The Rams move up for future pain in the ass Tavon Austin
Yeah I know, I’m blatantly plagiarizing someone else’s brilliant idea from last year, but I thought this might be fun (also included: my thoughts on round one).
Everyone please say a quiet prayer for Rob’s server. Okay then, here goes:
Be you warned, for here there be GIFS…
1. The Kansas City Chiefs select: Eric Fisher, Tackle, Central Michigan
2. The Jacksonville Jaguars select: Luke Joekel, Tackle, Texas A&M
3. The Miami Dolphins select: Dion Jordan, Linebacker/Defensive End, Oregon
4. The Philadelphia Eagles select: Lane Johnson, Tackle, Oklahoma
5. The Detroit Lions select: Ezekial Ansah, Defensive End, BYU
6. The Cleveland Browns select: Barkevious Mingo, Linebacker/DE, LSU
7. The Arizona Cardinals select: Jonathan Cooper, Guard, North Carolina
8. The St. Louis Rams select: Tavon Austin, Wide Receiver, West Virginia
9. The New York Jets select: Dee Milliner, Cornerback, Alabama
10. The Tennessee Titans select: Chance Warmack, Guard, Alabama
11. The San Diego Chargers select: DJ Fluker, Tackle/Guard, Alabama
12. The Oakland Raiders select: DJ Hayden, Cornerback, Houston
13. The New York Jets select: Sheldon Richardson, Defensive Tackle, Missouri
(Idzik’s message to the Panthers)
14. The Carolina Panthers select: Star Lotulelei, Defensive Tackle, Utah
15. The New Orleans Saints select: Kenny Vaccaro, Safety, Texas
16. The Buffalo Bills select: EJ Manuel, Quarterback, Florida State
17. The Pittsburgh Steelers select: Jarvis Jones, Linebacker, Georgia
18. The San Francisco 49ers select: Eric Reid, Safety, LSU
19. The New York Giants select: Justin Pugh, Tackle/Guard, Syracuse
20. The Chicago Bears select: Kyle Long, Tackle/Guard, Oregon
21. The Cincinnati Bengals select: Tyler Eifert, Tight End, Notre Dame
22. The Atlanta Falcons select: Desmond Trufant, Cornerback, Washington
23. The Minnesota Vikings select: Sharrif Floyd, Defensive Tackle, Florida
24. The Indianapolis Colts select: Bjoern Werner, Defensive End, Florida State
25. The Minnesota Vikings select: Xavier Rhodes, Cornerback, Florida State
26. The Green Bay Packers select: Datone Jones, Defensive Tackle, UCLA
27. The Houston Texans select: DeAndre Hopkins, Wide Receiver, Clemson
28. The Denver Broncos select: Sly Williams, DT, North Carolina
29. The Minnesota Vikings select: Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee
30. The St. Louis Rams select: Alec Ogletree, Linebacker, Georgia
(from the Rams’ perspective)
31. The Dallas Cowboys select: Travis Frederick, Center, Wisconsin
32. The Baltimore Ravens select: Matt Elam, Safety, Florida
My thoughts on Day 1:
#1 Kansas City – Eric Fisher T
Fisher has the best tape of the “big 3” and I think he also passes the eyeball test the best. KC could have picked Joekel or Johnson here and still made a great pick. Fisher as #1 feels right to me though, even if Joekel is the safest pick of the 3.
#2 Jacksonville – Luke Joeckel T
Great pick. You don’t pass on an all-pro left tackle for an extremely over-rated pass rusher. Eugene Monroe wasn’t standing in the way of anything, the same way Albert didn’t for KC. The same way that Golden Tate didn’t for the Harvin trade, for that matter.
#3 Miami – Dion Jordan DE
This is just horrible. When Miami moved up, the automatic assumption was that it was for Johnson. Johnson is going to be a much better, much younger tackle than Brendan Albert and though he’d cost more in draft capital, he’d cost far less in money. Getting Albert could still happen, but it’s more complicated now.
I think Jordan could do alright as a 3-4 OLB, but as a 4-3 DE I think he’s going to struggle, for reasons Jon Gruden eloquently stated during the broadcast. I can’t remember the last time a top 3 pick got a scathing review like that. Probably not since Tyson Jackson.
Unfortunately for Jordan, he’s going to a 4-3 defense.
#4 Philadelphia – Lane Johnson T
Good, obvious pick. I’m sure their war-room exploded in celebration when Miami surprised with the Jordan choice.
