"The Falcons can’t possibly go into the 2024 season with Desmond Ridder as the starter again. However, this is too early to draft J.J. McCarthy or Michael Penix."
Projecting Spencer Rattler to AZ was bad enough yesterday, but to do it again today with their 1st pick in Rd 4, tells me that your source for Arizona was blowing smoke up your butt all weekend, and more importantly, you weren't doing your research. As I told you, at the end of Day 3, Arizona never came close to spending draft capital on a QB, because that would make no sense. You're ignoring the combo of Kyler's Salary and the Cap hit they would suffer if he's gone, plus who much Gannon actually likes Kyler. The 2025 draft class has Deion Sanders kid, who sounds like he'd be a head case, and nothing else. Monti was never moving off MHJ, unless the Chargers were going to be willing to trade with AZ to get back to 5 and not steal everything in the pantry, which is what Harbaugh wanted to do. I liked how Monti moved down and grabbed more picks. MHJ and more bodies was the prescription for this year. May 20 is the 1st day MHJ can catch passes from Kyler. I assume they'll have a really good idea how good MHJ is by training camp. As for the other 10 picks, the free agent pickupa and other additions, might not be until mid-season, and it might even be next year before a realistic grade can be given to Monti for picking groceries. Grabbing MHJ and not doing anything stupid like wasting a pick on a QB, means the fan base will come into the season very optomistic, very willing to give Gannon & Monti more time.
Bills GM Brandon Beane is really taking a beating here locally for not only refusing to pick a needed WR in round 1, but also for trading with their biggest AFC rival allowing KC to select their next Tyreek Hill.
Did Beane get a lobotomy Thursday morning, or perhaps have an extra martini while waiting hours for pick 28 to come up? It makes me wonder if a possible trade is brewing with SF for Brandon Aiyuk? If this is a possibility, the trade could happen in early June when BUF would get a $10M cap boost.
the team that is the biggest off season loser is the vikings. they let their franchise quarterback, kirk cousins walk out the door, and got zero compensation for this. then, they followed up that mistake by making a 2nd mistake by drafting the 20 yr old JJ maccarthy who is nowhere near ready to play in the NFL, lacks arm strength, and in my opinion will be a monumental bust in pro football.
Write it down in black magic marker: Cardinals taking MJH at 4, whom them have rated as the highest player on their board by far, their highest grade on a player ever. Monti has done a great job in year 1, but Monti has also been blowing smoke for a month now. He'll only move for a Kings Ransom, and no one has come close or likely will. He knows he screwed up last year missing out on Will Anderson, DPOY to gain a meaningless pick at 27. Monti can't afford to let the 2025 OPOY slip from his fingers. While they're both good, neither Nabers or Odunze is in his class. Nabers is going to struggle to get off press coverage. Odunze reminds me of a faster Q. Boldin, but not as tough.
@dcalvertconsulting You could be right, but allow me to play devil's advocate for a moment. Let's say that you're right, and that it's Arizona's intention to not move off MHJ unless they are absolutely blown away by an offer. Wouldn't it then make sense to leak that you LOVE him and project that it would take a gigantic haul for you to move off that player? Instead, they have very clearly sent signals that the pick is open for business. To me, that could mean a couple of things. One, that they actually do love all 3 WR's, as Jurecki has flat-out stated. And two, that maybe, just maybe, they already have a wink-wink agreement with a team (almost certainly either MIN or NYG) and they are projecting that the pick is open because they are willing to see if any other team will present them with an even better offer when they are on the clock.
It's true that Harrison is still the huge betting favorite to be the first WR chosen, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Arizona will pick him. For example, if they trade out of 4 and a QB goes in that spot, for all we know, the Chargers could absolutely pick Harrison at 5.
Arizona is nowhere near being 1 player away. As great as MHJ is, consider the roster building possibilities over the next 2 years if you could get Minnesota to cough up 11, 23, and a 2025 1st. Arizona would then have three 1st's this year (in what's considered to be a loaded class), a high-2nd at 35 overall, and three 3rd's, two of which are high atop that round. And then two 1st's next year. You can totally re-shape the roster over the next 2 seasons. And they'd have such a war chest of assets that it could be entirely possible to move back up from 11 to secure one of the top 3 WR's. If I'm Ossenfort, this would be my preferred route.
