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

[SteelKing728]

27 minutes ago, onejayhawk said:

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. 

JJSS was fine in Pittsburgh. I wouldn't count him.

Besides that, he has two very good starters and two depth guys. 

Don't get me wrong. I love Andy Reid. He made Alex Smith into a top 10 QB at one point. He's put Patrick Mahomes into potential GOAT territory. His offenses are always fun to watch. I just don't trust him developing receivers. That's why I thought you guys should have traded for Tee Higgins.

[Daniel]

I wasn't high on Rakestraw, but getting him super late in the second is fine.  Every other pick, except Manu, was great value, and Wingo was an insane steal imo.  He was my favorite player in the draft.  I don't know much about Mahogany's leg, but getting a quality guard prospect that late is also pretty dang good.

[General Tso]

So close to the top 5.

[goldfishwars]

5. Washington Commanders

This Class In One Sentence:

A fascinating way to launch the post Dan Snyder rebrand

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

QB, OT, EDGE, CB, WR, TE, S

Selections

2. Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU

36. Jer'Zhan Newton | DL | Illinois

50. Mike Sainristil | CB | Michigan

53. Ben Sinnott | TE | Kansas State

67. Brandon Coleman | OL | TCU

100. Luke McCaffrey | WR | Rice

139. Jordan Magee | LB | Temple

161. Dominique Hampton | S | Washington

223. Javontae Jean-Baptiste | EDGE | Notre Dame

Best Pick

Jer'Zhan Newton – A true BPA selection at 36, an done I can’t get my head around even though insiders kept saying the league was lower on him as a prospect. There is an injury concern and, apparently, some concerns over his size, but his tape shows he has the quickness and hand-fighting expertise to be an annoyance on every defensive snap. He’s always active, always moving forward, he has a beautiful push-pull move that few blockers have answers for. Newton will take over games given the chance, and he has the chance to rotate in with Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen the starters there in Washington. 

Worst Pick

Ultimately, the success of this class swill pivot on a) whether they made the right decision to draft Jayden Daniels over Drake Maye (the consensus had Maye rated higher) and b) which is related to a, if there was enough investment on an offensive line which badly needed it. Part b has a quicker answer when you check out the depth chart. That could the worst offensive line in the league in 2024. 

Overall

Pick for pick, the Commanders and Adam Peters did as well as anyone. There's no doubt they drafted a class full of talented players and have a selfless former regime to thank for the capital they accrued. As deep as the haul is, nine picks in total, it will be judged retrospectively by how well the quarterback selection pans out. I don’t think Washington made a great choice with their selection at OC, and if Kingsbury was driving the Daniels train then I have less faith in the process that got them there overall. But, he's undoubtedly a good choice for the scheme KK wants to run in Washington. There'll be rushing lanes for him to dash into and deep shots available, less standing and delivering. And with the cast of vertical weapons available, it's a better fit than what Jayden would have to work with in New England. 

It was clear the NFL liked Daniels as a prospect more than the consensus when you listened to those in the know. As a person, he's easy person to root for given his journey and background. As a player, he is a little narrow-framed, a little old and a little reckless. But, he has more than enough raw flat speed to consistently threaten the edges and a deadly deep ball to stretch the back end. He’s easy to like, even if the weird selection process with the infamous Top Golf outings et al got them there. He does need to develop more of a pocket patience at the next level and how to protect himself as a runner, but the highs are electrifying and he’s an easy sell to a fanbase desperate for excitement.

The good picks continued on day two, after the Newton surprise. Teams were always going to fall in love with Mike Sainristil the person and competetor. On the field, he’s an undersized slot corner with a leader’s mentality and a fierce competitive edge. He comes into the league with a high floor, and should be able to start right away. At 24, I wouldn’t expect much growth, but that's fine. Ben Sinnott at 53 is fresh from an impressive Senior Bowl and an even more impressive workout at the Combine. He’s good after the catch, and there are shades of Sam Laporta to his game, also in the way he doesn’t really impact the game as a blocker.

Brandon Coleman was the lone offensive line selection and has some versatility at tackle and guard. His 2022 tape is excellent, but was followed by a questionable 2023 season. He did show out at the Senior Bowl, however where he had an excellent week. He’s a powerful dude and can squat 600 pounds. Combined with his long-*** arms at 35 inches, there are tools to work with, but an upright pad level needs which needs to come down.

I like Luke McCaffrey, even if 100 seemed a little early so I can only chalk this one as a bet on NFL bloodlines. Obviously he’s a recent convert to the receiver position, but like his brother has top-tier agility testing and profiles well as a speedy slot. Jordan Magee is another high athletic tester, 9.60 in RAS with that 6.9 three cone is something you can see on his tape with his quick-trigger reactions and change of direction. He is on the smaller side, however, and you see moments where a lack of play strength works against him. Dominique Hampton I liked quite a bit as a box safety who plays the run well and can man up on tight ends – a good player. Javontae Jean-Baptiste is okay, a little small and underpowered, but was productive at Notre Dame and could have a developmental path to playing time. 

