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scooterhd
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- Posts: 1,202
S Ji'Ayir Brown Penn St. 5'11" 203
Thought we missed the boat on last year's stronger free safety class and that really forced our hand here. Safety was an absolute need, and with Huf at SS we were really looking for a true cover 1 type guy, and that was a short list of guys IMO - Brown, Ward, Howden, Conner, D. Scott, G.Owens. With 11 picks, I've got no problem being aggressive to get your guy even if Brown might have went a ½ round early. There's no doubt the 9ers wanted Brown. We talked to him every chance we got, had the top 30 visit. He was a top target, so I imagine internally this is being viewed as an A pick. Personally, love his passion and instincts. You can't question the ball production and energy. He's got some versatility and is productive as a blitzer. He fits the scheme well. I do have some questions about his physical profile as the 40 was slow, and across the board none of his metric stands out. His vert is 14th percentile, the aforementioned forty is 21st percentile, broad jump is 38th percentile, shuttle is average at 52nd percentile. Athletically, the saving grace is the ten yard which is 61st percentile and given his bad 40, that's pretty impressive. If he can continue to stay atop of things mentally, make the right reads, maintain position, he's got some closing speed. He may have the benefit of a red shirt year of sorts because Gipson was very good last year. He is a high character kid, team captain, so I know he will put in the work, and hopefully the skill translate to becoming a future starter for us.
Grade: B
K Jake Moody Michigan 6'1" 209
Naturally a polarizing pick. Of course you can look at the upside. I agree that a top 6 kicker year after year in the league is worth a 3rd round pick. Id give up a 3rd for a 22 year old Robbie Gould. No question. Its easy to romanticize this pick and think we've got our kicker for the next 12 years. And if that turns out to be the case, this was a successful pick. But history is not on our side. Very common for kickers to fail and bounce around this league before finding their groove and home. How much leeway does Moody get being on a team with championship aspirations? We love him now, but if he starts the season 2-5 and misses a game winner, are we bringing another guy to the practice squad? People are talking about the Matt Gay contract, but the Colts had him on their practice squad previously and let him walk. Sometimes you let someone else deal with the growing pains. I hope we hit on this one, I like Moody, I want him to be a success. But this has all the makings of disaster written all over it. Moody has a great college resume. Lou Groza Award winner, all time career FBS most field goals, most FBS points by a kicker, oh wait that's Zane Gonzalez. Point being that is all meaningless now. It's competition time, and the nature of the position is such that Moody probably has the worst odds of every 3rd round pick to still be on his team after week 6.
Grade: D
TE Cameron Latu Alabama 6'4" 242
Boy did we get caught here. Strong TE class, but weak overall draft class so guys went flying off the board. A lot of TE talk on the boards and people get enamored with the athletic move TEs, but I don't think we were every interested in the Kuntz and Mallory types. It was always going to be an inline type that could block. And in the regard Latu fits the bill, but boy does this feel like terrible value. I had a 5th round grade on Latu. I was hoping, and honestly expecting pre draft, Strange or Schoonmaker to fall to us. They went even outside of our trade up zone. Ouch. The Packers grab a 2nd TE in the 3rd round. Ouch. When we traded up I was expecting Darnell Washington. Had him as the #1 TE in terms of our offense and a complimentary piece to Kittle. Basically, the best TE2 in the draft. We could have moved up again to get him. Instead Latu, and then after 8 TEs are taken between round 2 and 3, not a single in round 4. The league knew the value was gone. So the question is did we get the last of the top TEs, or jump the board and go way too early on the deeper tiers? Feels like the latter. I don't get the athletic profile. He's average or below average in everything. For someone coming from the defensive side of the ball at Alabama, his strength is terrible. Hes got a very leggy, high cut frame with chicken legs, so unless he stacks on lower body weight, I don't ever see him being a drive blocker down the field, just more of a body blocker, although his technique and demeanor shows potential there. Still learning the position, so some of his route running is really choppy. Hard to say if that's just bad feet or can be coached out. He did run a versatile tree at Bama though. Just seems like an average player across the board. If you had to pick out his saving grace, its going to be run blocking. And in the passing game, he does have good body control, has good quickness on halt and turn routes, and has some bend to maintain speed when running curvilinear routes. I don't think much is going to be asked of him, and if he can shine in a limited route tree and in a blocking role, he can make KS very happy. I just don't see him evolving into much of a threat.
