Somebody is going to get a great value with Tez Walker today.Troy Franklin # 103 ?
They could still use help at WR
I agree. Previous drafts, it felt like "I'm BB and I'm smarter that 31 other gm's, every scout, and all analysts"Drafting is an inexact science, but the Pats seem to be doing what they've done in recent drafts . . . taking guys too early. They took Polk as the 10th WR off the board when he's been considered the 18th top WR prospect. I've seen him listed as the #65 prospect and they grabbed him at #37. Wallace was expected to be a 4th round pick and they took him at the top of the third. I've seen him ranked as the #130 prospect in the draft and they took him at #68. He's been described as being a depth tackle that could be able to play multiple positions on the line (but needs a lot of development). They needed a starting LT, and I don't see Wallace as being that guy. Like every other draft pick, w'll have to wait and see how things turn out.
I'm an outsider just here for Drake, but it looks like a good strategy to me.With the exception of two round 6 picks and a round 7 pick, here's your 2024 draft class:
RD 1
#3
Drake Maye QB, UNC
Height: 6-4, Weight: 230
RD 2
#37
Ja'Lynn Polk WR, WASH
Height: 6-2, Weight: 204
RD 3
#68
Caedan Wallace IOL, PSU
Height: 6-5, Weight: 328
RD 4
#103
Layden Robinson IOL, TXAM
Height: 6-4, Weight: 315
RD 4
#110
Javon Baker WR, UCF
Height: 6-1, Weight: 208
==============================
A QB, 2 WR, 2 guard - Seems redundant considering last year they drafted:
3 OL - Andrews, Sow, Mafi
2 WR - Boutte, Douglass
Seems they are using the "throw enough Schlitz at the wall, some will stick" strategy
because I can't imagine all these OL's and WR's ever being on the field at the same time.
Just a side note, Wallace played exclusively at right tackle in college and Wolf said he can play left tackle, where I assume they will attempt to develop him.With the exception of two round 6 picks and a round 7 pick, here's your 2024 draft class:
RD 1
#3
Drake Maye QB, UNC
Height: 6-4, Weight: 230
RD 2
#37
Ja'Lynn Polk WR, WASH
Height: 6-2, Weight: 204
RD 3
#68
Caedan Wallace IOL, PSU
Height: 6-5, Weight: 328
RD 4
#103
Layden Robinson IOL, TXAM
Height: 6-4, Weight: 315
RD 4
#110
Javon Baker WR, UCF
Height: 6-1, Weight: 208
==============================
A QB, 2 WR, 2 guard - Seems redundant considering last year they drafted:
3 OL - Andrews, Sow, Mafi
2 WR - Boutte, Douglass
Seems they are using the "throw enough Schlitz at the wall, some will stick" strategy
because I can't imagine all these OL's and WR's ever being on the field at the same time.
Ditto.I am very pleased with what they did...without any real extra draft capital they were not in a position to make many moves so it was pretty much stick and pick outside of that one deal netting an extra #4...positionally I could not be happier...they needed to focus on offense, and they did with 7/8 picks being on that side of the ball...right now the most important thing is developing Maye and hopefully some of these kids pan out and grow with him...I also like that pretty much all of these kids played at big time schools and have a lot of starts under their belt...the O-line and WR units just got a lot more competitive which was badly needed...I like the dart throws on Milton and Bell...the Wolf regime appears to be focused on drafting and development...I think they did a good job on the draft and now we will get to see if Mayo and company are up to the task of developing these kids...the development of this draft class will give us a very good idea whether Wolf and Mayo are the right hires.
Ditto.I am very pleased with what they did...without any real extra draft capital they were not in a position to make many moves so it was pretty much stick and pick outside of that one deal netting an extra #4...positionally I could not be happier...they needed to focus on offense, and they did with 7/8 picks being on that side of the ball...right now the most important thing is developing Maye and hopefully some of these kids pan out and grow with him...I also like that pretty much all of these kids played at big time schools and have a lot of starts under their belt...the O-line and WR units just got a lot more competitive which was badly needed...I like the dart throws on Milton and Bell...the Wolf regime appears to be focused on drafting and development...I think they did a good job on the draft and now we will get to see if Mayo and company are up to the task of developing these kids...the development of this draft class will give us a very good idea whether Wolf and Mayo are the right hires.
