2023 March Bengal Board Draft Challenge

[WVUHomer]

(03-08-2023, 01:47 PM)Crazyjdawg Wrote:

My options in the first round were Anton Harrison, Dawand Jones, Darnell Wright, Cam Smith and a few low chance DEs like Will McDonald (not really our scheme fit) and BJ Ojulari (a bit early at 28). I was really tempted to go Dawand Jones because that size is rare and he could be our day 1 RT, but I ultimately chose Harrison because he can play LT and with Williams on the last year of his rookie contract, it'd be good to see if we can upgrade the position. And, if Williams has a career year and we re-sign him, Harrison can play RT as well. Wright and Jones are probably confined to RT only (I know Wright played LT in college, but he started shining when he played on the right side).

In the second round, my options were Nathaniel Dell, Luke Wypler, Garrett Williams, Sam LePorta, Joe Tippman and Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson. There may have been a few DEs there as well, but I didn't check. I was focused in on CB and TE/WR at that point. Ultimately, I feel like the CB class is deep enough that we can get a real difference maker in the 3rd round, but the TEs were drying up quickly. There were two more TEs I was interested in, but wasn't sure they would make it to the 3rd round (Kraft and Schoonmaker) and there were multiple CBs I was still interested in (Eli Ricks, Julius Brents, Kelee Ringo, Clark Phillips III, Jaylon Jones) that I figured one of them would probably still be there in the 3rd, so I went LePorta. LePorta has the pedigree, as Iowa is a TE factory in the NFL, but he also has really impressive run after the catch ability and soft hands. I felt he was the last true day 1 impact player at TE in the draft behind the big 4 (Kincaid, Mayer, Washington, Musgrave), so I pulled the trigger.

In the third round, were pretty similar to the second round, with Dell, Williams, THT still there, along with Michael Wilson, DeWayne McBride and Tank Bigsby also available. Notably, Kraft and Schoonmaker, the two TEs I was targetting in round 3 if I didn't take LePorta, were both gone, so I think I made the right choice there. The fact that Garrett Williams was still there was surprising to me, so I scooped him up. Even if he wasn't, Jaylon Jones was still there after a 3rd round run on the CBs took away Ricks, Ringo, Brents and Phillips. Dell was tempting here, but I wanted to get at least 1 defender in the first three rounds, and Williams was just too good to pass up. He is coming off an injury and didn't participate in the combine drills, so I figured that may be why he is still available here, but he's got a good profile otherwise. If the Bengals believe he has the instincts to play in zone, he could be a target in the third round if he slips like he did here.

In the fourth round, my options were beginning to thin. DeWayne McBride and Israel Abanikanda were still available, as well as some Dlinemen like Moro Ojomo and Isaiah McGuire, but they aren't ideal fits for what I'm looking for on DL right now. I am more interested in a pass rushing 3T or a quick, agile OLB pass rusher type and Ojomo is more of a 3-4 run stopping DE and McGuire is more of a run stopping DE. There were a few other DL that I wasn't that familiar with in KJ Henry and Kobie Turner. I ended up going with McBride because he has the ability to be a starting RB on day 1. I'd only make this pick, however, if Mixon is cut, since they fill that same 2 down role. If we keep Mixon and let Perine walk, Abanikanda becomes the choice, as he is quicker and could play that 3rd down back role well.

From the 5th round on, I stopped paying attention to PFF's rankings and just started taking athletic freaks. The 5th round may be a round early for Zach Kuntz, but after the combine he put together, he may end up going higher than this. People love athleticism and being the most athletic Tight End to ever test at the combine is quite the feather in Kuntz' cap.

Zack Kuntz RAS so far.

We have a contender!https://t.co/mpZ9CLNDkc #RAS pic.twitter.com/1toxeUGv27

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 4, 2023

He will need some development, but that's why we went LePorta in the 2nd. If we re-sign Hurst, this would complete our TE room with 2 steady guys up front and high upside player in the 5th. I equate this pick to the CJ Uzomah pick in 2015. A raw, highly athletic project at TE that could develop into a great playmaker (People forget Uzomah had an 8.6 RAS coming out of Auburn).

In the 6th round, I took another "Combine freak" flier on Jon Gaines II, the guard out of UCLA. Check this out:

Jon Gaines II OG UCLA - 4.45 shuttle
Only one pic.twitter.com/Ym6vn4ymgA

— Matt (@CoachMinich) March 6, 2023

Jon Gaines II is a OG prospect in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 9.95 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 8 out of 1309 OG from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/0heXhinWwl #RAS pic.twitter.com/5JrCGrXDIk

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 6, 2023

6th and 7th round picks have a notoriously low hit rate, so why not try to game the system and look for high upside players with elite athleticism? I think that short shuttle stat is incredibly interesting and I would take a flier on Gaines because of it.

And finally, in the 7th round, we take the punter with an elite hang time. Is that Turk or Baringer? I'm not sure, so I just took the one that PFF had rated higher on their board haha.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting this so I'll ask to clarify my mind.

If Mixon stays, you're drafting a heavier speed back in Izzy (who I love as a prospect), but if he goes and Perine stays, you're drafting a bowling ball in McBride? So either Thunder/thunder or Lightning/lightning?