This stuff is so exciting to consider. We'll see how it all plays out. Just over 14 hours to go!
@The Champ: The latest from Monti is the Cards trade No. 4 and screw over Minnesota who pays for the privilege. At the same time, the Cardinals trade some of what they got from Minnesota (No. 11 & No. 23) to the Chargers at No. 5 so they can draft Marvin Harrison. The Minnesota deal only takes place if the Cardinals are able to make a deal with the Chargers, which leaves them with Minnesota's No. 1 in 2025. Arizona might throw in something else to entice the Chargers, but not too much. If Monti can pull that off, everyone in Arizona will be happy.
The latest from Monti is the Cards trade No. 4 and screw over Minnesota for the privilege, while at the same time, the Cardinals trade some of what they got from Minnesota (No. 11 & No. 23) to the Chargers at No. 5 so they can draft Marvin Harrison. The Minnesota deal only takes place if the Cardinals are able to make a deal with the Chargers, which leaves them with Minnesota's No. 1 in 2025. If Monti can pull that off, everyone in Arizona will be happy.
7th Round: Wiley and Jaden Hicks would be the steals of the draft if they went this late.
6th: Way too late for Javon Baker. I also have Jordan Travis going to the 49ers here. He makes sense as a backup to Purdy.
5th: Matt Lee (like most of UM players in the draft), would have been drafted higher last year.
4th: You're spot on about Lovett. I think teams who don't like Fiske's measurables and run defense in the middle, like Lovett for the opposite reasons. 35"+ arms, zero missed tackles last year.
What happened with Michael Hall? You had him as a 1st rounder for months.
3rd: Tampa and Nubin would be steals here. I like DBs who can tackle.
2nd: Miami needs a run defender at DT, and drafting Newton in the 1st and then drafting an OL here makes more sense. Maybe a better strategy would be to draft to OLs, then get Lovett or Maason Smith at pick 158.
Either Verse or Turner can slip this far, but I think it's Turner.
1st: JC Latham at the 5th pick??? OK, let's ignore Alabama's terrible record at developing OTs for the NFL in the past 10 years and super reach for the guy who is 5th OT, at best, on most boards. This is the same guy as the last guy, who was the same guy as before.
I agree that ATL picks Latu as a "Win Now" guy.
KC is not in "develop a raw OT prospect mode" as they were in 2013. They need to protect Mahomes, not get him killed while Kingsley learns to block.
Oh and "No," the Raiders ain't picking Penix. O'Connell, a 4th round pick last year, was very good his last four games (8 TDs, 0 INTs, and 3 wins). They also signed Minshew to a starter salary contract. Maybe they draft Rattler later, but Penix in the 1st? Why? Did Al Davis dig himself out of his grave? And if so, why isn't he drafting Xavier Worthy?
Arizona fan base is going to riot if Monti trades out (as they should), and passes on MHJ, thinking Rome is going to make anywhere near the same kind of impact. Since he was a Sophomore in HS, MHJ has stood head-and-shoulders above all other WRs and almost all other prospects. At the top of the draft, taking LEGENDS is always the smart play. Minnesota's 11 & 23 and their 2025 No. 1 is nowhere near enough for AZ. For Minnesota, it makes no sense giving up more picks when Minnesota can get the McCarthy (who has bust written all over him in my book) by trading with the Chargers at 5, and giving up less. While AZ finished at the bottom, the on-field product was much improved, so it bought some time with the fan base. AZ has 10 picks in this draft, more than enough to juice up the talent level. MHJ is a marketing ideal, the best possible face to put on the AZ franchise. Picking MHJ means they're guaranteed to get one right. The big challenge is going to be hitting on the other 9.
I put Caleb in his own class. Like McCarthy, Jayden Daniel's stats are inflated by playin with a much better supporting cast. Jayden and McCarthy both have really fragile bodies, which typically don't play long in the NFL I rate Drake Maye much better because of the offensive line he had to play behind, and because his size and strength
I hope Mitchell falls to the Cowboys in the first. The issue is we did lose Smith and Biadasz and will need OL help. Whatever, I can dream and whatnot.