Edited May 8 by goldfishwars

[SmittyBacall]

16 hours ago, Chiefer said:

With all the other ish talkers in Cinci

[stl4life07]

On 5/6/2024 at 3:02 PM, goldfishwars said:

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.

Seems like a nice write up and spot for the Rams in the rankings.

The Fiske trade is being way overblown. Do you honestly think the Rams will miss that 2nd round pick next year? Heck they went years without having a 1st round pick and it didnt seem to truly effect them. You can make those moves when you draft well. They can make up for not having a 2nd round pick by hitting on multiple 5th round picks like they did over the years or just hitting in the later rounds period. Take for example when the Rams drafted TE Gerald Everett in the 2nd round back in 2017. He didnt hit but you know who did? Their two 3rd round picks in Kupp and Johnson III. Now I get that in a vacuum that 2nd round pick could turn into a great player possibly even better than Fiske that will help the Panthers. But the Rams wanted Fiske and if you want a player that you feel strongly about especially if he is one of the best players on the board you go get him. Fiske by some was the best defensive tackle in the draft. So its not like the Rams got a consensus 4th or 5th best tackle. They got a guy who fits everything they are looking for and while its hard to replace Donald I truly feel the Rams feel the combo of Verse/Fiske pairing them with Turner and Young will give them what they need in the post Donald era to establish a great identity on the defense. 

You didnt mention THE MOST IMPORTANT PICK of the Rams draft. Its the kicker Joshua Karty from Stanford. Not only was he rated as the best kicker in the draft but I was listening to a podcast where one of the guys who do the analytics for college rated Karty as the best kicker since he started tracking. He said he was a special kicker and loved the pick. And even said from all of that the Rams truly needed a kicker they can rely on. They werent able to replace Gay. Now they have that possibility bc the Rams lost games last season due to their kickers. So Im over the moon happy about Karty. He wanted to be Ram and Im glad they got him. It will for sure make my game days less nervous when he comes out to kick. 

[VikeManDan]

On 5/1/2024 at 12:06 AM, goldfishwars said:

Selections

10. JJ McCarthy | QB | Michigan

17. Dallas Turner | EDGE | Alabama

108. Khyree Jackson | CB | Oregon

177. Walter Rouse | OT | Oklahoma

203. Will Reichard | K | Alabama

230. Michael Jurgens | OL | Wake Forest

232. Levi Drake Rodriguez | DL | Texas A&M University-Commerce

Not that it'll change things just wanted to include our entire draft class!  

[goldfishwars]

36 minutes ago, VikeManDan said:

230. Michael Jurgens | OL | Wake Forest

232. Levi Drake Rodriguez | DL | Texas A&M University-Commerce

Not that it'll change things just wanted to include our entire draft class!  

My bad, top ten now.

[Sllim Pickens]

8 hours ago, Superduperman said:

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.

I wouldn't put Sorsdal in that group given they didn't move around and give up a bunch of picks for him.  I think Vaki is more in line for the conversation because of the efforts to move up and give up future assets.  

As far as overconfidence, I don't get that at all.  Did Manu get drafted way before people expected him to?  Absolutely.  But he was a guy Holmes wanted and he did what he had to do to go get him.  I am sure he has heard more since that pick on who was interested and knows he did what was needed to get his guy. 

Also if a 3rd round pick flames out, I don't think it ruins a reputation.  And you have to give it time.  Initially it seemed half of his first class flamed out but then Barnes (who he also moved up for) had a solid year as did Iffy.  Mid and late round guys are all projects and likely take time to adapt but based on the hit rates of most third round picks and later, I don't think it hurts to have missed on one or two.  

[goldfishwars]

12 hours ago, stl4life07 said:

Seems like a nice write up and spot for the Rams in the rankings.

The Fiske trade is being way overblown. Do you honestly think the Rams will miss that 2nd round pick next year?

Yes.

12 hours ago, stl4life07 said:

They can make up for not having a 2nd round pick by hitting on multiple 5th round picks like they did over the years or just hitting in the later rounds period. 

Yeah, I wouldn't bet on that being a good long-term strategy.

12 hours ago, stl4life07 said:

Fiske by some was the best defensive tackle in the draft.

No he wasn't 

12 hours ago, stl4life07 said:

So its not like the Rams got a consensus 4th or 5th best tackle. 

Yes, it is. 

