NFL Offseason (Free Agency, Draft and Trades)

[sycamore]

Grats to the Titans and their fans. Levis was a bargain pickup in the second round. The guy was a top 30 talent for sure and a possible franchise QB.

 

[sycamore]

Raiders join the Eagles and Seahawks as big winners in the draft: Tyree Wilson in the 1st round, Micheal Myer (widely considered the best TE in the draft) in the second.

 

[InCali]

Hooker is still on the board... they need to trade up and get him. They got a good TE, but come on man...

Not impressed with the Raider braintrust. No way I thought Hendon would last until round 3 and then Detroit jumped them......Lame.

 

[InCali]

Raiders join the Eagles and Seahawks as big winners in the draft: Tyree Wilson in the 1st round, Micheal Myer (widely considered the best TE in the draft) in the second.

I wish I agreed....I really do. I think missing on Hooker in the 3rd round was a giant whiff. Oh well....maybe there's someone out there, hopefully in the Raiders' front office, that shows me wrong.

 

[sycamore]

Top 5 winners of the 2023 Draft:

1. Seattle: two huge 1st round picks and two solid 2nd round picks. That's how its done, Detroit.

2. Philadelphia: they obliterated the first round. 3rd round picks look like projects, but who cares:
their first round was god-mode.

3. Raiders: one of the best defensive players in Tyree Wilson in the 1st round, and possibly the best
tight end in Michael Mayer in the 2nd round. Raiders crushed it.

4. Steelers: OT Broderick Jones was a bit of reach in the first round, but still a solid pick. CB Joey Porter Jr was a steal in the 2nd round. And now I see they've acquired TE Darnell Washington, who many had ranked in the top 5 TEs. If he pans out, this is a ridiculously great draft for them.

5. Patriots: CB Christian Gonzalez was possibly the best CB in the draft, and the
Patriots got him at #17. They didn't do much else, but they are set at one of their
corners for years to come.

 

[InCali]

Top 5 winners of the 2023 Draft:

1. Seattle: two huge 1st round picks and two solid 2nd round picks. That's how its done, Detroit.

2. Philadelphia: they obliterated the first round. 3rd round picks look like projects, but who cares:
their first round was god-mode.

3. Raiders: one of the best defensive players in Tyree Wilson in the 1st round, and possibly the best
tight end in Michael Mayer in the 2nd round. Raiders crushed it.

4. Steelers: OT Broderick Jones was a bit of reach in the first round, but still a solid pick. CB Joey Porter Jr was a steal in the 2nd round. And now I see they've acquired TE Darnell Washington, who many had ranked in the top 5 TEs. If he pans out, this is a ridiculously great draft for them.

5. Patriots: CB Christian Gonzalez was possibly the best CB in the draft, and the
Patriots got him at #17. They didn't do much else, but they are set at one of their
corners for years to come.

Man, I hope you're right.

 

[signalman]

Former Texans Brian Cushing announcing the Houston pick was was laugh out loud.
The pick name is "Juice Scruggs" from Penn State.
Cushing was busted multiple times in college and pros for PEDS.

 

[sycamore]

InCali, what is your issue with the Raiders draft? I thought you would have been overjoyed.

 

[Karelia]

InCali, what is your issue with the Raiders draft? I thought you would have been overjoyed.

Missing on Hendon Hooker in the 3rd was soul crushing for me, and probably Cali as well. I loved the first two pics, but when that third round came around, I expected the Raiders to jump a few spots to nab up Hooker, but they got a DT instead. Which wasn't a bad pick either, they need to restructure the trences... but oof.

Picking a WR in the 4th felt off compared to the first three picks. Raiders are loaded with WRs, unless they're trading Renfrow.

I guess I could see the Raiders drafting a QB today, maybe Stetson Bennett, Jared Hall, or DTR. Or the kid from Purdue, not really big on him though. Jake Haener is a name being thrown around... eh. Maybe they could trade for Trey Lance lol.

Just a little shocked the amount of interviews they had with QBs not to take one at all. Especially having multiple interviews with Hooker.

 

[InCali]

InCali, what is your issue with the Raiders draft? I thought you would have been overjoyed.

