2014 Official Draft Thread

[Beerman]

I also think a 3rd is too little to trade out of the first round this year. Needs to be a 3rd and 5th IMO. Talent level is too high.

[SDFan]

I also think a 3rd is too little to trade out of the first round this year. Needs to be a 3rd and 5th IMO. Talent level is too high.

Stinkee's article said 2nd and a 3rd for our #25 in the 1st...

Both the Chargers and the Jaguars probably run similar draft boards, so putting a deal together should not be too complicated.

[SDFan]

The offense was totally costing us games last year. Any offense that finishes the majority of its drives into the red zone without scoring a TD is brokey, would love to think we have the pieces to reverse that but it's 90% the same pieces from last season w/o a playmaker added, so... draft a playmaker WR seems an obvious and priority need.

Defense kept us in a number of games last season the offense couldn't finish for us, that's what I saw.

Really? name 1? I'll give you Houston when McCoy & Wiz took their foot off the gas pedal and gave up the lead and lost. There were a couple others we took awhile to get going because of conservative playcalling (blamed on Wiz who is gone now), but we led the league (or close to) TOP and # of longest drives. Settling for FGs instead of TDs in the Red zone is an issue that they have taken steps to resolve with the new TE/FB and getting DBrown in case Mathews is injured and planning to use Green more. Probably addition by subtraction replacing Wiz with Reich too.

On the other hand, how many games did we get gashed up the middle when Butler and/or Te'o were out with Luiget and Reyes and Thomas playing like shit- or teams threw on us all day because we had no Ingram OR Freeney and Cox starting and before Addae and Lissemore stepped up?

IMO the offense carried the team the vast majority of the year until the D got some players back and put together that streak where we held Giants, Denver and Cinn to low offensive outputs while our offense was playing ball control at the same time.

[blueman]

If the D is holding those teams to such low point totals, why did we lose? As Steve keeps saying, the only metric that really matters about the D is points allowed; the D kept the other teams' points down, we should have won those games - if we'd been able to score.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

File this under Dropping like a rock...

Report: Loucheiz Purifoy was caught with drugs, avoided arrest

Posted by Michael David Smith on April 19, 2014, 4:28 PM EDT

Loucheiz Purifoy, a former Florida cornerback who is expected to be drafted next month, reportedly was caught with drugs last month and avoided arrest by agreeing to work as a police informant.

Now the matter of how Purifoy avoided arrest is the subject of an investigation. The Gainesville Sun reports that Purifoy never made himself available to officers to serve as an informant, so the Alachua County sheriff, whose officers originally stopped Purifoy, has asked the Gainesville Police Department to conduct an independent investigation into the matter.

According to the report, Purifoy was caught with marijuana and the synthetic drug known as bath salts. Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell wrote in a letter to Gainesville Police Chief Tony Jones that after Purifoy failed to act as an informant an arrest warrant issued for him was quashed, and now the matter needs to be investigated.

“Based on probable cause developed by the deputy, an arrest warrant was issued for Loucheiz Purifoy for April 4, 2014, after he failed to fulfill his end of the bargain,” Darnell wrote. “The action to quash the warrant is highly unusual and, as a result, I have numerous questions as to the propriety of how this occurred.”

Purifoy was previously arrested for marijuana possession in February of 2013, and the Gators suspended him for the first game of the season. If he can stay out of trouble off the field, Purifoy has the talent to be a major contributor in the NFL: At Florida he was a starting cornerback, played a little wide receiver and was outstanding on special teams as a returner, on kick coverage and in blocking kicks.

[SDFan]

If the D is holding those teams to such low point totals, why did we lose? As Steve keeps saying, the only metric that really matters about the D is points allowed; the D kept the other teams' points down, we should have won those games - if we'd been able to score.

we DID WIN during that stretch- it got us into the playoffs. pay attention!

You still didn't specify games the offense cost us by only scoring FGs instead of TDs in all those Red Zone chances...

[Yubaking]

The offense was totally costing us games last year. Any offense that finishes the majority of its drives into the red zone without scoring a TD is brokey, would love to think we have the pieces to reverse that but it's 90% the same pieces from last season w/o a playmaker added, so... draft a playmaker WR seems an obvious and priority need.

Defense kept us in a number of games last season the offense couldn't finish for us, that's what I saw.

While there is always room for improvement, the offense was ranked second in time of possession (excluding OT), 4th in passing yards per game, 5th in total yards per game, 10th in fewest turnovers and 12th in points scored. This was a remarkable improvement from the league's #31 offense of 2012. In fact, the offense was nearly 100 yards per game better.

