The best GM on the third day of the draft... isn't even close. - Page 2

This is shocking, the degree to which Veach has built a Super Bowl team on the back of third day selections.

2019:

No. 201: Rashad Fenton, CB (South Carolina)
No. 214: Darwin Thompson, RB (Utah State)
No. 216: Nick Allegretti, OG (Illinois)
UDFA: Darius Harris, Tim Ward

2020:

No. 138: L’Jarius Sneed, DB (Louisiana Tech)
No. 177: Mike Danna, DE (Michigan)
No. 237: BoPete Keyes, CB (Tulane)
UDFA: Yasir Durant, Tommy Townsend, Turk Wharton

2021:

No. 144: Joshua Kaindoh, DE (Florida State)
No. 162: Noah Gray, TE (Duke)
No. 181: Cornell Powell, WR (Clemson)
No. 226: Trey Smith, OG (Tennessee)
UDFA: Shane Buechele, Dicaprio Bootle, Malik Herring

2022:

No. 135: Joshua Williams, CB (Fayetteville State)
No. 145: Darian Kinnard, OT (Kentucky)
No. 243: Jaylen Watson, CB (Washington State)
No. 251: Isiah Pacheco, RB (Rutgers)
No. 260: Nazeeh Johnson, CB (Marshall)
UDFA: Justyn Ross, Jerrion Ealy, Jack Cochrane

That's just a hit rate that's downright embarrassing.

Not including the UDFAs, that's 15 players.

Of those 15 players, that's SEVEN players who are either perennial starters (Sneed, Smith, Williams, Watson, Pacheco) or who have been regular starters at one point on the roster (Fenton, Allegretti). And two other players I think we'd classify as critical cogs who don't start (Danna, Gray).

That's a third day draft pick "hit" rate of 60% -- absurd. And with Veach raking in usable UDFAs every year, this is how the team is going to remain competitive throughout the Mahomes/Veach tenure.

I don't think there's any secret here, like Veach is magically smarter than everyone else. I think he does have one advantage, and that's a Hall of Fame coaching staff coaching up his prospects.

But mostly, I think the teams that work the hardest are the teams that do the best on the third day.

I don't think there's a single team that does more quality work on the third day of the draft.
[Reply]

Originally Posted by RunKC:
They don’t?!

Javon Hargrave
Jessie Bates
Von Miller
Haason Reddick
Za’Darius Smith
Dre’Mont Jones-one fewest pass rush snaps from a DT the last 2 years bc Denver never had a lead. Still had 6.5 sacks. He’s gonna break out on a better team IMO

That’s off the top of my head for the last 2 years, this year being a weak FA class.

A majority of those guys aren't cornerstone players. Miller is probably the only one.
[Reply]

Originally Posted by The Franchise:
A majority of those guys aren't cornerstone players. Miller is probably the only one.

Not like Chris Jones but the money is well worth it. I mean damn. Reddick had 16 sacks after 11 the year before and 12.5 the year before that. Smith had 10 sacks and a top 10 pressure rate in the entire league.

They’re obviously not elite but I think we can all agree that if Frank Clark was providing those kind of results consistently nobody would have bitched about the trade for him or his contract.
[Reply]