Do you hear it?
(The sound of thunder crashes behind Piggy)
Piggy Kiper here. I’m just going to hide under this desk…Some of you have been looking forward to this post…others will hate it. No matter where you fall, make sure your squiggly doesn’t get burned by the storm that is coming. Experts are saying that the 2020 NFL draft is among the deepest draft for wide receiver in years.
Is it true?
A true Samurai never reveals your fate until your throat is already cut!
(the wind picks up behind Piggy)
Most Dolfans don’t view Wide Receiver as a priority, but when you look at our roster, our top receiver is DeVante Parker, a guy who only recently blossomed – can he keep it up? After Parker it’s Preston Williams, who has the look of a great find, but who is still unproven. Then there is Albert Wilson, the focal point of the 2018 Gase offense, who may be on his way out. So there is a lot of uncertainty at the position coming into 2020. I don’t think Dolfans should rule out the possibility of a high pick on a wide receiver. But even if the Dolphins don’t do that, the Dolphins probably will spend a day 3 pick on a wide put.
But this list isn’t for Day 3 Wideouts – It for Samurai!
So let’s look at these Samurai….but be very careful…they are dangerous…
(A tornado swirls behind Piggy)
Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
With 159 receptions, 2,742 career yards and 26 career touchdowns in three years at Powerhouse Alabama, no one is overlooking this Samurai. Jeudy may be the first receiver off the board. Jeudy may be Odell Beckham, Jr. without the baggage. He’s physically gifted with incredible speed and agility. Jeudy made a lot of downfield plays during his time with Alabama and although he is fast, it wasn’t his speed that lead to a lot of those downfield plays, it was his technique. Jeudy is polished, talented and ready to go. I expect to see success early for Jeudy in the NFL. Jeudy is this year’s tornado of talent.
(lightning strikes the ground Piggy)
Henry Ruggs III, Alabama
As usual, Alabama was loaded in 2019. One position that was notable was wide receiver, where play after play, they had receivers making plays down field. In Ruggs’ case his speed really standouts. Ruggs ran a blistering 4.27 at the combine. That is what this Samurai is – FAST. If you want a guy to run downfield, pick Ruggs. Ruggs averaged 18.7 yards a catch in 2019. DBs better have a plan for this kind of speed in the NFL. One notable negative about this Samurai I don’t want to say to loud (Piggy whispers ducking from a swinging katana) his numbers dropped off a bit after the Tua injury. But he still runs like lightning and will be a real asset to any offense.
(the Earth quakes below Piggy)
Laviska Shenault, Jr., Colorado
This athletic beast is among the most physical samurai in the draft. His thick, chiseled frame is generally unaffected by contact from DBs or LBs. Honestly, it looks like this Samurai looks for contact. Shenault can be a solid outside receiver, but I think he might be more suited to do what Dolfans have seen guys like Jarvis Landry or Rishard Matthews do for us for years. Shenault is expected to go anywhere between the late first round to the early third round. I will whisper the last part…Some people think Shenault may be too physical (a samurai arrow strikes the wall behind Piggy) and he should improve his route running ability. He is this year’s Earthquake!
(A Volcano erupts behind Piggy)
Justin Jefferson, LSU
Jefferson has good speed and he will burn you like lava, but that’s not his greatest strength. Jefferson is the best route runner among these Samurais. An top notch technician among this WR class, Jefferson provided a reliable target for first overall pick Joe Burrow. The LSU offense erupted in 2019 and you can see that in Jefferson’s stats, nearly doubling his yardage from 2018 (875 yards) to 2019 (1,540 yards). A lot of experts are saying Jefferson will not be a #1 receiver, but will make a heck of a #2. Jefferson is as reliable as a volcano, if you see one, it will probably erupt some day.
(a tsunami crashes over Piggy)
Jalen Reagor, TCU
Thanks a lot Jalen, now I’m all wet! (Piggy floats to the surface) It seems calm for a moment…too calm…all of the sudden boom…Jalen Reagor goes the distance and breaks open the game. With elite speed and an uncanny ability change direction, DBs should never get comfortable around Reagor. Think of Reagor as a poor man’s Ruggs, if there was no poverty. Speed both vertically and laterally defines this terrific talent and helped him collect 1,061 yards and 9 TDs in 2018.
(A Blizzard forms around Piggy)
CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
Brrrrrrrrr…This one is cold. CeeDee Lamb put up great numbers at Oklahoma, not doubt those numbers were inflated by the system – but you can’t ignore what he did. Lamb looked like he was running around frozen defenders. He is so quick, they froze in place with his every move. At 6’2, 189 pounds, he has good size but what stands out about Lamb is his body control. That body control helps him make some tough catches and then quickly regain his balance and use his quickness to pack on the yards after the catch while the defenders stand around him like icicles.
(A comet crashes in front of Piggy)
Tee Higgins, Clemson
Wow! I didn’t even see that coming! I should have, given Clemson has produced some terrific Samurais over the years. Higgins is this little Piggy’s favorite samurai this year. At 6-4, 215 what you can see on the tape with Higgins is his ability to attack the ball while it’s in the air and make it his. He’s a graceful receiver who will make your toe touching catch on a ball that most receivers think is out of reach. He will enagage with CBs playing press and come up with the big catch. He’s also very shifty for a tall receiver and will certianly break tackles and get the all important YAC. Higgins compares favorably to AJ Green.
