Ricky Spanish

Kelce was a 3rd round pick. Top 100 for sure, but that's not a first or second rounder. You can get TJ Hockenson level production from a guy in the 4th or 5th round without using a first or second round pick. TE is seriously ridiculously hard to scout.

I'd prefer the guy that can stay healthy at a position where you generally don't carry more than one on the roster at a time (Unless you are John Fox)

Carl being awfully quiet after talking a lot of crap about how incompetent the FO was a few days ago...

Good for Sam, honestly, wish him nothing but the best.

Personally not thrilled at this. Eddy was great outside one game, plus he doesn't get injured during warmups consistently.

One of the better Matt Rhule related guys we picked up but still pretty meh.

Woof

There's a difference between being a QB that can Run and a Running QB. Mahomes is the former. Hurts started out as the later and has progressed to the former. My biggest issue with the running QBs is the increased injury risk. They're fun as hell while healthy, but sooner or later they get hurt, and then there's no telling if they'll be able to transition to the QB that can run category. And yes, QBs can get hurt on regular passing plays, of course and they might not take a ton of big hits while running, but it seems like a compounding issue the more hits they take. Kind of like: QB 1 takes 2 sacks and one huge hit standing in the pocket over the course of a game QB 2 takes 1 sack, gets hit running the ball 12 times, then takes one huge hit standing in the pocket over the course of a game. Sure the 12 hits might not have been big, but he was still hit 11 more times than QB1. Those hits add up over time.

Disagree. TE's generally take at least 2-3 years to get up to NFL caliber play. We need a receiving threat NOW. We can't wait for one to possibly, maybe develop. TE is one of the hardest positions to play and the best ones in the league are generally not drafted high. Get our rookie a vet TE who knows how to get open and play the position.

Colts fans seem to be alright with this. Apparently he took a huge step back this past year (off the field tragedy possibly playing a very large part in it). Would be interested in kicking the tires if we don't get Boze.

As far as TEs go, I am more inclined to either sign a FA or draft one in the mid to late rounds than I am to draft a TE high. Damn near every good TE throughout the league was a post 3rd round pick or didn't get good until their second team/contract. It's probably the hardest position in the NFL to play and there is really only two or three truly Great TEs in the entire NFL right now (Kelce, Andrews, and Kittle) and none were high picks. The difference in talent between TE 1 to 3 is bigger than the difference between TE 3 to 15. The position is such a crapshoot. I just assume sign Schultz or Gesicki and have average play rather than sit on a prospect and hope he pans out to be average one day.

Didn't really care to watch this one until yesterday. Now we need to find a good WR, hopefully in round 2. Always good content from this guy with detailed breakdowns of each player and NFL Comps.

Good X's and O's youtube channel that has some great content breakdowns of players of all positions. They have videos of Icky and Tommy Tremble coming out in the draft and have chosen their #1 QB: TL;DW it's Stroud

You're right, Bradford wasn't even mediocre through most of his career. At least Shaq has been above average at times. All joking aside, Sam Bradford is the 24th highest earning NFL player of all time. He made more money in 9 years than Tony Romo did in 14 and Mike Vick did in 13. Bradford is the definition of overpaid for mediocre results.

Carl you gotta chill bruh. Dang.

2025 is two years out, I doubt a team would be willing to take that as compensation. We'd have to give up our 2nd this year and next, plus some other picks to do it. Doesn't make sense to me. A trade up into the end of the first, maybe, but again, we've already payed a steep price paying for next year's draft.

Ok, so I am on record that I do not want Lamar due to the compensation needed to acquire him and the huge contract he seems to want. I'm not sure if it's been mentioned in the past few days, but Lamar has been on a downward trend the past few years ever since his MVP season and I saw someone compare Jackson's passing stats to Daniel Jones' the past two seasons somewhere on the internetverse so I did some digging of my own and I was incredibly surprised. These are the PASSING stats of the two QBs the past two years combined. Take a guess at who is who: Spoiler: Jones is on top, Jackson is on bottom. The Passing numbers are surprisingly very very similar. Jackson has 8 More TDs but Jones has 6 fewer Turnovers. Almost every other difference in their statistics is negligible. Of Course you'd be able to tell who was who between Jones and Jackson based on rushing stats, Jackson is the superior runner, even though Jones is no slouch himself and deceptively athletic. Lamar has about 500 more yards the past two seasons (1531 to Jones' 1006) but Jones has More TDs (9 compared to 5). Jackson's running ability is S tier, but Jones' is honestly A tier. But passing wise-they have been nearly identical the past two seasons. Combine the above Passing stats along with the fact Lamar has been injured the past two seasons, and I don't think Lamar's running ability makes up for the difference in the market value people perceive for him. So if you want to trade for Lamar Jackson right now, you'd be getting a better running version of Daniel Jones while giving up 2 first round picks to make the trade, and then immediately shelling out MORE money than Daniel Jones just got... No. Thank. You.

I remember the thread from a month ago and see the videos getting posted in threads regularly. Just went ahead and pinned it.

@Verge What are your thoughts/the thoughts of your contemporaries on Tanner McKee? Seemed to be getting some hype pre-combine but that seems to have gone completely silent. He is strictly a pocket passer but has a cannon for an arm. Wondering if the lack of mobility or his history of cancer is getting him dinged down boards.

I'd prefer to extend him at a cheaper price because it's a gamble that we'd actually be able to replace his above average play for cheaper via Free agency.

So our options here are: Trade a team at least 2 first round picks and immediately shell out a $200 million to an MVP Caliber QB With a recent injury history Trade a team at least 2 first round picks and draft a guy on a rookie deal for at least 4 years. We don't have the free floating money to shell out to Lamar. A rookie is a more affordable option, even if it doesn't completely pan out. Also, the fact that Jackson doesn't have an agent is probably another reason things aren't moving along in the slightest. These GMs and capologist's jobs are to find ways to save money and write legalese into a contract that laymen like myself and Jackson aren't properly equipped to navigate.

No but the fact that running QBs take far more hits, even if they aren't big, means their shelf life is much shorter than guys who generally throw from the pocket. It becomes a numbers game at some point. It's the NFL, you get hit every time you hold the ball. Injury chances go up the more often you expose your body to the those hits. And the more hits you take, the weaker your body gets as the season and the years grind on. It's why RBs start falling off at 26 and why Running QBs adapt to being passing QBs or get hurt and fall off a cliff because their bodies can't take the pounding anymore. It's fun while it lasts but historically, it doesn't last long.

True, but even the little hits from running add up. If you keep getting nicked for 1 HP damage on Run plays then you aren't going into the fight with a full pool of health in the passing game. Sooner or later you fail a saving throw and go down.

Thanks as always Verge. I don't always agree with the assessments but always appreciate them. Plus, let's be real, no one really knows one way or the other if these guys pan out or not. It's a crapshoot with more variables than damn near any other sport. Ever since Zach Wilson I've decided I don't really know crap and am willing to accept literally anyone we draft in the first round this year.