2022 NFL Draft Notes From The Old Man
1. No qb is worthy of a first round pick, however, multiple qbs will be taken in the first round because of the 5th year option.
2. Nakobe Dean is the best linebacker in the draft. I don’t care how big he is or how fast he is, the guy has something you can’t teach, elite instincts. Heard a comment the other day he might not be able to hold up against NFL size. He did it every day in practice and in playing in the SEC
3. If anyone thinks Drake London is a top 4 wideout they should get off the crack. Olave, Wilson and Williams are head and shoulders better than him. He would not be in my top 8 wideouts.
4. Running back class is outrageously deep, because of this I don’t believe there will be a running back taken in the first round or possibly the top half of the 2nd. I looked at rankings yesterday and a guy I really like was the 22nd running back on the guy’s list.
5. I think Tight End may be the weakest position group in the draft.
6. Quarterback wise a number of things confuse me. I know you want to crucify D.Ridder but he does play well in spurts and he does have some tools you want. He is a project but quite possibly with the right coaching I think he can be a serviceable starter, not a championship level starter. If that’s the case do you take him or keep looking? I think you are all in on keep looking.
7. Totally flabbergasted that Carson Strong has looked this terrible throughout the entire process. The past two years at Nevada he had a completion percentage over 70% and a strong TD-INT ratio (27-4 and 36-8). I know, I know the stats aren’t in a (Mountain West) premier league but something has to be up. He is a project that someone will believe they can fix.
8. I think it is laughable the amount of love that Dameon Pierce got from the Senior Bowl. I’ve seen him ranked as high as the 3rd best RB. I thought he was the 3rd best back there and if being better than TJ Pledger and Abram Smith makes you think he’s really good you’re in trouble. Guy doesn’t have an elite quality to him, check Pierce’s combine numbers.
9. Let’s talk about two of the wide receiver prospects, Treylon Burks and Velus Jones. Burks is a plus size wideout who dominated last season for Arkansas last season. The guy is not a route runner, whatever team that drafts him must be creative getting the ball in his hands. Jet sweeps, end arounds and wide receiver screens will be his calling card early in his career. With that being said I think it is laughable that the guy is receiving first round grades. Velus Jones will wow you at times. He can run (4.31 at the combine) but he will also break your heart with his hands and lack of body control. While his speed was a wow his jump numbers were absolutely sub par (33 on the vertical and 121 on the broad jump) and make him a late round flyer pick.
10. Lots of talk of who will go first and in my memory this has to be the most uncertain the draft has been in recent memory. If I was picking in the first 5 picks a trade down would be my preference. Travon Walker is an athletic freak but he looked freakier in his first couple of years than he did last year. Is that a product of the Georgia defense having him just do his job? Sure, but if I’m taking a guy number one overall I want him to be Myles Garrett with a better head on his shoulders. I don’t see Walker as a 14-15 sack a year guy but he looked good in coverage and if you never saw him run down on kickoff coverage its something you have to see. Blows your mind when a guy that big is the first one down. More talk about Aidan Hutchinson going number one. Again he’s a nice player not the number one pick. He definitely benefitted from having Ojabo on the other side and it worries me that when he played against NFL talent from the SEC he disappeared. What’s more concerning is that an NFL guard (Jamaree Salyer) put him to bed. Combine numbers are good but not elite. Not the overall number one. If I’m forced to pick number one I go with Evan Neal and he plays at worst guard for me for the next ten years.
Closing: Fully expect a reply from Trey and hope it’s a Mel Kiper response to my Todd McShay notes!!!!