Now you know who the samurais are. Beware!
Finsmob Unleashed 
You guys that responded to us being favored in only 2 games are killin me.
Yeah the first think i thought of right there was Troll
Why we’re not allowed to react to a dumb article put out there by local sportswriters?
You can react to anything you want, but when you bash someone else, ignorantly, you look like the fool.
The betting sites are there to make money, so the earlier they put the lines up the more money they make.
The SS is just responding to it, because like other media outlets they like to break down someone/something to get clicks.
We all know by now the betting lines only reflect the betting presumption.
I didn’t bash anyone in particular. I asked how the fuck do they come with this stuff at this stage in the offseason. They don’t even know what the 53 man rosters look like yet.
As far as clicks go, posting a fucking tweet on a private blog isn’t really a click. What does that do for them? I didn’t even read the article, the headline was all I needed to know and I know it’s about betting. We were supposed to win maybe one game last year. How’d that work out?
Gambling has nothing to do with results in a season. Teams rise and fall every year and nobody knows which teams go which way at this time. The Jaguars were a favorite to be a top team in 2018 after their 2017 run. How’d that work out?
That’s the point, they don’t give a shit how many games a team wins, they’re in the money business.
Do we have enough at RB? Howard. Laird.gaskins.ballage.
D i hear Swift is way over rated. Maybe the 5th best RB in this draft. Dobbins. Akers. Taylor. And . helaire may all be ahead of him.
I would rather have Helaire in the second than use a first on Swift, but 26 would be not bad for taking Swift with his potential. I havent heard many bad things about him, but i worry about the over use of the UGA backs because they burn them up in their system.
Where are you hearing that from? He’s listed as one of the top RBs in this draft pretty much by everyone, and some have him as the top back.
D – I agree with playing the games weeknights. I think it could work but it would take a big commitment by the NFL to get it going. I think it would help a lot with the injury situations most teams have had. At least the players replacing these guys would be up to speed and more ready to play than a guy on the PS
It would for sure lose money in the first year, just ask the XFL and the AAFL. They had followings, but its just not that easy to get another league off the ground. Thats why i am saying the NFL would have to invest something in it, and with their surplus of revenues from the NFL it should be doable, just have to wonder if they see any return on their investment.
I’m thinking it wouldn’t actually be another league, just a minor league system. The MLB minor leagues don’t really make much money, it’s there to feed the major leagues
Mike E. says:
April 14, 2020 at 2:12 pm
If they ever do decide to go with some kind of “minor leagues” or developmental league, they should probably make the draft 12 rounds again. If you’re going to have to field another team, you may as well pick the guys you want
Making the draft go to 12 rounds does nothing, in the grand scheme of things.
The players union wanted the draft shortened to 7 rounds, so the rest, that have little chance to make a squad could be UDFAs and pick their team to sign with.
It does something if you trying to field a minor league team. This way you pick the players you want rather than relying on undrafted guys picking where they want to go. I understand why the player union voted for that but this would change everything
It has to be agreed to and I doubt the players union would give that up or that the NFL cares enough to have to give up something else.
How did bobby mcain do at safety? We also have rowe.
Safety maybe our weakest position
Why all the talk about a minor league system for the NFL?
steveccnv says:
April 14, 2020 at 9:48 am
Having 14 picks would be more valuable, if the NFL had a farm system. Why don’t they?
It never works when they try something like that. There are 1,696 players on 53 man rosters, then 352 PS players, and then the churning with guys coming and going and players being signed off the street. Now they’re going to have to double that for a minor league team for each team. I don’t think it’s feasible.
There doesn’t have to be 32 minor league teams, each team could have some number like 12. 48 players would be a division worth, so 8 teams. Maybe more players from each team, whatever they feel makes sense.
They’ve tried that sort of thing and it always folds. The players would still have to learn the big league team’s system. It’s not like baseball, hockey and basketball. Football is much more strategic in scheme and it’s a more violent game. I don’t see how it would work with the CBA.
The violent nature and the injuries are always a concern.
Cause it’s something to talk about and we can’t go to Cheesecake Factory tonight. 🙂
I was just wondering why all of a sudden this is a topic? The league hasn’t had a minor league with teams for each team because it’s too difficult to do.
Lol at Orob not wanting Swift😉 Does he gain too many yards on 1st down?
But yeah I agree Swift may be overrated.
Maybe Orob could put out his favorite RBs in the draft. Might be someone like this.
Mekhi?
THE FRIDGE! HELL YEAH
We’ve got Wilkins.
ORob — not sure if he’d get your 3.3, but he sure as heck would get the first yard every time. 🙂
I’m watching the movie Gator the other, and there’s a scene where Burt Reynolds needs to use a pay phone, but 2 little kids are dickin around on the phone…anyways one of the kids was wearing your favorite players Jersey #39.
Another question is with godchaux being a free agent next year do we pay him? Or draft his replacement?
I’m not paying him too much, if he wants to stay he should lower his asking price. I doubt they offer him too much. They should be working on the extension right now.
You can sign his replacement in FA or draft his replacement next year if we don’t re-sign him. It doesn’t need to be a year in advance. We might draft a DT this year but not sure it’s about Godchaux being a UFA next year.
