45catfan

Yet somehow, an Ivy League QB has managed to carve out a respectable career in the NFL. Point being, he has lingered around when he probably shouldn't have. I think his football IQ has kept him around longer than his athletic ability.

I think GPA would be the best indicator. If you aren't willing to put in the study time during college, you probably aren't going to put in the study time in the League, especially when you are already under contract making bank. Granted some banking more so that others.

So you might as well just look at their GPA?

Eh, you still need to know the ratio of book smarts to practical (street) smarts. What was Luke's wonderlic? Dude, could analyze and diagnose things better than many coaches. Chances are it wasn't under a 20.

And the NFL is doing away with this metric? It's not an end all, be all, but it's a useful metric in evaluating a player. Like KB for example, a 7 wonderlic shows that a player values that Krispy Creme donuts over fulling a multi-million dollar contract probably didn't do too well in math.

I haven't worked from home, oh, ever....and I could have old you that. Not mocking you at all, just merely saying the Panthers' ruse of loving a QB in this draft has been about as believable as Putin saying he wasn't going to invade Ukraine as few months ago. I'll eat a heaping plate of hot, steaming crow with a dallop of flaming poo on top if we take a QB at #6.

Cool. I just don't see them essentially 'bullpinning' a dude for down the road. They could get a starting RT in the 2nd or 3rd round. They have so many holes currently that drafting a dude to move to another position in 2-3 years doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. That said, if they are a BPA club and an OT is at the top of their board at #5, then that may be the pick regardless of other needs.

Yup,he began at RT because they wanted to bring him along slowly. Gross was always going to be moved to the left side and he also wasn't the 5th pick. The Giants also have a decent LT where we didn't. I'm not sure if you were being snarky or not, but your post kinda fell flat as the parallels actually didn't match up.

You typically don't draft RTs in the top 5...just saying.

Steelers are said to be sniffing around at the Giants #7 pick. You almost have to assume a QB. Willis or Pickett? I think the Pickett love is smoke and it's Willis. Pickett may even be there at #20, Willis won't be, and Atlanta (#8) seems curious about Willis, not Pickett.

Rumors are the Steelers are talking to the Giants about #7. Why #7 and not #6? I think everyone in the League knows our QB interest in the draft at #6 is 100% smoke. Rhule+rookie QB=canned...everyone knows this. However, the Falcons' interest in Willis at #8 seems legit, so that's why they are poking around at #7 pick.

Walker going #1 overall would almost assure us an OT. Texans or Jets taking any other position besides OT means at least one falls to us. I'm hoping the rumors that the Giants are infatuated with Cross are true. While he has the biggest upside, he's still the rawest of the big 3 and thus the most room to bust of the OTs. Neal has the highest floor, but also the lowest ceiling. Ickey falls in the middle of the three. He's got some growing to do and thus hasn't hit his ceiling, but his tape shows that he's at least solid day 1 starter at LT.

I've been saying this for...um, MONTHS now. Even if they have the DL guy rated higher than Ekwonu or Cross, they know we are hard up for LT so it makes no sense for them to wait until #7 knowing we are going to take either of those guys. They take the LT (even if their board isn't stacked as such) and come back to the DL knowing he'll still be there.

In name only for Paradis because his play was marginal, but yeah, that would have been super cool.

What is so impressive is not only Ickey's on the field play, but the guy obviously has his head screwed on correctly. Tremendous individual and I really hope we draft this young man!

Wait until after the draft. Starting Sam as QB1 is our bluff. We have to make Cleveland believe it. If we wait long enough, the more they are apt to buy into the bluff. Again, we don't HAVE TO get rid of Sam, we just badly want to...or at least be relegated to QB2.

Better selection of craft beer at the stadium? Guys, I'm trying here....

Plus, if we take a day 3 safety, bank on JT Woods out of Baylor.

I like him too, but should be gone by the 4th round (assuming we don't recoup a 3rd). Also by signing Woods and re-signing Burris, drafting a safety is a luxury.

Brockermeyer and then Stuessie. Brockermeyer was solid, though not elite and Stuessie's problem was false starts and holds, IIRC. Todd's protection was actually decent when he wasn't drawing flags.

I know this sounds crazy, but we can roll with Sam or at least make Cleveland think so. Baker WILL NOT be on their roster come camp, even if they have to cut him outright. We have Darnold, as bad as that sounds we at least have that option. Cleveland doesn't have the option to keep Baker, trust me on that. He will become toxic to the locker room and a major distraction. Their front office is well aware of this.

A deal before the draft lets Cleveland off the hook and loses the majority of the trade leverage. Who'd be stupid enough to do such a thing? Wait.......

Obviously a lot of this depends on how these guys play this year, but for as many potential 1st round options on that list, it's a least very promising even at this early juncture. This 2023 class may turn out to be better than the 2021 one that I was wanted to grab a QB. If DJ and Rattler can turn in sharp performances, they can easily jump into the top 10...and I think they will.

Cleveland almost HAS to eat Baker's contract (or a substantial portion of it) if he's not traded by the draft. If the Seahawks take a QB/stick with Locke and we draft a QB or say we're rolling with Sam, the Browns are in a situation of losing their butts in a late offseason trade or taking a complete loss in cutting Mayfield. I think he'll be a Panther, but not by the draft, and we get him for a reasonable package...say a day 3 pick and less than half his 2022 salary.

As long as Cleveland makes his salary more palatable, it boils down to a 1-year "prove it" season. If I were Fitts, I would frame the situation that way. You know Baker is going to want a new deal if let out of Cleveland. However, it would be no different than if he were actually a FA. I seriously doubt even if he were a FA Baker would have received a multi-year deal. Heck, we have several guys we signed this offseason playing on similar one-year "prove it" deals.