Sports

[gardenman]

Well, this will be a busy month! It's draft month! Yea! With the frenzy part of the free-agent frenzy now behind us, and the leftovers being slowly signed, it's time to turn more attention to the upcoming NFL draft.

There's no suspense on the first two picks and we know what position will be picked third, if not which player. Trevor Lawrence will be the first overall pick. Then Zach Wilson will go next. After that, the Niners will take the QB of their choosing that's leftover. Things get interesting at four. Does someone move up to four to get a QB? Do the Falcons just stay there and grab a QB?

Who would move up to four? There are multiple options with the Broncos and Panthers generally thought to be the most likely movers. However, you can't rule out the Dolphins, WFT, or Patriots either. Patriots owner Robert Kraft was recently quoted as saying they needed to address the QB spot in a more long-term fashion. They've spent a gazillion dollars (give or take a bit) on free agents and get back multiple starters who sat out last year due to Covid, so they don't really need to draft a lot of kids. Are they willing to pay the price to move way up in the draft to get the fourth-best kid QB? (Bear in mind the early prognosis for next year has only one or two quality QBs available in the draft and very limited free-agent options.)

The football world seems to be in agreement that Ja'Marr Chase will go fifth to the Bengals to be reunited with Joe Burrow who reportedly has been campaigning to make sure the Bengals will draft him. If that's all a ruse then Penei Sewell could be the Bengals choice. The Eagles reportedly traded down to twelve after learning the Bengals were absolutely taking Ja'Marr Chase and the price to move up ahead of the Bengals was too rich for them. 

With five first-round QBs available in Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Mac Jones, Justin Fields, and Trey Lance, then some second-tier guys like Kellen Mond, Davis Mills (a fast riser), and Kyle Trask, there's a decent supply of quality QBs in this draft. Davis Mills will be an interesting guy to watch. A long history of knee injuries could hurt him along with inexperience, but he's among the more physically gifted of the QBs in the draft. He's smart, competitive, and can make every throw. Can you trust him to stay healthy?

Most of the teams in the top twenty of the draft could take a QB in the first round which is a bit unusual. With just five guys viewed as a first-round option, expect there to be more movement with that fourth pick likely in the bulls-eye of many teams.

What will the Lions do at seven? Are they satisfied with Jared Goff at QB? Will they grab whatever QB is leftover, assuming one is leftover? Do they grab the best defensive player they can find? We'll have to see how things play out, but it's going to be an interesting draft once we get past those first three picks. It can go in all kinds of crazy directions.

[Spurt]

@gardenman @teganslaw @yellowBeetle @sunshine45 

It should be a very interesting draft....but I kinda wish they had left it in the virtual format.....Gee, what is Belichick going to do without his dog's help in selecting players.(remember last year with his dog at the computer making selections LOL)..And I will miss seeing Rivera's dog too....And we won't get to see Kingsbury's mansion, nor Jerry Jones yacht either.😄 

This year it's a somewhat dullsville broadcast from team draft rooms, with social distancing and other protocols in place, along with no eating and drinking.....And only a small crowd of fans allowed in Cleveland....

[teganslaw]

ESPN analysts last night were debating who the 49ers will draft. The top choices were Justin Fields or Zach Wilson. They were talking as if either of them would be the starter: no mention of Garroppolo. I wonder if he is getting nervous, even though the team says that Garroppolo will continue to be the main QB. 

About Watson: 21 therapists have accused him, yet at last report, 18 are supporting him. I don't know if Watson is guilty, but where did he find all these massage therapists? The number just seems a bit strange.

@Spurt, Nate Burleson listed how he thinks some wide receivers will do with their new teams. He predicts Curtis Samuel to have 1300 scrimmage yards, 80 receptions and 11 touchdowns. According to Burleson, Fitzpatrick and Samuel will be a good match. 

[Spurt]

@teganslaw 

Well the Colts are making some moves....signed O lineman--Davenport & Hunt, and now FS Sean Davis has signed with the Colts......

@teganslaw @gardenman @yellowBeetle @sunshine45 

And anyone----please raise your hand if you think Antonio Brown is just "misunderstood"....SMH

[Spurt]

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@teganslaw wrote:

ESPN analysts last night were debating who the 49ers will draft. The top choices were Justin Fields or Zach Wilson. They were talking as if either of them would be the starter: no mention of Garroppolo. I wonder if he is getting nervous, even though the team says that Garroppolo will continue to be the main QB. 

About Watson: 21 therapists have accused him, yet at last report, 18 are supporting him. I don't know if Watson is guilty, but where did he find all these massage therapists? The number just seems a bit strange.

@Spurt, Nate Burleson listed how he thinks some wide receivers will do with their new teams. He predicts Curtis Samuel to have 1300 scrimmage yards, 80 receptions and 11 touchdowns. According to Burleson, Fitzpatrick and Samuel will be a good match. 

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@teganslaw 

Im excited to see the WFT updated offense and our passing game ..... Samuel was a good choice......I think we need to add another TE...