Another reason ORob to draft a DT this year, insurance.
Steve, I guess I just don’t buy into the gambling angle for projections. My main point was it’s too early to project anything. It will all change after the 53 man rosters are set and which players go down for the season etc. Why does it matter what Tom, Dick and Harry are putting money on in April? That said, why would a local paper even focus on that? Oh right, silly me, it’s a negative article. LOL
Partially because they are eerily accurate, a lot. Thats the only reason i pay any attention to it, but i do give those guys and their data mining and analytical research its due cred.
But point spreads change in-season all the time based on the results of teams. They don’t have any data mining and analytical research on players yet to be drafted. If that doesn’t matter, then the draft doesn’t mean much so we shouldn’t be concerned with who we draft. 😉
ocalarob says:
April 14, 2020 at 3:55 pm
Another question is with godchaux being a free agent next year do we pay him? Or draft his replacement?
——————————————-
We could do either, which is what gives us leverage in negotiations. He will be a team friendly offer, but appropriate for a starter. It wont be a top contract type offer.
I doubt it will be very team friendly. I would bet he and his agent know his value.
Our offer will be.
We could re-sign him sometime after the draft, during the season or when he’s a UFA. I don’t see it being an issue now though.
The thing about tua to me is not only the injury history but the amount of talent he was surrounded with at alabama and the lack of talent his opponents had.
All that will change in the NFL.
So back to his injury concerns will he hold up in the nfl
He didnt hold up in college with a decided advantage in team skill level.
See o think thats where you are overthinking it because drafting him makes you nervous. The guy is a special talent, yes he had great talent around him, but he is good. That really shouldnt be in question. Same for Burrow, and i have heard the same arguments made about him. He technically had even more talent around him, his WR’s were insane. Helaire was better than any Bama back, their defense was actually better than Bamas this year.
he had the raider rb last year and another great back. I cant remember his name
He had Josh Jacobs, but he was under utilized at Bama they were running the who Harris’s mostly, Najaee and Damien.
Im all for a first round DT, if QB wasnt a concern, which i think it is, id be taking the best DT at 5, and yes Steve, its Brown, though i really like Kinlaw too.
I agree
I agree that brown should be a strong consideration at 5. Not to mention we have a defensive HC
Agreed, and if we take a QB at #5 I could see us drafting a DT at some point early on anyway. I think Flores wants to build a badass defense.
I’m all for taking a DT at #5, but I’m not sure I can go another year talking about drafting a QB if we don’t take one this year. It has been beyond annoying already and another year of talk would be unbearable.🙄
Buster Brown, cousin of Buster Crab.
What else do they have to write about, the 5421st mock draft? They’re in business to make money, and apparently they aren’t held to any standard.
People 3rdbet early to try and get a jump on what’s going to happen. If you think a certain team will do better than expected no matter who they draft, bet it before something changes.
DT is where i start my team builds in Madden, DT first and second picks and then i start working on OL. I still grab QB pretty quickly but it isnt my primary. Of course comparing Madden to RL is silly, BUT thats kind of my mentality, on defense i want to attack the middle and on offense i want to ensure they cant. Good way to get the Nucleus of your team going. Looks like our coaches seem to like the same thing.
This is all speculation, and my reasoning may be wrong, but I can’t ever see an NFL run farm system minor league working. The cost to run it, pay for medical, etc would likely far outweigh the benefits. I don’t think it would generate much in the way money to support itself, and how many players would actually translate to the NFL level? I think it would just be a money sink for the NFL and would likely fail pretty quickly.
What they should do is expand the practice squad and not allow teams to poach. That way each team has their own mini farm system in house. The Players Union will never allow that though, and probably with good reason. The current practice squad is geared to stop teams from stashing known talent and screwing players. A team like the Pets would stash their replacement players who are good enough to play right now, and that wouldn’t be right. It’s a tough nut to crack.
Maybe reworking and using the existing college system somehow could be effective. Creating a post graduate league with revenue sharing run by the top 25 colleges? IDK
I think nailed it and that’s why there isn’t one.
I would look to make profits off of it to be honest, id be presenting a proposal for a second league they would have full rights and control over that generated revenues by opening up cost affordable connection to the NFL teams buy having cheaper cost games for fans who otherwise couldn’t afford the travel and lodgning costs of going to one fo the NFL teams cities. I think it has potential, BUT yeah its going to cost the NFL a good bit off the cuff.
I’ve seen Brown’s game film vs Alabama and Oregon, and he did nothing. Looked better against Oregon though, completely washed out by Alabama. Against Oregon I didn’t notice 1 tackle. He did get close to Herbert 3 times on screens😉
As explained by Andrew Beaton and Ben Cohen of the Wall Street Journal, the 49ers’ squandering of a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead meant no victory parade. Which meant no mass gathering of people pressed tightly together on the streets of San Francisco in early February. Which meant no spread of the coronavirus at a time when it was beginning to show up in the Bay Area among tens if not hundreds of thousands.
Funny how life works at times. I could biotch about our gov not closing the beaches on Spring Break, but that one is all on a football game…. in Miami btw. 🙂
NFL farm system is called college. Works out very well economically for the league. Why would they want to change that?