#5 Detroit – Ziggy Ansah DE
I see extremely little that separates Ziggy Ansah and Margus Hunt. This was a horrible pick, though not as bad as the one that followed it.
#6 Cleveland – Barkevious Mingo DE
The Browns new GM is not off to a great start. Mingo is a more extreme, less talented and less accomplished Bruce Irvin. At least Mingo is going to a 3-4 where he might fare better than he did in LSU’s style of defense.
Just my opinion, but Jabaal Sheard is already better than I think Mingo will ever be. It doesn’t bode well for Browns fans that the Browns are trying to deal Sheard for a 2nd round pick while taking Mingo 6th overall. That’s just terrible talent evaluation.
#7 Arizona – Jonathan Cooper G
Arizona did the right thing, even if the board fought them here. It’s been a long time since a guard went this high, but Cooper will be a good pro and teams don’t worry about overpays for good players. Good pick by Arizona, context considered.
#8 St. Louis – Tavon Austin WR
Austin isn’t my #1 WR this year, but he’s going to be a pain in Seattle’s ass for a long time. The Seahawks defense has always struggled against ultra quick RB/WR. I still think the Rams overpaid for Austin. I’m glad they had to pay through the nose for him.
#9 New York Jets – Dee Milliner CB
Maybe the best defensive player in the draft. He replaces Revis at a fraction of the financial cost, is much younger, isn’t fresh off an ACL, and is even more complete as a defender. Don’t forget that the Jets also have another pick coming next year from the Revis deal too.
I love George RR Martin, but he should stick to writing books. This was a great sequence of transactions by new GM Idzik.
#10 Tennessee – Chance Warmack G
Tennessee doesn’t want to quit on Jake Locker, and I think their investments this offseason, especially on the offensive line, clearly point to that fact. This is very high for a guard, even one of Warmack’s rare talent, but Tennessee had little choice as there was an unprecedented early rush on linemen this year.
#11 San Diego – D.J. Fluker T
Supposedly Fluker could move to guard with the Chargers. When was the earliest a guard had gone in the last 15 years before this? 14th? Not counting Brendan Albert (since he ended up at tackle). In 2013, we had three guards go in the top eleven after three tackles went in the top four. Amazing.
#12 Oakland – D.J. Hayden CB
I loved the trade down, but this pick confused me especially with Sheldon Richardson on the board. Maybe they have their eyes on Kawann Short in round two?
#13 New York Jets – Sheldon Richardson DT
Great pick. I’m sure Carolina was pissed.
#14 Carolina – Star Lotulelei DT
Lotulelei has good upside, but is high risk and isn’t truly what Carolina needs. Still, they had to make this pick.
#15 New Orleans – Kenny Vaccaro S
Vaccaro is a good player, but this pick surprised me given that Jarvis Jones and Bjoern Werner were available and the Saints were thought to be searching for pass rush help. They must have been really high on Vaccaro, who has good tape but lacks untapped upside.
#16 Buffalo – E.J. Manuel QB
I think the GIFs pretty much say it all. Salt in the wound for Geno.
I’ve sent a few messages to Rob in the past suggesting that I thought Manuel would be a 1st rounder, the oldest of them going back a full year. That said, I never imagined he’d be the first quarterback drafted.
Manuel’s appeal is that he could be another Colin Kaepernick. That’s great, but Buffalo is not a place where Kaepernick himself would thrive. Kaepernick needs a strong supporting cast to function. If Manuel doesn’t struggle mightily in Buffalo, it would be a surprise.
#17 Pittsburgh – Jarvis Jones OLB
He’s undersized and has the neck issue, but Jones is the best pass rusher in this draft, and it’s not even close. I think he’s going to be a fantastic pro, barring injury.
#18 San Francisco – Eric Reid S
I was an Aldon Smith doubter and look where that got me. That said, I never really understood the hype for Reid over the last couple months. His tape and measurables don’t jump out at you. Sure, the 49ers needed a safety and they have picks to burn, but this seems like a highly inefficient use of resources since I think an equivalent safety (if not Reid himself) would have lasted to the 31st pick.
On the bright side for 49ers fans, they got a sweetheart deal, paying just a 3rd round pick despite moving all the way up into the middle first from the #31 overall pick.
#19 New York Giants – Justin Pugh G
In a lot of other drafts, I could see Pugh going top 10, as he’s a plus athlete with good tape. Some might feel it’s a reach, but I don’t.
