Post by Danchat on Apr 28, 2024 16:07:10 GMT -6
I like to do an annual draft grade as a way to look back upon in the future and see how accurate the grades were. For now, they're just a fun thing to do but to be taken with a grain of salt. Here we go:
#1-10: QB JJ McCarthy - Finally, the Vikings take a QB in the top 10, and unlike Ponder and Bridgewater (to a lesser extent), we have a consensus 1st round QB. Not a top 10 consensus, but this will do. He rose to #7 on my board late, but he is more around my #14 player on the board. So maybe you can call him a slight reach, but not having to give away a 1st to move up for him is a huge win. To me he is the clear QB4 of this class, solidly behind the guys who went #1-3 but he has way more upside than Penix and Nix. He needs time to develop, but the tools are there, his intangibles are great from what we can tell, his production was not voluminous but very efficient and had an elite PFF grade to boot. The only red flags I see have to do with accuracy when moving to his left and missing on too many deep balls. He is not a project like Josh Allen or Jordan Love, and with his experience playing under center he should be able to start games in 2024. Grade: A
#1-17: ED Dallas Turner - I did not think the Vikings would land their QB of the future and a top 3 defensive player. This franchise has badly needed a true first round talent defensive lineman who is a beastly pass rusher with freakish speed and burst. However, his techniques are rough and require refinement. Thankfully we have Flores to coach him and he does not need to be an every-down player to start with Van Ginkel and Greenard here. You can complain about the trade but I am separating that from the selection. Grade: A
#4-108: CB Khyree Jackson - We talk about "boom or bust" quite a lot, and I'd be more apprehensive to take this kind of player on Day 2, but the fourth round is a great down to take shots like this. Jackson is an insane size/speed freak at 99.8% height and 98% broad jump, including a very fast 40 time for a guy at nearly 6'4". But he's raw with only one year of starter experience which came at age 24, whereas he moved to CB in 2019. Add in the character concerns that got him removed from multiple teams' draft boards, and you have a mixed bag. The amount of draft capital spent on DBs lately has been exhausting, but I will not knock betting on players with insanely high ceilings. Grade: B
#6-177: OT Walter Rouse - It was surprising to see the Vikings take a tackle who does not profile moving to guard, but this is the 6th round, you aren't drafting to fill needs. Swing tackle could be a need in 2025, but you can find these guys on vet minimum deals. Rouse was a minor reach on my board, but his scouting reports read like a typical 6th round tackle. His low PFF grade is a bit concerning. He'd do well to follow similar 6th rounders like Brandel and Udoh, but I would have preferred a shot with more upside with better players on the board. Grade: C
#6-203: K Will Reichard - Drafting a kicker has been a contentious topic in the past, but we're past pick 200 at this point and I have no problems with taking the first (and probably best) kicker off the board here. Reichard has been consistent and was trusted by Nick Saban. My primary question is can he consistently hit 50+ kicks? My board had him at #177 so this is a bargain, but being a kicker slightly lowers the grade. Grade: A-
#7-230: C/G Michael Jurgens - While not on my board, I did some analysis and found that while he was announced as a center, his strong suit appears to be guard. His PFF grades improved when he played guard, but outside of that I don't see anything that separates him from the top UDFA interior offensive linemen. There were better players on the board that could have been taken here as Jurgens likely wasn't getting drafted. Grade: D
#7-232: DE Levi Drake Rodriguez - I had to do some research as going with a prospect from Texas A&M-Commerce is quite the move. Rodriguez did turn in a 89.5 PFF grade which would be great if he were playing against legitimate competition... but in his 11 games he posted more than 1 pressure in only 5 and sacks in only 4, stacking up big games against Incarnate Word, Old Dominion, and Lamar University. He's not particularly athletic and he's already 24 years old. I don't see any upside here but I'd love to be proven wrong. Grade: F
Final Grade (not including UDFAs): A-
Reminder: This grade is heavily weighted on earlier picks. The two first rounders account for about 80% of that and the two seven rounders account for about 1%. Everyone misses on 6th and 7ths, so having low grades there means nothing in the bigger picture.
Quality over quantity! Kewsi didn't trade down once. Might need to next year though.
UDFAs:
This is another great batch, just like last year. After nabbing UDFAs #1 and #5 last year (Carter and Pace), they land #1, #10, and #22. Gabriel Murphy was surprisingly not drafted despite having 4th to 5th round grades from scouts, and I can't see a particular reason why. He had a great final year at UCLA with 8 sacks and 16 TFLs, high PFF grade, and his measurements came out very well. He profiles as a rotational rusher as a 3-4 OLB but unlike last year's Andre Carter II, he likely doesn't need a full year of development first. Dwight McGlothern was legitimately PFF's #1 CB by rating and that wasn't against light competition. His issues are more straightforward, as his explosion and agility (shuttle run and 3 cone) scores were very bad. His fall is more understandable, but he's better than a lot of CBs drafted Day 3 who are probably only special teamers. McGlothern's ceiling is far higher as he has the height (6'1") to be a boundary CB. Richter's ceiling to me is as a stud special teamer, he is a tweener stuck between edge and ILB and while he could be a rush LB in Flores packages, my hunch is he starts on the practice squad and eventually finds his way into the special teams unit.
