2021 NFL Draft Thread and Discussion

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

I’m going to post some notable signings. Players that I liked and think can definitely make the 53 mam roster and some point help their respective teams.

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

POOKA WILLIAMS
RB, CINCINNATI BENGALS

Bengals signed Kansas RB Pooka Williams.

Williams (5/9/175) was a four-star recruit and three-year starter for the inept Jayhawks. His best season was as a freshman when he posted a 161-1,125-9 rushing line (7.0 YPC) and caught 33 passes, but Williams has been an inconsistent producer since. He averaged 3.8 yards per carry in his final season, a campaign that ended with a midseason COVID-19 opt out. Williams is a speed-only player (4.42 forty) with the hands to operate on passing downs if he’s given a chance. He’s battled various injuries throughout his college career and was suspended after being charged with domestic battery for assaulting his girlfriend.

May 1, 2021, 7:03 PM ET

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

TAMORRION TERRY
WR, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Seahawks signed Florida State WR Tamorrion Terry.

Terry (6'2/207) initially turned heads with 21.3 YPC and eight touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2018 before breaking out with 60/1,188/9 the following year. He struggled in 2020 (23/289/1) and chose to opt out after six games but did record a 4.45 40-time and register in the 59th percentile in explosion drills at Florida State's pro day as a larger athlete. Assuming his final year was merely an anomoly, Terry flashes the upside to be a more dynamic version of Marquez Valdes-Scantling on the boundary.

May 1, 2021, 7:05 PM ET

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

MARVIN WILSON
DT, CLEVELAND BROWNS

Browns signed Florida State DT Marvin Wilson.

Wilson gets a $30K signing bonus as a priority UDFA. A heralded five-star prospect, Wilson (6’4/303) was rated the number one prospect in the state of Texas, sixth overall nationally from the 2017 freshman class and 171st all-time according to 247Sports. After a freshman year apprenticeship where he adjusted to the pace of the collegiate game, Wilson broke out in a big way as a sophomore, registering 553 snaps, 34 pressures, 25 stops, 42 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 12 games as he earned honorable mention All-ACC recognition. His development peaked in 2019 when he posted 44 tackles, 5.0 sacks and four PBU while being named as a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award. However Wilson took a demonstrable step back in 2020, recording just one sack and 10 pressures while experiencing a PFF defensive grade drop from 90.7 in 2019 to a 67.7 mark last year. His performance drop is evident on tape, as Wilson looked noticeably bigger which may have sapped some of the quickness and athleticism that made him special. His lack of special physical traits showed up at his pro day workout as well with a brutal 25.5 vertical jump, 4.91 shuttle and 23 bench reps, for an underwhelming 4.99 RAS. Wilson has vice grip like strength in his hands and brandishes a commendable toolbox of pass rush moves with good closing speed. Wilson is a war daddy type player.

May 1, 2021, 6:53 PM ET

[Pattersonca65]

Draft grades mean very little at this stage but what the heck. San Franc earned respectable grades from Walter Football and PFF. LOL, at the Seahawks. WalterFootball gave them an F

https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2021-nfl-draft-grades-all-32-teams
https://walterfootball.com/nfldraftgradesteam.php

[49er4life1979]

Outside of the 3rd pick I can't really speak for the rest of the class but I did mostly love the direction they took.

Both the offensive line and secondary needed an infusion of talent and depth and that's what they did.

I'm glad they actually invested a serious pick into an offensive guard position instead of dumpster diving that they've been doing since 2017. Whether it was the right player or not remains to be seen but I'll give them an A for actually investing in it.

Also feels like Shanahan is gearing up a 2.0 version of his offense especially his running attack. Seems like they are trying to add some more power with the line so they'll hold up better in pass protection and we might see some more inside runs. Plus with Lance on the team we won't be the Ravens or anything but Kyle is going to want to run Lance enough that defense have to respect him as a threat to run.

Can't say I'm a fan of drafting two running backs though. I didn't love the Trey Sermon pick but I don't hate it either. Some really good backs come out of the 3rd round and having a back with enough talent to get drafted is a plus considering the backfield was entirely UDFAs. And unfortunately need of the backs on the roster could handle a serious work load without getting hurt so some quality depth was needed.

Overall really looking forward seeing the offense over the course of the next two season to see how it's going to work and pan out.