Yep, I think that is exactly the way the NFL views it. If the XFL remained solvent, the NFL would be happy to poach players from that league, and maybe they could have created a type of symbiosis, but I don’t think the XFL was going to survive more than one more year at most anyway. They were already having attendance and viewership issues.
👍
Interesting information on the COVID and its mutation capabilities. I’ve linked both the article and the study behind the article. It’s still early days in research, but there is hope for vaccination to be highly effective once it is introduced.
https://www.newsweek.com/coronavirus-mutation-study-covid-19-1497745
Click to access 2020.04.09.034942v1.full.pdf
Some of the research highlights:
• Based on the currently available genome sequence data, we proved that SARS-COV-2 genome has a much lower mutation rate and genetic diversity than SARS during the 2002-2003 outbreak.
• The spike (S) protein encoding gene of SARS-COV-2 is found relatively more conserved than other protein-encoding genes, which is a good indication for the ongoing antiviral drug and vaccine development.
.
Sorry, I didn’t know it would show the research paper instead of the link. It’s hard to read that way. The paper is also linked in the article
It’s cool I just read the entire research, it’s shorter than a D post, lol
LOL
Cav — even if a small exception in that, looks like Covid-19 is relatively stable and doesn’t mutate much. That’s good news for all of us. Normal flu they try to predict what will be facing after every off season.
Yep, and the key thing I took away from the research is the spike (S) protein encoding gene has shown little or no mutation and that is the protein spike which allows the virus to bind with human cells. It’s the exact thing any viable vaccine will target.
Cav – – no idea what the “spike (S) protein encoding gene” is other than by your reference, but sounds like we might be able to come up with a smallpox, polio, or rubella vaccine on this one.
5 – Tua/Herbert
18 – Ruggs
26 – Swift
Come up from 39 to get a T
Ruggs will be insane in the NFL, would love to get him.
Want a LT in the first. Except maybe if Tua. But that just switches it around.
The 3 samurai I really like are Jeudy, Higgins and Lamb
I think there is a good chance that Jeudy, Lamb and Ruggs are gone by 18
I bet Davis stays out at RT and you guys are whistling in the wind about so many Oline in the draft. Deiter has to figure in and we just got 2 new inside guys to go with him.
I’m going with Davis at RG.
I think most of us are projecting 2 OL in the first 3 rounds. It’s really not a lot when we have 6 picks.
Whether it’s a LT and RT, or LT and OG/C is really the only debate I see.
Piggs, check out Gabriel Davis UCF WR, he’s the one who thinks he’s OBJ, but he’s pretty good in his own right.
Nice group for the Samurai and good job.
WTF? Just when you think it can’t get any crazier—It’s snowing! ❄️
Location, location,location 😊
Yeah I saw that from some friends and there were some severe winds the other day down the shore creating flooding and ripping people’s siding off their houses, tossing chairs and awnings into the lagoon. End times?
Oh my fucking god oh my god oh my god what a bumbling rambling circular talking fucking idiot
Don’t hold back , tell us how you really feel !!
Lol…
Yeah right?
The cool thing about this draft is we have so many ways we can go. It would be pretty difficult to screw this up overall. As we all know not every prospect pans out the way they were projected but it would be really crazy to miss on all of them.
I really am just excited for this draft. I think no matter what direction we go we should end up with some really good players. It should be fun.
T minus days
No matter what we do gonna end up with two drafts worth of players….. unless we trade ahead a bunch.
I think the people driving around alone in their car with the windows closed – wearing a mask are the same people with all the toilet paper.
Bingo!
Lol
That’s hilarious….kinda what I meant “overly cautious.”
Steve, I’m surprised you’re so down on Derrick Brown. I watched the Alabama game video and he wasn’t amazing or anything, but they chipped him, doubled him, he held the middle and he chases the play all over the field. He can really move for a big man. Also Alabama ran a lot of outside plays, quick throws and outside runs where he wouldn’t really make much of an impact. He’s an interior DL. I didn’t see anything that made me think, nope he’s not that good.
I would be good with this
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2020-nfl-mock-draft-4-0-dolphins-select-joe-burrow-after-trade-with-bengals-tua-falls-to-raiders/live/amp/
My sandwich making skills have improved during the quarantine
Anyone else?
I always thought I made good sandwiches. But I’m not real complex with it either.
Sometimes food is better when it’s simple
I bought that bird head sandwich dressing today and it makes everything better
Agreed. No idea about that dressing.
This stuff
https://images.app.goo.gl/JQkEMLiJ78myHSYX9
Every mock I see had us taking Xavier McKinney with the 18 pick
I just don’t see it happening
We might “reach” for an OT
We should draft Isaiah Wilson just for his draft profile pic
5: R1P5
QB TUA TAGOVAILOA
ALABAMA
18: R1P18
OT AUSTIN JACKSON
USC
26: R1P26
WR TEE HIGGINS
CLEMSON
39: R2P7
OT ISAIAH WILSON
GEORGIA
56: R2P24
S GRANT DELPIT
LSU
70: R3P6
RB D’ANDRE SWIFT
GEORGIA
141: R4P35
EDGE KENNY WILLEKES
MICHIGAN STATE
153: R5P7
RB JOSHUA KELLEY
UCLA
154: R5P8
G SOLOMON KINDLEY
GEORGIA
173: R5P27
C JAKE HANSON
OREGON
185: R6P6
DL LARRELL MURCHISON
NC STATE
227: R7P13
S J.R. REED
GEORGIA
246: R7P32
TE MITCHELL WILCOX
SOUTH FLORIDA
251: R7P37
CB JOSIAH SCOTT
MICHIGAN STATE
wow. 39, 56, and 70 !! Wilson at 39 is slight reach (?) but whatever it takes to secure that 2nd OT. Was Jones already taken before Jackson at 18?
