NFL
By: Greg Rector
Four days of testing, interviews, and drills took place in Indianapolis this past weekend. Scouts, general managers, and coaches were present to put this year’s group of draft-eligible players through their paces and see if what they saw on film matched up with the testing. The real important parts of the combine were the interviews and the medicals the teams put the players through. Some players did not partake or weren’t even invited for whom their pro days will be important for them instead. We saw an entire position group (Running Backs) decide that none of them would even participate in the shuttle drill. All in all, there were several players that some teams will now reassess in light of their testing. Players are ending their seasons and going to personal training gurus to learn and practice such things as how to run the 40-yard dash, improve their vertical and broad jumps as well. So let’s take a look at what the future should hold for those who want to get that call from an NFL team the last weekend of April. For those who only focus on first-round picks, this year open your eyes folks. This group will have players in rounds 2 through 6 who will become household names. Might even see more 7th and final round picks stick with teams than in most years.
THE CLASS
The 2022 draft class doesn’t have the cache of some other more recent groups for the simple reason the “Franchise,” type of quarterback isn’t here. Instead, this group has a deep crop of players that might not be the superstars of the future but they will certainly be plenty of the 2022 draft class who will have solid careers. Sure we’ll likely get a few future Hall of Fame players, mostly though this group is loaded with versatile, highly athletic players, especially at the Edge, wide receivers, interior offensive linemen, and in the secondary. Not the first word was versatile. There’s a reason I emphasize versatility. The NFL is moving more and more to a league where players on both sides of the ball are being asked to play snaps at different positions. Get used to the use of “hybrid,” and “tweeners,” to describe players going forward. The combo OLB/DEs, the combo Safety/LB/Slot Corner, offensively the combo TE/WR as well. Simply put teams are going to put more value on the ability to be versatile in this era of mismatch football.
WHO GOES WHERE
There is no consensus first overall pick, there’s not even a consensus of who the top 5 players are. I have my personal favorite at number one, but I cannot say I would be shocked if my top overall choice isn’t still available at the 6th or 7th overall spot. In other words because of the type of draft class we have don’t look at this draft as you would in the years when things are much clearer. This is the draft for those of us who are into all of this and our three favorite words “Best Player Available,” on each team’s draft board. We will still see a few teams take the leap for one of the quarterbacks, if you cheer for one of those teams, please have some patience, don’t expect the likes of Pickett, Willis, Howell, or Ridder, to be something they aren’t in year one. Sorry guys they simply aren’t ready to be starting NFL quarterbacks, and light-years away from turning around the fortunes of your team. Instead, focus on who gets drafted that is going to help your favorite team’s depth. That’s what this group is going to do for teams. I can project as can every scout what a player might do, but I am not even going to try without knowing where a player is headed. Ask yourself this? If Patrick Mahomes was drafted by the NY Jets or the Detroit Lions given the woes of those franchises over many decades do you really think he would be the same impactful player he’s been able to become as a Kansas City Chief? The talent around each of these guys matters, the coaching, and the schemes matter as well. All in all, folks just be realistic with the expectations for all these players. They don’t ask to be the first overall pick to the worst team from the previous year, nor do they ask to be drafted to a team where their best skills might not fit with what that team does on offense or defense. That’s not a player’s fault issue, it’s a front-office issue.
OTHER FACTORS
March 8th is the deadline for teams to use the “franchise tag,” for current players. Next Monday on the 14th teams can also start to legally tamper with upcoming free agents, those free agents then can begin to sign new deals on the 16th. This will also impact the draft as teams can address “Needs,” in free agency. This means instead of reaching for the guy you’re excited about in round one, you may end up disappointed as the need was filled. Instead have a few options at a position of need in your minds for this draft. The differences between so-called surefire round one players and a guy that might go in round three are not as huge as many make it out to be. With the depth of this draft group what your team does on Friday and Saturday in April will be just as important as the big show on Thursday night. This also means that until the free agents are dealt with all those “mock drafts,” are pretty meaningless. It’s a fun exercise but I will hold off being the least bit confident in a mock draft until that happens.
NBS DRAFT CENTRAL
Make sure to subscribe to the Nuts and Bolts Youtube channel so you can tune in to the NBS draft coverage featuring Jeff Barnes, Bill Carroll, and heck I am even showing up for the three days of Christmas for those of us who love the draft. Along with a whole bunch of guests. Jeff and Bill will also be continuing their positional group shows each Wednesday at 9 PM Eastern.
https://www.youtube.com/c/NutsAndBoltsSP
As always you can find me on Twitter @GregCowboys
