Dane Brugler posted a 7 round mock draft and I hate it SOOOO much.
https://theathletic.com/4413880/2023/04/17/nfl-7-rounds-mock-draft-2023/?source=user-shared-article

Round 1:

Quote:Adetomiwa Adebawore, DT, Northwestern
From his standout performance at the Senior Bowl to elite testing numbers at the combine, no player has aced the pre-draft process quite like Adebawore. Like most teams, the Bengals are searching for explosive defensive linemen on the interior, and the Northwestern three-technique could fill that role.

His explanation here is pretty much exactly why I hate this pick. Off season risers are such a wild card. This is a player with no true position (6'2" 282 lb, played DE is college but will need to transition to DT in the NFL), who had limited production (12.5 sacks, 24.5 TFL and 97 tackles in 36 career games over 4 years) and who was an end of day 2 projection before the Senior Bowl. A combine workout and a good week at the Senior Bowl should not vault this kind of player up into the first round. He represents everything I dislike about the NFL draft process...

Quote:60 Bengals Zach Charbonnet RB UCLA
92 Bengals Tyler Steen G/T Alabama
131 Bengals Zack Kuntz TE Old Dominion
163 Bengals Darrell Luter Jr. CB South Alabama
206 Bengals Dorian Thompson-Robinson QB UCLA
246 Bengals Rakim Jarrett WR Maryland

So we got a DT that needs to develop to offer any kind of production, a RB who may be fine, but doesn't fix our main problem at the position (lack of explosive runs), a guard/tackle who would not be first off the bench in case of injury at any position, a TE who is raw as all get out and is only being drafted this high because of his combine workout, a CB I've honestly never even heard of from a small school, a QB who could be awesome but would not offer anything if Burrow were to go down with an injury for a half or a few games, as he is raw as ****, and a WR I've not heard of, but I doubt would be any better than the other reserve WRs we have on the roster like Trenton Irwin. Am I crazy, because this draft would be disastrous, from my point of view.

Other notable players available at each draft position:
28: Emmanuel Forbes, Mazi Smith, Dawand Jones, Anton Harrison
60: Julius Brents, Tyrique Stevenson, Derick Hall, Sam LaPorta, Isaiah Foskey, Tyjae Spears,
92: Jayden Reed, Israel Abanikanda, Byron Young (TEN), Trey Palmer, Blake Freeland,
131: Luke Wypler, Zach Evans, Chase Brown, Jakorian Bennett, A.T. Perry, Josh Whyle, Kobie Turner, Deuce Vaughn
163: Payne Durham, Warren McClendon, Starling Thomas, Sean Tucker, Tre Tucker, Parker Washington, Jaylon Jones, Andrew Vorhees, Eli Ricks, Jaquelin Roy
206: Juice Scruggs, Ronnie Hickman, Andre Carter, Olu Oluwatimi, Hunter Luepke, Will Mallory,
246: Blake Whiteheart

If I were in this position, I'd do
Emmanuel Forbes
Sam LaPorta
Israel Abanikanda
A.T. Perry
Warren McClendon
Olu Oluwatimi
Blake Whiteheart

And I'd feel infinitely better about the potential for contribution to this team from this draft class.

(04-17-2023, 11:23 AM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: Dane Brugler posted a 7 round mock draft and I hate it SOOOO much.
https://theathletic.com/4413880/2023/04/17/nfl-7-rounds-mock-draft-2023/?source=user-shared-article

Round 1:
His explanation here is pretty much exactly why I hate this pick. Off season risers are such a wild card. This is a player with no true position (6'2" 282 lb, played DE is college but will need to transition to DT in the NFL), who had limited production (12.5 sacks, 24.5 TFL and 97 tackles in 36 career games over 4 years) and who was an end of day 2 projection before the Senior Bowl. A combine workout and a good week at the Senior Bowl should not vault this kind of player up into the first round. He represents everything I dislike about the NFL draft process...


