1 - I kind of understand if people think I am overly optimistic when evaluating the draft class, but I think it makes the most sense to look constructive at it. Why not? I cannot change the outcome anyway, so I might as well try to look at it positively and see the added players as resources instead of more or less useless in the short term.
Also, I have always found it strange how many fans make late round picks into redundant and irrelevant. I mean, what?! Why don’t people want to try to upgrade their team? Yes, I am also aware that many late round rookies don’t become successful. I am not aware, though, of why that would make me shrug my shoulders and ignore the chances those picks give.
2 – It is very, very easy for me to say now, but I promise you that thought #12 in my combined review-and-preview column after day two (so the second one I deleted) was something like “Dadrion Taylor-Demerson. Remember that name.” It was because I got my eyes on him when watching the East-West Shrine practices, and then studied him some more after that. He is a great fit in a cover 2-system, and he is the type of player that could become a fan favorite. He will be productive from the start.
3 – Nick Saban called Max Melton his sleeper CB in this draft. When Saban says things like that, I just trust it blindly.
4 – My favorite day three-choice was Xavier Thomas. I studied quite a lot about him in the months leading up to the draft, since his profile and play in the past made him very interesting. What made me prefer other edge rushers was his injury history and short arms (that’s kind of a big deal to me), as well as him being a few years older rookie. Those things combined made me question his developmental potential. However, just last season he showed flashes of great pass rush several times, and the injuries have not taken away his burst, agility and athleticism. I see this pick as this years “Michael Wilson”-pick in that it is a very talented player that has been held back by injuries and just need more stability to become a great rotational player. I expect him to be Ojulari’s backup as the SAM linebacker (edge rusher in their 5-1 defense).
5 – The only thing I know about Tejhuan Palmer is that Mel Kiper and Field Yates have brought him up several times on their weekly draft podcast as a guy to keep an eye on. Also, it means something to me that Drew Terrell (WR coach) was the OC for Palmer at the East-West Shrine Bowl, and thus have almost a week-long impression of him as a player.
6 – For a long time before the draft, I really wanted to like Elijah Jones more than I did, and in my mock draft game, I tried more than once to convince myself that I could defend a pick of him (I never succeeded, by the way). It was because I have seen Jones play at a high level several times, but he doesn’t strike me at all as a Gannon-type, and that makes me question the pick a bit. He is not big enough, strong enough, or play aggressively enough. However, that also makes me wonder what the reason behind the pick might be, and one option I can think of is to have him bulk up. He has the body type for it, and if he can gain maybe 15 pounds, my opinion changes. He certainly has the playing style to fit into a zone-heavy system, so the question is if he can develop into playing that way against bigger and stronger opponents – like a Gannon-CB usually is required to.
7 – The edge rush room looks very scary, but to evaluate it correctly, you need to understand the Cards’ defensive line-scheme. In the box, they primarily use either a 4-2 formation or a 5-1 formation. In the 4-2, the primary edge rushers will be Ojulari and Darius Robinson. In the 5-1, Robinson will most likely line up between the guard and tackle and have one edge rusher next to him. It is in that formation that the edge rush options worry me. Ojulari had a better rookie season than many fans know, but who rush from the other side? As I mentioned earlier, I feel pretty sure that Xavier Thomas will back up Ojulari, and I think that L.J. Collier will back up Robinson. That leaves Zaven Collins, Dimukeje, Gardeck, and Tyreke Smith for the last 5-1 edge rush position. I mean, I guess we can hang our hat on Collins having learned his new position last season, and now will become an All Pro?
So, the gist is that I would have drafted an edge rusher more. Either Adisa Isaac instead of Elijah Jones (Isaac went three picks later), or someone instead of Jaden Davis in the seventh round. I don’t understand the Davis-pick, and I think there were intriguing options on the board. Michigan’s Jaylen Harrell would have been a wonderful fit. The athletic freak Myles Cole would have been a major upside-pick, or it could have been one of either Gabriel Murphy or Braiden McGregor, both of whom went undrafted. My point being that there were options to improve the edge rush.
8 – Tip Reiman was born to play in Petzing’s offensive scheme. You’ll see.
9 – I had never heard about Xavier Weaver before they signed him as a UDFA. Since then, I have researched a bit about him, and it turns out that he has many of the characteristics of a return guy. Maybe they signed him with the goal that he could become the primary returner. Though I am not sure what impact the new rules will have in reality, I do know that the return game will be more important than ever.
The alternative option is that they signed Weaver with the genuine hope that he can become a #4 or #5 WR. Ossenfort said in one of the press conferences that late round draftees and the undrafted guys pretty much had the same draft grade. I assume that means that one of the – reportedly – most attractive WR in the undrafted free agency – who just got the biggest guaranteed contract of all UDFA’s - are basically on equal terms- and level with Tejhuan Palmer.
10 – Myles Murphy is a very interesting UDFA signing, especially because plays a position where there (in my opinion) is a big need. He is another guy that caught my attention at the East-West Shrine Bowl where he showed glimpses of dominant play in the practice sessions and was arguably his teams’ best defender in the game. He is primarily a run stuffer but is not completely incapable of pass rushing. His lack of numbers at North Carolina is mostly because of how he has been used in ways that doesn’t give him many chances for being disruptive, and for that same reason it was very positive to see that side of him too. He fits the type required for a defensive lineman in the Cards’ system, and I don’t consider it impossible that he can beat out the likes of Roy Lopez, Phil Hoskins, Ben Stille, and who else they used last season.
Bonus thought - I like this draft. Outside of Harrison, I don’t see potential for much starpower, but it is a very, very solid draft. Hopefully I am wrong, and some of the draftees turn out to be great, but at least I expect up to 8-9 of them to contribute already this season – in smaller or bigger roles. This is how you built a successful team.
