Just a rundown of some players I like. I'll use the OP as a collection of the posts I've made on them. (Strikethrough means they are returning to school.)
Originally Posted by JPH83:
Couple I like and where. I'm pretty much only looking at positions of need - OT, DE, DT, WR, Safety.
Will McDonald IV - DE - R1 - I don't care about anything but speed and bend at this point. Is he a reach at the back of the 1st? Probably. Could he make it to our second pick? I doubt it, and I wouldn't risk it. He's not a 3-down DE at all but he has explosiveness. He also has enough experience playing in a 3 front and not sucking against the run to think the fact he's undersized won't be a liability there. He's a rocket and he's exactly the sort of threat we don't have and need on our DL. Gutted Verse didn't declare but I suspect he was going higher, ao I think he might be the best speed-first DE left at that pick.
Laiaitu Latu - DE - 1st/2nd - He's probably the only guy I want outside of the blue-chip guys based on his technique rather than explosiveness, though he seems to have plenty of that. Like McDonald, first is probably a reach, but I think when all's said and done he rises and doesn't get to our 2nd pick. The guy is a perfect versatile piece for Spags and Cullen, and seems to win in multiple ways.
Karl Brooks - DE - 4th onwards - Again I don't know he falls this far, there's too much athleticism, production and versatility...BUT, small school, who knows, and he's definitely unrefined and probably carrying a little excess weight, so maybe. But man he could be something. Not many guys that size move like that. He's a jumbo end/DT really and although he'd need time I think he could be moulded into a really destructive rusher from all angles, and possible a true 3-down contributor.
Other guys I like - Nolan Smith but doubt he falls to us, Felix Anudike-Asomah.
Calijah Kancey - DT - 2nd onwards, ideally 3rd - He's absolutely not the nose tackle we need, but there's nothing else like him in this draft IMO. If you can pick up a run-stuffer later in the draft then he'd be a nightmare alongside Jones on passing downs. Technique and get-off are unreal, he's waaay too much for college IOLs and I'm betting he's too much to handle for a lot of NFL guards too. Worst scenario and I honestly think he can be lined up as an edge that prospers. If the size puts teams off and he's there in the 3rd I'd run it in.
Mazi Smith - DT - 2nd or 3rd - Probably the value pick and the highest ceiling. A true freak, a brick wall in the run game and all the tools to make it as a rusher. If he puts it together learning alongside Jones we have a player. Still kinda inconsistent so there's a chance he's there back of the 2nd, but I wouldn't bank on it. I just wouldn't want to pull the trigger earlier.
Moro Ojomo - DT - 3rd onwards - Budget Kancey. Back of the 3rd would be reasonable, 4th would be fantastic IMO. Again too small to be the nose we need but great hands, mobile, a handful.
Keondre Coburn - DT - 4th onwards - Too inconsistent to go earlier but a MASSIVE block of a human. Coached up and I think he's our nose with a ceiling that could be higher.
Sydney Brown - Safety - 3rd onwards - I really like this guy. I think Thornhill's gone next year and I really want a guy who can come with the same tools but less of the missed tackles, fewer coverage concentration lapses, and better play-making (of course Thornhill gets a pick now I've said this). I think Brown could be got later and absolutely fit the bill. He may not have Thornhill's athleticism but it can't be far off, and he seems to have both a better read of the game and tackling. He's played closer to the line a lot so I'm projecting a little. But we need guys who can erase plays over the middle that our LBs struggle to cover. I think this is the guy.
Rome Odunze - WR - 3rd (maybe 2nd at a push). There's guys I like more but I don't think offer what we need as much as this guy. 6'3' but mobile, he's probably the guy we wanted with Ross but he has enough juice to be used as a versatile and vertical threat. Needs to improve on contested catches, and I'm not sure that does improve, but it's IMO the best chance at a "do-it-all" WR at this point in the draft.
I'm not big on the tackles. I'm after a pass-pro first mover, not another lumbering road grader. Probably Bergeron is the only guy I could see at the back of the 1st I might pull the trigger on. Maybe Blake Freeland in the 2nd onwards, Cody Mauch in the 3rd?
Andre Carter I REALLY liked but I dunno, I've cooled on him. The ceiling is very high but I think it'll take more time. Rashee Rice I like but I think he's a guy we have with JJSS so would need him to go, which I'm fine with, but I also think he eats into Moore's role too much. Hyatt I love the speed but is that going to be it?
This is outstanding work, and it's 100% welcome in this thread.
Maybe get your own thread going, too, so that you can get maximum attention for these takes.
Like I said, though, completely welcome in this thread. [Reply]
Weighing the draft prospects of Ojulari ending up in Kansas City is like weighing tendencies of this team against each other; some that work in his favor, others that don't. Andy Reid likes drafting talents who have NFL siblings and pedigree, and BJ's brother Azeez looks like he's going to be an unholy terror for the Giants for years to come. But Spags likes defensive ends who are huge, long, and strong, not the size of a 3-4 rushbacker, which Ojulari is.
