Draft

[95coug]

I still think the Bears should have dealt #1, but picking up Odunze at 9 was good. They’ve got targets and a legitimate run threat now…too bad they still don’t have an OL.

Not sure what the Falcons are thinking. Cousins is a bit of a gamble on a rebuilt Achilles…and now they spend #8 on a kid with rebuilt knees? It could work out for them in a Favre-Rogers way…but it’s a huge roll of the dice.

Broncos….I don’t really have an issue with picking up Nix at 12. Could be a high value pick there. But WTH did they trade for Zach Wilson?

Seahawks…getting Byron Murphy at 16 seems like a steal. But I feel like he’s a bit undersized for an NFL DT, and might not last long

 

[BiggsCoug]

I still think the Bears should have dealt #1, but picking up Odunze at 9 was good. They’ve got targets and a legitimate run threat now…too bad they still don’t have an OL.

Not sure what the Falcons are thinking. Cousins is a bit of a gamble on a rebuilt Achilles…and now they spend #8 on a kid with rebuilt knees? It could work out for them in a Favre-Rogers way…but it’s a huge roll of the dice.

Broncos….I don’t really have an issue with picking up Nix at 12. Could be a high value pick there. But WTH did they trade for Zach Wilson?

Seahawks…getting Byron Murphy at 16 seems like a steal. But I feel like he’s a bit undersized for an NFL DT, and might not last long

He is a run stuffer. At 6’ 300 he will be under pads and gobble up blocks. Any pass rush is a bonus unless he turns into a freak show track star off the ball. He doesn’t have the levers needed so it’s gotta speed off the ball and heavy hands into the guard or center.

They needed inside help. They got it. He makes the DBs better.

 

[95coug]

He is a run stuffer. At 6’ 300 he will be under pads and gobble up blocks. Any pass rush is a bonus unless he turns into a freak show track star off the ball. He doesn’t have the levers needed so it’s gotta speed off the ball and heavy hands into the guard or center.

They needed inside help. They got it. He makes the DBs better.

Considering their needs and what was available, it was the right pick. I just see him getting beat up and injured and fading quickly.

 

[BiggsCoug]

Considering their needs and what was available, it was the right pick. I just see him getting beat up and injured and fading quickly.

With a NG you are looking for 2 diff body types. Shorter and built like a freezer or the largest human you can find. 6’3”ish and 300ish doesn’t work. Too tall to make 300ish squatty and too light to make 6’3”ish effective. Vince Wilfork comes to mind. Listed at 6’2” (generous) and 325 (no f’ing way)…. He fits the role.

He isn’t gonna get blown off the ball, his pads are too low. He is essentially a fire hydrant. He needs to split double teams and shed blocks. If he does a nice job off the ball he will slam into guards before they’re able to get their taller bodies moving.

Could he get hurt? Sure. Everyone on the field can. Is he the bitch you are making him out to be? Doubtful.

 

[Coug90]

I still think the Bears should have dealt #1, but picking up Odunze at 9 was good. They’ve got targets and a legitimate run threat now…too bad they still don’t have an OL.

Not sure what the Falcons are thinking. Cousins is a bit of a gamble on a rebuilt Achilles…and now they spend #8 on a kid with rebuilt knees? It could work out for them in a Favre-Rogers way…but it’s a huge roll of the dice.

Broncos….I don’t really have an issue with picking up Nix at 12. Could be a high value pick there. But WTH did they trade for Zach Wilson?

Seahawks…getting Byron Murphy at 16 seems like a steal. But I feel like he’s a bit undersized for an NFL DT, and might not last long

I’m a broncos fan. Only thing I can think with Wilson is it was a small price to pay to feign like they weren’t taking a QB.

They took 15 seconds to pick Nix when they were in a spot they could have traded back and picked up more draft capital and a great player 10+ picks later. Tells me they really loved Nix.

With Payton it does make sense. Nix is a drew Brees type QB who plays within the offense and makes the right throws on time. We shall see. 1 or 2 of these QBs will be studs, 1 or 2 will be complete busts and the rest will be avg to below avg. that’s what the numbers almost always bear out in these types of drafts.

 

[95coug]

Now that the 1st is wrapped up, oddly I don’t have serious questions about much of it. The Falcons are probably the strangest one - and apparently Cousins thinks so too. Then again, when you’ve got a 35-year old coming off of a significant injury, it makes sense to have someone in the wings. I don’t think most would spend #8 on that backup, but…whatever.

The Raiders picking a TE at 13 is interesting, but he can line up as a big body receiver too…and they do need help in both areas. Among others.