Aaron Banks was the best G I believe. A monster who can do it all. Very quick for his size. And he's pretty close with and learned a lot from Quenton Nelson. I am not sure about the two RBs. We needed a slot receiver. So I guess Richie James it is. Unless they find an UFA.

[Cactus Jack]

LOL, at the Seahawks. WalterFootball gave them an F

https://walterfootball.com/nfldraftgradesteam.php

2021 NFL Draft Accomplishments: So much for trading down and addressing the big needs on the offensive and defensive lines! Seattle failed to do that in the second round, refusing to budge off No. 56. Rather than addressing the trenches there, the Seahawks spent the pick on a third receiver.

This was a horrific decision because it prevented the Seahawks from walking away from the 2021 NFL Draft with upgrades on their lines. They at least traded down when they were on the clock with their second pick. They added a cornerback, which addressed a need, but they didn't touch the trenches until the 200s when they selected Stone Forsythe.

This draft was a failure. Russell Wilson will continue to run for his life despite begging for blocking help earlier in the offseason. The defensive line, meanwhile, won't be able to pressure opposing quarterbacks or stop the run.

This guy is so out of touch. Worst take yet.

The team addressed offensive line (Gabe Jackson) & defensive line (Carlos Dunlap, Kerry Hyder, Aldon Smith) in Free agency for the most part.

Could they have taken a Center? Sure. But, they had bigger needs (CB & WR). Both we're addressed with their first two picks.

Outside of Metcalf & Lockett, they had no depth at receiver. They we're in desperate need of a third receiver.

CB is still a concern. But, they got a decent one in the 4th round.

Most had the LT Stone Forsythe, projected to go much earlier then where he fell. Great value pick.

Draft grades are typically worthless. Because most of these "experts" don't actually have a clue. They gave Seattle an "F" for the Wilson/Wagner draft.

[CrimsonCrew]

LOL, at the Seahawks. WalterFootball gave them an F

https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2021-nfl-draft-grades-all-32-teams
https://walterfootball.com/nfldraftgradesteam.php

2021 NFL Draft Accomplishments: So much for trading down and addressing the big needs on the offensive and defensive lines! Seattle failed to do that in the second round, refusing to budge off No. 56. Rather than addressing the trenches there, the Seahawks spent the pick on a third receiver.

This was a horrific decision because it prevented the Seahawks from walking away from the 2021 NFL Draft with upgrades on their lines. They at least traded down when they were on the clock with their second pick. They added a cornerback, which addressed a need, but they didn't touch the trenches until the 200s when they selected Stone Forsythe.

This draft was a failure. Russell Wilson will continue to run for his life despite begging for blocking help earlier in the offseason. The defensive line, meanwhile, won't be able to pressure opposing quarterbacks or stop the run.

This guy is so out of touch. Worst take yet.

The team addressed offensive line (Gabe Jackson) & defensive line (Carlos Dunlap, Kerry Hyder, Aldon Smith) in Free agency for the most part.

Could they have taken a Center? Sure. But, they had bigger needs (CB & WR). Both we're addressed with their first two picks.

Outside of Metcalf & Lockett, they had no depth at receiver. They we're in desperate need of a third receiver.

CB is still a concern. But, they got a decent one in the 4th round.

Most had the LT Stone Forsythe, projected to go much earlier then where he fell. Great value pick.

Draft grades are typically worthless. Because most of these "experts" don't actually have a clue. They gave Seattle an "F" for the Wilson/Wagner draft.

It's not at all unreasonable to ding the Hawks for failing to address the trenches. They were needs, and remain one, though the OL is in better shape than it has been in past years when the Hawks have been very competitive, and they didn't have nearly enough picks to address all their needs (then again, who does?). I don't know how effectively bringing back Dunlap (who is still a solid player, but was part of an underachieving line overall last year), adding Hyder (who is solid but not a "plus" starter), and adding Aldon Smith (who may have played his last game in the NFL after his most recent legal troubles) move the needle for the DL. Especially as they lost Reed. Sure, there's a strong argument for Dunlap over Reed, especially at the price points, but you're still losing a starting DT who is capable of generating inside pressure.

But giving them an F for not taking a specific position with a specific pick is dumb. As said, draft grades the week after are a silly practice - even though I eat them up every year. It's just a fun thing, but ultimately the grades don't mean anything of substance. Especially coming from some of the sources. At least PFF has something of a system behind it. A lot of the others are really just worthless.

