starrymessenger

No. Jackson ran a pro style offence and was fully in command of it. He is better prepared to transition in that regard than a guy like Rudolph.

Josh Allen is not Flacco. He is extremely athletic and clearly has the potential to execute outside the pocket and make plays with his legs when necessary or even by design. Not a statue. The statue with the great arm in this draft is Rosen.

Allen has elite QB traits. Value wise I think he is equivalent to Darnold, not that they are the same player (although comparable). Allen gets a lot of flak for poor footwork and throwing mechanics but right now he is most developed as a deep thrower and when you give him a clean pocket he actually displays very good fundamentals. It's in the short passing game and when forced from the pocket that his footwork and consequently his accuracy tends to go downhill. So he has things to work but with the benefit of good coaching and player development he stands a chance of making it. If he can give full expression to his physical skills while doing the other things an NFL QB must do he will become a franchise guy. Both he and Darnold are risky picks IMO. The safer guys are Rosen, Jackson and Mayfield. I think if you are projecting their ability to transition there are fewer questions with them than with respect to Rudolph. Kipers draft is ridiculous. He doesn't even have Jackson going in the first (like Cowherd). There is no way that the Bills pass on him if he is there at 21. Thing is he almost certainly won't be.

Just a guess and one fan's opinion but I strongly suspect that Jackson has Beane's attention in a big way as well as that of evaluators from other teams. The two best prospects for playing the position at the next level are Jackson and Rosen. If you want a traditional pocket passer who can make all the throws with accuracy and touch and who is ready to stand in behind a good offensive line and play at a high level Rosen is your guy. But he is limited inasmuch as he is pretty much unable to operate outside the pocket either as a runner or a passer at the next level. Jackson is not a Tyrod clone. He was fully in command of Petrino's complicated pro style offence. He can read a defence and go through his progressions. Tyrod could never do that. He is exactly the same guy today as he was at Tech. Jackson can execute from the pocket. Except for designed runs he stands in very well and can see the field. He bails only when he has to and when he does he keeps his eyes downfield and squares his shoulders before firing. Unless Beane feels that Jackson can develop as a pocket passer he won't consider him, but in my view it's pretty clear that Jackson can do that. The last thing that anybody wants, especially in Bills land is a guy who is really just a running college variety spread QB who cannot see the field and bails early. That is not Jackson IMO. There is a problem that affects Jackson's accuracy and that causes his ball occasionally to sail high. He pushes off his front foot rather than transferring his weight properly after pushing off his back foot. He absolutely needs to correct that. Not making excuses for him but lots of good prospects taken high in the draft have mechanical glitches in their throwing mechanics that need work - Patrick Mahomes, Sam Darnold. In fact Darnold's issues are much more serious and difficult to correct. He has a big windmill arm motion where the ball drops to hip level before coming back up - the exact opposite of a compact delivery. It's led to many turnovers in college, so imagine what will likely happen in the pros unless he corrects that. And that's a lot harder to correct than Jackson's weight transfer problem. To me Jackson is the top QB prospect in this class all things considered, followed by Mayfield. At 6'3" and circa 215 he needs to pack on another 15 lbs to fill out his frame, especially if he's going to make plays with his feet, but he got thicker in his body just last year so he is still developing that way and it shouldn't be a problem for him. In Carolina Beane was part of the team that drafted Cam, who was the most talented QB in that draft. Jackson is the most talented QB in this class IMO. There were lots of questions concerning his ability to transition from a run heavy Auburn O to a pro offence where he would first and foremost have to execute from the pocket. The concerns were legit. He did poorly in passing drills at the Combine. But the braintrust had confidence that he could get there. I think Beane may well come to the same conclusion regarding Jackson. If I'm right about that you can bet Jackson is on Beane's radar and very prominently so. If I were the Browns I would consider making him the first overall pick and then going Barkely at # 4. Two generational athletes. I'd actually be happy for long suffering Browns fans. I just don't want him to go to the Jets, who are definitely drafting a QB (unless they sign Cousins).

They won big time. I think he's still the highest drafted defensive Bama player ever. He was worth the #2 spot when Indy took him, and he was worth the picks we gave up for him. And he was a linebacker. Imagine that.

Jackson has clocked a 4.34 40. Tyrod ran 4.51 at the combine. Cam ran a 4.56. Tyrod is 6'1". Jackson is 6'3". (College measurement).

Regardless of how we feel about trading up, the Bills will do it for a player they like if they see value in the trade. And it doesn't have to be a QB (though this year it very well may be). They traded up for Zay Jones for cripessake. And they did it with JuJu still on the board. I would trade up for Smith before Zay, and I like Zay.

