2014 NFL Draft Thread

[Y2Jimmy0]

Obvious Mizzou bias here, but yes. He's undersized but has some real damn broad shoulders and a Joakim Noah motor. He was a projected 2nd/3rd rounder when the season ended, plummeted when he came out. I mean, unanimous All-American and SEC Defensive Player of the Year mean nothing to the NFL...but he played really f***ing good last year.

 

I forgot Kroenke owns the Rams. He lives in Columbia and has Mizzou ties, so it makes sense that they'd take the chance.

 

 

Well him coming out wasn't why he plummeted though. Dude had a 25 inch vertical and ran a 4.9 forty at the combine. His workout was awful. Hopefully he works his ass off and makes the Rams. It's going to be an uphill climb though.

[southsider2k5]

Number of players drafted from each school: ● Portland St: 1 ● Saginaw Valley St: 1 ● Maine: 1 ● McGill: 1 ● Texas: 0 (!!)

[Quin]

Well him coming out wasn't why he plummeted though. Dude had a 25 inch vertical and ran a 4.9 forty at the combine. His workout was awful. Hopefully he works his ass off and makes the Rams. It's going to be an uphill climb though.

Oh I know he fell because of that, but has a combine alone ever dropped a projected 2nd/3rd with a number of accolades to fall completely out of the draft?

 

(That's actually a legitimate question, not just saying it for effect)

[Boogua]

Oh I know he fell because of that, but has a combine alone ever dropped a projected 2nd/3rd with a number of accolades to fall completely out of the draft?

 

(That's actually a legitimate question, not just saying it for effect)

Burfict dropped a ton after a horrible combine. Wasn't even drafted and is now a starting linebacker for the bengals.

 

Sam not only had a horrible combine, but his tape didnt look great after they figured out he got 9 sacks against 3 teams and might have benefited from playing with other talented players on the mizzou line. He also doesn't have a position in the nfl.

[bmags]

Burfict dropped a ton after a horrible combine. Wasn't even drafted and is now a starting linebacker for the bengals.

 

Sam not only had a horrible combine, but his tape didnt look great after they figured out he got 9 sacks against 3 teams and might have benefited from playing with other talented players on the mizzou line. He also doesn't have a position in the nfl.

Wesley Johnson was just drafted from Vanderbilt, and was who Sam got 3 sacks against. I've had to post this same thing multiple times and the same stupid line keeps coming up. Sam also had a sack against Georgia taken away because of another lineman lining up in neutral zone and multiple near sacks of Manziel in that game. He also sealed the mizzou Bowl victory with a strip sack seen above. He got SEC Player of the Year for more than 3 games.

[Boogua]

Wesley Johnson was just drafted from Vanderbilt, and was who Sam got 3 sacks against. I've had to post this same thing multiple times and the same stupid line keeps coming up. Sam also had a sack against Georgia taken away because of another lineman lining up in neutral zone and multiple near sacks of Manziel in that game. He also sealed the mizzou Bowl victory with a strip sack seen above. He got SEC Player of the Year for more than 3 games.

Clearly they saw things on tape that they didn't like. If he was a better talent he would have gone before the 7th round. And it's not like I'm the only one who brings up the 9 sacks thing. It's always brought up as to why he has fallen. Near sacks aren't sacks. He had a good year and was a good college player, but he's likely to fail in the nfl.

[bmags]

Clearly they saw things on tape that they didn't like. If he was a better talent he would have gone before the 7th round. And it's not like I'm the only one who brings up the 9 sacks thing. It's always brought up as to why he has fallen. Near sacks aren't sacks. He had a good year and was a good college player, but he's likely to fail in the nfl.

Sure. No you aren't only one who brings it up but it's still silly logic, and it's meant to imply that he had no impact outside of three games which is not true. And near sacks aren't sacks but again his pressure was affecting the games.

 

He also ran a 4.72 at his pro day so he's not as slow as that time suggests, and even if he is he clearly has a great first step.

[zenryan]

Oh I know he fell because of that, but has a combine alone ever dropped a projected 2nd/3rd with a number of accolades to fall completely out of the draft?

 

(That's actually a legitimate question, not just saying it for effect)

 

 

 

he was never going to be a second round pick. he probably wasnt going to be a third round pick either. this draft was loaded. A team isnt going to waste a 2/3 rd pick on a small, slow, and weak player who is projected to be a "specialist".

 

 

[Quin]

he was never going to be a second round pick. he probably wasnt going to be a third round pick either. this draft was loaded. A team isnt going to waste a 2/3 rd pick on a small, slow, and weak player who is projected to be a "specialist".

 

I didn't say I agreed with the second round projection, I always saw him as a 4th rounder.

 

But I remember a lot of projections having him in the 3rd and sometimes sneaking into the 2nd.

