NFL Draft Thread - 2019 Edition

The Game Room
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Packers Draft Review

Round 1, Pick 12: Rashan Gary, EDGE, Michigan

Hate this pick. The dude has all the physical talent to be a wrecking ball on the D-line, and he has never lived up to the potential. The hubris of coaches convinces them they’ll be the amazing coach to finally unlock a player and turn him into a consistent All-Pro. I really hope their right, but I’m not convinced.

Round 1, Pick 21: Darnell Savage, S, Maryland

On the other hand, I really like this pick. It cost a couple 4th rounder picks to move up 9 spots to get him, which is a pretty fair deal. Savage has some very nice measurable, as fast as fuck for a safety, and looks good on the little game tape I watched. He’s versatile, which is great, as it allows Pettine to have more flexibility in his defensive calls. I think this pick, although a bit costly to the depth on the roster, was well worth it.

Round 2, Pick 12 (No. 44 overall): Elgton Jenkins, C, Mississippi State

One of my guys, I think he’ll be a solid player for a long time. Like Savage, he’s versatile, and can immediately contribute to a somewhat troubling interior offensive line. I doubt he has the skills to play tackle in the NFL, but hopefully he can hold down one of the guard positions until Linsley is done as the center. I like it.

Round 3, Pick 11 (No. 75 overall): Jace Sternberger, TE, Texas A&M

I’m on the fence with this one. TE was definitely a position of need, and Sternberger has all the pass catching skills you want as a offensive weapon. He’ll block for shit in the NFL, so at this point, he’s limited in his usage. And the one year wonder, JUCO transfer stuff concerns me greatly that he’s just a meathead flash in the pan. But he was clearly the 4th best TE, and the other three went at least a round earlier, so he was great value. I don’t like him and think he’ll flame out, but I like the value of the pick. And more than certainly, the Packers know more than I do.

Round 5, Pick 12 (No. 150 overall): Kingsley Keke, DE, Texas A&M

I like the pick, with some reservations. Keke had a great senior year, mostly because he lost weight and moved from DT to DE. That versatility (there’s that word again), should help him make the roster, and allow him to be a solid 3-4 lineman. His strength is sub-average, but his other traits are pretty good, and he was very good value in the 5th round. I just had other guys at other positions that I thought were bigger needs. With the offseason acquisition of the Smiths, I would have much rather taken a chance on Mack Wilson or Blake Cashman, a couple LB’s who went a few picks after Keke.

Round 6, Pick 12 (No. 185 overall): Ka’dar Hollman, CB, Toledo

Another speedy DB to Pettine to play with. It will likely take awhile for Hollman to be ready for the NFL, being a walk-on at a small school. A nice story (he had to work a few jobs before getting a walk on offer), but I don’t expect him to contribute anytime soon. Practice squad fodder and hope the coaches (again with the hubris) can develop his athletic talent.

Round 6, Pick 22 (No. 194 overall): Dexter Williams, RB, Notre Dame

As my daughters would say “whatevs”. I don’t like the guy (character issues, lack of skill at breaking tackles), but he does have some nice big play potential and receiving prowess. I would have much rather a linebacker (Tevon Coney went undrafted) or another developmental TE, but like I said: whatevs.

Round 7, Pick 12 (No. 226 overall): Ty Summers, LB, Texas Christian

Finally, a linebacker. I’ve been waiting for one for awhile. Summers has some nice speed ( Pettine loves speed apparently) for a linebacker, but is really more just special team guy for now. Maybe more time to recover from injury and some pro-level training, he’ll develop, but I don’t expect much from him. Which is fine.

Overall:

I hope I’m wrong, but I’m not really a huge fan of the Packers draft. Waiting on a linebacker that long, not drafting an offensive tackle (I have no faith in Spriggs, their second round pick in 2016) when Bulaga is on an expiring contract and is injury prone now, and taking a huge risk with the #12 pick all pissed me off. They did draft some good players at positions of need (Savage, Jenkins), and there are some developmental players to like. But there is too much risk with Gary and Sternberger and they seemed to draft measurables more than football players. Luckily, I am a fan of their free agency moves, but I’m not a fan of this draft.

82

From the WTF file: The Giants’ 6th round pick, Corey Ballentine, sustained non-life-threatening injuries in a shooting just hours after being selected. A teammate was killed in the incident.

83

I didn’t realize quite how badly the Giants picked this draft until now.

84

Upon hearing about this, my first thought was “Well, he had a shot…”

85

I don’t think anyone mentioned it here, maybe cause the board was down over the weekend, but the Dolphins trading for Josh Rosen was a really shrewd move. I really don’t like Rosen at all as a prospect and was way down on him last year during the draft, but for $2M/year and a late 2nd round pick you have to like the value they got. Maybe he’s the Dolphins starter at some point this year and he pans out as a solid pro, maybe he’s a career backup, but it costs very little for the Dolphins to find out. If he’s a bum, well, they can grab a QB next year without catching any of the heat the Cardinals did.

