1 - Isaiah Simmons: ”you only get 53 on a roster and I feel like if you draft me you've got 56."
2 – George Kittle had a bad night.
3 – The closer we got to the pick, the more I realized I wanted Simmons. It is like the ultimate test. When Goodell announced the Panthers’ pick, what name do you want him to say? When he announce the Cards’ pick, who do you want him to say? I wanted Derrick Brown or Simmons – and don’t get me wrong, I would have been thrilled with Brown – but that exact moment is where you separate your wishes.
4 – Simmons has the potential to transform the defense. They already has superstars on the roster, and Simmons could be yet another transcendent chess piece. I am not at all as critical of Vance Joseph as many others on this board, but I think it is fair to say that he doesn’t really have any excuses now.
5 – I thought it was kind of “interesting” that the Cards picked their linebacker (stay with me, we can discuss his position later), and later the Seahawks pick the linebacker Kingsbury recruited and developed at Texas Tech.
6 – Personality means something to me. I don’t like to have idiots on my favorite team (though, if they are great players I can accept it), and Simmons just seems like a very bright and respectful young man. Sure, these prospects are trained to handle the media, but some still seem more genuine than others.
7 – The first thing every quarterback is going to do when he gets to the line of scrimmage is to find out where Simmons is.
8 – Did you see Kingsbury chilling in his couch? In his own completely different way he is not much less cool than Arians.
9 – I am just going to shamelessly quote myself from my two pre-draft posts: “Simmons out of Clemson is the most exciting prospect in this class. Not necessarily who I want the most, but the most electrifying. Positionless players are the new trend in the NFL, and this guy can pretty much line up in any defensive position.” – “Isaiah Simmons, linebacker, Clemson (the first thing any quarterback will look after, when he gets to the line of scrimmage, is where Simmons are. Could be cool to have a unique quarterback, that the league has never seen before, and a unique defender, that the league has never seen before.”
10 – And to my point in that quote, for the first time since I became a fan in 2008 (or 2007? Don’t remember) I suppose the Cards will be must-watch-TV for the common NFL fan.
11 – I was not at all surprised he lasted until #8. Barring someone trading up, I expected only the Giants or Panthers to be a risk to take him, and really it was probably only the Panthers I was really in doubt with.
12 – Did you read the praise from Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney about Simmons? Granted, he probably has not been asked since, but the last time I heard him talk that glowingly about a player it was Deshaun Watson.
13 – To me, Daryl Washington is the perfect comparison. And Washington was highly dominant on that defense.
14 – Was it Jeff Gollin who asked if you would be more willing to trade future picks because of the uncertainty of the season? I am sorry if it was someone else. I think it is a highly interesting point. Or would you be even more hesitant to do it, knowing that it can be extremely difficult to scout the players next season, simply because there might not be any games?
15 – My board from now would be something like this, but I am not trading up for anyone else than Niang (yeah, I would not mind some help on the lines):
Offensive tackle Lucas Niang, TCU
Offensive tackle Matt Peart, UConn
Defensive tackle Ross Blacklock, TCU
Defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M
Defensive tackle Raekwon Davis, Alabama
Cornerback Cameron Dantzler, Mississippi State
Center Matt Hennessy, Temple
Offensive tackle Robert Hunt, Louisiana
Edge rusher Darrell Taylor, Tennessee (but no, go for Clowney)
Safety Antoine Winfield, Minnesota
2 – George Kittle had a bad night.
3 – The closer we got to the pick, the more I realized I wanted Simmons. It is like the ultimate test. When Goodell announced the Panthers’ pick, what name do you want him to say? When he announce the Cards’ pick, who do you want him to say? I wanted Derrick Brown or Simmons – and don’t get me wrong, I would have been thrilled with Brown – but that exact moment is where you separate your wishes.
4 – Simmons has the potential to transform the defense. They already has superstars on the roster, and Simmons could be yet another transcendent chess piece. I am not at all as critical of Vance Joseph as many others on this board, but I think it is fair to say that he doesn’t really have any excuses now.
5 – I thought it was kind of “interesting” that the Cards picked their linebacker (stay with me, we can discuss his position later), and later the Seahawks pick the linebacker Kingsbury recruited and developed at Texas Tech.
6 – Personality means something to me. I don’t like to have idiots on my favorite team (though, if they are great players I can accept it), and Simmons just seems like a very bright and respectful young man. Sure, these prospects are trained to handle the media, but some still seem more genuine than others.
7 – The first thing every quarterback is going to do when he gets to the line of scrimmage is to find out where Simmons is.
8 – Did you see Kingsbury chilling in his couch? In his own completely different way he is not much less cool than Arians.
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9 – I am just going to shamelessly quote myself from my two pre-draft posts: “Simmons out of Clemson is the most exciting prospect in this class. Not necessarily who I want the most, but the most electrifying. Positionless players are the new trend in the NFL, and this guy can pretty much line up in any defensive position.” – “Isaiah Simmons, linebacker, Clemson (the first thing any quarterback will look after, when he gets to the line of scrimmage, is where Simmons are. Could be cool to have a unique quarterback, that the league has never seen before, and a unique defender, that the league has never seen before.”
10 – And to my point in that quote, for the first time since I became a fan in 2008 (or 2007? Don’t remember) I suppose the Cards will be must-watch-TV for the common NFL fan.
11 – I was not at all surprised he lasted until #8. Barring someone trading up, I expected only the Giants or Panthers to be a risk to take him, and really it was probably only the Panthers I was really in doubt with.
12 – Did you read the praise from Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney about Simmons? Granted, he probably has not been asked since, but the last time I heard him talk that glowingly about a player it was Deshaun Watson.
13 – To me, Daryl Washington is the perfect comparison. And Washington was highly dominant on that defense.
14 – Was it Jeff Gollin who asked if you would be more willing to trade future picks because of the uncertainty of the season? I am sorry if it was someone else. I think it is a highly interesting point. Or would you be even more hesitant to do it, knowing that it can be extremely difficult to scout the players next season, simply because there might not be any games?
15 – My board from now would be something like this, but I am not trading up for anyone else than Niang (yeah, I would not mind some help on the lines):
Offensive tackle Lucas Niang, TCU
Offensive tackle Matt Peart, UConn
Defensive tackle Ross Blacklock, TCU
Defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M
Defensive tackle Raekwon Davis, Alabama
Cornerback Cameron Dantzler, Mississippi State
Center Matt Hennessy, Temple
Offensive tackle Robert Hunt, Louisiana
Edge rusher Darrell Taylor, Tennessee (but no, go for Clowney)
Safety Antoine Winfield, Minnesota
