The 2021 Draft- We Need This One

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chevss454 said:
Just a reminder for everyone here.

The two weeks before the draft is when all teams have final meetings on the draft, break ties in grades, get medical reports, get psych reports, etc.
That means teams don’t truly know where the players are on their board until these final meetings conclude. It's all being done right now in war rooms across the league.
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I enjoy Bill Polian's podcast (yeah, I know he has "history" with the Pats). It's really interesting to hear a former high level insider talk about the draft, scouting etc.

He said that one thing which outsiders overlook is the confidential evaluations that the teams get. They provide really interesting insights into a player's "make up", medical stuff and so on.

He said that this explains why players fall "unexpectedly".
 
These last two weeks are going to take forever...

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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
chevss454 said:
Another thing to note is that this is a historically small draft class with only 660 players signing up for the 2021 draft.
In 2019 there were 1972 players.
In 2020 there were 1839 players.
The reason is bc the NCAA granted athletes an extra year of eligibility after a COVID-warped season and a large number of players opted to return to school.
Which means that next year there should be 2000 or more prospects in the draft.
It also means that the lower prospects this year will include many who really aren't NFL worthy.
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Yeah. I read an article on Defector, which discussed this. It quoted some agents as saying that some guys who had taken part in Combine/Pro days were opting to go back for a year. They thought this year is a better time to declare due to prospect shortage that you mentioned.
 
PatsFan09 said:
These last two weeks are going to take forever...


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The information has all been gathered so it's time for fans to relax while the FOs do the work of setting their boards.
 
gomezcat said:
Yeah. I read an article on Defector, which discussed this. It quoted some agents as saying that some guys who had taken part in Combine/Pro days were opting to go back for a year. They thought this year is a better time to declare due to prospect shortage that you mentioned.
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Pretty sure that's the article I got my notes from but I didn't write down the source or the link. Defector rings a bell.
 
Phew, I was right.

defector.com

This Could Be The Thinnest NFL Draft In Living Memory | Defector

Looking to make the NFL without having what might normally be considered NFL-level talent? This is your year. “There are going to be some absolute slaps drafted this year,” one scout told me. “‘Slaps’ as in rejects.” With the NCAA granting athletes an extra year of eligibility after a...
defector.com defector.com
 
How's this for a draft? And I only get a friggin A. I get Pitts and Lance. I got the 2022 2nd and 2023 3rd rounders back. And all the others were ranked much higher than the slot that I drafted them.
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gomezcat said:
Interesting about the left handed thing. Well, it's Interesting to me because I'm very strongly left handed.

The late (RIP) coach of the team for whom I do stats taught me a lot about the nuts and bolts of the game - the stuff you don't pick up from TV etc.

He pointed out that left handed passes take a different path through the air and are tricky for WRs to get used to.

I suspect the same is true of left handed centres, as the ball would be transferred slightly differently to the QB. I can't imagine it matters for shotgun, though.
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I can't remember the specifics, but I heard that Humphrey was a Lefty on NFL radio and somebody (don't recall who) on the show stated that they had taken snaps from a left-handed Center and thought prior to trying it that it could be an issue -- the ball is coming in from a different angle or whatever -- but this QB found that after a couple of snaps it didn't feel any different at all. Whether other QBs would agree is an unknown, but Belichick is said to prefer left-footed Punters because the reverse spin can screw up the returners or help force a turnover.
 
I really like Tennessee Guard Trey "IHOP" Smith as one of the top IOLs in this draft. He seems like an outstanding kid and a fine prospect, but I ran across a couple of clips that I thought were worth sharing. The first one is from High School and is notable for how many guys he just flat-out buries. I found it amusing because I didn't have to line up across from him. I would've just curled into a feotal ball and prayed.


View: https://youtu.be/NczNL39zYIU


That's a fat stack of pancakes, but those were little guys. Here is a more recent set of clips from Senior Bowl practices. See if you can spot the similarities between the two vids.


View: https://youtu.be/mz_u3x6Y7fs
 
If this is going to be a thinned out draft in the later rounds why don't we just use our first 3 or 4 picks then trade the rest for picks for next year. Stockpile when the draft should be deeper.
 
Hawg73 said:
I really like Tennessee Guard Trey "IHOP" Smith as one of the top IOLs in this draft. He seems like an outstanding kid and a fine prospect, but I ran across a couple of clips that I thought were worth sharing. The first one is from High School and is notable for how many guys he just flat-out buries. I found it amusing because I didn't have to line up across from him. I would've just curled into a feotal ball and prayed.


