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

[THE DUKE]

25 minutes ago, SmittyBacall said:

Fit right in with who?

With Rashee Rice

[Jakuvious]

5 minutes ago, THE DUKE said:

With Rashee Rice

Gotta catch him first.

[Soko]

19 minutes ago, Jakuvious said:

Gotta catch him first.

Glen Heights PD:

[goldfishwars]

7. LA Chargers

This Class In One Sentence:

Home of the offensive-line weapon and Ladd McConkey

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

WR, OT, TE, CB, DL, IOL, RB

Selections

5. Joe Alt | OT | Notre Dame

34. Ladd McConkey | WR | Georgia

69. Junior Colson | LB | Michigan

105. Justin Eboigbe | DL | Alabama

138. Tarheeb Still | CB | Maryland

140. Cam Hart | CB | Notre Dame

181. Kimani Vidal | RB | Troy

225. Brenden Rice | WR | USC

253. Cornelius Johnson | WR | Michigan

Best Pick

Junior Colson – The look of delight on Harbaugh’s face when they knew they could get one of his defensive leaders was endearing as hell. Number 42 on my board, Colson was my favorite linebacker – a real green dot who marshalled an excellent Michigan defense. He was a big-time leader in that program where he was rarely out of position or caught in over-pursuit. I love this selection.

Worst Pick

We’re at the part of the draft where it’s difficult to poke many, if any, holes in a team’s haul of players. The biggest controversy will be the Alt versus Nabers/Odunze which will be interesting to see play out. If Alt stutters and the other two become superstars, I can see this becoming a recurrent flashpoint. 

Overall

The draft was going to be a fascinating glimpse into what Joe and Jim are cooking up as team-builders. While the Chargers have been keen to point out that Hortiz has a traditional GM job and is pulling the personnel strings, clearly Harbaugh didn't sign up for this gig without getting a significant say. And there’s his prints all over this class, with each selection having a solid baseline of competence. In the best possible way, it's a draft low on risk and high on grunt. That starts with the offensive tackle pick at 5, who was selected over the the high-end receiver option and whatever was coming through over the phone. It's not what a lot of Chargers fans said they wanted, but perhaps they weren't listening close enough. 

Joe Alt is no slouch and as my number 6 overall prospect, it’s no shock to see him drafted in this range. He looks like a baby with a perfect tackle's body. His draft process was extremely clean and clearly distanced himself as the standout in an excellent class with his technical refinement and ability to hit targets on the move. On tape, that tight end background shows up in his foot quickness and explosive movements. There have been concerns about his move to the right side. Most of this stuff is overblown, but it must be easier with his profile to switch than a heavy-footed brawler heading over to the left. Anyway, I like this pick. 

I like the McConkey shot at 34, even if he’s a slight outlier in the crop overall. He wasn’t the receiver option I was expecting for LAC given his physical profile, but he is a very willing run blocker and I can see why they liked him in the second round. He's also a versatile wideout with precise footwork and a natural feel for route running. He’s rapid out of his breaks and can win on the outside despite a lack of ideal length. There aren't many receiver prospects with elite quickness and speed - but he appears to have that in his locker. I can see how that would blend well with Palmer and Johnson as the top three options.

After McConkey and Colson, there’s a decent run on role-specific players. Justin Eboigbe probably won’t offer much as a pass-rusher but was relentless against the run at Alabama where he regularly bullied tight ends and could hold his own on double teams. Stopping the run is clearly an emphasis on any defense overseen by Harbaugh. Tarheeb Still was a little lost in the mix of a deep db class, but has some inside/outside versatility and was an active run defender at Maryland. Cam Hart is a more prototypical outside press corner which should be a good fit for a team that wants to  man up and disrupt timing in the passing game.