They had clear holes to fill and they went after filling those holes. In years past, we'd go into drafts with clear needs and Bill would of course zig when everyone thought he'd zag. If he were still around, half of the picks would probably be on the defensive side of the ball and I'd be pulling my hair out.
Everyone is saying that Polk is a reach. Could be, but I see Polk and Baker as kind of a package deal where Baker being a supposed "steal" offsets any reaching on Polk.
As for lineman, who knows.
Love the late dart throw on Milton too (Zappe gone?) and Bell seems like C. Patterson II. Decent gambles.
Hopefully this draft raises the floor of the team. Doubt it increases the ceiling and win total, but we know next year will be rough.
I tend to disagree with both of you on this. Drafting players just to have more options at a position doesn't necessarily mean those guys are good. Many times, it means a team is desperate to get someone in those roles. Put another way, there is a very high probability that they passed on more impactful players that fell at other positions because they had blinders on to force themselves to reach for guys at positions of need.Ditto.I am very pleased with what they did...without any real extra draft capital they were not in a position to make many moves so it was pretty much stick and pick outside of that one deal netting an extra #4...positionally I could not be happier...they needed to focus on offense, and they did with 7/8 picks being on that side of the ball...right now the most important thing is developing Maye and hopefully some of these kids pan out and grow with him...I also like that pretty much all of these kids played at big time schools and have a lot of starts under their belt...the O-line and WR units just got a lot more competitive which was badly needed...I like the dart throws on Milton and Bell...the Wolf regime appears to be focused on drafting and development...I think they did a good job on the draft and now we will get to see if Mayo and company are up to the task of developing these kids...the development of this draft class will give us a very good idea whether Wolf and Mayo are the right hires.
They had clear holes to fill and they went after filling those holes. In years past, we'd go into drafts with clear needs and Bill would of course zig when everyone thought he'd zag. If he were still around, half of the picks would probably be on the defensive side of the ball and I'd be pulling my hair out.
Everyone is saying that Polk is a reach. Could be, but I see Polk and Baker as kind of a package deal where Baker being a supposed "steal" offsets any reaching on Polk.
As for lineman, who knows.
Love the late dart throw on Milton too (Zappe gone?) and Bell seems like C. Patterson II. Decent gambles.
Hopefully this draft raises the floor of the team. Doubt it increases the ceiling and win total, but we know next year will be rough.
I like Barmore, but I don't know if I like Barmore at $20 or $21 million a year. We'll have to see what the contract terms are. I saw $41.8 million guaranteed.Here is some very good news...Barmore extended...starting to have hope for the future!
Source: Patriots, Christian Barmore agree to contract extension
Source: The Patriots and defensive tackle Christian Barmore have agreed to terms on a contract extension.www.bostonherald.com
I tend to disagree with both of you on this. Drafting players just to have more options at a position doesn't necessarily mean those guys are good. Many times, it means a team is desperate to get someone in those roles. Put another way, there is a very high probability that they passed on more impactful players that fell at other positions because they had blinders on to force themselves to reach for guys at positions of need.Ditto.I am very pleased with what they did...without any real extra draft capital they were not in a position to make many moves so it was pretty much stick and pick outside of that one deal netting an extra #4...positionally I could not be happier...they needed to focus on offense, and they did with 7/8 picks being on that side of the ball...right now the most important thing is developing Maye and hopefully some of these kids pan out and grow with him...I also like that pretty much all of these kids played at big time schools and have a lot of starts under their belt...the O-line and WR units just got a lot more competitive which was badly needed...I like the dart throws on Milton and Bell...the Wolf regime appears to be focused on drafting and development...I think they did a good job on the draft and now we will get to see if Mayo and company are up to the task of developing these kids...the development of this draft class will give us a very good idea whether Wolf and Mayo are the right hires.
