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Pundit draft talk

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Buck Melanoma
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I’ve mentioned The Huddle Report a few times here. Drew Broylhart is one of my favorite talent assessors. Here’s a link to the player profiles he’s done to date for each position group. In particular, pay attention to his comments on edge Mike Green. I believe they’re fair, accurate, and support what I’ve said here about Green.

FYI….when you select any player in a position group all profiles will appear. Just scroll through.  🙂

https://www.thehuddlereport.com/player-profiles


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Erick V
(@evolz3737)
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@buck-melanoma Thanks Buck. I’m a sucker for this type of draft stuff.


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Buck Melanoma
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@evolz3737 me too. 

 

You’re welcome. 🙂


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Erick V
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(@evolz3737)
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For those who are pining away for IOL help this draft, the crop seems pretty bare at the top by some pundits. As most of us have gathered this is a great draft for DT, Edge and RB. I do think the TE class in this article is valued to high for me. I have watched a bunch and don’t see any immediate difference makers outside the top 2, but Mason is growing on me just out of pure necessity to find hope outside of Warren and Loveland. I am also still not as enamored with Arroyo as most seem to be.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2025-nfl-draft-ranking-every-position-group-with-defensive-tackles-at-the-top/  

 


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(@alisterlloyd)
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@evolz3737 this yards per route run stat that Steven Haglund from Guilty As Charged podcast posted (showing the stat for recent TE prospects in their final season of college) suggests some people might be sleeping on Terrence Ferguson from Oregon

IMG 7022

:

 


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Buck Melanoma
(@buck-melanoma)
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@alisterlloyd I feel pretty certain Duck would approve this post. 🙂


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BoltUpDK
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@alisterlloyd I like Ferguson and Helm as later prospects. I’m not as high on Fannin Jr., Arroyo or Taylor.


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Erick V
(@evolz3737)
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@alisterlloyd The range he fits in for that graph is squarely in the “average” NFL TE group.


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(@duck07)
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@alisterlloyd I try not to feel biased when grading Ferguson and in that regard I probably go the opposite direction on his grades and projection at times (ie more harsh).

 

It’s funny watching guys who have played for so long as you can get certain beliefs stuck in your head from things they were as Freshman (Tyler Shough in this draft is the primary example for me) and the image I’m trying to keep in mind for him now is some of the crucial catches he made this season, especially on 4th downs on got-to-have type plays.

 

I don’t know if Ferg will become an Elite TE in the league, but I do believe he can become a quality Y1 in a few years. He’s not going to win at the LOS as a Y right now but we have Dissly for that. 


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(@duck07)
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@evolz3737 You know what I find a little funny about Trappasso’s rankings of the IOL vs OT?

 

Most of the analysts I read about talk about the majority of those Tackles all being Guards next level.

 

Banks and Campbell’s film doesn’t match the hype; Connerly’s size puts him in an awkward spot; Membou is a possible Center candidate and I’ve seen it suggested that Seattle might like Simmons talent inside at Guard relative to their 1st round pick and going BPA. 


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Erick V
(@evolz3737)
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@duck07 Membou is clearly in the OT1 conversation after his combine. The only real knock on Campbell is his arm length. If he had 34″ arms, he would be a lock top 5 pick. I would not be so quick to relegate him inside just based off arm length. After all, Slater’s arms are on the short side for OT and he has been elite. I think two things are a factor in this notion of kicking college OT inside.

1. The OT class has no clear cut blue chipper that hits every measurable, so instead of pundits planting their flag on prospects at OT, they are hedging their bets.

2. The recent trend in the NFL of guys switching between OT and OG either out of necessity or to field the best 5 OL on the field regardless of position. I think this gives the teams the option to select these guys in Rd1 with an eye on becoming a starter somewhere in the front 5, so they can’t be labelled a total bust if they don’t pan out exclusively at OT. Because as we have seen from this FA period, good OL are expensive to find, even at OG.


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(@duck07)
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@evolz3737 #1 – I don’t think if Campbell’s arms were longer he’d be in consideration for the top pick for example but I think some of these OT’s can be solid but not elite at the pro level.  (Charles Cross vs Slater is how I’d view the respective tiers)

 

#2 – It’s harder to play on the Edge and with the continued talent imbalance between OL:DL its only going to continue with shifting the most talented OTs inside to OG when they can’t hold up and I don’t see it as a knock on them to move inside. I saw a Bucky Brooks ranking showing Oregon’s RT Ajani Cornelius as his #6 Guard.