View: https://youtu.be/NczNL39zYIU


That's a fat stack of pancakes, but those were little guys. Here is a more recent set of clips from Senior Bowl practices. See if you can spot the similarities between the two vids.


View: https://youtu.be/mz_u3x6Y7fs
Click to expand...

We all lose sight during the draft process that it's about the future. So even if we seem to be all set at OG and C, drafting a guy like Smith or Hill may be for backup's this year but also for starters in a year or two. That's, I think, the 4th trough 7th should be looked at.
 
From Mike Reiss

4. Intrigue at all-time high: When Belichick logged in for his videoconference Thursday, he was greeted by 83 media members. 83! As Judy Battista of NFL.com noted, that has to be some type of offseason record as those looking to ask a question had to take a number like they were at the deli at their local supermarket. The 83 media members reflect the intrigue surrounding the team's draft plans.

5. Groh-ing into role: Belichick highlighted national scout Matt Groh as one of the leading staffers in the Patriots' pre-draft preparation, along with Dave Ziegler, Eliot Wolf and Matt Patricia. Groh (now in his 11th season in New England) is the son of former Patriots assistant Al Groh, and he has an interesting career path: He played quarterback at Princeton, graduated with a degree in psychology, and then went on to earn a law degree at Virginia. A career in football ultimately trumped one in law.

www.espn.com

The inside story of how Julian Edelman landed on the Patriots' draft board

The process that led New England to draft a gritty college QB who became one of the top WRs in team history is the essence of college scouting.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
Lombardi: "I know this, I know teams picking from 10 to 20, that are preparing for QB's to be in that range.
And the two QB's they are preparing to be in that range are Lance and Fields."
 
chevss454 said:
Lombardi: "I know this, I know teams picking from 10 to 20, that are preparing for QB's to be in that range.
And the two QB's they are preparing to be in that range are Lance and Fields."
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Lombardi always has good info & he's a connected guy because he doesn't talk out of school. Many years ago I had issues with him but I have since come around that it was a me problem & that he really is a good dude.
 
chevss454 said:
Lombardi: "I know this, I know teams picking from 10 to 20, that are preparing for QB's to be in that range.
And the two QB's they are preparing to be in that range are Lance and Fields."
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I would be shocked if either one is outside the top 10. We know the first 3 picks are going to be Qbs so that means 7 teams would have to pass over Lance and Fields to get either one to 10. I would love if it happens for the Pats sake as I do hope we trade up if either is sitting at 10 or 11.
 
Every time I trade with the Jags for 33. I make a killing trading out of 33. PFF doesn't grade it very well, but I think it is one of the best draft positions, first pick on day 2.
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This is a few days old, but it caught my eye and gives a little insight into how BB (and other head coaches) make draft and FA choices that seem to be a reach or overpay based on what that player has shown. Key excerpt:

Belichick was asked Thursday, would he ever take a quarterback at a spot in the draft that was not befitting that quarterback's grade?

Put differently, would Belichick "overdraft" a quarterback he likes (but maybe doesn't love), knowing that he may not have a crack at said quarterback if he waits for the point in the draft where that player's grade and New England's draft position are more closely aligned?

"I think that question really applies to every position on the board," Belichick said. "There are players that, if you just grade them on what they’ve done or what their production has been over the course of their career, you’re not going to get that player.

"If you see the player’s upside and development and growth, and you pay a much higher price for the player than what his production shows [it's] because you feel that, in time -- or [with more] experience or [in a] different system or whatever the combination of reasons are -- that the player will perform above what his production was in college.

"Could be injury-related, could be, as I said, scheme-related, could be, just the physical development of the player. Those are always things that you talk about. You’re obviously betting on the come there. You’re betting on the player’s development versus what you might actually see from another player. But in some cases the upside might be greater and the downside might be greater, too. But at some point you decide to make that investment and then we all see how the player turns out.

www.nbcsports.com

Perry: Belichick explains what it would take for Patriots to 'overdraft' a QB

With the Patriots searching for a quarterback of the future, could the team overdraft a quarterback that they believe in? Bill Belichick explained what it would take for that to happen.
www.nbcsports.com www.nbcsports.com
 
foobahl said:
Every time I trade with the Jags for 33. I make a killing trading out of 33. PFF doesn't grade it very well, but I think it is one of the best draft positions, first pick on day 2.
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I like your late round trades into next year since this year those late rounders won't be the quality bc of the small number of players in this draft.
Next year something like 2,000 players will go out for the draft.

I heard on SiriusXM NFL that a 5th round pick this year would only be a 7th rnd pick next year. Either Gil Brandt or Pat Kirwan said it; can't remember now.
 
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