Many undrafted free agents have signed or will be signing with teams and a lot more action will continue throughout the week.
Who won this draft? Who lost this draft?
For me, the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, and Carolina Panthers come to mind. All three teams improved several positions of need while also adding excellent value picks later in the draft.
I appreciate that there is not a "Loser" listed on the post, Corey, because I'm of the camp that there are no losers in the Draft. With that in mind, not to be cliche with "the FANS win" kind of rhetoric, I believe the true winners are ALL of the drafted QBs. I was actually talking about this with HOF QB Kurt Warner on Twitter over the weekend (subtle flex) that it does seem like every QB prospect that got built up or ripped apart during this process all ended up in places that seem like where they are meant to be and where they can find success.
The Big 5:
Trevor Lawrence, JAX / Zach Wilson, NYJ / Trey Lance, SF / Justin Fields, CHI / Mac Jones, NE
The Developmental QBs:
Kyle Trask, TB / Kellen Mond, MIN / Davis Mills, HOU
I think we are going to see a big surprise out of the developmental QB's; Kellen Mond. Wait and see. No one gets an A+ for their pick until that player demonstrates it on the grass. How many are elite among the front 5? You got me. How many are truly franchise QB's? Maybe it will end up with 3 and someone will falter or maybe even 3. Same deal. I do know this much: I am not a believer in starters in the NFL for several teams. I know that AS/11 could have been a huge success for a building team. The Packers have abused and wasted Aaron Rodgers talent all along. Russell Wilson? whistling in the dark to get somewhere else? Some funny stuff but it goes along with DeSean Watson's demand and then what happened to him in the Quagmire on Buffalo Bayo'
Agreed on all parts. What a time here in the league where on the one hand many franchise QBs are playing chicken about leaving, and on the other hand many rookie QBs need to be Pro-bowlers out the gate or risk being replaced. I mainly don't like to look at who WON'T succeed. I love all their landing spots and honestly the development guys have more fair opportunities because they have that benefit of the doubt not to be great Day 1. Sure those stars will need to be monitored (God forbid ARod goes to the Broncos), but undoubtedly their markets took a hit at least from leaving this year.
It's really hard to judge how a team did without knowing how the players with develop. I certainly like several teams drafts more than other teams, but I like evaluating the player-team fit a little bit better.
For example, I love Justin Fields but am terrified of the situation he is in. Not because I don't trust the coach but because I don't trust the organization to do everything they can do to make him succeed. I fear that Fields may have different heads coaches every 2-3 years if the team doesn't perform quickly enough.
A fit I love at the quarterback position is Ian Book with the New Orleans Saints. A late round quarterback could not have dreamed of being drafted into a better situation.
Ian Book! Local boy out here! Rancho Cordova, CA's own turned Notre Dame's winningest QB. Amazing! Couldn't be happier for him to end up at the Saints where it is safe to say he has an opportunity to not only learn from a great coach and mind, but potentially play someday.
For your take on hard to judge picks, I'll share a quote that I heard about what defines a GOOD pick that I have come to really enjoy:
1: Is there a team need?
2: Was that need addressed?
3: Was it addressed with a player most experts, fans, etc like?
If all three of these questions are satisfied then it is a GOOD pick at the point of the draft. No matter how they pan out it can not take away that when they were drafted it was a GOOD pick at the time.
You keep on talking about the Bears Organization as being unstable which is mind boggling, they have had 5 head coaches in 20 years (including the Marc Trestman experiment) and 3 GM's in 20 years and the same team president for almost 40 years. Plus their head coach was key in Mahomes development as a rookie which could be great for Fields. As someone who covered the QB wasteland that used to be LSU you should know it only takes one stud to make it all good.
I do believe that Nagy can help Fields develop into the QB I believe we all know he can be.
My fear is more as an organization. The recent history of QB’s in that organization isn’t good and my main concern is around how the organization views that position, not so much the coach or GM. They drafted Mitch and now Fields so they obviously understand the importance of finding their franchise QB. I’m not knocking them for that.
My concern is about the people above the HC and GM. Fields needs the same support that the Bills gave Josh Allen.
If the Bears don’t improve with Fields, I’d be surprised if they don’t make a move at GM/HC after two season with him. That’s my biggest concern.
I won’t lie though, the idea of Fields leading the Chicago Bears deep into the playoffs is a really intriguing thought that would be a ton of fun for all fans of the NFL.
Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell have to be draft weekend winners, right? After getting laughed at for Campbell's kneecap biting comments at his introductory presser, the Lions went right out and drafted a number of guys who fit the mold he was talking about and got good grades from most of the media for it. The rebuild is still going to take a while in Detroit, but this first draft under the new regime certainly seems like a heckuva good first step.
