Seattle may be looking to trade down as they have a first round pick then nothing til the third round. Don't know what we would have to give up but we have a lot of late picks.
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In the posts that disappeared I suggested we could take Vea with the first pick and still get a good CB - my favourite position - later.
Some CBs available could be Isaiah Oliver, Tarvarcus McFadden, Carlton Davis and this guy. Bit small but
Anthony Averett
Averett's emergence is a testament to hard work, perseverance and the luxury of having someone who specializes in secondary play serving as a mentor. A defensive back at Kent State in the early 1970s, Saban began coaching the position at the college level several years later. Even as he climbed the coaching ranks, Saban continued to work hands-on with his cornerbacks.
Averett finished his senior year in 2017 ranked second on the team in pass break-ups (eight) for the nation's top-ranked defense.
Averett ranked fourth among cornerbacks in the 40-yard dash with a time of 4.36 seconds.
Averett also believes he impressed during the Combine interview process because of his ties to Saban and how many schemes he was forced to master. That knowledge from learning pro-style defenses should lead to an easier transition than the one he experienced coming from high school to Alabama.
"Teams will ask what coverages we play,” Averett said. “And I’ll say, ‘Cover-1, Cover-2, Cover-3, Cover-4, Cover-5, Cover-6, Cover-7 …'"
Some CBs available could be Isaiah Oliver, Tarvarcus McFadden, Carlton Davis and this guy. Bit small but
Anthony Averett
Averett's emergence is a testament to hard work, perseverance and the luxury of having someone who specializes in secondary play serving as a mentor. A defensive back at Kent State in the early 1970s, Saban began coaching the position at the college level several years later. Even as he climbed the coaching ranks, Saban continued to work hands-on with his cornerbacks.
Averett finished his senior year in 2017 ranked second on the team in pass break-ups (eight) for the nation's top-ranked defense.
Averett ranked fourth among cornerbacks in the 40-yard dash with a time of 4.36 seconds.
Averett also believes he impressed during the Combine interview process because of his ties to Saban and how many schemes he was forced to master. That knowledge from learning pro-style defenses should lead to an easier transition than the one he experienced coming from high school to Alabama.
"Teams will ask what coverages we play,” Averett said. “And I’ll say, ‘Cover-1, Cover-2, Cover-3, Cover-4, Cover-5, Cover-6, Cover-7 …'"
Chewy316
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After watching more than 6 games of Tremaine Edmunds in full, he's no doubt my guy. If he's there at #10 I will do cart wheels.
Here's my breakdown i did of Edmunds in which I highlight some of his strengths, weaknesses and explore how he would fit in Paul Guenther's scheme.
http://lvraidersreport.com/2018/04/11/draft-preview-tremaine-edwards-could-fit-in-raiders-plans/
Here's my breakdown i did of Edmunds in which I highlight some of his strengths, weaknesses and explore how he would fit in Paul Guenther's scheme.
http://lvraidersreport.com/2018/04/11/draft-preview-tremaine-edwards-could-fit-in-raiders-plans/
manureid
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So is this the guy you mentioned they were in love with?
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The one they love is Jaire Alexander....who will be our first round pick only in a trade back scenario. If someone knocks our socks off in a trade deal to move up to #10, if we go back to around the 20's, collecting say a 2nd and 3rd or so, then we'll probably take Alexander. Otherwise, we'll take someone like Vea or Edmunds at 10 if they're on the board.
Chewy316
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I didn't say that. I'm saying that Edmunds is MY guy.
Fwiw, my breakdown on VV will be available in a few days. Already submitted it for review.
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old video but....
working now thanks
Last edited:
This year’s draft plans for the San Francisco 49ers may have shifted dramatically on Thursday as the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office dropped a bombshell on the NFL announcing star linebacker Reuben Foster is facing multiple felony charges.
The charges include an allegation that he, “inflicted great bodily injury, forcefully attempting to prevent a victim from reporting a crime, and possession of an assault weapon – all felonies. He is also charged with misdemeanor possession of large capacity weapon magazine. If convicted, he faces more than 11 years in prison,” per the Santa Clara County news release.
With Foster’s future in the NFL uncertain, Lynch and Shanahan have to be looking at drafting a linebacker with the ninth overall pick, specifically Roquan Smith or Tremaine Edmunds. It is worth noting that both ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr and Todd McShay mocked Smith to San Francisco on Wednesday, which is curious considering the Foster news dropped the very next day. In their previous mock draft, both of them had Smith going to the Raiders at 10 overall.
This may also impact the Raiders’ draft plans as they were in the market for a linebacker, and Smith was previously the player most mocked to Oakland at No. 10 overall. It is now less likely Smith and/or Edmunds will be available when the Raiders select their first round pick. The Niners select with pick No. 9 after winning the coin toss between the two teams.
