Overrated vs. Underrated

The War Room Detroit Lions — The Den
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This could be an interesting excercise. Who are you higher on than consensus, and who are you lower on? For me:

Higher:

  1. Arnold Ebiketie - I have him as my 4th ranked edge just behind Jermaine Johnson and in my overall top ten.
  2. Alec Pierce - He needs to get more physical against press but otherwise I struggle to find many weaknesses, he’s still got a lot of untapped potential.
  3. George Karlaftis - I didn’t think I’d be one of his backers because I had him firmly in the teens back in January when he was going in the top 5/10. But now he’s going in the twenties/round 2 and I still have him firmly in the teens, so here we are.
  4. Jalyn Armour-Davis - Kind of got lost in the shuffle at Alabama due to untimely injuries before finally working his way back up the depth chart. Best football ahead of him.
  5. Malcolm Rodriguez - Great athlete, leader, allowed fewest receptions of any LB in college football last year (in the pass-happy Big 12). Wrestling background mitigates for his smallish-size (5’11, 232) in traffic.

Lower:

  1. Jordan Davis - IF he can play his entire career at 330/340 then I’m probably gonna be wrong on this one, but to me that’s a big ask. To me the most important trait a prospect can have is professionalism, and I worry a lot Davis doesn’t have it. Why did it take him until after his final year at Georgia to finally lose the weight?
  2. Trevor Penning - He’s mastered the art of looking like a tough guy but has lumbering feet which to me makes him almost undraftable.
  3. Boye Mafe - I’m always a little worried about pass rushers without instincts. Yes, he’s got the athleticism you can coach up and he’s tough enough, but to me it really caps his ceiling.
  4. George Pickens - This is tough for me because I really liked his tape, but the more I look into him, the more I think he’s your classic diva WR, and I don’t really want any part of those.
  5. Evan Neal - I don’t think he’ll fail outright - guys his size rarely do - but I don’t think he’s the prospect everyone’s making him out to be. He’s got good explosion and straight-line athleticism, but laterally he lumbers. He’s definitely better served on the right side.
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Great question for a few days before the draft. Imma gonna mull that and write later.

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Amazing topic!!!

Guys I’m higher on….

  1. D Lloyd- by FAR
  2. Travis Jones- by FAR
  3. Breece Hall
  4. Nick Cross
  5. Chad Muma
  6. A Ebiketie
  7. Zion Johnson
  8. T Burks
  9. J Dotson
  10. N Bonitto- by FAR

Guys I’m lower on

  1. Pickett
  2. N Dean
  3. M Corral
  4. Cross
  5. C Watson
  6. Spiller
  7. M Willis
  8. D Stingley
  9. J Davis
  10. T Penning
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Higher -
1:) J. Tolbert
2:) V. McKinley
3:) A. Barno
4:) C. Tindall
5:) J. Ealy

Lower -
1:) J. Dotson
2:) L. Chenal (though if he goes to NE he can be great)
3:) B. Hall
4:) T. Walker
5:) Z. Johnson

5

Underrated
I’ve got @DeadStroke
Weeze-man
@REMRebound
@Pdono
@Air2theThrown
@stephenboyd57
@DetroitStrong
@QBHATER90
@Snags
@3rdRGR
@Binger6
…getting to be too many to list. I dig most of you cats way more than you know.
The Godfather is consistently underrated too
and many more
Overrated…
Can’t really think of many…strong text

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Tindall would have made my top ten if I’d expanded it that far, and I agree on McKinley as well. I’m coming around on Tolbert too but it really matters where his value is, he kind of a hard dude to get a consensus on.

I’m also 100% with you on Breece Hall, maybe he should have been in my top 5 of dudes I’m lower on. He doesn’t hold a candle to Walker as a prospect IMO. Maybe it’s cause I saw a lot of Iowa State and he usually failed to impress, but to me he’s more of a workout warrior than anything else. I can’t help but see LaDainian Tomlinson when I watch Walker, they’re carbon copies of one another IMO.

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What about Zion?

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If you feel that way, then Walker has to be worthy of #34?

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I don’t know much about any of the players in this draft. I know the big names and a few outside players… but I am in no position to evaluate and have way more faith in all of your discussions. As always I always learn from all of you.

That being said!!! From the “doesn’t really know the draft and players and what not and I just hope the lions take a few good players to build around” perspective I am all on board!!!

Personally as of this moment, I think we take Willis. However, I would be happy and understanding of (in no particular order) Willis, Walker, KT, Hutch, Davis, Dean, Lloyd, Jermaine Johnson, London, Sauce, Stingley… etc.

From a somewhat outsider perspective prospect wise I see all these guys kind of on the same level in one way or another and this pick is truly going to be about fit. I think all those guys have the potential to be great players and if this staff chooses them I’m going to trust they know what they want.