I'm biased, but I agree completely. We may have just turned the trenches on both sides into strengths. We have other deficiencies to improve on (DBs, WRs, etc...) but that's a great place to start.
Don't necessarily disagree but didn't last regime also get panned by media and fans for focusing so much on defense tackles and offensive line (at least interior o line). I'm pretty sure if the last regime had the same draft they'd be panned by media. But I liked what they did.
Right. Detroit had a lot of holes, so they could've gone a number of ways, but they shored up the O-line to help the run and pass game (which Anthony Lynn's offense relies on the run heavily), and vastly improved the interior DL over what's been there. They're building inside-out and that's totally fine.
While I'm pretty happy overall with my Fins draft (although missing Javonte Williams stings), I think Denver had a great draft. They got a few guys that I had hoped Miami would pick up.
I just can't get beyond how much better Denver's draft would look if they went Fields. I know this is unrealistic but even if they didn't have a high grade on him I still think it makes sense to take him because the League is often wrong on QB's (and 1st round picks often miss regardless of the position). With their current roster, Fields has Super Bowl upside. Even if Surtain is lockdown corner, that still doesn't change their trajectory that dramatically. Again, I realize teams aren't going to take a QB they don't have rated highly because their evaluation could be wrong but I'm just arguing that it would make sense to, especially in this case with the Broncos current roster.
Chicago lost. They’re in win-now mode. Dalton isn’t the answer... and Fields isn’t ready. They mortgaged the future to get a project QB (yes he’s athletic and he’s a canon for an arm, but accuracy and decision making on short to intermediate throws needs huge improvement) and will feel pressure to put him in early. Fields will struggle, Nagy and Pace will get fired, and there’s no guarantee what a new regime and no system will do to help Fields’ development.
Where I’ve we seen this before? Prospect who needs work gets rushed to play to save a coach’s job, staff gets fired, QB’s development gets hampered by continually changing offensive system, exacerbated by a lack of draft capital due to trading up and a dire salary cap situation....
I love Justin Fields and am rooting for him in a big way. I just worry about the long term stability of the Bears organization and how much they're going to focus on helping fields succeed.
Anyone who thinks that Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace are on the hot-seat, haven't really looked at the off-season moves this year. Nagy's never had a losing season and Pace is being applauded by all for their draft. You know what a coach/GM who needs to win at all cost doesn't do, draft a QB in the 1st which is the one position which won't help him this year, as well as cutting their CB1 in Kyle Fuller, and LT in Leno. They at minimum have 2 years left which is what their contracts are for. Ownership isn't going to cut a coach or GM 1 season out like they did with Trubisky. Nagy also was the OC in 2017 when Mahomes sat the entire year under Alex Smith which Nagy's already referenced a few times as being the case here. The off-season moves highlight a team that's being patient and doing what's best for the future, not a huge attempt at all costs to win this year. Ownership loves Pace, I would be shocked if midway through the season barring injury, Fields is starting.
Yes, only time rookie QBs don't see field in year 1 is when the team is in playoff hunt and is really determined to make playoffs. If they aren't in playoff hunt the rookie always plays and even sometimes when teams like the Dolphins and Eagles last year were technically in the playoff hunt but didn't care that much the rookie plays. Also, how Justin Fields played a lot in college and on the biggest stages so I think he is about as ready as a college QB can be to play as a rookie.
You evidently have never seen Fields play, he's the most accurate College QB PFF has ever graded. In almost any other year he would have gone #1 overall. He has been in the spotlight since he was 15 and played at one of the biggest most high pressure programs in America. Plus then the Bears got a 1st round Tackle in the 2nd. So how exactly did they lose.
He played at Ohio state with simplified reads.... the same program that produced the hyper-accurate Dwayne Haskins.
Have to separate the player from the talent and the system. His decision making is slow (compared to the other top QBs this year), which led to problems in the short to intermediate range (which is where the majority of NFL passes occur). No doubt he has a prolific deep ball and he’s a strong runner.
Can fields be great? Yes, absolutely. Don’t get me wrong, I like the player. Would it be ideal for him to sit and learn for a year or 2? 100%. If he was ready to be a day 1 starter he would’ve gone to the Jets.
Is Chicago - with Nagy and Pace’s job on the line - going to afford him the patience required? Questionable at best. So paying a high price in future draft capital on a player they will rush into active duty to me seems like a losing combination.
He would’ve been far better off going to New England, Minnesota, or Atlanta... really any team with a solid #1 and no expectations of fields being needed in year 1.
Provided of course the starting QB was told ahead of time so you avoid drama playing out in Green Bay.
His decision making was based on the fact that OSU's passing game was top down read in other words he was looking for the home run 1st and foremost which leads to slower progressions. The Haskin comparison is laughable it's like saying Mahomes went to the same school as Harrell or Kingsbury so he must suck too. The Jets not drafting him had absolutely nothing to do with whether he was ready to start Day 1 and everything to do with ownership and fan base. As far as New England, Minnesota and Atlanta go.
