stitches

I just want to point out that Ballard again told us the truth in his pre-draft presser. His answer to the question of whether he has changed anything in his draft philosophy, pretty much explains the Latu pick in view of him being a bit of a departure from what he's usually done (i.e. super high level athleticism, some projection of what the player can be vs what he is now) "of course you look for unique talent, unique traits, ...character... but then also... on the flip side of that making sure that we are drafting not only the unique traits but also some substance with the tape"... So yeah, I think this answer a very good explanation of that pick... "substance with the tape". Not that Latu is not athletic. He is, but his athleticism is not his selling point. The selling point is the substance - the technical refinement, the tape, the production. With that said... I wonder if we will continue to see that on day 2 and day 3? Can we see one of the Ballard's lowest RAS drafts?

Corley has played almost 90% of his snaps out of the slot. I kind of doubt we go for him after the season Downs had.

Hard to tell. IMO it's close, but I really do think we need to give AR more help, so if it's close... go with WR.

So who are we picking today?

Yeah, it's possible it gets depleted and it seems like we are in the middle of a run right now... but keep in mind that projections are that there might be about 17-20 WRs taken in the first 3 rounds. The position is truly deep in this class! I think we will get a good prospect either way. True... it won't be one of the top tier guys(most likely, unless AD drops?), but still.

This is not who I would pick but rather who I expect the Colts to be interested in from the remaining players: - Cooper DeJean - AD Mitchell - Troy Franklin - Kool-Aid McKinstry - Edgerrin Cooper - Jaden Hicks - Jackson Powers-Johnson (!!!) - Ennis Rakestraw Jr - TJ Tampa

Wilson IMO is too much like Downs. Not sure we would want to pick another predominantly slot player. IMO the players that make the most sense at WR are - AD Mitchell, Ladd(he again plays a bit of slot, but he's also a bit more versatile, he's played about 75% of his snaps in other alignments), Troy Franklin - he can be a Z for us... Jermaine Burton?!? if he's cleared character-wise?? I like Malik Washington but he's predominantly slot too so not sure he's a fit here. BTW... this guy is projected as a day 3 pick... but because of the general lack of that type of player after Troy Franklin(fast Z) I can see him being pushed up... maybe get drafted mid-late R3 - he's like budget version of Xavier Worthy- Anthony Gould. Maybe DeVontez Walker? Although he had such a bad Senior Bowl, I'd be surprised if Ballard goes for him.

While having 6 QBs go in the first 12 picks pushed some talent towards us... it probably also contributed to it being extremely hard for Ballard to trade up. It's just way too hard to make teams move away from QBs or to outbid teams who are bidding for their QB. I think 5 was probably our best chance for trade up... Arizona reportedly completely shut down any offers - they just wanted MHJ and they took him. 5 was probably our best chance, but it probably was way too steep of a price. Giants probably didn't want to move from Nabers, division rival Titans not great trade partner, Atlanta... wanted a freaking QB for some reason?!?!? Then Bears got their dream player drop to them and IMO that was probably the last chance we had.

Greg Cosell's scouting report on Latu: STRENGTHS: - Outstanding length and frame for an edge rusher with natural twitch and suddenness to his movement. Explosive. - Phenomenal quickness off the ball as pass rusher both outside and inside. Beats offensive linemen with sudden lateral twitch. - Uses featured club arm-over move as wide-9 rusher to beat offensive tackles inside. Has balance to change direction and redirect. - Flashes effective inside spin move off initial high side challenge. Has excellent balance, body control and burst. - Does a good job as an edge pass rusher initiating and playing off contact with effective hand usage. Has multiple moves. - Subtle hand usage is a foundation of his edge rush, along with lateral quickness to change direction and redirect. - Uses quick, violent hands to break down offensive tackle technique then play off contact to win on the high side with burst to the quarterback. - Body flexibility as an edge pass rusher allows him to bend the arc then flatten his rush path and close with speed to the quarterback. - In 2023, always seemed to have a plan as an edge pass rusher, which was evident in the way in which he used his hands. - Is a twitchy, sudden mover with both feet and hands and showed explosive power in his hands to displace offensive linemen. - Effective inside at defensive tackle in sub-fronts working against an offensive guard. Showed ability to win with both quickness and strength. - Has active hands in run game to defeat blocks with both quickness and power, staying on-balance to make plays. - Arm extension in the run game both controls the offensive line and keep his feet clean to defeat blocks and make plays. - Plays with heavy hands to jar and control offensive linemen off the snap. Created movement at line of scrimmage. Has a strong feel to his game. WEAKNESSES: - There were run game snaps where he could have played stronger taking on and displacing blocks — he got locked on. - It’s not truly a weakness, but the medicals will be closely evaluated. (He was medically retired at Washington.) BOTTOM LINE: "Latu is one of the best overall prospects in the 2024 draft class. You could easily make the argument that he's the best edge pass-rush prospect in the class. He possesses excellent size and length to play on the edge, and his pass-rush-traits profile is high level for a college player. He has a desirable combination of athleticism, explosiveness and advanced/refined hand usage with multiple moves in his arsenal."