Yes Jones was off the board – I probably take Jones first if that’s an option
Wilson us the real deal, I’d take him before Jones, but I like them both.
I’m not saying that we’re loaded at safety but we’re not thin. Rowe, McCain, we re-signed Colbert, signed Fejedelem in FA and we have Parker who showed some flashes. I’d be surprised if we drafted a safety early unless it was purely BPA. Another thing is Byron Jones is a multiple DB, not just a boundary corner – Dallas used him to cover the other teams’ best receiver whether outside, slot or TE. Then you have X and Needham who showed some good progress in the 2nd half. Our secondary is not suspect. The pass rush was and we already upgraded that even if not great.
I’m not sure it’s a “need” but we are ripe for an upgrade
It’s also a place where we can wait a little longer
But some of the guys near the top are pretty good and if they fall to the 2nd round – it makes sense
I don’t think we have to take a safety at 18, even though that keeps being mocked
Tim
I watching some LSU games and I think your instincts about Clyde Edwards Helaire are correct
He looks really good
They do a lot of fun stuff with him
On 3rd down they line him up like a receiver on the outside
The more I watch him the more I think He really might be the best RB in this draft
Really reminds me of Ray Rice.
I’ve heard that comparison before
He’s really very good and fun to watch
I see him as an Ekeler/Sproles type. Some games 14 rushes, another maybe 7-8, but he’ll probably be in the 4-8 catch range week to week.
I don’t see him as shifty as Sprites, but has more pop to his contact w/ defenders.
Also I think I have my favorite RB for 2021 – Evander Holyfield’s son plays for Georgia and he plays like he is knocking Mike Tyson our on each run
Which one is playing there now?
Wow – Im an idiot …he already plays for the eagles….how did I miss that
Don’t feel bad…..Evander is on a Travis Henry level of reproducing!
I’m still on either Taylor, Akers, Dillon, or Perine as the back to add.
Sounds like you want a bigger back
I think for at minimum 8 games you can bludgeon the hell out of teams. I’d love Taylor as I’d like to see him in QTR4 after him and Howard have been dancing teams for 3 quarters.
I like him too but he doesn’t have a fumbling issue and a lot of wear and tear
I’m drinking….what RB are you talking about?😂
Jonathan Taylor
He has over 900 carries in 3 years
And a bunch of fumbles
I’m personally not worried about the carries. I think he’s someone built differently to carry the load and also think ball security can be worked on(Tiki Barber). I also am not planning on any 2nd contract for RB, but believe Taylor will get one.
I definitely think we’re drafting a RB somewhat early and we”ll see what the team is looking for with Howard on board. Keep that in mind.
Need to do that.
We may also draft another physical RB early and look for the more 3rd down back later to compete with Laird, Gaskin etc.
Ballage has to have a great camp and I’m not sure he’s even on the team when they finally hit training camp. He’s a physical specimen but lacks vision and natural hands. He’ll break a 75 yard run or catch and then not do much his next 20 touches.
They targeted Howard as their 15-20 touch back.
All of our backs from 2019 still on the team are horrible, Ballage couldn’t find a hole if it sucked him in, Laird dances around then tries to hit it like he has 4.3 speed, Gaskin is too small for his speed and power.
I’d be shocked if Ballage is still on the roster after training camp. He showed absolutely nothing last year and he had a fantastic opportunity to show he belonged. Unless he shows up in great shape and kills it, he’s done, especially when the new back we draft is added in with Jordan Howard.
Tim, I just don’t see it with Brown, sure he gets doubled at times for some reason I can’t imagine, but against Alabama he seemed to give up on plays, when his initial burst was stopped, and vs Oregon runners went by him like he wasn’t there and I don’t think he made one tackle. He also seems to lack power, gets out muscled/worked. Once in a while when he gets clear he’ll burst to the QB, but that usually happens when it’s a screen.
Are you just watching his highlights against lesser oponents?
I said I watched the Alabama game. How do you ask a DT to make great plays when they focus on him and run away from him? Saban is like Belichick. Don’t let their best players beat us. Take them away. Meaning runs plays away from them. Most of the Auburn defenders will not be top NFL prospects in 2020. Brown will be.
I’d draft him at #5 if he’s BPA no problem. Add him to what we did in FA along with Godchaux and Wilkins and our defense will be insane. Opponents won’t be able to block us or get open. LOL
I saw that you watched the Alabama game, and you said something like he held his own, so you obviously didn’t think he was worth a #5 pick from that game, so are you just watching his highlights against lesser oponents (to justify a #5 pick)?
It was one game and it’s pretty obvious they game planned for him. I said he held the middle, meaning he didn’t get washed out or knocked around. They ran plays away from him most of the time. And he’s a DT – they can only do so much if nobody around them are making plays.