New England: Cam Blows=Mac Jones (who will start day 1).
Minnesota: Fields is better right now then Cousins (#chokeartist)
Atlanta: They 35 million reasons to not draft a QB.
Dude, you’re the one who cited the greatness of the program at Ohio State. I’m merely bringing up the immediate predecessor who also had ungodly numbers but proved to be a total flop.
Jets drafted Wilson because he’s better and ready to start day one. It had nothing to do with the fan base.
The Vikings planned on taking Fields and having him sit for a year to two behind Cousins. Atlanta could’ve just as easily done the same. Both would’ve been ideal as it would’ve given him a chance to develop.
Ohio State is a great program I merely pointed out that your comparison of Haskins to Fields is obtuse and akin to comparing Graham Harrell to Patrick Mahomes. The Jets drafted Wilson because they are idiots and no other reason. There is not a thing Wilson does better on a football field than Fields. Wilson is a undersized one year wonder who sucked in 2019 when BYU played tougher teams. Both The Vikings and Falcons have QB's with 27M plus cap hits which means they were not bringing in a QB. You are bringing nonsensical arguments not based in facts "Fields is inaccurate on short and intermediate routes" meanwhile every scout and every draft expert have praised him for his accuracy. I'll take my chances with Fields you can take yours with Wilson and we will see who comes out better.
Not a Jets fan bro. At all. And I’m hoping Fields works out. Truly do.
Fundamentally disagree with your assessment of Wilson, or your belief that Fields is day 1 ready. Or, more importantly, that Chicago was a good landing spot for his career. Let’s face it... landing spot means as much - if not more so - to a player’s development as does their raw talent.
But that’s the cool part about the draft. We can all have wildly divergent guesses on how a player will fit. And let’s be very blunt... almost half of these first round picks won’t be home runs. Only time will tell.
The Trey Lance pick was huge for the 49ers and they finally realized they needed some bigger bodies to block the middle regardless who is the QB. Sermon reminds me of Frank Gore. Really wished they would have picked Cade Johnson late but otherwise they had a great draft.
As a Giants fan, I’m pretty happy with how their draft went. Hard not to chalk the movement this year to the “Joe Judge” effect but being able to respond on the fly to being skipped by the Eagles and pick up a future 1 is huge. Giants are now positioned to move on if Jones doesn’t pan out this year while getting another playmaker and EDGE in round 2 where the value lined up (& after trading down, again)
The Chiefs positioned their roster significantly with 2 picks in Humphrey and Bolton. Add to that though. Trey Smith is not just a fluke 6th rounder. Due to uneven play in 2020 and the blood clot, Smith fell from grace and the Chiefs added a starter quality player with a great 6th round pick. Those 3 choices are top notch. I add that Cornell Powell adds quality to the front end of their WR corp. I see him as their future Possession type WR or "X" man. So they have WR#1-Ty Hill, WR#1A-Mecole Hardman, Possession guy added in Powell and apparently the CHiefs have at least disclosed expanded use of Demarcus Robinson. This addition is a sleeper pick that I am very big on. Noah Gray adds versatility to the TE mix. This was perhaps Veach's best draft. -- David Bell - ArrowheadOne. I gave the draft a "Woot!, Woot!". rating.
This site is Switzerland. Peace from a Raider fan. I couldn't agree more, David. Bolton (my ILB2) and Humphrey (my C1) are two players I absolutely love and at one point had mocked as first rounders to WSH at 19 and NYJ at 23 respectively. The Chiefs not only have a rebuilt OL but DL as well, and Bolton can instantly come in and play clean up behind them. As far as that OL it is clear to me that the investment is more directly for CEH than for Mahomes in that I think Andy Reid wants to bring a move balanced attack this year and that starts up front. You have a lot to be excited about. Me, I will just hold my breath the way I always do when playing KC.
I agree that Glyde will be a big beneficiary. However, Chiefs are not going to suddenly go ground game. There is significant pass pro from the new OL(Brown, Thuney and Long, for example. Blythe is a step up from Reiter in run blocking but they are about equal in PassPro. I think Niang wins the right side and he is a good pass blocker as well. We go from there but the run game got a huge boost... You nailed it. More Balance. LB and CB cheating isn't going to work. You will see Bolton start out as the 3rd compliment from a 43 base. Go from there. Hitch, Gay and Bolton should work well. I don't look for Hitchens in 2022 but he is under contract so we'll see. Raiders aside: They are making moves that make no sense to me but I prefer to keep the Raiders in the rearview.
