Jordan Schultz
Initiate of the NFL
Tennessee titans have been on the chronometer for months, but the real action will start shortly after selecting Cam Ward with the choice n ° 1 Thursday evening in Green Bay.
With the draft of NFL to just over 24 hours, let’s dive into madness to decipher what is real, and perhaps more important – which is not – with regard to all the buzz you heard.
Carter or Sanders could slip
Penn State Edge Rusher Abdul Carter could be the best player in this class, but his landing point is always a mystery. Several sources believe that managing director Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll would like to take him to No. 3 in total, a chatter of character or injury.
“It’s an alpha,” said an AFC managing director at Fox Sports. “This is what you want with a rusher.” Another leader added: “Classic Philly Kid. Hard as F —, played through a broken foot and did not even know it. It tells me everything.… He also dominated as a second state second in his career, then went to Edge and dominated again.”
Just don’t exclude the owner of the Giants John Mara as a joker – and that could lead to Sheder Sanders in New York.
“Mara loved Josh Allen when they took Saquon (Barkley),” said a source. “He had his successor Eli (Manning) in Allen and did not push him. He was stuck with him. And if Thursday evening he simply said:” F — It’s my team. I want the QB. “It turns the project back on its head.”
If this happens, what about Carter? The patriots are a possibility – they hosted it – but most believe that they are locked up on LSU OT Will Campbell even if Carter is there.
“Three -year starter. Just a vintage player from Mike Vrabel,” said a former managing director.
Pats have recently signed Morgan Moses, but it is the best for the right tackle. They missed Jaylon Moore (Chiefs) and Dan Moore (Titans) in free agency and mainly focused on defense. Campbell also met the owner Robert Kraft – which was not a coincidence.
“Drake Maye is now your franchise,” added a former managing director. “Protect it with Campbell and you are ready for a decade. This is the ultimate luxury.”
Then: the jaguars at n ° 5 – and they may be the biggest joker of all. A new diet, and zero “30 visits” led, left teams to guess. I saw simulations with DT Mason Graham or Olb Milk Walker, but I think it will be offensive. They have just paid their QB and Liam Coen’s goal – an offensive guru – is to help Trevor Lawrence reach its full potential.
Now, if the giants take Carter at 3, I don’t know if there is another logical destination for Sanders to Pittsburgh, at 21. But would the GM Omar Khan be a little more prudent, since he chose Kenny Pickett at 20 years ago only three years ago? This is a legitimate question posed among the circles of the league before the project.
Meanwhile, the wait around the league was that the Steelers would have a decision of the draft of Aaron Rodgers, which leaves them in a precarious place.
“There is no way that they do not take a quarter -Arrière – or maybe even two – in the project,” said a current framework. “Right now, it’s just Mason Rudolph. You have no clarity of Rodgers and you have just spent $ 150 million on (DK) Metcalf. I’m sorry, but you have to remedy yourself, and you must probably do it at 21 years old. If Sheder is there and I think it could be, it is the obvious choice.”
Do not expect the saints to become QB at No. 9. They are not in love with options – at least not so high. They made calls on exchange, even as high as No. 2 with Cleveland, but there is little indication that the Browns want to move. This is a huge drop for the director general Andrew Berry, who has his eyes on Travis Hunter.
Desires of the day
The tight end Tyler Warren is a name that could go very high, not surprising. Jets (n ° 7), the Bears (n ° 10) and the colts (n ° 14) love it all – and yes, even the saints could take it in n ° 9. The teams consider Warren as a real blue prospect – tools of the Rob Gronkowski type tools, an elite character.
“This is the kind of player you could reach – and I only say” reach “because you rarely see your go so high,” said a current director of screening for the college. “But he changes the game.”
COLSTON Loveland will not be far behind. He is tall, strong and fluid – and the reception leader of a single season of Michigan by a tight end (56), despite the game of QB Tremblant. Do not expect him to go beyond the charges and Jim Harbaugh at 22, but that is his absolute floor.
There is an increasing expectation of a solid race in the first round on offensive line players.
“There are six, perhaps seven guys who can start week 1,” said a high-ranking scout. “So there is a drop. If you wait, you may have to reach later – or miss it entirely.”
Exchange
Several teams picking up in the top 10 are open to exchange. Their challenge was to find clubs arranged to rise, according to the sources of the league. But the 49ers, which have a record of 11 championship choices, are a team to look with the choice n ° 11.
“They have not chosen this top since the draft of Trey Lance,” said an executive from NFC West. “They could jump a few places for a better player and have a lot of choice. The trenches would make sense for them and where they are organizational.”
The posts of the Director General of the Bears said that he expected a “wild” project with “much more movement”. I am not convinced, at least not close to the top of the project. Most of the teams want to exchange, and I did not feel that the teams were trying to go to the top of the project and pay what she would need.
George Pickens is an intriguing trade name to watch. Pittsburgh took and called the talented WR, which is now eligible. After paying Metcalf, the league sources are skeptical, the Steelers will pay two receivers.
“It is simply not in their DNA to spend as much for two wide,” said AFC GM. “Pickens is more available than people don’t think so. Green Bay has been serious, and it’s not the only ones.”
The Texans made calls to make n ° 25, and the belief is that it is for an offensive line player. GM Nick Caserio has been aggressive in exchanges several times in recent years.
The Vikings have the least choice of all the teams with only four, and they are the first logical team that could exchange tour 1 to store choices, the partnership club having just postponed a QB.
The belief on Kirk Cousins, according to several league sources, is that the owner Arthur Blank will keep it there – on the bench – simply to support Michael Penix Jr.
“There were all these chatter perceived on Cleveland and Pittsburgh,” noted a current framework. “I don’t see him. The Browns just had (Joe) Flacco, I heard that they are on cousins. The Steelers still want rodgers and are sure in writing a quarter. The revealing teams of Atlanta to eat money from these cousins, which nobody wants to do.
Diamonds in the harsh
With so much emphasis on the main players in each position, here are some prospects do not pay attention to enough.
Alabama Kg Jihaad Campbell:: People really like it and it is a talent of 10-15 at the top 10 to 15. Largely considered the best hope of the secondary in the project, Campbell is healthy while waiting for it to be ready by the training camp. He impressed the teams with his coverage capacity, his key line range and his blitz skills. A framework with whom I spoke compared it to All-Pro LB of 49ers Fred Warner.
Louisville QB Tyler Shough:: Lancet gifted football with a prototypical size (6-5, 219 pounds) and a real pension to execute angles of severe spots. “He can play right away and win a match,” said a scout in the region. No one seems to worry about the fact that he is 25 years old or the fact that he had history of injuries. “More witness than anything else,” added the scout. “He is mature and he understands who he is as a leader and no one.”
Bowling Green You Harold Fannin Jr. :: One of the most productive tight end seasons in the history of university football cannot be ignored. Fannin, a former receiver and safety from the secondary school, captured 117 assists for 1,555 yards and 11 affected. “He is the closest thing to Antonio Gates that I saw,” said the scout. “He is not as tall, but just his deception as a road runner, how slipped he is once he gets the ball. I love him.” Fannin – who, like Gates, is from the Mid -American conference – played his best ball against the best teams (and the best defenses), including 11 catches and 137 yards against Penn State and eight receptions for 145 yards and a score against Texas A&M.
Jordan Schultz is an initiate of the NFL for Fox Sports. He also co-animated “why does Draymond Green talk about football?” to show. You can follow it on x at @Schultz_Report.
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