Bear Hands

I’d like to introduce you to the current Kennedy under construction in Chi-town my friend.

Robert Mays and Mike Tice’s son are the best thing going. Just fun dudes that own their faults and are having a good time getting the best guests possible on tAFS. Other good ones around as well. Kollman gives it his all, The 33rd, a bunch of solid outlets. Monopolized TV based sports media is background noise at the gym.

Before clicking the link, you just know Mingo is the 2nd or 3rd round pick lol. Repeat for every mock for nearly every team the last month. Quite interested to see where he falls after all the internet infatuation.

I put in Levis at +4000 at #8 a week ago for $20. Have no idea why, but trades happen, so we'll see what goes down. Richardson at +600 at #5.

Neither will be our QB. Let us not get riled up about guys that don't matter.

Yeah, I mean he could fit RIGHT into a slot role pretty much immediately for a team in need. If he has no issue with absorbing a playbook and fitting into a locker room, I can see him having an instant impact in a place like Seattle or Buffalo who have that need. And we kind of do as well.

Ouuuuch.

Centers aside, it's a wasteland between R2 & 4 on the OL. There's maybe some, like that Freeland, Scruggs, maybe Daniels or Saldiveri. But I dunno, they're all 4th rounders or lower IMO. Think 132 or 145 could be targets (or picks we move to land more)

He really seems to be flying under the radar. Interesting note--the 4 highest volume receivers in CFB in 2022 are 4 guys available in this draft: Tank Dell, Charlie Jones, Rashee Rice, & Xavier Hutchinson. I think Jones & Xavier are being mega overlooked in a pretty bad receiving class. I trust the mid-tier more than Johnston, Hyatt and some. Rice had early hype that fizzled, and I see as a guy who could very well be there at 93-114. Same with Hutchinson & Charlie Jones. I think that's the sweet spot. We shore up CB and/or elsewhere before.

You've got Torrence with Avila not far behind as viable interior linemen. And aside from a few centers and Mauch, there is a cliff and it's one of the worst OL classes you'll ever see. Jaguars have been tied to Torrence in R1 but if not there, he could slide into the 2nd.

Mingo is this year's internet king of the draft build-up. Nearly every fan base is mocking him to their own squad R2-3. Doesn't mean we don't have a shot...but he's also visited so many teams. I think he's at like 21 of the 32. He's gotten a lot of free meals so nicely done. But when a player has that many visits, it's could be indicative there's something team's are trying to verify, maybe weird personality they're wanting to assess, just a lot of possibilities. The Athletic had a great thing about how a good portion of these visits result in the team crossing the guys name off the list after they leave the facility. They're extended interviews, and some of the guys we may covet the most, may not have any tie/connection via visits or meetings from the outside looking in. That's where a guy like Tuli Tuipulotu, Kelee Ringo or DJ Turner could swoop in and surprise as the R2 pick.

Meh. He could do respectable in the league. Can’t lie, he does seem a bit odd but aren’t we all. Won’t be our QB.

Avila or Mauch could be a great get in R2 in a trade down scenario, but otherwise, I think we stay away from most, if not ALL OL until the later rounds. I agree with a few of the anonymous reports via McGinn that GM & Scouts think this is the worst OL in recent memory. No sense in forcing ourselves to pick a position. WR is also bad, but there's some potential bloomers scattered in the mid rounds. Not many at all though, which is why you see nearly every fanbase mocking Mingo or Scott to their team. This draft is just shining bright with EDGE, TEs, RBs, & CBs. My guess is we have very specific player targets.

I'd tend agree. Also, depending on what we think of the CBs, DJ Turner could be in the mix. The guy simply has the skills. Could still pack on a few more to get to be upper 180s w/his frame. There are two others that I think are getting pretty overlooked: Adebawore & Tuli Tuipulotu. Both check a lot of boxes and are really interesting builds. They could honestly play everything from 3 tech to standing at the edge. Probably 3-4 DE most of the time, but they're very versatile dudes that bring a lot of quickness and power. Very overlooked during this build up.

I like that. The only thing is that I think it could be a bummer not landing a potential playmaker/speedster. We've got Chark as the only sub 4.42 in the RB/WR room.