Cornelius Bennett says hello. Technically not a trade up but six of one and a half dozen of the other.

I think the Bills are very hot to draft a QB this year and this is a promising class. I think they like more than one guy and are prepared to move up. I don't think any of the teams ahead of Tampa Bay will be trading down and I think there will be more than one team looking to trade with them and probably for a QB - watch Arizona and maybe Washington. So it's possible that the QBs that the Bills most covet will not even be available. If that happens I could see the Bills moving up for Smith. Of course everything has a price and I don't know just how desperate the Bills are to land their guy this year. And of course Cousins could change priorities on draft day. For example the jets are definitely upgrading the QB position this year. If they sign Cousins their spot may well be up for sale. Of course they wouldn't want to deal with us necessarily, especially if they had other suitors.

These are early days as far as the evaluation process is concerned. IMO rankings will change, maybe even a lot, before the dust settles. There is the combine yet to come, interviews, pro days, private workouts, the senior bowl week and game. The draft talk we get from the talking heads is probably way behind where team scouts, GMs, directors of pro/college personnel are at already. Eventually the two streams will converge more, subject to the effect of the usual misinformation and smoke screens. Look at Cowherd's first draft. Lamar Jackson is not a first rounder according to him. You know that will change by draft day. I think this is a good class for QBs and I think the Bills are very interested in getting someone they like and they probably like more than one guy. As many have said you could easily see six guys go in the first round and all of the players in question likely deserve to go in the first. JMO but the three guys I would consider blowing big draft capital to get are Jackson, Rosen and Mayfield. The other three guys (Darnold, Allen and Rudolph) are worth moving up for but not to the same extent.

I'm pretty confident that with McCoach and Frazier our D is in good hands. We will continue to outperform our talent on that side of the ball IMO. However we all know there are two Bortles. We got the bad Bortles. Steelers got the other one. We stacked the box to stop LF and made Bortles beat us. He almost didn't.

As a runner he is more explosive than Cam ever was. He increased his bulk this past year over 2016. He needs to pack on another 15lbs. At 6'3" 230 he will be fine. A lot of that will come from his frame naturally filling out as he ages, then he will also be on a S&C program.

Maybe he moves up a round or two in next year's draft. This year's class is very deep. I'm sorry he is not declaring. We need to draft one this year IMO and now there is one less premium RB.

Darnold may be the darling of the QB class for now but I would be wary. Very wary. He is not someone I would move up and blow lots of draft capital to land. He's very raw and though he looks the part it may well be that at the end of the day he's just a gunslinger with a pretty big (but not huge) arm who will make some jaw dropping throws but also turn the ball over. A lot. Think Jay Cutler. Moreover his footwork is bad. His throwing motion is nothing short of a disaster. There is absolutely no doubt that his mechanics are so poor that some scouts and GMs will push him down when setting their boards. By the time the dust settles he may well drop from one or two to top 15. It only takes one guy to love him but I think the general sentiment will cool towards him. The only guys I would burn big draft capital for are Jackson, Rosen and Mayfield. Some may think that Jackson will be there when we pick. But he won't. He will be a big draft riser and an early first rounder. Cleveland could do a lot worse than taking him #1 and following that up with Barkely with their next pick. Arguably the two generational talents in this draft. Or he could go to the Giants. With their young skill position players that could be very interesting. Just pray the Jets don't get to nab him.

IMO Jackson may very well be the player who tops Beane's list. Beane was part of the braintrust that picked Cam. And Beane has pretty much told us that he wants to draft the guy who is simply the most talented, not the guy who happens to fit a particular coordinators scheme. Adjust the offence, not the player. A very strong argument can be made for saying that Jackson is the most talented player in this class. I'm pretty sure that Beane would not have supported drafting Cam unless he felt confident that he could develop into a QB who.could execute from the pocket, whatever else he might be able to do. I don't think he would draft Jackson unless he felt the same way about him. But Jackson has shown continuing improvement as a passer in each of his years at Louisville, while lacking a strong supporting class. His footwork needs improvement but with improved footwork should come better accuracy. He otherwise has a ton of arm talent. Jackson also ran a very complicated pro style offence under coach Petrino, requiring him to read defences and go through his progressions. He was completely in control of that offence. He is arguably much better prepared for the next level than a guy like Rudolph. To suggest that he is not a QB is ridiculous. He is and will continue to be a QB, not a wide receiver lol. There is a good chance he's at the top of Beane's wish list.

