After a almost a week to ponder the draft: Thoughts, Grades, and Poll

[EastStreet]

3 minutes ago, Nickster said:

 

I can't tell if we'd like each other or not in real life.  I think maybe.

[throwing BBZ]

 

 FB players drafted in All rounds fill rosters, and make plays.
I have confidence that CB has a great plan for evaluating all aspects of players, including character, physical, and intellectual capacity.
 You grind it out, set your board, and prepare for anything on draft day.
 He says he believes there are good football players available in every round.
 That said, he picked guys on his board that he believes were worth drafting, and not wanting to risk their availability as UDFA.
 So i give our draft an AAA. And like Always, judge it in 3 years.
  Hines was turning into a high quality, all-around contributor come playoff time. Worth some real $$$.
 I want Pascal signed long term, he is really solid. His best FB is ahead.
Grover wasn't much for a couple seasons, now he is a rock.
 There are a number of very young players that have this type of potential.
  Championship teams have Many very talented players with 3-7 years of experience. Ballard is building this type of roster, and we should be peaking with this type of roster by 2022ish. The type of TEAM that could hammer on the door for a number of seasons in a Row. 

 

[Mitch Connors]

12 hours ago, superrep1967 said:

I don't give grades yet ask me in two years and then I'll give a grade.  Ask me on May, 6th 2023

 

10 hours ago, cdgacoltsfan said:

I never understood draft grades. It's like giving a student a grade..then having them take the test afterwards.

Equally perplexing to me is why you'd;

 1. open a thread about draft grades and thoughts if you dont care about draft grades and thoughts

 2. comment on a thread about something you said you dont care about only to tell us you dont care about it

 

[EastStreet]

1 hour ago, Mitch Connors said:

 

Equally perplexing to me is why you'd;

 1. open a thread about draft grades and thoughts if you dont care about draft grades and thoughts

 2. comment on a thread about something you said you dont care about only to tell us you dont care about it

 

Like atheists hanging out a church, right? lol 

[JoeThornburg]

15 hours ago, Mackrel829 said:

The Paye pick makes a lot of sense but the Dayo pick surprised me. I wanted a left tackle and thought that there were a couple of guys who would have made a lot of sense.

 

Ballard and co know way more about those players than I do, however, so I'll continue to trust their judgement until they demonstrate that I shouldn't. 

 

I'd rather have two good pass rushers than one good pass rusher and one bad left tackle.

Yes. I was also a little iffy on the Dayo pick at first as well, but getting a shot at two first round talents at EDGE in one draft is unheard of.

[compuls1v3]

1 hour ago, throwing BBZ said:

 

 FB players drafted in All rounds fill rosters, and make plays.
I have confidence that CB has a great plan for evaluating all aspects of players, including character, physical, and intellectual capacity.
 You grind it out, set your board, and prepare for anything on draft day.
 He says he believes there are good football players available in every round.
 That said, he picked guys on his board that he believes were worth drafting, and not wanting to risk their availability as UDFA.
 So i give our draft an AAA. And like Always, judge it in 3 years.
  Hines was turning into a high quality, all-around contributor come playoff time. Worth some real $$$.
 I want Pascal signed long term, he is really solid. His best FB is ahead.
Grover wasn't much for a couple seasons, now he is a rock.
 There are a number of very young players that have this type of potential.
  Championship teams have Many very talented players with 3-7 years of experience. Ballard is building this type of roster, and we should be peaking with this type of roster by 2022ish. The type of TEAM that could hammer on the door for a number of seasons in a Row. 

 

I drafted all A's as well.  Between the DE's, Wentz, and our TE, I feel they can all contribute in a big way.  I'm also interested in our safety, the one with a chip on his shoulder.  Again, only time will tell, but this is how I feel.