"Tony Pollard was a huge bust" might be one of the more dunce football takes I've ever seen. Oh no, the Cowboys only got 3621 rushing yards (4.8 Y/A) and 1319 receiving yards and 28 TDs over 5 seasons from a 4th round pick, what a bust - said no one ever. But Walt, apparently.
@Longinus - The Cowboys got Pollard in 2019 in the 4th round. Of course he's not a bust of a draft pick. He was a bust as a starter however as he ran far better and for more yards as a backup behind Elliott which your stats bear out. That's why he's not getting big money and the Cowboys need to look in the draft for someone who will be a much better starter....unless he turns it around this year.
#1 Who the hell do you think you are speaking to anyone like that you don't even know them?
#2 You are crying about the fact he doesn't edit word for word like anyone who has as much content and features you can't find anywhere else. I'm not telling you anything that you don't know, look at how you use his shit incessantly. I mean over and over and you add nothing but snide negativity in comments all over this site.
You are crying yet again about him 'Shilling" for monyletly like this is a free enterprise and your bitching about him advertising on his own property? Are you POSSIBLY that ignorant to ask something stupid like that or are you running out of things to complain about to actually make a new type of point that makes any sense and this is all you can come up with?
#3 what are the odds that Charlie or Walt even have your comments unblocked? I'm thinking 0% because who would ever want to give someone as toxic as you the time of day to do anything but flip you the bird? It means the only ones reading this can see it and you add NOTHING for the reader who might want to read from smart sports fans to make a good point on a subject Not some bipolar whine fest.
#4 I've used this site for over a decade to hive me insight on college players I'm not familiar with, I use it for fantasy purposes and mock drafts to not only familiarize myself with good players I wouldn't otherwise know about but also what other teams needs and so forth. I only just now created this account to reach out to you specifically to request you not post your shitty hate unless you can at least be funny instead of judt obnoxious and stupid. You are lucky they don't block you're IP address. So if you don't like this website then go use someone else's or make one your damn self.
There’s less words written every year for each pick and a lot of it is copy/paste. Why?
On top of that, you’re shilling for a hand-out on every single page now. You knew the site was garbage for the last 10 years or so but now you want readers to hand you cash. You have no one to blame but yourself.
Is this trolling 49er fans??? 3 straight Dline when the Oline is the weakest link, and they still need an outside corner.... they signed 4 dline in F/A and they werent 1 year camp body type deals.
new england had some success with a late round quarterback pick from michigan about 20 years ago. for that reason, the pats will figure JJ mc carthy will become the next tom brady, and take JJ with their 1st round pick in the draft, number 3 overall. problem is JJ will not be the next tom brady, with the lack of talent on the new england roster, JJ will be just another basket case just like mac jones. he will be more of a trey lance type, than a tom brady type.
Was that MIN/NYG trade supposed to be MIN/LAC? The Giants are the team MIN would be looking to trade AHEAD of for a QB, not trade WITH. The ensuing NYG pick at 1.11 makes no sense, either. The Giants hired O-line guru Carmen Bricillo to work with RT Evan Neal, signed RT Jermaine Eluemunor as a hedge, and signed Jon Runyan Jr. to start at RG. Why would they target RT/RG J.C Latham?
Where are you hearing that WAS prefers Maye over Daniels at 1.02? All I've heard is that Adam Peters has given zero indication as to what he'll do at 1.02. Honestly curious.
Brock Bowers would be redundant and beyond a luxury pick for the Bears. CHI acquired middle-of-the-field weapons Allen and Everett to go along with Kmet, and D.J. Moore's short-area quickness makes him dangerous on buuble screens, crossing patterns, etc. Teams prioritize diversifying their aerial attack, so why would CHI opt for Bowers over Odunze?
"Olumuyiwa Fashanu looks like a franchise left tackle". The Raiders already have one in Kolton Miller. Fashanu is a finesse blocker who's passive in the run game. He's pretty much the opposite of what Telesco/Pierce are probably looking for at RT/RG. Snot-bubble run-blockers like Fuatanu and Fauga make more sense.
The seriously doubt the Saints will pass on Fautanu, Fuaga or Mims for an EDGE. They just signed Chase Young for 1 yr/$13M and extended Cam Jordan 2 yr/$28M (guaranteed). Carl Granderson (4 yr/$52M) is entrenched as a starter. Isaiah Foskey was a '23 2nd-rounder. It would be stupid to burn any more premium resources on EDGE when they currently have no sure starters at LT, RT, and LG for 2024.
