Pre-Draft thoughts
It is here, finally!
During the offseason there are a few events that get the collective NFL juices going. The start of free agency. The schedule release.
Nothing gets the fans more pumped or optimistic more than the NFL draft, however.
Tonight (April 24) kicks off the latest edition of sports most entertaining reality show. As of the posting of this blog, in a little more than two hours, the Tennessee Titans will got on the clock and get the festivities started.
More than in year’s past, this year’s draft seems extremely wide open, which makes things even more interesting. What are the biggest questions heading into Round 1? Let’s dive in
1.) Where does Shedeur Sanders land? A few months ago, it was a legitimate discussion on if Sanders would be the top pick of the draft. Now, the experts are having Sanders free fall into the bottom of Round 1, or out of Day 1 completely.
To me, this is insane. Sanders seems to be this year’s punching bag, where media (fed by agenda-needy team sources) poke holes in certain prospects heading into the draft. Sanders, like most incoming players, has shortcomings, but he more than proved himself at every stop along the way. The attacks on the signal caller seem more personal than based on film, which makes the verbal jousting even worse.
While Sanders would obviously like to get drafted early, if his fall does happen, landing with a team like the Steelers or Rams, two franchises who have far more stability than the Giants or Browns, it could be a blessing in disguise. He would go to franchises that know how to build championship caliber teams and his success could be bolstered by that strong foundation. Going to the Giants, Saints, Browns or others, would require him to do more with less.
I think this is all a smokescreen and Sanders doesn’t fall past the Saints at 9, but it does add intrigue for sure.
2.) Who will be the third QB? Quarterbacks drive the draft and this post, thus far. Sanders and Ward are the two most likely to go in the first round, but can Jaxson Dart or Jalen Milroe sneak into the bottom of the first? With the tear down of Sanders the past few weeks, Dart has started to climb up mock drafts and seems to be a close lock to be selected on Day 1.
Teams to watch in the latter portions of Round 1 are the Steelers, Browns, Saints and Giants. The Steelers are short on draft capital, so if they want a young signal caller that could be their franchise guy, taking that player with their first pick is essential.
Cleveland, New York and New Orleans could take BPA with their first picks in the first round and then trade back into the bottom of the first to get Dart, Milroe or someone else (Tyler Shough?). That would be the smart play, taking, getting a more blue chip player first and then moving back into Round 1 for the QB. Teams like Buffalo and Minnesota seem like good trade partners in that part of the draft.
3.) What veterans will move? There has been a decent amount of proverbial smoke around some veteran players and draft night might be a time we see some movement among players already in the league. Names like Jameson Williams and George Pickens headline players who could find themselves in new cities by the time Mr. Irrelevant is picked.
One under the radar move I could see happening involves the G-men. If they take Abdul Carter like every mock seems to think they will, that gives them three high quality pass rushers (Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns). Thibodeaux would be the one I would call about if I were a team searching for a proven player, who still has a few salary controlled seasons left on his rookie deal.
Biggest sleeper move: Bills trade James Cook.
