More meat from tony Baloney

[hmhertz]

NFL Draft News and Rumors: Biggest winner and loser of the past week

Who are the biggest winners and losers in the most recent cycles of NFL Draft news and rumors? Let’s look at which player is seeing their stock increase and who might be taken later than expected.

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Winner: Travon Walker

Back on March 25, I reported the Jacksonville Jaguars were giving serious consideration to selecting Georgia defensive end Travon Walker with the draft’s first pick. Other outlets have since followed along and are reporting much the same. I’m now hearing several teams have Walker graded as the top player on their draft board. Hence, it’s not only the Jaguars who believe Walker is the best of the best.

Loser: Kyle Hamilton

For more than seven months, Kyle Hamilton’s name was always mentioned as one of the best players in the draft and a lock to be a top-four pick. I never bought into that opinion and neither have NFL teams. Most teams presently believe Hamilton is a mid-first-round prospect and do not rank him as a top-10 player.

Why the fall from grace? The fact he’s a long, loping safety with deficiencies in coverage added to take the bloom off the rose. Finally, 40 times which ranged from a best of 4.59 seconds at the Combine to a pedestrian 4.70 seconds during pro day workouts was the final nail in the coffin. This doesn’t mean Hamilton won’t be a good player in the NFL. Rather, his style of play possibly won’t be sought out during the early part of the draft.

NFL Draft News and Rumors | Latest updates from around the league

Walker/Hamilton might be the headliners in terms of draft stock, but there are plenty of rumblings around the NFL. Let’s go position by position and look at the latest I’m hearing from sources within the league.

Could Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis, and Desmond Ridder all be taken in the first round?

Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis are graded neck and neck and stamped as mid-first-round choices. From what I gather, it’s 50/50 as to which signal-caller teams prefer. Meanwhile, just about all the teams I’ve spoken with give Desmond Ridder a first-round grade and believe he’ll come off the board in the bottom half of Round 1.

Who sits atop the running back position, and who might be some surprise Day 2 names?

Breece Hall of Iowa State is the consensus top back in the draft, and it’s not even close. Several teams have given Hall a late-first-round grade, though the junior is not assured of landing in the top 32.

To the surprise of many, Dameon Pierce of Florida and Pierre Strong Jr. of South Dakota State are both receiving third-round grades. Pierce comes off a terrific year. He excelled as a pass catcher out of the backfield as well as a ball carrier. Strong probably never should’ve fallen by the wayside — he was highly rated coming into the season.

Which wide receivers are viewed as potential first-round prospects?

Though the order may be slightly different than some have it, there are few surprises. Teams I spoke with have the receivers ranked Garrett Wilson, Drake London, Chris Olave, Jameson Williams, Jahan Dotson, and Treylon Burks. Williams is slightly downgraded because of the late knee injury. Burks is getting late-first-round grades.

While he’s been mocked in the top 32 by some, no team I’ve spoken with has given Christian Watson of North Dakota State a first-round grade. Most believe he belongs in the middle of Round 2. Some teams have Skyy Moore of Western Michigan graded higher than Watson.

Who holds the top spot at the tight end position?

Trey McBride and Greg Dulcich are neck and neck on my board for the top spot at tight end. But it’s not so much with teams who have a big spread between their No. 1, McBride, and Dulcich, who ranks as the third tight end on a few boards.

The player between the two is Jelani Woods of Virginia, who has had a hell of a lead-up to the draft. Teams do admit that Woods is a projection based on his athletic testing numbers. Comparatively, McBride and Dulcich are sure things.

Tyler Linderbaum as a first-round pick and other offensive line updates

No surprise to me at least, but no team I spoke with had a first-round grade on Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum. It was all early second round.

College tackles Darian Kinnard of Kentucky, Sean Rhyan of UCLA, Luke Goedeke of Central Michigan, and Cordell Volson from North Dakota State are listed on the guard boards for most teams.

Some surprises with the defensive line rankings

Right now, teams have a mid-second-round grade on David Ojabo, as the Michigan junior starts to rehab the Achilles he tore during his pro day workout.