[Cactus Jack]

It's not at all unreasonable to ding the Hawks for failing to address the trenches. They were needs, and remain one, though the OL is in better shape than it has been in past years when the Hawks have been very competitive, and they didn't have nearly enough picks to address all their needs (then again, who does?). I don't know how effectively bringing back Dunlap (who is still a solid player, but was part of an underachieving line overall last year), adding Hyder (who is solid but not a "plus" starter), and adding Aldon Smith (who may have played his last game in the NFL after his most recent legal troubles) move the needle for the DL. Especially as they lost Reed. Sure, there's a strong argument for Dunlap over Reed, especially at the price points, but you're still losing a starting DT who is capable of generating inside pressure.

But giving them an F for not taking a specific position with a specific pick is dumb. As said, draft grades the week after are a silly practice - even though I eat them up every year. It's just a fun thing, but ultimately the grades don't mean anything of substance. Especially coming from some of the sources. At least PFF has something of a system behind it. A lot of the others are really just worthless.

The one position on the o-line that they could still upgrade is Center. But again, I'm not gonna fault them for it due to the lack of draft capital as you pointed out.

As for the d-line? It's not elite by any means. But they have a solid rotation of guys. Dunlap was acquired midseason & played great for the most part after he arrived. Their 2nd round pick last year (Darrell Taylor) missed the entire season to injury. So they expect him to have an impact. Hyder was a solid move & should help out. They also have rotational guys like Benson Mayowa & Alton Robinson (Impressive rookie). They might need to add another piece, assuming Aldon misses some time. They actually have decent depth on the interior. So it's not really a huge concern.

It's totally understandable that they get knocked for having a lack of picks. But they addressed clear needs with each pick. PFF gave them a C. Which I think is fair.

[CrimsonCrew]

Figured I'd give my overall thoughts on the draft.

At the end of the day, one decision will make or break this draft, obviously, and that's Trey Lance. I think there's a very strong argument the Niners gave up more than they had to to get him. Lynch and Shanahan showed once again that when they want a guy, they will do whatever it takes to get him. They wanted to draft the third QB, so of course they traded up to three. If they had waited and kind of read the room a bit, I think they definitely could have gotten Lance at six, and very possibly later - though if he was their clear favorite, I wouldn't have endorsed waiting much past that.

But, as others have said in this thread, at the end of the day, if Lance is a pro bowl or HOF player, it won't really matter that they threw in an extra first-round pick to get him. I went through my thoughts on Lance earlier in the thread. I'm starting to review some of the stuff out there on him - watching some of his games again, reviewing some of the analysis. I listened to the Cosell interview again, and he preferred Lance to Fields because of his processing. It's pretty clear Shanahan and Lynch, who both know the game a hell of a lot better than me, felt that way, too. Accuracy can be improved upon, and as Warner mentioned in his review of Lance, his inaccuracy seemed to correspond a bit with getting bouncy in the pocket. If he can quiet his feet down, he could become an accurate QB. When he was on, he threw a pretty ball. And the FO had the inside word on his mechanics through Beck. So I'm hoping for the best. Certainly he will allow Shanahan to draw up some pretty amazing stuff, and we will be able to threaten absolutely every part of the field between the QB run game and his deep passing ability.

I'm not crazy about the Banks pick in the second, though at least we traded back before making it (though I was crushed when Samuel went one pick before him). Banks has some athletic limitations, though he seems to be a better scheme fit than his measurables suggest. He's experienced and pretty refined as a player, but there were a number of defensive players I wanted that went immediately before or after him, and there were a couple interior OL I would have taken over him. RG was a HUGE problem for us last year, and undermined a lot of what we wanted to do on offense, so I'm glad we attacked the position (PFF likes to say that you're only as strong as your weakest link on the OL, and I think there's a lot of truth to that), but I hope the FO is being sincere when they say he was their top-ranked guy, but I find it a little hard to believe, and I hope this isn't another miss on a ND OL. An OG taken in the second round should be a day one starter and at least a solid player, if not more.

I hate that we traded two fourth-round picks for Sermon, or any RB. I haven't watched a ton of Sermon's games, but I generally like what he brings to the table. He's got good size and speed, though he's not elite in either. He has experience playing alongside a running QB, and running option zone-read stuff. He wasn't used a ton to catch the ball, but it seems like he can do that. And he ended the year strong. But he's also got some injury concerns, and this team has done such a good job finding value at the RB position that the trade up on that position stings. Hopefully he'll be an impact player, though.