#20 Chicago – Kyle Long G
Long just looks like a guard when he plays tackle, and when he plays guard he has leverage issues. He’s inexperienced but he also has great upside, both from his pedigree and his own personal determination. I didn’t want Long for Seattle because I fear he’ll be a guard and that’s a wasted pick for Seattle. For most other teams though, I think he’s a fringe 1st round player, though twenty feels too early to me.
#21 Cincinnati – Tyler Eifert TE
Say what you want about Mike Brown, but he’s made some good deals and had some killer drafts in recent years. Eifert really suprised me when I broke down his tape. I would have raced to the podium for him at #25 for Seattle, had Datone Jones not been there. His jump ball ability and body control are at an elite level, and he’s a good blocker for his size too. He’s even pretty tough to take down after the catch. He probably won’t be a megastar, but I could easily see him as a Zach Miller type who’s really good but flies under the radar in the NFL.
#22 Atlanta – Desmond Trufant CB
In January, I wouldn’t have supported this pick. However, Trufant tested much better at the combine than I expected and ended up being one of the fastest corners. His tape is very good, similar to Dee Milliner he’s a “do it all” corner. He’s not an elite talent, but he’s going to be a plus defender for years to come. Not a bad pick for Atlanta. Decent.
#23 Minnesota – Sharrif Floyd DT
Sharrif Floyd was indeed a media creation. Watching Floyd tumble made me wonder what might have happened to Aaron Curry if Seattle had passed on him in 2009. It was said that Curry would have reached at least the 10th pick had Seattle passed. Like Curry, Floyd’s pass rush ability and potential was vastly overstated by media draftniks, projecting him to be some kind of pass rush megastar when objective/competent tape analysis drew the exact opposite conclusion. I’m proud to say I never bought into the Floyd hype, at least not as a 4-3 DT. I think he’ll be a great run defender and a good fit for a 3-4 end spot. Unfortunately, he’s going to a 4-3 team.
#24 Indianapolis – Bjoern Werner DE
Early in the draft process, Werner was my favorite player. He was a major difference maker at the college level. Consistent too. But as I watched him more and more I began to realize that his game is far too dependent on brute strength and a simple arm move. That’s not likely to translate to the NFL very well. Still, I really want to root for Werner at the next level, and the mid-twenties feels like a decent place to take a risk like that.
#25 Minnesota – Xavier Rhodes CB
I probably like Rhodes more than Rob does, but this pick surprised me a little given the depth at the position. Minnesota should have just taken a receiver here (Hopkins would have been a terrific pick) and gone for a corner in the next round while keeping those mid/late round picks intact.
#26 Green Bay – Datone Jones DE
So, Datone Jones made it to #25. That sucks. Great pick by Green Bay. Now watch them steal Christine Michael one pick ahead of us in round two.
#27 Houston – DeAndre Hopkins WR
One of my favorite receivers in the draft. Great pick.
#28 Denver – Sylvester Williams DT
A solid pick, though I’d feel better about getting Williams in the forties range. He’s a jack of all trades, master of none type. I’m a little surprised Denver went this direction given that Derek Wolfe had a very good rookie season for them last year.
#29 Minnesota – Cordarrelle Patterson WR
This was a great trade by New England and a foolish one by Minnesota. In a year with more mid round depth than we’ve ever seen before, the Vikings essentially cashed out, paying a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 7th to move back into the first. Mid-round picks might as well be gold-plated this year. All for a player that is one of the riskiest in the draft, and who’s upside isn’t even as high as people make it out to be. If you believe the recent talk, there was even a decent chance Patterson might have fell to their 2nd round pick anyway. Even if he didn’t, there are a ton of great receivers the Vikings could have snagged in the next few rounds instead. This was the worst move in the draft, by far.
#30 St. Louis – Alec Ogletree LB
Early in the process, I was a big fan of Ogletree. A lot of people were. But as you studied him more and more, the cracks starting showing up. He lacks instincts. He misses tackles. He shies from contact. But most unforgivable of all (tongue in cheek), he wasn’t the insane athlete that people hyped him to be when he tested at the combine. Given all those problems, I’m surprised he still went in round one, and I’m delighted he went to the Rams.
#31 Dallas – Travis Frederick C
Not the best offseason for Jerry Jones.
#32 Baltimore – Matt Elam S
I think Matt Elam is just okay. Late second round grade for me. He’s a physical player with good tape, but he’s not a great athlete and is a bit undersized, at least by Seattle’s standards. I think he’s basically a rich man’s Duke Williams, and Duke Williams will probably go in the 5th round or so.