I think that opens up the options in what Harbaugh and Hortiz may be looking at when it comes to the draft on the OL for us


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Buck Melanoma
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Grading the position groups. Tuten gets a shout out in the RB class. 😁

 

Notice no mention of Mike Green….again?

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2025-nfl-draft-ranking-every-position-group-with-defensive-tackles-at-the-top/  /p>


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BoltUpDK
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@buck-melanoma He’s got quite his own list of top 32 prospects, for sure. 

If you compare it to Daniel Jeremiah’s top 32:

Missing
11. IOL – Zabel, Booker
10. LB – /
9. QB – Sanders
8. TE – Loveland
7. S – /
6. RB – Hampton
5. WR – Egbuka, Golden
4. CB – Barron
3. OT – /
2. EDGE – Williams, Green, Ezeiruaku, S. Stewart
1. DT – Grant, Harmon

It is evident they disagree quite a bit on a lot of prospects, especially the EDGE group. I begin to find it a bit comical you choose to focus on Green, again. 

His additions of QB Milroe, S Winston Jr., CB Morrison, CB Thomas and DT Norman-Lott in his top 32 are a bit (a lot) surprising to me.

The most surprising is his omission of Loveland – the 6th ranked prospect of Jeremiah – and Barron (8th), although Jeremiah is especially high on Barron compared to most. 

 


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Buck Melanoma
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@bolt_dk a big reason I posted this is because the list has quite a few differences. I agree with you about some of the omissions, particularly Loveland, Egbuka, and the DT’s.

 

I’m amused you find my focus on Green amusing. 😁  There’s a reason for my focus…I don’t want him in bolts and certainly not at 1.22. I feel as strongly about this as I did years back when Fluker was the 1st round pick.


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BoltUpDK
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@buck-melanoma I understand.

The good thing is there a lot of EDGE prospects in play for 1.22 this draft, compared to OT prospects in the Fluker draft (AFAIR). Stewart, Williams, Pearce Jr., Ezeiruaku and Scourton could all be options at 1.22 (counting out Carter and LB/EDGE Walker), if we want to strenghting the EDGE group. 


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Buck Melanoma
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@bolt_dk that is good news. I’m leaning hard toward TE (if Loveland or, very very unlikely, Warren are available) or edge at 1.22. The recent center acquisition moves me off of Zabel there. 

One of the stud DTs wouldn’t disappoint me either but I think that class is deep enough to wait.


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BoltUpDK
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@buck-melanoma I was contemplating about doing an open document with all of the possible prospects we could draft in the first round, giving stormcloud members the option to rank them all. 
Could that be fun, you think?


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Buck Melanoma
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@bolt_dk sounds like a great idea!

 

I haven’t done it yet because I’ve been so busy prepping to move, but I usually target 3-4 players per round as my choices/cluster. Probably get to that after the move and before the draft. 


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Erick V
(@evolz3737)
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@buck-melanoma @bolt_dk The more I watched the Edge group, the more I like Ezeiruaku. I think he compliments what the group is missing. He is not a pure speed/bender, but just a natural pass rusher that can win in his first step or two off the snap in a variety of ways. As of now, I am still all in on an Edge player at 1.22. I would really love Ezeiruaku or Pearce, but I would take any of the top guys left (Stewart, Scourton, Green, Williams) at our pick. It would complete the room and give us depth for a potential Mack departure. I would not want to wait another year, because there is no telling how good that Edge class will be and if there will even be a player worth taking at our pick next year.


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Buck Melanoma
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@evolz3737 I definitely want an edge brought in to mentor under Mack. To me, that’s invaluable.

Haven’t really watched much of Ezeiruaku. I like Pearce a lot and think Scourton, though lacking ideal length, is a Harbaugh type of player.

 

I won’t comment again on Green. 😁😆


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Erick V
(@evolz3737)
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@buck-melanoma Haha, I know your feelings on him. Luckily the league seems to like him quite a bit. I would be surprised if he lasted to 1.22. I think Barron could be a sneaky target as well. Gives depth at multiple DB spots.