By contrast, the defense regressed badly last year from the year before, largely offsetting the offensive gains. The defense dropped from 5th to 27th in YPC against and from 12th to 30th in YPA against. With a late season rally, the defense managed to finish 29th in yards per play against. The defense had been a bottom 2 unit in that category for most of the season. And this was so despite playing 7 bottom 10 scoring offenses last year.

The defense flat out lost the games against HOU, TEN and WAS by failing to get late stops. Other losses were more of a combined effort. By keeping the bad defense off of the field, the offense helped the defense with its limited successes.

It is possible to improve the offense a little such as in the red zone as you suggest. Short of intentionally trying to do so, it would be difficult to make the defense all that much worse.

[Yubaking]

If the D is holding those teams to such low point totals, why did we lose? As Steve keeps saying, the only metric that really matters about the D is points allowed; the D kept the other teams' points down, we should have won those games - if we'd been able to score.

Yes, but as OIP and I have repeatedly pointed out, a big part of why the defense gave up fewer points was because they were not on the field as much because of the ball control offense and long drives that flipped field possession even when they did not result in points. Also, it did not hurt to play 7 bottom 10 scoring offenses.

Consider that the 2012 defense surrendered about the same number of total points (within 2 points) despite being saddled with the #31 offense and that the 2012 defense was second in the league in defensive points scored, so they actually surrendered significantly fewer net points per game without the help of a strong offensive unit that the 2013 defensive unit had.

In short, what happened was that the offense got much better and the defense got much worse. Right now, the defense is weak and while the offense could be better, we could stand pat right now if we had to do so and still likely have an above average offensive unit for 2014. That's why the focus of the early round draft picks needs to be on the defensive side of the ball in my view. There's much more work to be done there than on offense.

[Yubaking]

File this under Dropping like a rock...

Report: Loucheiz Purifoy was caught with drugs, avoided arrest

Posted by Michael David Smith on April 19, 2014, 4:28 PM EDT

Loucheiz Purifoy, a former Florida cornerback who is expected to be drafted next month, reportedly was caught with drugs last month and avoided arrest by agreeing to work as a police informant.

Now the matter of how Purifoy avoided arrest is the subject of an investigation. The Gainesville Sun reports that Purifoy never made himself available to officers to serve as an informant, so the Alachua County sheriff, whose officers originally stopped Purifoy, has asked the Gainesville Police Department to conduct an independent investigation into the matter.

According to the report, Purifoy was caught with marijuana and the synthetic drug known as bath salts. Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell wrote in a letter to Gainesville Police Chief Tony Jones that after Purifoy failed to act as an informant an arrest warrant issued for him was quashed, and now the matter needs to be investigated.

“Based on probable cause developed by the deputy, an arrest warrant was issued for Loucheiz Purifoy for April 4, 2014, after he failed to fulfill his end of the bargain,” Darnell wrote. “The action to quash the warrant is highly unusual and, as a result, I have numerous questions as to the propriety of how this occurred.”

Purifoy was previously arrested for marijuana possession in February of 2013, and the Gators suspended him for the first game of the season. If he can stay out of trouble off the field, Purifoy has the talent to be a major contributor in the NFL: At Florida he was a starting cornerback, played a little wide receiver and was outstanding on special teams as a returner, on kick coverage and in blocking kicks.

How sad is this?! Going into last season, Purifoy was supposed to be a potential first round pick. He had issues and lost playing time at Florida. He sucked at the combine and now it gets revealed that he is again involved with drugs as the most important days for his future (the draft) are rapidly approaching. And don't those bath salts make the people that use them bat shit crazy on top of it all?!

The guy is probably now going to be only a day 3 pick at best and may, for the first time, be going on undrafted. Just tragic.

[bonehead]

Be a helluva thing if we traded with the Raiders, and they took Carr...after taking Watkins with their 1st pick.

Why would that be such a 'helluva thing', you ask?

Well, that would match EXACTLY my 1st round as the Raiders GM on this board's fun mock draft last month. LOL!

I remember that, that was a genius move swinging that trade with Frisco.

[Panama]

Really? name 1?

How about Washington? Ok, that was playcalling as much as anything, but we lost that game because the offense didn't get it done.

[Mister Hoarse]

How sad is this?! Going into last season, Purifoy was supposed to be a potential first round pick. He had issues and lost playing time at Florida. He sucked at the combine and now it gets revealed that he is again involved with drugs as the most important days for his future (the draft) are rapidly approaching. And don't those bath salts make the people that use them bat shit crazy on top of it all?!

The guy is probably now going to be only a day 3 pick at best and may, for the first time, be going on undrafted. Just tragic.

What a waste. Kid has thrown his opportunity away. I wouldn't take him now as a UDFA. Bath salts are a trip to hell on earth.