[gardenman]

The Watson thing is weird. The lawyer representing those who have filed a complaint had insisted he had proof he'd submit to the police, but has now backed off on that and says he'll provide it to another source. (I'm guessing a tabloid.) There's just a weird vibe to the whole thing. It feels like a money grab. There are perfectly legitimate massage therapists who are well-trained and fully licensed, then there are "massage therapists." A very large number of "massage parlors" have been exposed as prostitution rings. It would be interesting to know which type of "massage therapists" are accusing him of abuse.

Wide receivers with Ryan Fitzpatrick tend to put up good numbers as interceptions don't count against them and Fitzpatrick will throw up jump balls on a regular basis. If they win the fight for the ball, it's typically a big catch and good for their stats. If they don't, it's just an interception against Fitzpatrick. He's thrown 223 TD passes but also 169 interceptions. Not the best ratio. He's not what you'd call careful with the football. Receivers love the guy. Coaches tend to pull their hair out. You have to take the good with the bad with him and there's a lot of bad.

Jimmy G is in a bad spot right now. He needs to move on. For two years now the team has looked around to replace him and this year they're not even trying to be subtle about it. A team needs "the guy" at QB. Right now everyone on that team knows that in the eyes of management Jimmy G isn't "the guy." He needs to find a new team. 

[yellowBeetle]

Whoa! I think @gardenman gave everyone concrete proof in his first post this morning that Howie Roseman is certifiably insane.😉 He says that the Eagles moved from #6 to #12 in the draft because they had heard that the Bengals were taking WR Ja'Marr Chase at #5 and the price for the Eagles to move up ahead of the Bengals was too rich. What????😉 Hey, Howie...what about the other top three receivers?? Were they not good enough for you to grab one with the #6 pick?? You were only interested in Ja'Marr Chase?? Are you kidding??

Just about every draft guru from Daniel Jeremiah to Mel Kiper, Jr. has said that this year's top group of receivers.... three WRs and a TE...are the best ever in any draft, ever!!! WR Ja'Marr Chase, WR DeVonta Smith, TE Kyle Pitts, and WR Jaylen Waddle are all considered elite. They are all expected to be drafted very quickly. 

So for Howie Roseman to focus only on Ja'Marr Chase and in essence throw up his hands in defeat at not being able to get him and give up the opportunity with the #6 pick to get Smith or Pitts or Waddle, strikes me as sheer lunacy.

How many times did we hear last year that the Eagles needed great receivers? Here Howie had a golden opportunity to snag not just a good receiver but an historically great receiver and he gambled it away because he thought he was not going to be able to get his preferred choice in Ja'Marr Chase. Even if Atlanta and Cincinnati had taken two of the top four, the Eagles still would have been guaranteed one of the others with their #6 pick.

Well all we can hope for is that somehow the Eagles will luck out and Jaylen Waddle is still there at #12. But knowing Howie, he will likely pass on Waddle, even at #12.

[Spurt]

@gardenman 

The whole Watson thing is a bit bizarre and it seems lawyers from both sides have a bit of P.T. Barnum in 'em....While our city is concentrating on the medical field, technology, and tourism for financial growth. ...Houston's main "industry" seems to be massage parlors in all forms....😄 How many did Watson visit?!?!?!?!? (21 against Watson, and 18 for)... 39 masseuse interacted with Watson---AMAZING! 🤔 Now if these woman were abused then Watson needs to be fully prosecuted, but there is just something really odd going on....and the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.....

[Spurt]

Well.... Todd, Todd, Todd.... has made an interesting selection for my WFT in his latest mock draft....

At #19 he has the WFT selecting O-Lineman, Darrisaw from Va Tech.(that's who I wanted)..and in the second round its none other than Kellen Mond QB Texas A&M...my hometown guy!!!! 

Personally, I think its too high for this pick and there's other pressing needs....but on the other hand.....ITS MY HOMETOWN GUY on MY NFL TEAM....

This is what Todd had to say----

"The next-best QB was out of range for Washington in Round 1, but selecting Mond -- who could sit behind Ryan Fitzpatrick and Taylor Heinicke all season -- here is smart," McShay wrote. "His accuracy and mechanics will have to develop, but Mond has arm strength and the ability to extend plays. He's my sixth-ranked QB but comes in at No. 89 overall."  

He's the consensus "next-best" quarterback following the main five of this class, since his dual-threat skillset provides some intrigue but he still has a lot of work to do to become an NFL-ready passer.

As McShay notes, Washington would be a good situation for Mond to land. He'd be able to sit behind Fitzpatrick and Heinicke, learn Scott Turner's system and take over the offense when he's ready. Then, a great defense on the other side of the ball would help keep the team in games while Mond took his lumps as the starter. 

After Mond, Kyle Trask and Jamie Newman make up the next tier of quarterback prospects in the 2021 draft. 

[teganslaw]

Todd McShay has the Colts taking Kwity Paye DE. I like that choice, but I think that he would be higher than 21, as he's considered one of the edge rushers in this class. Would be nice if he fell to the Colts.