As the only team apart from the Bucs to actually threaten KC, I respect the sentiment. I think in the grand scheme of the AFC: Chiefs are on top, Bills did not significantly close the gap this offseason, but the Titans have made some strong Mahomes centric moves on D, and the Dolphins are definitely a team to watch out for.
Agree about what the Dolphins have accomplished. That is the up and comer even in the short term as I see it. The Titans have to prove they can get beyond the ground game a win. Bills? They should be improved but as I see it, they all have to go through KC to get there and I really like what Veach has accomplished both in F/A and the draft. We go from there.
I have a seemingly controversial opinion which is that I don't think the Dolphins had a good draft at all. Their offensive line was terrible last year and got worse when they traded Flowers and let their center walk only to replace him with someone that PFF has graded as one of the worst in the league. I get moving Hunt to guard might actually be an upgrade over Flowers but I still think adding Sewell would have been a way bigger help to Tua than Waddle will be. I also think they should have added one of the interior guys like Humphrey in the second or at least Quinn Meinerz or Green in the third. Part of this assessment though is based on me thinking the weapons are fine between Parker, Fuller, Gesicki, Preston Williams and the rest. But I'd have felt way better about Dolphins if they went Sewell in first, a WR with that second 2nd round pick and than Meinerz or Green in third (or Sewell, Humphrey, and someone like Dyami Brown in third).
Tough to argue with a team that secured their future franchise quarterback. I loved the pieces that Douglas put around Wilson too. Vera-Tucker and Moore are excellent draft picks who will both help Zach Wilson in year one.
I am biased, but I think the Jets had a great draft. Top 4 picks were all in my top 60, and Nasirildeen in round 6 looks to be good value if he is healthy. Hate to name a loser, but I think the Saints were one that didn’t match my rankings, thought they had a few reaches and Book in round 4 was way too rich for me.
Cleveland could be one of the more interesting teams to watch this coming season.
I'll give you a fun little bold prediction, too.
If the Baltimore Ravens don't get back to where they were two years ago on offense, look out for Cleveland to dominate that division. Bold take by me, but I really don't believe the other three teams improved as much as most people do.
That division will be very interesting to watch the first 4 weeks of the season.
I don’t think that’s a bold prediction at all. I’ll actually take that a step further and say that’s the more likely outcome this year. I don’t think Pittsburgh has gotten any better, Cincinnati could be dangerous, but their youth makes them vulnerable, and Baltimore has their offensive limitations. The only thing stopping Cleveland from dominating that division is the play of Baker. That’s why I think the schedule release is very important for Cleveland. Their home schedule might be the easiest in the league. Outside their division, they get Chicago, Detroit, Denver, Vegas, and Houston. They could very well go 8-0 at home. If they get some of those easier home games to open the season, say Chicago before they play Justin Fields, allow Baker to get in a rhythm and establish that early confidence, the sky is the limit. But their schedule on the road is brutal. So if they start the season with some of those tough back to back road games, like against Kansas City, Baltimore, or the Chargers, and they start, say 1-3, then their season could go on a different path. I’d rather have that tough stretch of road games later in the season where you’re in midseason form and playing with confidence. I’m so interested to see how the NFL schedules Cleveland’s games this year.
Based on the commentary that's come out after the draft, a lot of people owe the Raiders an apology for jumping to conclusions about the Leatherwood pick.
Among teams that aren't being talked about as having a bad draft I'd say Dallas had a sneakily bad draft. Not because of who they picked but just when you think of makeup of roster and the scheme they'll be running. Yes the linebackers they got could be great but that was the only part of defense where they were at least average. Seattle's defense runs through having a strong front four that can get pressure without blitzing (which from my understanding is Parsons best trait) and they didn't really do much there.
I think the Raiders have had questionable drafting since Mayock. I liked Leatherwood as a prospect, but not that early. Chargers were a big winner this weekend
AFC East as a whole got very competitive--although Im not high on either Zach Wilson nor Mac Jones, but I think each roster did get better through the draft.
I appreciate that there is not a "Loser" listed on the post, Corey, because I'm of the camp that there are no losers in the Draft. With that in mind, not to be cliche with "the FANS win" kind of rhetoric, I believe the true winners are ALL of the drafted QBs. I was actually talking about this with HOF QB Kurt Warner on Twitter over the weekend (subtle flex) that it does seem like every QB prospect that got built up or ripped apart during this process all ended up in places that seem like where they are meant to be and where they can find success.
