Superman

This is it, and that's how I saw Ballard's pushback -- he's always going to be small. So what do you do with that? Whether they were talking about Worthy or someone else, I don't think Ballard's point was that he needs to put on 10-12 pounds and he won't be able to. I think the point was you can't count on that, so judge his body as it is now. As for Worthy, he's not much smaller than Josh Downs. At a certain point, small is small. If you draft a guy like that, you need to be comfortable with his size, not betting that he's going to get bigger.

I don't think it was a troll job at all. Chris Ballard isn't producing or editing these videos. I'm sure he has some final say over them before they get published, but I doubt it was his call to end the video that way. I think he was making a sincere comment about a player during a discussion in the draft room. And for all we know it was weeks ago, and it's probably a stretch to connect it to anything he said in his presser the other day. Why it's interesting to me is that it makes me think maybe there's a player that the Colts would love to draft at #15, and rather than trading down, they'd take him if he's still there. I also don't think Ballard plays games with his pressers or other commentary. He was in a mood the other day, and toyed with the press room a little bit, but that was obvious. I think his comments about being open to trade back + having 19-21 first round grades was a signal to everyone that he's open to making a deal, but then again, he said he talks to GMs around the league anyway so there's no need to sneak in a reference. Ultimately, I think he's careful about what he says, but he's also not trying to mislead anyone. I think when he tells us what he wants to do and what's important to him, he means it, and it's generally what he winds up doing.

The 'I think there's a shot he's there at #15' comment? Yeah, you could be right. And in light of Ballard's 'we're gonna trade back' comment, that's interesting to me.

From the tone, it sounds like someone just hyping themselves up.

Maybe that's it for me. There's a pop on screen with the other guys, and I don't see it in the downfield stuff with Mitchell. That's possible, you've likely watched Worthy more than I have at this point. But some of the things I still value from a technical standpoint include being strong at the catch point, and stacking the defender when the ball is in the air, and I don't see that from him. I forgot to mention earlier, Steichen has definitely adopted the motion stuff into his offense, and that would be absolutely necessary for Worthy.

I get it. But that's basically saying 'I've stuck to my principles all this time, now I want to be reckless just this once.' That's fine, when it's acknowledged. But it's all about falling in love with one prospect. And since he's not a QB, the risk is not justified. I guess you're right, their testing and size are basically the same. But BTJ has all the explosive highlights, and Mitchell played with Quinn Ewers. That's it. He's an extreme outlier, but at least he has a physical trait to make up for it. Bryce Young's compensating trait was supposed to be his processing, but it's not a physical trait, and it's still a projection. At least with Worthy we know he can run fast. There's just one size comp, and he just got $25m/year, so it can work. And just like with Mitchell, his QB was a problem. You've projected him into Steichen's scheme, and I can't argue with your viewpoint there. I just don't see the proficiency from him, and while I'm adjusting my preferences with WRs, I still like to see some technical stuff.

Some places have him at #29, others have him at #79. I definitely feel like his stock is higher now than it was a month ago when I did this mock. Right now, the same simulator has him going early in the second round.

They wouldn't even agree to pay his full salary.

Would you do the same for Nabers? For me, it's just against my religion, so to speak. I'm really leaning hard into this belief that falling in love with a so-called generational prospect is the best way to misappropriate draft capital. It's hard for me to value an unproven player at that level, and it's hard to justify the risk when it's not a QB. I'd love to have MHJ, but that's a lot of value... If you want to give up a third or fourth rounder to move up 3-4 spots in the first, have at it. Moving that kind of capital for one guy goes against all the principles of good drafting. And none of that really matters if you're right. On Mitchell, check out what I linked the other day. You might have seen it already, he has diabetes, and that probably contributes to his moodiness. Not trying to excuse it, but it might be something that's manageable, as opposed to him just being a jerk. Teams definitely have to work through that. Mitchell is more of a five-tool prospect, where BTJ has more high end explosive traits, but not as well rounded. I like them both. BTJ is more of a mid first rounder, and Mitchell probably in the 20s (maybe later, depending on how teams see the character stuff). I like your tiers. I'm not a big fan of Worthy, I just can't get there with him. I thought you had him closer to BTJ/Mitchell. Same for Polk, I wanted to like him, but he's inconsistent catching the ball, and it seems like he can be erased from the gameplan by a bad matchup, so I see him as more of a slot. There are other guys that are slot prospects, and don't scratch the itch for a good outside/deep threat WR.

If the Broncos pass on drafting a QB because they have Zach Wilson... yikes. I don't think that influences their draft plans. I hope not.

How does that connect with Bowers?

Third option is just stay at #15 and take a WR there. Which is probably what I would do. By the way, where did you wind up on AD Mitchell? How do you stack him, Worthy, and BTJ?

Weird, I see what you see now. Maybe I was seeing a cached version earlier. I really like Thomas, so I'd like it. But now that I'm seeing it in mocks, it's obvious it won't happen.

Between that and the tackling, I eliminated him from consideration by the Colts a long time ago. Was just thinking whether BBZ sees him as the kind of guy who can fill the role he wants.

The Ringer mock I see has the Colts taking Dallas Turner at #15, and BTJ goes to the Jags at #17. Makes a lot of sense for the Jags by the way, they are likely targeting a WR.

I watched his games. I don't see him having that kind of speed. JMO.

It's probably an overpay for JJ, compared to what the Dolphins gave up for Tyreek Hill, but not by a lot. I don't think your proposal above is enough... But my point is that if we're going to overpay for a WR, let's get a proven guy.

I don't know... It's a late round pick swap, and the Jets are paying part of his salary.

I see DeJean differently. He could survive in our zone, I guess. But I was previously talking about boundary corners who have the speed to keep up with dynamic downfield receivers in the NFL. You say DeJean has good speed; do you think he has that kind of speed?? Where I think he'd be best in our defense is SS/nickel, and because I view him that way, I think the value on him is in Day 2. JMO. I know a lot of people like him way more than I do.

Not trying to derail your hypothetical, but when healthy, JJ averages 1,600 yards, 8 TDs, 15 yards/catch. MHJ is an unknown. We can project what we think he'll do, but no one is bust-proof. So while I'd cover my eyes and push the button on a big trade for a proven NFL performer, I couldn't bring myself to give up that kind of haul to draft a rookie WR, not knowing how often WRs bust. That includes the difference in player salary. Just sticking to your parameters, I can't do it. We know Ballard would never do it. If Ballard's body was suddenly taken over by an alien being and he made this trade, I'd shake my head at the cost/risk, and root for the player to be a huge success.

I would voice my disagreement clearly, and then hope the player we get turns into a multiple All Pro. I'd rather send those picks to the Vikings for Justin Jefferson, and even then I'd be wincing at the cost. But that's a better way to get your game changing playmaker.

I would not. This isn't even a hard decision for me. I'd only give up that kind of haul for a high level QB prospect that checks all of my boxes.

No doubt he's thin, and not a great tackler. The question is whether his speed and playmaking ability makes up for his deficient size/tackling. If you want a boundary corner who can run stride for stride with big time receivers, he's up there on the list. I don't think I'd draft him in the first round, though. Mitchell is good. I see DeJean as a safety/nickel, not a boundary corner, especially not one who can run with the best receivers.

Anything can happen, but I feel like Leggette is a Day 2 guy.