I think it’s pretty funny that for months people insisted Manti Te’o would go here, even after a disappointed John Harbaugh shook his head during Te’o’s run at the NFL combine. John Harbaugh is a great coach, but he’s not an actor.
Thoughts heading into day II:
You have to really like how many good quarterbacks remain on the board. I don’t think Seattle would even consider a quarterback at #56, but with a deep quarterback class being pushed back later than expected we might see some outstanding mid round quality at the position. I didn’t think Matt Scott had a chance to be a Seahawk in the 4th or 5th round. Now I’m thinking he might. Tyler Wilson is worth keeping an eye on too.
I think Oakland’s next pick will probably be a defensive tackle. Will it be Kawann Short, or will they surprise with someone else?
Will Menelik Watson hit #56? Would Seattle pass if he did? I’m thinking Watson might be too athletic for Seattle to pass on.
I have a bad feeling that Ryan Swope and Christine Michael won’t make it to us. Swope makes too much sense for Miami and Michael is a very obvious option for Green Bay, who painfully picks just one spot ahead of us.
Expect a big run on defensive backs tomorrow. That should play in Seattle’s favor since they aren’t likely to go defensive back super early.
Don’t be shocked if Seattle trades down despite having 10 picks and little room on the roster. As said before, the mid round picks this year might as well be gold plated and it’s likely that Seattle will have a host of near-equal options at the #56 pick.
This is great!
I decided to add my thoughts on round one here as well.
I totally agree on SF move up.
That trade was bizarro in regards to what the Cowboys accepted, a 3rd rounder, and what they eventually picked. I am curious how Cowboy fans will defend this move. Just horrible. Then Reid picked by San Fran is strange, but then I think of Jenkins picked last year and it makes sense.
Even though the Hawks didn’t draft today, this was a good draft to watch. I decided to try the nfl network this year. They didn’t put out as much info that espn usually does, but they didn’t give away the picks, I really liked that. I’m excited for Friday, there is gonna be a lot of options available.
I think there was 2 big surprises to me and that was Buffalo going with E.J. Manuel not that it was a QB but who it was. The Cowboys trading way back to the end of the round and getting a center.
Eh. They needed one. They should’ve taken Elam, but the real shock to me was that they didn’t take Barrett Jones. He seems like a Cowboy. Hell, I could see him on the Seahawks. Intelligent versatile players like that tend to have pretty long careers in the en eff el
Whoa! Nevermind. I just watched some tape and Center is not his best position in the nfl. He clearly lacks the strength to match up with NT’s consistently at the next level.
This was a reach. The Cowboys should have asked for more than a 3rd round from the 49ers, and then if they were set on Travis they could have waited. I wonder if they attempted to trade back in the 2nd. I would hope so. Probably same feeling I had with Carpenter pick with the Hawks a couple years ago.
Finally someone agrees with me on Floyd! Not a penetrator. Even the highlights they showed after the pick came in were clearly not impressive. Short short short arms and it shows on tape. He might be a decent player for years because of his motor and fight, but probably won’t be an impact. Not in a 4-3.
Not only does it not bother me but Im relieved the Vikings took Floyd, Patterson and Rhodes, in fact I found myself smirking after the picks instantly thinking in my mind “Glad to see these guys develop in the ‘HFL” (Hawks Farm League) system first and in a yr or two bring ’em up to compete 😉
I just wanted to thank you for posting that GIF used for the Niners’ pick. I have never seen that one before and it is, for better or worse, one of the highlights of my week.
indeed. I LOL’d enough to warrant a “what’s going on?” from the other side of the house.
Thanks for the laugh, Kip, this was absolutely great. I’m still crackin up over the Chargers and 49ers GIF’s. Awesome stuff.
Funniest part of the draft for me was when they showed Cordarrelle Patterson posing for media pictures before the draft. He was showin off his suspenders and all that jazz and I thought to myself… “THIS will probably be the highlight of his life because he’s probably not going to do JACK in the NFL.” He was milkin it big time though.
Any chance you think the Hawks trade up ahead of Green Bay to get Michael? Like you mentioned, there’s also the possibility of trading down and not just for picks this year but for pick’s next year possibly. I don’t think we’re going to get many compensatory picks next year, if at all with how few guys we’ve lost in FA. The best way to supplement that would be to pick up some picks for next year’s draft to go along with the 1 we’ve got for Flynn. Your thoughts Mr. Earlywine (still one of the greatest last names I’ve ever seen, it takes one to know one I guess)
I’d be fully supportive of a small move up for Michael. I think Michael could be a huge star in 3 years time for our offense and you almost never get a player with his kind of upside with a late 2nd round pick. I don’t think it will happen though- not unless Pete twists John’s arm.
