OBJ- tag and traded to Pittsburgh for a second round pick. Pitt has two second rounders, so e would get the latter at 46. Pitt also receives two 7th rounders from us.
CEH- trade for a future draft pick
Andrew Wylie
jerrick McKinnon
Michael Burton
Juan Thornhill
Justin Watson
khalen Saunders
Tershawn Wharton
Tommy Townsend
Prince Tego-Wanogah
Nick Allegretti
Jody Fortson
Shane Buechel
players not resigned
juju- I honestly could go either way here. If they bring him back I wouldnt be upset. But I think we could use the money on other areas. I also think if Justyn Ross lives up too his potential (top 10 pick) I dont think he would be as needed. Ross will be a chain mover that can threaten deep. As a true freshman he became the go to WR over Tee Higgins. I also think Skyy Moore gives us what juju does but at a cheaper price and more speed and agility.
dunlap
Nnadi
Henne
Jones
Bell
Hardman
Bush
Lammons
Free agents
Trey Pipkens OT- 3 years $10 million veteran depth signing
Charles Omenihu DE- 4 years $30 million. A younger version of Dunlap.
Draft
1. Gervon Dexter DT 65 315 Florida- a stud to put next to Jones. Dexter is an elite run defender with high potential as a pass rusher. Having him learn under Jones would be great. Gives us good size and length at DT.
2. Blake Freeland OT 67 320 BYU- a tremendous pass blocking tackle. One of the highest grades in that area. Is a day one starter at LT.
2. Will Macdonald DE 64 250 Iowa State- a pure speed rusher. More of a rotational guy, but definitely something we dont have. We need a guy that can flat out get after the QB.
3. Rakim Jarrett WR 6 190 Maryland- a speed guy that can run the route tree. Can play slot or outside. Adds to our WR room
4. Kendre Miller RB 6 220 TCU- this guy is a dude. Pushed Evans out who transferred to Ole Miss. has great speed and runs with power too. Him and Pacheco will be the future.
4. Sydney Brown S 6 205 Illinois- a fast safety that will hit. Has a nose for picks. Has 6 picks this year
5. Yaya Diaby DE 6 4 270 Louisville- fits the Spags mold. Has a very quick first step. Has really good length too. Has a lot of untapped potential
6. DJ Dale DT 63 320 Alabama- a physical DT to add to the group. I feel we need to upgrade our talent here
7. Dontae Bull OT 66 325 Fresno State- a physical RT. Multiple year starter. Broke his leg but should be ready for camp. Has tremendous length. A developmental guy in case Niang cant stay healthy.
7. Clayton Thune QB 63 220 Houston- a multiple year starter. Has a big arm. And has good athleticism too. Store is similar to Mahomes. Another QB to develop fort Reid
I pretty much like it other than there's no way in hell that Diaby is there in the 5th or Tune is there in the 7th. You're a good 3 rounds low on both.
I really like Dexter quite a bit. I keep feeling like the 1st is early for him but he won't be there late 2nd.
Blake Freeland is definitely not plug-and-play at LT in my opinion and his pass blocking seems to be furthest from his strong suit. His feet are slow and he needs coaching on the technical aspects which will be key to his success on the outside. I seem him as a functional RT. [Reply]
Blake Freeland - 91.0
His overall grade of 91.0 ranked second in the country - only Notre Dame's Joe Alto received a better grade (91.7). Blake
Freeland will go down as one of the best tackles in BYU history. In the last three seasons, Freeland played 1,129 pass-blocking snaps and allowed only one sack.
I trust my own eyes and experience far more than I trust PFF and their understanding of the game. I really don't think they are a very reasonable or reliable resource for pretty much anything. You're free to use them. They entertain me but just not something I'd trust to grade anything.
That said, in terms of sacks you can see how meaningful that is when you watch Orlando Brown play. The QB and the offense's design can make up for severe flaws. Also, playing at the college level can mask deficiencies, especially in a less-than-premium conference that features few pro prospects at defensive end.
My view is:
Freeland has relatively slow feet which are largely affected by his build. He doesn't have bad overall athleticism, I'm not saying that. It's just that he doesn't move really well laterally nor can he make those short, choppy steps you'd like to see. Moving forward in a straight line? Aces. I think he can clean some of it up in terms of wasted movements and things like that but being able to be naturally quick is something that he's just not going to be. That, in and of itself, doesn't make it impossible for him to play outside, even at LT.
