Defjamz26

There doesn’t seem to be any reason as to why, but several prospects are no longer on the roster: IDK if it’s injuries or their agents getting into their heads. Just weird stuff.

I looked at it the opposite way. This guys was a legit 2 sport athlete. Idk how much everyone here knows about college hoops, but he was playing for Tom Izzo which is nothing to take lightly. To me it seems like he made a decision that wasn’t about what HE wanted, but what would help his family. Most of these guys who are the best in the league and in the HoF are the same way. They loved the game but dreamt of making it to the league so they could take care of their families. If anything, the fact that he’s doing this for someone else means he’s even more dedicated.

A Ballard built CB for sure I put this in another topic but turns out he is not actually 6’3” as it was listed. There were DK comps because of the size and projected speed. I also here he’s probably closer to the 4.5 range in the 40 yard dash. Really small hands too. He’s shorter than Brent’s and Jones but just as tall as Flowers. Arm length is good too. His real show will be at the combine though. Thats a good weight for him considering he’s going to play LB at the senior Bowl. As a big raw athlete with traits, he’s got Ballard written all over him Arms are shorter than you would like, but he’s LB1 IMO. Freaky athletic and good in space. Medicals are the question mark.

Figured we could start an official topic for this like we do for the combine. Everyone is welcome to contribute. So far we have the measurements slowly rolling in. Feel Free to post whatever but I’ll put ones of some notable prospects.

Also the Senior Bowl Measurements are saying Xavier Legette is actually 6’0” even. People were comparing him to DK partially because he was said to be like 6’3”. This is what happened with Rashee Rice last year. SMU had him listed at 6’2” and his tape showed him as this big contested catch/jump ball receiver who was super physical. Got to the Senior Bowl and was actually a shade over 6 ft.

Tez Walker is the exact same player as Alex Pierce. Same build, strengths (deep threat Z-receiver), and weaknesses (1 trick pony, no quickness). McConkey is basically a slightly bigger version of Downs. Slot receiver with great route running ability. Legette is going to need manufactured touches at the next level. He’s very unpolished (basically zero production at WR until this year) for a player at his age. While this WR is deep, a lot of these guys are good if you’re missing a specific type of receiver. But we have those type of guys on the roster already. If you want a shot at a true 1, the guys in our range that we would need to take a shot on would be guys like Mitchell, Coleman, or Thomas Jr. The thing with Mitchell is that he’s played on Georgia and Texas, and he’s cooked good corners at both stops. This past season he made Kool-Aid McKinstry look silly when they played Bama. He also gets into the end zone a good amount.

I like this draft a lot. Both Mitchell’s are players who are growing on me. A.D. has the size of Pittman, better speed, the contested catch ability, and the route running ability that can be better than Pitt with coaching. Quinyon Mitchell is a guy that is a perfect fit for this Bradley D since they’re keeping him around. What does Mitchell excel at? Playing 8-10 yards off the line and making plays. What are we always * at Bradley for doing? Playing the corners 8-10 yards off. But Mitchell can make plays on the ball from that alignment. I’m honestly Caine with Jaylin Jones as CB2 but this corner class is too good to not get one, and QM has a way higher ceiling. James Williams is a guy that screams late round Ballard pick. Big raw athlete with no clear position yet. I agree that he’s probably a safety LB/hybrid (Like Ronnie Harrison), but he should also be special teams demon early on. I know nothing about Anderson so I’ll take your word on it. Grover himself was a 4th round pick, so day 3 is a day you can find NT depth.

Man the more I watch the more I like A.D. Mitchell. Just too good and he has elite size

Going to a guy like Murphy would be a change in defensive philosophy. The Colts have valued big Interior defensive lineman like Buckner and Grover who can play in a lot of different alignments. If you go with a smaller guy, you’re asking him to be more of a pash rusher and penetrator. With Buckner his size and length also allows him to command double teams and free up other players. Tampa is my sleeper pick though because he’s a lot like JuJu Brent’s. Bishop is fine but I like some other safeties like Hicks and Brade personally. Also don’t know if you’ll get Allen that late. With all the returns to school, he’s likely RB1 by default.

I’ll say this. Even if we did end up drafting Bowers, I’d still take a receiver in the 2nd round. Even if you bring Pittman back. Create competition and make everyone work for targets. If you had an offense that had Bowers, A.D. Mitchell, Pittman, Downs, and Pierce, then the offense would have multiple options. Let the best man win at that point.

His tape is definitely good. Theres no denying that. But the same was said about Pitts. And that’s not to say Pitts still can’t be good, but he also played in the SEC and made defenses look silly. He put up 120 yards and a TD against Alabama in his final season in 2020. He also put a 100 up against Tennessee and Ole Miss. Not saying that its exactly the same situation, but there is a precedent here. I think TEs struggle transitioning to the league sometimes because of athletic limitations and skill set. They’re basically bigger but slower receivers, who run a limited route tree. Unless you have a truly elite skill set and elite athleticism, it’s hard to flourish. And again, you need a scheme that makes use of the TE like the old Patriots teams where Gronk and Hernandez gave people fits. I’ll have to watch more Browers tape. But I also wonder if he is that good, does he fit in a Steichen offense? I would think an elite WR1 would be more valued in a Steichen offense that wants to push the ball vertically with explosives.