I think Seattle probably stays put, in fact I could easily see them moving down for the right kind of offer. The Seahawks know that some picks won’t make the team this year, but that won’t discourage them from adding more picks because every pick is another chance for a good, low-cost player.
Kip,
Of the four guys on last night, I was able to place two of them. The english accent gives Rob away (Sweet hoodie, Rob!), and the guy from St. Louis was hard to miss.
So, where you the dude with glasses in search of a diet, or the dude with the hat?
p.s. I eventually had to turn the chat off as the tv background and constant hat guy noise was too much. But it is a cool idea and nice first attempt.
Kip wasn’t with us unfortunately… it was me, Joseph from Turf Show Times, Kenneth Arthur and Jacon Bevans from Field Gulls. Appreciate you tuning in Michael!
I always watch the games and the draft with my brother, often at a bar. It’s a long time tradition.
Y’all need to make the trip to the good’ole south for Carolina or Atlanta.
I don’t want to sound like a “told you so” kind of guy, but I can’t say I’m too surprised by the Sharrif Floyd fall. The tape on him is totally underwhelming. There’s very little actual production, it’s all ‘measurables’ and ‘quick feet’ and to steal a line from Moneyball “all that good body nonsense”.
Cooper is a solid pick for AZ. It’s picks like these that got the previous regime fired for NOT making them.
Tavon could be a real pain in the ass as Kip suggests, but I’m sticking to my guns for now. He isn’t going to be given that 5 yard cushion needed to get going. He will have to be able to create his own space and not rely on the jet screen fooling everyone everytime. We’ll see how that plays out. That and Sam Bradford has to actually get better.
Eric Reid pick for the niners almost feels like a reach, but I can’t say that for certain. I’ve watched all of ZERO minutes of his tape. If he’s ‘their guy’ bravo. Have fun learning with Percy running past you.
I truely feel bad for the Buffalo fanbase. They cannot get out of their own way. EJ MANUEL????? Guy couldn’t sand if you knocked him of a camel.
Great GIF’s Kip! and Rob, the chat last night was EPIC. Please do that again tonight!
Thanks Colin! Not sure what the plan is for tonight yet, I’ll either do Cover it Live or another hang out.
At first I thought the Cards made a bad pick but considering their recent past history it is a very solid pick at the least.
I had the Texans taking my favorite WR and is one of my favorite picks. Great fit for the Texans, but I wish he was a Hawk. I have to say, I am happy to be Hawk fan after watching some of the front offices make the most strange picks and moves.
Bengals are picking very well the last few years and I expect them to do well this year.
Enjoyable R1 for sure – some went by script, some totally surprised. I thought OAK, STL, BUF and DAL made good trades down, but then they blundered those picks (DJ Hayden at 12?!? Manuel at 16?!? Ogletree and Frederick in the 1st?!?)
NYJ had the best round overall, whereas GB and HOU had the two best picks (from a need/value perspective).
MIA and SF overdrafted considerably (especially SF considering that Reid was likely to be available at 31).
CLE just embarrassed itself, even if Mingo turns out better than any of us expects.
No RBs taken in the 1st though, so I’m not sure GB would take Michael over say Lacey or Franklin (at least I can hope that’s what they do).
Love that the Hawks supposedly overpaid for Harvin but the Rams are day one winners after giving up a ton to move up and get a player they pray becomes Percy Harvin.
Personally I would love to see the Hawks trade the 2nd round pick for a first next year like they did to the Broncos in what became Earl Thomas. Not likely I know.
They’re paying him a lot less in salary though, so there is that… and Harvin’s migraines?
Can’t wait to see what Harvin can do for us, but it will be interesting to see how Austin compares.
Harvin hasn’t had migraine issues for 2+ years. So it is now a non-issue.
Pete calling ole buddy Gus for the 1st pick in 2nd round, Zach Ertz?
Gosh I hope not. I always felt there was a big gap between Eifert and the rest. Three TEs good for Seattle’s spot if they make it, including Ertz, but not at 33 in my view.
Agreed.
Vikings were the worst overall in my opinion… wow, they are going to be bad for quite some time I think.
If Tavon Austin wasn’t your top WR, Kip, who was?
Kip, my man….. LMAO you should have seen the crowd you cause at my desk at work. As more people gathered the laughs got louder and louder until my boss came over and joined in. Well done sir, well done.