The Big 5:
Trevor Lawrence, JAX / Zach Wilson, NYJ / Trey Lance, SF / Justin Fields, CHI / Mac Jones, NE
The Developmental QBs:
Kyle Trask, TB / Kellen Mond, MIN / Davis Mills, HOU
The College Heroes:
Ian Book, NO / Sam Ehlinger, IND
I think we are going to see a big surprise out of the developmental QB's; Kellen Mond. Wait and see. No one gets an A+ for their pick until that player demonstrates it on the grass. How many are elite among the front 5? You got me. How many are truly franchise QB's? Maybe it will end up with 3 and someone will falter or maybe even 3. Same deal. I do know this much: I am not a believer in starters in the NFL for several teams. I know that AS/11 could have been a huge success for a building team. The Packers have abused and wasted Aaron Rodgers talent all along. Russell Wilson? whistling in the dark to get somewhere else? Some funny stuff but it goes along with DeSean Watson's demand and then what happened to him in the Quagmire on Buffalo Bayo'
Agreed on all parts. What a time here in the league where on the one hand many franchise QBs are playing chicken about leaving, and on the other hand many rookie QBs need to be Pro-bowlers out the gate or risk being replaced. I mainly don't like to look at who WON'T succeed. I love all their landing spots and honestly the development guys have more fair opportunities because they have that benefit of the doubt not to be great Day 1. Sure those stars will need to be monitored (God forbid ARod goes to the Broncos), but undoubtedly their markets took a hit at least from leaving this year.
I just can't tell you "who".
Thank you, Chris!
It's really hard to judge how a team did without knowing how the players with develop. I certainly like several teams drafts more than other teams, but I like evaluating the player-team fit a little bit better.
For example, I love Justin Fields but am terrified of the situation he is in. Not because I don't trust the coach but because I don't trust the organization to do everything they can do to make him succeed. I fear that Fields may have different heads coaches every 2-3 years if the team doesn't perform quickly enough.
A fit I love at the quarterback position is Ian Book with the New Orleans Saints. A late round quarterback could not have dreamed of being drafted into a better situation.
Ian Book! Local boy out here! Rancho Cordova, CA's own turned Notre Dame's winningest QB. Amazing! Couldn't be happier for him to end up at the Saints where it is safe to say he has an opportunity to not only learn from a great coach and mind, but potentially play someday.
For your take on hard to judge picks, I'll share a quote that I heard about what defines a GOOD pick that I have come to really enjoy:
1: Is there a team need?
2: Was that need addressed?
3: Was it addressed with a player most experts, fans, etc like?
If all three of these questions are satisfied then it is a GOOD pick at the point of the draft. No matter how they pan out it can not take away that when they were drafted it was a GOOD pick at the time.
Corey,
You keep on talking about the Bears Organization as being unstable which is mind boggling, they have had 5 head coaches in 20 years (including the Marc Trestman experiment) and 3 GM's in 20 years and the same team president for almost 40 years. Plus their head coach was key in Mahomes development as a rookie which could be great for Fields. As someone who covered the QB wasteland that used to be LSU you should know it only takes one stud to make it all good.
Hey Pete!
I do believe that Nagy can help Fields develop into the QB I believe we all know he can be.
My fear is more as an organization. The recent history of QB’s in that organization isn’t good and my main concern is around how the organization views that position, not so much the coach or GM. They drafted Mitch and now Fields so they obviously understand the importance of finding their franchise QB. I’m not knocking them for that.
My concern is about the people above the HC and GM. Fields needs the same support that the Bills gave Josh Allen.
If the Bears don’t improve with Fields, I’d be surprised if they don’t make a move at GM/HC after two season with him. That’s my biggest concern.
I won’t lie though, the idea of Fields leading the Chicago Bears deep into the playoffs is a really intriguing thought that would be a ton of fun for all fans of the NFL.
Most? It comes to fruition in year three. Year two is where the learning curve is overcome. Go from there.
Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell have to be draft weekend winners, right? After getting laughed at for Campbell's kneecap biting comments at his introductory presser, the Lions went right out and drafted a number of guys who fit the mold he was talking about and got good grades from most of the media for it. The rebuild is still going to take a while in Detroit, but this first draft under the new regime certainly seems like a heckuva good first step.
I'm biased, but I agree completely. We may have just turned the trenches on both sides into strengths. We have other deficiencies to improve on (DBs, WRs, etc...) but that's a great place to start.
Don't necessarily disagree but didn't last regime also get panned by media and fans for focusing so much on defense tackles and offensive line (at least interior o line). I'm pretty sure if the last regime had the same draft they'd be panned by media. But I liked what they did.
Right. Detroit had a lot of holes, so they could've gone a number of ways, but they shored up the O-line to help the run and pass game (which Anthony Lynn's offense relies on the run heavily), and vastly improved the interior DL over what's been there. They're building inside-out and that's totally fine.
I liked their draft class as well.
I especially liked them grabbing Amon-RA St. Brown in the later rounds as he's a guy I really liked coming out of USC.
While I'm pretty happy overall with my Fins draft (although missing Javonte Williams stings), I think Denver had a great draft. They got a few guys that I had hoped Miami would pick up.
