2018 Draft Prospect Thread

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Great play by great prospect.
Look what J Alexander does after his interception here - at 3:03.



Instinctive, intelligent, aware, attentive, inspired player.

Like him a lot. Like you said very instinctive. Like the way he moves.

#1CB rn for me

 

[long distance]

two serious candidates..

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

two serious candidates..

Man I like both. P.T.P. for sure.

Nnadi is a fun watch. I think he's another guy you can that will be a solid run defender and disruptor based on match ups.

Cichy might be the best tackler in the class? That whole defense just pumps out solid players.

 

[long distance]

A good rundown of 2018 swiss army knives:

17 for '17: Players who could be next Jabrill Peppers

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

A good rundown of 2018 swiss army knives:

17 for '17: Players who could be next Jabrill Peppers

Love a lot of those guys.

Would love to see a few in Pats uni's

 

[long distance]

First film cut of very intriguing DL option from Auburn . great interior rush



Dontavius Russell is taking the lead after M Adams . interesting to monitor

Dontavius Russell vocal about being an Auburn defensive leader
NFL draft buzz growing around Auburn DT Dontavius Russell

 

[long distance]

nice shot of Ridley's route

 

[long distance]

fiesty little prospect . love the attitude, toughness and blocking
watch how he pancakes Conley..

 

[long distance]

nice film on Van Smith . a bit undersized but always on the ball

 

[miloofcroton]

two serious candidates..

I watched a little of Cichy. Was not impressed. He looked like he just got lucky whenever he got a sack. There was no great display of skill, strength, athleticism, or even some sort of special awareness. It was like the guy who had Cichy for his assignment totally blew it and was totally undersized or terrible at his position.

 

[long distance]

I watched a little of Cichy. Was not impressed. He looked like he just got lucky whenever he got a sack. There was no great display of skill, strength, athleticism, or even some sort of special awareness. It was like the guy who had Cichy for his assignment totally blew it and was totally undersized or terrible at his position.

wow. that's harsh. i'm afraid you won't enjoy this LB class then.

60 tackles, 7 for loss, 2 sacks and some PBUs in 5.5 games . lucky boy indeed. i wouldn't mind that kind of luck on my team though. He is less luckier w injuries so durability could be an issue..

he might not look like typical pat type player at the position . and he might lack size and strength to play MLB for Bill . but he is one of the few LB prospects that can stop the run, cover (man & zone), blitz, and has enough burst and lateral speed to play OLB in both base Ds.

How all that translates to NFL is a ? . then again it is the question with most college players since IMO this are two different games.

he is a former walk-on and majoring in economics so BB might have a look..


BTW - he looks pretty aware here to me:


____


I can share some LB frustration in recent years with lack of prospects in the NFL 6'2 250 let alone 6'3, 360.

Here a good podcast on the topic . (there's Cichy . more importantly there's a good discussion about growing problem with college LB size for the NFL):

 

[miloofcroton]

wow. that's harsh. i'm afraid you won't enjoy this LB class then.

60 tackles, 7 for loss, 2 sacks and some PBUs in 5.5 games . lucky boy indeed. i wouldn't mind that kind of luck on my team though. He is less luckier w injuries so durability could be an issue..

he might not look like typical pat type player at the position . and he might lack size and strength to play MLB for Bill . but he is one of the few LB prospects that can stop the run, cover (man & zone), blitz, and has enough burst and lateral speed to play OLB in both base Ds.

How all that translates to NFL is a ? . then again it is the question with most college players since IMO this are two different games.

he is a former walk-on and majoring in economics so BB might have a look..


BTW - he looks pretty aware here to me:


____


I can share some LB frustration in recent years with lack of prospects in the NFL 6'2 250 let alone 6'3, 360.

Here a good podcast on the topic . (there's Cichy . more importantly there's a good discussion about growing problem with college LB size for the NFL):

MLB is a great topic for discussion. In the recent years, it seems the NFL has devalued the position heavily. Take a look at the 2015 Broncos defense. Arguably the best defense in the past 5 years (pretty much as good as any Seahawks D). Then look at the 2016 Broncos defense. Almost an identical core, with one exception: Danny Trevathan, their rock in the middle. Unsurprisingly, their rush defense went from 1st in YPA to 18th. Much was made of Malik Jackson being replaced by Jared Crick, but I think Trevathan (and Brandon Marshall at times too, when he went down) being replaced by Todd Davis and Corey Nelson was a bigger deal.

I don't think there's a single position on defense that can have as much impact as MLB. I don't really believe you need the 6'3" 260lb dude, but you do want someone who can play. The MLB's special ability is to take the run away from the offense, forcing a one-dimensional approach. Sure, there are other ways to play run defense, and even a great MLB will need some support units like 2-gapping DTs, but I stand by my point that the MLB holds the key to a balanced defense.

In the last draft, Reuben Foster was so damn incredible to me. Sure, there were a couple character concerns and an injury concern, but his tape was straight lights-out. I really don't see that very often.