The first two picks were okay. They clearly needed help at TE and getting him there was good. I really felt they needed more help in their defensive backfield than on the line, but getting someone who will help on the rush is okay. If they were going D line, I probably would have gone with Carter, but can understand why they might have been hesitant to pick him. After all, they did draft Jamarcus Russell. LOL

I just think not getting Hooker was a big mistake. He would have been an almost perfect fit. He wouldn't have to rush back after his injury and could have been brought along slowly. The fact that the Lions felt the need to jump up to get him tells me they might not really be that confident in Goff. That rather surprises me as he's at that age (28) where things really start to click. He had a nice year in 2022 and I think he'll continue to improve. He could have another 5+ good years in him. By that time, Hooker will be in his 30s so maybe Detroit is planning a sea change or something. The bottom line is that we won't really know how all this pans out for a few months. It's more than common for people with high expectations to come up short in the pros and for others to overachieve. Time will tell.

 

[Karelia]

Jake Haener to Saints to back up Carr (both Fresno State QBs)

Stetson Bennett to Rams to back up Stafford (both Georgia QBs)


Annnd the Raiders draft QB Aidan O'Connell from Purdue... The one QB I really wasn't sold on. But he's a Raider now... so... Hoping for the best. Still salty we passed on Hooker lol.

 

[Immortalfire]

I was assured by rival fans that Stetson would never ever be drafted

 

[Dr. Evil]

Stetson Bennett has to be better than John Wolford and Bryce Perkins.

 

[InCali]

I was assured by rival fans that Stetson would never ever be drafted

That's because everyone knows so much.......

Stetson Bennett has to be better than John Wolford and Bryce Perkins.

Bryce showed some flashes, but the Rams sucked so much that it's really hard to judge. Bottom line is that I agree with you.

 

[InCali]

Now that there's been some time to digest things, who do you think really killed it or got killed in the draft? I thought Seattle started out really strong, but maybe fell off a little bit later. I'd put them probably 3rd or 4th. My top 2 are:

Eagles
Steelers

The Texans obviously did really well, but man oh man did they give up a lot to do it. I think they've addressed the QB situation and got a guy who can really help them on D, but I think they've got a lot of holes to plug and won't be doing it next year. I see them as a 5 or 6 win team and AZ benefits in a big way.

For the Eagles, this S*** is starting to get unfair. It's a team that just went to the SB and they picked up Carter AND Smith in R1?!?!? Are you kidding me? Man, if you're facing the Eagles next year, your QB better be ready to get rid of the ball in a hurry and good luck with the run.

Steelers made a nice move in R1 to get one of the top O linemen in the draft and, in the process, the Jets lost out. Although they picked up a guy who will help on D and, overall, had a pretty nice draft.

 

[The Big G]

SOMEONE GET OUR QB A LITER O COLA!

 

[Karelia]

I was assured by rival fans that Stetson would never ever be drafted

So many people were saying that. I figured he would get taken

SOMEONE GET OUR QB A LITER O COLA!

Maybe Jimmy G can give him his stylist phone number or some tips...

I'd suggest growing a beard out and different hair cut lol.

 

[sycamore]

Now that there's been some time to digest things, who do you think really killed it or got killed in the draft? I thought Seattle started out really strong, but maybe fell off a little bit later.

But IMO you have to put greater weight on how teams did in the early rounds (ie.1-2) because thats when you really have a chance to draft starters, perhaps even stars (with a little luck). Most of the guys drafted after round 2 are drafted primarily for depth. Given that, I would say Seattle really nailed it: an elite CB in Devon Witherspoon with pick #5; a steal with pick #20 -- Jaxon Smith-Njigba, probably the best WR in the draft; and then two solid picks in the second round.

My top 4:
1. Seattle
2. Philly
3. Pittsburgh
4. Raiders

HM: Patriots, Colts

 

[InCali]

But IMO you have to put greater weight on how teams did in the early rounds (ie.1-2) because thats when you really have a chance to draft starters, perhaps even stars (with a little luck). Most of the guys drafted after round 2 are drafted primarily for depth. Given that, I would say Seattle really nailed it: an elite CB in Devon Witherspoon with pick #5; a steal with pick #20 -- Jaxon Smith-Njigba, probably the best WR in the draft; and then two solid picks in the second round.

My top 4:
1. Seattle
2. Philly
3. Pittsburgh
4. Raiders

HM: Patriots, Colts

I also put more weight on the early rounds in terms of a successful draft because that's generally where you get your impact players. What I also believe is that the later rounds is where you make your living. By that I mean, you get the nuts and bolts guys who can really fill out your team, occasionally star, and plug what would otherwise be your weak spots.