The Vikings got good players at need spots, but basically gave up their 2025 draft to do it. If I were one of their fans, I’d be nervously excited. They look like good moves, but if either of them isn’t pretty solid almost immediately…they’re committed.

I was surprised the Bills backed out of the round. They lost their top 2 receivers and need some help there. But they only dropped one spot and there are still some good options available. This trade will get a lot more confusing if they don’t take a WR tomorrow….although CB is also a need.

 

[Coug90]

Now that the 1st is wrapped up, oddly I don’t have serious questions about much of it. The Falcons are probably the strangest one - and apparently Cousins thinks so too. Then again, when you’ve got a 35-year old coming off of a significant injury, it makes sense to have someone in the wings. I don’t think most would spend #8 on that backup, but…whatever.

The Raiders picking a TE at 13 is interesting, but he can line up as a big body receiver too…and they do need help in both areas. Among others.

The Vikings got good players at need spots, but basically gave up their 2025 draft to do it. If I were one of their fans, I’d be nervously excited. They look like good moves, but if either of them isn’t pretty solid almost immediately…they’re committed.

I was surprised the Bills backed out of the round. They lost their top 2 receivers and need some help there. But they only dropped one spot and there are still some good options available. This trade will get a lot more confusing if they don’t take a WR tomorrow….although CB is also a need.

The falcons pick is bizarre, and gets back to the thing about NFL GMs overthinking things. It’s not that hard. Gardner Minshew is a good starting QB and has been for several years. He’s been available for as little as a 6th round pick…yet teams trade away NFL gold…draft capital, for QBs that other franchises are done with. It’s insane.

You’ve got cousins, you don’t have a hole at QB for probably 3 years. Why the hell would you reach for a QB in this draft?

Last night…14 offensive picks go off the board before a defender. All of these teams don’t have top 5 defenses, which is one of the reasons they are picking in the top 14 to begin with.

Most of us here could do a better job at GM than 1/3 of these franchises.

 

[ttowncoug]

ATL obviously thinks Penix has potential to be a franchise guy or they wouldn't have jumped on him is my read. I suspect ATL will start Cousins, groom Penix and then deal Cousins in a year from now.

 

[Coug90]

ATL obviously thinks Penix has potential to be a franchise guy or they wouldn't have jumped on him is my read. I suspect ATL will start Cousins, groom Penix and then deal Cousins in a year from now.

Deal an old QB with a huge guaranteed contract that they are done with? I don’t know, there may be enough stupid GMs that they could pull that off and actually get something for him.

 

[Stretch 74]

ATL obviously thinks Penix has potential to be a franchise guy or they wouldn't have jumped on him is my read. I suspect ATL will start Cousins, groom Penix and then deal Cousins in a year from now.

FWIW, I read an article earlier this week that was pumping up Penix as the best passer in this draft. Can't recall if it was online or in the Spokesman. It was interesting.

I was kinda hoping that the Seahawks might have been able to grab Nix at #16, but the huge stampede for QB's took away that option. He has impressed me the past two years at Oregon, and his stats were as good or better than any of the others that were getting a lot more attention.

 

[dgibbons]

FWIW, I read an article earlier this week that was pumping up Penix as the best passer in this draft. Can't recall if it was online or in the Spokesman. It was interesting.

I was kinda hoping that the Seahawks might have been able to grab Nix at #16, but the huge stampede for QB's took away that option. He has impressed me the past two years at Oregon, and his stats were as good or better than any of the others that were getting a lot more attention.

I heard Huard spouting some factoid earlier this week about deep ball passing. Penix was off the chart compared to other QBs.

I think the challenge for him will be no longer being able to stand in the pocket untouched waiting for routes to develop. His clock will need to speed up quite a bit.

 

[Stretch 74]

I heard Huard spouting some factoid earlier this week about deep ball passing. Penix was off the chart compared to other QBs.

I think the challenge for him will be no longer being able to stand in the pocket untouched waiting for routes to develop. His clock will need to speed up quite a bit.

Another article I recently read on QB's prior to the draft was about how Chris Simms had been much better than average at identifying QB's in college would and would not be successful in the NFL that others missed on. Big booster of Mahomes when others were talking crap about him/TX Tech QB's. Think Josh Allen was another one. He also predicted a lack of success with better than average success relative to other "experts"/football talking heads. His method was based upon a very detailed analysis of every play to determine route types, pressure, decision making, where the ball was delivered, etc. In other words, a pass isn't a pass, isn't a pass, isn't just another pass. Very interesting article.

