2017 NFL Draft Grades: Mel Kiper Is Hung Up On The Value Of Drafting Taco Charlton At 28

[waving monkey]

Mel Kiper of ESPN has posted his grades for the 2017 NFL draft, and he doesn't join the chorus of mostly positive feedback the Cowboys have received for their draft.

In his ranking of teams, Kiper has the Cowboys ranked 21st with a "B-" grade, which is due in large part to the value (or lack thereof) he places on Taco Charlton.

Here is part of what Kiper had to say about the Cowboys draft:

I thought they missed an opportunity at pick No. 28 to get a first-round talent -- Kevin King and Budda Baker were still on the board -- and instead chose Taco Charlton, a 6-foot-6, 277-pound defensive end who is a much better run defender than pass-rusher. Yes, Dallas needed an end after DeMarcus Lawrence underwhelmed last season and Randy Gregory was suspended for at least the 2017 season, but a premier pass-rusher made more sense. I don't think that's Charlton, who is No. 46 on my board.

Like many draft analysts who take their own big board as the one single gold standard, Kiper grades the pick relative to his own evaluation of each draft prospect, without considering either team needs, scheme fit, or the distribution of talent in the draft.

link/ http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2017...value-taco-charlton-at-28-kevin-king-t-j-watt

 

[Sydla]

Again, 3 weeks earlier, he had Charlton going to the Falcons at 31 in his mock saying it would be a wise pick to give them some pass rush help opposite Vic Beasley.

3 weeks later, suddenly Charlton is a stiff who can only set the edge.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Taco was always likely to go in the first and at least early indication is that the Seahawks would have taken him had we not.

With the abundance of talent in the secondary we played the game correctly. Walking away with Awuzie and Lewis means we absolutely followed the correct path.

Draft grades are silly things to get worked up about but if he truly feels we had the 21st best draft of 32 teams then I think it's him being different for the sake of being different. And hey that's his job... he is in the entertainment industry and the business of generating page views.

Taco wasn't a sexy pick and I was slightly annoyed when he came off the board to us but our draft overall was excellent. Kiper can't change that.

 

[reddyuta]

Does Kiper even watch the players tape anymore? now he is saying Taco is mostly a run defender.He could have watched atleast one game like the Ohio state game

 

[Sydla]

Here why you have to laugh at people like Kiper. I know Risen worships him as the godfather of mocks but even Kiper is prone to show idiocy from time to time.

On April 6th, he talked to the Atlanta Journal Constitution about the Falcons and said this:

“They don’t have enough good pass rushers,” Kiper said. “I saw that in the championship game. Guys wear down, and (New England quarterback) Tom Brady took advantage of that interior-wise and outside. Another pass rusher like Taco Charlton or Derek Barnett if there is a pass-rusher there in the late first. Like I said, just look at the Super Bowl. This is a pass-happy league. You’ve got to have more than just one or two. He [Charlton] would certainly help the Atlanta Falcons.”

So apparently, on April 6th, Charlton is a pass rusher that can possibly be had in the late first round and would fill a need for Atlanta at the 31st pick.

On April 28th, Charlton isn't really a pass rusher but is more of an edge-setting run defender and not a good pick for the Cowboys at 28.

 

[Gadfly22]

I neither watch nor care about what The Hairdo says.

 

[Denim Chicken]

"Charlton, to me, the way he played when he came back from missing those couple games, he was remarkable," Kiper said on a conference call today, at one point calling him the best rush end in the draft, a claim he later softened. "Finished it off strong against Florida State, as well. I have him at 19 -- he could very easily go earlier than that -- say, 7-to-12, 7-to-15 area."

Asked specifically whether Charlton could be a possibility for the Lions at No. 21, Kiper didn't think so.

"I could have put Charlton a little higher," Kiper said. "I don't think hell be there."

He said Cleveland is a possibility at No. 12 for Charlton but he didn't have him there in the mock draft because he has the Browns taking Texas A&M's Myles Garrett at the No. 1 overall pick. But if they went a different direction that could be a fit with the Pickerington, Ohio, native staying close to home.

In his mock draft writeup, Kiper noted Charlton's long arms.

