Den Mock Poll - Lions #6

[detroit1811]

I personally don’t think the Lions take Carter. Obviously there are some character concerns, but the bigger issue is he doesn’t appear to be a Dan Campbell type player ON the field. His play can get a little lazy on the field when he gets tired, which doesn’t take a ton considering he never played more than 400 snaps in a college season. He doesn’t strike me as a live/breathe/eat football guy either.

I would jump all over him. DT may be the hardest position to find a true difference maker outside of QB. Guys who are elite pass rushers and run defenders from the interior can wreck games. Carter clearly needs to work on his conditioning, but thats someone that can be developed once he is in an NFL program.

Get him in here around guys like Hutch, Houston, Pascal, etc. These young guys who are just hungry and absolutely live for the game. Prop this kid up and show him how to be a pro and just how good he can become if he puts in the work. This kid is the best DT prospect since Suh. He just has physical gifts that just can’t be taught. His play strength and first step quickness will give NFL lineman major problems. This locker room can handle a guy like Jalen Carter, and I think we are in a position that we can take a bit of a swing here.

The talent gap between Carter/Anderson and the top 3 QB’s to the next prospects are MASSIVE. Of course there will be plenty of really good players emerge outside of those guys, but there is no clear standouts, IMO.

DT is the biggest need on this entire roster and a true game changer can turn this defense into a top 5 unit. Hell if Carter could be that Jeffrey Simmons type player that most think we would probably have a top 3 DLine and OLine.

[Blizer]

Carter is the definition of a risky pick

like, potentially franchise altering depending how things shake out (Prolly exaggerating but still)

he either makes our defense an elite unit, or he continues to go down the path he is on, and gets himself in trouble more.

It really is Nick Fairley all over again tbh, and idk if i would personally draft him.

Highest upside for a player, but holy shit, his pro day, and this entire racing fiasco worry me

[detroit1811]

His pro day doesn’t scare me as much. He was going through some serious life altering stuff. We have to remember that not only are these guys still kids, but they are people.

[Blizer]

Thats fair and understandable but still

Mentality is a huge part of the game, and Carter’s does worry me, not from the stress perspective, but from his maturity

hes a kid sure, hes about my age actually, I understand the anxeity that hes under, but he still needs to step back and take a look at himself a bit as a person.

[socko]

@detroit1811

His pro day doesn’t scare me as much. He was going through some serious life altering stuff. We have to remember that not only are these guys still kids, but they are people.

He looked the same in the OSU game as his Pro Day.

[Blizer]

Also, kind of on another note,

Georgia players have been, undisciplined to a degree from what ive seen

Stetson Bennet, Quay Walker

apparently nine players from georgia had been arrested since janurary 2022, its actually concerining from a mental point of view

Kirby is a good coach, but he lets his players do whatever they want tbh.

[Jman]

@Blizer good point

The counter is… our culture now

We would sell him like Jamo last year

tough, grit, loves football

[Blizer]

Thats pretty much what it is

can our culture change him or not

it’s what the FO is going to consider

if they think no, they will not pick him, if they think yes, hes on the board.

[Martymcfly2017]

I voted for carter, because with wilson gone, im not drafting a cb or qb at 6, and honestly there is no one worth drafting at 6.

[Blizer]

Also another thing

Nolan Smith also sped an 89 in a 55 construction zone last year aswell, and he may have had a suspended license when he did it.

Im not trying to be anti-Georgia here, but there are legit concerns from them atm.

[Blizer]

I voted JSN, cause i think Chark could be gone, and he would fit in on the outside decently well.

[Jman]

@Blizer

Also another thing

Nolan Smith also sped an 89 in a 55 construction zone last year aswell, and he may have had a suspended license when he did it.

Im not trying to be anti-Georgia her

I mean guys can’t have fun anymore???

[TCLion]

SEC FOOTBALL RECRUITING QUESTIONNAIRE
**not applicable for Vanderbilt **

ANSWER YES, NO, MAYBE, OR DUH TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

1. Have you been charged with a felony yet?
2. Do you frequently experience homicidal impulses?
3. Are your parents closely related? If yes, please visit the Big12 Football recruiting website.
4. Did you fail your last IQ test?
5. Can you spell the word Yes?
6. Are you aware of a product called “Goldseal”?
7. Can you play football better than everyone you know?

If you answered yes to question #7, please disregard questions 1-6 and welcome to the SEC.