I just can't get beyond how much better Denver's draft would look if they went Fields. I know this is unrealistic but even if they didn't have a high grade on him I still think it makes sense to take him because the League is often wrong on QB's (and 1st round picks often miss regardless of the position). With their current roster, Fields has Super Bowl upside. Even if Surtain is lockdown corner, that still doesn't change their trajectory that dramatically. Again, I realize teams aren't going to take a QB they don't have rated highly because their evaluation could be wrong but I'm just arguing that it would make sense to, especially in this case with the Broncos current roster.
Jets did great - loaded up on support for Wilson.
Chicago lost. They’re in win-now mode. Dalton isn’t the answer... and Fields isn’t ready. They mortgaged the future to get a project QB (yes he’s athletic and he’s a canon for an arm, but accuracy and decision making on short to intermediate throws needs huge improvement) and will feel pressure to put him in early. Fields will struggle, Nagy and Pace will get fired, and there’s no guarantee what a new regime and no system will do to help Fields’ development.
Where I’ve we seen this before? Prospect who needs work gets rushed to play to save a coach’s job, staff gets fired, QB’s development gets hampered by continually changing offensive system, exacerbated by a lack of draft capital due to trading up and a dire salary cap situation....
Oh yeah... it’s the Bears. Again.
For Fields’ sake I hope I’m wrong.
I have big concerns too, Jarrett.
I love Justin Fields and am rooting for him in a big way. I just worry about the long term stability of the Bears organization and how much they're going to focus on helping fields succeed.
Anyone who thinks that Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace are on the hot-seat, haven't really looked at the off-season moves this year. Nagy's never had a losing season and Pace is being applauded by all for their draft. You know what a coach/GM who needs to win at all cost doesn't do, draft a QB in the 1st which is the one position which won't help him this year, as well as cutting their CB1 in Kyle Fuller, and LT in Leno. They at minimum have 2 years left which is what their contracts are for. Ownership isn't going to cut a coach or GM 1 season out like they did with Trubisky. Nagy also was the OC in 2017 when Mahomes sat the entire year under Alex Smith which Nagy's already referenced a few times as being the case here. The off-season moves highlight a team that's being patient and doing what's best for the future, not a huge attempt at all costs to win this year. Ownership loves Pace, I would be shocked if midway through the season barring injury, Fields is starting.
I think Fields will see the field in year one if Chicago is not in playoff contention.
If Dalton is bad early, the pressure will increase.
best for the Bears that this doesn't happen in 2021. Give it time to gel, mature to NFL game speed. That is the best way to go, my view.
Yes, only time rookie QBs don't see field in year 1 is when the team is in playoff hunt and is really determined to make playoffs. If they aren't in playoff hunt the rookie always plays and even sometimes when teams like the Dolphins and Eagles last year were technically in the playoff hunt but didn't care that much the rookie plays. Also, how Justin Fields played a lot in college and on the biggest stages so I think he is about as ready as a college QB can be to play as a rookie.
This is the same ownership group that fired Lovie Smith. His track record was better than Matt Nagy.
Smith did nothing. Nagy is new to the HC role. give it time. Hell, even Andy Reid at KC to 6 years and he had the Eagles to the Super Bowl and lost.
You evidently have never seen Fields play, he's the most accurate College QB PFF has ever graded. In almost any other year he would have gone #1 overall. He has been in the spotlight since he was 15 and played at one of the biggest most high pressure programs in America. Plus then the Bears got a 1st round Tackle in the 2nd. So how exactly did they lose.
He played at Ohio state with simplified reads.... the same program that produced the hyper-accurate Dwayne Haskins.
Have to separate the player from the talent and the system. His decision making is slow (compared to the other top QBs this year), which led to problems in the short to intermediate range (which is where the majority of NFL passes occur). No doubt he has a prolific deep ball and he’s a strong runner.
Can fields be great? Yes, absolutely. Don’t get me wrong, I like the player. Would it be ideal for him to sit and learn for a year or 2? 100%. If he was ready to be a day 1 starter he would’ve gone to the Jets.
Is Chicago - with Nagy and Pace’s job on the line - going to afford him the patience required? Questionable at best. So paying a high price in future draft capital on a player they will rush into active duty to me seems like a losing combination.
He would’ve been far better off going to New England, Minnesota, or Atlanta... really any team with a solid #1 and no expectations of fields being needed in year 1.
Provided of course the starting QB was told ahead of time so you avoid drama playing out in Green Bay.
His decision making was based on the fact that OSU's passing game was top down read in other words he was looking for the home run 1st and foremost which leads to slower progressions. The Haskin comparison is laughable it's like saying Mahomes went to the same school as Harrell or Kingsbury so he must suck too. The Jets not drafting him had absolutely nothing to do with whether he was ready to start Day 1 and everything to do with ownership and fan base. As far as New England, Minnesota and Atlanta go.
