***Official 2021 NFL Draft Thread***

[CJD]

(04-30-2021, 01:21 PM)JerseyDD09 Wrote: That's pretty funny. Some analysts said don't be surprised if Walker Little sneaks into the bottom of the 1st. And, he's the last guy on your list. So, we'll see how this turns out. I think there's so many there, they can afford to trade down and get an extra pick or two if it presents itself. 
 But, I also do want them to take Jenkins out of that group as he has a big frame, can play both T's or move inside and he's a mauler at attack. 

I don't doubt Little's talent at all. He was highly recruited out of High School and, in his first two years in school, he looked like a rising star. Some were even calling him a top 10 pick in the 2020 draft if he chose to declare (he decided to go back to college for 1 more year). Then he opted out due to COVID. 

But now we haven't seen him play in nearly two years so the risk is elevated. Did he stay in shape over those two years? Did he continue to progress? He was really good in 2018 but the idea was he'd progress into an elite tackle in 2019 and 2020. We hadn't actually seen it happen yet.

There's a good chance you take him in the 2nd or 3rd round and he plays like a top 10 pick because that's where his talent level is. But here's also a chance that he is rusty, out of shape, just doesn't have it anymore and/or is injury prone and ineffective.

He's the definition of high risk, high reward at LT.

I also downgraded him because he's 6'7", so you basically can't start him at guard. Tall guards get leveraged to hell and back (see Fred Johnson when they put him at guard), so he's basically a tackle only prospect.

You could draft him and play him at RT and move Reiff to RG but then...what if he is ineffective, as the risk would be with a guy who hasn't played in two years? Then you have a sub par RT and then what if Reiff isn't as good at RG as you would expect? All the talk of moving him inside is mostly theoretical as he hasn't played guard since college, if I'm not mistaken.

So taking him at 38 could make your right side amazing at both RG and RT or it could make it completely ineffective.

It's hard to be sure, which is why I list him 10th. I'd honestly prefer we take him in the 3rd round if he were available as the risk feels more worth it later in the draft but, if the top 9 are all unavailable (in the case that we trade back) I do see the value in drafting Little and seeing how he does at RT.