So we got a DT that needs to develop to offer any kind of production, a RB who may be fine, but doesn't fix our main problem at the position (lack of explosive runs), a guard/tackle who would not be first off the bench in case of injury at any position, a TE who is raw as all get out and is only being drafted this high because of his combine workout, a CB I've honestly never even heard of from a small school, a QB who could be awesome but would not offer anything if Burrow were to go down with an injury for a half or a few games, as he is raw as ****, and a WR I've not heard of, but I doubt would be any better than the other reserve WRs we have on the roster like Trenton Irwin. Am I crazy, because this draft would be disastrous, from my point of view.

Other notable players available at each draft position:
28: Emmanuel Forbes, Mazi Smith, Dawand Jones, Anton Harrison
60: Julius Brents, Tyrique Stevenson, Derick Hall, Sam LaPorta, Isaiah Foskey, Tyjae Spears,
92: Jayden Reed, Israel Abanikanda, Byron Young (TEN), Trey Palmer, Blake Freeland,
131: Luke Wypler, Zach Evans, Chase Brown, Jakorian Bennett, A.T. Perry, Josh Whyle, Kobie Turner, Deuce Vaughn
163: Payne Durham, Warren McClendon, Starling Thomas, Sean Tucker, Tre Tucker, Parker Washington, Jaylon Jones, Andrew Vorhees, Eli Ricks, Jaquelin Roy
206: Juice Scruggs, Ronnie Hickman, Andre Carter, Olu Oluwatimi, Hunter Luepke, Will Mallory,
246: Blake Whiteheart

If I were in this position, I'd do
Emmanuel Forbes
Sam LaPorta
Israel Abanikanda
A.T. Perry
Warren McClendon
Olu Oluwatimi
Blake Whiteheart

And I'd feel infinitely better about the potential for contribution to this team from this draft class.

I've always liked and respected Dane Brugler's draft insight and opinions ever since his days with CBS Sports with Rob Rang, but I am with you. I don't particularly care for his mock. There are a lot of gambles with his picks.

The safest pick in that mock is Charbonnet, and I like the pick. People may think he isn't fast enough, but he's not nearly as pedestrian as someone like Perine. He's faster than last year's rookie Dameon Pierce, who put up nearly 1000 rushing yards in just 13 games and a long run of 75 yards.

I like your options better, especially if McClendon really falls to 5th round.

Cincinnati Bengals

1 (28): Adetomiwa Adebawore, DT, Northwestern
2 (60): Zach Charbonnet, RB, UCLA
3 (92): Tyler Steen, T/G, Alabama
4 (131): Zack Kuntz, TE, Old Dominion
5 (163): Darrell Luter Jr., CB, South Alabama
6 (206): Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB, UCLA
7 (246): Rakim Jarrett, WR, Maryland

Ugh. I love Dane but that mock is brutal. I like Charbonnet too, but still. Tommy in Round 1? No thanks. Some team will be enamored of his 4.49 and I just hope we're not them. He has such trouble wrapping guys up. You look at him on tape and it's like, ok, he's got a burst. But he's also got greasy hands and a lower body that doesn't generate much leverage; those things'll get picked apart in the NFL. And while he may be a 3T for the future, he's an outside rusher for now- which is to say that he's at least a few years away. Fantastic intangibles, tho. I'll give him that. But not in R1.

Kuntz is basically an admission that we missed out on all our TE targets. As for DTR... I don't know why that would make sense for us. I just don't like the idea of the Bengals developing a young QB right now... seems like a wasted pick for the next 1-2 years. I mean, of all his guys (aside from Charbonnet), Luter and Jarrett might be the most intriguing to me! And that's only because I had never considered them before hehe. I guess I just hope Brugler's wrong in this case.

Did my own mock on PFN a few minutes ago. Let me know what you think:

53: Calijah Kancey, DT, Pitt *
58: Zach Charbonnet, RB, UCLA
61: Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi State *
92: Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa
131: Wanya Morris, OT, Oklahoma
163: Dorian Williams, LB, Tulane
206: Demarcco Hellams, S, Alabama
246: Michael Turk, P, Oklahoma

*Traded 28 for 53 & 61. Thought it was a bit risky but it worked out in the end.