Going back to Cichy, I just see zero explosion. I think that's what it comes down to in my evaluation. He needs this huge running start to have a chance in a 1-on-1 rush situation. He's not that nimble going side to side either. He might have some qualities that make him serviceable, but I just wouldn't rate him highly, especially with my personal criteria for MLBs.

 

[miloofcroton]

Ok, so now I'm looking at linebackers for the next draft.

Malik Jefferson - Meh...
Harold Landry - Top 10 or Top 5 pick. Incredible player and rightfully considered the next Von Miller.
Kendall Joseph - Some talent here. A bit raw but one to follow.
Cameron Smith - Big. Not super fast but surprisingly agile. Might be better on the edge where he can use his length and not get exploited for his lack of speed so much.
Micah Kiser - Billed as the top returning LB. Sad if true. Decent player but nothing special.

Joseph was the only MLB with some solid potential in my opinion. I only looked at 5 players though. I'm still waiting for CBS to update their player rankings so I can see the full lists.

 

[WaterfallJumper]

Ok, so now I'm looking at linebackers for the next draft.

Malik Jefferson - Meh...
Harold Landry - Top 10 or Top 5 pick. Incredible player and rightfully considered the next Von Miller.
Kendall Joseph - Some talent here. A bit raw but one to follow.
Cameron Smith - Big. Not super fast but surprisingly agile. Might be better on the edge where he can use his length and not get exploited for his lack of speed so much.
Micah Kiser - Billed as the top returning LB. Sad if true. Decent player but nothing special.

Joseph was the only MLB with some solid potential in my opinion. I only looked at 5 players though. I'm still waiting for CBS to update their player rankings so I can see the full lists.

Big fan of Landry for sure. I'm surprised you're down on Jefferson, though, given your write-up about what you look for in MLB prospects. Jefferson seems to have all that in spades -- maybe we watched different games? I think he ends up going top 25.

 

[miloofcroton]

Big fan of Landry for sure. I'm surprised you're down on Jefferson, though, given your write-up about what you look for in MLB prospects. Jefferson seems to have all that in spades -- maybe we watched different games? I think he ends up going top 25.

I know he's a freak, but I don't really see the instincts to be around the ball. If he wants to play OLB and maybe become a bit of a pass rusher, maybe that's another way he can develop value, but I'm not projecting position changes like that at the moment.

I'll watch more as time goes on obviously.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

I know he's a freak, but I don't really see the instincts to be around the ball. If he wants to play OLB and maybe become a bit of a pass rusher, maybe that's another way he can develop value, but I'm not projecting position changes like that at the moment.

I'll watch more as time goes on obviously.

Agreed about Jefferson.

The instincts and awareness isn't there right now.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

This offense will be fun to watch.

Johnson doesn't have breaking speed but hes a long strider and has enough. Isn't explosive but has some wiggle and a sweet lil side/hop step. He's a natural pass catcher tho. Shows good hands and awareness. And he returns kicks. Nice lil weapon.

 

[meatface]

How do you all feel about Saquon Barkley?

 

[WaterfallJumper]

How do you all feel about Saquon Barkley?

The sky is the limit. Everything depends on his work ethic and health; if he stays injury free and has the desire to be great, then he could be in the Bell / Johnson conversation. I like him better than Fournette, who went 4th overall this year. He's only 20 years old right now, but I think he has the right mindset:

He capped his sophomore year in January with a sensational performance against USC in the Rose Bowl. He gained 306 all-purpose yards and scored three touchdowns, including a dazzling 79-yard touchdown run.

Yet less than 24 hours later, Barkley was restless on Penn State's flight from California to Pennsylvania. He kept thinking about what he else he could have done to help the Lions avoid a 52-49 loss to the Trojans in one of the most thrilling Rose Bowls ever.

"He came up to me midway through the flight," Huff said. "I was sleeping, and he tapped me on the shoulder. 'What do I need to get better?' What do I need to do this offseason?'"

That's the essence of Barkley, who wasn't satisfied after leading the Lions to an 11-3 record and a final No. 7 national ranking, their highest in 11 years.

He worked on route running with Penn State receivers, even though he caught 28 passes for 402 yards and four touchdowns, including ones in the Big Ten title game and the Rose Bowl.

"I feel that, and Coach (James) Franklin will agree, that I'm capable of being lined up in the slot," Barkley said. "I did a lot of one-on-one reps this summer against our DBs and linebackers. I worked out with 'Hammy' (wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton), trying to really fix my routes to become more of a threat in the offense."

He spent countless hours in Holuba Hall and in the weight room in the winter to improve his speed and strength. He lowered his team-best time of 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash to 4.33, which would have been the fastest for a running back this year at the NFL combine. He increased his lift in the power clean from 380 pounds to 405, the best on the team.

His teammates regard the 5-11, 230-pound Barkley as an athletic freak and tireless worker.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

How do you all feel about Saquon Barkley?

Barkley is an amazing talent with an absolutely deadly jump/side cut. Speed for days. Workout monster.

I want him to stick his nose in there and just accept a 3 yard gain instead of using his unique skill set to try & break a run.

Him & Derrius could be special but also remember Chubb. If he's healthy he might be in that convo