I think Beane is pretty much on record as having said that the QB position is one area (which everyone knows is the most important) where he is looking to improve and he's given some indication of what his thinking is regarding what he looks for in a QB. It's pretty clear to me that they are going to try pretty hard to draft someone they like. I don't get the feeling Tyrod figures in their plans. I suspect he's gone.

I hear ya but bear in mind that when he first came out Vick had no one to throw the ball to except Algie Crumpler, a fat tight end. He actually had arm talent. Jackson runs a complicated pro-style offence under Petrino at Louisville and Jackson is fully in control of it. He reads defences, he goes through his progressions. Tyrod was always a college QB. Jackson is much better QB and pro prospect. Unlike Vick he has excellent intangibles and can be the face of a franchise. If I have understood OBD they are not interested in a QB who is scheme dependent and like Watson you would have to accommodate what he already does well while you worked on developing him. So maybe the Bills aren't interested, but I think they should be. Bills are reputed to love Darnold. I would worry about that. He looks the part but he has terrible flaws that translate not to the NFL but to turnovers instead. Hes also extremely raw. Buyer beware. He may drop by the time the dust settles.

I agree that building an offence around Tyrod would not be a good idea. But that's basically only because Tyrod isn't good enuf to get the amount of upside that would justify dedicating resources to such a project. Doesn't mean that it wouldn't make sense to do that for another QB who had special ability and a more diversified skillset ie one who processes information more quickly, sees the field better and who had better mechanics. Houston's offence was successfully retooled to accommodate Watson's skills. The Bill's have said however that they don't want a QB who is scheme dependant. This maybe is a clue to the type of QB they may be looking to draft. I do think its possible that there is racial animus in the way at least certain evaluators approach the draft. An example of that imo can be seen in the often encountered opinion that Lamar Jackson should consider transitioning from QB to WR.

I don't know whether the Bills will have the opportunity or the inclination to move up for a QB, but I do think there are a few who are worth burning draft capital to get. Foremost among them is Lamar Jackson. Athletically he is as much a generational talent as Barkely is. In that sense these two guys stand apart as unique in this draft. Jackson is Michael Vick. I know we have had our fill of "running QBs" but I think we would feel quite differently about it if Tyrod had arm talent. Jackson has that (though of course it needs some development and refinement i.e. he's not Josh Rosen in that regard). You think D. Watson looked good? Watch out for Lamar. Like Rosen he needs to fill out his frame, especially if he's going to make plays with his feet, but both Vick and Tyrod have shown that a "running QB" can actually be durable enuf. I expect Jackson to be a big draft riser over the next couple of months who will be coveted by GMs so I'm not expecting to get him. My risk/reward adjusted QB evaluation, which I admit is out of sync with where the thinking generally is at the moment is: #1 Lamar Jackson #2 Josh Rosen #3 Baker Mayfield #4 Mason Rudolph #5 Josh Allen #6 Sam Darnold I would be comfortable moving up for any of the top 3 in my list.

QB comparative value is something that all of us have thought about. I agree that Brees and a few others have to be considered in the same class as TB. It's not that in saying that I do not concede him to be the GOAT I think less of Brady as a player. It's just that I recognize the importance of system and coaching in contributing to his success. Pats are the best coached and disciplined team in the game and have been for some time. That's Belly and his coordinators. If I was building a team from scratch and got to pick my QB from among the greats Tom would certainly not be my pick.

I saw this referenced in an article I read a few weeks ago. I've had a quick look for the page but have not found it. So I can't vouch for its accuracy. Though it doesn't directly answer the question because their measurement is not specific to yards after contact and they are dealing to some extent with averages and base case comparisons as of Jan 1, 2018 Football Outsiders had him ranked first in DYAR, first in YAR and second in DVOA league wide.

Well y'know that's why he's so accurate. You cannot be consistently accurate in real time without the ability to process and anticipate. You also need to have very sound fundamental mechanics. Oh I have seen him throw balls right through a moving tire when in shorts. He can do that too.

I wouldn't say no to him. Most yards after contact of any back in the league. Would still prefer to draft my own. Penny for my thoughts.

The moral of the story is that the football gods can be fickle and cruel. They can humiliate a player merely for their own amusement by causing his brain fart to be heard around the world. Seriously I cannot even begin to imagine what was going through that safety's mind. Hes the most accurate passer I have ever seen.

I'd rather draft a guy, especially this year. Also thought he was not the same guy when he came back. Not remotely the same.