dave mcbride

I like him as the #42 overall pick.

Yolo: Their offense is built for Newton, and they have the heir apparent in Fields. I've been predicting this for a month now. Don't hate what you can't control!

I haven't read this because I'm out of free articles (SI is now paywalled), but if it you haven't used up your free articles yet, have at it: https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/04/28/gameplan-nfl-draft-coaches-scouting-reports-2021-quarterbacks

I totally disagree. He has nothing left to prove and Fields is Newton Mach II but with a non-injured arm. Why do it the Brady way again? He has already cemented his position as the greatest coach in NFL history. He's just about 70. He's gonna live a little and try something different.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/04/28/report-patriots-talked-to-falcons-about-trading-up-to-no-4-likely-to-draft-justin-fields/

I can't see any team giving up even a seventh for Singletary. He's not bad and deserves to be in the league, but he's replacement-level and you can get an equivalent in the fifth/sixth round for which you'll have two more years of control. With Singletary, you're trading 4 years of control for 2 years. That would make sense if he was more of a game changer than he is, but he isn't.

I don't understand Denver not targeting a QB. Bridgewater isn't good, and it's pretty clear that Lock isn't very good either.

I love McCaffrey's game, but they also went 5-11 in his superstar season. Of course, they had a terrible defense and no quarterback, so there were genuine mitigating circumstances.

Jerry Butler too. And Perry Tuttle is in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers team hall of fame.

Yup. How easily people forget.

Enjoy it while it lasts!

Agreed on all fronts. How would you feel about drafting Vera-Tucker if he were to somehow fall to 30 (which I don't think will happen)?

Agreed. Kuechly, another generational talent as a cover guy, is his model MLB.

He's coming back, which is good news. https://sports.yahoo.com/clemson-wr-justyn-ross-returning-in-2021-after-missing-2020-season-with-neck-injury-132446553.html

The thing is, he might actually be the most talented QB ever from a physical standpoint. He does appear to have the strongest arm in terms of velocity ever measured (an unbelievable 68 at his pro day and over 70 on one other occasion), and it's doubtful that QBs in the 1960s/1970s threw as hard as him unless there's an equivalent of Nolan Ryan from that era that I'm missing. Josh was throwing 91 as a high school pitcher, which isn't crazy high (but still pretty good), but the thing is that he grew three-four inches *after* HS (he was 6'1" 180 as a senior: https://blogs.usafootball.com/blog/6207/how-josh-allen-s-perseverance-earned-him-a-spot-in-the-nfl). I'm guessing he'd have been slinging 100+ eventually if he had chosen baseball. On top of that, he's just a phenomenal athlete for someone that size.

No worries! I remember that season and he was a one-man wrecking crew. Just unblockable.

I said pressures, not sacks. There is a reason he won defensive player of the year that season. He also had 69 solo tackles, which is also ridiculous for a d-lineman.

In his best season (1996), he not only led the entire league in AV (Average Value; PFR's equivalent of WAR for football), he had a ridiculous 54 pressures, dwarfing every other pass rusher in the league.

Ray Lewis in his prime was one of the best coverage LBs and sideline-to-sideline players to ever wear a uniform. In 2003 alone, he had 6 INTs and 14 passes defensed. Over a six year span from 1998-2003, he had 18 picks and never less than two in a season.

The thing to bear in mind about the Jets is that not only do they have that 23rd pick; they have the 34th pick, the 66th pick, the 86th pick, the 107th pick, the 146th pick, and the 154th pick. They are loaded. If they really want someone in the back half of the second or even the tail end of the first, they easily have the ammo to move up. I do think a good RT is worthy of a day one pick, especially late in the first round. I actually don't think Vera-Tucker is a bad pick for them given his talent and versatility. Yeah, he may be a dominant guard, but injuries happen and he has the talent to slide out to tackle and perform capably. Guys like that are valuable, and the Jets absolutely need a better o-line. They finished 31st in ypa AND ypc last season, and when that happens, you gotta look at the o-line because it's the only constant. Their line was absolutely dreadful last year outside of Becton, and the depth was pathetic. They're also likely to focus on protecting their qb.

Gilmore would represent a major upgrade for them. He actually played well last season before getting hurt. And of course he’s terrific when healthy.

“The nuance of the position” in my view strongly correlates with a decline in his run/scramble game, which was off the charts this season and why he led the league in AV.

I sincerely hope I’m wrong, but I think it’ll be hard for him to ever reproduce his 2020 season statistically; it was just so good when viewed in its totality. The Bills were remarkably injury free on offense too. They had a couple (Ford, Brown), but nothing crippling.

The league has in all likelihood told them to keep it a secret. This is a potential ratings bonanza, and the league needs drama. The 49ers are part of the league, not independent of it. “Close” to reaching his potential? He literally just had the best season for a QB in the 61-year history of the Bills and finished number one in the league in PFR’s AV measure.

One thing I disagree with you on is the idea that Pittsburgh doesn’t draft o-line early. They drafted o-line in the first round in 2010 and 2012, and both those guys lasted a long time (decastro and pouncey). More importantly, the same regime was in place. They haven’t drafted o-line first for a while because the need wasn’t there, but this year it is, and they are desperate. I fully expect them to go o-line first.