Notes:
 
- I'm not obsessed with Kancey like others are but that's solid value at 53 imo. 
- Charbonnet's a rock, the type of steady, versatile, smart, ball-secure back that I envision for this offense. 
- Forbes is one of my favorites (pundits last year had questions about Sauce's "lean figure" as well ;P). 
- LaPorta's kind of the Charbonnet TE for me: guaranteed value. Iowa's a TE factory and might Sam be the next Kittle?
- Wanya's a big question mark but I think we're in a decent spot to take a chance on a guy. 
- Dorian Williams looks like such a Bengal. He'll be a STer for a few years and then step into his niche. 
- Marco is my fav pick. I think he's being underrated by the draft community. Durable playmaker from an elite program, who always plays on his front foot. Sign me up. If Lou can't carve him into a productive AFC North safety, I'll be surprised. 
- Turk could be any punter. PFN doesn't give you many choices. I picked the position more than the name.

(04-18-2023, 03:11 AM)tms Wrote: Ugh. I love Dane but that mock is brutal. I like Charbonnet too, but still. Tommy in Round 1? No thanks. Some team will be enamored of his 4.49 and I just hope we're not them. He has such trouble wrapping guys up. You look at him on tape and it's like, ok, he's got a burst. But he's also got greasy hands and a lower body that doesn't generate much leverage; those things'll get picked apart in the NFL. And while he may be a 3T for the future, he's an outside rusher for now- which is to say that he's at least a few years away. Fantastic intangibles, tho. I'll give him that. But not in R1.

Kuntz is basically an admission that we missed out on all our TE targets. As for DTR... I don't know why that would make sense for us. I just don't like the idea of the Bengals developing a young QB right now... seems like a wasted pick for the next 1-2 years. I mean, of all his guys (aside from Charbonnet), Luter and Jarrett might be the most intriguing to me! And that's only because I had never considered them before hehe. I guess I just hope Brugler's wrong in this case.

Did my own mock on PFN a few minutes ago. Let me know what you think:

53: Calijah Kancey, DT, Pitt *
58: Zach Charbonnet, RB, UCLA
61: Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi State *
92: Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa
131: Wanya Morris, OT, Oklahoma
163: Dorian Williams, LB, Tulane
206: Demarcco Hellams, S, Alabama
246: Michael Turk, P, Oklahoma

*Traded 28 for 53 & 61. Thought it was a bit risky but it worked out in the end.

Notes:
 
- I'm not obsessed with Kancey like others are but that's solid value at 53 imo. 
- Charbonnet's a rock, the type of steady, versatile, smart, ball-secure back that I envision for this offense. 
- Forbes is one of my favorites (pundits last year had questions about Sauce's "lean figure" as well ;P). 
- LaPorta's kind of the Charbonnet TE for me: guaranteed value. Iowa's a TE factory and might Sam be the next Kittle?
- Wanya's a big question mark but I think we're in a decent spot to take a chance on a guy. 
- Dorian Williams looks like such a Bengal. He'll be a STer for a few years and then step into his niche. 
- Marco is my fav pick. I think he's being underrated by the draft community. Durable playmaker from an elite program, who always plays on his front foot. Sign me up. If Lou can't carve him into a productive AFC North safety, I'll be surprised. 
- Turk could be any punter. PFN doesn't give you many choices. I picked the position more than the name.

I like your draft and trade. However I just don’t think most will be there. I love Adebawore and think he’s going to eventually be a pro bowler and his intangibles off the charts.

(04-18-2023, 12:13 PM)Soonerpeace Wrote: I like your draft and trade. However I just don’t think most will be there. I love Adebawore and think he’s going to eventually be a pro bowler and his intangibles off the charts.

So true. Slim chance that Kancey and Forbes are sliding that far. Couldn't help myself, tho. Would've been irresponsible to leave them on the board.

Re: Adebawore, I've been wrong about DL in the past. I find them so hard to gauge. I should clarify what I meant about him, though. I think he'll be solid but it'll take time imo. For a team ready to win now, it's more an opportunity cost thing at the top of the draft than anything else. If we were rebuilding and laying a new foundation, I'd feel more tempted, especially with his leadership potential. 

Plus, the fact that he's from KC kinda bugs me haha... although even there I'm contradicting myself as I'm a big big fan of Felix. 

Can't wait for the draft.