Several thoughts

[derp]

My personal opinion was that all four of the quarterbacks had a level of risk associated with them. Darnold I think was the cleanest blend of liked by forward thinking draft guys and old school draft guys. Happy with the pick. Not a lock it works out, but I think as good a bet as any of them.

I like that the current situation is that he can get time and the expectation is that he will be sitting early. Puts the team in a very favorable situation from a PR standpoint where the rookie isn't thrust in - but I think he's good enough that he could potentially force the franchise's hand which would be awesome.

The three things I like best about Darnold are his ability to throw with touch, his feel for windows including unconventional ones, and his ability to create outside of structure and on the move. Also like that he's a pretty laid back guy and seems to be a hard worker. So tired of guys who don't have a good feel for the position and players who need everything right around them in order to succeed. I don't think Darnold is that dude.

Two biggest unknowns for me are ball security and mental side of the game. The turnovers get a lot of attention - 13 interceptions isn't terrible, 9 fumbles is very bad. That seems fixable to me though - hopefully that gets done. Tough to succeed when you're turning the ball over, fumbles seem more fixable than being interception prone but who knows. Mentally it seems like Darnold is a sharp dude and has a great feel so it's really an unknown more than a concern - some rumors he didn't do great on the whiteboard, apparently he wasn't asked to do a lot at the line of scrimmage at USC. Optimistic that can be learned, especially by a bring young player with a good football IQ.

Most interested to see how the offense is built around him from here - once you get that franchise QB it's all about giving him weapons. Had they drafted Rosen it would have been a clear call to me that they needed to address the offensive line with his durability issues and less than ideal mobility. Darnold is a little less clear.

I'd like to see the line addressed still but with his mobility and ability to create on the move I think it's less critical to have an elite line than it would have been for a Rosen. Want to keep him protected of course still. Receiver seems like something to address after this year if you want an elite #1 type - although I love this year that they're potentially going to be able to roll out four legitimate NFL receivers in Anderson, Kearse, Enunwa, and Pryor. No elite guy there but a bunch of #2-#3 types, almost Packers-esque in that we may not have that high paid elite guy you have to roll coverage to but someone is going to have a mismatch and get open.

Tight end is I think the big one aside from OL, although I'm not sure how Bates plans on using the TE in his offense. Seems like Darnold liked throwing to his TE from highlights and it's a big hole on the roster.

Lots of needs to potentially address today and tomorrow. Should be fun.

[pointman]

Derp.

[DMan77]

I hear what you're saying in that last piece, but I still think OL is a huge need regardless of Sam's mobility and Houdini acts... They have to keep him upright first and foremost, but they also need to be a strong running team if they want any success this season. Need guys to make some holes! 

[derp]

3 minutes ago, DMan77 said:

I hear what you're saying in that last piece, but I still think OL is a huge need regardless of Sam's mobility and Houdini acts... They have to keep him upright first and foremost, but they also need to be a strong running team if they want any success this season. Need guys to make some holes! 

Agree - point of that wasn't that OL was not a need, I think it definitely is. Just helpful to have someone with a little mobility.

Also with the ZBS it'll be a different style of line than I think we'd been used to previously. Mobility will be a premium.