There’s 5 or 6 teams that should have done the exact same thing. Honestly, I’m not sure why the Patriots didn’t. He’s better than Stidham. He’s probably better than Ryan Finley in Cincy. The Cowboys could have given him a look before they overpay Dak. The Jags could have used him as Foles insurance.

86

I think the Cardinals badly misplayed their Rosen hand. Had they been open about trading him beforehand, and not all cagey like they were they could have created that bidding war they obviously were trying to create. They comically and erroneously appeared to believe that Rosen’s trade value would remain high and even increase as the draft approached. They were extremely wrong. Free agency came and they waited. The combine came and they waited. Draft day came and still they waited. By the time they decided to start peddling, after the draft had actually started, nobody cared anymore.

The teams that were looking for a QB that might have been willing to trade before, by that point were willing to see how the first round panned out. The Giants and Redskins both took QBs. That left Arizona and Miami staring at each other, and the Dolphins probably had a HUGE grin on their face.

87

Bears picked up a UDFA guard (who is rehabbing an ACL) and a center from Notre Dame, reuniting with them with Harry Heistand, Bear’s O-Line coach. who recruited/coached them at ND. Can’t believe I’m happy the Bears picked up NDers.

88

It was the exact opposite of a secret that they wanted to deal him. That by itself drove down his market value. There wasn’t a bidding war because only one team was confident he was a significantly better long-term prospect than anybody they could just draft. We’ll all know in a few years, like with any draft, though.

89

Patriots Draft Analysis

Round 1 - Pick 32 (32)
N’Keal Harry WR Arizona State 6-2 228 LBS
Incredible pick because Bill Belichick made it and he’s a genius. Obviously the next Calvin Johnson.

Round 2 - Pick 13 (45)
Joejuan Williams CB Vanderbilt 6-3 208 LBS
Clearly an amazing pick because his name is basically Joe John, but Spanish-y, which is cooler.

Round 3 - Pick 14 (77)
Chase Winovich EDGE Michigan 6-3 256 LBS
This pick was a two-fold success: first, he looks like a Gronkowski-esque man-boy and we need that energy in the locker room now; second, he has the word Win in his name, which makes him an obvious Patriot.

Round 3 - Pick 24 (87)
Damien Harris RB Alabama 5-10 216 LBS
Roll Tide? I don’t know anything about college football.

Round 3 - Pick 38 (101)
Yodny Cajuste T West Virginia 6-5 312 LBS
I don’t think this is a real person, that name is obviously just random syllables thrown together. Nevertheless, the Pats will get good value out of him.

Round 4 - Pick 16 (118)
Hjalte Froholdt G Arkansas 6-5 306 LBS
C’mon, who are they kidding? Hjalte Froholdt is a Northman from Game of Thrones. WINTER IS COMING, BITCHES.

Round 4 - Pick 31 (133)
Jarrett Stidham QB Auburn 6-3 215 LBS
QB#23 who thinks he’ll be next in line after Brady. In actuality, this guy’s third son will be the one who finally replaces the Ageless Wonder.

Round 5 - Pick 21 (159)
Byron Cowart DT Maryland 6-3 298 LBS
People are still paying attention at this point?

Round 5 - Pick 25 (163)
Jake Bailey P Stanford 6-2 202 LBS
OooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooohh, a punter!

Round 7 - Pick 38 (252)
Ken Webster CB Mississippi 5-11 203 LBS
Belichick just really likes guys named “Ken.”

90

You need to be on ESPN. I would seriously watch your show (or more likely, your bit on somebody else’s show).

91

I hate this Patriots draft. I wrote down some “sleepers” during the leadup to the draft, and Belichick picked, like, for of them. Winovich is the Wolverine that actually sacked quarterbacks; Joejuan is huge; Froholdt is a stud, etc.

The good(?) news is that the 49ers “stole” 4th Round punter Wishnowsky out from underneath New England.

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I was about to say, that’s the best draft analysis I’ve read this year.

93

He won’t stick with the Patriots; he’s right-footed.

I’m not even kidding.

94

You’re very kind. I’ll be here all week. Tip your servers!

95

Once, the Dallas Cowboys took* 6 hours* to make a pick while they waited for a medical report to come back. Be happy with 10 minutes per pick.

96

And to rub salt in the wound the Dolphins traded down first, so Arizona got an even lower 2nd rounder. :smiley:

97

There’s lots of chat on the Redskins blogs about Haskins wanting to wear Theismann’s #7. Uniform numbers are just a number, but if I’m a rookie QB for the Redskins, I’d rather not have that pressure.

98

You don’t think Bill used a pick on him for shits and giggles, do you? He’s as good as Ryan Allen (probably), he’s a better backup PK for Gostkowski if it comes to that, and the lefty thing has always been just one of the mind games Bill loves. The rookie is cheaper too - Bill has always kept cap space clear for veteran FA’s by squeezing guys who make more than minimum wage but are otherwise largely interchangeable spare parts - and kickers mostly are just that.

Gotta admire the way he turned Garoppolo into half this excellent-looking draft class with all of those deals, and he still has picks left.