"Charlton plays with good leverage for his height (6-5) and has active hands and an incredible wingspan. I'm curious what he'll measure at the combine. He can play on his feet, too, which means he could fit in a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme. The Bucs took Noah Spence in the second round last year, and he improved in their 4-3 as the season progressed (5.5 sacks). Charlton would be a great pick."


http://www.freep.com/story/sports/c...michigan-football-taco-charlton-nfl/96783686/

 

[Verdict]

Quite honestly there is an argument that Kiper is right. We could have drafted a top tier CB I the first round and still drafted a pass rusher with probably a second round grade in the second. No one knows what the relative values would have been, but probably close.

Keep in mind we didn't get a single player out of this draft with a first round grade. That's by our own admission. It's not the end of the world, but I think you guys are letting last years draft cloud your judgment a little bit.

I also think you guys are letting the fact we drafted for need cloud your judgment as well. Every year we have drafted for need it has blown up in our faces because we have drafted way too many misses. The only thing that may have saved us this year is that need semi-lined up with the draft.


I really think we reached on Taco. I hope he turns out to be all that and a bag of chips, but we drafted a second round talent in the first round, by our own admission. I'm not sure that we should be doing high fives and victory laps just yet.

 

[Sydla]

Quite honestly there is an argument that Kiper is right. We could have drafted a top tier CB I the first round and still drafted a pass rusher with probably a second round grade in the second. No one knows what the relative values would have been, but probably close.

Keep in mind we didn't get a single player out of this draft with a first round grade. That's by our own admission. It's not the end of the world, but I think you guys are letting last years draft cloud your judgment a little bit.

I also think you guys are letting the fact we drafted for need cloud your judgment as well. Every year we have drafted for need it has blown up in our faces because we have drafted way too many misses. The only thing that may have saved us this year is that need semi-lined up with the draft.


I really think we reached on Taco. I hope he turns out to be all that and a bag of chips, but we drafted a second round talent in the first round, by our own admission. I'm not sure that we should be doing high fives and victory laps just yet.

Well reports there was no first round rated CB on the board at that time. Fisher keeps claiming it (using idiotic logic) but the Cowboys said the only top rated kid on their board left was a TB. So it's possible there was no first round rated player left on our board when we picked.

Although I do wonder............. would we have been better off taking Kevin King and then Willis in the 2nd? I love Willis. But I think King is a completely overrated CB. I think I'd rather have Awuzie than King.

 

[DFWJC]

Time will tell one way or the other. None of these guys are always right or even close to it. Maybe he is this time, maybe not.

fwiw, here was Kiper's top 10 from his final rankings (not draft prediction but actual rankings) last year

1. Tunsil
2. Bosa
3. Ramsey
4. Conklin
5. Goff
6. Staley
7. Wentz
8. Elliott
9. Buckner
10. Jack

So, strictly value-wise he had us over-drafting Elliott by a whopping 400 points on a value chart...and he had Jared Goff and others (again not as draft prediction but actual player ranking) as better prospects than Elliott.

There were still 4 players remaining on his board ranked higher than Elliott when Dallas chose him. That's a lot when your picking 4th overall.
Eye the beholder, I guess.

 

[reddyuta]

Quite honestly there is an argument that Kiper is right. We could have drafted a top tier CB I the first round and still drafted a pass rusher with probably a second round grade in the second. No one knows what the relative values would have been, but probably close.

Keep in mind we didn't get a single player out of this draft with a first round grade. That's by our own admission. It's not the end of the world, but I think you guys are letting last years draft cloud your judgment a little bit.

I also think you guys are letting the fact we drafted for need cloud your judgment as well. Every year we have drafted for need it has blown up in our faces because we have drafted way too many misses. The only thing that may have saved us this year is that need semi-lined up with the draft.


I really think we reached on Taco. I hope he turns out to be all that and a bag of chips, but we drafted a second round talent in the first round, by our own admission. I'm not sure that we should be doing high fives and victory laps just yet.

I am not a fan of Kevin King,he is not fluid enough and his size seems like a hindrance sometimes.I would gladly take Awuzie at 60.

 

[Sydla]

Myles Jack really killed it in 2016.

 

[ksg811]

Quite honestly there is an argument that Kiper is right. We could have drafted a top tier CB I the first round and still drafted a pass rusher with probably a second round grade in the second. No one knows what the relative values would have been, but probably close.

Keep in mind we didn't get a single player out of this draft with a first round grade. That's by our own admission. It's not the end of the world, but I think you guys are letting last years draft cloud your judgment a little bit.