They had clear holes to fill and they went after filling those holes. In years past, we'd go into drafts with clear needs and Bill would of course zig when everyone thought he'd zag. If he were still around, half of the picks would probably be on the defensive side of the ball and I'd be pulling my hair out.
Everyone is saying that Polk is a reach. Could be, but I see Polk and Baker as kind of a package deal where Baker being a supposed "steal" offsets any reaching on Polk.
As for lineman, who knows.
Love the late dart throw on Milton too (Zappe gone?) and Bell seems like C. Patterson II. Decent gambles.
Hopefully this draft raises the floor of the team. Doubt it increases the ceiling and win total, but we know next year will be rough.
I find this situation similar to inexperienced fantasy owners in a draft. They know they need WRs, so they take three WR in a row in rounds 3, 4, and 5. But they take guys ranked 48, 52, and a guy that was a Top 20 WR eight years ago hoping for a bounce back at age 32.
Here is their WR room at the moment:
Bourne, Osborn, Douglas, Smith-Schuster, Polk, JBaker, Thornton, Reagor, Boutte, Luther, KBaker
They can't keep all of those guys, so half of them will likely be gone. They just signed / re-signed Bourne, Osborn, and Reagor, so I can't see them getting cut. They just drafted Polk and Baker (and Pop isn't going anywhere). That's 6 players right there. Why are JJSS, Thornton, Boutte, and the two player squad guys still around?
Here is the OL grouping:
Onwenu, Sow, JAndrews, Strange, Okorafor, DAndrews, Wallace, Leverett, Anderson, McDermott, Lowe, Mafi, Anderson, Wheatley, Jordan
That's a lot of bodies, but probably not a lot of talent. Dante Scarnecchia isn't there to work his magic. Maybe the 5 guys they drafted these past two drafts can develop into something, but this year they took the 16th and 25th OL players drafted. Last year, they took numbers 17, 20, and 24. They didn't take one of the top 15 picks at OL in either draft.
IMO, after free agency and the draft, both of those groups are still Bottom 5 in the league. They have very little experience, and most of the players that have experience haven't done much. We still have no idea if the coaching staff can develop players, call games, game plan, or make in game adjustments as they haven't had much experience either.
Again, we haven't seen any of these guys on the field and have no idea if the new coaching staff will be stellar, average, or terrible. It's literally a wait and see situation (and hope for the best).
Who's scouting players for the Patriots. Is it a brand new group?003 - Drake Maye QB UNC (ESPN rank 6, PFF rank 3)
037 - Ja'Lynn Polk WR Washington (ESPN rank 60, PFF rank 48)
068 - Caedan Wallace OT Penn State (ESPN rank 124, PFF rank 142)
103 - Layden Robinson G Texas A&M (ESPN rank 194, PFF rank 263)
110 - Javon Baker WR UCF (ESPN rank 87, PFF rank 78)
I believe it's mostly the same people in the scouting department and the same player personnel folks. After BB had some shaky drafts, the Kraft's indicated (at least publicly) that there would be a bigger group of people involved in the player evaluation and a more democratic draft pick selection process. One of the things they decided to focus in on was more athletic players (including an emphasis on relative athletic scores). As such, they ended up drafting some players with high RAS grades but that didn't make them great NFL players (Tyquan Thorton, Curtis Strange, and Pierre Strong come to mind). I believe the core of that group returned intact with the primary difference being BB obviously was no longer involved.Who's scouting players for the Patriots. Is it a brand new group?
