Somewhat early 2024 Draft thread

[Cameron Giles]

Starting to develop a real fondness for WR Ricky Pearsall. 1/8” under 6’-1” and 193 lbs, the kid is just a technician, finds a way to gets his hands on seemingly every pass in his direction and makes really difficult catches look effortless. Has a nice toolbox for YAC as well and shows some tricks that sophisticated RBs use in the open field like a dead leg and a toe drag to change directions. Shows some nice speed heading downhill to the sidelines. Will catch through contact. Very high football IQ and understands how to set up shop in the holes in zones. Looked great during practices at the Senior Bowl and made DBs look pretty bad. Can run the ball on jet sweeps too and has the RB instincts to pull it off.

I’d love to see him slip to mid 2nd round in FF drafts. He isn’t likely to produce eye popping measurables but he’s a football player through and through. Whomever his pro QB is going to be is going to love him. He’s reliable and makes his QB look good.

I think he's gonna be my Jayden Reed of this class

If you like Reed, there's someone else that matches him more closely, if he gets the draft pedigree.

[Bronco Billy]

Harrison will struggle a little bit without a respectable QB. Hell, we saw it at times this past season with the transition from Stroud to McCord.

But, as has been said a number of times....situations change. Calvin Johnson went from Kitna and Orlovsky to Matthew Stafford.

Draft the talent.

So you are all in on K. Pitts still ?

Just asking if you ever think the situation trumps talent in a negative way. Poor system fit or being a secondary ( or thirdary) option

Talent can be impacted by situation, but it's better process to bet on the talent consistently rather than letting situation deter you.

Pitts can still be a really good player.

We’re about to find out just how incredibly bad the Smith/Ridder combination was.

[tstafford]

So you are all in on K. Pitts still ?

Just asking if you ever think the situation trumps talent in a negative way. Poor system fit or being a secondary ( or thirdary) option

Talent can be impacted by situation, but it's better process to bet on the talent consistently rather than letting situation deter you.

Pitts can still be a really good player.

We’re about to find out just how incredibly bad the Smith/Ridder combination was.

I hope that's right. I have London on one team, Pitts on another. My POV (unpopular) is that the problem was much less about Smith than Ridder. And the Ridder problem remains.

[Bronco Billy]

Talent can be impacted by situation, but it's better process to bet on the talent consistently rather than letting situation deter you.

Pitts can still be a really good player.

We’re about to find out just how incredibly bad the Smith/Ridder combination was.

I hope that's right. I have London on one team, Pitts on another. My POV (unpopular) is that the problem was much less about Smith than Ridder. And the Ridder problem remains.

For now

[mild]

Just asking if you ever think the situation trumps talent in a negative way. Poor system fit or being a secondary ( or thirdary) option

Talent can be impacted by situation, but it's better process to bet on the talent consistently rather than letting situation deter you.

Pitts can still be a really good player.

Massive +1 here.

For all the Drake London / Kyle Pitts consternation and cautionary tale elements... there are plenty of massive hits from the situational discount aisle, too.

- AJ Brown falling to a late 1st (or even early 2nd) pick in a lot of drafts because noone wants a Titans WR
- Garrett Wilson slipping in a lot of drafts because "lol Jets" (he was absolutely WR1 just on sheer talent + profile for a lot of people here, and that's been proven out pretty soundly out of that 2022 "Big 5" imo)
- Nico Collins now paying dividends as a later pick after 2 years in the wilderness, despite having a solid X receiver profile
- An older one, but Stefon Diggs had a value dip on his initial trade to Buffalo because at that point there were still questions on Josh Allen's ability to throw accurately. But Diggs had already proven that the talent was the talent.

There's more. We could go on all day.

Bet the talent.

