2023 NFL Draft Thread

[Shinzaki]

I could live with just about any scenario...Gonzalez at 6 and Robinson or the best OL available at 18...I would be OK with Wilson or Myles Murphy at 6 and the best CB at 18. I could see trading back and drafting at 9 instead (don't want to move out of the top 10).

The only thing I could NOT abide by is drafting a QB at 6...especially Levis or Richardson

[1984Echoes]

2 minutes ago, Shinzaki said:

I could live with just about any scenario...Gonzalez at 6 and Robinson or the best OL available at 18...I would be OK with Wilson or Myles Murphy at 6 and the best CB at 18. I could see trading back and drafting at 9 instead (don't want to move out of the top 10).

The only thing I could NOT abide by is drafting a QB at 6...especially Levis or Richardson

I don't see either a QB or OL in the 1st.

I would be fine with Robinson in the 1st.

You can get good OL'man in the 2nd or 3rd. I don't see a reason to push for one in the 1st when DE/ DT/ CB/ and LB'er, and even Robinson at RB, make a far greater impact on the team.

I'm not saying neglect OL, just that there are other higher impact positions for this team.

BTW, at least at this point, Vatai is still on the team and the starting RG...

[MichiganCardinal]

30 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

in the interview clip Holmes seemed to me to be thinking purely in terms of getting a backup secured and doing it a little earlier in the process than they strung it out to last year. I'd go short on early round QB draft.

I think the interview clip is a nothing burger. They may have decided a month ago they are out on all QBs before the 5th round and want to go after a certain veteran backup who will be available. They’re (smartly) not going to say boo about it publicly. You want the Raiders, Panthers, and Titans to think we might take a QB. If they want one and they jump us for him, hey one more defensive player available.

[MichiganCardinal]

I really doubt it’s a corner at 6 unless the next Sauce Gardner appears in the next month. As of now I just don’t see enough separation between 1-5 and 6-15 at the corner position to justify taking one early instead of waiting until the 2nd round.

[Motown Bombers]

1 minute ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I think the interview clip is a nothing burger. They may have decided a month ago they are out on all QBs before the 5th round and want to go after a certain veteran backup who will be available. They’re (smartly) not going to say boo about it publicly. You want the Raiders, Panthers, and Titans to think we might take a QB. If they want one and they jump us for him, hey one more defensive player available.

It's not about whether the Lions will draft a QB but the teams behind them will. I don't think anyone is buying we are going to draft a QB unless you want to trade with us in that case we are going to stick with Goff. It's all about getting ahead of the Raiders, Falcons, Panthers etc. 

[1984Echoes]

I think if the Panthers might be thinking that if they want "their" QB or ANY of the (4) top QB's that they might have to get ahead of the Raiders, who want one. Especially if it comes out Seattle is very high on Richardson and will take him at #5, leaving only Will Levis.

We don't even need to pretend on needing a QB. No one actually believes that anyways...

Other teams will create the drama. We'll see if Holmes is able to take advantage of that.

[digitalpigsmuggler]

I'd like to see the lions trade down at 6. A lot of depth at CB. All are pretty close after Witherspoon.

[gehringer_2]

2 minutes ago, digitalpigsmuggler said:

I'd like to see the lions trade down at 6. A lot of depth at CB. All are pretty close after Witherspoon.

ususally there are more teams wanting to trade down than up - we'll see if this qb crop has enough drawing power to make this year an exception. 

[NYLion]

59 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

I really doubt it’s a corner at 6 unless the next Sauce Gardner appears in the next month. As of now I just don’t see enough separation between 1-5 and 6-15 at the corner position to justify taking one early instead of waiting until the 2nd round.

I'd say that corner is the most likely pick at 6 unless Anderson falls (who knows with Carter). It's a draft where there's a clear top 2 (non-QBs) then a steep drop off to a whole bunch of prospects that are tightly clustered. Maybe the combine will clear some of this up but, as of right now, I can't see any non-QB prospect that stands out after Carter and Anderson so if all else is equal go for need which is CB in this case.

[1984Echoes]

40 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

usually there are more teams wanting to trade down than up - we'll see if this qb crop has enough drawing power to make this year an exception. 

At first glance, I would say NO!

I don't see anything exceptional in this group of QB's that says "must trade up to get him". And other "QB-loaded" drafts have come and gone with teams still finding their guy at picks 7 to 14-ish or so (going on fawlty memory...). 

So maybe nothing happens.

The only hope, IMO, is team desperation that overrides common sense and plops a trade-down plus extra picks into our laps.

Can we count on 1 of the Raiders, Falcons, or Panthers for that...? (it only takes one).

[RandyMarsh]

CBS just put out their latest mock and first that I've seen online since the Carter news broke and they have him sliding to 17 to the Steelers. Barring any other news coming out about the situation or him in general I'd say that's around where I'd peg him to go too, somewhere in the middle of the first. 