Those top 4 teams are also like the only teams who have stud TEs. Most NFL offenses don’t run through the TE or feature them. Elite TE’s are rare to find. Kelce, Kittle, Andrews, Hockenson, and Engram are the top 5 guys In the league, with LaPorta having a shot to jump into that tier. You can probably name 10-12 elite receivers but only 5-6 elite TEs. I just am always on the side of caution with drafting TEs high in the 1st round because there have been some guys who were supposed to be generational talents or elite players at that position that didn’t pan out or underperformed. 1. Eric Ebron, 2. TJ Hockenson (not on original team that drafted him) 3. Kyle Pitts (You can blame QB play but still) 4. Noah Fant 5. OJ Howard 6. Hayden Hurst 7. Tyler Eifert 8. Heath Miller 9. Brandon Pettigrew 10. David Njoku The top 3 guys in the league were all drafted in rounds 3 or later.

I still think Odunze is arguably the best receiver in the class. The other receivers he played with were good, but Odunze had a better season than MHJ. He was unstoppable against every team they played. I also think Polk is better than McMilan.

This is an entire thread this guy did on Keon Coleman. Theres film breakdown where he addresses the notion that Coleman can’t separate. Also shows the nuance he already has in his release packages and routes. The comp he gives is Brandon Marshall and it’s the second time I’ve seen someone use that comp.

Him and just about every other notable prospect from OSU lol. I think only Marv, Cade, and Hall are coming out.

I’d put him in Tier 3. And it’s for a few reasons -5th year Senior who basically had zero production until this year. Was mostly a teams guy. 1 year wonder basically -The tier 2 guys show some signs of nuance in their games. I don’t see any with Legette. Mostly a speed guy with good size -Is he just Alec Pierce? Big fast guy, who can take the top of the defense, but not much else. Although he’s more physical than Pierce and can make contested catches. -His best games this past season didn’t come against the best team. He went over 100 yards against Jacksonville State, Furman, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, and Florida. He played Missouri who has two corners who might be top 100 picks and was held to 1 catch for 20 yards. Tennessee and Texas A&M also shut him down. -I also wonder if he’s 4.3 fast given the Metcalf comps. If he’s not in that elite speed range, then that drops him even more.

I’m coming onto AD Mitchell now too. Watched him a bit through the season. Now studying his tape, and I’dput him over the next tier of receivers. If you think about it, the next cluster of receivers all have question marks in key areas: Coleman- Long speed/separation Thomas: Route running/versatility Franklin: Thin frame/versatility AD does well in the areas where those guys are weak/questionable at -He’s faster than Coleman, although not as fast as Thomas and Franklin -He’s easily the best route runner out of the 3 as he’s shown advanced skills in that area -He’s bigger than Franklin who is listed at 6’3” 187. AD is listed at 200 lbs. Again, if Coleman tests well he’ll be my WR4, but AD is until the Combine. I think Brian Thomas and Franklin are more or less the same.

This is my first time hearing this story. I know in the past Ballard said Frank was shouting in excitement when they drafted Campbell, but I didnt know he was the driving force behind that pick. Thanks

Wilson is another one I like. Doesn’t play a premium position but he’s a premium player. We have a need for a LB with his coverage ability. As much as I love Zaire, he’s really limited athletically.

Id say Minshew was better than the version of Matt Ryan that we got. Limited? Yes, but still better. Wentz was worse than Rivers, but his issues hurt the team more than any specific skill player. If anything he got in trouble by forcing the ball to Pittman and staring him down too much. Agree with the thought, but I don’t think it’s the case for Pitt. I actually think Pitt and Minshew compliment each other well. Minshew isn’t a deep ball guy and likes to throw short and intermediate stuff. Those are also the routes that Pitt is best at. It’s no coincidence that Pitt’s best season statistically was with Minshew at the helm. Yes and no. Do I think he would be better? Yes. I just don’t think it would be significantly better to the point where you’d re-evaluate if he’s really a WR1. Yes with Prescott, he may be at 12.5-13 or so. But I still don’t think he’s going to generate a bunch of explosives, which is something we both agree on. Scheme plays a part as well. Steichen wants to push the ball down the field. With a fully healthy AR and a full season of JT, I actually think Pitt’s production actually goes down. Especially if we draft a 1st round receiver. The other thing for me is that stylistically, my comp for Pittman is his former college teammate, JuJu Smith-Schuster. I’d even say certain aspects of their game anre identical. Juju got the opportunity to play with the best QB in the game in Patrick Mahomes and what did he do? 933 yards, on 78 catches for a 12.0 YPR. On paper you’d say that’s good for a Receiver on the same team as Travis Kelce. And I’d say I agree. It’s great production. I think if we didn’t resign Pittman and he went to the Chiefs, that’s almost the exact stat line he would have. Heck even when JuJu had that 1,400 yard season in Pittsburgh he only averaged 12.8 YPR. I also just don’t think that’s how evaluation works in the NFL. I don’t think Ballard and company are in the office saying, “Listen some of the stats are pedestrian, but it’s just because of the QB play. Soon as Anthony gets going he’ll really light it up”. I think that more fan thinking than actual NFL GM thinking. We as fans are always going to look at things from an optimistic view. We want to believe all of our early round players are studs, so when someone maybe falls below our own expectations we are going to try and use every possible rationale to explain it.

