MKJR Invitational wrap up thread?

[tm1119]

This is the thread where people pander for higher grades essentially. Post your thoughts on the draft, why you picked who and when. Who’d you miss out on, any regrets on not taking someone? What was the trade process like if you made any? Ect....

I’ll start


1st- Josh Rosen QB UCLA- The way I saw it from the Bills perspective was to either make a bold move or overpay a QB like Tyrod Taylor and whittle away in mediocrity. Obviously I chose the former and made the trade up. Looking back, I probably should have held out and at least kept my 3rd round pick this year, but wasn’t going to let that get in the way of a trade for a potential franchise QB. The Bills scouting department also didn’t love the depth in the 1st round of this draft, we were afraid to end up with very uninspiring franchise building blocks like what the Giants got in Lamar Jackson and Connor Williams (shots fired!). Rosen brings hope to a Bills franchise that hasn’t had any in a long time.

2nd- Equanimeous St Brown WR Notre Dame- Kid is an absolute freak, personally I see him going much higher than this after the combine. The QB play was so bad at ND that his skills couldn’t be showcased, with his raw ability and size I see a potential #1 WR. Should matchup great with Rosen’s big arm for years to come.
-Tim Settle was going to be the pick here before he was snatched up 1 pick ahead of me. Harrison Phillips was also in strong consideration but went with a WR to pair with the new QB instead.

4th- Nick Nelson CB Wisconsin- Very underrated player. The biggest knock on him is his lack of INT’s, but consistently made plays on the ball covering the opposing teams #1. I see a solid overall player who should contribute early and shows the ability to develop into a good #2 CB.

4th- Breeland Speaks DT Ole Miss- Traded for this pick knowing the Bills need a lot of help at DL this year Dareus gone and Williams being an old UFA.

Not a lot of talk about him but I think there will be a lot of people surprised when they see this 280+ lb man move. Came out a year earlier than he should have and played out of position at Ole Miss but I really like his potential playing inside at the NFL level. Quick 1st step and uses his hands really well, if he can add weight and strength he could be a very good DT in a couple of years. Subpackage pass rusher early in his career.
-I had a heavy debate of RJ McIntosh vs Speaks for this pick but McIntosh went right before me again making it an easy decision.

 

[cowboyec]

I posted mine in the Invitational Chatter thread so I'll try not to copy that too much.

titans....the who and the why.

Rd1:Harold Landry,DE/OLB-Boston College...easy fit for this 3-4 defense.titans primary need was an edge rusher and Landry fits.I think Vrabel will love him.

Rd2:Marcus Allen,S-Penn St....the next thing I wanted to secure for this defense was a S....it was close between Justin Reid and Allen but the titans already have an all-pro with a skillset similar to Reids....I loved the physicality and violence Allen brings to this secondary.

Rd3:Austin Corbett,G-Nevada...I HAD to secure a OG with BOTH veteran starters set to hit f/a...Corbett has the versatility to play OT but his skill set is perfect inside....now the pressure to keep BOTH isnt there.

Rd4 Deadrin Senat,DT-South Florida....I wanted to get playmakers at each level of defense....Edge,Secondary and Interior....Senat is one of "My Guys"....physical v the run,athletic....love his up-side.

I feel like the titans got better.I didnt see the need for a WR early....hell Taywan Taylor is running second team.....the TE they drafted last year from FIU I like so unless Ian Thomas was on the board I was not gonna get a TE....and they still can in the 5th with Dalton Schultz still on the board......I liked the depth at RB so you can stretch that into the 6th or 7th.
If this had been extended out,I would target a Inside LB in the 5th.

 

[Plankton]

San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers had a good close to the season, and appeared to have found their franchise QB in Jimmy Garoppolo, and resigned him to a huge extension to keep him in San Francisco. Even with taking a $37 million cap hit in 2018, the 49ers still have $70+ million in cap room to spend in free agency. They will need it. Despite the good close to the season, this is not a good football team.

The Niners lack talent in nearly every positional group, and were especially bad on defense. In the passing game on defense, they ranked 24th in net yards per attempt allowed. They only had 30 sacks as a team, and forced only 20 turnovers. They routinely provided little resistance to opposing offenses. While they have some nice building blocks in DeForest Buckner and Solomon Thomas up front, there are some questions about the long term future of Reuben Foster, and a potential loss in the secondary of Eric Reid to free agency. Former first rounders Arik Armstead and Jimmie Ward have contributed little due to injury. The defense needs a talent infusion at all three levels, but more than that, needs difference makers.