[cdgacoltsfan]

2 hours ago, Mitch Connors said:

 

Equally perplexing to me is why you'd;

 1. open a thread about draft grades and thoughts if you dont care about draft grades and thoughts

 2. comment on a thread about something you said you dont care about only to tell us you dont care about it

 

Reading comprehension is certainly not your forte so, in the future, I'll type slower so as not to confuse you.

Where did I say I don't care about draft grades?

 

 

 

[coltsfanmurf]

I went A, C, D

[shasta519]

1 hour ago, coltsfanmurf said:

I went A, C, D

What do you think of Davis?

 

Please say “C”.

[Nickster]

5 hours ago, EastStreet said:

[EastStreet]

2 hours ago, Nickster said:

7 hours ago, EastStreet said:

Expand  

[2006Coltsbestever]

7 hours ago, throwing BBZ said:

 

 FB players drafted in All rounds fill rosters, and make plays.
I have confidence that CB has a great plan for evaluating all aspects of players, including character, physical, and intellectual capacity.
 You grind it out, set your board, and prepare for anything on draft day.
 He says he believes there are good football players available in every round.
 That said, he picked guys on his board that he believes were worth drafting, and not wanting to risk their availability as UDFA.
 So i give our draft an AAA. And like Always, judge it in 3 years.
  Hines was turning into a high quality, all-around contributor come playoff time. Worth some real $$$.
 I want Pascal signed long term, he is really solid. His best FB is ahead.
Grover wasn't much for a couple seasons, now he is a rock.
 There are a number of very young players that have this type of potential.
  Championship teams have Many very talented players with 3-7 years of experience. Ballard is building this type of roster, and we should be peaking with this type of roster by 2022ish. The type of TEAM that could hammer on the door for a number of seasons in a Row. 

 

I went ACC but I still gave you a LIKE because I am a nice guy  .

 

Your post is pretty good actually.

[craigerb]

17 hours ago, Archer said:

If you only keep two QBs, it’s a must to have one on the PS, anyway.

 

 

Noooooooooooo. It's a must to suit both QBs up every week.

[Archer]

16 hours ago, craigerb said:

Noooooooooooo. It's a must to suit both QBs up every week.

You misunderstand me.  I meant that if you keep two rather than three QBs on the active roster, it’s imperative to also keel a third QB on the PS.  

[Superman]

3 minutes ago, Archer said:

You misunderstand me.  I meant that if you keep two rather than three QBs on the active roster, it’s imperative to also keel a third QB on the PS.  

 

We've had three QBs on the active roster most of the last two seasons. JB, Hoyer, Kelly. Then Rivers, JB, Eason, although 2020 was a different kind of year.

 

I don't think they have an issue carrying three QBs.

[EastStreet]

16 hours ago, Archer said:

You misunderstand me.  I meant that if you keep two rather than three QBs on the active roster, it’s imperative to also keel a third QB on the PS.  

Just fyi. Last year when some debated this, I looked at all 32 rosters. Half the teams in the league carried 2, half carried 3. 

 

I prefer to keep only 2, but wouldn't lose sleep if we carried 3. Carrying a guy like Elhinger would be pretty silly to me as a 3rd QB. Personally, if Eason isn't cutting it, or needs more time, cut him or drop him to PS and add a guy like Hoyer on the cheap as QB2. If Eason isn't cutting it, no need to keep both him and SE. I can understand keeping Eason on the 53 last year if we feared he might get poached, but we've had ample time to kick his tires at this point, and will have another camp and hopefully a little preseason. 

[C_Lew]

3 hours ago, EastStreet said:

Just fyi. Last year when some debated this, I looked at all 32 rosters. Half the teams in the league carried 2, half carried 3. 

 

I prefer to keep only 2, but wouldn't lose sleep if we carried 3. Carrying a guy like Elhinger would be pretty silly to me as a 3rd QB. Personally, if Eason isn't cutting it, or needs more time, cut him or drop him to PS and add a guy like Hoyer on the cheap as QB2. If Eason isn't cutting it, no need to keep both him and SE. I can understand keeping Eason on the 53 last year if we feared he might get poached, but we've had ample time to kick his tires at this point, and will have another camp and hopefully a little preseason. 

