2018 Weekend Draft Chatter Thread

[VA Cowboy]

Yep. The further the WRs fall, the more it works for us. The sweet spot for them in this draft is the 2nd and 3rd round.

Yeah glad we didn't reach for a non-elite WR at 19

 

[Smitty]

DC.com's front page:

"Tackling a Need."

Yep.

 

[mcnuttz]

are deuce and ace having a dcc party without us?

If so, that's more like a date.

 

[jsmith6919]

I don't think there is a huge gap between him and Anthony Miller. I sit still and see how it plays out.

Really? I'd take Ridley, Moore, Kirk, and even Sutton who I don't want before Miller

 

[boozeman]

Yeah, I am officially getting old.

Normally I would be losing my shit in the draft thread, threatening to ban NoDick etc.

I regret this.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Really? I'd take Ridley, Moore, Kirk, and even Sutton who I don't want before Miller

Miller is undersized and slow. I don't get it.

 

[Couchcoach]

Still have to have a quality DT and LG

 

[Cotton]

Let's hope.

Pre-draft consensus did not have this guy this high except for Dallas who would take him here cause Edmunds and Smith were gone.

I have looked at 3 profiles of him and all of them have him top 26. It's not like it was some huge reach.

 

[Cotton]

Look at the bright side yall, least we didn't take Evans

No shit.

 

[NoDak]

We have ten fucking picks. Half of them won't make the roster.

Why would it be so horrible to get some quality over quantity?

We already got some quality in the first round. I would have like Edmunds or James, too. But LVE is a very nice consolation prize to have without giving up any more assets than one pick.

We can use those other picks to move around in the next three rounds to get some pretty good players.

Our situations isn't nearly as dire as you're making it out to be.

 

[lostxn]

4. LEIGHTON VANDER ESCH | Boise State 6042 | 256 lbs. | rJR. Riggins, Idaho (Salmon River) 2/8/1996 (age 22.2) #38

BACKGROUND: A no-star linebacker recruit out of high school, Leighton Vander Esch grew up in Riggins, Idaho (estimated population: 400) and was a three-sport star at Salmon River, helping lead the team to 1A Division-II state titles in both football and basketball his junior and senior years. He averaged 29.4 points and 11.1 rebounds as a senior in basketball and competed in the high jump for the track team. Vander Esch played eight-man football in Idaho’s smallest classification as a quarterback and linebacker, accounting for 66 touchdowns (28 passing, 34 rushing, six on defense) and 141 tackles in 2013. At only 210 pounds and playing at a lower level of high school football (11 in his graduating class), Vander Esch went under-recruited and didn’t receive any FBS-level scholarship offers, choosing to walk on at Boise State. After redshirting in 2014, he served as a redshirt freshman back-up and recorded 20 tackles in 2015. Vander Esch battled injuries in 2016 and recorded 27 tackles and one interception in six games as a sophomore reserve. He had a breakout season as a first-year starter in 2017 with conference-best 141 tackles and three interceptions to earn Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-MWC honors. Vander Esch elected to skip his senior season and enter the 2018 NFL Draft.