I also think you guys are letting the fact we drafted for need cloud your judgment as well. Every year we have drafted for need it has blown up in our faces because we have drafted way too many misses. The only thing that may have saved us this year is that need semi-lined up with the draft.


I really think we reached on Taco. I hope he turns out to be all that and a bag of chips, but we drafted a second round talent in the first round, by our own admission. I'm not sure that we should be doing high fives and victory laps just yet.

There were no "top tier" CBs left to draft at 28. By admission, they only handed out 18 1st round grades, so do the math on their odds of getting one at 28. The only remaining 1st round grade was a RB, so BPA says take him, right? Nonsense.

Kiper keeps harping we could taken King but personally, I have both Awuzie and Lewis graded ahead of King. Now, I'm obviously no scout nor do I work for the Cowboys, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did too by the corners they drafted, both of whom are technicians who are physical in the run game, which King is neither.

You are holding too much weight in the admission of drafting a 2nd rounder at 28. Like I already said, they only gave out 18 1st round grades, so if Taco was their 19th ranked player, which would technically be a 2nd rounder on their board but got him at 28 (9 spot value on ranking), is that really a reach?

 

[thechosen1n2]

Mel Kiper of ESPN has posted his grades for the 2017 NFL draft, and he doesn't join the chorus of mostly positive feedback the Cowboys have received for their draft.

In his ranking of teams, Kiper has the Cowboys ranked 21st with a "B-" grade, which is due in large part to the value (or lack thereof) he places on Taco Charlton.

Here is part of what Kiper had to say about the Cowboys draft:

I thought they missed an opportunity at pick No. 28 to get a first-round talent -- Kevin King and Budda Baker were still on the board -- and instead chose Taco Charlton, a 6-foot-6, 277-pound defensive end who is a much better run defender than pass-rusher. Yes, Dallas needed an end after DeMarcus Lawrence underwhelmed last season and Randy Gregory was suspended for at least the 2017 season, but a premier pass-rusher made more sense. I don't think that's Charlton, who is No. 46 on my board.

Like many draft analysts who take their own big board as the one single gold standard, Kiper grades the pick relative to his own evaluation of each draft prospect, without considering either team needs, scheme fit, or the distribution of talent in the draft.

link/ http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2017...value-taco-charlton-at-28-kevin-king-t-j-watt

I say this in all seriousness. I am better than Mel Kiper at draft analysis. Granted I only focus on 1 Team. I give him all the respect in the world because he is the "original" draft guru, but out of all the major players he is now the worst.

 

[Seven]

Does Kiper even watch the players tape anymore? now he is saying Taco is mostly a run defender.He could have watched atleast one game like the Ohio state game

From what I saw on film, Taco's primary skill set is stopping the run. Dude sheds blocks like a pro.

He looked to do that much better than pass rush, IMO.......for now.

 

[Stash]

Mel Kiper stripping his gears slamming it in reverse now because the Cowboys took Charlton. Careful Mel, your hate is showing...

 

[DBOY3141]

Here why you have to laugh at people like Kiper. I know Risen worships him as the godfather of mocks but even Kiper is prone to show idiocy from time to time.

On April 6th, he talked to the Atlanta Journal Constitution about the Falcons and said this:



So apparently, on April 6th, Charlton is a pass rusher that can possibly be had in the late first round and would fill a need for Atlanta at the 31st pick.

On April 28th, Charlton isn't really a pass rusher but is more of an edge-setting run defender and not a good pick for the Cowboys at 28.

This right here. They change their opinions because staying the same would lose viewers. He's an entertainer, not a scout or GM.

 

[reddyuta]

thats b

From what I saw on film, Taco's primary skill set is stopping the run. Dude sheds blocks like a pro.

He looked to do that much better than pass rush, IMO.......for now.

ecause he plays read and react a lot,he is not rushing full tilt like he will do here.People made the same comments with Bosa last year.

 

[chicago JK]

Taco is actually the pick I have the most concerns over. If he can play, then I really like how we are developing a defensive line of guys with athletic guy who almost look like basketball players in that they are long and athletic.

My concern is if he can be one of your top pass rushers. We have obviously drafted him to be that. I am not saying either way but Taco, for me, is the pick that I am actually less confident on how he will turn out compared to our other picks (minus the seventh rounders)

 

[DBOY3141]

If we would have selected Butt in the 4th, we would have gotten an A+. He had us needing a DE, CB, TE, WR. He liked the Noah pick, thought it was good value. So we would have crossed all of his "t's".