I’m not the one who projected him as a top pick – he’s universally considered a top 5-10 pick.
He got washed out plenty in just the first 2 minutes of tape, its posted below, and they completely moved him to the side and ran right where he should’ve been on another play, sure he gets doubled, but most of the doubling is late in the play after his man stands him up and he goes away from his original blocker.
Steve, do even read what others say?
“Ballage has to have a great camp and I’m not sure he’s even on the team when they finally hit training camp. He’s a physical specimen but lacks vision and natural hands. He’ll break a 75 yard run or catch and then not do much his next 20 touches.”
I was responding to us needing an RB not just your comment, sometimes on my phone the reply doesn’t go where I expect it to.
Balaji runs to upright at the point of attack he’s not a downhill runner, he does have breakaway speed though, wasnt he our feature rb?
laird was great when given a chance, rember him against the eagles ? reminds me of burkhead
If we do draft another running back, I would think gaskin would be the 1 to not make the team
Steve, you haven’t seen it with brown or 3 of the top 4 tackles in this year’s draft, it takes a hell of a lot to impress you.
I don’t play to the hype. You got these announcers that do a game with one of the top guys, let’s say DL and anytime the guy is in the neighborhood of the tackle they say how great the guy was on that play. Homie don’t play that, I want to see every play, not just the highlights, is the DL getting pushed around by the OL, is the OL getting pushed around by the DL, can the OT block or at least slow down the speed rusher, does he give up before the play is over, does he pick up free rusher or just put his head down and double team?
So far I’ve seen nothing from Brown against Alabama and Oregon. I tried watching his highlights to see what the hype was about and yeah he’s got some speed to him and can Chase guys down Ok, but he’s not quick twitch like Donald and has no power, so how does that translate to the NFL? The Oregon game, I didn’t see him make one tackle. Sometimes these guys get 4 sacks against a Tulane or East Carolina and they’re all the rage. Maybe Brown was better his 2018 season.
The OTs that I don’t like and Brown are all weak at the point of attack, that reads of bust to me.
I don’t care about an OT or DT that can run a sub 5 second 40 time, unless he’s also strong. Big man with a sub 5.0 40 time should be playing TE, if he’s not strong.
https://youtu.be/fV4bLHtqkFc
So far in this Alabama game I’ve seen Brown pushed back 5 yards on running plays, washed out several times, but he did have a spin move that got him to the QB and QB hit, both those plays resulted in TDs lol.
What do you see in this film that makes you think he’s top 5 pick?
Steve, you might be right about Brown at the NFL level. Quinnen Williams is not what I thought he’d be so far in the NFL. But the Jets have no edge impact either. A DT can only do so much if there are flaws in other areas of the defense to take advantage of. We had that problem last year and hopefully guys like Lawson, Ogbah and Van Noy change that.
By the way, I think the NFL world is underestimating what Lawson, Ogbah, Van Noy and Jones brings to our defense.
The study referenced hasn’t been peer reviewed yet according to the article and I can’t find the paper, but this would be bad news for current vaccine efforts.
https://www.foxnews.com/science/mutation-strain-from-india-could-kill-current-research-efforts-for-coronavirus-vaccine-report
If you’re going to take a DT at 5, he better have Aaron Donald potential, otherwise why are you taking him so high? Anyone see that with Brown? He’s not even close to Suh.
Here’s a question for ya! What prospect do you think is a lock in this draft?
We can find flaws in most of them.
Young, Okudah, Simmons, and Thomas.
There’s flaws and then there’s game changing flaws, if you’re a DT you better be able to move the OL or quick enough to get around them. Min qualifications, you have to be strong enough to hold your own on most plays or a quick twitch 5′ 5″ guy could play DT.
At OT you have to be strong enough to hold off the bull rush, and quick enough to slow down the speed rusher. Unless of course you have the size, strength and wingspan of Mekhi.
ocalarob says:
April 15, 2020 at 6:52 am
Steve, you haven’t seen it with brown or 3 of the top 4 tackles in this year’s draft, it takes a hell of a lot to impress you.
We’re talking about the 5th pick, he should be a game changer, not to fill a position of need.
Burrow,Tua, Herbert, Young, Simmons, and Ogbah, but we don’t need a CB, so one of these 5 are worthy of the pick. I’d also add Thomas, but we don’t need the best LT, plenty of others will be available at 18 or even 26.
Okudah not Ogbah right?
I’m pretty sure that’s who he meant with the corner comment following that.
Yes
It must be the quarantine getting to us all….last night I posted how excited I was about a RB for the 2021 draft, and he was actually undrafted in 2019…oops
Also I want to draft the cast of different strokes to protect our QBs blindside
I suck with names, seem to be able to remember the first of things, like the first day of kindergarten I can remember my first friends first and last name.
I think its a certain Green angry guy’s birthday today
Hulk say thank you. Now Hulk go back to smashing
I don’t recall Ken having that much hair….
Happy Birthday Hulk!
Happy Birthday Hulk!
👍
I was just watching Daniel Jeremiah and Peter Schrager due their LIVE Mock Draft. No big surprises until pick #26 for us when they took WR Denzel Mims after taking Tua at #5 and Austin Jackson at #18
Schrager did the picks and Jeremiah evaluated them. I think Jeremiah is really good.