Dane Brugler's profile on Latu in his draft guide: 3. LAIATU LATU | UCLA 6046 | 259 lbs. | 5SR Sacramento, Calif. (Jesuit) 12/31/2000 (age 23.32) #15 BACKGROUND: Laiatu (lay-AH-too) Latu (LAH-too), the oldest of four children (two boys and two girls), grew up in Sacramento. He was a do-everything athlete throughout childhood, playing baseball, basketball, football, soccer and rugby. Latu enrolled at Jesuit High School, a privat e Catholic school in the Sacramento suburb of Carmichael and played on the JV team as a 150-pound freshman. After adding weight and moving up to varsity as a sophomore, he flourished as a pass-rushing linebacker in the team’s 3-4 scheme. As a junior, Latu posted 65 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 12 sacks, leading the program to 10 wins and earning first team AllMetro honors. As a seniorin 2018, he recorded 94 tackles and 29.5 tackles for loss to earn first team All-State and All-League. Latu finished his varsity career with 178 tackles, 50.5 tackles for loss and 27 sacks, adding 356 receiving yards as a tight end and 476 punting yards on special teams. Latu also lettered in rugby (his main love) and led the program to national championships in 2017 and 2019. He considered playing professional rugby overseas after high school. A four-star recruit, Latu was the No. 6 weakside defensive end in the 2019 recruiting class and the No. 20 recruit in California (No. 3 pass rusher in the state behind 2022 draft picks Kayvon Thibodeaux and Drake Jackson). He started getting noticed as a recruit during his junior year and picked up his first offer (Oregon State). Latu later added offers from Alabama, Notre Dame and Tennessee, but he wanted to stay on the West Coast. He had a final five of Ca l, Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington and signed with the Huskies in December 2018. Latu was the No. 3 recruit in Washington’s 2019 class behind Puka Nacua and Trent McDuffie. After playing a reserve role as a true freshman, he suffered a serious neck injury during practice before the 2020 season and was forced to medically retire in the spring of 2021. He stayed close to the Huskies program as a student assistant during the 2021 season, and a year after his injury, he saw a specialist (the same doctor who performed Peyton Manning’s neck surgery) and was medically cleared. He played rugby during his rehab and was offered a contract by the professional Seattle Seawolves rugby team, but he didn’t want to give up on his football dream. Looking for a fresh start, he entered the transfer portal in November 2021. Ikaika Malloe, whom Latu considers a “father figu re,” was his position coach at Washington and left for the UCLA coaching staff in December 2021. Malloe recommended Latu to coach Chip Kelly,and Latu joined the Bruins in January 2022. In April 2022, Latu was officially cleared and put the pads back on that summer for the first time in almost two years. His younger brother (Keleki) played tight end at California (2021-22) before transferring to Nevada for the 2023 season. Latu opted out of the 2023 bowl game and accepted his invitation to the 2024 Senior Bowl. STRENGTHS: Crafty, punctual pass rusher … owns a master’s degree in cross-chop maneuvers (his go-to move is a Euro chop) … fast, strong hands for effective armovers, ghost moves and quick sheds … bursts off the snap with body flexibility to corner at the top of rush … hits the turbo button after clearing the outside shoulder ofthe blocker … uses a filthy jab step to shorten the edge and displays an innate feel for creating rush angles … plays with a ton of energy and feet are never stagnant … stays balanced through contact and is accustomed to seeing extra attention … quick eyes/reads lead to line-of-scrimmage stops in the run game … always rallying to the football and pursing to the perimeter … rugby (his favorite sport) developed his toughness and aggression on the football field (turned down a professional rugby career in the Premiership in England) … flagged only once in 2023 (offsides) … heads-up player when zone dropping to find passing lanes … notched two interceptions in 2023, and NFL scouts say UCLA coaches believe he would have been their best tight end had they played him on offense … didn’t miss a game the past two seasons after his medical retirement in 2021 … highly determined and doesn’t waste an ounce of talent (Chip Kelly: “He works really hard at his craft.”) … productive college resume and led the team in sacks, tackles for loss and pressures in both of seasons at UCLA. WEAKNESSES: Below-average arm length by NFL standards … tends to play tall versus the run and needs to be more consistent controlling the point of attack … must better anticipate outside design to contain runs to his side … more of a hug-and-drag tackler and needs toclean up his misses (had at least one missed tackle in every 2023 tape studied) … injury history will be scrutinized by NFL teams after two-and-a-half years away from football — suffered a neck injury in practice (November 2020) that created numbness and required surgery; after consulting several specialists, Latu was forced to medically retire i n the spring of 2021, but he kept his dreams alive and transferred to UCLA (January 2022), where he was cleared before the 2022 season … started only one season in college (although he played starterlevel snaps in 2022). SUMMARY: A one-year starter at UCLA, Latu was an outside edge rusher in former defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn’s scheme, splitting his time standing up and rushing with his hand on the ground (was also schemed inside at times). Medically rejected at Washington, he was cleared by doctors after transferring to UCLA and was extremely productive over the past two seasons,with 129 total pressures in 25 games. After leading the FBS in tackles for loss in 2023, the consensus AllAmerican cleaned up on the awards circuit as a senior, taking home the Morris Trophy (best DL in Pac-12), Ted Hendricks Award (top DE in FBS) and Lombardi Award (top OL/DL in FBS). For pass rushers, there is a saying: “Beat the hands, beat the man.” Latu lives by this principle with the cohesive way he weaponizes his hands and feet to defeat blocks (led the FBS with a 24.6 percent passrush win percentage in 2023). As a run defender, his lack of ideal length and pop will show at times, but he made significant improvements with his read/react in this area as a senior. Overall, Latu’s medical history will play a major part in his draft grade, but he is a passrush technician with the instinctive feel and athletic bend to be an impactful “two-way go” rusher in the NFL. His play style and journey are reminiscent of Miami Dolphins 2021 first-rounder Jaelan Phillips. GRADE: 1st-2nd Round (No. 22 overall)

