Your WAAAY Too Early 2017 NFL Draft Predictions (Michigan edition)

Submitted by Mr. Yost on

Now that the draft is over...who do you think gets drafted next year and what round?

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Prince Lover

May 1st, 2016 at 2:29 PM ^

And I ask seriously, from an outsider, meaning I don't know the ins and outs of football as much as 95% of the viewership here, is Peppers, if he has the exact same year as last, a first round pick? I have no doubt he'll improve, and his punt returning alone practically won the MSU game, (aaaahhh, two reasons to bombard me!!!), but has he shown enough on field ability to warrant a first round pick or would it be more on teams believing in his potential. And again, as an example of my football knowledge to be that of a novice,even though I was in school during the Woodson years, I didn't follow football nearly as closely as I do now. So to put in comparison, before Woodson's third year, was he a guaranteed first rounder, or was his heisman year what made everyone see he would become the best db of all time?

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stephenrjking

May 1st, 2016 at 3:18 PM ^

Yes. He is explosively fast, a hard hitter, and while a bit raw in coverage he can handle himself fine. He was a borderline All-American as a redshirt freshman. He is fast and agile and hard-hitting and would crush the combine. Definitely a first-rounder.

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DrMantisToboggan

May 1st, 2016 at 4:59 PM ^

Pats got the one-day greatest TE of all time in the 2nd round. Lions have taken 2 dog shit TE's in the 1st. TE is valued, but draft position doesn't have a strong relationship with league success. You can get really good TE's in the middle rounds. I hope Jake goes early and also has great success. 

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bacon

May 2nd, 2016 at 5:55 AM ^

Gronk didn't play in his Junior at Arizona year because of back surgery and was still drafted in the second round after not playing for a year. No question he was a first rounder. Jake is a great TE, but I'm not sure he's elite yet. Luckily after another year with Harbaugh, he'll probably be there.

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Jim_Bo_slice

May 1st, 2016 at 2:35 PM ^

Lewis, Peppers, Butt, Chesson* all first round, in that order.

*Chesson has the potential to be an absolute stud WR, he has the speed that an NFL WR needs. Think about the beginning of last year, you just saw the ability but didn't see the results. The end of the year was a different story, he dismantled the no. 11 pick in the 2016 draft 1 on 1. If he continues on that trajectory, I say definite first rounder and could (I SAY COULD) be the highest Michigan player drafted.

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Mr. Yost

May 1st, 2016 at 5:08 PM ^

If O'Korn throws for 4,000 yards, 40 TDs and 5 INTs, he's got the potential NFL draft scouts would love.

I think there has to be some type of "already proved it" when predicting the future.

Otherwise, make Taco Charlton at top 5 pick. Because he's got all the measurables NFL scouts will love. But he hasn't done jack shit when it comes to being a top NFL pick.

Chesson played REALLY well late in the year. But I don't think he's already proven he can dominate at the college level. I think he's on the cusp of doing that.

When I look at 1st round WRs. I see guys like Amari Cooper, Treadwell, Julio Jones, hell even Braylon. Guys like Fuller, Docton, Coleman all did it multiple times.

Chesson hasn't showing that just yet...he absolutely may. Hell, it may even be probable. I just think the one game versus Hargraves is just a game. That said, I still had him as a 2nd rounder. But I do think there's a big difference between a 2nd round WR and top/first round type pick.

Look at Burbridge. He held his own versus a future top pick in Lewis...one game isn't everything. That said, Chesson should test a lot better than Burbridge. So if he can stay at the level he's at...he'll go high, no question.

I think we're all on the same page, I'm just not ready to put 1st next to his name even in a prediction thread.

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Jim_Bo_slice

May 1st, 2016 at 7:38 PM ^

I definitely understand where you are coming from, "potential to be a stud" is stating the obvious "if he does better then he is good". Well, obviously he will be a stud if he does better than the competition. So, I get why you don't like that.

I think he has had a type of "already proved it" last year. Yes, the Florida game is one game. But over the course of last season you saw the potential. Early in the season he did not make any plays but he beat everyone off the ball. Once he and Rudock were on the same page he was dominant (Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Northwestern). This domination was on full display for the Florida game.

You are absolutely right there is a huge difference between a 2nd round WR and a top WR. And if Chesson has a season like last year, good with 1-2 great games, then he is a 2nd/3rd round receiver he could even drop to the 4th. But this is a prediction thread and my prediction, based on his progress last year and his sheer athleticism, is that he is a first round draft pick and he has the potential to be the highest drafted Michigan player. He is blazing fast, he is tall, and he moves well in space.

So, my prediction is a gamble. I am gambling that he improves the same as last year, starting from where he finished the year. Yes, that is a stretch but in my unqualified opinion he has an it factor that you see even when the play doesn't happen. It is all right there and once it clicks he will be dominant. This is definitely a homer opinion but I just see it in Chesson.

 

 

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Wolfman

May 2nd, 2016 at 7:30 AM ^

must admit haven't felt the love for any of the professional sports that I did even two decades ago, but after watching this young man's progression through  the season - No. 1 being recognized as a D1 wr and his steady growth, waiting on his qb, then taking off from there, I'm with you. This is a special talent. While he was waiting, he happened to return a kickoff 90+ yards to highlight his blazing speed and just got better and better.