Late in the draft, it’s three shots on three tougher-edged prospects. Kimani Vidal was a big-time stats producer at Troy who can contribute to the run-and-pass game. He doesn't have breakaway speed to lean on, but man is he a tough bowling ball runner. I didn’t particularly like Brendan Rice as a receiver prospect, as he’s too stiff to make a high-end living in the NFL but he does block his *** off. Cornelius Johnson is leaner in comparison and has more vertical potential. Obviously, he’s well-versed in the offensive scheme expectations from his Michigan days.

[Daniel]

I talked a lot of **** over the Chargers taking Alt over Nabers, but being able to land McConkey AND both Cornelius Johnson and Brendan Rice in the late rounds has me thinking maybe it wasn’t so bad.

Still should have just traded down from 5 though.

[onejayhawk]

I have said it before. The Chargers look like a Chiefs draft plus a top-10 pick. 

What more can I add?

[Chiefer]

8 hours ago, SmittyBacall said:

Fit right in with who?

With all the other ish talkers in Cinci

[Xenos]

8 hours ago, goldfishwars said:

7. LA Chargers

This Class In One Sentence:

Home of the offensive-line weapon and Ladd McConkey

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

WR, OT, TE, CB, DL, IOL, RB

Selections

5. Joe Alt | OT | Notre Dame

34. Ladd McConkey | WR | Georgia

69. Junior Colson | LB | Michigan

105. Justin Eboigbe | DL | Alabama

138. Tarheeb Still | CB | Maryland

140. Cam Hart | CB | Notre Dame

181. Kimani Vidal | RB | Troy

225. Brenden Rice | WR | USC

253. Cornelius Johnson | WR | Michigan

Best Pick

Junior Colson – The look of delight on Harbaugh’s face when they knew they could get one of his defensive leaders was endearing as hell. Number 42 on my board, Colson was my favorite linebacker – a real green dot who marshalled an excellent Michigan defense. He was a big-time leader in that program where he was rarely out of position or caught in over-pursuit. I love this selection.

Worst Pick

We’re at the part of the draft where it’s difficult to poke many, if any, holes in a team’s haul of players. The biggest controversy will be the Alt versus Nabers/Odunze which will be interesting to see play out. If Alt stutters and the other two become superstars, I can see this becoming a recurrent flashpoint. 

Overall

The draft was going to be a fascinating glimpse into what Joe and Jim are cooking up as team-builders. While the Chargers have been keen to point out that Hortiz has a traditional GM job and is pulling the personnel strings, clearly Harbaugh didn't sign up for this gig without getting a significant say. And there’s his prints all over this class, with each selection having a solid baseline of competence. In the best possible way, it's a draft low on risk and high on grunt. That starts with the offensive tackle pick at 5, who was selected over the the high-end receiver option and whatever was coming through over the phone. It's not what a lot of Chargers fans said they wanted, but perhaps they weren't listening close enough. 

Joe Alt is no slouch and as my number 6 overall prospect, it’s no shock to see him drafted in this range. He looks like a baby with a perfect tackle's body. His draft process was extremely clean and clearly distanced himself as the standout in an excellent class with his technical refinement and ability to hit targets on the move. On tape, that tight end background shows up in his foot quickness and explosive movements. There have been concerns about his move to the right side. Most of this stuff is overblown, but it must be easier with his profile to switch than a heavy-footed brawler heading over to the left. Anyway, I like this pick. 

I like the McConkey shot at 34, even if he’s a slight outlier in the crop overall. He wasn’t the receiver option I was expecting for LAC given his physical profile, but he is a very willing run blocker and I can see why they liked him in the second round. He's also a versatile wideout with precise footwork and a natural feel for route running. He’s rapid out of his breaks and can win on the outside despite a lack of ideal length. There aren't many receiver prospects with elite quickness and speed - but he appears to have that in his locker. I can see how that would blend well with Palmer and Johnson as the top three options.

