Obviously there will be threads about certain players, position groups etc. But I thought we should have a thread for the draft as a whole. To kick things off, Debuting Mel Kiper's first 2021 NFL mock draft: Where will Fields, Wilson and Lance go? "This is going to be one of the most interesting drafts since I started covering them more than 40 years ago. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought extraordinary changes to the pre-draft process. There's no NFL combine. Pro days will be limited to teams. The Senior Bowl this week is the only event where coaches, scouts and front-office execs will be able to meet with prospects -- through plexiglass". I did not know this last bit. Lets hope we dont make the same mistake in round 1 as we did last year...
This has got to be the best edge draft in a while. Rousseau, Phillips, Weaver, Jones, Ojulari, Ossai,Oweh and Paye. They are all considered for the first round. There are also good edge guys outside the first.
Man do we love our Guards. Hope this isn't some potential first rounder. From the Senior Bowl: Former Vol Lineman Trey Smith, a Titans Fan, Now on the NFL’s Doorstep
I'm not as optimistic. Rousseau played 1 year of college football. Phillips has already retired from football once and only had 1 good year, playing Rousseau's role. Weaver and Jones were productive, but I haven't seen 1st round talk. Ojulari played well. I haven't watched Ossai, I trust he is good. Oweh had 0 sacks last year and feels more like a 2nd rounder or a drop to the 3rd. Paye will be long gone before we pick, it seems.
I mean, I guess. There are going to be a LOT of players that didn't play last year or barely played and weren't scouted in traditional ways. Nobody was looking at underclassmen in 2019 and scouts couldn't do their thing in 2020, as far as watching practices and whatnot. I'm staying pretty grounded regarding expectations in this draft. I do agree that there appears to be more viable edge and IDL guys than last year.
Among the film I've seen of the edge rushers, Phillips and Paye are the most impressive to me. Phillips was flat out explosive this year, better than Rousseau looked in 2019, imo. Paye is just a physical monster, and reminds me of a lot of Za'Darius Smith. I wasn't too terribly impressed with Rousseau's film for the hype he gets. Seems to be around the ball a lot, but I didn't see the explosiveness or the physicality I saw with Paye or Phillips.
Dayo Odeyingbo is also someone I'm really high on based on his film. Ultra athletic and very good production vs some of the better OLs in the SEC. I'd really like us to add one of these 3 guys.
