Your love for the game (college) is most evident. But it’s amazing to me …. it’s like you have watched ALL the games and have somehow managed to store it all in your memory. Plus the fact that it takes a special knowledge and a trained eye to even know how to properly analyze it all. Yeah, everyone THINKS they could be a scout or GM, but it takes a special talent.
I went to high school and played football with John Schneider (SEA GM) and have known a few others in the business. I know a good scouting and analysis when I see it / hear it. And yours is TOP NOTCH.
Funny enough Yes, I watch a bunch of games. I love CFB! Who doesn’t like Big Mac Tuesday football? Or the good days of Thursday night football? I watch it all. Like I mentioned, I don’t follow the ball always. I watch just OL or DL few plays. To key in on stuff. They give you players names and size/position/year before each game to help get familiar with. So over time it’s easy to remember them.
And I have a very scary good memory. Like so good it’s an issue in life lol. I can tell you mocking the Raiders during the draft Under Mayock year one I took Allen QB 4. Sweat DE 18ish Metcalf WR 26ish and Winovich ED 36 ish.
I can remember emailing my buddy a few years ago in January. He asked me biggest surprise RD 1 guy coming up in April. Patty Mahomes! My top QB. Wasn’t even on Mayock top 5 list QB. No media so called gurus brought him up. But Favre and Romo vibes mixed in one was who he reminded me of. Sure enough Patty went RD1. But Fitzpatrick is still my best ever QB Nugget. He threw these beautiful 10 yard out balls at the combine. Out or comeback tuff throws man. He was great though. Just a dude they brought in to toss balls. Never forget they said from Harvard. I was sold on him right away. Wish I remembered my old user ID because I’d love to find that Thread I did on him on here.
My buddy though, is a big Panthers fan so he picks my brain all year. Hell I was pounding the table for Creed Humphrey or Landon Dickerson early RD 2 to Carolina. He says we got Matt Paradis Center. Don’t need one.
Explained my man crush on those two and they had guard potential and center down the line if need be. Plus who cares about now if something is better. I still randomly send him the screenshot of that text conversation just to bust his balls. Creed or Dickerson would been great picks super early RD 2 for panthers.
So for instance when I pick 3-4 teams to draft for each year during draft over the 3 days. It’s all off memory and nothing but a can of Copenhagen!
I dust off my notebook and write down my picks live with the draft. You have to remember it’s not a lot of guys. I have maybe 90-100 players tops I consider draft-able. Ranging from Rd 1 to Rd 7 guys. And I can easily get a ballpark feel where guys are going 75% time. So it’s easy to sit back and just off memory draft guys I like. Without needing anything
I’m pretty stubborn! I like certain things. And I don’t think you need evaluations on 500 guys. If I was drafting for say Miami. Just me in a room with a TV, a spit cup, can of Copenhagen. Don’t need a big board or anything. Just someone to tell we want him. I would do okay probably. Later rounds I can off memory dust up a guy if need be not in my 90 draft able. Say RD 6 maybe I want a DE/ED I’d toss out Jose Ramirez. Boom simple enough imo. Good football player E Michigan saw play 3-4 times. Good bowl game vs San Jose st also. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think it’s that complicated to find decent guys.
I imagine like most teams they have traits they like. I prefer guys like
OL I favor Versatility. OT with G ability or G to Center ability. Really don’t give two shits about arm length or stuff. Take Hayes LT Michigan. Guy is good football player. It’s Michigan it’s Big 10 it’s 3 year starter! Can’t play LT? Well guard may be a spot. And ever in a pinch he can go to Tackle. Or a kid I liked a lot Broeker from ole miss. Started LT as freshman and went to guard. Past two years saw good bit of him. Like the player a lot. HOF guy? No, but solid 5-7 year starter ability? Sure imo. At worst decent swing player and depth piece.
I love good Centers! I believe they are undervalued. If I was Seattle or NYG I would have taken Schmitz or Tippman RD 1. I mocked Schmitz to Seattle at 20 or a trade back up to 23ish ahead of NYG get the guy of their choice. Two teams I felt needed one bad. Cards Raiders Texans all teams top of rd 2 could have snagged the other if NYG went one. And all ahead of Seattle. So trade back up rd 1 they had capital or jump at 20 if the board doesn’t have any guys ya love.
The kid from Arkansas Stromberg! Guy has been a hog for 4 years and good player. People slept on mentioning him. Blows my mind he got no love. Definitely a guy I would have gotten rd3-4 if needed a center
WR I favor bigger guys with length. Old school I guess. Guys who can move inside outside I value. These slot midgets are a dime a dozen and products of the QB and system. Can be found anywhere imo. Dell Downs Zay Reed Scott. weren’t on my board. Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want them but price has to be right. RD 3-4 okay sure if needing that. I’d jump on them.
