Much of this draft was dictated by necessity, and by the fact that I didn’t get to my draft prep till about 35 minutes before my first pick…..ssshhhhsshhh, don’t tell Will.
Given all of that, I still feel like we drafted well, and our needs lined up fairly well with a Best Pick Available strategy. Here are the resulting picks and our plans to work with them…
1.08 - RT Ronnie Staley (86 Overall)
We definitely needed some help on our O-line, having lost RT D’Brickshaw Ferguson to Free Agency, and LT Marcus Johnson the year previous, both left massive gaps to be filled. With RG Jake Long also hitting his 30’s, it was now or never to start that rebuilding process.
We looked at a couple different options, but RT Ronnie Staley really impressed us. After running a PW, we knew he was the right fit for our team. Even though we knew he dropped a couple points here and there, nothing was a major concern, and his blocking stats easily make him a plug and play option for us heading into next season.
Observed Stats:
SPD 69 / STR 96 / AWR 61 / AGI 76 / ACC 79 / PBK 92 / RBK 89 / STA 78 / INJ 95 / TGH 79
Private Workout:
SPD 69(=) / STR 96(=) / AWR 62(+1) / AGI 74(-2) / ACC 78(-1) / PBK 91(-1) / RBK 91(+2) / STA 74(-4) / INJ 98(+3) / TGH 81(+2)
Final Stats:
SPD 68(-1) / STR 96(=) / AWR 62(+1) / AGI 74(-2) / ACC 78(-1) / PBK 91(-1) / RBK 91(+2) / STA 76(-2) / INJ 98(+3) / TGH 80(+1)
The Plan:
Ronnie Stanley looks like he will be an absolute beast for our O-line, but he does need some work. The goal is to keep him on the right side, and potentially get him a mentor to help him develop his game. Whether that is at Outside Tackle, or to take over for Jake Long at Right Guard, it is still undecided.
1.14 - SS Kevin Byard (80 Overall)
We have needed a new addition to our Safeties for a couple seasons now, but the stars haven’t really aligned. SS Kevin Byard however, looks like he will be the star we need, and with his athleticism, he can align whatever the damn hell he wants.
Observed Stats:
SPD 94 / STR 58 / AWR 54 / AGI 94 / ACC 97 / CTH 58 / TAK 82 / STA 83 / INJ 91 / TGH 70
Private Workout:
SPD 95(+1) / STR 57(-1) / AWR 56(+2) / AGI 96(+2) / ACC 97(=) / CTH 56(-2) / TAK 80(-2) / STA 87(+4) / INJ 93(+2) / TGH 75(+5)
Final Stats:
SPD 95(+1) / STR 58(=) / AWR 56(+2) / AGI 98(+4) / ACC 97(=) / CTH 56(-2) / TAK 80(-2) / STA 86(+3) / INJ 93(+2) / TGH 74(+4)
The Plan:
Kevin Byard’s strength is probably our biggest concern. At only a 58, his strength might not be enough to lock down all of his potential tackles. However, his elite combination of speed, agility, and acceleration looks to be matched by only a select few players in the league, and we’re hoping it will more than make up for anything that a stronger but slower safety wouldn’t miss. Byard is likely a starter for us starting on day 1! Once he makes it through his early progression, Byard is potentially a 96 SPD, 99 AGI, and 99 ACC safety….thats unreal.
2.08 - WR Pharoh Cooper (80 Overall)
With James Jones getting up there in years, we knew we really needed to add another weapon to our receiving corp. With Michael Thomas slowly dropping towards us at eighth overall, we started to consider things we didn’t imagine were possible! But then we stuck to our plan, and hoped he’d drop to us at 14th….we all know what happened, so we decided that Pharoh Cooper was a safe selection without needing to put in the effort of running a Private Workout on him. His incredible athleticism and sharp intelligence made him very appetizing from the very start of the draft, and we were more than happy to select him in the second round.
Observed Stats:
SPD 94 / STR 51 / AWR 75 / AGI 97 / ACC 94 / CTH 77 / STA 81 / INJ 77 / TGH 79
Private Workout:
We did not run a private workout.
Final Stats:
SPD 96(+2) / STR 49(-2) / AWR 73(-2) / AGI 99(+2) / ACC 93(-1) / CTH 76(-1) / STA 81(=) / INJ 80(+3) / TGH 82(+3)
The Plan:
Pharoh Cooper should be a starter for us from day 1, or at the very least be our first alternate. He lacks the height to be an elite outside receiver, but with his nasty speed and high intelligence he should be a major force to reckon with in the slot.
3.08 - C Isaac Seumalo
We knew we needed a Center, but weren’t sure anyone available really demanded a high draft pick.With so many other high-value picks still on the board, we did not get around to picking a Center until the third round. With that pick, Isaac Seumalo looked to be the best candidate.
Observed Stats:
SPD 61 / STR 96 / AWR 56 / AGI 71 / ACC 69 / PBK 85 / RBK 85 / STA 79 / INJ 74 / TGH 83
Private Workout:
We did not run a private workout.
Final Stats:
SPD 62(+1) / STR 95(-1) / AWR 57(+1) / AGI 72(+1) / ACC 70(+1) / PBK 84(-1) / RBK 83(-2) / STA 81(+2) / INJ 72(-2) / TGH 83(=)
The Plan:
Isaac Seumalo picked up a couple stat points where it counts, and that almost makes him worth starting…..almost. Definitely a third round caliber player, but I’d feel alright if I had to start him this season. Probably will still be looking for a solid Center in Vet Minimum Free Agency.
4.08 - C Luke Rhodes
Again with the need of a Center, we took a risk on Luke Rhodes, who we figured slipped because of his overall size.
Observed Stats:
SPD 65 / STR 99 / AWR 59 / AGI 76 / ACC 68 / PBK 82 / RBK 84 / STA 80 / INJ 80 / TGH 75
Private Workout:
We did not run a private workout.
Final Stats:
SPD 62(-3) / STR 99(=) / AWR 57(-2) / AGI 74(-2) / ACC 70(+2) / PBK 82(=) / RBK 82(-2) / STA 82(+2) / INJ 76(-4) / TGH 79(+4)
The Plan:
He looked pretty decent leading into the draft, but after taking a flyer, Luke slips a little, losing a few crucial points to his Speed and Awareness, but picking up a couple on his Acceleration and most importantly, his 99 strength held firm. He looks interesting to say the least, but not likely to get a starting gig at only 238 pounds.
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