After McConkey and Colson, there’s a decent run on role-specific players. Justin Eboigbe probably won’t offer much as a pass-rusher but was relentless against the run at Alabama where he regularly bullied tight ends and could hold his own on double teams. Stopping the run is clearly an emphasis on any defense overseen by Harbaugh. Tarheeb Still was a little lost in the mix of a deep db class, but has some inside/outside versatility and was an active run defender at Maryland. Cam Hart is a more prototypical outside press corner which should be a good fit for a team that wants to  man up and disrupt timing in the passing game.

Late in the draft, it’s three shots on three tougher-edged prospects. Kimani Vidal was a big-time stats producer at Troy who can contribute to the run-and-pass game. He doesn't have breakaway speed to lean on, but man is he a tough bowling ball runner. I didn’t particularly like Brendan Rice as a receiver prospect, as he’s too stiff to make a high-end living in the NFL but he does block his *** off. Cornelius Johnson is leaner in comparison and has more vertical potential. Obviously, he’s well-versed in the offensive scheme expectations from his Michigan days.

Thanks for the great write up!

Edited May 8 by Xenos

[goldfishwars]

6. Detroit Lions

This Class In One Sentence:

A magical turnaround in Detroit

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

CB, EDGE, IOL, WR, DL, S, OT

Selections

24. Terrion Arnold | CB | Alabama

61. Ennis Rakestraw | CB | Missouri

126. Giovanni Manu | OT | British Columbia

132. Sione Vaki | S/RB | Utah

189. Mekhi Wingo | DL | LSU

210. Christian Mahogany | IOL | Boston College

Best Pick

Terrion Arnold – I was very tempted to go with one of the two late picks, but I have no idea why those guys slipped. There could be something horrible waiting in the woodwork, career limiting injuries or DUI's swept away. So I’ll go Arnold. What a magical moment it was to see him getting drafted in front of the Detroit fans and snatching away the interviewer’s mic. He turned to address, told them he had arrived home. What a likeable dude.

This is a good get for Detroit, a player who was getting top ten hype early in the process only to see him slide to 24 because of the frenzy for offensive players. He’s exactly the fiercely competitive and sticky corner they’ve been looking for. He has fluidity of movement, good backpedal, and can flip his hips. Whilst he is very slightly below the ideal thresholds of size/speed you would ideally like to see, the Lions got a good one here and you can tell he wants to be good. 

Worst Pick

I mean who knows if it turns out to be a bad pick, but the Giovanni Manu selection came right out of leftfield at 126 and giving up next year's third to draft a fourth round player? Bad process. Bad. 

The Lions have form with this stuff with Brodric Martin and Colby Sorsdal drafted as projects last season with few early returns so far. Manu is an enormous human at 6’7 and 350 pounds, and ran a sub 5 forty time at his pro day which isn’t possible. There is decent tape of him from the CFL where he shows some flex and power, but he has not played a snap of football on American soil and has a scrimmage alignment to adjust to. It does seem like teams have tried to follow the Jordan Mailata model of getting athletic monsters into the building and he’s the highest investment we’ve seen so far.

Overall

I’m enjoying Brad Holmes playing heel and taking shots at the media with his attire choices, one of which was a sweatshirt that read ‘Positional Villain’ which was a reference to the criticisms he received after last year’s first round. I mean, good for him. I’m not sure I’d want my GM supplying opponents/critics with that much ammo, especially as he’s already sounded off a few times on the subject. Just keep it cool, man, you won’t always be up. This stuff has a habit of biting you in the *** eventually. You and Dan are good people, we’re on your side.

I like the doubling up at corner, even with the additions in free agency this was a position that was getting fixed up once and for all. Ennis Rakestraw got some first round attention early on in the process, even if he never quite and the physical profile to quite justify that. But he is a versatile corner, who has played in multiple coverages and on the boundary as well as in the slot. Like Arnold, he is fearsome in man coverage, and will go after much bigger receivers as well as attacking the run. He’s a little thinner than ideal and lacking in elite recovery speed, which probably explains his availability at 61 – but that’s great value. And did you see the letter he wrote to his 4th grade teacher? Man, that had me bawling. 