What if they choose to use Ehlinger in those 3rd/4th and short packages they used Brissett in last year? I know Wentz himself is capable of those type of plays, but for injury concern reasons, it would make sense to still use someone other than the starting QB in those situations. Ehlinger, while not a superb athlete, is certainly athletic enough. He’s also a very powerful runner. Very, very strong for a QB.

[EastStreet]

34 minutes ago, C_Lew said:

What if they choose to use Ehlinger in those 3rd/4th and short packages they used Brissett in last year? I know Wentz himself is capable of those type of plays, but for injury concern reasons, it would make sense to still use someone other than the starting QB in those situations. Ehlinger, while not a superb athlete, is certainly athletic enough. He’s also a very powerful runner. Very, very strong for a QB.

Just my opinion, but I don't think we're near as needy as we were last year with Rivers, who couldn't run goal line or sneaks.

 

I like Wentz's size profile better than SE's for that type of stuff. His AVG rushing his senior year was better than SE's (3.3 vs 4.7).

 

Not saying SE couldn't be effective doing so, but so is Wentz. I wouldn't carry a guy on the 53 for just that. If you're just concerned with injury to Wentz, then just go wildcat with Taylor. Or heck, Deon Jackson, if he makes the roster, can also throw lol. 

[NFLfan]

On 5/5/2021 at 11:46 PM, EastStreet said:

After doing a little research and letting things settle in for almost a week since Day 1..........

 

• Day 1 Overall Grade: A
  • Pick: Edge Kwity Paye 1-21
    • My thoughts that night: Great pick. A little surprised he dropped to 21, but stoked he did. Aside from checking all the boxes in terms of potential, he's a walk off grand slam in terms of "story" and character. Only thing I didn't like is that he was Michigan product lol, but he's all Blue now. 
    • My thoughts now: Unchanged.
    • 2021 Impact: Will be at minimum early contributor 1-2 downs
    • Long term impact:  Likely to develop into a 3 down guy by year 2 if not earlier. Has the size and speed to be a really well rounded pass and run defender.
    • Financial impact: Fantastic impact to the cap with 4-5 years of value while on his rook contract. That's huge at the DE position if he turns into the guy most think he is.
    • What EastStreet would have done at 21: The exact same thing
    • What made me chuckle: Ojulari dropping to 50 after some of the board talk.

 

• Day 2 Overall Grade: C
  • Pick: DE Dayo Odeyingbo 2-54
    • My thoughts that night: Surprised we took a second DE. Surprised we didn't try to grab a OT. I really "liked" Dayo pre-draft. While a lot of other folks liked Boogie Basham in the 2nd, Dayo was one of my favorite targets. That said, I preferred other Day 2/second round guys simply because of the injury timing, and the fact he likely won't contribute much if at all in 2021. Overall, I like him as a long term prospect, but I don't like him as a Colts second round pick in 2021.
    • My thoughts now: Unchanged. Likely won't change until we're into the 2022 season and we see what have. He's a raw guy, that really shouldn't be so raw after being a 3 year starter. The good news is he won't be pressed into action early, and should have a year to work on technique. Bad news is he's likely not a factor in 2021, and that's just not good for a 2nd round pick. Had he been healthy, the grade would have been B, maybe B+. I did not let the fact we didn't get an OT impact my grading. My gut says it will be year 3 before we see production worthy of a 2nd rounder, but I love his ceiling/potential. A much much better pick than Banogu in the 2nd last year in terms of risk. I could see him being a versatile guy. Not necessarily as tweener-ish as Autry or Lewis, but still someone you can move around and could be a terror on the interior in passing downs. 
    • 2021 Impact: Little to none
    • Long term impact: High ceiling dice roll with injury and layoff concerns...., but my gut says he'll be good in year 3.
    • Financial impact: Not harmful, but not helpful earlier. If he doesn't produce well until year 3, we'll have missed out on half the benefit of his rook contract.
    • What EastStreet would have done at 54: After Little was picked at 45, I started hoping Ballard would trade up a few to get Cosmi or Radunz. After JOK didn't get picked in the first 10 picks of the 2nd, I also was halfway hoping we move up to get him. Still surprised he dropped to 2-20. Once 54 came, I would have taken WR Terrace Marshall Jr., DE Payton Turner, or OTs Spencer Brown or a short list of others.
    • What made me chuckle: Colts passing on a TE that was still there after a lot of the talk on the board. 

