2023 Mock Draft Thread

[Formula 21]

That's right.

“Nolan is a natural leader,” head coach Kirby Smart said earlier in the season. “He’s been a natural leader, comes from a great family, but his leadership is more important than his ability and his ability is pretty strong.”

TT has a hard on for this guy - I guarantee it.

His first round pick must have high upside (Jason Verett over Bradley Roby, the regrettableTillery & Fluker picks .....).

And then we know Telesco is a boy scout troup leader at heart.

I just don't think Addison has a high upside (he'll be a safe nice choice - never an all pro, and only a pro bowler if he has all the right pieces around him).
To me, that's not a Telesco pick.

And then we here about the Chargers interest in Addison - a red flag.

He does come from a local school, which is a plus for him.:hello:

I’ve got a hard on for Smith too, but it’s going to die unfulfilled.

[Boltnut]

Nice draft with a caveat. You have overinvested in RB, a lesser position, and underinvested on the lines, a higher value position. The eye candy is always nice to look at, but I’d be happier if you swapped out Israel for best available lineman. Provide a little more balance in your draft.

With Ekeler possibly leaving (along with Kelley being a FA @season's end) the RB position may become thin quickly. I don't consider a 4th round pick on RB to be an over-investment.

[powderblueboy]

I watched more NS tape yesterday, tried to fall in love with him. I can’t - I’d take a flier on him in a later Rd but i don’t see him as a #21 pick because he’s not a sure-thing star at the next level. The risk is there that he’s going to get mauled by pros and pro talent and schemes can counter his only skill=speed.

12 sacks in 38 games is a shit stat for a Rd1 Edge rusher. Great sure-thing edge players coming out of college usually have 12 or more sacks in a single season, not average 3 sacks per year.

18 total tackles is another shit stat. 18 all year is not Rd1 defensive stats. Rd 1 picks should have the production to back them up. There’s more risk in this pick than his proponents discuss. Why is he so much better as a draft pick than he was able to produce at GA? Thats the next level discussion, not merely he ran a sub-4.4 40. Why didn’t his sub-4.4 produce anything in 4 years at GA?

I had the same problem watching him as you.
He's never (infrequently) asked to set wide, pin his ears back and bend the arc .... he's generally bull rushing with his hands on the OT's chest.

It was the same thing with Travon Walker last year. Evidently, its how Georgia wants edge players to pass rush: keep qbs contained.
They've had great DTs and thats were they send the blitz - not off the edge.
I imagined the guy was stiff and had very poor bend. I've read the opposite.

His injury made him decline to do the 3-cone & shuttle.
You know the guy has burst off the line

[Boltnut]

I’d keep K9 in there also at ILB. Start Smith, K9 and the new guy. Plus we already have two starting DTs plus depth there, we wouldn’t need to draft a DT this year.

80% of the time we're in nickel defense. That leaves us with 6 positions along the DL/ILB positions. Staley prefers to play 2 IDL and the OLB's play the edges.
The base defense looks like Bosa, SJD, AJ, Mack along the DL. Kendricks and K9 @ILB... K9 being the "off-ball" LB with RB, TE coverage duties... occasional blitz opportunities.

[Boltjolt]

So in the system that Staley runs, put him @off-ball LB (takes over for K9)...?
Not a bad idea.

If he can do it. I still like Sanders if thats what we plan to do with a versatile guy like that. Think Sanders makes a better off ball LB than Smith. Smith the better pass rusher.

Sanders only played ILB 1 season and excelled. Looks to have a better nose for the ball in that spot.Both can use a little extra lbs.

[powderblueboy]

I’ve got a hard on for Smith too, but it’s going to die unfulfilled.

:goofylol:

[Boltnut]

So many other ways we can go. This year will be tough to gauge.

21: R1 21 WR Zay Flowers / BC
54: R2 54 Edge Isaiah Foskey / ND
85: R3 85 DT Keeanu Benton / Wisconsin
125: R4 RB Chase Brown / Illinois
156: R5 156 TE Brendon Strange / Penn st
200: R6 125 CB Cam Mitchell / Northwestern
239: R7 239 OG McClendon Curtis / Chattanooga

There are many possibilities with this year's draft. Some positions are un-characteristically deep.
The only position I need a better calibur player is CB (slot). Maybe we re-sign Callahan after the draft... maybe someone else signs him. But his age and injury history suggest that he's not a long-term solution @a position of great need. In the playoffs, we're going to need a substantially better CB than a 6th rounder or Ja'Sir.

[sonorajim]

If he can do it. I still like Sanders if thats what we plan to do with a versatile guy like that. Think Sanders makes a better off ball LB than Smith. Smith the better pass rusher.

Sanders only played ILB 1 season and excelled. Looks to have a better nose for the ball in that spot.Both can use a little extra lbs.

I like Sanders a lot but it's iffy at 21. 2nd round, no chance.
I'm all weaponize offense at 21. Best TE - WR.

[blueman]

No to a first round pick that’s a position change experiment. Regardless of measurables. Just no.

[Boltnut]

If he can do it. I still like Sanders if thats what we plan to do with a versatile guy like that. Think Sanders makes a better off ball LB than Smith. Smith the better pass rusher.

Sanders only played ILB 1 season and excelled. Looks to have a better nose for the ball in that spot.Both can use a little extra lbs.

I think we'll be looking @off-ball LB to eventually replace K9. Nolan Smith and Drew Sanders would be excellent choices. My only concern with those 2 players is that I know we might have to use the #21 pick to get them. IMO, there will be better players @#21. Plus, I see the off-ball LB class is pretty deep. I suspect we start seeing BPA meet PON @LB around the middle rounds.

[dmac_bolt]

IMO, Nolan Smith is better suited as an OLB in a 4-3 scheme.

In other threads, folks talk about “Gus players” vs Staley players, and how he brought in Mack as his type of edge. If Mack is Staley’s type for edge, Nolan Smith is not.

[Boltnut]

In other threads, folks talk about “Gus players” vs Staley players, and how he brought in Mack as his type of edge. If Mack is Staley’s type for edge, Nolan Smith is not.

I agree.