BTW they have the Colts trading up to 1 to grab Anthony Richardson. That makes no sense to me given the Colts current situation and Richardson's rawness. I think the Colts have a pretty solid squad and they'd be much better served taking a Stroud or Young(if they're not concerned about his size), they need somebody that can come in and help in the next couple years while they still have the squad they do. No need to waste that on a developmental QB who unless makes a monumental improvement is going to take a couple seasons until he contributes. 

To me the team that drafts Richardson either has to have a reliable QB in place or be in the opening stages of the rebuild and content with be being bad for a couple years. I don't think the Colts fit neither of those. 

[MichiganCardinal]

4 minutes ago, RandyMarsh said:

CBS just put out their latest mock and first that I've seen online since the Carter news broke and they have him sliding to 17 to the Steelers. Barring any other news coming out about the situation or him in general I'd say that's around where I'd peg him to go too, somewhere in the middle of the first. 

BTW they have the Colts trading up to 1 to grab Anthony Richardson. That makes no sense to me given the Colts current situation and Richardson's rawness. I think the Colts have a pretty solid squad and they'd be much better served taking a Stroud or Young(if they're not concerned about his size), they need somebody that can come in and help in the next couple years while they still have the squad they do. No need to waste that on a developmental QB who unless makes a monumental improvement is going to take a couple seasons until he contributes. 

To me the team that drafts Richardson either has to have a reliable QB in place or be in the opening stages of the rebuild and content with be being bad for a couple years. I don't think the Colts fit neither of those. 

Richardson makes zero sense for the Colts and I’ve got to toss the rest of that out because of it. It will be really interesting to see how far Carter slides though.

[buddha]

35 minutes ago, 1984Echoes said:

At first glance, I would say NO!

I don't see anything exceptional in this group of QB's that says "must trade up to get him". And other "QB-loaded" drafts have come and gone with teams still finding their guy at picks 7 to 14-ish or so (going on fawlty memory...). 

So maybe nothing happens.

The only hope, IMO, is team desperation that overrides common sense and plops a trade-down plus extra picks into our laps.

Can we count on 1 of the Raiders, Falcons, or Panthers for that...? (it only takes one).

who was the last qb who was a "must trade up to get him" qb?  trevor lawrence?  andrew luck?

guys who are "must trade up to get" dont get traded.  whomever has the pick takes a qb.  if caleb williams were in this draft the bears would be trading justin fields.

[Jason_R]

Was that two pages of debate about how people should respond if Goff is upset if the Lions pick a QB? Wow.

I still think it is more likely that Goff is the Lions QB on his 35th birthday than the Lions pick a QB on day 1 or 2. 

If they have to stick at 6, I have a hard time seeing them pick a CB. Still suspect they might surprise us by picking Skoronski if they stick at six. Yes it’s high for a guard but he will be a ten year starter. Also Decker’s contract ends after his age 33 season in 2025. That will be his tenth year. 

[buddha]

8 minutes ago, Jason_R said:

Was that two pages of debate about how people should respond if Goff is upset if the Lions pick a QB? Wow.

I still think it is more likely that Goff is the Lions QB on his 35th birthday than the Lions pick a QB on day 1 or 2. 

If they have to stick at 6, I have a hard time seeing them pick a CB. Still suspect they might surprise us by picking Skoronski if they stick at six. Yes it’s high for a guard but he will be a ten year starter. Also Decker’s contract ends after his age 33 season in 2025. That will be his tenth year. 

skoronski also provides cover in case decker or sewell get injured.

that said, #6 is REALLY high for a guard.  

like with jaymo last year, i think they will have a board with a number of "elite" talents on it.  if they have 10 or 12 names on that list and skoronski is there at 6 and is on that list, maybe they do take him?

[buddha]

i think this carter stuff hurts the bears' plans.  he was the perfect fit for their defense and they probably could have traded down to 4 and gotten either him or anderson.  if you think those two are the elite talents in the draft you probably want one of them.  but with carter maybe out of the mix (i'm still skeptical he'll fall that far), if the bears want anderson they might not be able to go lower than 3.  arizona will take him.

anything to hurt the bears is cool with me.  i hope they stay at 1 and take anderson.

[1984Echoes]

18 minutes ago, buddha said:

who was the last qb who was a "must trade up to get him" qb?  trevor lawrence?  andrew luck?

guys who are "must trade up to get" dont get traded.  whomever has the pick takes a qb.  if caleb williams were in this draft the bears would be trading justin fields.

I didn't look at last year's trades, but prior to that:

2021: 49'ers traded #12, 2022 1st and 3rd, and a 2023 1st to the Dolphins at #3 to select Trey Lance.

2021: Bears traded #20, 164, and a 2022 1st and 4th to the Giants at #11 to select Justin Fields.

2018: Jets traded #6, 37, 49 and a 2019 2nd to the Colts at #3 to select Sam Darnold.

2018: Bills traded #12, 53 & 56 to the Buc's at #7 to select Josh Allen (and #255).

2018: Cardinals traded #15, 79 and 152 to the Raiders at #10 to select Josh Rosen.