 

• Day 3 Grade Overall Grade: C 
  • Pick: TE Kylen Granson 4-127
    • Pick Grade: C+
    • My thoughts that night: Not shocked, but thought he would have been there in the 5th or 6th. He's one of the guys I liked for late rounds as a pure move TE, but too small that early.
    • My thoughts now: Not much change. Still a bit of a reach IMO. He's somewhat of a Burton clone, that likely doesn't block as well. I thought Reich featured Burton too much last year out of the slot, but also thought it was because we were lacking Campbell. Hoping Campbell stays healthy this year, and hope Granson doesn't steal snaps from either Campbell or MAC.
    • Impact - Overall, low to medium. I think he'll be a 3rd TE option. He's really not a prototypical TE, and will play in that fuzzy space between TE, HB, and slot. Not a big fan of the hybrid position if it's going to steal snaps from true TE or true slot.
    • What EastStreet would have done at 127: Once the pick came, definitely OT Jaylon Moore. If he can't cut it at OT, he'll be a capable OG. At worst, he'll be high end flex backup. If Josh Ball's character issue checked out, would have taken him as well. 
  • Pick : SAF Shawn Davis 5-165
    • Pick Grade: B-
    • My thoughts that night: Huh? You take a SAF and didn't move up a few spots to grab Jamar Jackson, who was graded my to be a top 3 safety in the draft. I even though about Jackson at 127.
    • My thoughts now: Warming up. Davis does offer some potential. Good flex option that should come in and compete with Willis early on. Our scheme doesn't ask much of Willis or SSs in general, so early PT isn't out of the question. Davis has range in the 2 deep sets as well. After watching film and reading reviews, he's more gifted physically and a better hitter, but less instinctual perhaps than Willis. He's likely better deep, but not as good underneath as Blackmon.
    • Impact - If he picks up the scheme, could compete early with Willis at SS1, or as FS2 with Odum or even FS1 duties on 3rd and longs.
    • What EastStreet would have done at 165: No brainer OT/OG Trey Smith. If you want a SAF... move up a few spots (give up a 6th or 7th) and get Jamar Jackson, or stay and take Christian Uphoff. I also liked OT Forsythe. 
  • Pick: QB Sam Ehlinger 6-218
    • Pick Grade: F
    • My thought that night: Wow, they must not think much of Eason at all.
    • My thoughts now: You either have to say last year's 4th pick was bad, or this year's 6th was bad lol. Weak arm, short, poor pocket presence. Not going to lose sleep over a 6th round pick, but this seemed like a waste of a pick. There will be tons of vet FAs that will be available on the cheap if you're not happy with Eason. 
    • Impact: Practice squad guy or simply cut
    • What EastStreet would have done at 218: There's typically no obvious or no brainer picks in the 6th or 7th. I really like WR Cade Johnson at this point, but my first choice would have been OT/OG Trey Smith or CB Shakur Brown.
  • Pick: WR Mike Strachan 7-229
    • Pick Grade: C
    • My thought that night: Another big WR project? Are they giving up on Patmon already?
    • My thoughts now: Hasn't changed much. Aside from initial thoughts, perhaps they think he can pack some weight on a play jumbo WR/TE hybrid. Still just a raw small school guy.
    • Impact: Practice squad guy
    • What EastStreet would have done at 229: At this point I'm pounding the table for CB Shakur Brown or LB Dylan Moses as both could end up at minimum ST studs. I'm even thinking Ballard might take a 3rd DE and was eying Charles Snowden. If we hadn't taken Davis though in the 5th, my first choice would have been SAF Uphoff.
  • Pick: OG Will Fries 7-248
    • Pick Grade: C
    • My thought that night: We improved the OL depth guys already, didn't take an early LT, so why a very limited OG prospect?
    • My thoughts now: unchanged.
    • Impact: Practice squad guy
    • What EastStreet would have done at 7-248: see above at 229 lol... 