[HiFidelity]

It just means moar

[Minotaur92]

I will just say I find this entire criticism of his play on the field to be laughable. He was widely considered the best player in the draft irregardless of position until his Pro Day and the speeding violation. I’m shocked that driving fast and having a Pro Day somehow makes his film magically look worse. It truly is marvelous.

[CashRipley]

@Blizer

I voted JSN, cause i think Chark could be gone, and he would fit in on the outside decently well.

I get it that JSN had quite a bit of success in college. Good receiver. Maybe even by college standards a great receiver. BUT…athletically/physically he reminds me a lot of Golden Tate. Now maybe if he turns out to be a Golden Tate level WR in the NFL, he will have a nice career. But I’m not taking Golden Tate at #6 OA in the NFL Draft, and I don’t think Brad Holmes will either.

[Thats2]

I thought Tate was much squatter, more of a RB build for the WR position. JSN is sleeker. Build-wise he reminds me a lot of former Jags receiver Jimmy Smith. They’re basically the same height and weight and their testing numbers are similar too, outside of the agility numbers (JSN’s are all-time). JSN doesn’t give you the bulldozer YAC Tate did, but he’s far more refined as a WR and will get open against pretty much any coverage.

[CashRipley]

@Thats2

I thought Tate was much squatter, more of a RB build for the WR position. JSN is sleeker. Build-wise he reminds me a lot of former Jags receiver Jimmy Smith. They’re basically the same height and weight and their testing numbers are similar too, outside of the agility numbers (JSN’s are all-time). JSN doesn’t give you the bulldozer YAC Tate did, but he’s far more refined as a WR and will get open against pretty much any coverage.

All the physiological/athletic likenesses aside, do you really think JSN would be a better choice at 6 than Tyree Wilson, Gonzo, Spoon, Carter, Anderson or Skoronski? I certainly don’t; especially considering we used a lot of capital last year to get Jamo and we have a similar slot guy in ARSB. If it were Marvin Harrison Jr., then yes. I would take him up there. But JSN is not in the same stratosphere athletically. In all his film I don’t see him threatening defenses deep. 97% of his stuff is underneath. Again, he’s not chopped liver but he is not worth 6 OA.

[Thats2]

I would rather have Carter and Anderson for sure but I’d take JSN over the others. I talked a lot about the reasons in that thread about him I started (The case for Jaxon Smith-Njigba at #6), but in particular something I posted later I find eye-opening and a reason I think he’s totally worth it:

More fascinating stuff from Bruce Feldman:

I’ll be stunned if Jaxon Smith-Njigba doesn’t have a bunch of 100-catch seasons in the NFL, and I think he’ll go higher than I’ve seen him on some early mock drafts. Of all the wonderful Ohio State receivers that have come out of Brian Hartline’s room in the past few years, rival coaches I spoke to thought he was the best prospect to this point. (Marvin Harrison Jr. will surpass them all next year, but he’s not draft eligible yet.)

At 6-1, 196, Smith-Njigba is the closest thing to a sure thing in this year’s receiver crop. Last year, the Buckeyes produced two first-round wideouts in Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, and both were 1,000-plus-yard receivers as NFL rookies. According to the coaches we’ve spoken to who faced all three of them, Smith-Njigba is much more physical and has better change of direction than Wilson and Olave.

There has been some skepticism about Smith-Njigba’s speed, but his quickness is elite, and he displayed that in Indy. His 20-yard shuttle time of 3.93 seconds was the fastest by a receiver at the combine since 2013, and his 3-cone drill time of 6.57 seconds was better than anyone at this year’s combine.

Hartline, a former NFL receiver himself, wasn’t surprised at all. “Jax has a great feel of the game within the game, start there,” Hartline told The Athletic on Monday. “He knows how to use his body and how to win at the end of the play with whatever the job description is. There’s kind of a knack for that. Some guys just get it. As coaches we can try to enhance that, but from Day One, he always had that knack. There’s just something a little different for what Jax does.

“His change of direction is definitely the best that I’ve had. Garrett was pretty explosive. They all have their own niches, but when he changes direction out of a break, he doesn’t slow down. This game is really all about change of direction, and his is different, and I think it’ll be really hard for anybody to keep up with him when he changes direction because he is that elite at it, and that literally is the common denominator for creating separation in football.

“He’s kind of unguardable. He’ll be über-productive in the NFL. I think he will be a guy that leads the league in receptions and receiving yards. No one’s gonna be shocked. That’s just who he is, and he’s only gotten better, Like C.J. (Stroud) said, he’s the quarterback’s best friend.”

I think he’s a superstar waiting to happen.