2023 NFL Draft Thread

[Jason_R]

I said I could see them picking Skoronski at 6 if the two blue chip DL prospects are gone. There could be a run on QBs which pushes Jalen Carter to six. Which would be great. 

They should be able to get a starting CB at 18. They will probably get help there in FA too. 

Eagles had four DL with 10+ sacks this season. Barely got a hand on Mahomes in the SB, and he was on one leg. I would still have a pocket crushing DL but if he’s not available I could see shoring up RG. 

[Longgone]

9 hours ago, buddha said:

they really really really need corners.  skoronski or robinson seem like luxury picks with how much they need dbs and a defensive tackle (and linebackers).

lets not forget that this was one of the worst defenses in the league last year.  they need help in the secondary very badly.

Probably none of the corners have value at 6. 

[gehringer_2]

2 hours ago, buddha said:

use one of your second rounders to trade up from 6 to 3 to get carter or anderson.  use 18 on a cornerback.

bingo: super bowl.

LOL - yeah it seems like everyone everywhere always wants to trade down so maybe being the partner willing to trade up is the new market efficiency.

[Stanley70]

4 hours ago, buddha said:

use one of your second rounders to trade up from 6 to 3 to get carter or anderson.  use 18 on a cornerback.

bingo: super bowl.

This is my thought too.

I still think if they like a QB and he falls to 6 they will take him. "It's easier to get worse than better" is not exactly a ringing endorsement of Goff.

[MichiganCardinal]

28 minutes ago, Stanley70 said:

This is my thought too.

I still think if they like a QB and he falls to 6 they will take him. "It's easier to get worse than better" is not exactly a ringing endorsement of Goff.

Did you hear the full comment by Holmes in context? It read like a pretty ringing endorsement of Goff when I heard it. It also came after Holmes got a little smart with the reporter who asked it and said something to the effect of “what did you think of Goff’s performance?”

Not to say they won’t take a QB if they love one, but I think they’re big fans of Goff (as they should be).

[Cruzer1]

23 hours ago, buddha said:

use one of your second rounders to trade up from 6 to 3 to get carter or anderson.  use 18 on a cornerback.

bingo: super bowl.

I think the Bears would be stupid to not select Carter.

[buddha]

1 minute ago, Cruzer1 said:

I think the Bears would be stupid to not select Carter.

that was my thinking.  bears trade down with indy thinking they can still get carter there.  so if you want him, you'll have to trade up to 3 to jump the bears.  bears would then take anderson.

problem for the bears is that houston may not take a qb.  they may take anderson or carter.  indy may want to stay put too.  if the bears want to trade down they may have to go to 7 or 9, which would put them too low for carter/anderson.  so they may end up picking one of them at one.

[Cruzer1]

I think Carter is by far the best player in this draft, and that Anderson might not be the best at his position. He can rush in a 3-4, but he's not for everybody.

[Stanley70]

There has been news that the Bears are considering trading Fields, probably just draft smokescreening.

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Chad Reuter in NFL.com has us taking CB Christian Gonzalez at #6 and TE Michael Mayer at #18 in his latest mock draft. If that were to happen who would you all like as far as new GM candidates because I'd be looking for one if Brad Holmes went CB-TE in the first round.

Edited February 18, 2023 by Mr.TaterSalad

[Hongbit]

I love how most draft gurus will say it’s best to draft BPA with a small emphasis on current need but 95% of mocks are based solely on current needs.    

As an aside, anyone trying to rank these CB at the moment is a complete guess pulled straight from their ass.  There are 5 or 6 guys that could all emerge as top corner taken.  They are all that close right now and it will be determined through combine, workouts, and interviews how they shake out.  There’s no consensus yet.  
 

Edited February 18, 2023 by Hongbit

[gehringer_2]

2 hours ago, Hongbit said:

I love how most draft gurus will say it’s best to draft BPA with a small emphasis on current need but 95% of mocks are based solely on current needs.    

LOL - Correct. But it they assumed everyone was really picking BPA, everyone's list would converge too much and they wouldn't generate any buzz.

[Longgone]

3 hours ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

Chad Reuter in NFL.com has us taking CB Christian Gonzalez at #6 and TE Michael Mayer at #18 in his latest mock draft. If that were to happen who would you all like as far as new GM candidates because I'd be looking for one if Brad Holmes went CB-TE in the first round.

I know lions fans are techy about drafting a tight end high, but it is one of their weaker position groups, they run a lot of two te sets, and a top te would open up a lot of other possibilities for their offense.

[MichiganCardinal]

2 minutes ago, Longgone said:

I know lions fans are techy about drafting a tight end high, but it is one of their weaker position groups, they run a lot of two te sets, and a top te would open up a lot of other possibilities for their offense.

I’m not necessarily opposed to it, but I also think there is something to be said for the production they got out of Wright last season. Blocking tight ends grow on trees and if they can scheme those guys into good situations there’s no need to spend capital on it.