My bump up... from exactly a month ago.

BTW was reading somewhere that the 49ers are looking to trade Deebo rather than Aiyuk. This is interesting... is it possible Ballard trades for him?

That is true, too... We are in a run of WRs right now too... No idea where it stops and who is left when we pick. But in general the class is really deep with WRs. I think even in R3 you are probably going to get good players.

That's actually not true. WR in R2 and R3 is actually the best value. PFF had a stat for drafts after 2015 and the drop off in R2 and R3 producing starters was the smallest at WR than in any other position. It was something like: WR: R1: 60% R2 and R3: 50% In comparison for EDGE the stats were something along the lines of: R1:60% R2:25% So ... purely analytically, the Colts did the right thing if you believe in the player you took... which I personally love Latu so no objections on my end. And usually day 2 is golden for WRs compared to other position.

Got that one right. Nope. Nope. 6 in top 12!!! WOW! Yep! So I'm 50-50 on my bold predictions

AD Mitchell? He won't last long IMO.

Legette gone too ... run on WRs is on...

WOW! Another one I wanted... also... Ayiuk possibly gone?

Yeah, there is never a guarantee that a prospect will transition successfully to the league, but he has more than just speed. IMO the biggest questions with him are about his size and whether he can hold up health-wise.

Dammit... I wanted him for us...

Thanks for the information. Very valuable input...

Lets hope he does well and lets hope he holds up health-wise.

Latu is the best technician since... Bosa probably? But I agree.. technique isn't everything.

@NFLfan and @VikingsFanInChennai Congrats on getting your Hunter successor. That's who I thought he compared to pre-draft.

Love Latu. He's the best defensive in this draft IMO. He has moves on moves on moves! I swear if you combine the best moves of the best 5 EDGE rushers in this class, Latu has them all in one body and at better level than any of them. He doesn't look like an elite athlete on film, but he tested like a great athlete in pretty much any aspect of the game - speed, agility... he's lacking a bit of explosiveness, but you can work on that. He also tested as an elite athlete in PFF's in-game athleticism score(GAS) - measured better than the Verses and the Turners of the world - 98th percentile in 2022 and 99.5th percentil in 2023. He also has super high production. His production is at the level of the best of the best EDGE rushers taken in the draft in recent years. Tons of sacks, tons of pressures, tons of TFLs! He has it all - athleticism and size, refined technical arsenal of moves, and tons of production. IMO without the injury concern he probably goes top 5 in most drafts. I wished we would get a weapon for AR... but Latu IMO is a great pick and will help our pass-rush.