 

[CougEd]

I heard Huard spouting some factoid earlier this week about deep ball passing. Penix was off the chart compared to other QBs.

I think the challenge for him will be no longer being able to stand in the pocket untouched waiting for routes to develop. His clock will need to speed up quite a bit.

What I don't know if Penix didn't have a broken rib or rib injury after I believe the first Oregon game. He was less than stellar against Stanford, ASU, and even WSU. Wasn't very accurate in three of those games except on long crossing routs or a fly pattern.

I think Atlanta took him because no one knows if Cousins will be ready.

 

[Coug90]

I heard Huard spouting some factoid earlier this week about deep ball passing. Penix was off the chart compared to other QBs.

I think the challenge for him will be no longer being able to stand in the pocket untouched waiting for routes to develop. His clock will need to speed up quite a bit.

And he is slight of frame with injury issues in the past. How he felt after Michigan is how he’s gonna feel after every NFL game.

There’s a lot to like about penix but when you draft a guy in the first round you do so with the idea he’s going to be an above average 3-4 year starter who’s available to play. I’d guess plenty of teams wouldn’t have touched him till round 5 because of physical concerns alone.

 

[Coug90]

What I don't know if Penix didn't have a broken rib or rib injury after I believe the first Oregon game. He was less than stellar against Stanford, ASU, and even WSU. Wasn't very accurate in three of those games except on long crossing routs or a fly pattern.

I think Atlanta took him because no one knows if Cousins will be ready.

If you don’t know if cousins will be ready you find a reliable backup you don’t draft a rookie with a pick that could get you the best defensive player in the draft. There’s a dozen backups available for late round picks or free agents who would be a better option than Penix this year.

 

[95coug]

The falcons pick is bizarre, and gets back to the thing about NFL GMs overthinking things. It’s not that hard. Gardner Minshew is a good starting QB and has been for several years. He’s been available for as little as a 6th round pick…yet teams trade away NFL gold…draft capital, for QBs that other franchises are done with. It’s insane.

You’ve got cousins, you don’t have a hole at QB for probably 3 years. Why the hell would you reach for a QB in this draft?

Last night…14 offensive picks go off the board before a defender. All of these teams don’t have top 5 defenses, which is one of the reasons they are picking in the top 14 to begin with.

Most of us here could do a better job at GM than 1/3 of these franchises.

Truly bizarre. Cousins got a huge deal, obviously enough that they think he’s still a franchise guy and they don’t plan to trade him. The amount of guaranteed money in his deal means they pay a big penalty if they dump him. Then they go QB at 8? For a guy they probably could have picked up in the 2nd? I don’t get it.

they went DT & edge in rounds 2-3. At #8 they could have picked up any of a handful of better, higher impact DT/Edge players. Or better yet…trade back and turn #8 into a couple picks and get both a higher DL and Penix.

 

[Glad Cougar]

Random thoughts on the draft so far....

• The Bears were smart not to trade the #1 pick, especially given that they already had two top 10 picks this year and need a franchise QB. IMO, Caleb Williams is clearly the best QB in the draft at this point and now they've got a terrific WR to go with him.
• I think I understand what Atlanta is doing with their choice of Penix, but I sure don't agree with it. They've tied up a lot of money in Cousins and will need to play him for at least a couple of years to get some kind of value out of the deal. By the time they can move him, Penix will have burned up at least half of the rookie contract that ensures a cost controlled young QB. And Penix is not a young rookie, he'll be 24 in a couple of weeks. I understand the benefit of having Cousins mentor Penix in the same way Alex Smith mentored Mahomes, but Smith was not signed to an expensive long term contract when it was time for Mahomes to take over. Also, the Falcons need to improve the defense, especially the DL and pass rush, and could've had any of the best players on that side of the ball.
• I suspect Denver really wanted JJ McCarthy but when that was no longer possible, they had to grab Nix at #12. That's really high for him but the Broncos did not have a 2nd round pick (which is where Nix was projected to go) and couldn't afford to take a chance on anyone else. There was really no other worthwhile QB left. Nix will probably be a good solid system QB but not the kind that could put a team on his back and win a championship.
• The Raiders got a good one in TE Brock Bowers but they drafted a TE last year in the 2nd round who had a good rookie season, Michael Mayer. So do they go with more two-tight end sets or do they try to trade Mayer already? Bowers was the best player on the board when LV picked but I'm not sure he's what they needed.
• Buffalo is getting some flak for trading back twice and out of the first round, but I think what they did was actually pretty smart. They identified the WR they wanted, Keon Coleman, and felt pretty confident he would be there at the start of the 2nd round. So they got their target and picked up some additional picks and draft capital in the process. That works well as long as nobody sneaks in and gets your target first.
• I think Jaden Hicks gets drafted early today (4th round) and expect Smith-Wade and Brennan Jackson to be selected before the end of the draft today.

