The 2021 Draft- We Need This One

In the draft I like Trey Hill of GA in the 4th round. He can play both C and G. He would give us a strong backup for the first year or two with starter potential.

Since we resigned Andrews and Karras, I'm not expecting a Center, necessarily, but it looks to me like this is the best year for high-level Centers in
a while. Still, anytime you can get a guy that can play both you are helping your team.

I expect Creed Humphrey, Josh Myers and Landon Dickerson to all be off the board by 50 or so and Hill wouldn't have been far behind them but he just had
knee surgery in December so he'll have to get due diligence from the Doctors.

Whenever I watched Oklahoma over the last few years I tended to focus on Humphrey. He's a physical freak to me and didn't give up a sack for the last two years. He's left-handed, though,
and I don't know if that'll scare some teams off. I don't even remember seeing a lefty Center in the NFL, but outside of that he's maybe the best Center prospect I've ever seen.

I want to talk about G Trey Smith of Tennessee later on but I want to watch him a bit more. The guy appears to be a pancake machine.
 
Since we resigned Andrews and Karras, I'm not expecting a Center, necessarily, but it looks to me like this is the best year for high-level Centers in
a while. Still, anytime you can get a guy that can play both you are helping your team.

I expect Creed Humphrey, Josh Myers and Landon Dickerson to all be off the board by 50 or so and Hill wouldn't have been far behind them but he just had
knee surgery in December so he'll have to get due diligence from the Doctors.

Whenever I watched Oklahoma over the last few years I tended to focus on Humphrey. He's a physical freak to me and didn't give up a sack for the last two years. He's left-handed, though,
and I don't know if that'll scare some teams off. I don't even remember seeing a lefty Center in the NFL, but outside of that he's maybe the best Center prospect I've ever seen.

I want to talk about G Trey Smith of Tennessee later on but I want to watch him a bit more. The guy appears to be a pancake machine.
Humphrey is supposed to be the best center prospect in the last 10 years according to some of the draft "experts". Before Andrews signed I had him zeroed as a target for the Patriots.

But with Andrews on board, a guy like Hill who can play both C & G would be a good fit this year. The reason I think he is rated as a mid rounder is the injury. But he is suppose to be OK, sometime this season And as I mentioned, he would be a quality backup for this year, and a potential starter at either position once his knee is right. No need to rush him this year.
 
Both Karras and Andrews can and have played guard, right? Get the studs where you find them.

As I say that, I'm actually not sure if Andrews has ever played guard. I'll stand by "get your studs where you find them," though. I love monsters on the line. It's why I was so excited to get Big Trent back.
 
Humphrey is supposed to be the best center prospect in the last 10 years according to some of the draft "experts". Before Andrews signed I had him zeroed as a target for the Patriots.

But with Andrews on board, a guy like Hill who can play both C & G would be a good fit this year. The reason I think he is rated as a mid rounder is the injury. But he is suppose to be OK, sometime this season And as I mentioned, he would be a quality backup for this year, and a potential starter at either position once his knee is right. No need to rush him this year.
Yeah, I could get behind that -- a guy who can maybe drop due to medical and then be brought along slowly or redshirt IR'd while he gets a year in the program. Makes a lot of sense and we are bound to miss Thuney sooner or later. You don't lose a guy like him and not miss a beat. I get that Shaq and probably Wynn will start, and we could be lots worse off than them, but both have missed a fair bit of time and we could stand to reset the pipeline.

Far as Humphrey -- I don't get why everybody doesn't see him as the clear best which is why I brought up the left-handed thing as a possible reason. I saw Josh Myers listed as the top Center yesterday somewhere and have seen Dickerson frequently slated to go before Creed. All three are likely to be outstanding, imo, but the reason I like Creed is that he is super athletic with advanced pass-blocking technique to go along with a massive punch. He's a prototype for the modern NFL. I never saw him get overmatched by anybody physically in the 3 years I've been watching him and he looked NFL ready when he was a redshirt Freshman. Still only 21, most mocks have him going in the early/middle of the 2nd, but I'll be surprised if he lasts that long. The talking heads will be surprised if Pittsburgh takes him at 24 to replace Pouncey, but I won't.
 
I'm more familiar with the interior guys right now because I like to watch these guys play full games against good competition and last year was a shitshow for a lot of guys and teams, so --I'm behind the curve at this point.