Uhhh no, they both did picks, they switched off. Jeremiah did comment on Schrages picks too though
Oh I thought it was what I said. I caught it midway and that’s what it seemed like. It’s replaying now. LOL
Steve, we all know QB is a big deal with us, but with the picks we have and say we don’t do any trade-ups or take a QB at #5, the prospects you mentioned is where you go pure BPA. If it’s Okudah so be it. Now you can move Jones around which he’s already familiar with doing and you have 3 badass corners.
Daniel Jeremiah made a good point today. Belichick is one of the few coaches who’s builds from the back end in on defense. Flores is a disciple of Belichick. Our new DC Josh Boyer is also, and he was a DBs coach with the Pats for 10 years and with us last year. It would not shock me if Okudah was the pick if he’s there at #5 and QB didn’t work out for us for whatever reason.
You cant have enough CBs, but I’m not a straight BPA person. It would be intriguing to have 3 top CBs, so I wouldn’t complain.
But with the picks we have, we can go pure BPA with the exception of the QB monkey wrench.
We have enough needs to get BPA at position of need.
Happy Birthday, Ken!!!!
Thank you
Happy Birthday Ken, but why aren’t you an accountant?
Happy B-Day Ken!
What would you think of Denzel Mims as our 3rd first round pick? I like the player, I just don’t necessarily agree with the pick. The Patriots took Cesar Ruiz, I would have preferred him if he were available. I’d probably look to the O-line again or pass rusher or DB
I’d go RB over WR.
Yes, me too. Forgot RB.
I really like Edwards-Helaire. I just feel wherever he goes he’s going to be productive. I’d have no problem with him at #26.
You run Howard between the tackles as your hammer and then have Edwards-Helaire as a 3rd down and change of pace, that could be really good.
Helaire is the RB version of Landry, intense as hell and always going full speed. Don’t think he has the diva though.
Pittaful
Pitas should be about the best to judge, so I don’t take what he says lightly. I have more concern now, than I did 5 minutes ago.
Happy Birthday Ken!!!
Thank you. I will have a Homeraide for you
All I want for my birthday is a QB. And a LT. And a S. And a RB ….
Yesterday I decided that I thought they were going to ride with Fitz and Rosen, maybe draft a QB in the later rounds. Today I feel like they are going to move to one and get Burrow.
exactly!
Why
I think what Phelon is saying is that he has no idea what we’re really going to do. I think that’s a good thing.
Belicheat way, but we don’t have a Brady, so…
Edwards-Helaire has really good football instincts and he’s tough as hell. As Daniel Jeremiah pointed out he only ran in the 4.6 range but he has a 40″ vertical which you see in his hop, cut and run style. He’s not an easy target to get down. 1st down machine!
Roger Craig
Not as big but yes.
Nice, loving the secondary talk. I agree you can never have enough DBs. I’ve been saying that I thought having good CBs was just as important as having good pass rushers. New England was one of the main reasons for my views. If you look at a lot of the good defenses in the NFL, they have good CB tandems. So if Okudah is the pick I’m cool with that, because you can never have enough good players in the secondary.
Also, I wouldn’t mind Simmons either because he is so versatile. …LB, pass rusher, safety, covering in the slot, the guy can do it all. It’s also why I like Delpit too. While not the greatest tackler, he can play both safety positions, cover in the slot, and even rush the passer. Could you imagine having Simmons and Delpit playing all over the place together. Talk about not knowing where anyone is coming from.
How can you be a bad tackler and play SS? that’s like saying Jones could play FS even though he can’t cover.
Jerome Baker makes me think we don’t really need a player like Simmons. I think the way we’re building this defense, he can be the base/nickel morph LB.
Why is that different, than getting Okudah?
How many LBs are going to be on the field? I don’t think LB is a need at all based on what we have. I think a player at another position will be available.
G Evan Boehm signed with the Bills
Someone is thirsty above😉
Thirsty?
Wyoming posted it above
Steve – Like Mike E. said, I have no idea what they are doing. So I read the tea leaves everyday and change my mind, because everyone knows that reading tea leaves is just a superstition.
You said today I think we’re moving to one for Burrow, and I asked why? Was there something you read that made you feel that way?
Nope, nothing new. Just running through the options available and picking which one I feel best about at the moment.
Only thing I know for sure is that I don’t want Tua.
Its hard to argue that after what Pitta said.
You will get your Tua and YOU WILL LIKE IT!
Now finish your veggies!
Happy Birthday Kenneth Hulkelmeister!
Can I have some bacon to season up my veggies?
Have all the turkey bacon you want
Blasphemy!
When watching Tua, his drop setup is very awkward looking. It works for him but does anyone else think it looks weird? He doesn’t do a normal drop with his legs and feet, he kind of ends up in a tackle stance in pass pro. It looks vulnerable taking hits. Just an observation.
Happy Birthday Ken !! 🎂🎁🎉🥃
Adding onto why I said I think Simmons wouldn’t be my pick is based on what we did in FA and who we already have at LB. We currently have 14 LBs on the roster which shows you we’ve moved more to a 3-4 base even though hybrid will be most of the time. That’s not counting edge guys like Lawson and Ogbah.
I think at least 8 of these LBs make the team.
what if “the plan” is to keep SIMMONS at his college position of safety, and have yet another swiss army knife type guy on a very flexible and SOLID DEFENSE ?
