I actually think we have a better chance to trade #2 than before because it appears there are enough teams desperate enough to do what it takes to get a QB. If Willis separates from the pack, a deal definitely could happen.
Jeremiah has us taking Walker and Dean in his mock. I would be fine with this. In fact, if we go D at 2, Walker is becoming my guy because of his versatility. It’s worth noting that DJ doesn’t have Willis in his first round, but he also didn’t have Mahomes in his third mock draft Mahomes draft year. And obviously Malik is Mahomes.
Jermaine Johnson is amazing. He dominated this season and at senior bowl. I've watched every game of his this season, more impressed by him than any game I saw Kayvon play. Not sure he gets up to 2, but he's a top 10 pick I think
Jeremiah has him going at #7 to the Giants. He also had Walker as the #6 overall player before the combine when everyone else had him as mid-late 1st round. So it's not crazy to think NFL teams are a lot higher on Johnson than the mock draft community at the moment.
In regards to Johnson, he looks good and I wouldn’t hate him in the top 10. I do think there is a bit of a concern about his age, as he’s a full two years older than guys like Hutchinson, Walker and Thibodeaux.
https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/malik-willis-arm-strength-tools-2022-nfl-draft/ Pretty good analysis on Willis, specifically comparing him to other very good athletes with accuracy concerns. He’s right up there with the other three, except when it comes to intermediate throws, which is the big red flag. What’s odd is he was actually quite good with the intermediate stuff in 2020, so the team drafting him has to figure out where it went wrong last season. Of course those intermediate throws are why it’s more likely than not he is a bust. But everything is there for him to be a star. As Lions fans I understand why no one wants to trust this franchise to be able to figure out how to unlock Willis potential though.
Not even inserting my own opinions on Willis and the pick, I just don't think taking a QB is on brand with what this staff has shown so far. I'm kind of surprised how much buzz it's getting lately
It’s a QB league, and all the recent turnover at the position across the league has only heightened many teams need at the position.
The more I read about this years safety group, the less appealing Hamilton becomes to me at 2. He could be elite, but I think you have to go QB, Edge or OT there. I am not sure how big the drop will end up being from Hamilton to one of the other guys. Stacking Walker, Hutchinson, Thinodeaux or Johnson with Brisker, Cine or Hill just seems better than Hamilton and Mafe for example.
I’m intrigued by the idea of taking Ojabo in round 2 and letting him take his time to heal/develop. It’d make me feel better about taking a safety 2nd at least.
I am leery of Ojabo at this point, but if we take a plug and play guy at 2, I can get behind it long term. I still think it’s more likely than not we trade 32. The only reason we might not is because we are taking a QB there or all the QBs are gone. Otherwise a team wanting to get that 5th year on a QB will probably pay a nice sum to move up.
I don't want us to take Willis at 2. That said, I would prefer we take Willis at 2 than take someone else and then trade 32 + either picks this year or a 1st next year to move up and draft a QB in the teens or early 20s. That is currently my biggest fear. I think the QBs go earlier than people are projecting now, and Holmes' quotes from last year make me fearful he's a little jumpy.
That’s been part of my thinking. QBs always rise up the board this time of year. It’s incredibly likely that Willis, Pickett, Ridder and Corral are all off the board by the 20th pick despite the relative weakness of this draft. And if we are trading multiple picks to get back up in the draft to take one of the other QBs, we are losing more value than if we just took Willis at 2. I still don’t think we take a QB this year though.
I think its crazy with this class, but NFL.com had a mock this week that had 3 in top 6 picks and 4 in top 12. And a 5th going 14. Although another mock on same site has 1 qb going entirety of 1st rd...seems like no one knows
I think the number would be 2.5 in the top 20, with Willis and Pickett being kind of likely at this point, and Corral being a wild card. I could see Ridder or maybe Howell going at the end of round 1, but I'd be pretty surprised if either went top 20.
The more I watch Kenny Pickett, the more I wonder if I'd be more in favor of us drafting him if he didn't look stupid with those gloves and have the smallest hands of all time. For whatever reason I just can't get over it, and I think it's stopping me from accepting that he's more talented than I want to believe.
We're getting Hard Knocks, which pretty much everyone guessed because we couldn't say no and we have Dan Campbell.
Hard to say whether this will make Campbell a huge star or a huge laughing stock, and which outcome I favor.
My guess is star. He seems like a pretty compassionate guy for players, which will play well in a training camp setting.
Campbell will come across however Hard Knocks wants him to. If they want to paint him as a meathead, I'm sure he'll give them that material. If they want to paint him as something more, I'm sure he'll give them that, too.
These are the best jerseys we have and we should wear them all the time. Problem solved. Save that $$ for something else.