I don't have strong feelings about Thomas as a player, but obviously we desperately needed the address the position, and Thomas has some things going for him. The hope is that he has a nice upside and represents good value due to his opt-out year. Particularly in this draft, this is around the spot when I'm not as concerned with finding "value," because I think draft boards were probably just all over the place. I'm also very pleased that we double-dipped at the CB position, even though Lenoir profiles more as a slot CB at the next level. We need multiple players this year at CB and possibly next year to maintain competitiveness, as we went into this draft with only three competent players at the position.

Along those lines, I'm glad we double-dipped at OL, and I wouldn't be shocked if Moore turns out to be a better pick than Banks in the long run. He's athletic, and though he'll have to adjust to playing inside, I think he has the tools to do it at a fairly high level.

I'm not terribly confident Hufanga makes the team, but he seems like an A+ sort of person who can't really be a bad add at that spot in the draft. Particularly in a year with so many unknowns. He's got a good shot of being a very good STs player, and possibly more, so we'll see. His athletic testing was all over the map, which is a bit odd. 62nd percent three-cone, but 12th percent short shuttle. 89th percent broad jump, 50th vertical. 12th percent bench. 20-yard split at the 47th percentile, but 10 and 40 in the teens. And Mitchell seems like a solid late-round flyer who could become the next Mostert in our scheme, though taking another RB is a bit of a head-scratcher. Mostert and Wilson are on notice.

As others have mentioned, the biggest question coming out of the draft is the failure to address WR. WR is a very important position in today's NFL, and we have got to have one of the thinnest groups in the league. Our two starters look solid, but one of them is always hurt and we have nothing behind them. James has flashed at times, but there's no consistency there. You can't feel good about him at the third receiver spot. There's basically nothing behind him unless Hurd is healthy and plays well, and I just don't see how anyone can rely on that. I don't even know how the depth chart shakes out behind those guys, but if River Cracraft is getting meaningful snaps, we're in a heap of trouble. And this draft was chock full of speedy, shifty slot types who can also threaten downfield with speed. It's a position we desperately need, and there were literally like 15 or 20 guys in that mold who look to have some talent. I actually really like the Watkins UDFA signing, and think he has a good shot of making the roster and even assuming the Bourne role, but even in Bourne's case - which is basically a best-case scenario for Watkins - you don't want that guy to be your #2 (unless you're Bill Belichick).

I saw Dodub and sack12 arguing about the merit of taking a WR in the later rounds, and as much as I frequently agree with Dodub, I don't get the argument here. after the top-two, our WR room is a steaming pile of trash. The Hawks - who have a better top-two than we do - were aggressive about adding more, using their first pick on a WR and snagging two UDFAs including one that many had as the top undrafted WR. The Rams used a high pick on at best a third WR. We're in some trouble there, and we didn't add a TE who could supplement our receiving group as a pass catcher, or a talented receiving back. The good news is that WR is pretty flush in the league, so there will be some solid players who get cut and we can hopefully scoop one up.

I was also pretty bummed that Baltimore used their last pick on FB Ben Mason from Michigan. He's the closest FB we've seen to Juszczyk in a while, and it would have been really nice to get younger and, more importantly, cheaper at that position. I really think if Baltimore had passed (we had already used our last pick), that Mason could have gone undrafted. So few teams still use the position. Too bad.

Anyway, overall, I'm really excited to see what Shanahan can with with Lance. And I really hope he can leave his accuracy issues behind him.

[CrimsonCrew]

Great breakdown of basically the whole draft (except Lenoir) by Greg Cosell on KNBR. Go here and scroll down. It was on 5/3.

https://www.knbr.com/podcasts/

Cosell is quite positive about their draft overall. Likes Banks quite a bit, which is something of a relief, and really likes both RBs.

[I_am_1z]

Great breakdown of basically the whole draft (except Lenoir) by Greg Cosell on KNBR. Go here and scroll down. It was on 5/3.

https://www.knbr.com/podcasts/

Cosell is quite positive about their draft overall. Likes Banks quite a bit, which is something of a relief, and really likes both RBs.

I thought Trey Sermon was the best RB in the draft with Javonte Williams in close 2nd.

I would be more excited about the pick, if it weren't for Shanahan playing favorites. Hopefully, Sermon will test well on those pregame quizzes.