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Buck Melanoma
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@evolz3737 I could see Barron as a surprise pick. He’s position flexible and a baller.

 

Not that I’m endorsing it but I could even Jihad Campbell as the pick. He can rush the passer and is stout against the run. Again, not an endorsement as I think we have much more urgent priorities. But it depends on how/where they view him. Probably won’t be there at 1.22 anyway.


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Erick V
(@evolz3737)
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@bolt_dk Remember, DJ creates these earlier mocks on what he hears more than what he assesses. Milroe might be in the conversation purely from a need perspective and not a talent perspective. Same with Lott. He has slowly started to create some buzz, but remember half of what these guys hear or the buzz generated about them is a smoke screen. If I like a player in Lott’s position and range better, I might hype him up so take the eyes off my prize. I would take everything with a grain of salt until about 10 days before the draft, and even then we get major curve balls every year.


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BoltUpDK
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@evolz3737 Maybe I’m misunderstanding your comment, but the list isn’t from DJ’s mocks. It’s from hos top 50 prospects lists, which isn’t about what he hears, but his own assessment of the players. 

I compared DJ’s latest top 32 players to the top 32 players Buck linked from CBS. 

Therefore I’ll stand by my point made earlier.


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Erick V
(@evolz3737)
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@bolt_dk I might have been confusing. I know your list was the rankings. I’m just saying that I have heard DJ say his early mocks are done more with his ears than team need. There will be guys drafted in Rd1 that are outside of his top players


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Buck Melanoma
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RB rankings via Maurice Jones-Drew.

https://www.nfl.com/news/2025-nfl-draft-ranking-rb-prospects-no-1-to-31


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Erick V
(@evolz3737)
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@buck-melanoma He’s a bit of a clickbait blow hard. I only take him at face value. I do think Steve Smith Jr is a great resource evaluating the WR. He was spot on in his pre draft evaluation of QJ 2 years ago. He puts in the time to actually watch the guys and comes up with good evaluations that he backs up on the film.


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Buck Melanoma
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@evolz3737 good to know. I’m not really familiar with his analyst work, just saw RB ranking RB’s and threw it in the mix. 🙂

 

I was in attendance for that heartbreaking 4th and 29 he converted, leading to a Chargers loss. That memory alone should place him on my shit list…lol.


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Erick V
(@evolz3737)
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@buck-melanoma Wasn’t that Ray Rice? I thought he caught a check down and went 30 yards with it?


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Buck Melanoma
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@evolz3737 oh, you know what? You’re right.

I’m getting CRS…Can’t remember shit. 🙃


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Erick V
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@buck-melanoma Uggh. You are probably better off not remembering most of the brutal losses from that era.


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(@arne-sixpakfrombelgium)
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@evolz3737 Ugh I hated that play so much. To this day I am still fully convinced that the Ravens WR should have been called for an illegal block in the back. I think it was Wallace who just torpedoed Wedddle right on the back of his head.


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(@blue-beers)
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Conklin is in for a vist and if the Chargers sign Conklin, I would punt on TE at least until the 3rd round, maybe even 4th. 

At this point, I’d go Edge round 1 and DT round 2.

Then look for some combo of RB/TE/IOL in rounds 3 and 4. 

 


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Smith
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@blue-beers If the team signs Conklin, that would mean they would have—at very least—average starters at every position. I think then that the draft is a total guess. It would be a great position to be in as there wouldn’t be a “need” in the draft. I would love to see an Edge and a DT early, guys who could grow and develop over the next 3-4 years. And a guard or center. And a TE. And a big, speedy receiver. And another couple of DBs. Ah, shoot. Now I wish all ten picks were in the first three rounds. I really do like Hortiz’s roster construction so far.


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(@unclejammsarmy)
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@smith team signed Conklin just now. 1-year deal.


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Tau837
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@blue-beers Assuming the value is there at each pick, I am similar and prefer Edge 1st, IDL 2nd, RB 3rd, IOL (presumably G) 4th.


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Buck Melanoma
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Buck Melanoma
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Buck Melanoma
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Buck Melanoma
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Buck Melanoma
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A fun exercise, I suppose. I don’t see any of these scenarios happening.

 

https://www.chargers.com/news/mock-draft-espn-bill-barnwell-nfl


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