And that FL game, on a play that was great for Jehu and Jake both, Jake hitting him about mid-way through two defenders, allowing him to get his speed up in the open field, and it was obvious you were watching something that could have clearly gone unnoticed if not for the Harbaugh hire. Young man has special written all over him, and if we get QB production near the rate we received from jake last four games, watch the whole damn's core's stock to rise.

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Bo Schemheckler

May 1st, 2016 at 2:37 PM ^

I think people in this thread forget that speed kills. We all know what Chesson is as a receiver so alot of people are projecting a day 2 pick but after he burns the 40 he is going in the first round. If Will Fuller can go in the 1st round this year Chesson can easily.

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Ty Butterfield

May 1st, 2016 at 4:07 PM ^

Just sad we will only see Peppers play for 2 years. I hope Gary gets significant playing time this season and avoids any major injuries. Looking forward to seeing what Gary can do with 3 years under this staff.

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Space Coyote

May 1st, 2016 at 5:20 PM ^

Which is expected on a team oriented blog. But it probably isn't realistic. Most are really picking well above where these guys are currently predicted to go and there will be some other late risers and small school guys jump in there too. Lewis - late 1st to mid 2 - great short area quickness and very good recovery speed. Plus technique at the point. But really undersized, inconsistent physically (he gets away with both in the college game much more than he will in the NFL) and relies on his hands downfield (legal in college, a knock for scouts though). Polished player that doesn't have a ton of upside relative to the player he currently is. Butt - 2nd to 3rd - great hands with big time catch radius. Goes and gets the ball. Very polished route runner for the position. Needs to really improve as a blocker as not athlete enough to be optimal H and struggles to get separation consistently in college. Best path is to become every down Y-TE. Chesson - 3rd to 5th - Really good, not great, straight line speed. Really good acceleration on the snap and can stop and go well. Average but improving route runner. Not very fluid, does move or cut laterally as you'd like. Doesn't have natural hands which leads to ball getting into body at times. Struggles to track the ball a bit in the air. Wormley - 2-5 - Ideal frame for a 3-4 DE. Very good first step, long arms and good initial punch. Controls single blocks and sheds well at the point of attack. Struggled a bit against elite LTs (Spriggs, Decker). Doesn't have great counter moves. If he doesn't win initial punch he gets sealed too easily. Needs to improve against doubles. Good athlete for size. Has upside. Flashes. Needs some improvement in consistency. Good blocker. Needs to be stronger off LOS. Glasgow - 4-7 - A bit undersized for the NT position, average length arms. Not great athlete for NFL at position. Very quick off the line though with strong first punch. Wins with his first three steps and initial punch at LOS. If he doesn't get that win though, he will have trouble with athleticism to defeat NFL interior OL. 2 down 3-4 DL is optimal. Likely to have to move off the nose position in NFL. Production at college level doesn't transition as well to pro game. Taco - 4-7 - Not a great fit for NFL. Tweener. Not a pure edge rusher but not as strong as you'd like to see a SDE or 3-4 DE against interior blocking. Athletic for interior player though. Very long body and arms that control blockers at times. Needs to be more consistent. Darboh - 5-UDFA - Does more work with route running than with athleticism. Very good hands but struggles a bit to turn hands over on low thrown balls. Similar to MSU WR Aaron Burbridge but without production (he'll have to fight a bunch of other guys for throws/runs with a worse QB than Burbridge had). Possession receiver. Very good blocker for position and strong runner after the catch. More lateral ability than people expect. Braden - 5-UDFA - huge player that moves bodies when he latches on. Understands pro blocking schemes and has shown improvement in his ability to pull. Not great athlete. Struggles to move laterally at times and late to redirect against blitz. Not great in open space. At times struggles to be low man in the trenches against shorter DTs. Thomas - 5-UDFA - Great athlete that is still raw. FS type. Not very polished in man coverage, struggles with footwork at times, but makes up for it with speed. Can get going in a hurry. Big body. Can be physical when needed. Needs to improve angles to ball both in pass and run game. Despite experience, still raw. Smith - 7-UDFA - a coaches player. High effort guy. Very strong through legs with low center of gravity. Good balance and very good blocker. Huge liability athletically. While he has solid hands, won't get separation naturally as route runner and won't do much in open field. Limited vision. Doesn't consistently get skinny in hole. Struggles to accelerate through LOS. Doesn't have break away speed. Won't be able to dominate physically with violence as much as pro. Limited upside but high character player. Will get invited to camp. Clark - 7-UDFA - great size makes him intriguing prospect. Converted safety. Not very fluid but makes up for it with size. Limited top end speed a concern, makes up for it with length in college but won't be able to in pros. Not great short area quickness. Will want to cover up on boundary. Not as physical as you'd hope with his size. Limited ability to move back to safety. Magnuson - UDFA - tweener. Not good enough laterally or strong enough to be NFL RT and not squatty or physical enough to be pro interior OL. Will be invited to camp. Kalis - UDFA - too many mental mistakes. Moves well, does great once latched on. Takes too deep of pills and struggles to identify targets. Gets too caught up with what's in front of him and fails to adjust to work to 2nd level threats. Camp invite. Stribling - UDFA - another long CB. Decent feet but not great. Needs to improve consistency with eyes. Gets caught with eyes I. Backfield too often and fails to find the ball. Not great athlete. That's 6 to 11 players drafted. 6 would be t-7 in this years draft. 11 would be 2nd.

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