I'm guessing (seems obvious?) you don't think much of the players drafted.I tend to disagree with both of you on this. Drafting players just to have more options at a position doesn't necessarily mean those guys are good. Many times, it means a team is desperate to get someone in those roles. Put another way, there is a very high probability that they passed on more impactful players that fell at other positions because they had blinders on to force themselves to reach for guys at positions of need.Ditto.I am very pleased with what they did...without any real extra draft capital they were not in a position to make many moves so it was pretty much stick and pick outside of that one deal netting an extra #4...positionally I could not be happier...they needed to focus on offense, and they did with 7/8 picks being on that side of the ball...right now the most important thing is developing Maye and hopefully some of these kids pan out and grow with him...I also like that pretty much all of these kids played at big time schools and have a lot of starts under their belt...the O-line and WR units just got a lot more competitive which was badly needed...I like the dart throws on Milton and Bell...the Wolf regime appears to be focused on drafting and development...I think they did a good job on the draft and now we will get to see if Mayo and company are up to the task of developing these kids...the development of this draft class will give us a very good idea whether Wolf and Mayo are the right hires.
They had clear holes to fill and they went after filling those holes. In years past, we'd go into drafts with clear needs and Bill would of course zig when everyone thought he'd zag. If he were still around, half of the picks would probably be on the defensive side of the ball and I'd be pulling my hair out.
Everyone is saying that Polk is a reach. Could be, but I see Polk and Baker as kind of a package deal where Baker being a supposed "steal" offsets any reaching on Polk.
As for lineman, who knows.
Love the late dart throw on Milton too (Zappe gone?) and Bell seems like C. Patterson II. Decent gambles.
Hopefully this draft raises the floor of the team. Doubt it increases the ceiling and win total, but we know next year will be rough.
I find this situation similar to inexperienced fantasy owners in a draft. They know they need WRs, so they take three WR in a row in rounds 3, 4, and 5. But they take guys ranked 48, 52, and a guy that was a Top 20 WR eight years ago hoping for a bounce back at age 32.
Here is their WR room at the moment:
Bourne, Osborn, Douglas, Smith-Schuster, Polk, JBaker, Thornton, Reagor, Boutte, Luther, KBaker
They can't keep all of those guys, so half of them will likely be gone. They just signed / re-signed Bourne, Osborn, and Reagor, so I can't see them getting cut. They just drafted Polk and Baker (and Pop isn't going anywhere). That's 6 players right there. Why are JJSS, Thornton, Boutte, and the two player squad guys still around?
Here is the OL grouping:
Onwenu, Sow, JAndrews, Strange, Okorafor, DAndrews, Wallace, Leverett, Anderson, McDermott, Lowe, Mafi, Anderson, Wheatley, Jordan
That's a lot of bodies, but probably not a lot of talent. Dante Scarnecchia isn't there to work his magic. Maybe the 5 guys they drafted these past two drafts can develop into something, but this year they took the 16th and 25th OL players drafted. Last year, they took numbers 17, 20, and 24. They didn't take one of the top 15 picks at OL in either draft.
IMO, after free agency and the draft, both of those groups are still Bottom 5 in the league. They have very little experience, and most of the players that have experience haven't done much. We still have no idea if the coaching staff can develop players, call games, game plan, or make in game adjustments as they haven't had much experience either.
Again, we haven't seen any of these guys on the field and have no idea if the new coaching staff will be stellar, average, or terrible. It's literally a wait and see situation (and hope for the best).
I'm guessing (seems obvious?) you don't think much of the players drafted.I tend to disagree with both of you on this. Drafting players just to have more options at a position doesn't necessarily mean those guys are good. Many times, it means a team is desperate to get someone in those roles. Put another way, there is a very high probability that they passed on more impactful players that fell at other positions because they had blinders on to force themselves to reach for guys at positions of need.Ditto.I am very pleased with what they did...without any real extra draft capital they were not in a position to make many moves so it was pretty much stick and pick outside of that one deal netting an extra #4...positionally I could not be happier...they needed to focus on offense, and they did with 7/8 picks being on that side of the ball...right now the most important thing is developing Maye and hopefully some of these kids pan out and grow with him...I also like that pretty much all of these kids played at big time schools and have a lot of starts under their belt...the O-line and WR units just got a lot more competitive which was badly needed...I like the dart throws on Milton and Bell...the Wolf regime appears to be focused on drafting and development...I think they did a good job on the draft and now we will get to see if Mayo and company are up to the task of developing these kids...the development of this draft class will give us a very good idea whether Wolf and Mayo are the right hires.