Grade: A
That's enough draft stuff from me, it's been a fun ride but now it's time to take a break. Post your grades or draft grades from other sources!
#1-10: QB JJ McCarthy - Finally, the Vikings take a QB in the top 10, and unlike Ponder and Bridgewater (to a lesser extent), we have a consensus 1st round QB. Not a top 10 consensus, but this will do. He rose to #7 on my board late, but he is more around my #14 player on the board. So maybe you can call him a slight reach, but not having to give away a 1st to move up for him is a huge win. To me he is the clear QB4 of this class, solidly behind the guys who went #1-3 but he has way more upside than Penix and Nix. He needs time to develop, but the tools are there, his intangibles are great from what we can tell, his production was not voluminous but very efficient and had an elite PFF grade to boot. The only red flags I see have to do with accuracy when moving to his left and missing on too many deep balls. He is not a project like Josh Allen or Jordan Love, and with his experience playing under center he should be able to start games in 2024. Grade: A
#1-17: ED Dallas Turner - I did not think the Vikings would land their QB of the future and a top 3 defensive player. This franchise has badly needed a true first round talent defensive lineman who is a beastly pass rusher with freakish speed and burst. However, his techniques are rough and require refinement. Thankfully we have Flores to coach him and he does not need to be an every-down player to start with Van Ginkel and Greenard here. You can complain about the trade but I am separating that from the selection. Grade: A
#4-108: CB Khyree Jackson - We talk about "boom or bust" quite a lot, and I'd be more apprehensive to take this kind of player on Day 2, but the fourth round is a great down to take shots like this. Jackson is an insane size/speed freak at 99.8% height and 98% broad jump, including a very fast 40 time for a guy at nearly 6'4". But he's raw with only one year of starter experience which came at age 24, whereas he moved to CB in 2019. Add in the character concerns that got him removed from multiple teams' draft boards, and you have a mixed bag. The amount of draft capital spent on DBs lately has been exhausting, but I will not knock betting on players with insanely high ceilings. Grade: B
#6-177: OT Walter Rouse - It was surprising to see the Vikings take a tackle who does not profile moving to guard, but this is the 6th round, you aren't drafting to fill needs. Swing tackle could be a need in 2025, but you can find these guys on vet minimum deals. Rouse was a minor reach on my board, but his scouting reports read like a typical 6th round tackle. His low PFF grade is a bit concerning. He'd do well to follow similar 6th rounders like Brandel and Udoh, but I would have preferred a shot with more upside with better players on the board. Grade: C
#6-203: K Will Reichard - Drafting a kicker has been a contentious topic in the past, but we're past pick 200 at this point and I have no problems with taking the first (and probably best) kicker off the board here. Reichard has been consistent and was trusted by Nick Saban. My primary question is can he consistently hit 50+ kicks? My board had him at #177 so this is a bargain, but being a kicker slightly lowers the grade. Grade: A-
#7-230: C/G Michael Jurgens - While not on my board, I did some analysis and found that while he was announced as a center, his strong suit appears to be guard. His PFF grades improved when he played guard, but outside of that I don't see anything that separates him from the top UDFA interior offensive linemen. There were better players on the board that could have been taken here as Jurgens likely wasn't getting drafted. Grade: D
#7-232: DE Levi Drake Rodriguez - I had to do some research as going with a prospect from Texas A&M-Commerce is quite the move. Rodriguez did turn in a 89.5 PFF grade which would be great if he were playing against legitimate competition... but in his 11 games he posted more than 1 pressure in only 5 and sacks in only 4, stacking up big games against Incarnate Word, Old Dominion, and Lamar University. He's not particularly athletic and he's already 24 years old. I don't see any upside here but I'd love to be proven wrong. Grade: F
Final Grade (not including UDFAs): A-
Reminder: This grade is heavily weighted on earlier picks. The two first rounders account for about 80% of that and the two seven rounders account for about 1%. Everyone misses on 6th and 7ths, so having low grades there means nothing in the bigger picture.
Quality over quantity! Kewsi didn't trade down once. Might need to next year though.
UDFAs:
This is another great batch, just like last year. After nabbing UDFAs #1 and #5 last year (Carter and Pace), they land #1, #10, and #22. Gabriel Murphy was surprisingly not drafted despite having 4th to 5th round grades from scouts, and I can't see a particular reason why. He had a great final year at UCLA with 8 sacks and 16 TFLs, high PFF grade, and his measurements came out very well. He profiles as a rotational rusher as a 3-4 OLB but unlike last year's Andre Carter II, he likely doesn't need a full year of development first. Dwight McGlothern was legitimately PFF's #1 CB by rating and that wasn't against light competition. His issues are more straightforward, as his explosion and agility (shuttle run and 3 cone) scores were very bad. His fall is more understandable, but he's better than a lot of CBs drafted Day 3 who are probably only special teamers. McGlothern's ceiling is far higher as he has the height (6'1") to be a boundary CB. Richter's ceiling to me is as a stud special teamer, he is a tweener stuck between edge and ILB and while he could be a rush LB in Flores packages, my hunch is he starts on the practice squad and eventually finds his way into the special teams unit.
Grade: A
That's enough draft stuff from me, it's been a fun ride but now it's time to take a break. Post your grades or draft grades from other sources!
... and neither is this Chris guy.