8 minutes ago, schuy7 said:

I don't hate the home and the alternate. The white is a tough look though.

I like the white jerseys the best. 

8 minutes ago, D-Shiznit said:

Any insight on Travon Walker? I've been catching up on him and have been very impressed with that I have seen and read so far.

Haven’t watched him yet. 

15 minutes ago, D-Shiznit said:

Any insight on Travon Walker? I've been catching up on him and have been very impressed with that I have seen and read so far.

The negative I read (though I haven’t seen it) is that he tends to get engulfed by bigger OT’s. This would obviously be an issue in that nearly every NFL OT is a monster.

I really like the violence with which he plays, though.

3 hours ago, Utebird said:

Who is Locke Smith???

You get a lot of enjoyment out of obvious autocorrect. 

This guy is intriguing as hell. He was recruited as a QB, moved to WR and finally ended up at DE. He has a really good frame and some burst. He’s projected to go late in the TDN mock draft machine, but I doubt he lasts longer than round 4. Too many tools. 

His top 50 is interesting…

44 minutes ago, D-Shiznit said:

Any insight on Travon Walker? I've been catching up on him and have been very impressed with that I have seen and read so far.

 

He is quick and relentless. Think you can move him around the defense. Could Gannon maximize him? I defer to the rank and file here.

12 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

His top 50 is interesting…

Leal and Booth stood out, as being much lower down than I expected. I mean Leal is solidly in the 2nd round based on DJ’s estimation.

Leal has been dropping like a rock on pretty much every big board. The feedback from scouts and FO folks must not be very good.

16 minutes ago, Waiting4Someday said:

Leal and Booth stood out, as being much lower down than I expected. I mean Leal is solidly in the 2nd round based on DJ’s estimation.

First I have seen with Elam in the second, too. Plenty of really good players in the second. Really hope QBs get picked earlier..

13 minutes ago, D-Shiznit said:

Leal has been dropping like a rock on pretty much every big board. The feedback from scouts and FO folks must not be very good.

He got arrested the week before Christmas for possession of marijuana, and was on the COVID list for their Bowl game IIRC.  He’ll have knocks against him for displaying poor judgement.

1 hour ago, HazletonEagle said:

I think the mobile QB is tough to guard,  and even more so when you get down to lower levels of football. High school. Peewee...

I worked a youth football game this year where one team literally could only go backwards on offense. But on 3rd and long the QB ( taller, stronger, faster than everyone else) dropped back to pass, pressure came,  and he ran for a TD. Every. Single. Time.

I see all the time in youth and junior high sports,  and some in high school- coaches are coaching to win games.  Not to develop talent.  It's like junior high girls basketball. So many teams just press, trap, and fastbreak for layups off the steal.  It teaches nothing.  Develops nothing.  But it wins games in dominant fashion with lopsided scores in junior high. 

In football a coach can weaponize an athletic black kid most effectively by putting him at QB and letting him use his athleticism. So,  when does that kid get to develop other useful football skills?

Basketball is getting smarter switching to 5 out offenses in youth levels.  The big kid might not always be the biggest.  The small kid might not always be the smallest.  Don't pigeon hole young kids as PG or center based on his size in 3rd grade.  Play them all on the perimeter.  They all learn to handle the ball.  All learn to pass, shoot, etc. When a kid gets older and gets tall, you can teach post moves easily.  He has a strong foundation of handles,  and footwork already. If he only played center from a young age because he was the biggest as a 4th graded, then a bunch of kids grow taller than him,  now he can't play anymore.  He has no skill other than post play which he is too small to use. Now he has no form or range on his jumper. Can't dribble and is a turnover machine. 

