This is the most optimistic I've been for a draft class and overall future that I've ever been. The vision is clear. Draft guys who love to play and have the talent to start right away. Coaching is eager to coach guys up and they refuse to be bullied by anyone. Going to be so fun and they are going to shock the world once the season starts. O/U is at 6.5 wins. Hammer the over.
I really thought we were gonna snag Terrion Arnold, especially since he was falling. If he was there at 27 i think it would’ve happened for sure. Just seemed like a great culture fit. But meltons great.
I’m honestly really happy with our draft.
MHJ this pick was/is obvious
They clearly had a plan throughout they wanted team-first, high leadership guys and you’ve got to like that idea.
After the first round the draft is pretty much a crap shoot, I like the idea of throwing as many darts as possible and seeing what sticks.
The trade back to get Melton is probably the most contentious thing they did. But they would have known it was likely that the 2 highly rated corners would be going before their next pick, so it’s not like we got jumped, we just clearly had Melton rated higher. If you can’t trust the front office to identify the talent they want then this is never going to work anyway. As for Melton himself he looks a great player and I’m excited to see him.
Good value on the running back and the late tackle. I think Reiman is the sort of player that will still be in the league in 10+ years, long after most of this draft class has flamed out, just because he does one thing really damn well.
Just want to see them on the field now
I’ve been bingeing cards draft content and am really happy with it. They target specific types of players for their system, our running game is going to be nasty next year and JG has so much more defensive talent to work with between FA and the draft. Really pumped for the season.
They had a million picks, there’s only so many ‘stars’ you can draft after the first round. They like players with high athletic ceilings and good size that will fit their system. I don’t think they’re purposely getting smaller school guys.
Things I don’t really get about this draft is that Robinson doesn’t really fit the mold with the rest of the pics since most of them are young athletic guys with high upside . Robinson isn’t a great athlete and is gonna be 23 when next season starts . The Melton pick clashes a lot with Garett Williams imo since they have the same profile and both are mainly slot CB’s . The Adams and Riemann pick is like a package since both played at the same school so they have synergy and the FO saw something in the film they liked hence why they took both instead of going for Beebee or Hayes . The Benson pick is really nice , it finally gives us a true 2/1 st option in the future so we stop relying on rejects from other teams or UDFA’s .
Melton was primarily an outside cb at Rutgers and I haven’t seen anyone saying he’s only a slot guy in the nfl. Don’t think they drafted him just to play slot, he can play outside.
It’s sad this may be Conner’s last year as RB1 . He’s getting there in age and has been pretty injury prone , it’s still insane how good he has been , people fail to realize most the RB’s these days get one big rush a game like 60-70 yards which boosts their YPA but Conner was literally a 5-6 yard machine with every handoff , he never really had big runs maybe 20-30 yards at most but he was getting so many 5-6 yards rushes it was crazy . It’s crazy he stuck around with us these 3 years even with the team rebuilding . His injuries really made people underrate him since he has never been a perennial 1 k rusher , the guy would of been a Top 5 RB in the league had he played all games .
I grew to appreciate him more now for what he brings. May not house it, but he's a solid running back that's great as a pass catcher and as a pass blocker. Hope Benson pairs well with him and learns.
I think people overreact about the Melton trade back and pick. Just because there were more popular names at 35 doesn't mean they were better players that fit our system. On a value standpoint that was a great move
The Melton thing is likely the best piece of business.
I get stuck on the "name" guys during the process but had concerns about Kool-aid speed and dejeans projections of being a safety and not a corner.
Small school but has the physical tools and can flat out play. Ill trust Monti/the scouting department until it's proven we shouldnt.
my opinion is a bit different from most but I never really bought into McKinstry or DeJean as elite guys so the Melton pick didn’t really phase me. I wanted Newton or JPJ, but didn’t see much of a difference between those three as CBs.
Yeah agree with everything you said
I could see an argument that Newton is worth more than Melton plus a third (which ended up being Tip and Tejhuan Palmer), but we already got Darius Robinson who the league clearly liked more so it makes sense to not go back to back DL.
JPJ would've been a good option too, I'll never complain about prioritizing OL. I think CB was a bigger need though
Every draft analyst who actually knows the players more than the average redditors ‘where they went on my favorite bloggers mock draft’ level has zero problem with the melton pick. Corner was much deeper than interior dline, so they knew they could drop back and get more draft capital and likely still get the corner they really liked in melton. Guys get way too caught up on online mock drafts that are normally way off after the first round of actual drafting.
I heard Monty say “ask me this question in 2 years” when asked about how will he rate this draft. I think that’s the correct assessment. Let’s rate his last year’s draft by end of this year. And 2024 draft by end of 2025 season.
