Troy Franklin please
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All the players at multiple positions with similar grades in slightly different flavors point to a trade back.
Holmes has built the roster such that he doesn’t NEED to draft a particular position.
Most any player drafted at #29 would be developmental for 2024. A WR or possibly a CB are the only positions to have a chance to start if selected there.
Holmes likely has multiple offers on the table to trade back and is ready to pull the trigger Thursday night if all the players he LOVES are gone.
Agree - Fautanu is my favorite player in the draft for the Lions.
Nice post.
We did sign Zeitler, but I would think Holmes would want to develop a guy at the same time. If he could upgrade Glasgow, great. But even if its a high level replacement for next year this seems like a good draft. So i could see them taking an OG with the 3rd rounder but the next pick is so low I don’t think we’ll wait that long.
It would not surprise me in the least to see some maneuvering around to get the guys we want. There seems to still be good players available in this draft into the early 4th, so I’m wondering if we might not angle to get a pick around 100 by trade.
If we go WR I would love to get AD Mitchell. I would love to get any of Harrison, Odunze, Nabers, or Thomas Jr. but I don’t seeing them available. I doubt Mitchell will even be there tbh.
So lets assume Mitchell is gone at 29 - I don’t see him taking any other WR in the first round. I suppose if somehow Chop fell or maybe a top rated OT that could hopefully play OG or OC in a pinch (Barton?) we would stay put and reap the harvest . Or corner. But otherwise, I think we trade back. Kool Aid is the guy I keep waffling on. If he is on the board, and nobody falls that we are interested in at 29, do we take Kool Aid i.e how much higher rated do they have him on their board than the next best corner (Melton or Green, Rakestraw, Tampa)? And I really love Rakestraw and Tampa a lot, but their 40 times scare me.
My best mocks have come with us trading out of 29 and into the early second when the situation arises where even KoolAid is gone and the best option is a guy like Frazier or JPJ. Then I think a trade down is in order. We trade down and then we gather that pick at 100ish or better. We can then draft straight or that trade gives us some flexibility to move around.
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I think he could take any of Legette, Franklin or McConkey if he’s fallen in love. I wouldn’t predict that, but I certainly wouldn’t have them off the table either.
If they take McConkey or Franklin who is the X or how do you see that playing out with Jamo and ARSB?
I could see them taking Legette if they are convinced they can develop the rest of his game because he is such a specimen. He’s one of my favorites, but 29 seems a little rich I think. Some draft people have him as 17th best WR?
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Franklin can be an X for sure. He played close to 80% of his snaps on the outside and while he needs to get stronger he’s slippery as hell, has a lightning quick step and has a bag of releases. In terms of analytics Franklin is 5th in terms of YPRR against press relative to all draft eligible WRs.
Ladd would need to split reps between Z and the slot.
But honestly if Franklin is our 3rd starting WR then you can mix and match. St. played a ton on the outside his Junior year. He can do it and from what I understand he wants to do more of it. So if it’s Troy, St. and Jamo you don’t really know who is where which is great.
Right, as @CuriousHusker said, Franklin could also play X, while Ladd would require some creativity on Ben’s part. He’s definitely the lesser fit of the three, but I also wouldn’t put it past Brad falling in love. And Ben is the creative sort, I find it difficult to believe he couldn’t make it work with a guy who gets open so easily. He’s actually a much better fit for Goff’s skill set than the other two.
Who is a better fit? Ladd? Better fit for Goff than Troy? Maybe. I think it’s pretty negligible. Both are high end separators. And it’s not like Troy was playing with Drake Maye. He was asked to win early and decisively and did so despite being the Alpha which Ladd was not when Brock was healthy.
But I’m lower on Ladd than much. Just don’t see the star upside with him. IMO Renner’s Antonio Brown comp was always WAY too rich.
He’ll be a useful player but I see him as a 3rd or 4th option on a good NFL offense. Troy can be a 1B IMO.
But I also should probably be careful on the Oregon guys box they’re the only ones I’ve seen a decent amount of in person.
Fair enough, I definitely think Ladd can be more than that, but I also understand the skepticism. Brown might be too high end of a comp, but I think what he was going for was small + still thrives outside + highly athletic.
Both Franklin and Ladd get open quickly for sure and I agree that Franklin probably has more high-end ceiling. But I think McConkey’s floor is a touch higher, and I expect - though I think he can thrive outside - he’ll be flip-flopped with ARSB plenty and thus have more opportunity than Franklin in the middle of the field Goff prefers.
One reason I like Javon Baker so much is bc he adds to the F$ck around and find out element of our WR room. Just a junkyard dog. The way Kollman talked about him after their Sr. bowl interview was basically, “Javon talks about cornerbacks the way Ted Bundy talks about sorority girls.” And no, that’s not an exact quote but dude’s got some crazy fire to him from what I understand.
Troy is more reserved but he’s tough. While East Palo Alto isn’t Richmond, CA it’s got some tough areas. He’s a grinder for sure, I just think Javon is a tone setter.
I suspect if the Lion’s go Oline. It’s an OT that can play OG until Decker leaves, at that point they move out to OT
If I’m picking the most likely pick that elicits sad trombone feelings amongst the board it would be Jordan Morgan.
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Not from me. Well in the sense that I don’t want to go iOL it will, but he and Barton are the only 1st round options I’d be OK with. I always forget to list him because he doesn’t play center as well.
My sad trombone picks are Darius Robinson, JPJ, Rakestraw
The podcast in which I heard him say that Renner’s
focus was on his deceleration and re-acceleration being like Brown. And that’s fine. Doesn’t seem wrong-headed.
I like Ladd just fine. I think he’s one of the best 50 players in the draft. For me personally 29 is a tad bit rich but I’m not going to freak out about it. He’s going to have a nice 8-10 year career.
I say that bc out of all the OL guys, Morgan is the one who I most often hear people gushing about the character. And he’s solid and positionally versatile. I also like that he played QB in HS though perhaps that’s a nothing burger.
I’d be okay with it. Doesn’t excite me though.
I agree with your three though I would take JPJ the most in stride.
Ennis would straight up piss me off.
Plus I think Morgan could legitimately stay outside. Maybe only in a pinch, but his feet are great. His tape against Latu was something else.
I agree. I think he could be an above average RT.
He’ll struggle against the Cam Jordans of the world (who doesn’t), but will hold up admirably against guys like Parsons. He’ll still lose more than he wins probably, but everyone loses against Parsons.
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