They also drafted an injured James Mitchell last year and I think he could get a chance to earn TE1 in camp this summer.

[Hongbit]

14 minutes ago, Longgone said:

I know lions fans are techy about drafting a tight end high, but it is one of their weaker position groups, they run a lot of two te sets, and a top te would open up a lot of other possibilities for their offense.

We had a pro bowl TE last year and the team was better when he left.   Zylstra and Wright proved to be just as effective in the red zone. 

It’s a deep draft at TE and I can see them taking one on day 3 but don’t think they need to think about it in round 1 or 2.   There are better players at more important positions available.   

[Jason_R]

They're not picking a TE in the first round or the second round or the third round. Any analyst who says they are is throwing darts.

[Longgone]

7 minutes ago, Hongbit said:

We had a pro bowl TE last year and the team was better when he left.   Zylstra and Wright proved to be just as effective in the red zone. 

It’s a deep draft at TE and I can see them taking one on day 3 but don’t think they need to think about it in round 1 or 2.   There are better players at more important positions available.   

They don't need another mediocre tight end. If they choose to upgrade, that's nothing to bitch about. 

[Longgone]

13 minutes ago, Hongbit said:

We had a pro bowl TE last year and the team was better when he left.   

Maybe that was more Hockenson, and circumstances than the position.

[Hongbit]

27 minutes ago, Longgone said:

They don't need another mediocre tight end. If they choose to upgrade, that's nothing to bitch about. 

I wouldn’t bitch about it.  Ben would surely make good use of another weapon.  I think at 18, they can find more impactful players that also play positions that are harder to fill. 
 

22 minutes ago, Longgone said:

Maybe that was more Hockenson, and circumstances than the position.

This is very possible.  

[1984Echoes]

1 hour ago, Longgone said:

They don't need another mediocre tight end. If they choose to upgrade, that's nothing to bitch about. 

They're not going to use a top 2 round draft pick on a TE because they use their tight ends differently; and also because I believe Holmes understands positional value. They may use 2 TE sets sometimes, but they use them without requiring a prima donna TE like Gronk or Hockenson. And they are absolutely, perfectly fine with mediocre TE's. Especially when they score 9 TD's in 10 games.

We don't have to bitch about anything... any upgrade at TE is coming from a mid-to-late draft pick or FA. Bottom line.

[Longgone]

1 hour ago, Hongbit said:

  I think at 18, they can find more impactful players that also play positions that are harder to fill. 
 

I absolutely agree with this and I'd be shocked if they took one that early, however, there a a few freaky te prospects who will surely be gone by the lions 3rd round pick that would be a lot of fun in their offense.

[Longgone]

21 minutes ago, 1984Echoes said:

They're not going to use a top 2 round draft pick on a TE because they use their tight ends differently;

This just isn't true, they use their personnel to their strengths, whatever those may be, and surely, this is one position group that can use an upgrade, a top tight end is a unique weapon and can open up other aspects of an offense. 

and you are very unlikely to get any kind of an upgrade in the later rounds. I do agree that other positions likely have priority right now. 

[Cruzer1]

The Lions already have a Micheal Mayer, but his name is Brock Wright. They are very similar players.

[Cruzer1]

http://draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1021718&DraftYear=2021

https://thedraftnetwork.com/sr-prospect/michael-mayer-79251189-a83d-4c1e-bbe6-c02f9becdb5e/

[1984Echoes]

14 hours ago, Longgone said:

This just isn't true...

Yes, it IS true:

"Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson's offense didn't feature a heavy workload in the passing game for the tight end position. The Lions' offense plays a lot under center, utilizes motion and plays mostly 11 personnel (one RB, one TE, 3 WR). In fact, Detroit played 11 personnel 64 percent of the time. Detroit used two tight end sets just 11 percent of the time in 2022.

Key stat: Quarterback Jared Goff had a 141.7 passer rating when throwing to Wright (18-of-24, 216 yds, 4 TD, 0 INT), a 139.8 rating throwing Mitchell's way (11-of-11, 113 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT) and a 119.7 rating throwing at Zylstra (11-of-15, 60 yds, 4 TD, 0 INT). Those ratings were the three highest of any pass catcher Goff threw to in 2022.

MVP: Wright

Wright wasn't a high-volume pass catcher in this offense, but he really made the most of the opportunities he had. All four of Wright's touchdowns on the year came in Detroit victories, including his touchdown late against the Jets that was the game winner. Wright is a very capable blocker and has had a nice start to his career after going undrafted in 2021."

Cruzer also points out:

1 hour ago, Cruzer1 said:

The Lions already have a Micheal Mayer, but his name is Brock Wright. They are very similar players.

 

I don't know if Wright = Michael Mayer... but the Lions are perfectly content to go with Mitchell, Wright & Zylstra again next year.