Here's what we do know: Ojulari is a high-character, locker room leader who has already shown massive strides every year at LSU. He's also going to be a 10+ sack a season guy after a year or two of NFL acclimation (and a couple offseasons in an NFL strength and conditioning program). He's the crazy first-step ace that Dee Ford was; no tackle's outside shoulder will ever be safe against him. And with some coaching he is going to develop some counters that will put tackles at his mercy. This is a first round talent.
If, that is, you can fit him in your scheme. His size is also comparable to Dee Ford, who spent his entire rookie contract at the mercy of every rushing attack that came his way. And like Ford, Ojulari has no answers right now against the run. He's not big enough, he's not strong enough. You can't give him anything but obvious passing downs now, and maybe ever. Can Spags navigate that, in the spirit of juicing the passrush? Maybe. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Direckshun: DE BJ Ojulari, LSU
Weighing the draft prospects of Ojulari ending up in Kansas City is like weighing tendencies of this team against each other; some that work in his favor, others that don't. Andy Reid likes drafting talents who have NFL siblings and pedigree, and BJ's brother Azeez looks like he's going to be an unholy terror for the Giants for years to come. But Spags likes defensive ends who are huge, long, and strong, not the size of a 3-4 rushbacker, which Ojulari is.
Here's what we do know: Ojulari is a high-character, locker room leader who has already shown massive strides every year at LSU. He's also going to be a 10+ sack a season guy after a year or two of NFL acclimation (and a couple offseasons in an NFL strength and conditioning program). He's the crazy first-step ace that Dee Ford was; no tackle's outside shoulder will ever be safe against him. And with some coaching he is going to develop some counters that will put tackles at his mercy. This is a first round talent.
If, that is, you can fit him in your scheme. His size is also comparable to Dee Ford, who spent his entire rookie contract at the mercy of every rushing attack that came his way. And like Ford, Ojulari has no answers right now against the run. He's not big enough, he's not strong enough. You can't give him anything but obvious passing downs now, and maybe ever. Can Spags navigate that, in the spirit of juicing the passrush? Maybe.
NFL teams, of course, do not draft purely for talent, as they make a ton of considerations about "fit" that we as fans can only speculate about. Going into next season, with whatever amalgamation of DL talent, will Spags plug in a more traditional 1-tech next to Chris Jones? Will he opt for someone with a little more run-stop/pass-rush flexibility? The Chiefs will probably tender Tershawn Wharton this offseason, but what beyond that? How often will Spags even field a second DT next year? I doubt any of the Chiefs DTs have gotten over 50% of the snaps on defense in a game all year outside of Jones.
Lots of these questions will need to be answered in the room before we have any inkling of where Zacch Pickens goes. One of the greater mysteries of this draft, Pickens boasts a bunch of quicker-twitch 3-tech abilities with some good technique, but has been trapped in one of the more basic DL schemes in the SEC this year in which few of those talents have had a chance to shine. In 2023/2024, he makes a ton of sense in the Tershawn Wharton role. Beyond that, he may have starter upside, but it's going to depend a lot on the kind of scheme the Chiefs think they want to run.
How will he test at the Combine? How will he look at the Senior Bowl? All of these questions need to be answered for a player who seems to be built to get a lot of rotational reps in the NFL as a passrusher, eventually. And depending on the coaching, he may be good for a good deal more than that against the run. Fortunately, the Chiefs have Joe Cullen, who can get the most out of anyone.
I think Pickens is worth more to some other teams than he would be to us, but if he falls to the 4th, I would make the investment. [Reply]
Truth of the matter is, he's going to be worth more to the 3-4 teams than he will be to us. Obviously testing will matter, but I'm currently betting he goes in the teens.
That said, if he falls, I'm willing to try to make this square peg try to fit in the round hole of Spags' DE preferences. He's just got too much juice on the edge and we're going to badly need it. [Reply]
Tell me if this sounds like an Andy Reid archetype: a converted quarterback with good hands in the open field, intelligent detection to go where the coverage is soft, good blitz pickups. This is all Andy Reid friendly, and while Roschon Johnson is not the perfect Andy Reid running back, he sure has the look of a rotational player with the upside to be the team's full-time third down back in the vein of Darrel Williams or Derrick Gore.
That said, there is not a ton of demand for Johnson's skillset in Kansas City right now. The Chiefs are probably looking to get a lot faster in their backfield this offseason, and the 220 lb Johnson is an average athlete even by large RB standards. He's not explosive or elusive in the open field, just a really smart player who can find the soft spot in the zone, with fantastic hands, and can get you some YAC. This is a really safe pick: he's going to be as good as he'll ever be on Day One.