They had clear holes to fill and they went after filling those holes. In years past, we'd go into drafts with clear needs and Bill would of course zig when everyone thought he'd zag. If he were still around, half of the picks would probably be on the defensive side of the ball and I'd be pulling my hair out.
Everyone is saying that Polk is a reach. Could be, but I see Polk and Baker as kind of a package deal where Baker being a supposed "steal" offsets any reaching on Polk.
As for lineman, who knows.
Love the late dart throw on Milton too (Zappe gone?) and Bell seems like C. Patterson II. Decent gambles.
Hopefully this draft raises the floor of the team. Doubt it increases the ceiling and win total, but we know next year will be rough.
I find this situation similar to inexperienced fantasy owners in a draft. They know they need WRs, so they take three WR in a row in rounds 3, 4, and 5. But they take guys ranked 48, 52, and a guy that was a Top 20 WR eight years ago hoping for a bounce back at age 32.
Here is their WR room at the moment:
Bourne, Osborn, Douglas, Smith-Schuster, Polk, JBaker, Thornton, Reagor, Boutte, Luther, KBaker
They can't keep all of those guys, so half of them will likely be gone. They just signed / re-signed Bourne, Osborn, and Reagor, so I can't see them getting cut. They just drafted Polk and Baker (and Pop isn't going anywhere). That's 6 players right there. Why are JJSS, Thornton, Boutte, and the two player squad guys still around?
Here is the OL grouping:
Onwenu, Sow, JAndrews, Strange, Okorafor, DAndrews, Wallace, Leverett, Anderson, McDermott, Lowe, Mafi, Anderson, Wheatley, Jordan
That's a lot of bodies, but probably not a lot of talent. Dante Scarnecchia isn't there to work his magic. Maybe the 5 guys they drafted these past two drafts can develop into something, but this year they took the 16th and 25th OL players drafted. Last year, they took numbers 17, 20, and 24. They didn't take one of the top 15 picks at OL in either draft.
IMO, after free agency and the draft, both of those groups are still Bottom 5 in the league. They have very little experience, and most of the players that have experience haven't done much. We still have no idea if the coaching staff can develop players, call games, game plan, or make in game adjustments as they haven't had much experience either.
Again, we haven't seen any of these guys on the field and have no idea if the new coaching staff will be stellar, average, or terrible. It's literally a wait and see situation (and hope for the best).
That's fine, I have no idea how they will turn out.
What I don't understand is assuming it's a mistake to go heavy WR/OL in a draft where much of the talent is in WR/OL for a team that really needs WR/OL.
I don't have an opinion of the players that were drafted, but I do have some questions as to the strategy and methodology of who they picked. As we all know, it could be years before we find out who were hits and who were misses. As for the narrative that drafts are deeper at certain positions, that generally means there are multiple options near the top of the draft that there probably are not there in most drafts. For example, there may be 4 or 5 tackles in most first rounds. This one I think had 8. That doesn't necessarily mean the 6th round is stocked full of guys that would be rated as second round picks but fell because there were 30 good ones available.I'm guessing (seems obvious?) you don't think much of the players drafted.
That's fine, I have no idea how they will turn out.
What I don't understand is assuming it's a mistake to go heavy WR/OL in a draft where much of the talent is in WR/OL for a team that really needs WR/OL.
I'm guessing that directionally, you would have preferred something like 34+other pick(s) and 68+other pick(s) to get quality rather than quantity. I dont necessarily disagree, but that strategy pushes more chips in a two specific plays. Would you have taken Maye or traded back?...suddenly this year's approach is better (when it appears the same people were involved in the evaluation and selection process).I'm guessing (seems obvious?) you don't think much of the players drafted.
That's fine, I have no idea how they will turn out.