[Boogua]

Wesley Johnson was just drafted from Vanderbilt, and was who Sam got 3 sacks against. I've had to post this same thing multiple times and the same stupid line keeps coming up. Sam also had a sack against Georgia taken away because of another lineman lining up in neutral zone and multiple near sacks of Manziel in that game. He also sealed the mizzou Bowl victory with a strip sack seen above. He got SEC Player of the Year for more than 3 games.

By the way, Sam had 0 sacks against Wesley Johnson as he was lined up on the right side nearly the whole game. Ealy was the primary matchup for Johnson. So if you're going to continuously have to shoot down the 3 game thing, using Wesley Johnson as evidence isn't the best call.

[bmags]

Yeah wow I thought Wes Johnson was RT that game. Strange he lined up there for fourth and one play when Sam played inside.

[Quin]

Moving from one player I like to another:

 

Where are the Bears gonna tryout Lynch at? Running back?

[zenryan]

I always enjoy reading an article ripping Todd McShay

 

ProFootballTalk

 

 

While it’s unlikely any of the so-called (even if they are only called that by themselves) draft experts will acknowledge that the draft process is a crapshoot, with so many of the guys about whom they’ve been gushing never doing anything of significance at the next level, at least one of them realizes the flaws in the system.

 

Sort of.

 

ESPN’s Todd McShay has decided in the wake of the 2014 draft to wag a finger at those who had a role in cajoling underclassmen to give up remaining eligibility to enter the NFL, and to not be drafted.

 

“For those agents/media members selling ’2nd contract’ to these young men, what say you to the 36 of 98 underclassmen not drafted?”

 

Here’s one thing they/we should say: You shouldn’t have listened to made-for-TV draftniks like Todd McShay when deciding what to do.

 

McShay and those of his ilk routinely put ideas in the heads of players that have no relevance to what NFL teams actually think. Soon, McShay undoubtedly will unveil his incredibly-too-premature list of the top players for 2015, and he’ll include in that list — you guessed it — underclassmen.

 

Last year, McShay put Tennessee offensive lineman Antonio Richardson at No. 16 on the top 32 players for the 2014 draft. Inevitably, Richardson gave up his final year of eligibility at Tennessee to enter the draft. And Richardson wasn’t drafted.

 

Ditto for Florida cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy. Ranked at No. 19 last year by McShay, Purifoy left school early for the draft. And Purifoy wasn’t drafted.

 

Then there’s LSU defensive tackle Anthony Johnson. He was No. 22 on McShay’s top-32 list last May. Johnson left school early to enter the draft. And Johnson wasn’t drafted.

 

The fact that these guys left school early without being drafted isn’t entirely the fault of McShay. But it’s hypocritical, to say the very least, for McShay to chastise those who persuaded players to leave school early in order to put in years of service toward a second NFL contract when McShay is a sizable cog in the machine that ultimately supports the argument that these players should quit playing football for free.

 

Maybe McShay and the rest of the self-styled draft experts should quit ranking players who’ll have remaining eligibility beyond the coming football season. Maybe the self-styled draft experts should ignore underclassmen entirely, until the underclassmen have decided that the time has come to stop playing college football without the influence of draft experts who think they know a lot more than they do.

 

If McShay and the other so-called draft experts are going to act indignant when players leave school early and don’t get drafted, they need to get out of the business of scouting and ranking and discussing underclassmen. Some of them perhaps need to get out of the business of scouting and ranking and discussing all players, but that’s a rant for another day.

[Dick Allen]

I always enjoy reading an article ripping Todd McShay

 

ProFootballTalk

I have tried to google it but all i ever come up with is how McShay and Kiper do on accuracy of their mock drafts. Does anyone know of any place that shows how accurate they are with their rankings of players overall as far as how they actually perform in the NFL?

[Kyyle23]

I have tried to google it but all i ever come up with is how McShay and Kiper do on accuracy of their mock drafts. Does anyone know of any place that shows how accurate they are with their rankings of players overall as far as how they actually perform in the NFL?

 

Every once in a while deadspin will come out with a article showing how a certain draft analyst did a few years after a draft, but it is so hard because it takes a while to truly assess a draft.

 

There were a few gems I read on deadspin last week, like Mel Kiper claiming that Jamarcus Russell would be a better qb than Jon Elway

[bmags]

Pretty sure Kiper gave the Seahawks a C- after the draft that netted Wilson, Wagner and Irvin.

 

During the draft I can get a little pissed at picks I don't like, but then I immediately turn on the GMs side as soon as someone says " he could've gotten him in the 3rd or fourth round." frankly the info fans have available to them is shoddy at best and gets even worse after top 20 are gone.

[Dick Allen]

Pretty sure Kiper gave the Seahawks a C- after the draft that netted Wilson, Wagner and Irvin.

 

During the draft I can get a little pissed at picks I don't like, but then I immediately turn on the GMs side as soon as someone says " he could've gotten him in the 3rd or fourth round." frankly the info fans have available to them is shoddy at best and gets even worse after top 20 are gone.