-We don't draft a receiver until the 4th round -Pick 2: It's JuJu Brents (or) DJ Turner with a trade down -Tucker Kraft is the TE we land

If I’m being honest, exposing bias and give myself the liberty to be unnecessarily judgemental (and be judged) and assess his personality/leadership: I’ve been a big Stroud fan but my instincts tell me he’s the type that needs an advocate. JSN was his mouthpiece and outside of the UGA game, he’s never really just taken the keys for the car that was OSU. I’ll admit, it’s all based on my feel to him via interviews, nothing more. He’s the quiet leader, which honestly, some of the best have been. But watch his interviews with teammates—They’re buddy buddy but there’s just a lack of “this is the guy” with him. He’s not a proactive type, no sense of when to press the gas, stop the brakes type. He thrives off the support of others to drive. And I can see hints of his reflexes/response style with the pace/demeanor to him. Solo taking a test may be an issue. And when plays break down, there can be issues. When I see other OSU players vs Bama, I’m just unsure exactly how impactful of a leader he was. Seeing how Saban, Anderson and Branch speak about Bryce is telling for me. It’s less what’s wrong about CJ and more about the combination of sharpness, composure, football IQ, team mentality that I can just see a whole locker room being 150% there for Bryce. man’s I’ve preferred CJ for most of the process but that’s just the vibe I get.

Some may be hesitant with where his mechanics & accuracy is at, but man, if this kid hits with the right coaching combo, you've got it all. The size, agility, speed, arm, legs, game breaking ability. Unsure if he's gonna turn into some undeniable leader and SB caliber guy, but he does have that 1-3 year MVP-level stretch ceiling. His sheer upside compared to the rest is just hard to ignore. I believe Bryce has the elite gene, creates out of structure and unreal awareness and IQ, but Richardson does have some undeniable excitement.

Gannon is one of the most awkward coaches you can find.

Scenario A - Need Filler w/Trade 1-Bryce Young QB Bama ~39-trade down, gain a 3rd rounder 2-Julius Brents DB KSU 3-1-Tyler Scott WR Cincy 3-2-Derrick Hall EDGE Auburn 4-1-Israel Abanikanda RB Pitt 4-2-Anthony Bradford OG/T LSU 5-Cameron Latu TE Bama Scenario B - No Trade & No WR (w/lesser mocked guys) 1-1 Bryce Young QB Bama 2-39 Tuli Tuipolutu EDGE/DE USC 3-93 Cedric Tillman WR TEN 4-114 Juice Scruggs OG/C Penn State 4-132 Jay Ward CB/S LSU 5-145 Keaton Mitchell RB ECU

Great post. Yeah that's kind of a "doi" type moment for me in realizing: "doesn't everyone want this?" Ideally, of course. I guess the weight at which they let it dictate who they want is what varies squad to squad. And also what positions teams think it matters more at. For example, GB has very strict guidelines to who they'll bring in as a receiver. 6'0+, 8.0+ RAS, 200+ lbs In this day and age, I think you REALLY want it OLB and DB with how RPO has been integrated into so many offenses. You want the speedy closers that can stick with the TEs and stretch plays. As someone else mentioned, Brandon Smith has a lot to like in this department. Very excited to see if he can bring something to the table. He's almost 6'4, 250, 34 5/8" arms, 10 1/4" hands, 4.52, 37.5 vert. That's a heads above any LB in this class.

The short arms thing is more than Rhule. That's a league wide baseline a lot of scouts have in respect to guys on the perimeter line. But definitely echo Jimmy re:this being a much better staff. Given Brown & Evero's nuance when they speak to talent & scheme, I'm sure they are balancing pure skill/player with these type of traits. I can see it as a priority in identifying guys that match their physical prototype but it's no doubt part of a bigger equation. edit--Also: The emphasis on physical traits seems to be more in the LB & DB department from what I'm seeing. Like Mr. Scot mentioned, it could due to the Seattle influence from Fitt and Morgan. Align that with the Fangio inspired Evero, there could really be an interesting fusion going on here on defense. I think it's really exciting.

Thx. Foskey & White were two that I looked past on this. Thanks for the post with the full breadth of positions.

Saw that vid. I still like Henley, he had him as his #3 over Simpson. Like the general feel and how Wash State wasn't afraid to play him up standing at the line. His overall size is on the smaller end, but the proportions put him on the lengthy side with some really great quickness/wrap up ability. Henley as an ILB in a 3-4 isn't optimal/the perfect fit, but could work like some other undersized ILBs did in the past for Fangio. Funny enough, my prediction for him is to Miami at 55, straight to Fangio himself.

Yep. I do see some parallels Morgan & Fitt could be identifying. Not straight equal comps but....Irvin:Ojulari, Sherman:Porter, Chancellor:Brents