What I don't understand is assuming it's a mistake to go heavy WR/OL in a draft where much of the talent is in WR/OL for a team that really needs WR/OL.
The Pats did things differently than I would have from the moment they let go of BB. I would have jettisoned everyone affiliated with BB, from the coaches to the front office. Start fresh with an entirely new regime. I would not have hired Mayo (which apparently was already set up last year). Part of me thinks they want to run things similar to BB just without Bill (which IMO would be a recipe for disaster). If they opted to move on and go in a different direction, just rip off the band aid and start all over again.I'm guessing that directionally, you would have preferred something like 34+other pick(s) and 68+other pick(s) to get quality rather than quantity. I dont necessarily disagree, but that strategy pushes more chips in a two specific plays. Would you have taken Maye or traded back?
For starters, they have a bunker full of money to sign whomever they want (roughly $55 million in cap space). Theoretically, they save $1.2 million in cap space, but they have to replace him with another player for close to the same amount (meaning they really aren't gaining much cap space out of cutting him).Why cut McDermott? Is there any hope this is towards signing a WR?
Why cut McDermott? Is there any hope this is towards signing a WR?
I plead ignorance, but how do next years projected top qbs in the draft compare to Maye?Mike Reiss mentioned that NE turned down the Vikings trade offer of their two firsts from this year and their #1 next year for the Pats' #3 pick plus two mid-round selections from this year. Not sure what else the Pats expected for an offer for their pick.
I, too, plead ignorance, but draft prognosticators expect next year's QB crop to not be as strong as this one. However, we've seen guys that weren't on the radar before a season started end up as top picks after having great seasons. So hard to really know with certainty until we see guys perform during the upcoming season. And of course, there have been vaunted draft classes disappoint in the NFL, so lots of prayer circles out there hoping guys pan out.I plead ignorance, but how do next years projected top qbs in the draft compare to Maye?Mike Reiss mentioned that NE turned down the Vikings trade offer of their two firsts from this year and their #1 next year for the Pats' #3 pick plus two mid-round selections from this year. Not sure what else the Pats expected for an offer for their pick.
Mike Reiss mentioned that NE turned down the Vikings trade offer of their two firsts from this year and their #1 next year for the Pats' #3 pick plus two mid-round selections from this year. Not sure what else the Pats expected for an offer for their pick.
Or they were told they had to take a QB with that pick by ownership.Just tells me they didn’t really want to trade it and really liked Maye.
I mean it wasn’t some huge sweetheart deal to begin with. The Vikings are a mid pack team so the 2025 1st isn’t likely to be super high. They reportedly wanted two mid round picks back from the Patriots and they had to trade two more mid round picks to move up to get JJ. All in all if you like the guy at 3, I’d of stayed put too.Or they were told they had to take a QB with that pick by ownership.Just tells me they didn’t really want to trade it and really liked Maye.
Sounds like Puka. Maybe wishful thinking hahaPolk is ‘awesome on in breaking routes’ and has ‘good build up speed.’ He won’t win early in routes but will be fine in intermediate areas. Excellent run blocking and ‘vice grip hands.’
Hoping you are right! My hope is that both Polk and Baker show they are legit WRs and along with Pop they have the makings of a quality young WR unit that can grow with Maye and next offseason whether it is thru FA (they will obviously have the $) or a 1st round pick they can obtain a #1 and now you are off and running with them and Maye...O line is all about development and finding out who is a legit starter, who is depth and who can't play...and whether we can trust this staff to develop them...Wallace and Robinson both started a lot of games at high-end schools and were not obvious picks...if they hit on them it will give us a lot of confidence in Wolf...like WR if they can get to the point that they're almost there with a good young unit they can finish it off next offseason either thru FA or the draft...because they took Maye they will be in a position to be very flexible in next year's draft whether that means using the high pick they will most likely have or trading down to a QB needy team...I'm really hoping that at this time next year we are all very optimistic a return to contention is close.I’m probably too much of an optimist but Baker was kind of a rare profile by RP. He ran an absurd amount of 9 routes and had workable success rates versus man coverage. I think he’s a totally different guy than anyone else in this wr group. Harmon comp is pre acl Gallup. The biggest issue is a lack of experience with varied routes
Polk is ‘awesome on in breaking routes’ and has ‘good build up speed.’ He won’t win early in routes but will be fine in intermediate areas. Excellent run blocking and ‘vice grip hands.’ Harmon comp is Woods. Excellent at winning outside of his frame. Waldman high end comp is Maclin
I think these two were targeted to be matched up with Maye who’s both aggressive as a passer and likes to work in middle of the field. And might need WRs to win at the catch point if his accuracy is iffy for a while.