The whole problem IMO is the term "value", especially since most of the value is determined by guys like McShay and Kiper. Long wasn't considered a value pick, yet he turned out OK, and eventually might be one of their better picks when it is all said and done. His dad said he wouldn't have been on the board much longer. That could have been. Dad talking or a guy with some good info.

 

 

I do like listening to Polian. He obviously knew what he was doing. But he doesn't seem to want to argue with the other guys and I think because he was one, ripping another GMs draft isn't going to be something he is comfortable with.

[Soxfest]

Really like Bears signing UFA linebacker Christian Jones. Had a 3rd round grade and could be a starter sooner than later.

[Kyyle23]

The whole problem IMO is the term "value", especially since most of the value is determined by guys like McShay and Kiper. Long wasn't considered a value pick, yet he turned out OK, and eventually might be one of their better picks when it is all said and done. His dad said he wouldn't have been on the board much longer. That could have been. Dad talking or a guy with some good info.

 

 

I do like listening to Polian. He obviously knew what he was doing. But he doesn't seem to want to argue with the other guys and I think because he was one, ripping another GMs draft isn't going to be something he is comfortable with.

 

I can imagine it is uncomfortable. We look at raw numbers in strength and speed on these guys, but the crapshoot really is the character and drive. People saw Russell as a freak at his position with question marks, but could you really predict that he would literally be the size of a lineman within 2 years of being drafted?

[2nd_city_saint787]

For what was there I'd give the Bears a B+.

 

I thought with Donald gone they shoulda grabbed a S but Phil apparently likes Conte and wants to give him a shot at winning his job. Fuller looks the part of a shutdown corner and that is always something a team needs. He drew comps to Tillman, so getting a year to learn from Tillman should be huge. Depending on the matchups I can see Jennings playing the slot with Fuller and Tillman on the outside.

 

Depending on where you look they did really well with the DTs they drafted. Ourlads, which is run by a former scout and is said to be "The most respected source for the NFL draft" had Ego and Sutton ranked 4th and 5th in their DT rankings. Yes, Nix was ranked first, but the fact that they brought him in for a workout and passed on him tells me he wasn't a fit. Jernigan was ranked 3rd but he sadly went off the board a few picks before us.

 

Carey was kind of a meh pick for me but Ourlads has him ranked as the top overall RB in the draft. I would have liked to see them wait a little later on RB but I can't argue with taking a guy who's talked about in some places as the top RB in the class.

 

I was hyping up Vereen as a mid round gem for quite some time now. Love his size/strength/speed combo. Yes his short arms are a bit of a concern, but I look at Pryor, who a lot wanted, and see that his arms are just an inch longer while Vereen is an inch taller. So in a way it all kinda evens out.

 

Fales I think is a perfect fit for a WCO. Good, quick release, leads his receivers well, great accuracy, not exactly a statue in the pocket, smart, goes through his progressions. Working with Trestman I think he has the chance to either A. Push Cutler outta town in 3 years or B. Should Cutler get hurt and he gets a chance to play he might end up being good trade bait.

 

O'Donnell was the top ranked punter in the draft, maybe a bit of a reach, but as a 6R pick it doesn't hurt to get a guy who will contribute and fills a need.

 

Leno Jr. is a versatile OL project for Kromer to get his hands on. Britton is back, but only for a year, this guy provides solid depth for now and into the future. Kromer has done more with less.

 

Adding Christian Jones as a UDFA could also be a real good get if the Bears do end up moving Bostic to the outside to replace Briggs next year. He was one of the few LBs I actually liked in the draft.

 

Not sure if anyones gonna touch Lyerla, but if someone adds him, I'm hoping it's the Bears, that'd just be the cherry on top of what I thought to be a fine draft.

 

[GoSox05]

I bet Mel Kiper has done better than some GM's. It's tough to predict some of these guys. Some players are never good because of injuries or off the field issues.

 

 

 

 

 

[LittleHurt05]

I bet Mel Kiper has done better than some GM's. It's tough to predict some of these guys. Some players are never good because of injuries or off the field issues.

 

Of course it's so hard to predict, it's just silly that's his high paid full time job to be wrong a lot. It's like he's a weatherman.

[SoxAce]

I bet Mel Kiper has done better than some GM's. It's tough to predict some of these guys. Some players are never good because of injuries or off the field issues.

 

Dracula knows his s***. But like any scout, GM, etc. he's wrong more often than he is right about prospects.

[bmags]

No doubt. Honestly, if he was in the biz it's possible he'd be a great real scout. But reality is each team has many scouts doing this 24/7. So you have 32 different hardcore frames of references for hundreds of players, but on the fans side they are seeing 2-3 frames of reference and think that is industry consensus. It isn't. Players will still bust a lot but the idea that fans would know if a player "should have gone in the 3rd/4th" is silly.

[cabiness42]

Very interesting analysis of the NFL Draft from the standpoint of economists.

 

http://www.vox.com/2014/5/7/5683448/how-nf...m_medium=iosapp

 

If you don't want to read the entire thing, here's the highlight: Almost never, ever trade up in the draft. It's terrible value to do so.