Interesting Gosselin piece on round one value

[Seneschal2]

Obviously there's a strong Cowboys slant, but here are the most pertinent quotes:

One NFL talent evaluator put his calculator to the combine list last week and provided a guess on the potential numbers at each position in the first round. He said there could be three quarterbacks, four running backs, five wide receivers, one tight end, seven offensive linemen, seven defensive ends, two defensive tackles, five linebackers and three cornerbacks.

Add it up and it comes to 37 players. There are only 32 picks in the first round. So at the top of this draft, the talent runs deep.

The strength of this draft will be the offensive and defensive lines. If seven offensive linemen, seven defensive ends and two defensive tackles do go in the first round, that's half of the 32 selections.

Don't be surprised if another lineman or two on each side of the ball squeeze into the first round. Players at those positions are too few and too expensive in free agency.

Rick Gosselin

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Surprising that only 3 CBs have round one value (according to the unnamed talent evaluator). The large bodies going early doesn't surprise.

Thoughts?

 

[jeffbiologist]

I think the BP and BB mantra of building teams from the line back has trickled down to the rest of the league. Add all the ex-pats scouts,coaches and GMs and there will be a higher value paid for these guys each year.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Thoughts?

Generic numbers with little to no real value for fans, or for that matter individual teams.

CB: Many teams won't have Alphonso Smith on their Round One list because he's under 5'9". Others might not grade Vontae Davis as Round One because he's inconsistent. Draftniks are grading Jenkins a Round One pick, but is he really that good? D.J. Moore is only 5'10" (pre-Combine), but some scouts may have him at 5'8" for all we know.

 

[Metaphors]

He said there could be three quarterbacks, four running backs, five wide receivers, one tight end, seven offensive linemen, seven defensive ends, two defensive tackles, five linebackers and three cornerbacks.

Add it up and it comes to 37 players. There are only 32 picks in the first round. So at the top of this draft, the talent runs deep.

I have the exact opposite take on this draft class. Once you get outside the top 25 or so, it gets to be a stretch to give these players a 1st round grade.
QB Sanchez/Freeman?
RB McCoy/Greene/Brown?
WR Nicks/Britt?
OL Mack/Britton/Meredith?
DE/OLB English/Sintim/Matthews/Johnson/Kruger?

Almost all these players would need 1st round grades to get the numbers stated. While I agree a bunch of these names will be called in the first round, that is only because 32 names HAVE to be called.

If you look at players that should have around a 2nd-3rd round grade, including the players above, the list is huge. A team is almost certain to get good value in the 3rd and even 4th rounds at most positions.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and this is obviously just my amateur opinion. Anyone else see this as a top-heavy class?

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I have the exact opposite take on this draft class. Once you get outside the top 25 or so, it gets to be a stretch to give these players a 1st round grade.
QB Sanchez/Freeman?
RB McCoy/Greene/Brown?
WR Nicks/Britt?
OL Mack/Britton/Meredith?
DE/OLB English/Sintim/Matthews/Johnson/Kruger?

Almost all these players would need 1st round grades to get the numbers stated. While I agree a bunch of these names will be called in the first round, that is only because 32 names HAVE to be called.

If you look at players that should have around a 2nd-3rd round grade, including the players above, the list is huge. A team is almost certain to get good value in the 3rd and even 4th rounds at most positions.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and this is obviously just my amateur opinion. Anyone else see this as a top-heavy class?

Nope. I see a deeper DB and OL class, 3-4 LB isn't too bad compared to recent classes. 3-4 DL seems like there may be some low profile prospects at the back of the class who could work out pretty well. TE stinks, WR is weak, Qb is horrible, RB is deep...P looks better than average.

 

[mayoclinic]

I have the exact opposite take on this draft class. Once you get outside the top 25 or so, it gets to be a stretch to give these players a 1st round grade.
QB Sanchez/Freeman?
RB McCoy/Greene/Brown?
WR Nicks/Britt?
OL Mack/Britton/Meredith?
DE/OLB English/Sintim/Matthews/Johnson/Kruger?

Almost all these players would need 1st round grades to get the numbers stated. While I agree a bunch of these names will be called in the first round, that is only because 32 names HAVE to be called.

If you look at players that should have around a 2nd-3rd round grade, including the players above, the list is huge. A team is almost certain to get good value in the 3rd and even 4th rounds at most positions.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and this is obviously just my amateur opinion. Anyone else see this as a top-heavy class?

No more so than previous years. The last third of the first round is always filled with players who range from mid-1st to late 2nd round on different boards. Consider Duane Brown, Sam Baker, Kentwan Balmer, Lawrence Jackson, and Dustin Keller, among others last year who were far from certain 1st round values. DeSean Jackson, Quentin Groves, Brandon Flowers, Philip Merlin and Devin Thomas could just as easily have made the first round. You could find similar examples in most years. Either you consider them all not first round values (the cup half empty) or all potential first round values (the cup half full).

This draft doesn't seem particularly top-heavy to me. There are 15-20 blue chip prospects, another 20-30 excellent ones - whether they are truly first round values or not being in the eye of the beholder - and solid depth through the first 100 or so picks. This seems to be a deeper draft than most years.