You keep insisting D Smith is “generational” but I don’t agree. I put his nfl career “under” 6000 yards.
If a team has Lance as their pure #1 to run their system, great, but I’d bet some teams don’t even have him a top 20 grade.
I don’t agree with the consensus prospect rankings.
I like my list. I love Creed Humphrey, E Moore, T Marshall, Slater, T Jenkins, Bolton, J Horn, J Holland, B Christensen, N Harris, T Ettienne, J Fields, P Sewell, A Rodgers, and others.
How is a a guy best available? Teams might flat out disqualify Micah Parsons for his interview or the off the field stuff.
What if a team thinks a guy is a douche’ or doesn’t jive with the coach?
Lyonfan1…I’ve been reading your posts intently for the last couple of weeks with great interest. IMO, you bring a lot to the table, er DEN. Your posts are thoughtful, creative, intellectually sound, informed, organized, deeply researched, pithy, a much superior product to some verbose posters, who deflect, and must buy ink by the barrel to paraphrase Mark Twain, and refuse to be pinned down on a subject.
I too, have entertained thoughts, such as, would Holmes & Co, make OL Priority No.1 in the 1st Round? If so, valuing the opportunity of drafting Sewell, as found Gold, rushing to the Commish and handing in the card with plenty of time on-the-clock, signaling to opposing teams and fans alike, this decision is a no-brainer, forget about trading down, and be done with it???..Do they feel similarly about Slater, who reportedly can play ALL 5 positions on the OL, is more of a tactician but not as brutish as Sewell, and whom some GMs/Coaches, actually prefer over the more well-known Sewell? Both have outstanding RAS scores, traits, which could easily translate to multiple Pro Bowls and long productive careers. IMO, LION Fandom would quickly get behind Sewell. Slater not so much, wondering whether Holmes worked hard enough to trade down, as a cop-out, for either a WR or another OL, or the always popular more picks???..OT aren’t sexy like WR and/or more picks. But ask Goff/OC Lynn, how much a good OT means to them personally, and the offensive success probability, in general??..Long term sealing the OL, keeping Goff upright for a 17 game season, passing game(needing an extra 1 sec to complete passes downfield to questionable WRs, facillitating the Run game objectives by Campbell/Lynn, and keeping the Defense off the field as long as possible, provide very legitimate reasons to value going OL instead of WR, assuming WR Chase is long gone. WR Smith fragility, is now too much risk at the #7 spot. Let someone else assume the risk in my book.
Am now looking at the 2nd Round. Like you, am perplexed whether a small 3rd receiver, is that much more desirable, than a stud LB, who could learn the ropes from OLB Collins in 2021. Get the 3rd receiver in Rounds 3-5, or gamble, trade down 10 spots or so in the 2nd Round, thereby securing a 3rd rounder in 2021, and getting Ossai/Bolton/Cox?..Risky, but doable IMO. Regardless, the Lions would still need an additional LB & WR long term in 2021, i.e. 2Wrs & 2LB’s, but the cupboard is more empty at Safety then LB, so I could swap out a LB draftee for an extra Safety or 2…LB Moses looks much slower in tape I have seen, unsure of himself, after the injury. I’ve never understood the big build-up he received for 2021. WR Collins, will likely, be gone by the tail end of Round 2, based on his RAS scores, and perceived WR mismanagement by Mich’s Harbaugh…I like Maybin over Cox, in the limited action Maybin has seen in a LB role, besides ST. Let’s see what Maybin can do with more time on the field. - GOALPOST
Dallas had a great OL… UNTIL this past season when it fell apart. The results… Dak was out for the year and the team sucked. Point is… Dak looked pretty good until he didn’t have a great OL… I’d think he won’t have a great year this year either… cuz their OL. Ain’t great
Agreed !!..Have heard rumors Jerry may go with Slater, if he’s there to shore up their aging line. Slater can play multiple OL positions, too. Their Center retired after a short career. The whole line needs focus/replacements, keep Dak upright, facilitate the run game, which sucked in 2020, Ugh-Oh !!!..Lots of wear on Zeke…Cowboys LB’s are worse than the Lions as a whole, per Dan Jeremiah !!..IS that possible??..lol…WR Gallup is a FA after this year. Am not expecting Dallas to do much in the Fall…Tey need a lot of help, all over…Like the Lions.