The role has some value. Maybe Brett Veach has a stroke and doesn't re-sign Jerrick McKinnon. Even if he does, who's the clear-cut pass-protection third down back if McKinnon gets injured? This team still doesn't have a power runner for short yardage, either. So there is some fit. But it might not be until one of their five 7th rounders that the Chiefs decide to explore it. [Reply]
You can copy and paste a whole lot of the Skyy Moore draft profile and apply it to Marvin Mims. This is not a small receiver, but he is smaller. But he has great route running talents that win separation frequently (albeit against Big 12 defenses...), and he seems to be a very intelligent receiver that can find space in zones. And holy smokes, the highlights: you'd think this guy was Odell Beckham Jr. with a handful of his top end plays, which are highly athletic and phenomenal.
Where he separates himself from Skyy is that he should be able to run a deeper tree. He's not so much a Skyy replacement as much as he is an Marques Valdez-Scantling replacement. I'm guessing he should run a 4.4, so while he doesn't reach MVS's top end speed, he's plenty fast and will have better routes, consistency, and hands.
He makes a ton of sense to me on the second day. He's farther along than Moore was as a prospect, but he's still going to need to grow into the offense for a year. MVS becomes a clear cut following the 2023 season ($14m cap hit, $12m in cap savings and only $2m in dead), and by then Mims could ascend into that role full time. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Direckshun:
This is outstanding work, and it's 100% welcome in this thread.
Maybe get your own thread going, too, so that you can get maximum attention for these takes.
Like I said, though, completely welcome in this thread.
Not sure if you're being sincere! If so, thanks, if not then apologies for the long slightly indulgent post I made, I kinda started it and just kept going. But I'll 100% defer to others on a lot of this as I wouldn't say it's that well informed.
Either way, I love the draft, so thanks for starting this and giving all those write ups, cool to find out about guys I'm unfamiliar with. [Reply]
Originally Posted by JPH83:
Not sure if you're being sincere! If so, thanks, if not then apologies for the long slightly indulgent post I made, I kinda started it and just kept going. But I'll 100% defer to others on a lot of this as I wouldn't say it's that well informed.
Either way, I love the draft, so thanks for starting this and giving all those write ups, cool to find out about guys I'm unfamiliar with.
Personally, I like it all in this thread. It keeps all of it together a bit. It's kind of a nice little resource to get people's takes on some guys they like. If Direkshun would like us to have separate threads, I'll move mine too. No issue either way. [Reply]
I'm wondering if Garrett Williams (CB, Syracuse) will come at any kind of discount with his ACL tear. It didn't seem to affect the draft status of Jameson Williams last year. Williams is one of my favorite CBs in this entire draft. He's a playmaker that would certainly complete that secondary. [Reply]
there are a lot of things i like about calijah kancey, but i'm afraid the "you can't coach size" cliche applies to him too. realistically, it's hard to see him as more than a situational rusher, but some mocks have him pushing the first round. [Reply]
I updated my list today a bit but thought I'd turn you guys onto DT Kobie Turner, Wake Forest (6'3" 290). He's a grad transfer from Richmond and he's been really solid. I think he's in that 3rd to 5th range. He's just a solid DT that can generate some decent penetration. Would be a nice rotational 3T in my opinion and have him as a 4th rounder.
Richmond
2018 - 14 tkl 2.5 tfl, 1.5 sck
2019 - 71 tkl, 14.5 tfl, 7.0 sck
2020 - 19 tkl, 6 tfl, 3.5 sck (shortened spring season due to COVID)
2021 - 54 tkl, 10.5 tfl, 3.0 sck
Originally Posted by kccrow:
I updated my list today a bit but thought I'd turn you guys onto DT Kobie Turner, Wake Forest (6'3" 290). He's a grad transfer from Richmond and he's been really solid. I think he's in that 3rd to 5th range. He's just a solid DT that can generate some decent penetration. Would be a nice rotational 3T in my opinion and have him as a 4th rounder.
Richmond
2018 - 14 tkl 2.5 tfl, 1.5 sck
2019 - 71 tkl, 14.5 tfl, 7.0 sck
2020 - 19 tkl, 6 tfl, 3.5 sck (shortened spring season due to COVID)
2021 - 54 tkl, 10.5 tfl, 3.0 sck
Wake Forest
2022 - 38 tkl, 10.0 tfl, 2.0 sck
Yes, I meant to add him, thanks! Totally agree with the eval. Definitely like his ability to bring pressure. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Hark Clunt:
there are a lot of things i like about calijah kancey, but i'm afraid the "you can't coach size" cliche applies to him too. realistically, it's hard to see him as more than a situational rusher, but some mocks have him pushing the first round.
Yeah I get it, but if that means he falls to the back of the third I'd run it in. The lateral movement and hands are just too good for me to think he's not disruptive on passing downs, and I'd take that assuming we get a nose somewhere. I bet he goes before our 2nd pick to be honest, and I'd be tempted even at that point. [Reply]
