Lots of momentum building for Ekwonu this morning. Not a fan of that. I just don't care nearly as much about how great my OTs run block. It's nice if they do, but they need to be pass blockers first and foremost, and Ikem is not that. He's just an average pass blocker.

He could play guard and be dominant. He could be our Quinton Nelson.

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Ikem is my dude. We should draft him, I don't care what position he plays. I want him on my team.

same here

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Lots of momentum building for Ekwonu this morning. Not a fan of that. I just don't care nearly as much about how great my OTs run block. It's nice if they do, but they need to be pass blockers first and foremost, and Ikem is not that. He's just an average pass blocker.

He could play guard and be dominant. He could be our Quinton Nelson.

Taking that over an already very good pass blocking OT like Cross would be silly.

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Lots of momentum building for Ekwonu this morning. Not a fan of that. I just don't care nearly as much about how great my OTs run block. It's nice if they do, but they need to be pass blockers first and foremost, and Ikem is not that. He's just an average pass blocker.

He could play guard and be dominant. He could be our Quinton Nelson.

Maybe not Nelson, but he would be a very, very good OG. I would have no objections to taking him, if we traded down a bit. I'd immediately install him as the starting LG.

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He could play guard and be dominant. He could be our Quinton Nelson.

Taking that over an already very good pass blocking OT like Cross would be silly.

There is a big disparity between Cross' pass blocking and his run blocking. I can see him selected as the #4 OT in this class after Ekwonu (depending on his measurements,) Neal and Penning.

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There is a big disparity between Cross' pass blocking and his run blocking. I can see him selected as the #4 OT in this class after Ekwonu (depending on his measurements,) Neal and Penning.

I agree he could and probably will go off the board after Edwonu, but it would be a mistake. Keeping the QB upright is the top job of an OT by a giant margin, and virtually everyone agrees Cross is the best at that. Maybe if you think someone like Neal could be only slightly worse at pass blocking while much better at run blocking, then ok I get the argument of him over Cross. But someone who is much worse at pass blocking and much better at run blocking like Ekwonu, hell no give me the pass blocker all day.

I will preface all of this with the Wirfs type of argument that I've laid out several times. A lot of Ekwonu's pass blocking issues are oversets, which he does a lot. Usually that means it's overcompensating for slow feet. Rarely, as in Wirfs' case, it's simply bad technique which can be overcome. If Ekwonu comes out and runs a sub 4.47 SS and kills the jumps and 3 cone too, then I will reassess. But for now, Cross > Ekwonu all day.

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There is a big disparity between Cross' pass blocking and his run blocking. I can see him selected as the #4 OT in this class after Ekwonu (depending on his measurements,) Neal and Penning.

I agree he could and probably will go off the board after Edwonu, but it would be a mistake. Keeping the QB upright is the top job of an OT by a giant margin, and virtually everyone agrees Cross is the best at that. Maybe if you think someone like Neal could be only slightly worse at pass blocking while much better at run blocking, then ok I get the argument of him over Cross. But someone who is much worse at pass blocking and much better at run blocking like Ekwonu, hell no give me the pass blocker all day.

I will preface all of this with the Wirfs type of argument that I've laid out several times. A lot of Ekwonu's pass blocking issues are oversets, which he does a lot. Usually that means it's overcompensating for slow feet. Rarely, as in Wirfs' case, it's simply bad technique which can be overcome. If Ekwonu comes out and runs a sub 4.47 SS and kills the jumps and 3 cone too, then I will reassess. But for now, Cross > Ekwonu all day.

As of right now, Trevor Penning is my top OT. He's a bit raw, but he has tons of potential and his ceiling is very high. He also has a really "nasty" streak that I like.

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I agree he could and probably will go off the board after Edwonu, but it would be a mistake. Keeping the QB upright is the top job of an OT by a giant margin, and virtually everyone agrees Cross is the best at that. Maybe if you think someone like Neal could be only slightly worse at pass blocking while much better at run blocking, then ok I get the argument of him over Cross. But someone who is much worse at pass blocking and much better at run blocking like Ekwonu, hell no give me the pass blocker all day.

I will preface all of this with the Wirfs type of argument that I've laid out several times. A lot of Ekwonu's pass blocking issues are oversets, which he does a lot. Usually that means it's overcompensating for slow feet. Rarely, as in Wirfs' case, it's simply bad technique which can be overcome. If Ekwonu comes out and runs a sub 4.47 SS and kills the jumps and 3 cone too, then I will reassess. But for now, Cross > Ekwonu all day.

As of right now, Trevor Penning is my top OT. He's a bit raw, but he has tons of potential and his ceiling is very high. He also has a really "nasty" streak that I like.

No one in this draft plays nastier than Ikem.

