All of us draft degenerates have been patient. Time to break the seal.
Who are some draft eligible guys that you’re looking forward to following/we should know?
I’ll come back later with some skill position guys once @thats2 and I have finished our college fantasy draft.
A few from me:
Caleb Banks - DT Florida - absolute monster. Massive and freaky for that size. Productive to boot. Michigan kid. Oddly given his size he’s more of a 3T than a NT IMO. You could probably even bump him out on run downs. He seems pretty limber so I think he’ll be okay pad level wise despite the height. He will be 24 come draft day but I still don’t see how we have a shot at him if we have the year that we hope.
D’angelo Ponds - CB Indiana - I think Amik is going to play well enough that we’ll have to let him go. Ponds plays outside for Indiana but at 5’9" 170lbs it seems like he’s destined to slide inside. Really knows how to play the position and possesses high end juice. He won the 100m dash in HS in Florida of all places so dude can scoot. Like Amik his ball skills in contested catch situations are so much better then they should be at his size.
Tony Rojas - off ball LBer Penn State - already brought him up a couple times. Super high end athlete. Supposed to
Run in the low 4.4s. Awesome in space and a weapon in coverage. Not going to wow you with his physicality but seems to break down when tackling better than most turbo charged missiles at LBer. If we are going to continue to play so much base he’s IMO an ideal AA replacement stylistically.
Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana - I ain’t scared of offensive skill guys (especially when they’ll be hard to miss anyway). I think Mendoza’s got at least a little bit of everything you want in a QB, it will be thrilling to watch him play for Cignetti in a better offense and against better defenses.
Braylan Shelby, Edge, USC - Built the way we like them (6’5, 270, long arms), he’s strong af but also a technician with a hot motor. He’s not the freakiest of athletes but he looks pretty damn good to me.
Kyle Louis, LB, Pitt - Might be a little on the small side but navigates the trash in front of him really well despite it, instincts for days, really good in coverage too.
Nick Dawkins, C, Penn State - Pretty old already (par for the course at iOL these days), but also the son of Mr. Chocolate Thunder himself, Darryl Dawkins. I feel like that alone pushes him up a round. Also won the Wuerrfel Award for being like a really good dude (college equivalent of the Walter Payton award). A little on the small side like Eguakun but gives it everything he’s got.
I avoided transfer guys for now. Would just like to see how the fit in their new roles/homes? Though I’d be pretty shocked if Mendoza isn’t one of the top Heisman contenders.
Right, in most instances I agree, but QB’s a little different. Especially one walking into that situation. I’m also highly intrigued by John Mateer, as much as I hate to admit it. But he has a lot more rough edges to smooth out.
Did you see that little clip from Manning Camp with him and Arch both throwing a dig? I think it was from the Manning camp. It’s just one throw so I don’t want to overreact but Mateer throws a laser beam and Arch’s has some Shadeur “lollipopness” to it.
With Mateer it’s just the decision making. He’s a bit like Cam Ward in that you watch him and your vibing with it and then he does something that is just pure WTF.
I can see it but I’m pretty damn skeptical that the tools manifest into uber elite QB play. I’ve always seen the best case for him as an Air McNair athletic, big armed game manager type.
I think this year, like for the other QB prospects, will be crucial
if he can upkeep his rushing and passing with like a 3000/1000 split, and like 30-35 Total TD’s (passing and rushing) to like a 10 int ratio, while imrpoving his footwork, gonna be real hard not to pass him up
I do think he might need a year in the over when drafted (or atleast half the season) but if i picked out of the big 4, hes prolly got the biggest potential to be Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson as a player comp imo.
Right he’s just too much of a roller coaster right now. Far more so than Ward. But if he cleans it up he for sure has some of those ineffable traits that seem innate to great QB play. Guy’s a gamer, that’s for sure, and as you say the arm’s legit. Excellent athlete too. I won’t watch him live on principal, but it’ll be fun to go back and watch him come draft season.
I think Arch’s arm is fine, definitely not a cannon or anything but a tier above the Shedeur/Burrow group.
See I think the ceiling is higher than that, though that might be the more likely outcome.
He’s up there for me but I need to see another season before I really lock it down. Does he go all Milroe on us? Or does he actually improve.
Personally I think the best QB in college is Lagway, though of course he’s not eligible this year. And the injury issues are starting to concern me.
Personally I have Mendoza #1, though the list is very much in flux. He and Klubnik are my top 2, followed shortly by Sellers and Nussmeier, with Mateer and Leavitt being my favorite options for moving up, though there’s a larger list of guys who could make that move this year (I’m not even including Arch, I think there’s a 99% chance he doesn’t come out). Allar for me is a 3rd rounder.
I think Arch’s arm is probably average ish by NFL starter standards. Maybe a touch below. I see it as sort of Burrow like but I reserve the right to change my mind as we see more. I agree that it’s fine. It seems better with loft than when he drives the ball.
yeah, something to watch for him is the arm, the hype is insane around him rn, but i do think there are question marks surrounding him that need to be answered
hes got two years to do so, and you got a family of QB’s to help him out, plus whatever they got behind him
gonna be interesting to see how he plays this season.
For me it’s Nuss and Klubnick and then a gap. Probably Mendoza next bc of his high floor. Allar has everything but he just strikes me as a guy that lacks the instincts of a high end starter type.
I do think that this years QB class is good, and i think we can all agree that there is no true #1, not until this season plays out to see who can separate the best from the pack
If i had to pick the Most NFL ready… prolly Klubnik or Nuss heading into this college season, Nuss could have went last year, but he didnt have the best 2nd half in the college season.