 

In youth football,  there should be no OL or DL. It can be flag 7 on 7. Everyone learns to run,  and catch, throw and cover.  QB learns to stand and read the field and find an open receiver.  As kids get bigger and develop more aggression they can learn blocking techniques to become linemen. The fat 4th grader isn't anyways a violent kid that wants to hit people on every play. And he may thin out as he grows. Let him run, learn coordination and have fun. Don't create a habit for the QB to be running for his life already behind a weak OL who has no interest in standing up to the DL hitting them on every play.  Let him practice throwing it. Less kids will get concussions and major injuries at a young age. And they will all be more skilled. 

 

This is how it's done in Europe at clubs' soccer academies.  All the major clubs in each country's top divisions have their own academies where they start teaching kids at a young age.  The most well know is Barcelona's La Masia Academy.  Ajax in the Netherlands is another top notch one.  They don't play matches and keep standings or scores.  They will scrimmage within their own academy and also when they play teams from another academy.  The focus is on teaching fundamentals and technique.  They try to give each kid all the basics and let them grow and develop into their roles and as they get older and their specific skill sets help determine the best position for them to play.

So the idea you put forth already has a model that's been used in Europe for decades.

 

6 minutes ago, Infam said:

First I have seen with Elam in the second, too. Plenty of really good players in the second. Really hope QBs get picked earlier..

Quay Walker is something of new entry in this area of the draft. He has good size and appears to me to be assignment sound, but is kind of a steady eddy amongst the star laden UGA defense.

I believe Brisker fell off completely, which is interesting although some see him as a 3rd rounder (given our need for safeties  , I’d be happy to have some options in the 2nd… Cine, Brisker, Pitre).

1 hour ago, SB52 said:

We get to call them the Washington Commies. This is great.

Could have been worse.  Red Wolves sounds like a team name for an Elementary school.

1 hour ago, ManuManu said:

Decided to go back and watch Jermaine Johnson a little bit more. 

I said before that I didn’t think he was good enough for any of our first round picks but would be long gone by our second round pick. I think I was too harsh. He has a great frame, wins as a pass rusher in a lot of ways, and something I severely underrated was his ability to play the run. With teams playing more two-high, his ability to set an edge, shed and make plays in the backfield is going to be enticing for teams. 

Gulp.

 

Yikes.

^DAMN!

Johnson is gonna shoot up the draft board if he has an equally impressive combine.

1 hour ago, Outlaw said:

Seriously those uniforms are awful. 

So much for look good, play good.

Johnson>Barnett

Do it.

1 hour ago, Iggles25 said:

Johnson>Barnett

Do it.

Most are better than Barnett though to be fair. 

10 hours ago, NCiggles said:

Well that’s antagonistic in the sense that you set out a specific limit by race.  The rule only says at least one person of color. It doesn’t provide any other limit on other candidates.  

Sounds the same to me.

Been saying give my Wyatt over Walker , late first rd pick 

 

8 hours ago, Utebird said:

Yup Smith was under utilized as well.

Get a QB in there that can see the whole field and actually throw with some zip and accuracy further than 10 yards and Smith and Watkins are pushing 1000 each 

Even in the playoff game Watkins should have had well over 100 yards but the throwing RB couldn't get him the ball.☹️

Watkins should've had 200 plus that game

Majority were not interested in Johnson because of his age , age don’t bother me with him or JoJo 

Mafe another player I like 

really nice edge class

 

8 hours ago, Waiting4Someday said:

I wanted the Jeffersons - but then they got too expensive, so switched to Aiyuk in a tradeback scenario of course😵‍💫

.  Jefferson at the end of Round 1 wasn't expensive.  Agree on Van Jefferson in Round 2.

8 hours ago, RLC said:

There is systemic racism in the NFL. The Rooney rule is both an ineffective and misguided approach to fix it. Flores getting "sham" interviews to bypass an initiative designed to counter racism...is evidence of systemic racism.

Side-topic: I do think it's easier to trade for Watson while this goes on. There will be less focus on Watson.

What makes you say it was a sham interview to fulfill the Rooney rule?  They brought in Leslie Frazier TWICE.