I know on a message board tone is hard to get and I know my typing style shows my impatience level sometimes … lol
Unfortunately I don’t realize it until I reread what I wrote and realize it came out different than in my head.
For that I apologize.
I just hate it when people twist facts to make their point.
I can respect anyones opinion. Especially when they make a good argument based off facts. I love this place for those posters and the amount of knowledge that’s here.
May I say this … I watch a lot of football and played at a high level … so I’m opinionated to a fault … lol
Sometimes others opinion are well thought out and their argument is done well, with real facts, and a solid argument that make me rethink my thought process. Recently @Thats2 and @CuriousHusker made some good posts on Asante Samuels.
I realized I was downgrading Samuels because he reminded me of Chris Cash from the Lions. I just couldn’t get that Chris Cash vibe out of my mind.
I realized I was downgrading Samuels solely on his size. I was being a hypocrite because I was looking past Smith size and recognizing him for the stud player he was and doing just the opposite for Samuels. My bad right… lol
So I forced myself to sit through a half dozen Florida state games and Samuels highlight reels just to see if my feelings were solely based off his size. The more I watched him the more I realize how fundamentally sound his play was. So I then forced myself to sit through a couple So. Miss and So Carolina games to compare him to Surtain and Horn.
I travel a lot and this is how I pass the down time … lol
Needless to say when I was done I started to realize that if Samuels was 15lbs bigger (like Smith) that he would be in conversation to be the best CB in his class.
I realized I was wrong and being a hypocrite towards Samuels. That kid can play… I do however believe weight is more important for a DB than a WR because they have to tackle.
I also feel Horn is a better player than mocks are crediting. He’s a damn good player too. I think he could go top 10.
Smith is behind Chase soley because of his size.
Samuels is behind Horn and Surtain for the same reason.
BTW I have now convinced myself that Samuels has an excellent chance to be drafted round one and could be the 3rd or 4th CB off the board.
Final point - I had to ask myself have their been successful DB’s who were small? The answer is yes Antione Winfield, Mark McMillon, Bob Sanders, and many more have had NFL success.
The same can be said for Smith … sometimes guys are good enough to overcome size limitations.
Julio was the last “generational” prospect as far as build and raw talent
Devonta by no means has anything like Julio or Megatron’s physical attributes, but he makes up for it with everything he can control. From production to route running, his demeanor and his work ethic. That’s why I call him generational. He overcomes the obstacles like no one we’ve seen in a while.
I was thinking about Horn lately too… because it is hard to believe he doesn’t get more attention for a highly rated CB measuring 6’1" and 205 pounds… that runs 4.39 at pro day (~4.49 adjusted), vertical jump 41.5 inches, and broad jump over 11 feet.
1 of those 8 catches was to Kyle Pitts for 21 yards… and Horn had him covered well… nearly breaking up the pass.
Anyhow… the fact that there are several quality talents on the defensive side of the ball that seem likely to be available outside the top 10 picks is yet another reason why I would be thrilled if the patriots traded up to #7 and the Lions picked up another future 1st round pick.
Thanks for the kudos and great post here my friend.
My perfect draft would be trade down to #9 to Denver for QB- enough smoke they “want competition for Locke- hedging their words in case no trade is there… we give back a 4th for 9 and 2nd
#9 Slater
2- T Marshall or E Moore
2- N Bolton
3- A Rodgers
3- J Johnson FS
Frankly I would love
KJ Wright
Brian Poole
Tre Boston
Flowers/Harris
Hand/N Williams
Brockers/Penisini
R Okwara/J Okwara
Anazlone
J Collins
KJ Wright
Okudah/Q Dunbar
Poole/AO
T Walker
T Boston/W Harris
Waddle is a heck of a player but if he’s the BPA then I’m a fan of a trade down.
I see some mocks having him as the 1st or 2nd WR taken. I never thought Ruggs would be the first WR last year. Teams value speed so I guess it’s possible but for me production means something and Waddle like Ruggs has never broken 1000 yards.
I like Waddle as a player … I do and I could see the Lions taking him even but I’d prefer to go a different direction.
