(01-23-2020, 01:22 PM)WeezyBengal Wrote: I mean just turn on ESPN during the draft and draft Tod McShays next "best available" guy rather than Drew Sample (a guy you could have gotten in the last round). 

That's nice, but then would we have been able to draft Pratt?
If you are targeting certain guys, then yes, some will be a reach, there is no getting around that.

(01-23-2020, 01:01 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Maybe he had a budget? Maybe he had other friends he wanted who were too expensive? Maybe he had any other coaches in mind who were too expensive? Maybe his friends were the only ones who would take the job?

You have no clue if these were his 1st choices, and he complete and absolute control of the process.

Captain Lou was like the 3rd or 4th guy offered or interviewed for the job. Were they all Taylor's friends?

IF you look at some of the coaches they talked to or at least tried to get interviews with - Bevell, Kubiak, Bill Callahan, JDR, Capers, Dennis Allen - it seems like they were willing to go after bigger name veteran guys to join the staff, but none of them worked out, so they ended up with lesser known, less experienced guys or ones that Taylor was comfortable with because he worked with them in the past.

I think they ended up doing a lot of settling on some of the hires. Would they have went after Brian if Kubiak had wanted the job or Turner if Bill Callahan hadn't gotten blocked by Washington? Then the DC search was just one guy after another for various reasons.

(01-23-2020, 10:21 AM)Gdale_Bengal Wrote: I just feel like, outside of the 11 pick, he wasnt prepared enough for the draft. I really hope he does better this year since the team really needs it.

Zac sure didn't have much time for sure.

Still like the Jonah and Pratt picks. This year we get to start out with Burrow, should be a significantly better Draft.

Night and day.

(01-23-2020, 03:35 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Zac sure didn't have much time for sure.

Still like the Jonah and Pratt picks. This year we get to start out with Burrow, should be a significantly better Draft.

Night and day.

I am SO STOKED for this draft.

If we can get Burrow + Jefferson/a starting RT (depends on who drops, could be Jackson, Becton, Jones) that would be a great start. 

It's going to be a great off season

To be fair to the Bengals, ranking the draft claases now is pretty moronic. Just as is ranking them immediately after.

To each their own, but I roll my eyes at pretty much every draft grade. I couldn't care less what Mel Kiper says. In fact I would be more concerned by earning A+ every year than middling and poor grades just because it would mean our scouts could be replaced by anybody that is willing to put a few hours into studying what these blowhards say.

(01-23-2020, 03:51 PM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: I am SO STOKED for this draft.

If we can get Burrow + Jefferson/a starting RT (depends on who drops, could be Jackson, Becton, Jones) that would be a great start. 

It's going to be a great off season

Me too, having the first pick in every round is pretty crazy. I wasn't following the Bengals as close the last time this happened.

Excited to do some Mocks, Zac and company have a great chance to really build this team up this Offseason.

We have or will have lots of dough in FA and get to start the Draft off with Joe frickin' Burrow! Hard not to be stoked.

I like Pratt & I think Williams will be good. Jordan finished better than he started and the rest there is very little to grade on.

Williams is the jewel of that Draft
The life of our new franchise QB will be tied into Williama

Sample was ZT over thinking and trying to show
People "how smart Iam"
This is 2020.TEs are now pass catchers 1st and foremost
Sample will be out of the NFL in 2 years if he cant catch the ball
And be a threat in the passing game

Wren I had high hopes for. I didn't see alot of production in his limited snaps. He's not a roster lock in 2020

Finely. He looked over matched in his 3 game showing
He lacks the ability to drive the ball. Very weak arm.

Pratt will only get better. He looked so Improved in week 17.

Williams has a uphill battle. But don't give up on him.
Rahim Mosart was cut by 6 teams and now he's a 49ers workhorse

Jordan like Pratt showed improvement. I expect him to get strinfer
In the off season

(01-23-2020, 06:19 PM)impactplaya Wrote: Williams is the jewel of that Draft
The life of our new franchise QB will be tied into Williama

Sample was ZT over thinking and trying to show
People "how smart Iam"
This is 2020.TEs are now pass catchers 1st and foremost
Sample will be out of the NFL in 2 years if he cant catch the ball
And be a threat in the passing game

Wren I had high hopes for. I didn't see alot of production in his limited snaps. He's not a roster lock in 2020

Finely. He looked over matched in his 3 game showing
He lacks the ability to drive the ball. Very weak arm.