 

Overall Draft Grade: C+

 

Great stuff! Can you do something like this for the rest of the NFL teams?  

[EastStreet]

5 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

Great stuff! Can you do something like this for the rest of the NFL teams?  

It's hard enough doing it for Indy my friend :-)

 

Anyone specifically though you want me to dive into?

[NFLfan]

12 minutes ago, EastStreet said:

It's hard enough doing it for Indy my friend :-)

 

Anyone specifically though you want me to dive into?

 

Lol. I was just kidding.

 

What did you think of the Vikings draft? I was not pleased with the 2nd pick, as I wanted to draft Mills. I like the two offensive linemen. 

 

Round 1: No. 23 -- Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech

 

Round 3: No. 66 – Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M

 

Round 3: No. 78 – Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina

 

Round 3: No. 86 – Wyatt Davis, G, Ohio State 

 

Round 3: No. 90 (from Ravens) – Patrick Jones II, DE, Pittsburgh 

 

Round 4: No. 119 – Kene Nwangwu, RB, Iowa State 

 

Round 4: No. 125 (from Bears) – Camryn Bynum, CB, California

 

Round 4: No. 134 (from Bills) – Janarius Robinson, DE, Florida State

 

Round 5: No. 157 – Ihmir Smith-Marsette, WR, Iowa

 

Round 5: No. 168 (from Steelers) – Zach Davidson, TE, Central Missouri

 

Round 6: No. 199 – Jaylen Twyman, DT, Pittsburgh

[EastStreet]

10 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

 

Lol. I was just kidding.

 

What did you think of the Vikings draft? I was not pleased with the 2nd pick, as I wanted to draft Mills. I like the two offensive linemen. 

 

Round 1: No. 23 -- Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech

Great pick

10 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

 

Round 3: No. 66 – Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M

This pick didn't make a lot of sense to me lol

10 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

 

Round 3: No. 78 – Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina

I think this pick is a bit of a dice roll given Surratt's background, but I think he's going to end up being a steal. 

10 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

 

Round 3: No. 86 – Wyatt Davis, G, Ohio State 

very solid IMO

10 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

 

Round 3: No. 90 (from Ravens) – Patrick Jones II, DE, Pittsburgh 

might be a decent depth guy. 

10 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

 

Round 4: No. 119 – Kene Nwangwu, RB, Iowa State 

Depth guy, probably picked too early

10 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

 

Round 4: No. 125 (from Bears) – Camryn Bynum, CB, California

I think his future is at safety. 

10 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

 

Round 4: No. 134 (from Bills) – Janarius Robinson, DE, Florida State

Robinson might be a guy that pops in 2 or 3 years. Pretty highly regarded coming out of HS. Shortened season, and FSU being kind of a mess, may have hurt his development. 

10 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

 

Round 5: No. 157 – Ihmir Smith-Marsette, WR, Iowa

Meh

10 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

 

Round 5: No. 168 (from Steelers) – Zach Davidson, TE, Central Missouri

I like him as a detached TE. A bit of a project from a small school, but he's one of the later round TEs I liked.

10 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

 

Round 6: No. 199 – Jaylen Twyman, DT, Pittsburgh

Not bad for the 6th, but all late round 6th and 7th picks are shots in the dark.

Might be a good pass rush down option from the interior.