12 hours ago, stl4life07 said:

You didnt mention THE MOST IMPORTANT PICK of the Rams draft. Its the kicker Joshua Karty from Stanford. Not only was he rated as the best kicker in the draft but I was listening to a podcast where one of the guys who do the analytics for college rated Karty as the best kicker since he started tracking. He said he was a special kicker and loved the pick. And even said from all of that the Rams truly needed a kicker they can rely on. They werent able to replace Gay. Now they have that possibility bc the Rams lost games last season due to their kickers. So Im over the moon happy about Karty. He wanted to be Ram and Im glad they got him. It will for sure make my game days less nervous when he comes out to kick. 

Top 8 NFL Kickers by FG%

1. Justin Tucker - Undrafted
2. Harrison Butker - Drafted Rd 7 Pick 233
3. Eddy Pineiro - Undrafted 
4. Younghoe Koo - Undrafted
5. Daniel Carlson - Drafted Rd 5 and then cut by the Vikings
6. Chris Boswell - Undrafted
7. Ka'imi Fairbairn - Undrafted
8. Jake Elliott - Drafted Round 5 and then cut by the Bengals

12 hours ago, stl4life07 said:

Now I get that in a vacuum that 2nd round pick could turn into a great player possibly even better than Fiske that will help the Panthers.

That's true.

Edited May 9 by goldfishwars
Jake Elliott wasn't undrafted but cut

[INbengalfan]

12 minutes ago, goldfishwars said:

 

1. Jake Elliott - Undrafted

Drafted by Bengals in the 5th round, put on practice squad, and immediately snatched away by the Eagles.  My only gripe with any Darrin Simmons decision in 20 plus years.

Edited May 8 by INbengalfan

[Armbar]

3 hours ago, goldfishwars said:

Newton will take over games given the chance, and he has the chance to rotate in with Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen the starters there in Washington. 

I wonder if there will be sets where Allen kicks out to play supersized DE. He was drafted as a DT/DE & the Commanders have a very bleh DE group. 

[Superduperman]

3 hours ago, Sllim Pickens said:

I think Vaki is more in line for the conversation because of the efforts to move up and give up future assets.  

I don't see Vaki as a project. I think he's ready to go as a special teams star.

[Soko]

How can you say “my team’s great at getting value in the draft” and also “losing a second round pick won’t hurt” in the same post? If they’re so great at making picks, then shouldn’t a SRP be a hot commodity for them?

[stl4life07]

3 hours ago, goldfishwars said:

Yes.

Yeah, I wouldn't bet on that being a good long-term strategy.

No he wasn't 

Yes, it is. 

Top 8 NFL Kickers by FG%

1. Justin Tucker - Undrafted
2. Harrison Butker - Drafted Rd 7 Pick 233
3. Eddy Pineiro - Undrafted 
4. Younghoe Koo - Undrafted
5. Daniel Carlson - Drafted Rd 5 and then cut by the Vikings
6. Chris Boswell - Undrafted
7. Ka'imi Fairbairn - Undrafted
8. Jake Elliott - Undrafted

That's true.

Yeah I would be shocked if the Rams do miss that 2nd round pick next season. I also think part of the Rams trading up (which they tried to trade up in the 1st round) is bc they had 11 draft picks coming into the draft. It was tied for the most picks in the league. They Rams didnt really have that many big holes to fill and they just wanted day 1 impact starters. So if they identified Fiske as a day 1 impact starter then yes it made sense to trade for him and not sacrifice any of their 3rd round picks in Corum (who will be very valuable to the offense) and Kenchins who could end up being another impact starter at some point next season possibly even day 1 although Im not banking on it. So the Rams come away saying they have four potential day 1 impact starters (Verse, Fiske, Kenchins, and Karty), plus a valuable player to the offense in Corum who is essentially similar to Kyren so if Kyren gets hurt or is taking play(s) or a series off the offense wont go in the tank like it did last season without Kyren. So again no I dont think the Rams will miss that 2nd round pick. Plus it wouldnt shock me if the Rams manage next draft to trade down in the 1st round to get back that 2nd round pick worse case scenario. And I think they will get an extra 3rd next season too as a comp so while its not a 2nd I think they will still feel good about two 3rd's next year.

Who said its a long term strategy? The Rams had their strategy of trading 1st round picks when their window was now. They didnt trade their 1st round pick this season. They kept it to draft a player. I do think Les and McVay are smart about how they want to go about the draft and in general roster building. Again trading their 2nd round pick isnt going to ruin the team so I think its being way overblown.

According to you and most people he wasnt. But Ive heard others say he was their best defensive tackle in the draft. At the very least he was in the top 3-5 but rankings vary from person to person. We can both agree the Rams didnt reach for him.

As for Karty, Im just going off of what PFF College Football Analyst Max Chadwick said about Karty. And all those kickers you named he said based on the numbers that he tracked with kickers Karty was rated higher but the tracker hasnt gone that far back I think so yeah. Again he called Karty special. We dont know how he will do in the NFL but in college thats what he was referring too and so Im excited to see how he does in the NFL.