The charges include an allegation that he, “inflicted great bodily injury, forcefully attempting to prevent a victim from reporting a crime, and possession of an assault weapon – all felonies. He is also charged with misdemeanor possession of large capacity weapon magazine. If convicted, he faces more than 11 years in prison,” per the Santa Clara County news release.
With Foster’s future in the NFL uncertain, Lynch and Shanahan have to be looking at drafting a linebacker with the ninth overall pick, specifically Roquan Smith or Tremaine Edmunds. It is worth noting that both ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr and Todd McShay mocked Smith to San Francisco on Wednesday, which is curious considering the Foster news dropped the very next day. In their previous mock draft, both of them had Smith going to the Raiders at 10 overall.
This may also impact the Raiders’ draft plans as they were in the market for a linebacker, and Smith was previously the player most mocked to Oakland at No. 10 overall. It is now less likely Smith and/or Edmunds will be available when the Raiders select their first round pick. The Niners select with pick No. 9 after winning the coin toss between the two teams.
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If they go linebacker I hope they go Smith over Edmunds at 9. That would leave Edmunds available at 10. Edmunds is the better player imo, but I'm not sure he even lasts to 10 at this point. Could go as high as 6 to Indy.
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1st Round...trade back 5 or so spots, collect a 2nd and 5th, take DT prospect still available like Payne/Vea/Hurst
2nd....best available CB and OT
no?
Seems like the most reasonable course to take
2nd....best available CB and OT
no?
Seems like the most reasonable course to take
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Boom-bust-type player Raiders are eyeing in second round
Standout talent could develop into immediate impact player, draft-day steal
Steve Corkran by Steve Corkran April 13, 2018
Of all the players the Raiders have had in for a private visit, one stands out among the 30 that have met with the team in advance of the draft. He also has the potential to develop into a significant contributor to the defense from the outset.
Outside linebacker/defensive end Arden Key was a guest of the Raiders coaches recently, and he has hopes of playing for those coaches this fall as he attempts to recapture his dominant ways from his first two years at Louisiana State.
Key, 6-foot-6 and 238 pounds, was such a force his first two seasons in college that he was viewed as a potential top-five pick in this year’s NFL draft. However, Key then missed time for personal reasons and a shoulder injury before his junior season and when he returned, he wasn’t the same player.
He still showed flashes, though, and has enough ability and promise to warrant a second- or third-round selection. The Raiders have picks in both rounds, and they could use a player with Key’s skillset.
Key is a polished pass-rusher. He recorded 12 sacks and forced three fumbles his sophomore season, when some believed he was a better defensive player than Myles Garrett, who went to the Browns at No. 1 in last year’s draft.
But, Key struggled to regain that form after his turbulent offseason, which forced him to miss two games. He ended up starting eight games and recording four sacks.
Key’s struggles could be the Raiders’ gain, if he were to fall beyond the first round. The Raiders pick at No. 41, which might be early enough to take Key. He is that good when properly motivated.
First-year coach Jon Gruden and defensive coordinator Paul Guenther are adept at motivating players, and Key would have veteran ends Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin to learn from, so Key would be worth the early-round gamble.
Key has been compared to defensive end Willie Young, who shined for the Detroit Lions and then the Chicago Bears, and Hall of Fame end Jason Taylor. The Raiders simply yearn for another impact player on a defense starved for such beyond Mack and Irvin. If they can get that from Key, and it doesn’t cost them a first-round pick, that would be akin to stealing
Standout talent could develop into immediate impact player, draft-day steal
Steve Corkran by Steve Corkran April 13, 2018
Of all the players the Raiders have had in for a private visit, one stands out among the 30 that have met with the team in advance of the draft. He also has the potential to develop into a significant contributor to the defense from the outset.
Outside linebacker/defensive end Arden Key was a guest of the Raiders coaches recently, and he has hopes of playing for those coaches this fall as he attempts to recapture his dominant ways from his first two years at Louisiana State.
Key, 6-foot-6 and 238 pounds, was such a force his first two seasons in college that he was viewed as a potential top-five pick in this year’s NFL draft. However, Key then missed time for personal reasons and a shoulder injury before his junior season and when he returned, he wasn’t the same player.
He still showed flashes, though, and has enough ability and promise to warrant a second- or third-round selection. The Raiders have picks in both rounds, and they could use a player with Key’s skillset.
Key is a polished pass-rusher. He recorded 12 sacks and forced three fumbles his sophomore season, when some believed he was a better defensive player than Myles Garrett, who went to the Browns at No. 1 in last year’s draft.
But, Key struggled to regain that form after his turbulent offseason, which forced him to miss two games. He ended up starting eight games and recording four sacks.
Key’s struggles could be the Raiders’ gain, if he were to fall beyond the first round. The Raiders pick at No. 41, which might be early enough to take Key. He is that good when properly motivated.
