Official 2025 NFL Draft Superthread | Prospect Discussion

[Leslie Grossman]

I’ve watched enough film to see Smith and Thuney were dominant most of the regular season. Both first team All Pro, were they the 2 best guards?
How honest are PFF grades?
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[Formula 21]

From the outside looking in.

What each AFC playoff team needs this offseason to compete again in 2025

By Derrik Klassen Feb 12, 2025
PFF


Los Angeles Chargers: Fix the interior OL


Listen, in an ideal world, the answer to the Chargers’ woes would be to grab another pass catcher or two and let Justin Herbert go to work. In the real world, however, the Chargers have Greg Roman as their offensive play caller. We have to be honest about what will take this unit to the next level.

The first half of the ’24 season told us the Chargers wanted to be a run-first team, because that’s always what Roman wants to do. The Chargers had the sixth-highest designed-run rate in the NFL through eight weeks, despite being bad at running the ball and not having the luxury of spamming run plays while ahead in the fourth quarter like the Lions or Ravens.

All of that is to say the Chargers need to ensure they can run the ball. Left tackle Rashawn Slater and right tackle Joe Alt are lights out, but all three interior spots deserve at least some consideration this offseason. Center Bradley Bozeman is a replacement-level player who is getting older, left guard Zion Johnson remains inconsistent, and right guard Trey Pipkins shouldn’t be seen as more than quality depth.

I just want to beat my head against my desk while looking at everything we have to improve.

[Boltjolt]

I’ve watched enough film to see Smith and Thuney were dominant most of the regular season. Both first team All Pro, were they the 2 best guards?
How honest are PFF grades?
IMG_4265.jpg

Always a good question lol, but the way I see it, it's a guide though unreliable because of the wacky ways they grade things.
They have Bozeman a 43 in pass pro and it shows so I can believe that. On the other hand how do they know our protections being called if a sack was completely his fault and not Zions? I mean, he could be a 46 instead of a 43 .....which still means he sux 😄

All three were bad at pass protection (I'm including Pipkins)

[jox g]

One bad playoff game does not destroy a player's value. If it did we would need to cut Herbert, wouldn't we?

Trey Smith had a PFF grade of 78.8 on the season. Joe Alt had a 77.6 grade.

But it wasnt on Herbert. It was on the interior 3 OL like 90/10.
A strong interior OL and you can RUN.
Helps the PASS game.
Plus, JH was short on weapons. Give him that.

IF he chokes with all those elements included, THEN strangle him, but for now, give him what he needs 1st and see.

[Maniaque 6]

The Eagles have a great OL
Imagine when they add Barkley as a blocker !
You beat the Chiefs.

[Eurobolt]

Trey Smith went to the Pro Bowl this year. Those guys don't grow on trees.

Wow imagine that tree would be enormous

[dmac_bolt]

But it wasnt on Herbert. It was on the interior 3 OL like 90/10.
A strong interior OL and you can RUN.
Helps the PASS game.
Plus, JH was short on weapons. Give him that.

IF he chokes with all those elements included, THEN strangle him, but for now, give him what he needs 1st and see.

I agree on Herbert being doomed to fail in the game. Switch the comparison directly to Alt - the PO game was his worst game of the year. Really his only game that he wasn't excellent imo. I'm not dumping Alt because of it - no way, he's going to be a perennial pro bowler imo.

Trey is still an elite OG. agree. To me the only question it opens is whether him at $20M is worth that much more than a Mekhi at $10M-ish.

Its not clear Mekhi won't get a pretty good increase from that projected $10M guess after how strong he came on last year. His overall PFF score was artificially depressed by early season games when he was learning the transition, I think? I've heard. Smart NFL folks will give greater weight to his last 9 games vs his first 9 games. Someone can dissect data and correct me if I'm wrong on that assumption though, I do not have the tenacity for such a dive (and I don't have a PFF account to see individual game logs )

Mekhi is a mountain of a man, he towered over competitors in every clip from the SB. a beast. I saw one play where some pesky defender decided to try and bully him and he just shoulder-shrugged the dude aside like a swinging door on a saloon. I see Philly has similar team cap restraints that KC has in terms of retention, not impossible for them but definitely harder for them than LAC

[DerwinBosa]

I like Mekhi Becton, but I have to wonder how serious he'll be as a player once he leaves the Eagles and signs a lucrative contract somewhere else. He was out of shape with the Jets, which they think led to his knee injury, and they got fed up with him. He went to Philadelphia on a prove-it, one-year deal, and all of a sudden he was determined to work hard and play well. To the Eagles' credit, it's been reported that they have an offensive line coach who stayed on his ass and didn't let him slack off. I think we have that type of environment with Harbaugh as the head coach, so I'll trust in him and Hortiz in their belief that they can get the most out of Becton if they decide to sign him, but it's something to keep in mind that he isn't exactly Rashawn Slater or Joe Alt when it comes to work ethic.

[21&500]

Hoping raiders sell the farm for 1 overall for Sanders, just don't think he has the intangibles.
mixed with Vegas, it's a recipe for sweet, sweet disaster.

[Jack Burton]

I like Mekhi Becton, but I have to wonder how serious he'll be as a player once he leaves the Eagles and signs a lucrative contract somewhere else. He was out of shape with the Jets, which they think led to his knee injury, and they got fed up with him. He went to Philadelphia on a prove-it, one-year deal, and all of a sudden he was determined to work hard and play well. To the Eagles' credit, it's been reported that they have an offensive line coach who stayed on his ass and didn't let him slack off. I think we have that type of environment with Harbaugh as the head coach, so I'll trust in him and Hortiz in their belief that they can get the most out of Becton if they decide to sign him, but it's something to keep in mind that he isn't exactly Rashawn Slater or Joe Alt when it comes to work ethic.

And playing G is a lot easier in PHIL than playing OT with the Jets….

[Jack Burton]

Hoping raiders sell the farm for 1 overall for Sanders, just don't think he has the intangibles.
mixed with Vegas, it's a recipe for sweet, sweet disaster.

Cowherd and Breer said Stafford is going to NYG…
Which tells them that nobody’s big on these QBs in the draft…
They also think Rogers will go to LAR and Darnold will go to Vegas…
I’d dismiss these but Cowherd and Breer do have contacts….

[Leslie Grossman]

Could that mean McVeigh wants Darnold?
certainly not Rodgers???