2016 Official Draft Thread

[JDA21]

I admit my bias, and again I would rather have Bosa. But the Ducks D lost their entire back 4, which was one of the top DB units in college, lost Buckner's running mate on the DL, and have had issues at LB since Kiko Alonso left. The Ducks aren't known for their D, for good reason, but last year was horrible even by their standards.

I would not be totally against the Buckner pick..huge area of need

I just want the best player on their board picked, possession of need or not.

However, I'd prefer to trade down and stockpile some picks....does not seem like that is in the cards anymore but I'm still hoping Telesco can broker a deal.

[Formula 21]

Jack Conklin’s pass protection numbers are almost identical to those of Ronnie Stanley.

Here’s what Conklin did at Michigan State the last two years, compared to Stanley’s performance at Notre Dame:
Player Sacks allowed Hits Hurries Total pressures
Conklin 4 4 17 25
Stanley 3 6 22 31

That’s not to say that the seemingly consensus opinion that Stanley will be a better NFL pass protector than Conklin isn’t correct – our analysts generally agreed with that take as well, after studying both players on tape. But it does support the idea that Conklin merits consideration as the second tackle off the board behind Ole Miss’ Laremy Tunsil. He graded out as one of the best run-blocking tackles in college football each of the past two seasons – considerably higher than Stanley – and held up well in pass protection. That’s why PFF has him slightly ahead of Stanley on its final draft board.

6. DeForest Buckner’s grades in 2015 were much better than those of Leonard Williams in 2014.

Williams was considered something of a steal for the Jets last year, sliding to them with the No. 6 overall pick, before putting together an excellent rookie campaign, ranking 12th in the NFL in PFF’s interior defender grades.

That didn’t come as a surprise based on how well he graded for USC in 2014, but what’s interesting to note is that Buckner blew those numbers out of the water for Oregon in 2015. He was by far the top-graded interior defender in college football both overall and as a pass-rusher, and also performed well against the run.

Buckner produced 67 total QB pressures in 2015, 10 more than the next-best 3-4 defensive end (BYU’s Bronson Kaufusi) and 17 more than Williams’ 50 in 2014. He would make sense as early as No. 3 overall for San Diego
7. Joey Bosa’s 21 QB hits in 2015 were the most of any player in college football last season.

Ohio State’s Bosa doesn’t fit the edge rusher prototype the way the Broncos’ Von Miller does, and his sack total of seven from last season might seem relatively modest on the surface. But that one number doesn’t capture just how productive Bosa was from a pass-rushing standpoint each of the last two years.

In 2015, he had 7 sacks, 21 hits and 42 hurries – for a total of 70 pressures that was bested by only Emmanuel Ogbah and Shilique Calhoun in this year’s class. That’s a year after he produced 13 sacks, 16 hits and 46 hurries for a nation-leading 75 total pressures.

When you factor in that Bosa also proved himself as an elite run defender over the last two seasons, it’s easy to see why he is the No. 1 player on the PFF draft board. If he slides to the fifth pick with Jacksonville or even further, as has been projected, he will be a steal for whichever team drafts him.

[Formula 21]

17. Arik Armstead, DI, San Francisco 49ers

Draft Grade: A

The first round was high for Armstead for our taste, but he had a great debut leading all interior defensive linemen with a pass rush grade of +8.3 in his part-time role. Our concerns coming out of college were less about his ability to make plays, but more about his down-to-down consistency and that’s the next step for Armstead as he tries to build on his impressive 384-snap debut.

Armstead did so well last year that taking Buckner does make sense since he's supposed to be better than Armstead.

[blueman]

Won't cry over Buckner if he's the pick, just prefer Bosa, think he's the better player and will continue to be better than Buckner in the pros. FWIW.

[bonehead]

Here's my crazy draft scenarios...I'm sure none of this will happen just throwing it out there








Bolts Draft Straight Up

1 Bosa OLB
1b Kelly C**
3 Darian Thompson S
4 Adolphos Washington DE
5 Traded
6a. Joe Dahl G
6b. Ben Braunecker TE
7. Drew Kaser P


**trade pick #35, and this years 5th rounder- to move up to acquire Kelly in first round (picks 25-28). swap 3rd rounders* *if needed



Trade w/Jags get Jags 2nd rounder

1 Deforest Buckner DT
1b Kelly C ****
2 Karl Joseph S
3 Kamalei Correa OLB
4 Leonte Caroo WR
4b Landon Turner G
5 Traded**
6a Ben Braunecker TE
6b Brandon Allen QB
7 Drew Kaser P

**trade pick #35, and this years 5th rounder- to move up to acquire Kelly in first round (picks 25-28). swap 3rd rounders* *if needed

[SDFan]

FOX Sports' Alex Marvez reports the Chargers won't be taking Notre Dame OT Ronnie Stanley with the No. 3 overall pick.
It's looking more and more like the Bolts are zeroed in on Oregon DE DeForest Buckner, though Florida State DB Jalen Ramsey is also a possibility. The Bolts have major needs on both lines, but it's more urgent on defense. San Diego could field a quality offensive line if the unit simply gets better injury luck.

doesn't mean they won't take him if they move back out of #3 and here's still there when they pick ...