First-year coach Jon Gruden and defensive coordinator Paul Guenther are adept at motivating players, and Key would have veteran ends Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin to learn from, so Key would be worth the early-round gamble.
Key has been compared to defensive end Willie Young, who shined for the Detroit Lions and then the Chicago Bears, and Hall of Fame end Jason Taylor. The Raiders simply yearn for another impact player on a defense starved for such beyond Mack and Irvin. If they can get that from Key, and it doesn’t cost them a first-round pick, that would be akin to stealing
Among those rehabbing is Gareon Conley according to NFL Network’s Steve Wyche.
“He [Conley] is recovering from shin surgery [and] they said he’s not been fully cleared for workouts so far,” Wyche said on NFL Network via USA Today. “He is lifting, but they are going to take their time with him to make sure he’s good to go once training camp starts.”
That fact alone can seem a bit alarming considering he first suffered his shin injury in last year’s June minicamp.
That was September 24. We’re now over six months since then and still Conley is not fully ready. Based on that fact, it would seem fairly concerning.
Then again, maybe not.
It took the Raiders two months to place him in injured reserve, which suggests they thought the injury would just heal on its own, perhaps misdiagnosing it. So, all the while Conley needed surgery, he wasn’t receiving it. He would get that surgery on November 20.
“He [Conley] is recovering from shin surgery [and] they said he’s not been fully cleared for workouts so far,” Wyche said on NFL Network via USA Today. “He is lifting, but they are going to take their time with him to make sure he’s good to go once training camp starts.”
That fact alone can seem a bit alarming considering he first suffered his shin injury in last year’s June minicamp.
That was September 24. We’re now over six months since then and still Conley is not fully ready. Based on that fact, it would seem fairly concerning.
Then again, maybe not.
It took the Raiders two months to place him in injured reserve, which suggests they thought the injury would just heal on its own, perhaps misdiagnosing it. So, all the while Conley needed surgery, he wasn’t receiving it. He would get that surgery on November 20.
http://only1nation.com/2018/04/14/oakland-raiders-predicting-reggie-mckenzie-2018-nfl-draft-board/
This ^ is an unbelievable amount of work and a lot to read.
Possibly the most interesting if you don't want to read the whole thing.
Drafting Norton would be a bit of irony, considering, well you know. While we’re keeping it in the family, Kahlil McKenzie only failed the arm length threshold — his pops has to pick him, right? It’s going to happen.
The Vea/Hurst/Payne discussion has been a popular topic of discussion amongst much of #RaidersTwitter. Vea and Payne made the final board, but the Raiders need more an interior pass rusher than run stuffer. The two best interior rushers are Hurst and Bryan, who only failed weight thresholds.
There is a clear type of height/length/speed that is wanted at this position, and a 10′ minimum for broad jump is a steep threshold that eliminated many in this class from the final board.
Meeks and Oliver would be great picks in the second round, and both seem like realistic possibilities. None of the Round 1 prospects — Ward, Alexander and Jackson — made the final board for one reason or another.
This ^ is an unbelievable amount of work and a lot to read.
Possibly the most interesting if you don't want to read the whole thing.
- Defensive Tackle
Drafting Norton would be a bit of irony, considering, well you know. While we’re keeping it in the family, Kahlil McKenzie only failed the arm length threshold — his pops has to pick him, right? It’s going to happen.
The Vea/Hurst/Payne discussion has been a popular topic of discussion amongst much of #RaidersTwitter. Vea and Payne made the final board, but the Raiders need more an interior pass rusher than run stuffer. The two best interior rushers are Hurst and Bryan, who only failed weight thresholds.
- Cornerback
There is a clear type of height/length/speed that is wanted at this position, and a 10′ minimum for broad jump is a steep threshold that eliminated many in this class from the final board.
Meeks and Oliver would be great picks in the second round, and both seem like realistic possibilities. None of the Round 1 prospects — Ward, Alexander and Jackson — made the final board for one reason or another.
Stanford cornerback Quenton Meeks an interesting target for Oakland in 2018.
“Meeks may have a lower ceiling than [former Florida State CB Tarvarus] McFadden in terms of overall athleticism, but he’s got a higher floor and won’t need as much development at the next level,” Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling said in an interview with Raiders Wire Wednesday.
At 6-foot-2 and 197 pounds, Meeks has the physicality and size to match up with outside wide receivers and even tight ends at the NFL level.
Raiders hosted about 35 draft-eligible prospects at their facility today for Local Day, sources said. Among those evaluated: Stanford TE Dalton Schultz, San Jose State CB Andre Chachere, Cal DE James Looney, Stanford DB Quenton Meeks, Stanford OLB Peter Kalambayi."
As for Meeks, his 2017 season with Stanford was complete with a career-high 61 combined tackles, seven passes defensed and two interceptions.