Despite a poor Combine performance at linebacker size, Kingsley Enagbare is still receiving second-round grades.

I was shocked to find teams have a late-round (sixth) grade on Isaiah Thomas of Oklahoma, who I stamped as a Day 2 prospect. The reasoning is Thomas is a linear pass rusher who must fill out his frame and get stronger.

Nakobe Dean and Christian Harris highlight the linebackers

Georgia’s Nakobe Dean is getting late-first-round grades, but at this point, it may be tough for him to land in the top 32. He suffered an ankle injury during the national championship and has yet to work out for teams who want to get testing marks on a linebacker who measures under 6-feet tall and not even 220 pounds.

Christian Harris of Alabama is receiving early-second-round grades, and teams feel he could slide into the late part of Round 1. His film in 2021 wasn’t bad but not as good as the prior season when Harris was exceptional. Teams are looking back at his 2020 campaign.

Four corners receiving first-round grades

Four corners — Ahmad Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr., Trent McDuffie, and Kyler Gordon — are receiving first-round grades. I was surprised teams grade Gordon that high and slot him over the likes of Roger McCreary, Kaiir Elam, and Andrew Booth Jr.

While Booth has been given an early-second-round grade, some feel he’ll end up in the first round. Teams are concerned about his deep speed and the fact he won’t run prior to the draft. Booth announced on March 30 that he was having surgery to repair a sports hernia, which means it will be a lingering question.

Small-school corner Joshua Williams of Fayetteville State has received a lot of third-round grades. He’s a bigger corner with solid athleticism and a developmental prospect. Additionally, teams feel he can line up in dime packages and on special teams as a rookie.

During the April 6 edition of the Draft Insiders, I mentioned Lewis Cine of Georgia has been receiving late-first-round grades, and that’s since been confirmed. Teams understandably love Cine’s range, ball skills, and ability in coverage. Likewise, Daxton Hill of Michigan is also getting grades in the bottom third of Round 1.

I grade Alontae Taylor of Tennessee as a third-round cornerback on my board. But a lot of teams grade him as a fourth-round safety. The feeling is Taylor is best suited facing the action when the ball is in the air.

Could Jordan Stout surpass Matt Araiza?

Jordan Stout of Penn State is graded as the No. 1 punter over Matt Araiza of San Diego State. One team I spoke with did not like Araiza’s ability to directional punt — something I disagreed with.

 

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Tony Pauline is the Chief Draft Analyst for Pro Football Network. You can read all of Tony’s work here and give him a follow on Twitter: @TonyPauline. Have some thoughts you want to share on this article? Join in on the conversation by clicking here to jump to the bottom of the page to get involved

[slats]

Big fan of this article, especially Hamilton and Linderbaum dropping. Do not want either in the first round. At all. 

[hmhertz]

4 hours ago, slats said:

Big fan of this article, especially Hamilton and Linderbaum dropping. Do not want either in the first round. At all. 

I like Jewish Penis, he looked exceptionally good at center and has the arm length

&  feet to play all three offensive line positions. I'm not suggesting we take him

with one of our two first rounders, but in a trade down  with a new first.

My wish list Walker or JJ, a receiver who can fly not a rebounder. Round two

A LB  Chenal Or Anderson, Devonte Wyatt, another speedster off the edge

safety Cine or Dax, TE or another wideout. Any of the two would be fine

and allow me to enjoy playing with my Kosher Penis

[slimjasi]

This guy doesn’t know d*ck 

[Paradis]

Christian Watson -- Vernon Gholston of WRs 

[New York Mick]

The fact he said Hamilton ran a 4.7 at his pro day not a 4.5+ shows he doesn’t do any research 

[T0mShane]

5 minutes ago, hmhertz said:

I like Jewish Penis

Shalom

[HighPitch]

His sentiments follow the pff mock drat simulator pretty closely. Or is it pfn? Idk either way i think overall its accurate ecxept for wr ratings.

wilson is the best, olave #5 imo

[HighPitch]

I would love watson and linderbaum in the 2nd btw

[varjet]

It would be a classic draft for players who were good in college but undersized to be drafted in the second round and become good NFL players.  In the first round teams take players for who they want them to become.  The second and third rounds they take players for who they are.  
 