Glad Cougar

 

[95coug]

Random thoughts on the draft so far....

• The Bears were smart not to trade the #1 pick, especially given that they already had two top 10 picks this year and need a franchise QB. IMO, Caleb Williams is clearly the best QB in the draft at this point and now they've got a terrific WR to go with him.
• I think I understand what Atlanta is doing with their choice of Penix, but I sure don't agree with it. They've tied up a lot of money in Cousins and will need to play him for at least a couple of years to get some kind of value out of the deal. By the time they can move him, Penix will have burned up at least half of the rookie contract that ensures a cost controlled young QB. And Penix is not a young rookie, he'll be 24 in a couple of weeks. I understand the benefit of having Cousins mentor Penix in the same way Alex Smith mentored Mahomes, but Smith was not signed to an expensive long term contract when it was time for Mahomes to take over. Also, the Falcons need to improve the defense, especially the DL and pass rush, and could've had any of the best players on that side of the ball.
• I suspect Denver really wanted JJ McCarthy but when that was no longer possible, they had to grab Nix at #12. That's really high for him but the Broncos did not have a 2nd round pick (which is where Nix was projected to go) and couldn't afford to take a chance on anyone else. There was really no other worthwhile QB left. Nix will probably be a good solid system QB but not the kind that could put a team on his back and win a championship.
• The Raiders got a good one in TE Brock Bowers but they drafted a TE last year in the 2nd round who had a good rookie season, Michael Mayer. So do they go with more two-tight end sets or do they try to trade Mayer already? Bowers was the best player on the board when LV picked but I'm not sure he's what they needed.
• Buffalo is getting some flak for trading back twice and out of the first round, but I think what they did was actually pretty smart. They identified the WR they wanted, Keon Coleman, and felt pretty confident he would be there at the start of the 2nd round. So they got their target and picked up some additional picks and draft capital in the process. That works well as long as nobody sneaks in and gets your target first.
• I think Jaden Hicks gets drafted early today (4th round) and expect Smith-Wade and Brennan Jackson to be selected before the end of the draft today.

Glad Cougar

I’ll add to your comments on the Bills - there were multiple good WR options available, so there was no need for them to zero in on one in particular and overspend. Trading back gave them more shots, and increased value when they did pick.

WR was a big need for them after losing their top 2. One could argue that they should have gone CB instead, but I think their greater need was at WR. Curtis Samuel is no Stefon Diggs.

 

[Coug90]

Random thoughts on the draft so far....

• The Bears were smart not to trade the #1 pick, especially given that they already had two top 10 picks this year and need a franchise QB. IMO, Caleb Williams is clearly the best QB in the draft at this point and now they've got a terrific WR to go with him.
• I think I understand what Atlanta is doing with their choice of Penix, but I sure don't agree with it. They've tied up a lot of money in Cousins and will need to play him for at least a couple of years to get some kind of value out of the deal. By the time they can move him, Penix will have burned up at least half of the rookie contract that ensures a cost controlled young QB. And Penix is not a young rookie, he'll be 24 in a couple of weeks. I understand the benefit of having Cousins mentor Penix in the same way Alex Smith mentored Mahomes, but Smith was not signed to an expensive long term contract when it was time for Mahomes to take over. Also, the Falcons need to improve the defense, especially the DL and pass rush, and could've had any of the best players on that side of the ball.
• I suspect Denver really wanted JJ McCarthy but when that was no longer possible, they had to grab Nix at #12. That's really high for him but the Broncos did not have a 2nd round pick (which is where Nix was projected to go) and couldn't afford to take a chance on anyone else. There was really no other worthwhile QB left. Nix will probably be a good solid system QB but not the kind that could put a team on his back and win a championship.
• The Raiders got a good one in TE Brock Bowers but they drafted a TE last year in the 2nd round who had a good rookie season, Michael Mayer. So do they go with more two-tight end sets or do they try to trade Mayer already? Bowers was the best player on the board when LV picked but I'm not sure he's what they needed.
• Buffalo is getting some flak for trading back twice and out of the first round, but I think what they did was actually pretty smart. They identified the WR they wanted, Keon Coleman, and felt pretty confident he would be there at the start of the 2nd round. So they got their target and picked up some additional picks and draft capital in the process. That works well as long as nobody sneaks in and gets your target first.
• I think Jaden Hicks gets drafted early today (4th round) and expect Smith-Wade and Brennan Jackson to be selected before the end of the draft today.

