I can't see a Gettleman round 1 WR this year.

[KB_fan]

3 hours ago, Woodie said:

KB, your work compiling all this draft data is much appreciated.  You give us a perspective we've never had before.

It's been interesting... 

I'm not sure it's worth very much as I don't really know how much to trust the boards at fanspeak or whether there are certain boards to overweight (as most likely to be accurate) or to underweight / skip.   Up until now I'd been treating most of the boards there fairly equally, though since yesterday I'm now starting to slightly overweight those with the most recent updates (fanspeak, draftek, CBS, Matt Miller...) and now skipping one that seems very fluky (Kyle Crabbs - who has multiple consensus high round players ranked very low - e.g. Corey Coleman ranked as a round 4 pick.)

Next year if I were to do this again, I'll know a little bit better as to how much this is worth and whether there are certain boards / analysts with a better track record whom I should prioritize.

[KB_fan]

Not sure how well this will work to paste here - table may be too wide.  But here's a closer look at the details of 21 mock drafts I've analyzed re: the consensus top 10 WRs.

Looking at the far right, you can see I've just started to look at / include mocks by major analysts at SI and NFL.com.  They're a lot more bullish on players such as Will Fuller & Sterling Shepard than the boards at fanspeak.  So I want to dig a bit more and see what some of the other media analysts are saying about WRs - even if they're only doing mocks for the 1st round or early rounds.

 

(oops, this was intended for Jeremy's thread on 3 WR prospects... I've now posted it there.  But I guess there's no harm to leave it here too.  I had too many threads open!)

[TheMaulClaw]

6 hours ago, uscgamecocks said:

Yeah I agree - just thought it was weird you called him a LB since he'd definitely be a base DE for us once he added some weight.

Spence is incredibly talented.  Not sure he is on our board for off-field reasons, but he is undoubtedly a first round talent.

I'm a Gamecocks fan.  However, I have a very close relative who is a football alumni and booster for Eastern Kentucky. When I saw Spence mocked to us on a few websites. I made a phone call. I know for a fact that he's been a model citizen and has really turned things around. Truth is he was never bad to begin with he just made a mistake and got burned for it. He manned up and learned his lesson. Same could be said for Cam.

[top dawg]

1 hour ago, chknwing said:

 

I just want a dam legit OT.  It's been what 8 years since carolina has drafted an OT in the first 2 rounds?  I am still pissed that Carolina did not pursue La El Collins. What a blown opportunity.

I don't mind not drafting an OT, I believe that the bigger misses come in FA, where a guy's work has already been established. For me, the bigger missed opportunity was not making a run at Jared Veldheer. I was always stumping for a trade involving Veldheer and Hardy, or an outright acquisition. The latter would have probably meant letting Hardy walk, but history has proven that that wouldn't have been so bad.

Keeping an established LT would be a premium if i were team building. I would draft one, given the right player and circumstances, but my philosophy would be to address that situation in FA.

Quality, nfl-ready receivers (as far as they can be ready) who will make a more immediate impact are much easier to acquire in the draft than a legit starting LT from what I've seen over the years.

 

Edit: BTW, Collins was ultimately the one responsible for the missed opportunity. He could have chosen to be here with his best friend.

I hope he's kicking himself now.

[davos]

On 4/9/2016 at 0:41 PM, uscgamecocks said:

Shepard or Coleman would absolutely be worth a first round pick and either would instantly be the second best receiver on our roster for the upcoming season.  Funchess has a ton of potential but he's not there yet.  In particular, I'm a huge fan of Sterling Shepard.

Everyone remember Dave gushing about Odell Beckham's route running ability?  Well Shepard is the best route runner to enter the draft since Beckham and he's got a 2% drop rate.  His ability to beat coverage on upwards of 80% of his routes and to consistently catch the ball would set him apart on this team- see the writeup here (excerpt below):

http://www.thebackyardbanter.com/reception-perception-2016-nfl-draft-prospects-results.html

Sterling Shepard simply broke the system with an 82.8 percent success rate against man coverage, and 91.1 percent against press. Question his size, or a future as “just” a slot receiver, but that is a rare ability to get open. Over a full Reception Perception sample, Shepard posted SRVC numbers akin to that of some of the best wide receivers in the NFL. His advanced and nuanced route-running combined with tangible athletic gifts should make him a lock for a top-three ranking at his position.

I think it's safe to assume that Dave will pick an elite pass rusher if one falls to us.  But if one doesn't, I can definitely see him picking a dynamic WR like Coleman or Shepard at the end of the first (and I think it's a higher probability than most on here think).  A long term pairing of Benjamin/Funchess/Shepard would be excellent.

Seriously, Shepard is going to be a very good WR.  I'll be a fan of his no matter where he winds up.  Great story, great play, great potential, unreal stats as it stands already.  Many scouts are thinking he should have no problem moving between the slot and outside.  He's the player I want us to draft the most out of anyone else in the draft.