No. If he’s having issues that have to do with character, I’ll pass. Not for pick 15. 2nd round pick absolutely. But if you trade for AJ Browm you’re also going to have to pay him so are you bringing Pitt back and having Brown? You’d be putting roughly $40 million of you cap space into two receivers.

My point is that his production had been more or less the same regardless of who has been at QB. His yards and YPR for his career have been 2020 (rookie season and missed a few games): 503 yds, and 12.6 YPR 2021: 1,082 yds and 12.3 YPR 2022: 925 yds and 9.3 YPR 2023: 1,152 yds and 10.6 yds He’s been in between 9-12 yards for his career. And what’s more is despite Minshew’s short comings, he had a career year for receptions, so he was the number 1 target on the team when they needed to pass. So he had more opportunities this year with better QB play, and only averaged 1.3 more yards. To me YPR is much more of an indicator of the receivers skill set than it is of the QB. Now I get the argument with Pierce because we all saw him streaking wide open several times and Minshew didn’t even see him or threw a bad ball, but I don’t think Minshew really inhibited Pitt at all. Plus Pierce still had a higher YPR. Josh Downs is at 11.3 with the same QB. The reason why I harp on that stat so much is because it shows that Pittman doesn’t typically generate a bunch of explosive plays. The top receivers in the league do. Pittman is probably more consistent and skilled than Pierce, but way less explosive. In this topic we are comparing him to other top receivers in the league and in terms of creating big plays based on YPR, he’s ranked 82nd. Thats just my view on the topic in this thread. He may be near the top in receptions, targets, and yards, but he’s near the bottom in YPR and TDs. To me Targets, yards, and receptions can be a misleading stats if not given context. Because 1,000 yards is the benchmark for WRs, we see that and think that means a receiver is a number 1. But once you factor in how many catches it took to get there, it gives better context. In summary, it’s not hard to 1,000 yards if you catch 10+ passes a game and get 20 yards. By comparison, If Nico Collins had caught 109 receptions like Pittman, he would have had roughly 1,766 yards. Pitt actually should have produced way more with the amount of receptions he had. Pitt is not an explosive player. I don’t think AR or any QB is going to change that. A full season of AR probably means more production for Pierce if anything.

#82 in yards per reception is the one that sticks out. The other is #5 in receptions. If you look at Nico Collins who is listed two spots above him, he has more yards with a higher YPR on 29 less catches. 29!!! It’s easy to blame QB play, but Pittman is 5th in receptions which means the QB got the ball to him. 109 times to be exact. i think there’s more than enough evidence to say Pittman is just not an explosive playmaker. A career 10.8 YPR proves that. I’ve never gotten the QB argument. 1,000 with Wentz, 900 with Ryan, and 1,000 with Minshew. They are throwing him the ball. I also can’t think of too many receivers (especially true WR1’s) who had pedestrian stats with a bad QB and then just had an incredible break out with a better QB. Steve Smith had 5 1,000+ yard seasons before Cam ever got to Carolina, and had high YPR in most of them. Pittman is good but not great. I think the argument that QB play has held him back in his career is a reach by fans. I don’t think his stats would have looked any different if AR started the whole season. If anything Pierce and Downs might have had better seasons.

Rainman was a great pick by Ballard. Shows his ability to find starters at different points in the draft. He also drafted AR last year. Brent’s looks like he will be good too, so WR and a true 10+ sack a year edge player are the last premium positions he needs to nail. I think Ballard will be the Colts GM for a long time. Aside from the disaster that was the 2019 draft class, he’s had at least 1 hit in every draft 2017- Grover Stewart 2018- Nelson, Leonard, and Smith *2019- Okereke and EJ Speed 2020-JT and Pittman 2021- Fries? Kwity and Dayo show promise 2022- Rainman 2023- Jury still out but good return on Downs and Jones. Promise shown by AR and Brent’s.

Coleman may have more upside to also be able to play vertically. It will depend on how he tests. Pittman just isn’t a vertical guy. Speed aside, Coleman has better ball skills and can win the 50-50 ball. He’s similar to Mike Williams in that regard.