MHS831

Interesting. About Darnold---he had the same lower-body mechanics issues in college, and now, entering his 4th NFL season, he may be unlikely to change. And Fields--I see the Cam comparisons, I have made them myself--but I also see some Vince Young in him. I am really warming to the idea (as opposed to trading at least 2 picks to move up from 8 for the 4th or 5th best QB in the draft) of trading down and grabbing Mills. Stay with Teddy for a year, and develop the weapons and protection. And develop Mills in your system--or Mond, but Mond was not mentioned here.

It is a cerebral position. You really can't evaluate the man by measuring his arm strength, long jump, etc. Compare his weaknesses to others' strength--and write that article. However, there have been nearly zero Super Bowl winning QBs who were not very smart and quick processors. You all might have thought Eli Manning was not good. 2 rings. Drew Brees? 1 ring and he turned around a franchise and made it reputable. 2nd round pick. Russell Wilson? Very smart QB, although he was too short and limited for the NFL. Look in his jewelry box. Where are the raw talents like Ryan Leaf, Jameis Winston, etc.? Name a guy in a Yellow jacket that did not first have the ability to process quickly and speed read an NFL defense. Name a super bowl winner who was slow to get through his progressions. Look at all the speedy QBs and flashy folks who could not process quickly. Manziel comes to mind. Jake Locker, Mark Sanchez, Vince Young, Jamarcus Russell, Winston, etc. Some win games, but the game. I know that I am cherry picking, but if you want to cherry pick the quarterbacks who won with athleticism and were not known to be very cerebral, I got all weekend for you to come up with a name. So that is why there are question marks around Fields. Yes, the athleticism draws you in, but what happened in those games when he looked really bad? Could the Buckeyes adjust? I don't know. The scouts and GMs don't know, but we all know that every year, teams go all in on shiny stud athletes who lack the mental training and conditioning to adapt to the NFL complexity and speed. This will make some mad, but Cam struggled with it--that is why he held the ball and was sacked so much--and the OL sucked and he had no weapons to throw to most of the time--perfect storm. However, he was improving when his body said, "we done." So we can get all excited about the flashy athletic sports cars, but we better check under the hood and see how they handle. Zero to 60 is great, but so is visibility, consistency, and navigation.

Didnt Fitts mention his fondness for trading back and adding picks? I think we do that if we do not get the QB at 8.

They will keep him against his will or cut him.

Interesting topic, but I think IF we do this, we have to trade back from 8 and get some value--so picking the qb is "free". If I would not be opposed to dropping 20 spots--yes 20--for a first in 2022 and a late second in 2021. The first gives you the ability to move up in 2022, and the second allows you to draft a QB this year. So we'd get pick 28 or so, a 2022 first rounder, and a late second rounder. I just think that we HAVE to get a T and CB if we don't get a QB in round 1---by pick 40.

It is a bit like wasting a need position pick. Realistically? You are picking a backup who you hope never has to play. However, you might find a gem that steps up with coaching etc. but that is not the norm. I see backup QB as a big need when you are trying to upgrade your starter and if you don't, you go with the starter again. So technically, it is not fun to take a pick you hope never plays and you dream that he will.

The following is a direct quote from my OP post: "I wondered how he would look on the roster at Clemson? At BYU? At Alabama? At Ohio State? At NDSU? You see, the top 5 QBs in this draft played on teams that dominated their competition most of the time. In the tape provided, A&M went 4-4 in the conference, 8-5 overall. They were 8-1 in 2020, fwiw, so a young team matured under Mond's QB play. It is hard to say that Mond would not do as well as Fields at OSU or Lance at NDS, but there are reasons to think he might be as good. " So, yup.

We have Chinn. Not as worried as I might otherwise be about Pitts.

So you think Burrow is going to get what he wants? I imagine that was a bit tough to decide--- If the Niners take Jones and Atlanta takes Pitts (I think that is what both teams do), then the Bengals will take Chase or an OT. Miami and Detroit will get trade up offers. Do we love Lance or Fields enough to move up? I do not think so and hope we do not.

Darnold has more mechanical issues than both of these QBs, but more gifts. and he has had 3 years to resolve the ,mechanics (footwork, mainly) and he has not--so I do not see taking Darnold as a step up in terms of potential--and that is what we are going after at this point. I am one who thinks we need a CB. If the top 5 qbs were gone and Pitts was somehow there, it would be hard to take any other player over him.