PS sorry I just went on a long tangent that didn’t really have anything to do with this thread. But thanks for reading and listening :wink:

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I’m not arguing, just curious. He blew me away as one of the meet interviews I’ve ever witnessed form a college prospect on NFL network. He’s started at all 5 positions along the OL, and in on stint at LT he allowed 1 pressure in 46 chances.

He dominated the senior bowl week, and crushed the combine. Has size, strength, feet, power and fundamental understanding of all OL spots. Super smart and well spoken kid. Big smile, infectious.

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Well though I love Walker as a prospect, I’m of the belief you can get production out of the running back spot without spending the level of quality of pick it would take to get Walker. He comes about as close to anyone to testing that POV, but I think I’d still rather hammer a higher value position over him, even if he is LaDainian Tomlinson. After all, the Chargers never won anything with him.

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That’s true. But we didn’t win shit with Stafford, Calvin, Suh…. The Chargers haven’t won with Rivers, Hebert, Bosa…

If we can leave this draft with Buckner, Leonard, and J Taylor, then I think we are a division winner.

I think Lloyd and Walker/Hall accomplish 2/3

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And yet the Colts missed the playoffs altogether, even with those guys.

Honestly I’m fine with the RB room we have. If we had a dire need at RB then maybe I’d consider it, but we don’t. A guy like Pitre who has S/CB versatility and also great instincts and leadership qualities has a bigger overall impact IMO. I think he’s Tyrann Mathieu 2.0, mixed with a little Buddha Baker. I also don’t think he’ll make it to 32, but just as an example.

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I love Pitre. I’m a bit surprised to see Mafe too. I think he’s gonna be a monster.

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Hutch
Thibz
T Walker
J Johnson
Ebiketie

Lloyd
Dean

Sauce
Stingley
McDuffie
Booth

J Davis
T Jones

Hamilton
Dax

Icky
Neal
Cross
Linderbaum

Willis
Pickett
Howell

Wilson
Williams
Olave
London
Burks

There are 27 who should go round 1…. That means at least 4 more gone?

Hall?
Pitre?
Pickens?
Wyatt?
Ridder?

Anyone you swap in or out?

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Oh I think a lot of guys ranked from like, 20-60 could go in the 1st round, it’s really difficult to pinpoint. Last year no one had Joe Tryon or Payton Turner as a 1st rounders, JOK and Moehrig were 1st round locks, and guys like Eric Stokes, Greg Newsome, Etienne, Jamin Davis, and Leatherwood waffled between being 1st and 2nd rounders, depending on who was mocking.

This year Pitre, Pickens, Watson, Logan Hall, Quay Walker, Chenal (to the Pats), Elam, Mafe, Wyatt, Troy Anderson, Pierce, Penning, Raiman, Abraham Lucas, Tyler Smith, Skyy Moore, Zion Johnson, Kenyon Green, Cine, Bonitto, and Brisker, for example, could all go in the 1st round, while Burks, Linderbaum, Ebiketie, Lloyd, Dean, Booth, Dax, Pickett, Howell, could all drop to the 2nd, not to mention a guy or two we don’t see coming because of unknown injuries, etc… I don’t think it’ll go like that, necessarily, but they’re all in that 20-60 range that could go either way.

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I think the most overrated prospect this cycle is Kayvon Thibedeaux. I remember an astute poster on here said he had an NFL connection that thought Kayvon was more of a 2nd round prospect. We laughed. But after doing the full film study on him, I am left laughing at myself for buying into the hype. Right now if someone said they had a 2nd round grade on Thibs I wouldn’t even flinch, because I know what they have seen.

Its hard for me to pick underrated prospects, because the guys I would choose have been flying up draft boards.

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Well we should probably qualify this by stating where we think they’re projected to go. I’ve seen Johnson being mocked between 20-25 with a fair amount of consistency. That’s too rich for me. I do think he’s a too 40-50 player but for me he’s IOL #3 for me (4 if you count Icky as a Guard).

I also didn’t want to repeat other people’s choice. Ebiketie is easily in my top five underrated and Neal would be in my top five overrated. I might have put Muma in my underrated five as well but you already brought him up.

Lastly all overrated/underrated suggestions aren’t created equally. Like I don’t think Ealy will ever be more then a third down back but given his background as a stud centerfielder i think he has big time receiving upside and if he can be McKissic and you get him in the last fifty oicks then that’s pretty damn good value IMO. I also think he’s a much more natural runner than J.D. i just doubt he can handle more than 6-8 carries per game.

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You may want yo brace yourself come Thursday then.

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Overrated:

  1. Thibodeaux
  2. Evan Neal
  3. Malik Willis
  4. Kyle Hamilton

Underrated:

  1. Kenny Pickett
  2. Jermaine Johnson
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