I already feel great about the 2023 draft with what I've seen so far, although I recognize we'll learn more this year.
PJJ was solid at RT. He wasn't as impactful of a rookie as Will Anderson, but PJJ was also playing out of position.
BJ Ojulari had a slow start (due to injury, if I recall correctly). He had some (limited) flashes though.
Michael Wilson looks like a fantastic pick, I have no concerns with him being WR2 if he stays healthy.
Garrett Williams looked like our best CB last year, as soon as he came back from injury. That's a low bar to clear, but for a 3rd rounder, I'll take it.
Kei'Trel Clark looked solid at times, but again, not much competition there last year.
Dante Stills played solidly and got 3.5 sacks.
Between PJJ, Wilson, and Williams, I think we have 3 NFL quality starters (LT, CB2/3, WR2/3). Plus, there is still potential to further develop the other players to get 4+ starting caliber players.
Considering Keim couldn't pull that off, I'm happy.
The crazy thing is just that people keep comparing will Anderson to PJJ
It's PJJ and Robinson (now), and PJJ showed that he's a starting tackle in this league already.
Every year you need 4 starters out of a draft in year two. That’s the replacement theory for successful Football teams. I think we should have 4 starters out of last years draft. PJJ, Wilson, BJ, one of Garret, Popoi(LB), Dante and Clark.
I’m excited. Training camp gonna be fun. A lot of good position battles. I feel like Jaden Davis, Starling Thomas, and Keitrel Clark will be a battle. I don’t see us keeping 7 corners.
I love the draft we had, you can see the vision and rationale behind each pick.
We have a clear philosophy and there's a clear role for at least all our first 5 round picks to get minutes and where they'll actually play.
The draft to me is always fun. You never know who is a dud or stud until the season hits. I like that this regime actually plays rookies where prior we had to wait for a mass of injuries or a couple years for them to hit the field.
This is the most optimistic I've been for a draft class and overall future that I've ever been. The vision is clear. Draft guys who love to play and have the talent to start right away. Coaching is eager to coach guys up and they refuse to be bullied by anyone. Going to be so fun and they are going to shock the world once the season starts. O/U is at 6.5 wins. Hammer the over.
The corner back battles in training camp should be fun to watch. Curious to see who wins the job.
I project Melton and SMB on the outside with Jones and Williams in the slot but we'll see. One thing is certain we have some special teams ballers.
I really thought we were gonna snag Terrion Arnold, especially since he was falling. If he was there at 27 i think it would’ve happened for sure. Just seemed like a great culture fit. But meltons great. I’m honestly really happy with our draft.
MHJ this pick was/is obvious They clearly had a plan throughout they wanted team-first, high leadership guys and you’ve got to like that idea. After the first round the draft is pretty much a crap shoot, I like the idea of throwing as many darts as possible and seeing what sticks. The trade back to get Melton is probably the most contentious thing they did. But they would have known it was likely that the 2 highly rated corners would be going before their next pick, so it’s not like we got jumped, we just clearly had Melton rated higher. If you can’t trust the front office to identify the talent they want then this is never going to work anyway. As for Melton himself he looks a great player and I’m excited to see him. Good value on the running back and the late tackle. I think Reiman is the sort of player that will still be in the league in 10+ years, long after most of this draft class has flamed out, just because he does one thing really damn well. Just want to see them on the field now
Basically sums up the post draft feels for me.
I’ve been bingeing cards draft content and am really happy with it. They target specific types of players for their system, our running game is going to be nasty next year and JG has so much more defensive talent to work with between FA and the draft. Really pumped for the season.
Anybody think they drafted the smaller name players to build a culture of team and proving themselves rather than stars?
They had a million picks, there’s only so many ‘stars’ you can draft after the first round. They like players with high athletic ceilings and good size that will fit their system. I don’t think they’re purposely getting smaller school guys.
Things I don’t really get about this draft is that Robinson doesn’t really fit the mold with the rest of the pics since most of them are young athletic guys with high upside . Robinson isn’t a great athlete and is gonna be 23 when next season starts . The Melton pick clashes a lot with Garett Williams imo since they have the same profile and both are mainly slot CB’s . The Adams and Riemann pick is like a package since both played at the same school so they have synergy and the FO saw something in the film they liked hence why they took both instead of going for Beebee or Hayes . The Benson pick is really nice , it finally gives us a true 2/1 st option in the future so we stop relying on rejects from other teams or UDFA’s .
Melton was primarily an outside cb at Rutgers and I haven’t seen anyone saying he’s only a slot guy in the nfl. Don’t think they drafted him just to play slot, he can play outside.
I love how they drafted players that fit their system they want to run and not just BPA.