I've watched Sewell and he is just ridiculously athletic for a guy his size and has zero regard for the guy he's blocking. I've seen him just knock guys senseless and then go looking for another victim, but I haven't seen him face anybody with a hard outside rush yet. I figure he can be trained to do anything at a high level and should be all-pro before long. To me he is the Mekhi Becton of this class and the clear favorite. He plays a little too upright, but it doesn't seem to matter. All the potential in the world, but you have to project a little because his experience level is simply not there. Like a few others.

I'm impressed with Vera-Tucker and think he is a solid 1st rounder, but I like him better as a guard. He's good at everything, but doesn't seem dominant at anything. He seems to be a safe pick and appears to be a mature and motivated kid.

Rashawn Slater seems a little oversold to me and looks quite similar to Vera-Tucker. A solid, competitive, strong guy whose marginal length might signal a move inside. I keep seeing him mocked to the middle of the first round, but I think that is too high.

I'm not impressed with Eichenberg at all and think he gets too much praise because he's a Golden Domer. Definitely a right tackle and should not be taken before day 3. I'm trying to stop comparing guys to others from the same program, because that can be misleading, but he really reminds me of ND's Mike McGlinchey who was way overdrafted by the Niners and was getting destroyed (along with his QBs) on the pass rush last season. Eichenberg can probably play in the NFL, but I would not want him in Foxboro.

Two guys that might outplay their draft slots are Sam Cosmi -- who checks almost every box (unlike most of them he had 34 starts at Texas) and put up freakishly good numbers at his pro day this past week. He doesn't look massive, but plays strong with advanced technique. I don't know why he isn't ranked higher among draft people. This guy has the film and the numbers. The other one is Walker Little of Stanford who didn't play much due to a knee in 2019 and then opted out last season, but Paul Fitzgerald, who is an outstanding OL guru, had high praise for Little stating he could start right away at LT as a rookie and perform very well. Apparently he is one of those relative unknowns that will be a better pro than College player. When Fitzgerald says stuff like that NFL teams should listen.

In general it looks like an unusually deep class (mostly RTs), but Sewell is the only guy I would go out of my way to watch. There will be good players selected on day 3 when in some recent years the well was pretty much dry by then. I would be surprised if the Pats take an OT in the first two days, but expect we'll get one.

I've been keeping a candle burning for Yodny Cajuste since we drafted him, but he's been hurt for two years running. He better get healthy for 2021, but I'm not holding my breath.

Justin Herron would have likely been a rookie redshirt (to add some muscle) in a typical year, but we had to play him before he was really ready. I think he held up pretty well and is an interesting guy with good feet and movement skills but can see a need to continue to develop the pipeline so we never again have to try to run an offense with a Jermaine Eluemunor or Marshall Newhouse taking meaningful snaps. I think Herron is the leader in the clubhouse to be our backup swing T, but has to improve his strength a fair bit. He seems to have everything else to serve that role for now while he gains experience. The way he survived the rookie gauntlet speaks well for his chances to solidify his role.

Should teams invest a high pick for an OT though? I've always been told no.
Maybe Sewell will be an exception but spending a top 10 pick on him goes against a lot of NFL draft "rules".


The debate is hot and heavy in Cincinnati.
The Bengals’ front office has to start building around their franchise quarterback, and the opportunity to potentially draft the best non-QB in the draft could go a long way in jumpstarting that process.

Over the past few weeks, a debate has been raging about which player Cincinnati should draft at No. 5, and it’s primarily come down to two players: LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell (Florida tight end Kyle Pitts may actually be the best choice of the three, but that’s a conversation for another time).

My opinion: take the superstar receiver and get an OT later.
 
Last edited:
The New England Patriots will get another close look at one of the premier quarterback prospects in this year’s draft. Projected top-10 selection Justin Fields will hold his second Pro Day at Ohio State today, and the Patriots are sending some of their most experienced talent evaluators.

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will be among the Patriots present for the session, according to a report by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, as will be assistant director of player personnel Dave Ziegler and national scout Matt Groh.


Eliot Wolf attended his first pro day. The big guns are there today with the exception of BB.
 
3 weeks ago Jerry gives us his pick at QB for the Pats.

 
Just a reminder that Fields & Lance are pocket passers that can run 4.4 - 4.5. As a Pats fan these two are clearly my top choices for the Pats but I'd gladly take Mac Jones.
I'd also be happy with Davis Mills in a later round
 
Back
Top