(04-23-2023, 10:43 AM)Caldrac Wrote:

(04-22-2023, 11:35 PM)jaglou53 Wrote: Very nice list. Some of my thoughts:

1. Like your emphasis on pass rushers. Unlikely Wilson will be there. Why no Nolan Smith? His lack of size does concern me.

2. Porter would be very hard to pass on if he's there. Surprised Banks isn't in your top 10. Any particular problems with him?

3. I am higher than you on Branch. Time will tell, but I believe he'll be a difference-maker at nickel or safety. 

4. Kincaid is likely to be gone- Packers might take him at 15, but he'd be very tempting if on the board. Would be a true weapon as 2nd tight end and safety net in case Engram leaves.

5. Torrence is not one of my top guys, either. However, it wouldn't shock me if he's top 5 on Baalke's board. I'd prefer Mauch or Bergeron in round 2. Both are more versatile than Torrence.


Thankfully, the waiting will be over soon.

As a Bulldogs fan. Just not sold nor convinced that Nolan Smith will jump up in the NFL. His speed is great. As it should be. He's a lightweight at his position. My biggest concern is that he didn't stay healthy for us and his flashes of brilliance were way, way too sporadic. I like my pass rushers having consistency and availability. That was Nolan's issue though. He was consistently unavailable. 

Asking him to jump up in the NFL against bigger, faster tackles that will swallow him up is a tall order. He's not Von Miller. He's not DeMarcus Ware. 

Banks is solid. I just don't think he'll be a high impact player right away. Much like Tyson Campbell as a rookie. He has some issues getting his head around and locating the football. He can also be a little slow to react and can bite on hard routes and get crossed up. I like him. Just not at 24. If he's there at 56? I would be tempted depending on what we did at 24 the night before. 

I can't quite put my finger on Branch. I just don't like him here in Jacksonville. Maybe it's Caldwell. Maybe it's the 4.5 speed in the slot that concerns me and then trying to play him at safety. Caldwell didn't really impress me last year with whatever his intentions were between Walker at OLB/Inside/DE, etc. and whatever they did with Lloyd which led him from being an early ROTM candidate to being benched for roughly a month. 

Kincaid going early wouldn't surprise me. 15 makes sense considering they're moving on from Rodgers in Green Bay and Jordan Love will need a security blanket to work with him. You pretty much summed it up for me with Torrence. He's too linear and doesn't offer any versatility there. He's strong but has cement feet. Seems like a better fit in run blocking than pass blocking and I am not sure he fits this scheme good enough for what Pederson likes to do. Value just seems better elsewhere.

Pretty much in agreement with all of this. I'll defer to your judgement regarding Nolan Smith since you are a Bulldogs fan. I kind of feel the same way about him. I do believe Banks will keep improving once he reaches the NFL. He does have the same issues that Campbell had to correct, but seems like a guy who will work hard to overcome this weakness.

I failed to initially comment on the absence of Bryan Bresee on your Board. Totally in agreement on this due to the risk involved. If they do take him, I'll just hope that I'm wrong and he becomes the type player Ndamukong Suh was in his prime without the behavioral issues. The 1998 draft taught me to NEVER initially freak out over a draft choice I didn't like. I did that about Fred Taylor since I couldn't see them taking a UF running back that high; I was totally set on Takeo Spikes (who did have a long, productive NFL career). My philosophy now is to wait at least one season before ripping into any particular pick despite being initially very disappointed that they didn't take one of "my guys." It took a long time for me to get rid of all the "egg on my face" regarding my comments on the Freddy T. selection and I don't plan on making that mistake again. I must admit that this was especially difficult following the 2018 drafting of Taven Bryan, but I'll leave it at that so I don't get sick thinking about all the horrible choices the team has made since then on day 1 of the draft!

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