STRENGTHS: Lateral range to mirror and pursuit speed to close…plant-and-drive quickness to unlock and go…high football intelligence…backfield vision and toughness to scrape down the line and find the correct gap…functional strength to find work in the trenches…gets skinny through gaps with budding skills as a blitzer…coordinated feet to control his movements in coverage…effective in his zone drops, using his eyes to feel routes and find passing lanes…strikes with pop in his pads, tackling low and bringing his legs with him…motor doesn’t quit and defends both sidelines…workable body type with length, adding 40+ pounds since he arrived in Boise…team captain with impressive character on and off the field…self-starter and quickly proved his worth as a walk-on, earning a scholarship during his redshirt season (Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin: “He’s not lucky, he’s a hard worker.”)…highly productive 2017 season, ranking fifth in the FBS with 141 tackles. WEAKNESSES: Needs to calm his feet to face up the ballcarrier and make open-field stops…slight lower body stiffness shows when he attempts to quickly redirect, over-running ballcarriers…long arms, but immature take-on skills…more of a battering ram at the point of attack and needs to develop his hand technique…slowed by road blocks mid-pursuit…inconsistent results as an edge-setter…late bloomer physically and still adjusting to the transformation…only one season of starting experience…durability will be questioned after an injury-riddled 2016 campaign, missing seven games. SUMMARY: A one-year starter at Boise State, Vander Esch had a breakthrough 2017 season as the WILL linebacker in the Broncos’ hybrid 3-3-5 scheme, becoming the first player in school history to win Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was a big fish in a small pond in high school and needed time to fill out his frame and adjust to major college football when he arrived in Boise, blossoming as a junior. Vander Esch competes with the athleticism, instincts and toughness that translate well to the NFL level, making plays vs. the run and in coverage. He finds himself out of control at times, leading to finishing issues, and needs to properly use his length when taking on blocks, but these flaws can be improved with more reps. Overall, Vander Esch needs to clean up his angles and break down skills to be more consistent, but he is an ascending player both mentally and physically, displaying the skill-set to be a three-down NFL starter. GRADE: 1st-2nd Round (#26 overall)

 

[ravidubey]

We have ten fucking picks. Half of them won't make the roster.

Why would it be so horrible to get some quality over quantity?

The picks are positioned to help us trade up in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. The supposed 2nd round talents at WR are similar to Ridley.

I think though we’ll see a run on them in the top half of the 2nd, so it might be worth that last pick in the 4th or extra 5th to trade up.

 

[Smitty]

Let the record reflect that I should never be called ideologically unflexible.

I'm here bitching out because

1) We didn't trade up/won't trade up, and
2) We didn't trade up for a DB.

I'm usually very anti-trade up, but there are a ton of situations here that merit it.

Soon, moving up for Ridley or Moore would make a ton of sense.

 

[boozeman]

I have looked at 3 profiles of him and all of them have him top 26. It's not like it was some huge reach.

You people are going to start making me hit the ban button because I'm growing VERY tired of uneducated statements like this. Go to CNNSI and see what they think of White. Then, post it. Fpickering, YOU WILL POST THIS NEXT.


If I see your name beside a post after this time stamp that does not include what a major draft resource like CNNSI has on this player, I will give you a couple of days off. You people WILL START THINKING AND START PROCESSING INFORMATION BEFORE YOU POST IDIOCY.

 

[jsmith6919]

Yeah, I am officially getting old.

Normally I would be losing my shit in the draft thread, threatening to ban NoDick etc.

I regret this.

You regret getting old? Well yeah I do too.

 

[Smitty]

We already got some quality in the first round. I would have like Edmunds or James, too. But LVE is a very nice consolation prize to have without giving up any more assets than one pick.

We can use those other picks to move around in the next three rounds to get some pretty good players.

Our situations isn't nearly as dire as you're making it out to be.

I'm actually referring to that. Yes, we should use some of those picks to maybe consider moving up into the 30s if Ridley or Moore make it.

I don't understand why so many people are against that. They are top 20 talents.

 

[Cotton]

Whew.

Disagree.

Not that Miller is bad, but I give up a pick for Ridley or Moore over Miller.

Come on. Ridley is 11th on Brugler's board. Moore is 14th.

They are good. Everyone is sitting on them cause there is depth, but at some point value takes over.

Well, yeah, I would take Ridley or Moore over Miller. My point was, I don't take Ridley/Moore/Pick over waiting to take Miller at 50.

 

[Cotton]

Leegro, Veegro, and Jaylon is Kneegro

We have a winner.

 

[NoDak]

Leegro and LVEgro?

You've been timestamped.

 

[Texas Ace]

You live in Florida now?

Deuce is in Houston.