Glad Cougar

The Broncos didn’t want McCarthy at all. They did a sleight of hand showing heavy interest to get teams to move around to get him (perhaps they thought the Raiders might like him and trade draft capital for a QB they deemed unworthy?) when they were targeting nix all along. Word is they had Nix #3 but there was no way they were trading up to get to 1-3 without a second first rounder. Who knows how close those grades were, if they had Nix a hair behind the other guys then they were thrilled to take him at 12 I’m sure.

Payton said something interesting about why they didn’t trade back. When he was in NO they had the pick after KC took Mahomes, and he was going to take Mahomes. You never know who else loves your guy so if you trade back you run a real risk of losing him. The raiders could have loved Nix just as much and also don’t have a QB, that would have been a dick punch for the Broncos who’ve missed out on a lot of good QBs over the last 8 years.

I’m not sure why they are bragging about “getting” Minnesota to trade up though. All they ended up doing was helping out the patriots with extra draft capital. I get the misinformation and why you do it but Nix was going to be there all along.

The sub plots of the draft are fascinating. It’s quite the soap opera.

 

[Coug90]

I’ll add to your comments on the Bills - there were multiple good WR options available, so there was no need for them to zero in on one in particular and overspend. Trading back gave them more shots, and increased value when they did pick.

WR was a big need for them after losing their top 2. One could argue that they should have gone CB instead, but I think their greater need was at WR. Curtis Samuel is no Stefon Diggs.

I’d say the teams who trade back the most in the draft probably have the most historical success. Patience is usually rewarded. And picks in future drafts are devalued quite a bit…if I were a GM I’d try and trade to pick up 1-3 future picks every year. 1. They are naturally devalued because the NFL is a win now league. 2. The teams who trade future draft picks usually end up sucking hind tit, so there’s a good chance your pick will higher in the draft order (Panthers/Broncos anyone?).

It’s pretty astonishing to me how you can clearly see the patterns yet GMs keep doing the same stupid shit in a multi billion dollar business. There’s a lot of meatheads making decisions for these teams where you’d be better off paying an MIT grad who knows nothing about football to run the statistical analysis to manage your draft board.

 

[Glad Cougar]

Jaden Hicks to the Chiefs!! He can join fellow Coug Jaylen Watson in the KC defensive backfield. As a 60-year Chiefs fan, I'm loving it!

Glad Cougar

 

[425cougfan]

Brennan Jackson to the Rams. He and his family have to be happy about that landing spot. I was seeing some speculation that the Cougs might get three guys drafted, and we still may see it.

 

[Glad Cougar]

Brennan Jackson to the Rams. He and his family have to be happy about that landing spot. I was seeing some speculation that the Cougs might get three guys drafted, and we still may see it.

Good for Brennan. One of my favorite Coug football players of all time! I expect Wade-Smith will be picked by the end of the 6th round.

Glad Cougar

 

[Glad Cougar]

And there he goes......Smith-Wade taken by Carolina in the 5th round!


Glad Cougar

 

[moxeecoug]

Jaden Hicks to the Chiefs!! He can join fellow Coug Jaylen Watson in the KC defensive backfield. As a 60-year Chiefs fan, I'm loving it!

Glad Cougar

I just saw that and am pleased for him along with Brennan and Smith-Wade!!

 

[95coug]

I’d say the teams who trade back the most in the draft probably have the most historical success. Patience is usually rewarded. And picks in future drafts are devalued quite a bit…if I were a GM I’d try and trade to pick up 1-3 future picks every year. 1. They are naturally devalued because the NFL is a win now league. 2. The teams who trade future draft picks usually end up sucking hind tit, so there’s a good chance your pick will higher in the draft order (Panthers/Broncos anyone?).

It’s pretty astonishing to me how you can clearly see the patterns yet GMs keep doing the same stupid shit in a multi billion dollar business. There’s a lot of meatheads making decisions for these teams where you’d be better off paying an MIT grad who knows nothing about football to run the statistical analysis to manage your draft board.

Not to beat the dead horse or anything, but the Falcons choice just keeps getting more mystifying. They’ve come out and said Cousins is the undisputed starter, so now they’ve spent a top 10 pick on a known backup. This makes sense if you’re a pretty complete team. They’re not.

Worse, they now have two QBs with known injury concerns, and they spent their entire draft without doing anything to improve their OL.

The bills, on the other hand…look to have had a pretty good weekend.