So if the top QBs are gone and we decide instead to take the BPA and build around the QB position (Maybe trade back for a second or third rounder), is there anything wrong with doing some mining for QBs in the second round? Imagine we grab a stud LT in round 1 (I see 3 that qualify) and add a pick in the process so we can trade back up and grab a CB. If we do that, it is probably a good draft. However, there are two QBs getting some late buzz and after watching some youtube I have decided both are possibly worth taking a look. We need backups as well as a starter, moving forward, so why not grab some depth and see if he can become more. Trask falls into this category, but I am not going to include him here. Why? Because he had a bad game with a roster full of people not sitting out the bowl game. Lets move past Trask because some have already determined that he is the worst QB to ever wear a helmet. The two I am hearing about are Kellen Mond and Davis Mills. Personally, I think Mond has starting potential, and I think Mills could get there. So if you have an extra second rounder, what would it hurt, if you did not get the QB you wanted in round 1? Here are some films--and I think they show some good things and some bad. Mills: He had a good UCLA game and seemed to get better as the year progressed, but he should have returned to Stanford for 2021. He is 6'4" and has some mobility, and he anticipates WRs getting open really well. He can drop the ball over LBs and under safeties as well as anyone I have seen. He also has some moments when he is inconsistent. I would love him as a backup with a chance to become a starter by about 2022, but not so fast. Mond: I only included the Clemson video and they brought the house a lot vs. Mond. He was at home, so that helps, and he made some really good throws against a pass rush he is even unlikely to see on the pro level. A&M could not block Clemson. Mond was forced into some quick decisions, and made some rather impressive decisions and throws. I wondered how he would look on the roster at Clemson? At BYU? At Alabama? At Ohio State? At NDSU? You see, the top 5 QBs in this draft played on teams that dominated their competition most of the time. In the tape provided, A&M went 4-4 in the conference, 8-5 overall. They were 8-1 in 2020, fwiw, so a young team matured under Mond's QB play. It is hard to say that Mond would not do as well as Fields at OSU or Lance at NDS, but there are reasons to think he might be as good. Mills seemed to get better as the year progressed---so I thought the QB school guy would be OK to show that. At times he makes good points, and at times he rambles to impress you about his football acumen, but he gives it his best, so hats off. Davis Mills, Stanford Kellen Mond, Texas AM One final detail--Mond seems pretty intense when he plays--happy feet at times, where Mills is more methodical and calm. I could not help but notice (in the thumbnails above) how calm Mills eyes are vs. Mond's. Wonder if that means anything?

D II?

Yeah, that is the word. I spoke to my brother in law who is an Ohio St grad and still lives in Columbus--he is in the know---he said that there are reasons that the QBs have struggled in the pros there--from not having time to develop them to systems to simply not having the skill set--however, he says that Fields is different. He can go through progressions, but worries that he could struggle at the pro level because it necessitates a faster processing time and the NFL defenses are very confusing pre-snap. So he gives Fields a 50% chance of being Cam II, 50% chance of being converted to slot WR (he was joking). About Cam--he added that Cam was less accurate than he expects Fields to be, and the reason Cam took so many (career-ending?) hits was as much OL as it was slow processing. These great athletes always know they can run and their legs have always bailed them out when there is nothing open-and when you are slow at processing in the pros--nothing is open. However, running turns negative plays into positive plays, so everyone cheers and overlooks it. Like a slow drip, however, hits add up. And (his words) when the legs go and you have a running, inaccurate QB, they hit the wall and are done--like a RB. So his in-depth look at Fields and his comparison to Cam and processing speed was interesting. Prolly just speaking my language, and he is not an expert--but funny that he said that about CAM. When I started to object, he said, "I get it, and you could be right--you could also be biased and emotional where I am not." He said Myers (C) is very smart, G Wyatt Davis is ready to start and make the pro bowl, The LBs are good but not in coverage, and he really likes a sleeper DT Tommy Togiai.

We are not done at CB. The cap room? To sign a QB if needed, but if we draft one, to sign a CB--there are some decent CBs still on the market, and they seem to be waiting for a domino to fall

If you decide to build the roster and wait for a season, what is the harm? Darnold needs a ton of mechanical work, but maybe a good coach could fix him in time.

Jets had Teddy. Jets no want Teddy.

Shanahan has had success with 2 QBs in the past--Elway, Young. Jones does not fit that mold. You have to think he has a "type"

I am not that impressed. Does not play to his speed. However, he has some potential. I was more impressed with #4, that little scat back that ran for about 300 yards that day.

at 8. Denver will probably have the 9th pick

Not me, but Slater is getting a lot of whisper. I see Pitts, Sewell, Chase, and maybe some dark horse pass rusher or CB possibly making the top 8. If SF takes Jones, that plays well into our hands, but the phones will be ringing.

But when I call something smart, is it though?

That is the smart play if you are ATL with Ryan. Just give him some support-he has 2-3 years left.

better question: OT or CB

If SF takes Jones and Atlanta somehow passes on a QB, we will be fine. However, if SF takes Fields, all bets are off. Take the T and trade up with the second pick for a CB and call it a day. I dont think we like Jones that much and I do not think Lance fits well---but who knows?

Coincidence? Does the NFL know something we do not?