Sione Vaki is a fascinating prospect, a true two-way player in an era you don’t see that. Obviously he has the impressive fill-in chops at running back, but the skill-set screams core special teamer as first port of call. Man, and I don’t know what was going on with the final two picks or why those players were even there. Mekhi Wingo was my 70^th overall player. At 6’0 and 285 pounds, he clearly lacks length and mass. But he does have an explosive first step as an interior rusher and a full bag of tricks. He will get washed out of run plays due to a lack of anchor, but even as a DPR that’s great value.

The phenomenally named Christian Mahogany is an even more improbable get at 210 (I had him at 56!). He’s a perfectly built powerful interior blocker, is quick out of his stance and has a sturdy anchor. He’s a mauler and tone-setter in the run game. Perhaps a little top-heavy, and doesn’t have ideal lateral quickness – a combination of which makes him a little scheme-dependent. Quite often these so-called 'steals' don't turn out to be that way, but if the Lions get something here, there needs to be an investigation.

[goldfishwars]

Discovering Mahogany has one leg quite a bit longer than the other...

[iknowcool]

On 4/29/2024 at 12:42 PM, goldfishwars said:

Man, is there a less likeable person in NFL circles than David Tepper? Turning up at a restaurant in Nowhereville to rant at the owner is sad and pathetic. What an appalling person, just a terrible dude - the bad vibes pour out into the franchise, man and it's sad. 

Dilworth Neighborhood Grille is like 5 minutes away from the stadium and definitely not in the middle of nowhere, pretty well-known spot.  The owner wasn't even there by the time Tepper arrived and according to the manager who was present, it was a friendly interaction.  Maybe it was weird to take his hat off (an Eagles hat mind you), but the way this story has been spun by some people online is just wrong.

https://www.wbtv.com/2024/04/26/let-coach-gm-pick-panthers-owner-pays-charlotte-restaurant-surprise-visit-before-draft/

Edited May 8 by iknowcool

[Hunter2_1]

2 hours ago, goldfishwars said:

Discovering Mahogany has one leg quite a bit longer than the other...

He’ll need to sand it down a bit and apply varnish.

 

I’ll get my coat…

[SteelKing728]

On 5/6/2024 at 8:48 PM, Chiefer said:

Andy Reid said that comp specifically, why do you think he okayed the trade up? If there’s anybody who can get a small, fast receiver to be successful then I don’t know how anybody could doubt Andy Reid  to do it, this is very clearly his best fit in the NFL

and yes we probably still draft him even if he runs a 4.25 or 4.28 lol. Andy thinks he’s Desean level and is great friends with Sark, and Sark loves the kids intelligence and toughness. 

Andy Reid could turn any QB ever into a half decent one. He could have probably saved Ryan Leaf or Jamarcus Russell. 

But when has he been known for saving WRs? It seems like they always underwhelm with Reid, going back to his Philly days.

[onejayhawk]

33 minutes ago, SteelKing728 said:

Andy Reid could turn any QB ever into a half decent one. He could have probably saved Ryan Leaf or Jamarcus Russell. 

But when has he been known for saving WRs? It seems like they always underwhelm with Reid, going back to his Philly days.

2021, JuJu Smith-Shuster. He has a good chance with Marquis Brown this season.

Development is a different question. For that you have DeSean Jackson, Tyreek Hill. He also finds depth WR at the 7/11 eg Byron Pringle, Justin Watson. 

[Superduperman]

There's no one drafting with as much confidence as Brad Holmes right now. Is it bordering on overconfidence? Will it burn him in the near future? Quite possibly. But he's shown the ability to identify good, contributing players at all levels of the draft, so until he crashes and burns, you have to trust him to a certain level.

It's these picks of Martin, Sorsdal and Manu the last couple of years that are really going to test his reputation if they boom or bust.