“Meeks may have a lower ceiling than [former Florida State CB Tarvarus] McFadden in terms of overall athleticism, but he’s got a higher floor and won’t need as much development at the next level,” Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling said in an interview with Raiders Wire Wednesday.
At 6-foot-2 and 197 pounds, Meeks has the physicality and size to match up with outside wide receivers and even tight ends at the NFL level.
Raiders hosted about 35 draft-eligible prospects at their facility today for Local Day, sources said. Among those evaluated: Stanford TE Dalton Schultz, San Jose State CB Andre Chachere, Cal DE James Looney, Stanford DB Quenton Meeks, Stanford OLB Peter Kalambayi."
As for Meeks, his 2017 season with Stanford was complete with a career-high 61 combined tackles, seven passes defensed and two interceptions.
The two best interior rushers are Hurst and Bryan, who only failedweight thresholds.
Despite a tumultuous season in Gainesville for his Gators, Florida's Taven Bryan emerged as one of the nation's finest defensive line prospects this year, a hybrid end/tackle with ideal size at 6-foot-4 and 291 pounds and a refined arsenal of hand usage to dispatch blocks en route to the quarterback.
Apparently, his teammates call him J.J. Watt, and while I wouldn't directly liken him to the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, I do see a fair amount of similarities between the two.
Bryan is scheme-diverse -- he can be a run-halting strongside end who'd exploit weak right tackles in a 4-3. On third down, he can kick inside and overpower guards. In a 3-4, he'd be a quality block-eater on the outside.
Despite a tumultuous season in Gainesville for his Gators, Florida's Taven Bryan emerged as one of the nation's finest defensive line prospects this year, a hybrid end/tackle with ideal size at 6-foot-4 and 291 pounds and a refined arsenal of hand usage to dispatch blocks en route to the quarterback.
Apparently, his teammates call him J.J. Watt, and while I wouldn't directly liken him to the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, I do see a fair amount of similarities between the two.
Bryan is scheme-diverse -- he can be a run-halting strongside end who'd exploit weak right tackles in a 4-3. On third down, he can kick inside and overpower guards. In a 3-4, he'd be a quality block-eater on the outside.
Chewy316
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I read that article earlier today. Problem with it is that the board isn't being set by Reggie this year. Gruden is the one setting the board. Reality is that we have no recent data to guess what Gruden is looking for in his rookie class.
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Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area believes Raiders OLB Khalil Mack's new deal could be in the range of $120 million over six year.
That would surpass the current high water mark for defensive players set by Von Miller in 2016. NFL Network's Steve Wyche reported last week that Mack was seeking up to $65 million in guaranteed money in extension talks with Oakland. The 2016 Defensive Player of the Year is set to earn $13.86 million in the final year of his rookie deal.
Source: NBC Sports Bay Area
That would surpass the current high water mark for defensive players set by Von Miller in 2016. NFL Network's Steve Wyche reported last week that Mack was seeking up to $65 million in guaranteed money in extension talks with Oakland. The 2016 Defensive Player of the Year is set to earn $13.86 million in the final year of his rookie deal.
Source: NBC Sports Bay Area
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Reggie specials
NFL Draft Deep Sleepers
We decided we would write this column with one hand tied behind our back. It's easy to call a prospect a sleeper without any real parameters to prevent it. For our purposes, a fourth-round prospect is not a sleeper, though. Neither is a fifth-rounder. Or a sixth-rounder. No, we're going seriously, legitimately deep for the below list. In order to keep ourselves honest, what we've done is cross-referenced against three expanded mock drafts in seven-round exercises by Bleacher Report's Matt Miller and NFLDraftScout's Dane Brugler, plus a six-round exercise by Walter Football's Charlie Cambpell. We forebode ourselves from selecting any player who appeared prior to Round 7 in those mocks.
Quarterback
Chase Litton (Marshall) -- Consider him a discount Josh Allen. Like a deep, deep discount. Like one of those shelves at Walmart stocked with a sad assortment of food on the verge of expiration. But it’s almost free. Make no mistake, Allen is the far, far superior prospect. We’re not trying to conflate the two, even for all of Allen’s drawbacks. The similarities are there, though. Litton offers a base and build to dream on, with a palatable frame at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds and an NFL-caliber arm to pair with a quick release. At his best, he’ll slice-and-dice you underneath before burning you with the big toss down the sideline. His fearlessness to take risks deep appeals and he loses none of his arm strength when throwing on the run.
There’s moldable ability, here, but that will need to rise above Litton’s disconcerting tendencies toward the turnover. We saw him crash and burn several times down the stretch in 2017, notably in a four-interception debacle against FAU, the second game in what finished as a six-game streak with at least one interception thrown. Litton does not demonstrate any sort of particularly advanced vision and often worked as a one-read-and-done passer in college. And while he did consistently show nice arm strength when rolling out, the rollouts themselves could sometimes best be described as robotic or by-the-book. Still, there’s enough to work with here that in the dark, late hours of Day 3, when war rooms are running solely on caffeine fumes, Litton’s is a name which should have real appeal as a talented project.