[Scoots1994]

Great breakdown of basically the whole draft (except Lenoir) by Greg Cosell on KNBR. Go here and scroll down. It was on 5/3.

https://www.knbr.com/podcasts/

Cosell is quite positive about their draft overall. Likes Banks quite a bit, which is something of a relief, and really likes both RBs.

I thought Trey Sermon was the best RB in the draft with Javonte Williams in close 2nd.

I would be more excited about the pick, if it weren't for Shanahan playing favorites. Hopefully, Sermon will test well on those pregame quizzes.

It's best for Sermon's longevity to not be out there every snap, but I think he won't be out there hardly at all if he doesn't nail his protections.

[CalamityX12]

Great breakdown of basically the whole draft (except Lenoir) by Greg Cosell on KNBR. Go here and scroll down. It was on 5/3.

https://www.knbr.com/podcasts/

Cosell is quite positive about their draft overall. Likes Banks quite a bit, which is something of a relief, and really likes both RBs.

I thought Trey Sermon was the best RB in the draft with Javonte Williams in close 2nd.

I would be more excited about the pick, if it weren't for Shanahan playing favorites. Hopefully, Sermon will test well on those pregame quizzes.

It's best for Sermon's longevity to not be out there every snap, but I think he won't be out there hardly at all if he doesn't nail his protections.

Makes the pick feel even more useless

[Scoots1994]

Crap TE draft, but I do wonder what kind of a step up the TE group is going to take just based on experience because I don't think it's going to change.

Shanahan's historically have invested at C more than G so an early pick there was a surprise. I could see them trying to find a super cheap C every year while continuing to run with vets toward the end of their careers until one of their C projects comes through. Jake Brendel is the only project on the roster at C right now and he doesn't feel like he's got much upside.

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Great breakdown of basically the whole draft (except Lenoir) by Greg Cosell on KNBR. Go here and scroll down. It was on 5/3.

https://www.knbr.com/podcasts/

Cosell is quite positive about their draft overall. Likes Banks quite a bit, which is something of a relief, and really likes both RBs.

The crowd’s reaction when the Commish announced the Trey Lance pick was priceless. You can sense the shock, disbelief, and happiness coming from all of football fans that were there.

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

...

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Great breakdown of basically the whole draft (except Lenoir) by Greg Cosell on KNBR. Go here and scroll down. It was on 5/3.

https://www.knbr.com/podcasts/

Cosell is quite positive about their draft overall. Likes Banks quite a bit, which is something of a relief, and really likes both RBs.

I thought Trey Sermon was the best RB in the draft with Javonte Williams in close 2nd.

I would be more excited about the pick, if it weren't for Shanahan playing favorites. Hopefully, Sermon will test well on those pregame quizzes.

It's best for Sermon's longevity to not be out there every snap, but I think he won't be out there hardly at all if he doesn't nail his protections.

Traded away not one, but 2, fourth round picks is what stinks about that pick. To add salt to injury, I strongly believe that UNC’s Michael Carter is a much better player for us (running and catching) in this scheme. He also has more tread in his tires. Sermon’s body seems to be breaking down already, he’s not a bad RB at all. I just don’t think he was worth the price we paid for him. Overall I give us a C- grade based on how we managed the draft overall. The only reason why we passed is because of Trey Lance.

IMO, this is how we should’ve managed the draft with the two 4th round picks we had:

1.) Justin Fields (but Lance is not a bad prospect for us either)

2.) Rondale Moore (1 ch) or Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

3.) Elijah Molden (1st choice) or Michael Carter

4.) Jabil Cox (1 ch, depending on who we drafted in Rd 2 between Moore and JOK) or Jaylon Moore

4.) Trey Smith

5.) Demetric Felton (depending on who we drafted in rd 2 between Moore or JOK) or Deo Lenoir

6.) Elijah Mitchell

7.) Talanoa Hufanga

EDIT: with the 7th round pick instead of Hufanga, we should’ve drafted Ar’Darius Washington.

[CrimsonCrew]

Not sure what made me think to look at this, but I looked at Banks' measurements at the Senior Bowl (January 26, I think) vs. at his pro day (March 31), and he was 338 at the Senior Bowl and 325 at his pro day. His testing numbers weren't stellar at his pro day, but they were decent at least. Hopefully this means he's already working to slim down and improve his mobility.

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Jaguars were very high on Jaylen Waddle

Michael David Smith

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/05/22/jaguars-were-very-high-on-jaylen-waddle/