NFL Draft Day 1 open thread
There are a few things that seem kind of obviously good (e.g., the Patriots taking advantage of other teams' shortsightedness by trading for future picks) or obviously bad (e.g., being on the other side of those deals). Beyond that, I walk away from just about everything thinking "Who the hell knows?"
the Patriots draft has been bad the last few years.
I think that this year is exactly how it will continue to be in the future. More attention, more money, more fan interest, more expectations from college football players, more social media... it all adds up to a bigger and bigger circus from what I can see. So sayeth my Magic 8 Ball.
There is some truth here I think. This year has a record number of Juniors declaring for the draft and I can't remember exactly but something like double the number from just 4-5 years ago.
time ago that sports are more enjoyable when you turn off the talking heads.
The only thing I watch on ESPN is GameDay and the football games. I can't stand anything else they broadcast.
It has BECOME a circus.
ESPN sold their souls when they signed that NFL contract. They were already going towards the mainstream TMZ reporting that we see today, but they still had a little bit of integrity "old ESPN" to them. Now? Nope.
I always laugh (and cry) that on Monday's...you NEVER see anything college football related unless you watch ESPNU. Nothing on ESPN or ESPN2. NOTHING on Sportscenter.
They'll recap a Rams/Titans 10-7 game before they talk about a matchup of 2 top 5 teams in CFB. And then when they're done...they'll start previewing Monday Night Football.
It's gross. It's disgusting what ESPN has come.
All they do is pimp their own TV personalites and talk NFL.
Unfortunately, they don't have any real competitor...just like MTV went away from anything music related and there was nothing to pick up the slack. ESPN is now TMZ Sports/The REAL NFL Network and MTV is E! Teen.
BTN tries, ESPNU tries, NBC and CBS try. But no one has the machine like ESPN.
I remember when Saturday night and Sunday morning you could get highlights of games outside of the Top 25. They were only like 30 seconds, but ESPN would basically show every college football game in the country. Now they show 6.
So even when they do talk about CFB, they talk about the same 6 teams over and over and over. Even Gameday sucks now except for the crowd signs and Tom Rinaldi's amazing voice.
I believe the first pick and this year's complete bust are one and the same -Clowney. He will get 1-3 sacks this year and really get disheartened by the fact that everyone else works harder than he ever will. Taylor will be the second-third tackle off the board and go top ten; I say Atlanta or Buffalo. I think the Lions pick Dennard. Manziel will go.... I am thinking that dude is either a Raider or a Cowboy. Will recent whiffs on QB's scare the Raiders away? I think the Browns are putting out a smoke screen and they aren't interested. You can't trust any info from the coaches this time of year... My Colts don't get a pick until Friday late, so I will pretend to hear Trent Richardson's name around pick 26 tonight.
The Raiders traded for Matt Schaub and they have Pryor as their developmental flyer.... I don't see them using a first round pick on a quarterback.
I agree that Clowney doesn't rate the #1 pick. People got all hyped up about the V. Smith hit, forgetting the part where 98% of unblocked D-linemen would've made the same hit.
I confused him with Matt McGloin. The similarities are so eerie, you can see how anyone would've made that mistake.
Also, Cloney probably won't be tackling RBs in the NFL that are 5'6" and 165lbs.(V. Smith)
Darren Sproles disagrees.
I do too but according to Tony Grossi it's Mack or nothing. He said if he's gone when the Browns pick they'll trade out of the slot with either Atlanta (if they havent made the move to get to #1) or Detroit. He said they dont want a QB at 4 and dont want Watkins or any of the O linemen. He said if they move back they will do so to try and get a DB (maybe Dennard) and an additional 2nd.
We'll see. Here in Cleveland it's SUPER BOWL THURSDAY baby.
Doesn't Mack play basically the same position as Mingo? Can you have two pass rushing OLBs on the field at the same time?
According to Grossi they are not exactly overwhelmed with Mingo.
Yeah, well there aren't trades before and 24-hour coverage of Michigan games, either.
Give it 5 years.
Yaaaaay, football!
I agree with Turd that you don't really know how a team did for a while (sometimes it takes years for draftees to pan out), but I still find it really interesting and exciting. To see what teams' needs are, how they approach drafting philosophy (e.g., best available v. for positional need), not to mention this is basically an introduction for a lot of smaller conference players. I'm guessing I'm not the only person who had never seen Mack play a game with Buffalo.
As to Magnus's questions:
I think Lewan will be the 3rd tackle taken and go in the mid-to-late teens.
I think the Lions' moves will be very dependent on if they can get a trade worked out; if they can trade up for Watkins for relatively cheap (e.g., their 2nd round pick), I think they do it, otherwise they'll go OLB at 10. Personally, I'd like to see them pick up a FS, ideally Clinton-Dix or Pryor out of Louisville, but that doesn't seem like a common prediciton so I'm guessing that won't happen.
Manziel will defintely go in the first. Not sure to who, as I see 5 teams in the top ten in need of a new QB (i.e., Jags, Browns, Raiders, Bucs, & Vikings) that could potentially pick one in the first. Someone will pull the trigger on him, but I'm not sure who.
I don't know enough about all the prospects to really identify a potential Mandarich, but I think there are some risky picks that will definitely get picked up. I think Barr out of UCLA (a potential Lions pick) is a big risk given his rawness and recent position switch. Any of the smaller conference guys (e.g., Mack out of Buffalo) are always a question, given competition level. There are obvious concerns about each of the "top-tier" QB prospects, with Manziel's style of play, Bridgewater's size, etc. So, I guess the obvious choice is a small school QB (e.g., Carr, Bortles) not panning out.
The Lions will draft
somebody who plays football
I hope.
you should dial back your expectations just a bit.
I think we'd be better off picking up a free agent to fill that void. I hear the Tigers released someone recently. Just as long as no fans ask for katsup on their hot dog....
Why start now?
they've given tryouts to a rugby player and a track star. Who knows, maybe this is the year they test the badminton market? With the 10th pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select, Joe Wilson, doubles, BYU.
I don't think Lewan will be there when my Giants pick. I think we go the next best OL available and that's Notre Dame's Zack Martin.
the reference was made for the Giants...possibly?
Yeah, he hasn't seemed happy there, either. I think a change of scenery might be good for him. He hasn't been terrible, but they've been doing some different things with him and he just doesn't fit. He'd be better off somewhere like Dallas or Pittsburgh or Miami, in my opinion.
Magnus - did you see that Kiper's final Big Board has Taylor as the #5 player overall?? That was a pretty big move IMO - I had not seen him rated that highly before. I think he's going in the Top Ten - 2nd lineman selected after Robinson but before Mathews.
I think last week he said that he didn't think Lewan would drop past #6 overall.
As long as the Lions don't trade up early, I'll be happy. There will be somebody that can help them at the #10 pick. Now if they want to trade back into the later part of the first round if somebody they want falls, I'm okay with that.
My prediciton for the Lions at #10 is OLB Anthony Barr from UCLA. I think Atlanta trades up to take Clowney #1, since they seem completely in love with him. I think Manzeil goes either #7 to the Bucs or #8 to the Vikings. And I'm thinking Lewan goes to the Bills at #9.
Anthony Barr doesn't really seem to fit what the Lions do, but maybe I'm wrong.
"having those two on the field would undoubtedly give you the best WR tandem in the NFL."
That and $5 will get you a footlong at Subway.
Having the best WR tandem in the NFL typically doesn't lead to Super Bowl champagne baths.