His long legs also lead to a relatively poor ability to sink his hips and anchor. He'll get out leaning too much as a result and that doesn't hold up as well in the NFL. He'll clean some of this up a bit too but he'll never be reliable in this regard in my opinion.
He has relatively poor core strength but he's still developing. He didn't start playing O-line until a couple of years ago, so I don't doubt he'll get better there.
Also related to his inexperience is his ability to use his hands to his advantage. He'll develop a lot here in the NFL but it's another tick against just being this plug-and-play guy at Left tackle.
What he's good at is also a function of his build. He's extremely long with long arms which makes it a much taller task to just get around him. In the NFL, that length presents the double-edged sword I talked about already.
I think he's got a real shot to be really solid in the NFL but I just don't know that it'll come on the left side. It probably comes on the right. He's gotta get stronger and he has to use his hands. He's going to probably struggle with good speed just like Orlando does. He's probably going to also struggle with really good power early on.
I like him enough that I'd probably take the kid in the 2nd or 3rd round as a RT and live with warts in year 1. I don't have him on my radar as a LT. I know the positions should be relatively "interchangeable" in terms of requisite ability but the quicker pass rushers still tend to live on the left side.
I'm honestly thinking of a comp similar to Mike McGlinchey, for better or worse. [Reply]
Originally Posted by kccrow:
I trust my own eyes and experience far more than I trust PFF and their understanding of the game. I really don't think they are a very reasonable or reliable resource for pretty much anything. You're free to use them. They entertain me but just not something I'd trust to grade anything.
That said, in terms of sacks you can see how meaningful that is when you watch Orlando Brown play. The QB and the offense's design can make up for severe flaws. Also, playing at the college level can mask deficiencies, especially in a less-than-premium conference that features few pro prospects at defensive end.
My view is:
Freeland has relatively slow feet which are largely affected by his build. He doesn't have bad overall athleticism, I'm not saying that. It's just that he doesn't move really well laterally nor can he make those short, choppy steps you'd like to see. Moving forward in a straight line? Aces. I think he can clean some of it up in terms of wasted movements and things like that but being able to be naturally quick is something that he's just not going to be. That, in and of itself, doesn't make it impossible for him to play outside, even at LT.
His long legs also lead to a relatively poor ability to sink his hips and anchor. He'll get out leaning too much as a result and that doesn't hold up as well in the NFL. He'll clean some of this up a bit too but he'll never be reliable in this regard in my opinion.
He has relatively poor core strength but he's still developing. He didn't start playing O-line until a couple of years ago, so I don't doubt he'll get better there.
Also related to his inexperience is his ability to use his hands to his advantage. He'll develop a lot here in the NFL but it's another tick against just being this plug-and-play guy at Left tackle.
What he's good at is also a function of his build. He's extremely long with long arms which makes it a much taller task to just get around him. In the NFL, that length presents the double-edged sword I talked about already.
I think he's got a real shot to be really solid in the NFL but I just don't know that it'll come on the left side. It probably comes on the right. He's gotta get stronger and he has to use his hands. He's going to probably struggle with good speed just like Orlando does. He's probably going to also struggle with really good power early on.
I like him enough that I'd probably take the kid in the 2nd or 3rd round as a RT and live with warts in year 1. I don't have him on my radar as a LT. I know the positions should be relatively "interchangeable" in terms of requisite ability but the quicker pass rushers still tend to live on the left side.
I'm honestly thinking of a comp similar to Mike McGlinchey, for better or worse.
I don't mean to come off like a jackass or anything like that, it's just what I personally see when I watch him.
I compare that to say, Matthew Bergeron or Anton Harrison and how they move their feet and get out laterally with consistency and a good base to react to the defender. There are times though, admittedly, where I came away really impressed with Freeland. That said, I also saw a guy that would get outside but when he got there he'd overplay the outside, be leaning, and be susceptible to the inside counter. That's where maybe if you clean him up, you have more than I'm giving credit for.
When I talk about schematic protection and stuff like that, watch what BYU did to reduce Freeland's exposure to wide-speed sets against Oregon this year. They didn't always do it though, and he did have some good reps in spots.
He's one of those guys I'd be a bit scared to take in round 1 but if you're taking him at the end of 2 where you have him then I'm really good with that. I think he needs some work. He's a guy that just might surprise me and be really quite good. I still see him as a starting NFL tackle, but how good is where we might differ on opinion right now. [Reply]
kccrow, the more I’ve looked into Harrison. I like him with that first round pick. He is a perfect fit for our offense and would really flourish. [Reply]