Some NFL teams have fewer than 15 players with first-round grades in this week’s draft. So who could be some of the surprises of Round 1? Here are seven names to watch: https://t.co/nuMteJtpJh
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 26, 2022
Historically, I don’t start thinking about the NFL Draft until the Monday of draft week. Despite the Draft Industrial Complex’s ridiculous year-to-year growth, it’s all you need. 75% of the players drafted this week will be completely irrelevant at the professional level. 10% (max) will be serious contributors. The draft requiring months-upon-months of analysis is a completely modern phenomenon. There used to be 1-2 draft gurus. The draft used to be held in the anonymity of weekend afternoons. And you know what? Teams were probably better at drafting then.
Here are a few notes I got from folks around the league regarding names available for the Bears tonight and the rest of the weekend. I don’t particularly care how the Bears approach Friday night; they need a lot of players. But I would like to see one of those picks be used on wide receiver.
- On Andrew’s guy George Pickens: “He’s a turd. Absolute head case.”
- A second scout on Pickens: “Watch him block. He’s going to be a very good pro.”
- On Wood’s guy Calvin Austin: “Love him. If we didn’t have [REDACTED], we’d be all over him.”
- On my guy Slade Bolden: “Free agent. Can’t run.”
- On Christian Watson: “Somebody is going to take him way too high but in the second round, grab him.”
- On Alec Pierce: “Somebody is going to take Garrett Wilson at 10 and somebody is going to take Alec Pierce at 50 and while Wilson may have a better career it won’t be a huge difference.”
- On the quarterbacks: “Willis is not good on the whiteboard. Corral has off-field concerns. I think Howell will be a little better than them all.”
- On Nick Petit-Frere: “Not a lot of bad snaps, except against Michigan. Solid pro if he can get stronger.”
- On Luke Goedeke: “Tough/nasty. More of a guard but could get you out of a game at tackle.”
And a general note on the entire draft.
DBB: Why is this draft so unpredictable?
Answer: Because there is no top tier talent. There is no Chase Young, Myles Garrett, Trevor Lawrence….when there are dominant players at QB, LT, pass rusher…we know how the top ten will shake out. There is good and some really good talent in this draft. But very few, if any, surefire blue chippers.