2017: Bears traded #3, 67, 111 and a 2018 3rd to the 49'ers for #2 to select Mitch Trubisky

2017: Chiefs traded 27, 91 and a 2018 1st to the Bills at # to select Patrick Mahomes

 

PS: Remember, it doesn't matter if the QB "IS" a must-trade-for QB, only that the trading team thinks that they MUST trade up to get their QB, whether the guy actually turns into a decent starter or not...

[buddha]

2 minutes ago, 1984Echoes said:

I didn't look at last year's trades, but prior to that:

2021: 49'ers traded #12, 2022 1st and 3rd, and a 2023 1st to the Dolphins at #3 to select Trey Lance.

2021: Bears traded #20, 164, and a 2022 1st and 4th to the Giants at #11 to select Justin Fields.

2018: Jets traded #6, 37, 49 and a 2019 2nd to the Colts at #3 to select Sam Darnold.

2018: Bills traded #12, 53 & 56 to the Buc's at #7 to select Josh Allen (and #255).

2018: Cardinals traded #15, 79 and 152 to the Raiders at #10 to select Josh Rosen.

2017: Bears traded #3, 67, 111 and a 2018 3rd to the 49'ers for #2 to select Mitch Trubisky

2017: Chiefs traded 27, 91 and a 2018 1st to the Bills at # to select Patrick Mahomes

 

PS: Remember, it doesn't matter if the QB "IS" a must-trade-for QB, only that the trading team thinks that they MUST trade up to get their QB, whether the guy actually turns into a decent starter or not...

youre just citing trade ups.

so your point was you dont think ANY of the qbs this year are worth it at all?  you dont think any team will do it?

[1984Echoes]

PS: Another year and I would've gotten to the Rams trade up for Goff and the Eagles trade up to get Wentz...

[MichiganCardinal]

15 minutes ago, buddha said:

skoronski also provides cover in case decker or sewell get injured.

that said, #6 is REALLY high for a guard.  

like with jaymo last year, i think they will have a board with a number of "elite" talents on it.  if they have 10 or 12 names on that list and skoronski is there at 6 and is on that list, maybe they do take him?

I think Skoronski would make a lot of sense if you don’t love the defensive players there. Immediate plug and play at guard and can move to RT when you move on from Decker. I think it would be a contender for the best offensive line in the NFL, if they can freaking stay healthy.

[MichiganCardinal]

16 minutes ago, buddha said:

i think this carter stuff hurts the bears' plans.  he was the perfect fit for their defense and they probably could have traded down to 4 and gotten either him or anderson.  if you think those two are the elite talents in the draft you probably want one of them.  but with carter maybe out of the mix (i'm still skeptical he'll fall that far), if the bears want anderson they might not be able to go lower than 3.  arizona will take him.

anything to hurt the bears is cool with me.  i hope they stay at 1 and take anderson.

How about if they drop to 4 and we jump to 3 and snipe Anderson?

[buddha]

Just now, MichiganCardinal said:

How about if they drop to 4 and we jump to 3 and snipe Anderson?

i have often thought about that.  

another wrinkle is that a lot of people might have wilson as elite given his measurables.

its funny, i see him compared to ziggy ansah a lot.

[1984Echoes]

Just now, buddha said:

youre just citing trade ups.

so your point was you dont think ANY of the qbs this year are worth it at all?  you dont think any team will do it?

I just don't see a reason to trade up for them. No, I don't think these QB's are worth it.

But that's me. What I think doesn't matter. If another team feels the need, then.... Will a team do it? Don't know. Chances... 50/50?

All the Lions need is a team to panic and give us picks because they feel they MUST do so.

From our end... we don't care about other teams' panic attacks.

But look at the Bears trade up for Trubinsky.

If the Raiders offered us, and Holmes accepted, this year's #7 and #70 (3rd rounder) plus next year's 2nd round pick because they panicked to get their guy (Levis or Richardson or whomever)... would you be upset about that? I certainly wouldn't... Now... we just need a team to panic for a QB, and give Holmes a call/ offer to trade...

We'll see what happens in the draft. Maybe nothing. I don't think these QB's are worth a trade up. But... we'll see.

[1984Echoes]

3 minutes ago, buddha said:

i have often thought about that.  

another wrinkle is that a lot of people might have wilson as elite given his measurables.

its funny, i see him compared to ziggy ansah a lot.

That's why I'm still on board with grabbing Wilson or Murphy (faster than Wilson but I'm not as clear on other athletic aspects/ production/ dominance etc...) at #6.

[MichiganCardinal]

9 minutes ago, buddha said:

i have often thought about that.  

another wrinkle is that a lot of people might have wilson as elite given his measurables.

its funny, i see him compared to ziggy ansah a lot.

I like Wilson a lot, but I think I see a lot of Travon Walker in him. Stare long enough at any prospect (Anderson here, Hutch last year), and you’ll manufacture flaws. Analytics matter, no doubt, but I don’t think they should necessarily overshadow the eye test and statistics.

If a team takes Wilson with Anderson on the board, which I think is a distinct possibility, I think they will regret that decision long-term.