[OilfieldJet]

5 hours ago, slats said:

Big fan of this article, especially Hamilton and Linderbaum dropping. Do not want either in the first round. At all. 

Yes, but we want others to take them in Round 1

[hawk]

5 hours ago, slats said:

Big fan of this article, especially Hamilton and Linderbaum dropping. Do not want either in the first round. At all. 

For most of the draft season I have prepared myself for Hamilton at 4.  My hope is a trade back and taking the Safety from psu.  

I'm with you on Hamilton.   Don't know much about the other kid.

[Irish Jet]

I love how he's reporting this conjecture not only as fact but as evidence that he was right. 

Trash.

[#27TheDominator]

1 hour ago, Paradis said:

Christian Watson -- Vernon Gholston of WRs 

No offense, but he seems kind of like Mims.  He started to skyrocket based on athletic numbers and there doesn't seem to be anything really wrong with him, but if he slides it would be more to where he was originally expected to go.

1 hour ago, New York Mick said:

The fact he said Hamilton ran a 4.7 at his pro day not a 4.5+ shows he doesn’t do any research 

Why?  Pro days are hand timed.  People come up with different numbers but I saw plenty of 4.7 before the damage control set in.  Jeremiah said low 4.7s.  Brugler backed him up and said 4.7 and 4.74.  Others said an unofficial 4.56.  I remember someone tweeted Jamal Adams "blazed"  a 4.33 at his pro day.  I don't believe that either.

[#27TheDominator]

I'm not sure how Dean and Harris highlight the LBs.  Did he forget about Devin Lloyd?  Or is it just that everyone knows Lloyd is #1 so it isn't worth discussing?  I don't think I want Christian Harris.  I read this blurb and have been off him since.  

Quote

Despite the pedigree, I’m not overly high on Christian Harris. One of the knocks on Harris is that he has tunnel vision - i.e., he focuses on the ball carrier or the quarterback and doesn’t see the play developing - and I think I have a bit of tunnel vision too because what I see is a linebacker gave up 4 touchdowns (with no INTs) and 455 yards in pass coverage. No other linebacker on this list allowed multiple TDs and the second-most yards allowed was 283. And it wasn’t just because Harris was targeted the most or gave up the most receptions (both of which are true), his average yards per reception is also the highest among the linebackers on this list.

seattle-seahawks-2022-nfl-draft-primer-linebackers

FWIW, pff has Harris rated as a third, but 61st overall which should be bottom 2nd.  

I also read that some teams are supposedly higher on Corrall than Picket, but who the hell knows with all the disinformation thrown around.

[Paradis]

2 hours ago, #27TheDominator said:

No offense, but he seems kind of like Mims.  He started to skyrocket based on athletic numbers and there doesn't seem to be anything really wrong with him,

Gotta disagree there poncho. His deficiencies are better documented/measured than any other WR in that tier. That, and he just looks undeveloped on film. Plus he’s like 23 or something. This is an easy pass. 

[ncjetman]

I like Jewish Penis, he looked exceptionally good at center and has the arm length
&  feet to play all three offensive line positions. I'm not suggesting we take him
with one of our two first rounders, but in a trade down  with a new first.
My wish list Walker or JJ, a receiver who can fly not a rebounder. Round two
A LB  Chenal Or Anderson, Devonte Wyatt, another speedster off the edge
safety Cine or Dax, TE or another wideout. Any of the two would be fine
and allow me to enjoy playing with my Kosher Penis

bourbon or scotch?


Sent from my iPad using JetNation.com mobile app

[New York Mick]

7 hours ago, #27TheDominator said:Why?  Pro days are hand timed.  People come up with different numbers but I saw plenty of 4.7 before the damage control set in.  Jeremiah said low 4.7s.  Brugler backed him up and said 4.7 and 4.74.  Others said an unofficial 4.56.  I remember someone tweeted Jamal Adams "blazed"  a 4.33 at his pro day.  I don't believe that either.