I agree… and rumor is the Lions have met with him a few times now. So I think he’s a target for us.
But I like Darrisaw a lot… and Jenkins. I really don’t feel the drop off between them is much at all.
If we’re targeting an OT then I prefer a trade down.
Maybe I can root for something like this AFTER/IF they pass on my dude. I just like J-will as a pass catcher.
This dude has some toughness, but not J-will toughness. He feels a lot like Swift minus the WR skills…less shake’n’bake…but great explosion and enough speed to make 'em pay, if he gets loose.
Not sure I’d go that route. I like the idea of waiting for the right guy, and I would be behind us snagging someone like JJ (as we all know he is dye-no-miiiite!)
I like the idea of having a monster stud DT, as well as a good QB.
Beyond that, I like general team speed, with at least a few playmakers on both sides of the ball. We need playmakers on O, as well as nasty MF’rz.
I think some combination of…
Trade down
Waddel or Slater?
J-Will 2nd unless they have to trade up
BPA OT/WR 2nd via trade?
I’m probably completely full of shit, but it’s how I’d like to see it go down.
I think JJ would be a better addition if they expect next year’s RB crop to be thin pickings. Like Wes was saying, I was surprised that he comes in at 217…he doesn’t look that big in the vids. He may be able to learn to catch a lot better, but I still like how J-Will brings a completely different dimension. I’m almost thinking Swift can do damn near anything this cat can do.
I’ve thought about that proposed trade for a few days, pros & cons, with Denver. In that trade scenario, I think Den would rather retain their presumed high-quality early 2nd, and thus, proposing trading their 3rd Rounder to DET. If I’m the Lions, I would push for the 2nd Rounder offering up their 4th Rounder, but would gladly settle for a 3rd Rounder from DEN. Garnering an extra 2nd by DET would give the team maximum flexability to leverage that additional 2nd Rounder for a particular player or using their newly acquired 2nd Rounder from DEN, to move down 8-10 spots, and acquire an additional 3rd rounder.
So, in the above scenario, DET moves from #7 to #9, acquires #40 from DEN, DET trades #113 (4th Rounder to DEN, to complete original trade. Subsequently, DET trades down #40 to ~#50, and acquires #82 in the 3rd Round, offsetting #113 (4th Rounder), DET traded to DEN in the original trade. This outcome is highly likely, IMO, to occur if the opportunity presents itself in Round 1, if DEN wants to jump CAR. That said, would DET find the risk acceptable, given multiple draft forecasts, CAR would take Slater at #8, if Sewell was unavailable???..If YES, then that implies to me, the drop off from Sewell/Slater to Darrisaw/Jenkins, in their eyes, is not substantial enough to justify nixing the proposed trade and now will roll the dice concerning Slater, and hope either CAR or someone else doesn’t jump ahead of them at #9, figuring, at a minimum, DET now has DEN’s #40 to go along with their #41, and can draft someone else, not named Sewell or Slater. You can bet DAL or LAC want Slater badly, and might want to trade with CAR at #8. Personally, I’m assuming DET wants either Sewell or Slater at #7 for all the reasons listed in the original post #101 above. If WR Chase or Sewell are available at #7, then all bets are off. lol
If the Lions keep their #7, they can still trade down in the 2nd Round from #41 to #51 and get an extra mid 3rd Rounder from someone, if they do not trade down in the 1st Round. Employing this strategy is the safest strategy with the lowest risk of losing top rated Talent, for the sake of acquiring extra picks. Yes, their is risk in everything. But risking missing out on 1 of the Top 2 OT’s in the draft, assuming, acquiring either Sewell or Slater was your Top Priority in Round 1 makes little sense to me. Talent is too important !
Addressing the quote at the beginning, Assuming DET acquires Sewell or Slater in Round 1, then the highest rated WR at either #40 or #41 is critical. Once the WR acquisition is complete, then I would trade down from #41 to ~#51 and grab LB Bolton or S Holland. In the 3rd Round, I would concentrate on either the highest rated WR/S/LB, in that order, with our (3) 3rd Round Picks. - WR Brown or Collins, S Cisco assuming CB Adebo is gone & LB Surratt with #102. …Player options are still not finalized with 1 week to go.