New England: Cam Blows=Mac Jones (who will start day 1).
Minnesota: Fields is better right now then Cousins (#chokeartist)
Atlanta: They 35 million reasons to not draft a QB.
Dude, you’re the one who cited the greatness of the program at Ohio State. I’m merely bringing up the immediate predecessor who also had ungodly numbers but proved to be a total flop.
Jets drafted Wilson because he’s better and ready to start day one. It had nothing to do with the fan base.
The Vikings planned on taking Fields and having him sit for a year to two behind Cousins. Atlanta could’ve just as easily done the same. Both would’ve been ideal as it would’ve given him a chance to develop.
You’re arguing in circles.
Ohio State is a great program I merely pointed out that your comparison of Haskins to Fields is obtuse and akin to comparing Graham Harrell to Patrick Mahomes. The Jets drafted Wilson because they are idiots and no other reason. There is not a thing Wilson does better on a football field than Fields. Wilson is a undersized one year wonder who sucked in 2019 when BYU played tougher teams. Both The Vikings and Falcons have QB's with 27M plus cap hits which means they were not bringing in a QB. You are bringing nonsensical arguments not based in facts "Fields is inaccurate on short and intermediate routes" meanwhile every scout and every draft expert have praised him for his accuracy. I'll take my chances with Fields you can take yours with Wilson and we will see who comes out better.
Not a Jets fan bro. At all. And I’m hoping Fields works out. Truly do.
Fundamentally disagree with your assessment of Wilson, or your belief that Fields is day 1 ready. Or, more importantly, that Chicago was a good landing spot for his career. Let’s face it... landing spot means as much - if not more so - to a player’s development as does their raw talent.
But that’s the cool part about the draft. We can all have wildly divergent guesses on how a player will fit. And let’s be very blunt... almost half of these first round picks won’t be home runs. Only time will tell.
The Trey Lance pick was huge for the 49ers and they finally realized they needed some bigger bodies to block the middle regardless who is the QB. Sermon reminds me of Frank Gore. Really wished they would have picked Cade Johnson late but otherwise they had a great draft.
I liked the Sermon pick a lot. Great fit for that offense.
As a Giants fan, I’m pretty happy with how their draft went. Hard not to chalk the movement this year to the “Joe Judge” effect but being able to respond on the fly to being skipped by the Eagles and pick up a future 1 is huge. Giants are now positioned to move on if Jones doesn’t pan out this year while getting another playmaker and EDGE in round 2 where the value lined up (& after trading down, again)
The trade down was a fun watch as no one (including myself) expected that.
The New York Football Giants we’re definitely a winner especially with all the draft capital they acquired.
The Chiefs positioned their roster significantly with 2 picks in Humphrey and Bolton. Add to that though. Trey Smith is not just a fluke 6th rounder. Due to uneven play in 2020 and the blood clot, Smith fell from grace and the Chiefs added a starter quality player with a great 6th round pick. Those 3 choices are top notch. I add that Cornell Powell adds quality to the front end of their WR corp. I see him as their future Possession type WR or "X" man. So they have WR#1-Ty Hill, WR#1A-Mecole Hardman, Possession guy added in Powell and apparently the CHiefs have at least disclosed expanded use of Demarcus Robinson. This addition is a sleeper pick that I am very big on. Noah Gray adds versatility to the TE mix. This was perhaps Veach's best draft. -- David Bell - ArrowheadOne. I gave the draft a "Woot!, Woot!". rating.
This site is Switzerland. Peace from a Raider fan. I couldn't agree more, David. Bolton (my ILB2) and Humphrey (my C1) are two players I absolutely love and at one point had mocked as first rounders to WSH at 19 and NYJ at 23 respectively. The Chiefs not only have a rebuilt OL but DL as well, and Bolton can instantly come in and play clean up behind them. As far as that OL it is clear to me that the investment is more directly for CEH than for Mahomes in that I think Andy Reid wants to bring a move balanced attack this year and that starts up front. You have a lot to be excited about. Me, I will just hold my breath the way I always do when playing KC.
I agree that Glyde will be a big beneficiary. However, Chiefs are not going to suddenly go ground game. There is significant pass pro from the new OL(Brown, Thuney and Long, for example. Blythe is a step up from Reiter in run blocking but they are about equal in PassPro. I think Niang wins the right side and he is a good pass blocker as well. We go from there but the run game got a huge boost... You nailed it. More Balance. LB and CB cheating isn't going to work. You will see Bolton start out as the 3rd compliment from a 43 base. Go from there. Hitch, Gay and Bolton should work well. I don't look for Hitchens in 2022 but he is under contract so we'll see. Raiders aside: They are making moves that make no sense to me but I prefer to keep the Raiders in the rearview.
