2027 Watch List

[mayoclinic]

Manx:

Figure out how the Pats can get Sammy Brown + Chris Cole + Jelani McDonald + Demello Jones + either Peter Clarke, Benjamin Brahmer or Andrew Rappleyea.

 

[mayoclinic]

Why Ben Brahmer Should Be Penn State's Next Great Tight End

Brahmer is one of the most important transfers Penn State signed in the offseason.

www.si.com

 

[manxman2601]

I thought I'd found a linebacker to talk about - Nicholas Rodriguez of Missouri. He has excellent grades in run defense and coverage grade and I was surprised to see no real draft discussion. And then I checked his size. 6', 211lbs. That'll be why.

 

[manxman2601]

Manx:

Figure out how the Pats can get Sammy Brown + Chris Cole + Jelani McDonald + Demello Jones + either Peter Clarke, Benjamin Brahmer or Andrew Rappleyea.

Don't forget DJ Vonnahme.

There are two issues with this class for me.

1. The underclassmen issue which I've already discussed.

2. The fact that the CB class isn't locked in yet, a position which could well be our biggest need. There needs to be progress from any CB not named Moore and Robinson to be a 1st round lock.

Three other thoughts.

1. The Dane Brugler top 50 announcement will be big in providing early clarity on how these guys are viewed.

2. Why do I still have to wait nearly 3 months still for some actual football. I want it now!

3. In answer to your post, mocks are going to be so much fun this year. Declarations aside, I struggle to see how we don't get a really good footballer available to us in the first round. And the good part is, we've still got the Mesidors, Striblings et al still to come. The guys no-one is talking about but will perform in season.

 

[manxman2601]

The Georgia tackling coach needs a pay rise. These guys hit hard.



More on Raylen Wilson

 

[Clonamery]

I thought I'd found a linebacker to talk about - Nicholas Rodriguez of Missouri. He has excellent grades in run defense and coverage grade and I was surprised to see no real draft discussion. And then I checked his size. 6', 211lbs. That'll be why.

S

 

[manxman2601]

S

Has to be but even at 6', that's not ideal.

 

[Clonamery]

I thought I'd found a linebacker to talk about - Nicholas Rodriguez of Missouri. He has excellent grades in run defense and coverage grade and I was surprised to see no real draft discussion. And then I checked his size. 6', 211lbs. That'll be why.

 

[Clonamery]

Has to be but even at 6', that's not ideal.

True but I like players that overcome the ideal.

 

[manxman2601]

The nice thing about having no college football team to support is that I can just go where the talent is. Last year it was Miami and Texas Tech because of their defenses. It's starting to look like Georgia's defense this year early doors.

 

[manxman2601]

 

[manxman2601]

Rolijah Hardy, LB, Indiana

He's undersized at 5'11", 229 and a true junior so not one to get too excited about, but I was looking at pass rush/blitzing from linebackers and Hardy had more pressures than any other linebacker in this class. He also had 8 sacks. He also comes with a 90.7 run defense grade and only a 5.8% missed tackle grade. the less said about his coverage grade the better.

 

[manxman2601]

I could easily see Whit Weeks being 'The Vrabel Guy' of this draft. Plug and play Spillane replacement, big school, team leader.

 

[Clonamery]

Rolijah Hardy, LB, Indiana

He's undersized at 5'11", 229 and a true junior so not one to get too excited about, but I was looking at pass rush/blitzing from linebackers and Hardy had more pressures than any other linebacker in this class. He also had 8 sacks. He also comes with a 90.7 run defense grade and only a 5.8% missed tackle grade. the less said about his coverage grade the better.

Cignetti gets more out of guys than anyone I can recall in recent memory.

 

[manxman2601]

Cignetti gets more out of guys than anyone I can recall in recent memory.

Agreed. It would have been interesting to see how far he could have taken James Madison.

 

[mayoclinic]

S

TL; DR

 

[manxman2601]

Ethan Wesloski, LB, Oklahoma State (formerly N Texas)
6'1", 234lbs

He was ranked the 10th best returning linebacker by the Preferred Walk-on guys (formerly PFF guys).



Check out these grades.

Run Defense - 86.2
Tackling - 82.8 (9.1% missed tackle rate)
Coverage - 91.2 (the joint best coverage grade in class)

Only Jacob Rodriguez and Red Murdock graded higher overall last year (barely).

There's not a lot of scouting info on him so I don't know how transferable his skills are to the NFL but it's a name to keep an eye on and another reason to watch Oklahoma State.

 

[manxman2601]

TL; DR

He just doesn't shut up when you get him excited.

 

[manxman2601]

Ranking the defensive positions.

1. Linebacker - Although not top 10, there are a number of potential first rounders and a deep class. Styles and Reese apart, maybe a better group than last year although it's close.

2=. DT - This is a tough one. I haven't seen the depth yet, but maybe 4-5 first rounders puts it at no 2.

2=. Safety - I think Bolden can be an elite guy but he's a little undersized. There's a lot of depth here and a lot of scope for improvement. This position group could easily be no 2.

4. EDGE - Two outstanding prospects at the top but it falls off a bit after that. No clear first rounder beyond Stewart and Simmons. Still it's a very deep class and guys like Pierre, Wilson and Uiagelelei could certainly stake first round claims.

5. CB - Same as above. Two outstanding prospects at the top and then a bit of a gap. There could be a lot of movement with this class. it may be my lowest ranked position group, but that doesn't mean it's bad. there's still lots of potential. I just don't think it's quite as clear cut as the top groups.

 

[manxman2601]

Sammy Brown 2026 NFL Draft: scouting report for Clemson, LB

Clemson LB Sammy Brown is largely considered one of the best defensive players in the 2027 NFL Draft. Does Brown live up to the hype?

atozsports.com

It’ll come down to his instincts, but I think Carson Schwesinger is going to be a good comp for Sammy Brown.