Grade: C
CB Darrell Luter Jr. Southern Alabama 6'0" 189
No question we need an outside corner. I scouted this position hard and Luter was one of my favorite later round targets. Watched every rep at the senior bowl, and he more than held his own. He has an aggressive alpha temperament. He's very physical and can be grabby and draw flags, but I can live with that. Not a lot of ball production his last year, but that's more because teams were throwing away from him. His size is sufficient. But big hands (95th percentile), good arm length (72nd percentile), solid wingspan (66th percentile). One of the best 40 times for a CB. But on tape you really like how many pass breakups he gets. The explosion is there, the coordination is there, and the hands and arms are disruptive. I think he is at his best in cover 3, or press man. And also has nickel flexibility, but I don't quite see the lateral shiftiness and agility from him to star there. 49ers have had reasonable success in recent years with 5th round corners, and I think Luter has a good chance to build on that. Would not surprise me if he was a CB2 in a few years. In a perfect world, I'd have moved this pick up for Darius Rush as I had a higher grade and saw it against better competition, but still happy with the selection
Grade: A-
DE Robert Beal Jr. George 6'4" 247
I'm at a loss on this one. The traits are enticing. Arm length is insane, speed is insane. But 10 starts in 5 seasons? 3 sacks as a senior? The production doesn't measure up. He is an incredible straight line speed guy, but the rest of the athletic profile is weak. No bend. The three cone is 27th percentile, the vertical is 11th percentile, the shuttle is 22nd percentile, the bench is 4th percentile. If I was starting a bobsled team, I'd recruit him but not sure about edge. His game looks very finesse and he wasn't a good run stopper in the SEC. Probably why he didn't ever start. JiAyir Brown, Jartavius Martin, Battle, Sydney Brown, Jammie, and Daniel Scott put up more reps on the bench. Come on now, 5 years in the Georgia weight room and safeties are outliftng you? I see zero 3 down potential. I don't see LB potential in our system, so hes a DPR. But what sack specialist only has 10 sacks in 5 years? Wilks is an aggressive blitzer and maybe the speed and size has him salivating. I'll defer to Kocurek and the scouting department because they have done a great job building up guys and identifying the right free agents to bring in, although they have been hit or miss in the draft. I'd be thrilled if they saw some Arden Key potential, but he was such a natural and had 24.5 sacks in 3 years in the SEC and Beal just looks stiff to me. Hopefully he has special teams chops. Will be really curious to see how Jose Ramirez (Bucs) and Ochaun Mathis (Rams) pan out because I had them graded much higher as DPR. And Ramirez had that sub 7 3 cone.
Grade: C-
LB Dee Winters TCU 5'11" 227
I love Winters for this team. Was one of my favorite LBs for us. I called for him several times in the draft thread before the pick. Love the speed and motor. Hes going to make an impact on special teams right away. He fits our LB scheme perfectly. Hes 10 yard split is crazy and he is so good in pursuit. Just looks the part of a run and chase 4-3 WILL. And he's so good in that QB spy role. He made a huge impact on the big stage vs Michigan. 7.5 sacks as an inside LB his senior year shows how good he can be in blitz packages. He's so good running at QBs with speed and responding to their deeks and body turns. He doesn't miss or get fooled much. Wilks is going to love that. Was a safety in high school and has decent cover skills. Obviously has a long way to go to show he is a Greenlaw clone, but that's the sort of mold we are hoping for here. Grade: A
TE Brayden Willis Oklahoma 6'3" 241
I hadn't seen much film on Willis until he was brought in for the top 30 visit. Sort of a tough film study as a one year wonder in his 5th year, and the Oklahoma offense just routinely getting him wide open looks. He tests and looks like an average athlete. You do like seeing the versatility to his game as an HB/TE. He lines up in the backfield, slot, inline, even some wildcat. Has soft hands. Reliable target. I wouldn't say he is a strong blocker, but certainly a willing blocker. Much better blocking on the move then in line and chipping or down blocking on defenders. Better run blocker then pass blocker. Get the sense that he is a smart kid, understands what the coaches are looking for, understands what he should be doing on the play. Team captain. My first thought was he is a Brenton Strange handcuff. If you strike out on the TE's he's was the fall back. And pre draft that was my thought process, but then when we took Latu, I was surprised to grab a second TE. But this is a late, late 7th round flier, so if you want to crowd the TE, so be it.