On offense, with the QB position solved, the 49ers need to add weapons for Garoppolo to thrive. Pierre Garcon is a good possession receiver, and Marquise Goodwin provides a deep threat. Carlos Hyde has been injury prone, and will be a free agent who will likely leave. The offensive line has deteriorated since the salad days of Joe Staley, Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis. TE is a solid position, but they need WR depth as well.

In other words, there weren't many areas that wouldn't benefit from a talent infusion. I went into this exercise looking to add a difference maker and talent to defense, add a running back with pass catching ability, and possibly a wide receiver with run after the catch ability. I leave it to you to decide how I did on those fronts:

1(6) Minkah Fitzpatrick S Alabama - The Jets and I had finalized a trade the night before the draft for the 49ers to move from #10 in the first to #6 in exchange for my second third rounder, #75 overall, and a 2019 3rd rounder. Going into this draft, I saw four real difference makers in the draft pool - Bradley Chubb, Saquon Barkley, Quenton Nelson and Minkah Fitzpatrick. With Fitzpatrick available at 6, to me, this was the play. Fitzpatrick is the ultimate swiss army knife - he can affect the game as a pass defender, as a blitzer, he's a strong tackler with good ball skills. The big question is where to deploy him. I think he's a lot like Jalen Ramsey in terms of versatility, but perhaps without the same top end speed. Regardless, Robert Saleh will have a blast putting this talented player to use. Whether it's replacing Eric Reid at FS or playing corner alongside Akhello Witherspoon, the Niners added a top flight difference maker to their back end.

2(59) Sam Hubbard DE Ohio St. - As I had mentioned earlier, the Niner defense had needs at all three levels. They only had 30 sacks a season ago, and their high man was Elvis Dumervil with 6.5. They need another threat to enable Thomas and Buckner to be freed up a bit. Enter Sam Hubbard. Hubbard is a terrific athlete who had a lacrosse scholarship to Notre Dame before decommitting to play football at Ohio State. He is very quick off the ball, and has improved his hand work during his stay in Columbus. He is still growing into his frame, but possesses all the tools necessary to develop into a pass rushing threat. He can split time with Dumervil on run downs, and be part of a pass rush package with Dumervil on the outside, and Thomas and Buckner on the inside. Should be a big improvement. I had Hubbard as being an early second round value that I got at the back end of the round. Other considerations would have been James Washington if he had slid further, and Chukwuma Okorafor to bolster the OL, but he also went earlier than my pick.

3(70) Kerryon Johnson RB Auburn - I don't think that Hyde will return to San Francisco - he has been injury prone since entering the NFL, and injury prone runners are not ones to dedicate free agent dollars to. I was keeping my fingers crossed that Johnson would drop to #70, and fortunately he did. Johnson carried Auburn to the SEC title game this year, and was the offensive player of the year in the SEC. Johnson ran with a rugged style, but also developed as a pass receiver this year with 24 catches. After being injured against Alabama, you saw the difference that his presence can make. Auburn went from routing Georgia and beating Alabama with Johnson playing a lead role, to losing to both the Dawgs and Central Florida without him. Johnson is a guy who can lift up the entire offense, and will provide a good weapon for Kyle Shanahan to use with Garoppolo. I had Johnson with a mid second round grade, so I love the value here.

4(128) Jerome Baker OLB Ohio St. - It was an agonizing wait between my selection in the third and the fourth, and a lot of guys dropped off that I was hoping would fall. Lorenzo Carter was my biggest want, but he was gone at the end of the third. R. J. McIntosh was another consideration in the fourth, but Jerome Baker was the highest rated linebacker on my board, and fills a need. Baker is a good run and chase WLB who will fit well in Saleh's defense. Baker can play sideline to sideline, and is very good in coverage. With the bodies upfront, he should be free to utilize his speed to make plays. If Foster remains available, having these two guys side by side in the LB corps puts a lot of speed and playmaking ability on the second level of the defense. I had Baker as an early 4th round value, so it matched up well with his slot.

I did try to trade back into the fourth round to target Deontay Burnett, but was unsuccessful.

Good event overall - most teams did well. Great job by Risen in running this.