[wickerkat1212]

Starting to develop a real fondness for WR Ricky Pearsall. 1/8” under 6’-1” and 193 lbs, the kid is just a technician, finds a way to gets his hands on seemingly every pass in his direction and makes really difficult catches look effortless. Has a nice toolbox for YAC as well and shows some tricks that sophisticated RBs use in the open field like a dead leg and a toe drag to change directions. Shows some nice speed heading downhill to the sidelines. Will catch through contact. Very high football IQ and understands how to set up shop in the holes in zones. Looked great during practices at the Senior Bowl and made DBs look pretty bad. Can run the ball on jet sweeps too and has the RB instincts to pull it off.

I’d love to see him slip to mid 2nd round in FF drafts. He isn’t likely to produce eye popping measurables but he’s a football player through and through. Whomever his pro QB is going to be is going to love him. He’s reliable and makes his QB look good.

I think he's gonna be my Jayden Reed of this class

Where do you see him going? I have him as late 2nd early third in Superflex, bit earlier 1 QB.

[Jigga94]

Does someone want to sell me on Xavier Worthy? I see him mocked fairly high most places and I think he's a fine player but have some major questions on how his game will transfer to the NFL

[wickerkat1212]

I have him between WR 4-7 (Different places ranking him—ED5, FP7)
WR6—Worthy 6’1” 160 very fast 4.30 (86.5) Comp Hyatt, Mims, Addison
strong YAC, good BOA, good acceleration 5.4% drop (average)

Those are my notes.

[YouMightDieTryin]

Does someone want to sell me on Xavier Worthy? I see him mocked fairly high most places and I think he's a fine player but have some major questions on how his game will transfer to the NFL

I tried this topic and got laughed at by Cam. So that dropped Worthy down any list I have.

[Jigga94]

I have him between WR 4-7 (Different places ranking him—ED5, FP7)
WR6—Worthy 6’1” 160 very fast 4.30 (86.5) Comp Hyatt, Mims, Addison
strong YAC, good BOA, good acceleration 5.4% drop (average)

Those are my notes.

BA and athleticism are easily positives for him. He had good production, leading Texas all 3 years in Rec yardage. AD Mitchell had a better YPR and TD this part year. I think Mitchell is the more well rounded WR.

However, I question his YAC and downfield abilities. His film has loads of screens and manufactured touches. Some of them, he breaks loose with speed. But more often than not, he was getting tackled fairly easily in the open field. Some of them he just needed to cut for an extra yard and couldn't get it. He lacks physicality when corners push up. I noticed a bit of his big plays were against mismatches and/or free releases.

He is not the deep threat Hyatt was and he does not have the Route running that Addison has. I like the Mims comp though

Feels like landing spot will be a major factor with him. Put him in MIA or SF and sure, they probably utilize him to his strengths. I still worry about the translation to fantasy though

He's at best WR7 for me currently and that would be at the top of a tier so maybe as low as WR10 when all said and done

[wickerkat1212]

I have him between WR 4-7 (Different places ranking him—ED5, FP7)
WR6—Worthy 6’1” 160 very fast 4.30 (86.5) Comp Hyatt, Mims, Addison
strong YAC, good BOA, good acceleration 5.4% drop (average)

Those are my notes.

BA and athleticism are easily positives for him. He had good production, leading Texas all 3 years in Rec yardage. AD Mitchell had a better YPR and TD this part year. I think Mitchell is the more well rounded WR.

However, I question his YAC and downfield abilities. His film has loads of screens and manufactured touches. Some of them, he breaks loose with speed. But more often than not, he was getting tackled fairly easily in the open field. Some of them he just needed to cut for an extra yard and couldn't get it. He lacks physicality when corners push up. I noticed a bit of his big plays were against mismatches and/or free releases.

He is not the deep threat Hyatt was and he does not have the Route running that Addison has. I like the Mims comp though

Feels like landing spot will be a major factor with him. Put him in MIA or SF and sure, they probably utilize him to his strengths. I still worry about the translation to fantasy though

Yeah, sounds like you've seen more film of him than I have. I'm pretty torn on the WR4 in this class, the top of that group where there are 8-11 guys I like. I'm trying to get more picks, especially 2nd/3rd round to take more shots. It's going to be a deep WR class. I do NOT have a strong sense of who the WR4 is yet, not at all. Some like Thomas there.