Also, I have always found it strange how many fans make late round picks into redundant and irrelevant. I mean, what?! Why don’t people want to try to upgrade their team? Yes, I am also aware that many late round rookies don’t become successful. I am not aware, though, of why that would make me shrug my shoulders and ignore the chances those picks give.
2 – It is very, very easy for me to say now, but I promise you that thought #12 in my combined review-and-preview column after day two (so the second one I deleted) was something like “Dadrion Taylor-Demerson. Remember that name.” It was because I got my eyes on him when watching the East-West Shrine practices, and then studied him some more after that. He is a great fit in a cover 2-system, and he is the type of player that could become a fan favorite. He will be productive from the start.
3 – Nick Saban called Max Melton his sleeper CB in this draft. When Saban says things like that, I just trust it blindly.
4 – My favorite day three-choice was Xavier Thomas. I studied quite a lot about him in the months leading up to the draft, since his profile and play in the past made him very interesting. What made me prefer other edge rushers was his injury history and short arms (that’s kind of a big deal to me), as well as him being a few years older rookie. Those things combined made me question his developmental potential. However, just last season he showed flashes of great pass rush several times, and the injuries have not taken away his burst, agility and athleticism. I see this pick as this years “Michael Wilson”-pick in that it is a very talented player that has been held back by injuries and just need more stability to become a great rotational player. I expect him to be Ojulari’s backup as the SAM linebacker (edge rusher in their 5-1 defense).
5 – The only thing I know about Tejhuan Palmer is that Mel Kiper and Field Yates have brought him up several times on their weekly draft podcast as a guy to keep an eye on. Also, it means something to me that Drew Terrell (WR coach) was the OC for Palmer at the East-West Shrine Bowl, and thus have almost a week-long impression of him as a player.
6 – For a long time before the draft, I really wanted to like Elijah Jones more than I did, and in my mock draft game, I tried more than once to convince myself that I could defend a pick of him (I never succeeded, by the way). It was because I have seen Jones play at a high level several times, but he doesn’t strike me at all as a Gannon-type, and that makes me question the pick a bit. He is not big enough, strong enough, or play aggressively enough. However, that also makes me wonder what the reason behind the pick might be, and one option I can think of is to have him bulk up. He has the body type for it, and if he can gain maybe 15 pounds, my opinion changes. He certainly has the playing style to fit into a zone-heavy system, so the question is if he can develop into playing that way against bigger and stronger opponents – like a Gannon-CB usually is required to.
7 – The edge rush room looks very scary, but to evaluate it correctly, you need to understand the Cards’ defensive line-scheme. In the box, they primarily use either a 4-2 formation or a 5-1 formation. In the 4-2, the primary edge rushers will be Ojulari and Darius Robinson. In the 5-1, Robinson will most likely line up between the guard and tackle and have one edge rusher next to him. It is in that formation that the edge rush options worry me. Ojulari had a better rookie season than many fans know, but who rush from the other side? As I mentioned earlier, I feel pretty sure that Xavier Thomas will back up Ojulari, and I think that L.J. Collier will back up Robinson. That leaves Zaven Collins, Dimukeje, Gardeck, and Tyreke Smith for the last 5-1 edge rush position. I mean, I guess we can hang our hat on Collins having learned his new position last season, and now will become an All Pro?
So, the gist is that I would have drafted an edge rusher more. Either Adisa Isaac instead of Elijah Jones (Isaac went three picks later), or someone instead of Jaden Davis in the seventh round. I don’t understand the Davis-pick, and I think there were intriguing options on the board. Michigan’s Jaylen Harrell would have been a wonderful fit. The athletic freak Myles Cole would have been a major upside-pick, or it could have been one of either Gabriel Murphy or Braiden McGregor, both of whom went undrafted. My point being that there were options to improve the edge rush.
8 – Tip Reiman was born to play in Petzing’s offensive scheme. You’ll see.
9 – I had never heard about Xavier Weaver before they signed him as a UDFA. Since then, I have researched a bit about him, and it turns out that he has many of the characteristics of a return guy. Maybe they signed him with the goal that he could become the primary returner. Though I am not sure what impact the new rules will have in reality, I do know that the return game will be more important than ever.
The alternative option is that they signed Weaver with the genuine hope that he can become a #4 or #5 WR. Ossenfort said in one of the press conferences that late round draftees and the undrafted guys pretty much had the same draft grade. I assume that means that one of the – reportedly – most attractive WR in the undrafted free agency – who just got the biggest guaranteed contract of all UDFA’s - are basically on equal terms- and level with Tejhuan Palmer.
10 – Myles Murphy is a very interesting UDFA signing, especially because plays a position where there (in my opinion) is a big need. He is another guy that caught my attention at the East-West Shrine Bowl where he showed glimpses of dominant play in the practice sessions and was arguably his teams’ best defender in the game. He is primarily a run stuffer but is not completely incapable of pass rushing. His lack of numbers at North Carolina is mostly because of how he has been used in ways that doesn’t give him many chances for being disruptive, and for that same reason it was very positive to see that side of him too. He fits the type required for a defensive lineman in the Cards’ system, and I don’t consider it impossible that he can beat out the likes of Roy Lopez, Phil Hoskins, Ben Stille, and who else they used last season.
Bonus thought - I like this draft. Outside of Harrison, I don’t see potential for much starpower, but it is a very, very solid draft. Hopefully I am wrong, and some of the draftees turn out to be great, but at least I expect up to 8-9 of them to contribute already this season – in smaller or bigger roles. This is how you built a successful team.
I love this kid.