Grade: B
WR Ronnie Bell Michigan 5'11" 191
I'm not sure what Ronnie Bell is. Yes, he was a good college WR, but how does he project to the NFL? He tests well athletically, though on film he looks slower after the ACL tear. He's not a burner. I don't think he's going to scare anyone in man coverage with his speed. Looks like the part of a slot WR, but you don't see a lot of that on film in his role at Michigan. See a lot of full field crossing routes, gos, and posts, and bubble screens. Will have a very different route tree in the NFL, with 2 way breaks that you just don't get a good feel for on tape. He has good hands in that he can make a circus catch, but way too many concentration drops. Was constantly doing pushups on the sidelines at the Senior Bowl because he dropped the damn ball. He gets a lot of mention as a returner, but the sample size is so small and he had one good return that was blocked so well I could have ran for 30 yards. I'm not saying he's not a good returner, but theres not much game film to back that up. And his run after catch is so inconsistent. I see him drop down when a fingernail hits him and other times he drags 3 people. In all, I'm worried hes pretty good at everything, not great at anything, and I'm not sure that equates to game time. But realistically this is a 7th round pick and near a UDFA to expectations are low.
Grade: B-
LB Jalen Graham Purdue 6'2" 221
I watched a bit of film on Graham pre draft, and I really had a hard time picturing him in our defense. I didn't' see the speed that we are looking for. Not a great pass rusher off the edge. He plays in an odd hybrid role in the Purdue defense. But I did come away thinking that this dude is always around the ball. He's got 12 pass break ups over the last 2 years. He's got a fumble return TD and interception return TD. He's really good at running through tight quarters and getting around blockers and is capable of delivering power on the tackle. High motor guy. Every time there's a dog pile he's coming out from the bottom even if he wasn't the first guy there, he just gets in on everything. Gets his name called a lot by the broadcasters. Just seems to have really solid instincts. I don't see how he makes the team if you are looking for a future starting LB, but he could be a really good special teams player. And if you find a guy that makes your team and gets snaps, you did well at pick 255. We'll see how it shakes out. Grade: B+
Summary:
Not sure why we have to complicate the board and not go BPA in the third round, but here we are again. Some teams draft to their identity. The Ravens, Steelers, Eagles, Chiefs, Seahawks… When the drafts over and you look at their board, you get it. They got guys that fit who they are. Look at our division - Arizona, LAR, and Seattle drafted 14 lineman over 250 pounds in this draft. We got 0. Zero. Are we really going to roster 2 rookie TEs? That's one of the hardest positions to play as a rookie and even in the first rounders are rarely solid year 1. I like some of the defensive pieces we added, but what did we do to help the QB room? We realize that Sam Darnold might be the starter right? We realize Brock may not be Brock for a while, or even ever again? And Lance looks more and more like a bust every time the clock ticks. But don't worry, we got Latu? Whats the over/under on his receptions? 12?
Tough draft to grade, namely because kicker is such a pass/fail position. I will say if Brown becomes a quality starter, Moody becomes a quality kicker, and one of Winters/Luter/Beal becomes an impact player by year 3, then you'll look back and be feel really good with this draft. I do agree there is some potential here. But as is, based on value and needs, its not great.
Final Grade: C+
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adrianlesnar
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Browns had similar draft compensation and came away with, in my opinion a superior draft. Of course, time will tell, but I think it's a bit short minded to say that because we pick at 99 we shouldn't expect good players or impact positions.
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communist
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F, you don't draft a kicker in the third, even not late. Especially if you are out of first and second round picks.