The bottom line is that we won't really know how good of a draft a team had until their guys are on the field. Any of these teams could nail a 3, 4, and 5 pick and in a couple of years we could all be saying "oh yeah....I KNEW <fill in the blank> lol.

I'll give you that Seattle did well and maybe Witherspoon will the next Sauce, but I would probably have gone D line. Hey, we'll all find out and I don't have much of a beef with your top drafts (except my Raiders LOL....hope I'm wrong). Philly picking up Carter and Smith with 9 and 30 just looks to be kinda unfair to me.....By the middle of next year, we'll all have a much better idea.



I think if you're putting emphasis on rounds 1 and 2, you've GOT to put Houston up there. The problem is they gave up so much for this draft.....but, hey, from a round 1 perspective, no one did any better.

 

[sycamore]

I think if you're putting emphasis on rounds 1 and 2, you've GOT to put Houston up there. The problem is they gave up so much for this draft.....but, hey, from a round 1 perspective, no one did any better.

They did, but as you said, they paid a heavy, heavy price for it. The thing about Houston is they are one of those teams with a bit of an image problem -- they've been so bad lately that fans in Houston are starting not to care about them (remember that Dallas is by far and away the most popular team in that part of the world -- heck the Cowboys are the #1 NFL team in places outside of Texas, like Oklahoma, Nebraska, etc). They had to make some high profile moves just to make themselves relevant again. So picking up both CJ Stroud and Wil Anderson Jr makes sense from both a football perspective and a marketing perspective. From that angle, the price they paid seems about fair.

 

[InCali]

They did, but as you said, they paid a heavy, heavy price for it. The thing about Houston is they are one of those teams with a bit of an image problem -- they've been so bad lately that fans in Houston are starting not to care about them (remember that Dallas is by far and away the most popular team in that part of the world -- heck the Cowboys are the #1 NFL team in places outside of Texas, like Oklahoma, Nebraska, etc). They had to make some high profile moves just to make themselves relevant again. So picking up both CJ Stroud and Wil Anderson Jr makes sense from both a football perspective and a marketing perspective. From that angle, the price they paid seems about fair.

I hadn't really thought of it in those terms. Still, they'll maybe get a bit of a bump, but I don't think it's a move I would have made. They were in a lot of games last year and a lot of things had to fall wrong for them to have as bad a record as they did. I mainly credit the coach for getting them to play hard and I think firing him was a big, big mistake. I could definitely be wrong, but I see them winning maybe 5-6 games next year and being without a draft to speak of. Not sure how that really makes them relevant. Their problem is that they really aren't that great organizationally at the top.Barring selling the team, that's a tough problem to fix.

Speaking of the Cowboys, I think their draft was crap. Maybe some of those guys will pan out and prove me wrong, but I think they went in the opposite direction as did Philly.

 

[Dr. Evil]

One thing about Seattle: Never doubt Pete Carroll. A year ago, they were supposed to be one of the worst teams in the league, but apparently nobody ever told Coach Carroll that was going to happen.

 

[NewYorkSpider]

I remember back in 2012 when Carroll drafted Wilson, he was harshly criticized for announcing him as the starter 2 days after his pre-season debut. I've never doubted Carroll since then. Guy knows his stuff.

 

[InCali]

I remember back in 2012 when Carroll drafted Wilson, he was harshly criticized for announcing him as the starter 2 days after his pre-season debut. I've never doubted Carroll since then. Guy knows his stuff.

I remember watching Wilson play and it was SO obvious he was the guy for the job that my dog could have figured it out. That's not at all a slam on Carroll who has earned the respect and high praise he gets. We'll see how things turn out, but I'd say Seattle had a top 4 or 5 draft. They had a lot of capital, but spent it well. Hats off to them. The two teams I'd say had (probably) better drafts were Philly and the Steelers. Man, the AFC north looks like it's going to be last year's NFC east. Every team could be really tough. Funny how every year some other conference looks like it's going to be brutal.....of course, sometimes it doesn't pan out (like AFC west last year).

 

[Scarlet Spider]

Mahomes' brother charged with sexual battery

So Jackson Mahomes was arrested for sexual battery. Can we finally ban this *****ebag from attending NFL events?