[6025]

Can we lock this thread while the other one is up?

[bonehead]

Lock it up!!!!

[Fleet]

doesn't mean they won't take him if they move back out of #3 and here's still there when they pick ...

Yeah i figured they meant at 3. lol

[Wheels]

I feel like the silence on Bosa is deafening. Maybe that is the guy Telesco was referring to. I sure hope so.

Etiquette be damned, I'm gonna pat myself on the back for this one. Just seemed odd the total void of mention regarding chargers and bosa.

[oneinchpunch]

http://thebiglead.com/2016/04/29/chargers-tom-telesco-draft-bad/

Tom Telesco And The Chargers Just Aren't Good At The NFL Draft

The San Diego Chargers just aren’t very good at this whole “drafting” thing. The team’s general manager, Tom Telesco, was given a gift this year by having the third overall pick when he knew the top two players off the board would be quarterbacks. Obviously the Chargers are set at that spot, so he had a wide open draft board with a ton of talent laid out in front of him. So of course, he did what he always does and royally screwed it up.

Telesco took Ohio State’s Joey Bosa with the No. 3 pick, and while Bosa is a fine player, he is an incredibly awkward fit in San Diego’s 3-4 defense. At 6-foot-5 and 269 pounds, Bosa is not big enough right now to play defensive end in a 3-4, and with a 4.85 40-yard dash, he’s not fast enough to play outside linebacker. His ideal fit is as an end in a 4-3 scheme. So yeah, color me surprised with that pick.

Can Bosa add 20 pounds to his frame and become a 3-4 defensive end? Sure, but by doing so he would almost surely lose some of the explosiveness that made him special at Ohio State. And if the Chargers actually plan to use him as an outside linebacker in their base 3-4 set, he’s just not a fit. Besides, San Diego already has Melvin Ingram, Jerry Attaochu and Kyle Emanuel rotating at those spots. If they plan to use Bosa as an end in their “sub-package” where they use four down linemen, that means one of a group of Manti Te’o, Denzel Perryman, Ingram, Attaochu and Emanuel will be on the bench. It’s just an odd choice all around, especially when the team had clear holes in the secondary and a need for another true 3-4 defensive end.

Before I hear from people saying “Bosa was one of the top ranked players on every list,” let’s remember that scouts and evaluators make those lists from the perspective of a player being used to the best of his ability. It will be very hard for the Chargers to do that with Bosa unless they are planning to change their defense. I like Bosa and I’m not ripping the kid or his ability, I’m ripping the fit and the decision to take a guy who doesn’t match the team’s scheme with the third overall pick in the draft. Bosa will be a decent player in San Diego even if he doesn’t get bigger or winds up playing out of position. But at No. 3, with none of the best players in the draft off the board, San Diego needed to get a franchise-altering kind of talent. The Chargers didn’t do that.

In his fourth year as San Diego’s GM, Telesco has shown he’s absolutely terrible at addressing his team’s most pressing needs with the right players through the draft. In 2015, he actually traded up to select a running back in the first round. That ball carrier wasn’t even Todd Gurley, it was the wildly disappointing Melvin Gordon. Gordon might wind up being a solid NFL player, but taking a running back in the first round is an incredibly inefficient use of draft resources, let alone giving away multiple picks to move up just two spots to select him.

Telesco also loves to reach for guys. He clearly thinks he knows something the rest of us don’t and every draft he goes out and grabs players far higher than most experts have them rated. In the past he has severely reached for: D.J. Fluker (No. 11 in 2013), the aforementioned Jeremiah Attaochu (No. 50 in 2014), Chris Watt (No. 89 in 2014), Ryan Carrethers (No. 165 in 2014), Gordon (No. 15 in 2015) and Craig Mager (No. 83 in 2015). That’s an insane list, especially because he gave up a fourth-rounder to move up just seven spots to take Attaochu.

Now look, some of those guys have been solid and may still turn out to have fine careers, but good general managers find ways to get the guys they want as late as possible and add picks, not subtract them.

I’m sure Bosa will be fine, but at No. 3 the Chargers had a chance to take a perfect fit and/or a super talent. They did neither, instead taking a high floor/low ceiling guy who may have maxed out his ability.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

Is this author a Cowpukes fan?