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2019 Draft Prospects Thread

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Woo.

Hot takes going round in here.

Pretty sure you can go back multiple years and find me commenting about just how special Duke Johnson is as a receiver from the RB position.

I think there's a ton of bias against our own player going on here. Just because the Browns don't utilize his talents doesn't mean they're not there. The guy can run advanced routes that most RB's can't and has great hands. Someone like James White really doesn't do stray outside typical RB routes (flat, wheel, angle). He's really damn reliable, but Duke's special.
 
Duke is definitely a better back than James White. He's better in the run game and he's more efficient in the pass game. If you put Duke on the Pats in place of White, I think he'd do everything White does, but about 10% better.

His main issue is that he now plays with a QB who doesn't need to dump the ball off to the RB very often, and so his effectiveness is marginalized. He'd be great with a QB like Brady who can't really sling it any more and throws to his RB constantly.

But again, the Pats already have White, and the gap between the two isn't enough to justify the Pats trading an asset for Duke.
 
Duke is a better receiver than James White. He's also better with the ball in his hands. I've said it for years--if Duke was on the Pats, he'd be a household name.

The only advantage James White would have over him is the timing and trust with Brady.

I really think the only RB in the league who's a better receiver than Duke Johnson is David Johnson.

This post did the unthinkable..made triple threat and boobie agree on something
 
McCaffrey and Saquon are probably the two that belong in the discussion. I actually think Kamara, as a pass catcher, is just fine. He still has special acceleration and is a weapon anywhere on the field, but if we want to pick apart just ability as a receiver, I see him a step behind those other guys.

If you want to add a name to my top two, I think Le'Veon Bell is third actually. But with the year off, I'm fine with him and McCaffrey ranked around equal.

Kamara ran a limited route tree in college, however from his first preseason action as a rookie that has not been an issue under Sean Payton. He's as polished a route runner as McCaffrey, who is every bit as good a receiver and route runner as he is a running back.

I'll even buy in that Le'Veon Bell and David Johnson are in the conversation that they run routes which challenge a defense vertically on a consistent basis. Can Barkley do it, or is the problem Shurmer and Eli being limited? Can't say for sure yet.

But for my money, I'd take Kamara, David Johnson, Bell, and McCaffrey as the top passing game weapons at running back. Duke can run the route tree, but I have issues with his overall production in a good offense.
 
Am I the only one who thinks Duke would fall apart if he got significantly more volume than he currently does?

I feel like he limps off the field after 20% of the plays he makes.
 
Been sort of watching the 2014 NFL draft airing on NFL Network.

Some pretty crazy talent in this draft.

Still can't believe we ended up with Johnny and Justin... LMAO.

Pretending our picks were actually Beckham, Bitonio, and Landry.

Greg Robinson was actually the 2nd pick.
 
So the mock draft thread made me ask:

What’s the story with Jace Sternberger aside from a bad SPARQ rating? In my opinion, he doesn’t look like a poor athlete on the field by any means.

As a matter of fact, he looks kind of dangerous after the catch and seems to have a nice burst for his size for the occasional screen or flat route. He also seems like he can make catches with tight coverage.

I’m not super skilled when it comes to assessing blocking, but it seems a little raw so perhaps there are concerns there. But I like him as a late third-to-middle round guy as a guy you can motion around pre-snap and create some issues.
 
So the mock draft thread made me ask:

What’s the story with Jace Sternberger aside from a bad SPARQ rating? In my opinion, he doesn’t look like a poor athlete on the field by any means.

As a matter of fact, he looks kind of dangerous after the catch and seems to have a nice burst for his size for the occasional screen or flat route. He also seems like he can make catches with tight coverage.

I’m not super skilled when it comes to assessing blocking, but it seems a little raw so perhaps there are concerns there. But I like him as a late third-to-middle round guy as a guy you can motion around pre-snap and create some issues.

Here's the thing, and this applies to many different positions:

While he looks awesome breaking tackles and everything, that's not really a valued trait in the NFL. You don't want guys who look like the Hulk with the ball in their hands, you want someone that guys cannot touch.

In the case of Sternberger, he's okay, but his production was really weak, his athletic profile is weak, and he kind of looks like any other low end 2nd TE. He's an okay blocker, and he seems to have good hands, but so is Darren Fells, and he is not really valued in the NFL.

I'd be fine with him as a 3rd TE, but I'd have to get him in like, the 6th round or UDFA.
 
So the mock draft thread made me ask:

What’s the story with Jace Sternberger aside from a bad SPARQ rating? In my opinion, he doesn’t look like a poor athlete on the field by any means.

As a matter of fact, he looks kind of dangerous after the catch and seems to have a nice burst for his size for the occasional screen or flat route. He also seems like he can make catches with tight coverage.

I’m not super skilled when it comes to assessing blocking, but it seems a little raw so perhaps there are concerns there. But I like him as a late third-to-middle round guy as a guy you can motion around pre-snap and create some issues.

Jace Sternberger is a Country Club name. From his name alone we can assume he will have at least one sexual harassment controversy.

:chuckle:
 
Max Crosby is going to be really, really good. If they could get him in round 3 or even later? That'd be SWEET.
 
Max Crosby is going to be really, really good. If they could get him in round 3 or even later? That'd be SWEET.

He has a big frame and experience as a full time defensive end, but the physique of an outside linebacker. He is so raw but physically talented. I'd be stoked to see what he can learn working with Vernon and Garrett. I agree with your assessment of his ceiling if he puts in the work.
 
Who is everyone's favorite prospect in the draft? Mine is Quinnen Williams, just think he is going to be a beast.
 
Duke is definitely a better back than James White. He's better in the run game and he's more efficient in the pass game. If you put Duke on the Pats in place of White, I think he'd do everything White does, but about 10% better.

His main issue is that he now plays with a QB who doesn't need to dump the ball off to the RB very often, and so his effectiveness is marginalized. He'd be great with a QB like Brady who can't really sling it any more and throws to his RB constantly.

But again, the Pats already have White, and the gap between the two isn't enough to justify the Pats trading an asset for Duke.
White is tougher. Can take more hits.
 
Who is everyone's favorite prospect in the draft? Mine is Quinnen Williams, just think he is going to be a beast.

I've got a major boner for the Defensive Linemen in this draft. Quinnen, Bosa, Oliver... I'd do dirty things to get all three of those guys on the Browns.

But outside the obvious guys, I'm super excited for DK Metcalf. I'm way higher on him than most around here. I think he's going to be a great example of why we need to stop tearing down prospects for what they CAN'T do, and start focusing more on what they CAN do. Give this guy to a strong passing game, and an OC that has him run slants, posts, go's and comebacks. The dude's a freak.

Maybe it's because I haven't been into the film as much this year as previous years, but I don't have that one player I'm pounding the pavement for like in years past. I'd still give a ton to get Malik Hooker or Tre'Davious White on the Browns.
 

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