I like Kamari Lassiter and think he's being kinda undervalued right now, but I'd bet my pinkie he doesn't come off the board ahead of Quinyon Mitchell.
Marist Liufau and Johnny Dixon - Day 3/UFA prospects - in the top-40? Ahead of Johnny Newton and Chop Robinson??
Considering Kaden Prather was just out there for Maryland's spring game, going in the 2nd RD would be a neat trick.
what better way to diversify your aerial attack than lining up in 12-personnel with the option to pass out of it with two TE and a pass catching back in Swift. They can always split one of the TEs out and create mismatches.
I'm assuming that's what Everett is for. Did Poles give him 2 yr/$12M to sit?
The Bears will finally have a QB with the arm talent to effortlessly attack every level of the field. Odunze as a ladder-climbing deep threat makes more sense, IMO. Or a trade down.
Never thought Bills would trade Diggs this year because of cap considerations. As it turns out the Bills will get a 31 Million dead cap hit due to this trade.
I guess there is no question now that Buffalo will draft WR in the first round. Knowing GM Brandon Beane's history of moving up in the first round - I predict a move upwards to select Brian Thomas. We'll see how good of a soothsayer I am. Just call me Carnac the Magnificent if I'm right.
Yeah, they really had no choice but to eat that dead cap for '24 then be done with it. They obviously have to replace Diggs with a rookie salary, so your trade up prediction for Thomas makes a ton of sense.
That's just the reality of the situation when you have an elite QB making elite QB money; you have no choice but to go cheap at another premium position.
@42yardline Well, as we were discussing with Mr. Bitter, I can't believe the Bills actually did this. I guess I was wrong that he would stick on the roster for one more year. What a bitter pill that has to be to swallow that much of a dead cap hit for a team that's supposed to be a Super Bowl contender. They would probably have to move up into the early-to-mid teens to ensure coming away with Thomas. And is Thomas a guarantee to hit? Of course he looks like a great prospect and he profiles as a downfield threat, but Buffalo would need him to be good right away.
I'm sure by now Vegas oddsmakers have raised the Bills Super Bowl odds- as they should. The malcontent is gone and he will be missed. But if BUF waited until next year at this time to trade him, I'm sure they would not receive anything close to a 2nd round pick. Diggs will turn 32 in the 2025 season and he is slipping. Check out his receiving stats in the second half of last year- pretty disappointing. He will help the Texans this year but I wonder how many years he will be there considering his age and high salary.
Yeah, Diggs' production and price tag just didn't jive anymore. BUF did the right thing and I still think they'll win the AFC East in '24. I understand why HOU did it, too. Gotta go all in while Stroud is on a rookie deal.
I wonder if the addition of Diggs to the HOU attack will make IND and JAX that much more likely to draft CB or aerial weapon in the 1st RD to counteract it. Quinyon Mitchell makes sense for IND with their need at CB, the Ballard/RAS thing, etc, but I'm wondering if they would let Bowers get past them if he's on the board. Gus Bradley CBs have traditionally been found outside the 1st RD.
At the risk of being labeled as a "homer", I was not about to suggest (as you did) that Kincaid could be the top TE in the AFC this year. But I agree with you.
Diggs had 160 targets last year, and someone else on the Bills will be receiving quite a few more targets- so I nominate Kincaid. Seems logical, right?
The Bills will be fine. They'll win the AFC East again. They still have the best QB in the division and have built and maintained their team the right way. I know my Jets, and I know that quick-fix/"win the offseason" teams almost always lay an egg when they hit the field.
Gerald Everett isn't Brock Bowers. It's mostly depth and to coach em up. The Bears have been adding depth at basically every position all offseason. Including TE.
Plus, only the first year is guaranteed. They have a potential out after next season.
I can tell you like Bowers. I like Bowers. Everybody likes Bowers. I just don't think he's currently a realistic top-10 prospect without those testing numbers. Judging by Ryan Poles' offseason moves, I see no indication that CHI is seriously considering Bowers at 1.09, either. Just trying to follow the breadcrumbs here. We can talk all we want about how Brock Bowers is the greatest TE in college football history, but that doesn't make him the best TE prospect in history, or even recently.