Not wasting my time on a Zay Flowers I know is likely day 1. Good football player? Absolutely! But more dependent on scheme and QB. Zay in KC? Probably a beast. Zay in Chicago idk. Gotta scheme him and QB up. So a pass big board player for me. Now if I were focusing on one certain team I’d maybe alter things. But I play the any team scheme and any QB angle.
AT Perry was late rd 2-3 type guy. Went pick 196 I believe. I’d been laughed out a room if Drafting that. I pegged him to go round 4. So depending what teams and draft spot, if I like him as much as I do then I’d maybe have to go way earlier on him than other teams. If I really wanted him. Not a chance in hell no matter what team I am, him being available round 5 I’m pounding the table for him. Need or Not. Guess I’m just a big believer in the kid.
CB Just like WR I favor lengthy guys! I was Smitten with Sauce and Woolen last year and there is a draft thread I was hyping them up on here. Woolen had a draft prop of under like 120. I was all in on that. Porter was my top CB based off size and more press guy. Plus character! I’m big on character. Pitt or Detroit more heavy press guys I’d be all in porter. But more zone teams I can understand passing on him. Again, hard grading guys when you favor certain fits and applying it to any team. Banks Rush Brents more my style guys. These bigger CBs or Safety guys maybe lil slow can be great slot guys. Get em in on the big x slots or TE in slot. Length wise they can disrupt the small slot guys also. Undervalued position imo. Kid Trice from Purdue good example. Maybe not meaty enough to handle the Safety role but looks super quick and lengthy. Good fit to maybe try in a slot role
RB I lean the old school bigger guys. The 6’0 218-224 guys. I want more 3 down guys who pass block we’ll also.
So back to remembering all this, for me it isn’t hard. Freaky memory plus I have certain traits and styles. Just don’t believe 700 guys need to be analyzed.
Want OL? Wisconsin Michigan Iowa Northwestern puts out good guys. ND BC Auburn Oklahoma also. Like why waste my time looking to deep in guys from Arizona or Arizona st? When the last time they put out anything? Let other teams find the gem or waste resources trying to find reasons. Penn state blows my mind on OL. Figure they would be good pipeline. Outside Donovan Smith I cant recall a guy that jumped out ineven have draft able the past 8 years.
Alabama hard pass 9/10 times! OL is overrated imo. Now I was super high on guys like Steen and Dickerson but transfers. Take a bunch of 5 stars they make everyone look better. I swear Bama has had like 5 all American LT and best OL winners since like Andre Smith. They all tend to be a bust or just average per where they get drafted. Not a big fan of hyped guys certain schools loaded with 5 star talent. Toss in Ohio st OL also. Underproduced vs the hype and talent imo. Not sure the last time I had a draft able guy from OSU. Not saying they don’t toss few decent guys out. But off the hype I never see it.
End of the day I am just a simple guy who evaluates in the field play. I have certain traits I favor and things I look for. I don’t have access to game tape to watch like all these pros do. Or medical records or character information. Hell even legit measurables really. I’m passionate about CFB and draft wise guys I like. I’m stubborn also. I have big hits and misses like anyone. But I hold a much much tighter board also. So the misses are not as bad. I can assure you my big board is nowhere near anything else media or probably scout wise. Hell you already know I put Jack Campbell a top 10 player lol.
As I say, do one thing well! Give me a restaurant that serves hot dogs and does that well vs a restaurant that does chicken steak tofu shrimp hot dogs hamburgers! The more you go diving the more work and more over analyzing. As they say K.I.S.S Keep It Simple & Sweet! Best thing I learned in college was the SWOTT, identity Strength Weakness Opportunity Target Threat. Pretty simple philosophy that can be applied to anything.
Few big misses just so ya know I’m no guru lol.
James Castelman form Oklahoma st! I was smitten on that DT as a solid 5th round guy. Man he had a motor and fun to watch. Never sniffed the league lol
Antwan Goodley Baylor! I was dead set he was Anquan Bolden 2.0! Wasn’t close
Bryce Petty QB Baylor! Huge whiff! I usually only have 3 draft able QBs. I’m real picky on QB. Hell Howell was my number 1 last year went RD 5 lol. I was thinking top RD 2 Carolina a tremendous fit. Way off. But Petty was big miss! I learned my lesson! Never trust any position in that Baylor offense. Johnston kid at LB only Baylor guy I put on my board since the Petty era. Ika DT made it this year.
Sorry for the long post! But man I could talk this stuff all day. I got a little carried away lol. Nobody on here really cares about the draft or all this deep dive philosophy stuff. So I couldn’t help but fire away talking this stuff.
