As we approach my favorite three sports days of the spring, I wanted to return to share my "Man Crush", Overrated List and Underrated List. Feel to jump in, agree, disagree all is good.
“Man Crush”
Sam Darnold- Best Qb in the draft. Totally over-analyzation on this kid. Great two years ago. Lost some good receivers and were not replaced well enough. Poised.
Kyle Lauletta- He is not Jimmy G, but he can develop and start down the road.
Mark Walton- Grossly underrated especially if he goes Saturday of the draft.
Phillip Lindsay- Fast. Tough out of the backfield. HR hitter.
Anthony Miller- Will be the best receiver in this class. How is that hot take.
Keke Coutee- Slot, nails tough. Will contribute earlier than people think.
Dallas Goedert- Love the size/catch radius. Dominated his level of competition.
Mark Andrews- He is drifted down draft boards. He should not. He will get open and be reliable.
Chris Herndon- Made big catches for the Canes before getting hurt. He was starting to come on.
Tyrell Crosby- Like the balance he showed at Mobile. Nice feet.
Isaiah Wynn- Bad shoulder, but love this kid. Athletic and big. Versatile.
Will Hernandez- Beast. Tosses guys around. One of my favorites.
Vita Vea- 345 lbs. Athletic. Huge upside. Wrong to think he is a two down stuffer.
Tim Settle- Will go later on Day 2 or early Day 3. Tough to move inside.
BJ Hill- Rugged interior guy. Would be part of the rotation.
Kendrick Norton- Should have stayed one more year. Will play the run tough.
Roquan Smith- Will not be around at 11. Next.
Tremaine Edmunds- Athletic. 19. Can fill out more. Upside galore.
Darius Leonard- Athletic. Option Day 2. Upside.
Gerald Avery- Productive and should be discussed more as option to help at LB
Derwin James- Shame on people calling a pure box safety. Want help vs TE’s? He can almost do anything on the field.
Daniel Carlson- Money kicker that is ice water late in games. Worth a pick. Big leg.
Overrated
Baker Mayfield- Sorry Fin Fans. Small guy. Spread QB. Too much of a risk to take RD1. Love the moxie, but what happens when he has adversity?
Josh Allen- Terrible accuracy. Did not bring his game up versus good competition.
Saquon Barkley- Does not break tackles. Limited in some big games. Good kid that will out-produced by players that go Friday Night.
DJ Chark- Workout warrior that looks good coming off the bus.
Mike McGlinchey- See the Canes game. Will get whipped in the pros.
Kolton Miller- Soft
Arden Key- Headache to the team drafting him.
Harold Landry- Not sure what he did last year to get so much buzz.
Leighton Vander Esch- I do not mind the player. However, talk in the upper half of Rd1 is way too rich for me. One year of productivity with possible injury flags.
Josh Jackson- Bad athlete. One year production.
Ronnie Harrison- Player surrounded by talent at Bama a
Jessie Bates- Seems soft to me.
Underrated
Lamar Jackson- About time he is mentioned with the other Qb’s. Athletic and good guy. Deserves a shot.
Josh Rosen- Best thrower and best with anticipation. That he is falling down in the round is kind of crazy. I am sure his ‘tude can be the turnoff. What does he do in adverse situations?
Chase Litton- Late rounder that would have been a day two guy next year.
Royce Freeman- Love the mix of quicks and power. Steal late Friday or early Saturday if that is where he goes.
Mark Walton- See above
Anthony Miller- See above
Dante Pettis- Quick, has some return ability. Made big plays for the Huskies.
Chris Herndon- See above
Jamarco Jones- Strong kid. Rugged. Better feet than many give him credit for.
Brett Toth- Service commitment, but has tools to work with.
Jamil Demby- Will go to guard, but has elevated his game in each stop this postseason.
Brian Allen- Day 3 pivot that will stick in the NFL.
Fred Warner- Now he is on our radar he should not be on this list. His talent is not far off from other LB’s that will go Thursday.
Tegray Scales- Ultra productive. Instincts off the charts.
Justin Reid- Round one talent that could go Friday. Total package.
Marcus Allen- Safety that seems to be around the action. Like this kid develop further.
Some random draft thoughts going forward…
Here is mini big board related to the Fins:
- Rosen at 11- too much value not to try to invest at the games most vital position. Do the injuries and his kind of attitude bother me? Yes it does. However, he would match well I think with the head coach and he can definitely spin it. I would take a shot. That said, this team can win with Ryan Tannehill. I am very comfortable with Tannehill under center.
- Roquan Smith- Will be gone before 11. Alpha personality. Can run. Can cover. Future captain. Gone in the top ten.
- Derwin James- Chess piece. Let him run with TE’s. He can play the deep third. Another alpha dog.
- Tremaine Edmunds- Wish he made a few more plays. However, he was productive nonetheless. He has great bloodlines. Not even in his twenties, his potential is thru the roof. He is my prediction of who the Fins will take a 11.
- Denzel Ward- Folks, if he is there at 11 how do you pass on him? He is smaller, but an elite CB. Fast, quick, ball skills. Drafting good players is always a great draft strategy.
- Minkah Fitzpatrick- Good player that would be a CF FS type and help in the slot. Good kid supposedly. Always think of how used up Bama players are before they enter the NFL. He had a leg issue last year. I would take him, but beware.
- Vita Vea- I love this kid and would support the team taking him. I shake my head at those calling this pick a letdown. He would help stop the run and he can rush the passer better than given credit for. He has not come close to tapping his potential. Stop the complaints that it is a lateral move from Suh. He will make millions less and perhaps improve the defense some by not freelancing
Other Thoughts:
- Make no mistake about it...the Dolphins can win and win a lot with Ryan Tannehill. I am tired of people saying he is injury prone. He had one knee injury in his career. Before the injury versus Arizona, Tannehill has been tough as nails getting up hit after hit. The mistake he made was not having surgery in December, 2016. If he did, he would have played last year and I would argue the team would have made the playoffs. He is a good QB that is durable. Dismiss the national perception that he is fragile. Anything but.
- While not popular to say, if they do not get a QB in RD1, I might wait all together until late Day 3. The backups the Fins currently have are always bashed, but many of these young guys after the first round (some in the first round) are simply not ready either. Find other positions that to help. Just do not draft a QB to draft a QB.
- Of my list, my prediction is at least three of them are on the board when the Fins pick. I think they will be Edmunds, Fitzpatrick and Vea. We shall see if others fall (or I am totally off). Bottom line is Miami is getting a really good player.
- I will be honest. I do not know what to think of Lamar Jackson. My first thought it is smoke to get a team mid draft to come up and push another player down. However, he has tools. He is a good kid and so productive. Local guy and could take some time to develop. I would not hate the pick. I would be intrigued I guess. That said, I am not so sure he ever makes it to a point where he is a snap in and snap out QB in the NFL. You better have faith in the HC to develop and I would. By the way, it might buy the FO a few more years on the job if the team experiences failure this year.
Things that would make turnover the “war room desk”
Josh Allen
Trading up for anyone
Leighton Vander Esch at 11
Mike McGlinchey