Bower's rugged YAC ability is special, but the simple facts are that we don't have any recent athletic testing numbers on him, and that GA usually schemed him open in the flat, tossed it to him, and let him bounce off some guys for some healthy YAC from there. That's schemed-up production and Bowers being a physical play finisher - not Bowers being an exceptionally athletic play maker - and that's half of his film.
In 2023, Bowers made 48% of his catches behind the LOS. That's an absurdly high rate for a reputed elite TE prospect. For context, Sam LaPorta and T.J. Hockenson made 22% of their catches behind the LOS in college, Dalton Kincaid just 6% and Kyle Pitts just 5%. All of those prospects except LaPorta are bigger, better athletes and better contested catchers than Bowers - and LaPorta went in the 2nd RD. The only TE prospect in recent memory with a behind the LOS catch rate even remotely close to Bowers' was O.J. Howard (40%) in '16. We all know how that turned out.
In the NFL, a TE is lucky to get 5 to 10% of their targets behind the LOS. Bowers won't be able to just catch stuff in the flat and bowl over guys at the next level. There was ample evidence that each of those aforementioned prospects could create their own separation coming out of college and provided workout numbers to back the film up. With Bowers, there's currently neither. With drafting a TE in the top-10 already a very dicey proposition in itself, drafting Bowers top-10 would be ULTRA high-risk without testing numbers.
Until Bowers does more in this pre-draft process than stand around at the Combine looking kinda like a balding, middle-aged scout that works out a bit, I'm gonna call out any mock that has the Bears taking Bowers over Odunze. Odunze is exactly the kind of downfield contested catch winning WR CHI needs to perfectly complement their current speedster and route-runner.
@Mr. Bitter - Bowers is a generational talent, who will terrorize, assuming he can stay healthy. Talent-wise BB is only behind Marvin Harrison, Jr., He's Kellen Winslow reincarnated. If BB would fall to the Bengals, his addition could thrust their offense into the unstoppable category, and push them into the SB. Don't buy into the hype for Malik Nabers, who was really a 1 year wonder. Rome Odunze, reminds me of Anquan Boldin. If he falls to Chicago at 9, he will make Caleb's rookie season so much easier.
Bowers is a generational college TE, but I don't think he's a generational NFL prospect. He's an exciting, physical and clutch player, but there's zero evidence that he's the kind of one-of-one athlete that goes in the top 10 at a non-premium position. I know I'm alone on this, but I'm not going to go along with consensus when I just don't see it on tape. For me, his likely draft range is 12 to 21.
If I was CIN, I would draft Graham Barton or Troy Fautanu over Bowers at 1.18. Bowers won't make a lick of difference if Burrow is constantly injured. The Bengals don't value TEs much, anyway.
It's funny that your comp for Odunze is Anquan Boldin. My comp for Nabers is a fast Anquan Boldin.
Odunze would be perfect for CHI, but I think the Giants take him at 1.06. Even over Nabers.
All the J.J. McCarthy talk sounds like prototypical "Smoke Screen" that various agents, GMs, etc. throw out there when the draft starts to get close. It's a fact, there are numerous sports writers who will take money to print something that's completely fabricated. This is especially true with New York area teams where trades are proposed where those teams absolutely hose their partners and/or where other teams make moronic picks that allow favored players to drop. This year, New York Jets and New York Giants are classic examples.
Not sure why it was stated that both of the Bucs top WRs are 30+. Sure Evans will be 31 when the regular season starts, but coming off one of his best seasons. Godwin just turned 28 in February.
This week MJ is saying Cards are locked into MJH. Makes no sense for Cardinals to trade out of 4, when they have a chance to grab a generational talent, who scouts and other experts have listed as can't miss, future Hall of Famer just like his Dad, who trained him. Last year, Arizona got too cute when they moved back. It cost them Will Anderson, who looks like he has the Pro Bowl in his future. While I love the other 2 great WRs in this case, both are essentially 1 year wonders, draft busts. The fan base is expecting MJH, as is Kyler. While the GM and HC both had great years for AZ, passing on MJH is something that won't be quickly forgiven. Knowing the Cards are locked into MJH, makes sense for the Minnesota to offer a similar deal to the Chargers at 5
You remember they have Kirk Cousins, right?