A very Trent Baalke thing to do. He's a major traits guy.
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ESPN said nothing of the sort. All they said was that he moved into the number one wagering position for first pick nothing about a lock
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Fair enough, this is what was said:

Let's start off with a big one. All the intel I've gathered points to Georgia edge rusher Travon Walker -- not Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson -- as the No. 1 overall pick for the Jaguars. The belief around the league is Jacksonville prefers the upside and traits of Walker over the proven production, motor and leadership that Hutchinson brings to the table. And it is nearly a lock that one of them will come off the board first.

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Nearly all the execs, scouts and coaches that I spoke with would personally take Hutchinson at No. 1 if it were them, though. Hutchinson is so technically efficient off the edge, and he is relentless in getting to the QB. He had 14 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss and 64 pressures last season. That's elite, and many teams prefer that kind of proven impact. But Walker's versatility, length, speed, explosion and strength could be the difference for the Jaguars. Execs around the NFL tell me Jacksonville just loves his upside, even though Walker (six sacks and 29 pressures) didn't fill the stat sheet like Hutchinson did in 2021.
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I believe the answer here was Cole Strange...
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No doubt. That said, I was listening to a GM (I think it was a GM), might have been Veach, that said that Strange would have gone in the next 10-12 picks. Apparently, the league had him valued much higher than the media. The same GM did say Thornton was a guy they felt would have been there two rounds later.
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I heard someone say he wouldn’t have made it out of the second.

I didn’t hear that bight, though. That’s just so strange to me. In a draft where if you were an OT who might needs some developing you might as well have not shown up until day 3, what got IOL pushed up so many boards?

I thought there were some really solid PT prospects still kicking around as late as the 6th but they were largely ignored. But there’s a run on top 50 interior linemen?
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I think because of the last couple of classes of tackles, there weren't as many teams looking at dire need situations there. That said, there were plenty of teams that really needed to get better on the interior offensive line. There also weren't that many quality LT prospects after the top 4 guys (Cross, Neal, Ekwonu, Penning). I mean, Smith, who I thought was a bit of a reach is one but he just needs a lot of technique work so maybe mid season starter as a tackle. Petit-Frere, Raimann, Brax Jones, and maybe Burford are it and they all need some development. After Smith, I'd say all but Raimann could be two years away from being able to start.

I don't know if there was much of an abnormal run on interior Oline. I mean, 3 guards and a center in 1 and they all went in the 2nd half of the round. I think Tyler Smith is an OT that may play guard early as he learns. Little mini run the same way in the late 2nd.
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Let's just list New England's whole draft. Very creative or very strange.

New England Patriots 2022 NFL Draft Picks:

Round 1: No. 29 (from KC via SF via MIA) – Cole Strange, G, Chattanooga

Round 2: No. 50 (from KC via MIA) – Tyquan Thornton, WR, Baylor

Round 3: No. 85 – Marcus Jones, CB, Houston

Round 4: No. 121 (from KC via MIA) – Jack Jones, CB, Arizona State

Round 4: No. 127 – Pierre Strong Jr., RB, South Dakota State

Round 4: No. 137 (from LAR via HOU via CAR) – Bailey Zappe, QB, Western Kentucky

Round 6: No. 183 (from HOU) – Kevin Harris, RB, South Carolina

Round 6: No. 200 – Sam Roberts, DT, Northwest Missouri State

Round 6: No. 210 (from LAR) – Chasen Hines, G, LSU

Round 7: No. 245 (from HOU via DAL) – Andrew Stueber, G, Michigan
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Chiefs need to give a big thank you to New England though. Without them we would not have been able to do what we did in the draft.
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I was always a Green Bay proxy fan. (think of it as checking out a hot chick's ass when your wife with you) and still would like to see a Super Bowl rematch between those two teams but Christian piqued my interest to see what he can do in the NFL.

It's like Tony Gonzales meets Randy Moss.
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