…….. just sayin 🙂
minka WHO ?
I’d be surprised by that. I like Simmons as a prospect but I think he’s more of a LB than Safety. I just feel we can address another position at similar value. We only have to wait 4 picks if we stay at #5. There will be a lot of options other than LB.
Charley Casserly laid out how drafts work and what the challenge will be doing it virtually. But it’s doable. He said all teams need a disaster plan if the lights go out. Follow your board and be prepared as the clock is running out. Good stuff!
random thought, why does Dr pepper call their one product cherry Dr pepper, when cherry was already one of the 23 flavors, shouldnt it be extra cherry?
It’s the sweet one!
Sounds like a Stephen Wright line or something. “I bought powdered water…I didn’t know what to add”
I put instant coffee in a microwave oven and almost went back in time. LOL
LOL, I love his comedy!
LOL
Wow, the draft can’t get here soon enough. 🙄
“There’s a way of doing that.“Nobody comes to the stadium. Put the athletes in big hotels, wherever you want to play. Keep them very well surveilled … and have them tested like every week and make sure they don’t wind up infecting each other or their family and just let them play the season out.”
— Dr. Anthony Fauci on how sports can come back this year
rich0322, you’ve been a proponent of strong secondary where I lean pass rush and then there is somewhere in the middle. Great cover guys are great to have but without a pass rush, I still believe they’re vulnerable. I think we addressed both in FA. 🙂
I actually have made it a point to say in every post about improving the secondary that good pass rushers are as important as good CBs. In reality, I feel they both are important and help each other.
While some were saying the secondary shouldn’t be a priority back in January, all I was saying was we needed to still make a few upgrades. I think some thought our secondary was better than it was at the end of the season, even without X. In reality, other than Brady we didn’t play against any “very good” QBs after September, which I think led to some false hope. I’m just glad we did add players in FA and I hope we continue by drafting a safety in the first couple rounds.
^
I’m not going to get stuck on any one player, especially because then there’s no shot we take him! lol
It’s funny, we have no idea how to deal with all of our draft capital. LOL
Let’s see how they build it. 🙂
I feel like we’re going to be building a winner whichever we choose to go. Just keep adding talent and we’ll be a better team. No way we’ll be so inefficient running the ball this season, we’ll take care of that. I wouldn’t be shocked if Parker doesn’t take a step forward and possibly a slight step back compared to his play the last 8 games. He should have overall better numbers but probably not by much. We just need to be more physical upfront and I’m sure we’ll add a couple of linemen that will help us, as well as better talent in the backfield. Swift, Taylor, Dobbins, Edwards-Helaire would all be an upgrade to add to Howard and maybe one or 2 of our guys we have.
I’m pretty sure Parker’s numbers will be less than what they were the last 8 games x 2. He didn’t take off until Preston got hurt, so with him back I expect the numbers to be less, but he might be more productive per ball thrown his way.
Thanks D, Dog and Stanger for the birthday wishes above
And everyone else who I may have missed
Happy Birthday Ken
Thank you Son
Flores is building a team that won’t be about stats. Winning this game at this time is all that matters. We all know where that comes from. 😉
Parker’s game stats last year
3-75
0
3-56
4-70-1
3-28-1
5-55-1
6-59
4-57-1
5-69
7-135
6-91
7-159-2
2-28 hurt
4-72-2
5-111-1
8-137
He was pretty good all year, but some monster games in the last 8.
He really came alive and I was so happy for him. Talent was never an issue, durability was, and he overcame it. 🙂
We saw the emergence before the season started. He really connected well with Fitz, Tannehill really held him back.
Hopefully he keeps it up
Parker and Williams – when he’s ready to go… is scary. 🙂
Im not completely sold on Williams. I liked what i saw, i want to see more, but i just cant say he has arrived yet. Parker, may be same boat, yeah he stayed healthy last year, but can he keep it up, again, hope so but both those guys right now are kinda one hit wonders.
Did you work your way out of the closet and eventually get grandma’s panties off your head before your prom date showed up? LOL
Turkey bacon isnt bacon, because if it was they wouldn’t have to paint it like bacon to placate us.
It’s not even food, it’s disgusting
pork is horrible too
It makes your eyes fall out and your testicles turn to dust
Don’t ever eat pork
That goes for the faggy Vegan foods they dress up to look like meat, get ouddah he-yah wid dat sheet!
They did a 2016 draft re-do on NFL.com and X went in the first and so did Lawson, so i guess our team is looking better now lol.
WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
I got a mystery deposit of $21.40 from the department of the treasury today.
WTF? Uh, thanks for the 20 bucks guys. (you paid it with your taxes)
Looks like OBJ might be going to the Vikings for peanuts
I’m just saying one year of good stuff doesn’t mean we can say we are good at WR. I think those guys could be a great duo, I just don’t know I feel convinced of it. I rather not put eggs in that basket and skip trying to draft a guy who might be awesome.
I feel like we are never going to do that mock unless we make an executive decision
Let’s do a mock draft
I’ll play if its in the evening
https://imgflip.com/i/3wszc5
How do you guys feel about 9pm tonight for the mock draft
Don’t worry if you don’t make it – we can do another one
But let’s get one under our belt