Imagine both will have a lot of development but could be actual complimentary players. Not in the pejorative sense.
With Douglas and Henry, this has the potential to be a functional group.
OL will either be a miracle development this year or more likely a top 5 pick next year. This was never a one year rebuild.
Anarchy...you seem overly negative on all things pats. I know there is certainly good reason understanding recent history, but damn.I tend to disagree with both of you on this. Drafting players just to have more options at a position doesn't necessarily mean those guys are good. Many times, it means a team is desperate to get someone in those roles. Put another way, there is a very high probability that they passed on more impactful players that fell at other positions because they had blinders on to force themselves to reach for guys at positions of need.Ditto.I am very pleased with what they did...without any real extra draft capital they were not in a position to make many moves so it was pretty much stick and pick outside of that one deal netting an extra #4...positionally I could not be happier...they needed to focus on offense, and they did with 7/8 picks being on that side of the ball...right now the most important thing is developing Maye and hopefully some of these kids pan out and grow with him...I also like that pretty much all of these kids played at big time schools and have a lot of starts under their belt...the O-line and WR units just got a lot more competitive which was badly needed...I like the dart throws on Milton and Bell...the Wolf regime appears to be focused on drafting and development...I think they did a good job on the draft and now we will get to see if Mayo and company are up to the task of developing these kids...the development of this draft class will give us a very good idea whether Wolf and Mayo are the right hires.
They had clear holes to fill and they went after filling those holes. In years past, we'd go into drafts with clear needs and Bill would of course zig when everyone thought he'd zag. If he were still around, half of the picks would probably be on the defensive side of the ball and I'd be pulling my hair out.
Everyone is saying that Polk is a reach. Could be, but I see Polk and Baker as kind of a package deal where Baker being a supposed "steal" offsets any reaching on Polk.
As for lineman, who knows.
Love the late dart throw on Milton too (Zappe gone?) and Bell seems like C. Patterson II. Decent gambles.
Hopefully this draft raises the floor of the team. Doubt it increases the ceiling and win total, but we know next year will be rough.
I find this situation similar to inexperienced fantasy owners in a draft. They know they need WRs, so they take three WR in a row in rounds 3, 4, and 5. But they take guys ranked 48, 52, and a guy that was a Top 20 WR eight years ago hoping for a bounce back at age 32.
Here is their WR room at the moment:
Bourne, Osborn, Douglas, Smith-Schuster, Polk, JBaker, Thornton, Reagor, Boutte, Luther, KBaker
They can't keep all of those guys, so half of them will likely be gone. They just signed / re-signed Bourne, Osborn, and Reagor, so I can't see them getting cut. They just drafted Polk and Baker (and Pop isn't going anywhere). That's 6 players right there. Why are JJSS, Thornton, Boutte, and the two player squad guys still around?
Here is the OL grouping:
Onwenu, Sow, JAndrews, Strange, Okorafor, DAndrews, Wallace, Leverett, Anderson, McDermott, Lowe, Mafi, Anderson, Wheatley, Jordan
That's a lot of bodies, but probably not a lot of talent. Dante Scarnecchia isn't there to work his magic. Maybe the 5 guys they drafted these past two drafts can develop into something, but this year they took the 16th and 25th OL players drafted. Last year, they took numbers 17, 20, and 24. They didn't take one of the top 15 picks at OL in either draft.