[Jigga94]

I have him between WR 4-7 (Different places ranking him—ED5, FP7)
WR6—Worthy 6’1” 160 very fast 4.30 (86.5) Comp Hyatt, Mims, Addison
strong YAC, good BOA, good acceleration 5.4% drop (average)

Those are my notes.

BA and athleticism are easily positives for him. He had good production, leading Texas all 3 years in Rec yardage. AD Mitchell had a better YPR and TD this part year. I think Mitchell is the more well rounded WR.

However, I question his YAC and downfield abilities. His film has loads of screens and manufactured touches. Some of them, he breaks loose with speed. But more often than not, he was getting tackled fairly easily in the open field. Some of them he just needed to cut for an extra yard and couldn't get it. He lacks physicality when corners push up. I noticed a bit of his big plays were against mismatches and/or free releases.

He is not the deep threat Hyatt was and he does not have the Route running that Addison has. I like the Mims comp though

Feels like landing spot will be a major factor with him. Put him in MIA or SF and sure, they probably utilize him to his strengths. I still worry about the translation to fantasy though

Yeah, sounds like you've seen more film of him than I have. I'm pretty torn on the WR4 in this class, the top of that group where there are 8-11 guys I like. I'm trying to get more picks, especially 2nd/3rd round to take more shots. It's going to be a deep WR class. I do NOT have a strong sense of who the WR4 is yet, not at all. Some like Thomas there.

I am a Thomas or Coleman guy in that late 1st range. I recognize none of these guys are perfect, but I tend to shoot for upside once all the "sure things" are gone

[Cameron Giles]

Does someone want to sell me on Xavier Worthy? I see him mocked fairly high most places and I think he's a fine player but have some major questions on how his game will transfer to the NFL

I tried this topic and got laughed at by Cam. So that dropped Worthy down any list I have.

Selfishly, I've been trying to cool attention to certain players.

I think if you're a fan of the styles of Tank Dell and Marquise Brown, you will really like Xavier Worthy. I think he's one of the better values you can find. That doesn't mean he's going to be a perennial WR1, but he's the type of WR that we've seen more of over the years that wins in the NFL. I don't like him as much as players of his mold, but I think he's very solid.

+ 3Y player with a coveted true freshman breakout
+ Turns 21 in April
+ Good route running chops.
+ Plays with a level of pop in his routes that's great to see.
+ Leverages different speeds in his routes
+ Three-level winner
+ Nightmare after the catch
+ Special teams value
+ Not a pure slot, Played 60%+ wide this season.

Biggest downsides:

- Sruggled with drops a lot at one point. I think he had a hand injury that was contributing to that.
- Used a lot at the LOS for his YAC. I think 40% of his yards after catch started from plays behind the LOS
- Functional strength on the outside

[Jigga94]

I just don't quite see Hollywood or Tank Dell when watching Worthy. I don't see the same deep threat abilities they have. He is surely athletic enough and size isn't really an issue these days. I do think he's a better YAC guy than those 2, but I still question how well his YAC will translate. I will go watch some more for sure as he's likely one of the WR I will be picking amongst in the late 1st.

I may also just be nitpicking at this stage. This WR class is deeeeep

[wickerkat1212]

I just don't quite see Hollywood or Tank Dell when watching Worthy. I don't see the same deep threat abilities they have. He is surely athletic enough and size isn't really an issue these days. I do think he's a better YAC guy than those 2, but I still question how well his YAC will translate. I will go watch some more for sure as he's likely one of the WR I will be picking amongst in the late 1st.

I may also just be nitpicking at this stage. This WR class is deeeeep

It is. I'm doing everything I can do get more 2nd and 3rd round picks, especially in Superflex. I won't be picking where Worthy will go, but I definitely am putting together my tiers and rankings. Going to be a wild draft, especially for WRs.