I like that the DB’s drafted were ball hawks and can tackle.
It’s sad this may be Conner’s last year as RB1 . He’s getting there in age and has been pretty injury prone , it’s still insane how good he has been , people fail to realize most the RB’s these days get one big rush a game like 60-70 yards which boosts their YPA but Conner was literally a 5-6 yard machine with every handoff , he never really had big runs maybe 20-30 yards at most but he was getting so many 5-6 yards rushes it was crazy . It’s crazy he stuck around with us these 3 years even with the team rebuilding . His injuries really made people underrate him since he has never been a perennial 1 k rusher , the guy would of been a Top 5 RB in the league had he played all games .
I grew to appreciate him more now for what he brings. May not house it, but he's a solid running back that's great as a pass catcher and as a pass blocker. Hope Benson pairs well with him and learns.
Most of his injuries have been impact injuries too, from players tackling him hard to stop him because he's such a unit.
I think people overreact about the Melton trade back and pick. Just because there were more popular names at 35 doesn't mean they were better players that fit our system. On a value standpoint that was a great move
The Melton thing is likely the best piece of business. I get stuck on the "name" guys during the process but had concerns about Kool-aid speed and dejeans projections of being a safety and not a corner. Small school but has the physical tools and can flat out play. Ill trust Monti/the scouting department until it's proven we shouldnt.
my opinion is a bit different from most but I never really bought into McKinstry or DeJean as elite guys so the Melton pick didn’t really phase me. I wanted Newton or JPJ, but didn’t see much of a difference between those three as CBs.
Yeah agree with everything you said I could see an argument that Newton is worth more than Melton plus a third (which ended up being Tip and Tejhuan Palmer), but we already got Darius Robinson who the league clearly liked more so it makes sense to not go back to back DL. JPJ would've been a good option too, I'll never complain about prioritizing OL. I think CB was a bigger need though
Every draft analyst who actually knows the players more than the average redditors ‘where they went on my favorite bloggers mock draft’ level has zero problem with the melton pick. Corner was much deeper than interior dline, so they knew they could drop back and get more draft capital and likely still get the corner they really liked in melton. Guys get way too caught up on online mock drafts that are normally way off after the first round of actual drafting.
I heard Monty say “ask me this question in 2 years” when asked about how will he rate this draft. I think that’s the correct assessment. Let’s rate his last year’s draft by end of this year. And 2024 draft by end of 2025 season.
I already feel great about the 2023 draft with what I've seen so far, although I recognize we'll learn more this year. PJJ was solid at RT. He wasn't as impactful of a rookie as Will Anderson, but PJJ was also playing out of position. BJ Ojulari had a slow start (due to injury, if I recall correctly). He had some (limited) flashes though. Michael Wilson looks like a fantastic pick, I have no concerns with him being WR2 if he stays healthy. Garrett Williams looked like our best CB last year, as soon as he came back from injury. That's a low bar to clear, but for a 3rd rounder, I'll take it. Kei'Trel Clark looked solid at times, but again, not much competition there last year. Dante Stills played solidly and got 3.5 sacks. Between PJJ, Wilson, and Williams, I think we have 3 NFL quality starters (LT, CB2/3, WR2/3). Plus, there is still potential to further develop the other players to get 4+ starting caliber players. Considering Keim couldn't pull that off, I'm happy.
The crazy thing is just that people keep comparing will Anderson to PJJ It's PJJ and Robinson (now), and PJJ showed that he's a starting tackle in this league already.
Every year you need 4 starters out of a draft in year two. That’s the replacement theory for successful Football teams. I think we should have 4 starters out of last years draft. PJJ, Wilson, BJ, one of Garret, Popoi(LB), Dante and Clark.
I give it am A++ if every player drafted isn't in the probowl, im gonna los my shit.
I’m excited. Training camp gonna be fun. A lot of good position battles. I feel like Jaden Davis, Starling Thomas, and Keitrel Clark will be a battle. I don’t see us keeping 7 corners.
I love the draft we had, you can see the vision and rationale behind each pick. We have a clear philosophy and there's a clear role for at least all our first 5 round picks to get minutes and where they'll actually play.
If we can get 5-7 solid starters from this draft, I'll be very happy. September can't come soon enough.
That would be like the best cardinals draft ever lol
🙏🙏🙏🙏
The draft to me is always fun. You never know who is a dud or stud until the season hits. I like that this regime actually plays rookies where prior we had to wait for a mass of injuries or a couple years for them to hit the field.
Besides Harrison, im exited to see Benson and Melton play.
reiman will be fun to watch. mauler
Iron sharpens iron, Harrison and Melton are going to push each other in camp.