IMO, after free agency and the draft, both of those groups are still Bottom 5 in the league. They have very little experience, and most of the players that have experience haven't done much. We still have no idea if the coaching staff can develop players, call games, game plan, or make in game adjustments as they haven't had much experience either.
Again, we haven't seen any of these guys on the field and have no idea if the new coaching staff will be stellar, average, or terrible. It's literally a wait and see situation (and hope for the best).
For starters, they have a bunker full of money to sign whomever they want (roughly $55 million in cap space). Theoretically, they save $1.2 million in cap space, but they have to replace him with another player for close to the same amount (meaning they really aren't gaining much cap space out of cutting him).Why cut McDermott? Is there any hope this is towards signing a WR?
Second, who else can they sign at WR? Here are some of the remaining WR I can think of: OBJ, Tyler Boyd, Michael Thomas, Mecole Hardman, Hunter Renfrow, MVS, D.J. Chark (and some other lesser names). If you mean is there hope that they will trade for a WR, the draft just came and went, so the window of potential trade partners has probably closed. It's still possible, but a team looking to move a player had more incentive to consummate a trade last week than this week.
This is true, but the tough part is evaluating if Maye is a bust or not. What makes him a bust or a keeper and when? If he sits most of the season and then plays the last month and goes 0-4 and looks overmatched? If after 20 starts and he is 4-16 with terrible passing numbers, lots of sacks, and a ton of picks? Maye has the same issues Mac had . . . not a lot of weapons, a not-so-great OL, and not a lot of guys with experience playing on offense. That's not the best situation for any QB to be in.We all know that Maye is all that matters in this draft. They could hit on every other pick but if Maye is a bust so was this draft and vice versa.
I'm of the opinion that rookie QBs require, at minimum, one and a half season in the same offense to truly see what they've got. Beyond that, there needs to be noticeable improvement at some point. If there is no improvement, move on. Personally, I think Mac will have success somewhere it was just a confluence of issues (OL, lack of weapons, non-consistent coaching, etc) and he never got to improve. I also believe the Pats made the right choice in moving on from Mac.what is the developmental timeline and expectations for Maye and how would you assess whether he is the QB of the future, a bust, a JAG, or the guy they have to keep rolling out because they don't really have another option?
Here's the conundrum (which seems pretty clear to the casual fan): what does Maye really have to work with, and how well can he perform with the assets he has?I'm of the opinion that rookie QBs require, at minimum, one and a half season in the same offense to truly see what they've got. Beyond that, there needs to be noticeable improvement at some point. If there is no improvement, move on. Personally, I think Mac will have success somewhere it was just a confluence of issues (OL, lack of weapons, non-consistent coaching, etc) and he never got to improve. I also believe the Pats made the right choice in moving on from Mac.what is the developmental timeline and expectations for Maye and how would you assess whether he is the QB of the future, a bust, a JAG, or the guy they have to keep rolling out because they don't really have another option?
If Maye has a "down" season this year, and then next year there is zero improvement, or worse a backslide, then I think it's time to move on.
Josh Allen took off when the Bills added Stefon Diggs.
Patrick Mahomes had Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce (and Kareem Hunt for good measure).
C.J. Stroud had a great rookie season with Nico Collins and Tank Dell.
Tua Tagovailoa took off when the Dolphins gave him Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Joe Burrow exploded with Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd.
Justin Herbert has put up great numbers with Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Austin Ekeler (will have to see how he performs without them).
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles turned things around with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
Hard disagree. Sitting and observing as opposed to playing and learning doesn't seem to have any noticeable impact on rookies IMO. I agree, maybe pump the brakes on tossing him out there for a couple weeks but he needs to play this year.I hope we really don’t have to evaluate Maye at all this season. I don’t want to see him play. If they want to get him some experience in the last game or two, fine but I hope they dont put him in games where they are relying on him. I’d like to see another offseason to build the line and get that #1 WR before he’s thrown into real game action. He’s super young and I’d love to see them work on his game off the field for a year.