If that’s the case why use his pro day times at all. I also didn’t see many 4.7, it was mostly 4.5+. 

[JustInFudge]

9 hours ago, Irish Jet said:

I love how he's reporting this conjecture not only as fact but as evidence that he was right. 

Trash.

lmfao everyone is an expert.  Just start up a youtube, draft up an article.  Tell people "I'm hearing from my sources aka; the interwebz" that so and so has a ingrown toenail on his pivot foot, teams are concerned and is dropping like a rock.

 

[JustInFudge]

16 hours ago, hmhertz said:

Loser: Kyle Hamilton

For more than seven months, Kyle Hamilton’s name was always mentioned as one of the best players in the draft and a lock to be a top-four pick. I never bought into that opinion and neither have NFL teams. Most teams presently believe Hamilton is a mid-first-round prospect and do not rank him as a top-10 player.

It's the ND effect, every product that comes out of ND is product of the over hyped fanbase.  Every golden doomer on the planet will tell you how amazing Hamilton was, I watched him for years!!!  Yeah, and you did the same thing with Manti Te'o and everyone told you that slug sucked and would never be good in the NFL and this is literally, deja-vu.  Hamilton does nothing to move the needle for any defense, a slow tweener who doesnt really do anything well. 

[hmhertz]

7 minutes ago, JiFapono said:

It's the ND effect, every product that comes out of ND is product of the over hyped fanbase.  Every golden doomer on the planet will tell you how amazing Hamilton was, I watched him for years!!!  Yeah, and you did the same thing with Manti Te'o and everyone told you that slug sucked and would never be good in the NFL and this is literally, deja-vu.  Hamilton does nothing to move the needle for any defense, a slow tweener who doesnt really do anything well. 

I read a scout said the kid from Baylor is a better player and the kid hasn't

gotten any first round mentions

[T0mShane]

17 minutes ago, JiFapono said:

It's the ND effect, every product that comes out of ND is product of the over hyped fanbase.  Every golden doomer on the planet will tell you how amazing Hamilton was, I watched him for years!!!  Yeah, and you did the same thing with Manti Te'o and everyone told you that slug sucked and would never be good in the NFL and this is literally, deja-vu.  Hamilton does nothing to move the needle for any defense, a slow tweener who doesnt really do anything well. 

UF alum going after ND fans.

 

[JustInFudge]

24 minutes ago, hmhertz said:

I read a scout said the kid from Baylor is a better player and the kid hasn't

gotten any first round mentions

Jalen Pitre?  Maybe.  Kind of a similar player, honestly.  Tweener, not super fast, no real position but has super high Football IQ/quick processor and a great leader. blah blah blah, sound familiar?  Honestly, all the safety prospects are kind of similar this year, more box safeties than centerfield types, none of them overly exciting except maybe, IMO, Dax Hill.  Blazing speed, tweener, nickel/S type of player who I think has more value than S/LB type player which is basically all the top guys; Ham, Pitre, Cine, Brisker.  Hill is the only one that really gives you something different.

[The Crusher]

48 minutes ago, JiFapono said:

lmfao everyone is an expert.  Just start up a youtube, draft up an article.  Tell people "I'm hearing from my sources aka; the interwebz" that so and so has a ingrown toenail on his pivot foot, teams are concerned and is dropping like a rock.

 

It’s why at @DoomProphet is slowly becoming one of my favorite resources and as long as he doesn’t put profanity in his titles again I won’t have to ban him. Love be that guy! 

[JustInFudge]

9 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

UF alum going after ND fans.

 

The really funny and ironic part of that post is that I just shared in the thread about what prospects you got wrong, that I totally fell in love with Teez Tabor for what he did during his UF career even though he was sloooow.