As the only team apart from the Bucs to actually threaten KC, I respect the sentiment. I think in the grand scheme of the AFC: Chiefs are on top, Bills did not significantly close the gap this offseason, but the Titans have made some strong Mahomes centric moves on D, and the Dolphins are definitely a team to watch out for.
Agree about what the Dolphins have accomplished. That is the up and comer even in the short term as I see it. The Titans have to prove they can get beyond the ground game a win. Bills? They should be improved but as I see it, they all have to go through KC to get there and I really like what Veach has accomplished both in F/A and the draft. We go from there.
Awesome conversations here Chris and David!
I agree with a lot of your points. A lot of stories to watch from this draft class!
boy howdy!
I have a seemingly controversial opinion which is that I don't think the Dolphins had a good draft at all. Their offensive line was terrible last year and got worse when they traded Flowers and let their center walk only to replace him with someone that PFF has graded as one of the worst in the league. I get moving Hunt to guard might actually be an upgrade over Flowers but I still think adding Sewell would have been a way bigger help to Tua than Waddle will be. I also think they should have added one of the interior guys like Humphrey in the second or at least Quinn Meinerz or Green in the third. Part of this assessment though is based on me thinking the weapons are fine between Parker, Fuller, Gesicki, Preston Williams and the rest. But I'd have felt way better about Dolphins if they went Sewell in first, a WR with that second 2nd round pick and than Meinerz or Green in third (or Sewell, Humphrey, and someone like Dyami Brown in third).
Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas. The New York Jets. #NewZachCity
Tough to argue with a team that secured their future franchise quarterback. I loved the pieces that Douglas put around Wilson too. Vera-Tucker and Moore are excellent draft picks who will both help Zach Wilson in year one.
I am biased, but I think the Jets had a great draft. Top 4 picks were all in my top 60, and Nasirildeen in round 6 looks to be good value if he is healthy. Hate to name a loser, but I think the Saints were one that didn’t match my rankings, thought they had a few reaches and Book in round 4 was way too rich for me.
I agree. I loved the Jets first three draft picks. LOVED the trade up for Vera-Tucker (Yes, even though he's a guard)
Helping Zach Wilson was priority number one and that showed this past weekend.
I absolutely love what Cleveland did not just this weekend, but all offseason. They’ve filled every hole on the roster from last year.
I agree, Christian.
Cleveland could be one of the more interesting teams to watch this coming season.
I'll give you a fun little bold prediction, too.
If the Baltimore Ravens don't get back to where they were two years ago on offense, look out for Cleveland to dominate that division. Bold take by me, but I really don't believe the other three teams improved as much as most people do.
That division will be very interesting to watch the first 4 weeks of the season.
I don’t think that’s a bold prediction at all. I’ll actually take that a step further and say that’s the more likely outcome this year. I don’t think Pittsburgh has gotten any better, Cincinnati could be dangerous, but their youth makes them vulnerable, and Baltimore has their offensive limitations. The only thing stopping Cleveland from dominating that division is the play of Baker. That’s why I think the schedule release is very important for Cleveland. Their home schedule might be the easiest in the league. Outside their division, they get Chicago, Detroit, Denver, Vegas, and Houston. They could very well go 8-0 at home. If they get some of those easier home games to open the season, say Chicago before they play Justin Fields, allow Baker to get in a rhythm and establish that early confidence, the sky is the limit. But their schedule on the road is brutal. So if they start the season with some of those tough back to back road games, like against Kansas City, Baltimore, or the Chargers, and they start, say 1-3, then their season could go on a different path. I’d rather have that tough stretch of road games later in the season where you’re in midseason form and playing with confidence. I’m so interested to see how the NFL schedules Cleveland’s games this year.
Bears win the draft every year lol. How's that worked out the last 30 seasons?
Based on the commentary that's come out after the draft, a lot of people owe the Raiders an apology for jumping to conclusions about the Leatherwood pick.
Bears won. Texans lost
Chiefs and Patriots won the day!
Winner: Bears
Loser: Raiders
So who lost?
You tell me? Who do you view as the losers on draft weekend?
I didn't love what the Green Bay Packers did with the first two picks, but they did add some value later on in the draft.
Among teams that aren't being talked about as having a bad draft I'd say Dallas had a sneakily bad draft. Not because of who they picked but just when you think of makeup of roster and the scheme they'll be running. Yes the linebackers they got could be great but that was the only part of defense where they were at least average. Seattle's defense runs through having a strong front four that can get pressure without blitzing (which from my understanding is Parsons best trait) and they didn't really do much there.
I think the Raiders have had questionable drafting since Mayock. I liked Leatherwood as a prospect, but not that early. Chargers were a big winner this weekend
AFC East as a whole got very competitive--although Im not high on either Zach Wilson nor Mac Jones, but I think each roster did get better through the draft.