got great tools. I think he ends up being a good starter for NE, to be fair. I thought he was a sleeper 5th rounder that I was higher on than most, so definitely shocked to see him go where he did.

That said, good player. & yes, Drake Maye being there wad awesome for them. He was pretty clearly my QB2, even though I don’t think Daniels is gonna be “bad.”

[Chiefer]

17 minutes ago, Jakuvious said:

I don't disagree, but sometimes you have to just be flexible and roll with what falls to you. They could build the team up first and then never have a chance to get a QB like Maye because they're drafting in the teens every year. They had Maye available, now, so that's what they went with, and I think that's reasonable. If you think the team is bad enough that it will ruin the young QB, he doesn't have to play year one.

But I think if you believe Maye is the guy, you can't pass on that.

I just don’t trust then patriots brain trust at all to develop a guy like Maye. He’s a Mahomes level arm talent/athletically but needs to sit and learn, and they have an impatient owner who’s tired of losing and a rookie defensive minded coach

This is like if Mahomes went to the Bears, and while I think he’d be good still idk if hes the same guy without the developmental year and the talent already primed and ready to go for him. 

Like I’m a lot more confident in Caleb Williams success because they really built up the talent on that roster. I don’t think they’re gonna ruin him with like 4 good options to throw to and a decent defense. 

[minutemancl]

As much as I loved Ben Sinnott, I really think Theo Johnson had a solid claim as TE2 in this class. His athleticism is unreal, and while he wasn't used a lot at Penn State, he showed he could do everything at a high level. He blocked well, he ran routes well, and he moved well. He's a TE with the 2nd highest RAS ever that can play traditionally inline. Pretty crazy stuff.

[Soko]

1 hour ago, Hunter2_1 said:

Im hoping our OL and WR corps aren’t as bad as many think. They couldn’t get worse at least….

We all thought that going from Patricia to BoB as well, lol. 

[Sugashane]

4 hours ago, Chiefer said:

Hey why don't I just got and eat some hay. I can lay by the bay, make things out of clay, I just Maye, what'd ya say?

Rare for an A movie reference and D dad joke (lower the better obviously) work so well together. 

[goldfishwars]

10. LA Rams

This Class In One Sentence:

An unlikely, likeable rebuild story

Pre-Draft Needs (According to https://www.nflmockdraftdatabase.com/team-needs-2024)

EDGE, CB, DL, OT, QB, WR, IOL

Selections

19. Jared Verse | EDGE | Florida State

39. Braden Fiske | DL | Florida State

83. Blake Corum | RB | Michigan

99. Kamren Kinchens | S | Miami (Fla

154. Brennan Jackson | EDGE | Washington State

196. Tyler Davis | DL | Clemson

209. Joshua Karty | K | Stanford

213. Jordan Whittington | WR | Texas

217. Beaux Limmer | OC | Arkansas

254. Kaitori Leveston | IOL | Kansas State

Best Pick

Jared Verse – I’ll go with the straightforward option here, for a player who was getting top-five hype if he declared last year and could have gone as high as Atlanta at 8. He’s an explosive, powerful edge with a nasty cross-chop and bullrush. His physicality at the point of attack is his calling card, with the strength to disengage consistently. There is a little joint tightness which will probably limit what he’s able to achieve as a pass-rusher. I don’t know if he’ll ever be a top sack-getter, but he’ll make his presence felt snap to snap.

Worst Pick

I like the Fiske selection in a vacuum at 39, but giving up 52, 155 and next year’s 2^nd rounder is a prime example of right player at the wrong price. I hate it when teams toss away next year’s premium capital at the draft, man. I get that this is a culture pick, but it’s not like he was a premium first rounder sliding down. For it to be worth it, Fiske has to at least match the combined output of Adonai Mitchell, Jeremiah Trotter and one of Carolina’s 2^nd round selections next year. Bad process. Bad.

Overall

After a remarkable bit of bargain shopping in last year’s draft, Les and the Rams had more capital to work with in 2024 and came away with another impressive haul of players. It’s a difficult team to root against right now, given how likeable the main players are in LA and how inclusive that operation appears to be. It seems like a fantastic culture to work in and that environment has no doubt made it easier to rebuild a rosters down to the studs.

Parking what it took to get him, Fiske has an impressive first step and that hand quickness consistently rewards him with early gap penetration. He’s got a high motor that is always ticking away. He seems like a team-first sort of character, as shown by an endearing phone call with Verse where the two couldn’t escape the tears. He is an older prospect at 24 with noticeably shorter arms, which are aspects to note. Blake Corum was a major reason for Michigan’s success this past season. He runs with patience, can change direction on a dime and has that third-eye vision. He does lack long speed, and he’s not a home run hitter. But the Rams have an intriguing 1-2 punch at RB all of a sudden, both of which have bell cow potential. 

Kinchens was a decent pick-up at the end of the third, for a player who had first round attention heading into the 2023 season. The pretty awful athletic testing blew up his draft stock a little, but he does have an instinctual, playmaking game which overrides some of that. There’s a touch of Ji’Ayir Brown about him as a prospect. Brennan Jackson was one of my favotie pass-rush sleepers in the class, a very toolsy project to work with. Tyler Davis is solid rotational depth on a defensive line which needed bodies.

Further down, I like the two later shots on interior guys. Beaux Limmer has some day two hype at points in the draft, and while that always seemed rich, he’s good value here for an interior blocker with some quickness and a decent all-around game. Kaitori Leveston is old as hell, but had a good Shrine Bowl week and has some positional flexibility. Jordan Whittington was the dirty work receiver at Texas, who could block and return kicks. I think his main appeal is in the latter, but perhaps Rams fans were hoping for more out of receiver selections than they got.