Hear me out. Here’s a name you probably won’t see anywhere in mocks at the Lions pick at 29, rarely even in the first round, but would fit this team.
Malachi Corley. What does Dan love in a player probably more than anything: “Man, I know what this guy is and what he does”. He’s said that about many guys on this team as something he loves about the players. You know exactly what Corley is and what he does best. YAC king. He’s Deebo, they are damn near the same exact player. He’s picking up yards on screens, sweeps, and short passes out of the slot, even could probably take a few runs out of the backfield. Take some of those bruising plays off Amon-Ra’s plate to keep him healthy. The best fit for him as a player is going to a creative offense and one that is also willing to stretch player’s potential a bit. Corley has talked about thinking he has potential to improve at mid-level and deeper routes, and I think Ben and Dan would give him opportunities he’s never had to show some hidden talents. He’s guaranteed production in my mind at very specific things with the possibility of doing even more than what was seen in college.
690 yards 7 TDs sophomore year
1300 yards 11 TDs junior year
980 yards 11 TDs senior year
4th best yprr in man in this class
7th best catch%
Low breakout age of 19yo which is a good predictor of success in the league
Seems like an easy round 2 fit, but I wouldn’t think it’s insane if he goes late round 1 to a team with a plan for him that values knowing exactly what a guy is.
Everyone is right until Thursday. If you choose Malachi Corley at 29 and that happens, you’ll win the Den Draft Contest for sure. I’ve got a couple prospects that I’m taking much earlier than the consensus because they will be good pro players, IMO, and I don’t want to miss out on them.
The way many fans see it is that you “can’t” take a mid 2nd round pick in the late 1st round. Its “bad value.” We get surprises every draft, because teams view it differently. First, if the guy is a mid 2nd round pick, that means that the late 1st round team won’t be able to draft him. So if they want him, they have to pull the trigger (or find a willing trade partner). Also, many teams will have the guys in the late 1st round grouped together with the early to mid 2nd round picks. So there isn’t much difference in their mind.
Fans have 32 versions of being “right” about a particular player. Each team only has 1 shot. They either get the player or they don’t.
This is one of my draft pet peeves. I first remember it coming up when Kiper was obnoxiously ragging on the Bengals for taking Levi Jones at 10 when, according to Mel, he could have been had 10 picks later.
It’s idiotic at face value, and only gets dumber the more one considers the concept. Yet this same sort of thing gets bandied about every year.
I’m glad Brad has called out those who questioned the “value” of his picks, and I hope it leads people to abandon the idea that taking a guy before the mock draft industry’s consensus position is somehow a bad decision.