[PepPep]

10 minutes ago, JiFapono said:

Jalen Pitre?  Maybe.  Kind of a similar player, honestly.  Tweener, not super fast, no real position but has super high Football IQ/quick processor and a great leader. blah blah blah, sound familiar?  Honestly, all the safety prospects are kind of similar this year, more box safeties than centerfield types, none of them overly exciting except maybe, IMO, Dax Hill.  Blazing speed, tweener, nickel/S type of player who I think has more value than S/LB type player which is basically all the top guys; Ham, Pitre, Cine, Brisker.  Hill is the only one that really gives you something different.

Verone McKinley III (the other Oregon safety) and Kerby Joseph out of Ill. seem like they are true ballhawks and better fits at FS patrolling on the back end of the secondary. 

Maybe not that exciting, but these guys you might get as late as Rd. 4 and develop into starters at FS, which is a position that will presumably be up for grabs this offseason. 

[JustInFudge]

1 minute ago, PepPep said:

Verone McKinley III (the other Oregon safety) and Kerby Joseph out of Ill. seem like they are true ballhawks and better fits at FS patrolling on the back end of the secondary. 

Maybe not that exciting, but these guys you might get as late as Rd. 4 and develop into starters at FS, which is a position that will presumably be up for grabs this offseason. 

Good call, I should have been more specific...all the "top" S prospects are kind of similar except Hill.  

McKinley is interesting, wasnt he the QB transition to S?  

 

[Larz]

So the media built up Hamilton, changed their minds, and now he’s a “loser” of the …..wait for it…….rumor cycle 

yeah this draft can’t be over soon enough lol 

[Paradis]

39 minutes ago, JiFapono said:

Jalen Pitre?  Maybe.  Kind of a similar player, honestly.  Tweener, not super fast, no real position but has super high Football IQ/quick processor and a great leader. blah blah blah, sound familiar?  Honestly, all the safety prospects are kind of similar this year, more box safeties than centerfield types, none of them overly exciting except maybe, IMO, Dax Hill.  Blazing speed, tweener, nickel/S type of player who I think has more value than S/LB type player which is basically all the top guys; Ham, Pitre, Cine, Brisker.  Hill is the only one that really gives you something different.

The other sexy bear, JT Woods is more rangey. He may have cleaner/longer NFL career than some more prominent names

[#27TheDominator]

3 hours ago, New York Mick said:

If that’s the case why use his pro day times at all. I also didn’t see many 4.7, it was mostly 4.5+. 

Because those people say he ran a 4.7.  People you can trust.  I don't know how they determine "official" pro day times, but that is one reason so many teams send their own guys. Who did you see reporting the 4.5s?   I only saw the "official" time which was reported as  4.56.

 

[DoomProphet]

1 hour ago, The Crusher said:

It’s why at @DoomProphet is slowly becoming one of my favorite resources and as long as he doesn’t put profanity in his titles again I won’t have to ban him. Love be that guy! 

Thank you Crusher. BELIEVE ME! You'll never see that kind of topic again from me and no profanity in titles either.

[IntoTheGreen]

55 minutes ago, PepPep said:

Verone McKinley III (the other Oregon safety) and Kerby Joseph out of Ill. seem like they are true ballhawks and better fits at FS patrolling on the back end of the secondary. 

Maybe not that exciting, but these guys you might get as late as Rd. 4 and develop into starters at FS, which is a position that will presumably be up for grabs this offseason. 

If we are going to add to the Safety room, this is my preference. Get some depth/ competition. I'd rather address Edge, DT, and LB early. Fix the core of the D and look for "final pieces" like FS early next year.

[DoomProphet]

1 hour ago, The Crusher said:

It’s why at @DoomProphet is slowly becoming one of my favorite resources and as long as he doesn’t put profanity in his titles again I won’t have to ban him. Love be that guy! 

I actually took down that video from my YT channel. It was a failed experiment, never again.

[The Crusher]

1 hour ago, DoomProphet said:

I actually took down that video from my YT channel. It was a failed experiment, never again.

You alright dude! 

[chrisfaceoff]

Ever since I heard him mispronounce our own players names well into the year, I can’t take him seriously anymore. 
 

“Meh-Kee Becton”

”Sam Dar-No”