Pratt will only get better. He looked so Improved in week 17.

Williams has a uphill battle. But don't give up on him.
Rahim Mosart was cut by 6 teams and now he's a 49ers workhorse

Jordan like Pratt showed improvement. I expect him to get strinfer
In the off season

Nice breakdown of most of the picks. I also like Traveon Williams if he can come back healthy.

Michael Jordan started a lot of games as a rookie and while he wasn't very good, lots of rookie Lineman aren't very good their
first year starting as rookies. Most, he should grow into a much better Lineman with time.

Drew Sample when DK Metcalf was sitting there. Fail!!!!!!

(01-23-2020, 12:04 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: I really think people are too quick to assign blame to Zach Taylor for the Drew Sample pick.

Tell me which of these sounds more likely to value a blocking Tight End: A young (36) offensive minded coach coming out of the ultra-modern Rams system? Or the 80+ year old GM and his lackeys that believe in things like "play in the cold, practice in the cold", "we don't make trades because we're not in the business of making other teams better"?

That pick has Mike Brown and his "Yes Man" Tobin written all over it.

Even if you think Taylor is/was a terrible hire, I just refuse to believe a guy with his background is clamoring for a blocking tight end in round 2.

Well... Shawn Mcvay's first ever pick was Gerald Everett.

(01-23-2020, 10:17 AM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: At least Simpson had significant athletic upside (which he began to fulfill in 2011, at least a little bit. We got a highlight out of it anyway).

Sample doesn't seem to have any of those athletic or physical upside attributes that would make you want to overdraft him.

He just seems like...a guy.

I tried really hard last off season to be super positive and gave our "genius" new HC the benefit of the doubt that he knew exactly what he was doing, but after his first year I'm definitely right back into my cynical ways haha.

I think that describes the way you and I, along with a few hundred thousand other Bengal fans' feelings on the matter.

(01-23-2020, 07:24 PM)scorp1974 Wrote: Drew Sample when DK Metcalf was sitting there. Fail!!!!!!

Sickening.

I'm a big AJ Green fan, but had we taken Metcalf, I'd be alright with letting him walk. As good as Tyler Boyd and Auden Tate are, neither of them are consistent big play threats. DK Metcalf isn't the player AJ Green is when healthy (maybe some day), but he's a nice poor man's version of him.

(01-23-2020, 10:52 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I think that describes the way you and I, along with a few hundred thousand other Bengal fans' feelings on the matter.

Yes, there is hope now with FA and a #1 overall pick that is a QB coming in. Don't know how they could screw this up unless 
they were trying to honestly. The threads about us trading the pick to me are just completely insane, it would be different if there
were QB's that were somewhat as good as Burrow and weren't injured and had some of the same intangibles of him.

There are none though, more picks won't make this team better. Quality picks at the right positions after a good FA would.

Would sure make it much easier on these inexperienced coaches that is for sure.

Who would want this guy...



When we could have this guy...



LMAO

In order for Sample to have worked we needed to be using the run blocking scheme we did later in the season - not the stretch zone nonsense we did early on. So we set him up to fail. Really he should have been out there in a 2 TE alignment with him helping Hart.

(01-23-2020, 09:43 AM)Nicomo Cosca Wrote: Taylor’s first draft looks pretty ugly so far. Time will tell, but Jonah Williams better work out or it will set us back even more.

And there is still no defending that Sample pick.

I hated the Sample pick only to get bombarded by the usual Bengals homers on draft day. Good times.

(01-23-2020, 11:30 PM)Joelist Wrote: In order for Sample to have worked we needed to be using the run blocking scheme we did later in the season - not the stretch zone nonsense we did early on. So we set him up to fail. Really he should have been out there in a 2 TE alignment with him helping Hart.

I remember thats what we supposedly drafted him for, run blocking. They hyped him as the best blocking TE in the draft to justify the pick, I do remember that. Sounds nice, but like you said, the plays they were calling early on werent a fit for him or anyone else apparently. He may improve next season all things considered, but we still probably couldve got him a round later. 

Pratt got better and better. Williams I have hope he will be a solid OT for us. Jordan was a bit raw coming in but showed improvement toward the end. I have hope for him. We need guys to get healthy and see if they progress. I hope they all do.

(01-23-2020, 10:47 PM)jason Wrote: Well... Shawn Mcvay's first ever pick was Gerald Everett.