Editor's Note: Fantasy Baseball season is here! Compete in a live fantasy baseball snake draft right now! Drafts take as little as 2 minutes to complete and last just one night. For a limited time, DRAFT is giving Rotoworld readers a FREE entry into a real money draft and a Money-Back Guarantee up to $100! Here's the link
Running back
Ito Smith (Southern Miss) -- A peek behind the curtain. When my colleague Thor Nystrom and I were initially kicking around this column idea, it blossomed out of our discussions regarding Northwestern’s Justin Jackson, who workhorsed his way through college overlooked and showed out surprisingly at the combine while again being overlooked. So we decided it would be fun to dive in with the Justin Jacksons of the world, the seventh-rounders and ignored football misfits who could potentially find surprise success in the NFL.
Unfortunately, Justin Jackson, the patron saint of this column, is not actually eligible for it based on our parameters, as NFLDraftScout’s Dane Brugler has cruelly thrown water on what would have been a glowing breakdown by mocking him to the Ravens in the sixth round of his seven-round exercise. We thus cast our eyes to another undersized back, one whom played outside the Power 5, but like Jackson, tested well athletically this evaluating season and offers intrigue as a potential third-down back for the pros. That’s Southern Miss’ Ito Smith.
While he measures in at just 5-foot-9, 202 pounds, Smith has plenty of Mighty Mouse in him, which he showed off on pro day with 22 reps on the bench press. He’s a tough back who plays a little bigger than you might expect, with a decent kick in the motor. If you’re using a late pick on Smith, though, there’s one big reason for that -- he’s phenomenal catching the ball out of the backfield. Like seriously phenomenal. Smith caught 40 passes each of his final three seasons at Southern Miss. To put that in context, ASU’s Kalen Ballage (considered one of the better receiving backs in the class) had 44 catches in 2016 but failed to amass 40 total catches for the rest of his career with the Sun Devils, while Sony Michel never caught more than 30 passes in a campaign. Not only does Smith possess soft hands, he’s also got a nice feel for his routes which should keep on improving if he can settle into a pro offense.
His size will be problematic for many teams and Smith doesn’t necessarily offer the kind of jitterbug shake-and-bake which you’d like or expect with a player in his mold, but he offers a clear plus-attribute as a pass-catcher and is a better athlete than perceived.
Wide receiver
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (USF) -- Valdes-Scantling offers the premium package for a late draft flier, in that he’s got the height at 6-foot-4, 206 pounds and can fly, fly, fly. No surprise there for the track runner. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Valdes-Scantling showed off his straight-line speed on a 4.37-second sprint in the 40-yard dash. That speed played on the field, too, as his collegiate career was peppered with long receptions and big plays deep. Overall, he tested in the 54th percentile of NFL receivers. All of this was a winded way of saying that Valdes-Scantling has both the height and athletic profile for NFL success. He’s the kind of receiver you can see putting together a fun little career if you squint. And squint you’d best, because beyond his outward looks-and-runs-like-pro-receiver gleam, there are some flaws in the ointment, here.
One of the most noteworthy of these is that Valdes-Scantling, for all of his athletic ability, had a troubling issue with drops in college. Some of this can be chalked up to what appear on film to be sometime-lapses in concentration, some can be chalked up to his catching technique. He had issues with timing, dropping catchable passes simply because the ball ate him up at times. He also has plenty of work to do in learning a route tree and tightening up the routes he already runs. And while he possesses palatable height, his frame is very much on the thinner side. That’s not to say that he’s a pushover against more physical corners -- he showed plenty of fight in those situations -- but it is to say that more physical corners can and did get the better at times simply because they had the ability to box him out.
You won’t be able to coach Valdes-Scantling into having a larger frame -- he’s always going to be of a thinner build, even if/after he packs on weight in an NFL conditioning program -- but his technique is something that we think can be tweaked to the positive, both in terms of how he catches and anticipates the ball and in how he runs his routes. His deep speed is intriguing.
Tight end
Deon Yelder (Western Kentucky) -- Ready to take a gamble on a prospect with almost no track record of success at the college level? Rock ‘n’ roll, let’s talk about Deon Yelder. The former walk-on didn’t even receive his scholarship from the Hilltoppers until his final collegiate year. And he hadn’t even logged a catch prior to this season. No matter, as he come on to post a 52-688-7 receiving line in 2017. And it should be noted that came in a WKU offense which sagged for long stretches. The lack of any sort of a background which would suggest an NFL future has consistently put him behind the eight-ball during the evaluating season. Like a champ, though, he’s just rolled with it.