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I know we got a Punter but...

https://youtu.be/JPlvF6owtqk

This kid has a cannon for a leg. Keep an eye on him. Not sure if he goes as an UDFA but he's got a shot.

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He is definitely going to be drafted. Not sure where, but many 6th/7th round picks don't make good NFL teams. Totally worth a pick if he is anything close to advertised, though probably not for Jags they already have a serviceable punter and way too many holes.

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As of right now, Trevor Penning is my top OT. He's a bit raw, but he has tons of potential and his ceiling is very high. He also has a really "nasty" streak that I like.

No one in this draft plays nastier than Ikem.

Nasty is a good offensive trait, but pass blocking is still BY FAR the most important trait...and Ikem is just ok at that. If we're drafting to help Trevor let's draft to help Trevor, not Etienne.

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Christian Watson is my guy. I really hope he falls to the 3rd

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No one in this draft plays nastier than Ikem.

Nasty is a good offensive trait, but pass blocking is still BY FAR the most important trait...and Ikem is just ok at that. If we're drafting to help Trevor let's draft to help Trevor, not Etienne.

You act like he is a scrub in pass protection, lol.

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Nasty is a good offensive trait, but pass blocking is still BY FAR the most important trait...and Ikem is just ok at that. If we're drafting to help Trevor let's draft to help Trevor, not Etienne.

You act like he is a scrub in pass protection, lol.

I said average more than once.

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Shipley said on the radio today that Ekwonu is faster than Neal but is only 6'4"? or 6'5". However, Searcy likes his punch. Neal is simply massive at 6'7" and 350ish so it stands to reason he is slower. All that said, barring a trade down, we should take Edge at #1.

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You act like he is a scrub in pass protection, lol.

I said average more than once.

What makes you think he is just average?

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I said average more than once.

What makes you think he is just average?

Watching him overset again and again.

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As of right now, Trevor Penning is my top OT. He's a bit raw, but he has tons of potential and his ceiling is very high. He also has a really "nasty" streak that I like.

No one in this draft plays nastier than Ikem.

It's interesting.

I heard today that some feel he needs to tone down his aggressiveness a little.  Unless his aggressiveness results in penalties or a loss of technique, I don't want him changing that at all.

The first player comp i've heard for him is Jason Peters, who was a LT under Pederson.

If he could replicate that level of play, he would be an excellent addition to a football team.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

It’s Neal or Hutch. First overall pick shouldn’t have holes in their game. Those two are the cleanest (not perfect, just cleanest)

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It’s Neal or Hutch. First overall pick shouldn’t have holes in their game. Those two are the cleanest (not perfect, just cleanest)

I'm gun shy on Neal. Alabama O linemen tend to be hit or miss in the pros. Hutch will be a big hit in Jacksonville and he makes a lot of sense at 1.

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I hope Hutchinson and Thibodeaux both work out fully at the Combine.

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It’s Neal or Hutch. First overall pick shouldn’t have holes in their game. Those two are the cleanest (not perfect, just cleanest)

I'm gun shy on Neal. Alabama O linemen tend to be hit or miss in the pros. Hutch will be a big hit in Jacksonville and he makes a lot of sense at 1.

Agreed. My concern with Neal is that he's being compared to Tristan Wirfs at RT. Again, that's great! Just not ideal to select him there with the first overall selection. Wirfs was outside of the top ten the year he was drafted by the Buccaneers. 

I personally think Neal could be on the same level as Eugene Monroe in the NFL as a LT. Which, again, it's not bad. I just don't think you can justify selecting him, especially now after what Hutchinson just did at the combine. 

Pairing a freak athlete like Hutchinson with Allen is just too damn tempting now. Thibodeaux was already being questioned about his commitment to the game prior to the combine and he doubled down on those questions by [BLEEP] out after an event didn't go his way. 

I'll tell you this too, since this thread is all about new favorites and what not. After watching some of the other players fly around out there in the lateral drills? There's some sneaky good linebackers in this class that match up athletically with what their stat sheets were indicating. 

I was already high on Brandon Smith out of Penn State but he didn't hit that 4.4 I was hoping for. BUT...

Troy Andersen, out of Montana State. He's one of those multi purpose athlete kind of guys that has excellent football IQ. Still learning the LB position. Played RB and QB at Montana State. Did a whole multitude of different things. At his size with that 4.4 speed he's worth a flyer in RD5 or RD6 if he's there. He's a guy you can probably teach something to and just throw him out there on Special Teams as a hunter to get the football back. You could probably throw him around in the backfield. Kind of like Taysom Hill in New Orleans.

I would like to see Pederson work with him.

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"What do I know of cultured ways, the gilt, the craft and the lie? I, who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky. The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing; Rush in and die, dogs - I was a man before I was a king."