Gerald Everett is almost an Anti-Drew Sample as far as attributes are concerned. He was drafted on receiving potential from a small school. He's more of a Jordan Reed or Zach Ertz type. His selection shows, if anything, the Rams were looking at modern approaches.

Fwiw, here's his scouting report:

Strengths:


[*]Fast
[*]Athletic
[*]Phenomenal middle-seam tight end
[*]Second-gear acceleration
[*]Dangerous speed down the seam
[*]Good athlete
[*]Supreme receiving tight end
[*]Mismatch nightmare
[*]Rare yards-after-the-catch skills for a tight end
[*]Generally sure-handed
[*]Quick release off the line
[*]Superb body control
[*]Leaping ability
[*]Good route-runner
[*]Very agile
[*]Can make leaping highlight-reel receptions
[*]Too fast for linebackers
[*]Too big for most safeties
[*]Red-zone weapon
[*]Mismatch generator
[*]Athletic enough to play H-back
[*]Upside
[*]Uses size to make receptions downfield
[*]Adept at finding the soft spot in zone
[*]Tracks the ball well
[*]Decent feet in pass protection
[*]Willing blocker
[*]Good at hitting cut blocks
[*]Hits blocks on the second level
[*]Experienced
[*]Effective against good competition
[*]Deceptive quickness, athleticism
[*]Quality hands
[*]Durable
[*]Ready to play immediately


[*]Weaknesses:


[*]Not a forceful blocker

[*]Can never be a Y (blocking) tight end

[*]Limited in role

[*]Undersized

[*]Has avoided injury, but could have issues with that in the NFL


Summary: A mismatch receiving tight end is one of the most desired offensive weapons across the NFL. With a legit combination of size and speed, tight ends are very difficult to defend against in the middle portion of the field while providing third-down and red-zone weapons for their quarterbacks. Engram could be one of the most dynamic receiving tight end prospects in the 2017 NFL Draft, and that is saying something considering the other excellent talents like Alabama's O.J. Howard and Miami's David Njoku. Those two are probably the top tight ends, but Engram could be the third one off the board.

(01-24-2020, 12:08 AM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Gerald Everett is almost an Anti-Drew Sample as far as attributes are concerned. He was drafted on receiving potential from a small school. He's more of a Jordan Reed or Zach Ertz type. His selection shows, if anything, the Rams were looking at modern approaches.

Fwiw, here's his scouting report:

Strengths:


[*]Fast
[*]Athletic
[*]Phenomenal middle-seam tight end
[*]Second-gear acceleration
[*]Dangerous speed down the seam
[*]Good athlete
[*]Supreme receiving tight end
[*]Mismatch nightmare
[*]Rare yards-after-the-catch skills for a tight end
[*]Generally sure-handed
[*]Quick release off the line
[*]Superb body control
[*]Leaping ability
[*]Good route-runner
[*]Very agile
[*]Can make leaping highlight-reel receptions
[*]Too fast for linebackers
[*]Too big for most safeties
[*]Red-zone weapon
[*]Mismatch generator
[*]Athletic enough to play H-back
[*]Upside
[*]Uses size to make receptions downfield
[*]Adept at finding the soft spot in zone
[*]Tracks the ball well
[*]Decent feet in pass protection
[*]Willing blocker
[*]Good at hitting cut blocks
[*]Hits blocks on the second level
[*]Experienced
[*]Effective against good competition
[*]Deceptive quickness, athleticism
[*]Quality hands
[*]Durable
[*]Ready to play immediately


[*]Weaknesses:


[*]Not a forceful blocker

[*]Can never be a Y (blocking) tight end

[*]Limited in role

[*]Undersized

[*]Has avoided injury, but could have issues with that in the NFL


Summary: A mismatch receiving tight end is one of the most desired offensive weapons across the NFL. With a legit combination of size and speed, tight ends are very difficult to defend against in the middle portion of the field while providing third-down and red-zone weapons for their quarterbacks. Engram could be one of the most dynamic receiving tight end prospects in the 2017 NFL Draft, and that is saying something considering the other excellent talents like Alabama's O.J. Howard and Miami's David Njoku. Those two are probably the top tight ends, but Engram could be the third one off the board.

Couple of things...

First; I wish you posted more during the season.

Second; my short term memory is getting to be so bad I can't remember if it was Everett or Higbee that was ballin' toward the end of the season for the Rams.