Yelder has done as well as could be expected with limited opportunity, impressing in practices after receiving an injury-replacement invite to the Senior Bowl -- he had previously only been invited to the much less illustrious NFLPA Collegiate Bowl -- and breezing past a lack of a combine invite with a smooth pro day performance (in rainy conditions, because of course). This very long and winding way toward a potential NFL career encapsulates what we love about Yelder. He’s the kind of tight end who will eat a nail and then ask for another. There’s an innate toughness that was noticeable in film review, from his tenacity as a blocker to his run-through-you attitude once he catches the ball. He’s not the crispest of performers on a technical level but we firmly view these as traits which can be molded by a smart coaching staff. A team like the Rams might be one to watch for Yelder -- not only for Sean McVay’s obvious tight-end whisperer qualities, but also for the fact that they drafted fellow Hilltopper TE Tyler Higbee two years ago.
Tackle
Jaryd Jones-Smith (Pitt) -- The Panthers tossed a pair of project tackles to the NFL this winter. The first is Brian O’Neill, who crushed athletic testing at the combine and will be long gone by the time the draft is winding down. Not so with Jones-Smith, who should very much be a candidate for a seventh-round selection or priority UDFA draw. He’s not nearly the athlete of counterpart O’Neill, putting up a composite athletic testing score in just the 34th percentile of NFL lineman while at the combine, but he did best his Pitt brother in one particularly intriguing avenue: Dude has really long arms. Like really long. Like longer than those of any offensive lineman in Indianapolis. There are few times when the word “wingspan” should really apply for something that does not fly, but in Jones-Smith’s case, it’s very much warranted -- he checks in with a wingspan of 88 ½ inches. About as long as that of a very large bald eagle.
We love the length if he could only figure out what exactly to do with it. He’s all over the map on film, showcasing at various times poor balance, poor hand usage, clunky feet and the general feeling that he’s less playing tackle and more just being a large human being. That lack of polish is an obvious concern, likewise an uncertain medical background. Jones-Smith nearly lost his right leg after sustaining a serious, serious knee injury in the summer of 2015. Three ligaments were torn in the incident. That he recovered and has now reached the door of the NFL is admirable, even if the seriousness of his previous knee injury could give teams real pause (especially if the medicals do not check out).
But still, that length, man. That size. Those are clear NFL attributes. It’s just going to take some work to make them work.
NFL Draft Deep Sleepers
We decided we would write this column with one hand tied behind our back. It's easy to call a prospect a sleeper without any real parameters to prevent it. For our purposes, a fourth-round prospect is not a sleeper, though. Neither is a fifth-rounder. Or a sixth-rounder. No, we're going seriously, legitimately deep for the below list. In order to keep ourselves honest, what we've done is cross-referenced against three expanded mock drafts in seven-round exercises by Bleacher Report's Matt Miller and NFLDraftScout's Dane Brugler, plus a six-round exercise by Walter Football's Charlie Cambpell. We forebode ourselves from selecting any player who appeared prior to Round 7 in those mocks.
Quarterback
Chase Litton (Marshall) -- Consider him a discount Josh Allen. Like a deep, deep discount. Like one of those shelves at Walmart stocked with a sad assortment of food on the verge of expiration. But it’s almost free. Make no mistake, Allen is the far, far superior prospect. We’re not trying to conflate the two, even for all of Allen’s drawbacks. The similarities are there, though. Litton offers a base and build to dream on, with a palatable frame at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds and an NFL-caliber arm to pair with a quick release. At his best, he’ll slice-and-dice you underneath before burning you with the big toss down the sideline. His fearlessness to take risks deep appeals and he loses none of his arm strength when throwing on the run.
There’s moldable ability, here, but that will need to rise above Litton’s disconcerting tendencies toward the turnover. We saw him crash and burn several times down the stretch in 2017, notably in a four-interception debacle against FAU, the second game in what finished as a six-game streak with at least one interception thrown. Litton does not demonstrate any sort of particularly advanced vision and often worked as a one-read-and-done passer in college. And while he did consistently show nice arm strength when rolling out, the rollouts themselves could sometimes best be described as robotic or by-the-book. Still, there’s enough to work with here that in the dark, late hours of Day 3, when war rooms are running solely on caffeine fumes, Litton’s is a name which should have real appeal as a talented project.
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Running back
Ito Smith (Southern Miss) -- A peek behind the curtain. When my colleague Thor Nystrom and I were initially kicking around this column idea, it blossomed out of our discussions regarding Northwestern’s Justin Jackson, who workhorsed his way through college overlooked and showed out surprisingly at the combine while again being overlooked. So we decided it would be fun to dive in with the Justin Jacksons of the world, the seventh-rounders and ignored football misfits who could potentially find surprise success in the NFL.
Unfortunately, Justin Jackson, the patron saint of this column, is not actually eligible for it based on our parameters, as NFLDraftScout’s Dane Brugler has cruelly thrown water on what would have been a glowing breakdown by mocking him to the Ravens in the sixth round of his seven-round exercise. We thus cast our eyes to another undersized back, one whom played outside the Power 5, but like Jackson, tested well athletically this evaluating season and offers intrigue as a potential third-down back for the pros. That’s Southern Miss’ Ito Smith.
While he measures in at just 5-foot-9, 202 pounds, Smith has plenty of Mighty Mouse in him, which he showed off on pro day with 22 reps on the bench press. He’s a tough back who plays a little bigger than you might expect, with a decent kick in the motor. If you’re using a late pick on Smith, though, there’s one big reason for that -- he’s phenomenal catching the ball out of the backfield. Like seriously phenomenal. Smith caught 40 passes each of his final three seasons at Southern Miss. To put that in context, ASU’s Kalen Ballage (considered one of the better receiving backs in the class) had 44 catches in 2016 but failed to amass 40 total catches for the rest of his career with the Sun Devils, while Sony Michel never caught more than 30 passes in a campaign. Not only does Smith possess soft hands, he’s also got a nice feel for his routes which should keep on improving if he can settle into a pro offense.
His size will be problematic for many teams and Smith doesn’t necessarily offer the kind of jitterbug shake-and-bake which you’d like or expect with a player in his mold, but he offers a clear plus-attribute as a pass-catcher and is a better athlete than perceived.
Wide receiver
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (USF) -- Valdes-Scantling offers the premium package for a late draft flier, in that he’s got the height at 6-foot-4, 206 pounds and can fly, fly, fly. No surprise there for the track runner. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Valdes-Scantling showed off his straight-line speed on a 4.37-second sprint in the 40-yard dash. That speed played on the field, too, as his collegiate career was peppered with long receptions and big plays deep. Overall, he tested in the 54th percentile of NFL receivers. All of this was a winded way of saying that Valdes-Scantling has both the height and athletic profile for NFL success. He’s the kind of receiver you can see putting together a fun little career if you squint. And squint you’d best, because beyond his outward looks-and-runs-like-pro-receiver gleam, there are some flaws in the ointment, here.
One of the most noteworthy of these is that Valdes-Scantling, for all of his athletic ability, had a troubling issue with drops in college. Some of this can be chalked up to what appear on film to be sometime-lapses in concentration, some can be chalked up to his catching technique. He had issues with timing, dropping catchable passes simply because the ball ate him up at times. He also has plenty of work to do in learning a route tree and tightening up the routes he already runs. And while he possesses palatable height, his frame is very much on the thinner side. That’s not to say that he’s a pushover against more physical corners -- he showed plenty of fight in those situations -- but it is to say that more physical corners can and did get the better at times simply because they had the ability to box him out.
You won’t be able to coach Valdes-Scantling into having a larger frame -- he’s always going to be of a thinner build, even if/after he packs on weight in an NFL conditioning program -- but his technique is something that we think can be tweaked to the positive, both in terms of how he catches and anticipates the ball and in how he runs his routes. His deep speed is intriguing.
Tight end
Deon Yelder (Western Kentucky) -- Ready to take a gamble on a prospect with almost no track record of success at the college level? Rock ‘n’ roll, let’s talk about Deon Yelder. The former walk-on didn’t even receive his scholarship from the Hilltoppers until his final collegiate year. And he hadn’t even logged a catch prior to this season. No matter, as he come on to post a 52-688-7 receiving line in 2017. And it should be noted that came in a WKU offense which sagged for long stretches. The lack of any sort of a background which would suggest an NFL future has consistently put him behind the eight-ball during the evaluating season. Like a champ, though, he’s just rolled with it.
Yelder has done as well as could be expected with limited opportunity, impressing in practices after receiving an injury-replacement invite to the Senior Bowl -- he had previously only been invited to the much less illustrious NFLPA Collegiate Bowl -- and breezing past a lack of a combine invite with a smooth pro day performance (in rainy conditions, because of course). This very long and winding way toward a potential NFL career encapsulates what we love about Yelder. He’s the kind of tight end who will eat a nail and then ask for another. There’s an innate toughness that was noticeable in film review, from his tenacity as a blocker to his run-through-you attitude once he catches the ball. He’s not the crispest of performers on a technical level but we firmly view these as traits which can be molded by a smart coaching staff. A team like the Rams might be one to watch for Yelder -- not only for Sean McVay’s obvious tight-end whisperer qualities, but also for the fact that they drafted fellow Hilltopper TE Tyler Higbee two years ago.
Tackle
Jaryd Jones-Smith (Pitt) -- The Panthers tossed a pair of project tackles to the NFL this winter. The first is Brian O’Neill, who crushed athletic testing at the combine and will be long gone by the time the draft is winding down. Not so with Jones-Smith, who should very much be a candidate for a seventh-round selection or priority UDFA draw. He’s not nearly the athlete of counterpart O’Neill, putting up a composite athletic testing score in just the 34th percentile of NFL lineman while at the combine, but he did best his Pitt brother in one particularly intriguing avenue: Dude has really long arms. Like really long. Like longer than those of any offensive lineman in Indianapolis. There are few times when the word “wingspan” should really apply for something that does not fly, but in Jones-Smith’s case, it’s very much warranted -- he checks in with a wingspan of 88 ½ inches. About as long as that of a very large bald eagle.
We love the length if he could only figure out what exactly to do with it. He’s all over the map on film, showcasing at various times poor balance, poor hand usage, clunky feet and the general feeling that he’s less playing tackle and more just being a large human being. That lack of polish is an obvious concern, likewise an uncertain medical background. Jones-Smith nearly lost his right leg after sustaining a serious, serious knee injury in the summer of 2015. Three ligaments were torn in the incident. That he recovered and has now reached the door of the NFL is admirable, even if the seriousness of his previous knee injury could give teams real pause (especially if the medicals do not check out).
But still, that length, man. That size. Those are clear NFL attributes. It’s just going to take some work to make them work.
Chewy316
Norm Smith Medallist
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Over the next week and a half you're going to get some info from me. I hope all of it is on the money, but at the same time, even I am skeptical at times of the information I get, because at this time of the year, everybody lies. Given that this is Gruden's first draft in a decade, we have no idea what he's looking for in certain positions.
Payne from Bama (the DT) is someone of high interest on day 2 if he gets that far. Roquan Smith is also a name I've been hearing with increased frequency the past few days.
Additionally, check out my breakdown of Vita Vea. http://lvraidersreport.com/2018/04/15/stout-vea-has-talent-but-questions-remain/
Payne from Bama (the DT) is someone of high interest on day 2 if he gets that far. Roquan Smith is also a name I've been hearing with increased frequency the past few days.
Additionally, check out my breakdown of Vita Vea. http://lvraidersreport.com/2018/04/15/stout-vea-has-talent-but-questions-remain/
For any faults Vea may have he's better than what we have now. At least it will keep someone/s occupied. Plus we probably have
better coaches to improve his game.
Really doubt Payne would get to our second pick tho I'd be happy if we picked all from Alabama.
better coaches to improve his game.
Really doubt Payne would get to our second pick tho I'd be happy if we picked all from Alabama.
Chewy316
Norm Smith Medallist
- Jul 1, 2014
- 6,759
- 17,926
- AFL Club
- Port Adelaide
- Other Teams
- Lakers, Ducks, Yankees
I respectfully disagree re: Vea.
He is not a pass rushing threat. I watched over half a dozen games of the guy. Elite run stuffer, but when it comes to pushing the pocket, he has his club move and that's it. Relies too much on over powering guys and that does not project well against the more refined offensive linemen in the NFL.
He plays the same position as Justin Ellis. You put Ellis and Vea on the field, and you're going to get very little, if any interior pressure on the QB to help out Bruce Irvin and Khalil Mack.
Broncos release East Bay native CJ Anderson, should Raiders look to bring him home?
In a rather odd move today, the Denver Broncos have released running back CJ Anderson. The Vallejo native and Cal alum is coming off a 1000-yard season for an otherwise terrible Broncos offense, which is why the move to release him seems so odd.
Anderson is a former Pro Bowler (2014) and is just 27 years old. He started every game for the Broncos in 2017, averaging 4.1 yards per carry putting up 1007 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground with 28 catches for 224 yards and a touchdown through the air.
In a rather odd move today, the Denver Broncos have released running back CJ Anderson. The Vallejo native and Cal alum is coming off a 1000-yard season for an otherwise terrible Broncos offense, which is why the move to release him seems so odd.
Anderson is a former Pro Bowler (2014) and is just 27 years old. He started every game for the Broncos in 2017, averaging 4.1 yards per carry putting up 1007 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground with 28 catches for 224 yards and a touchdown through the air.
Da’Ron Payne can wreck things in the NFL, as long as teams put him in the right position
Whether he was double teamed or if an opponent were crazy enough to try to single block him with the center, Payne found ways to make an impact against the run. He did a lot of the grunt work that goes unnoticed, but that allowed his teammates to make a lot of plays.
Technique wise, his hand placement was consistently outstanding, almost always getting them both inside and on his opponent’s chest, allowing him to get extension with his arms and control the blocker before tossing them by the wayside to make a play on the ball carrier.
If he is drafted by a team that allows him to line up in the gaps and use that ridiculous get off to put pressure on opposing offensive linemen on damn near every snap, they will unleash Payne’s full potential on the rest of the league. Man, that would be something to see.
I can see Payne being a guy that hovers somewhere around double-digit sacks every year if he can stay healthy. Might be just below 10, maybe a little bit above it, but Da’Ron Payne is going to eat, and eat well, in the NFL provided he is allowed to get after the passer.
