American Football

[Stagat]

Never watched this before. How long does it last? And how long after the coverage starts (at midnight) should it get going, 1st pick announced etc? And how long between picks, roughly/normally/on average?

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Finish about 4am. Not sure when first pick is, but not long after midnight. 10 mins between picks in the first round. They don't all use all of it, but the ad breaks probs pick up most of the slack.

 

[Stagat]

Finish about 4am. Not sure when first pick is, but not long after midnight. 10 mins between picks in the first round. They don't all use all of it, but the ad breaks probs pick up most of the slack.

Cheers mate. Have a like.

 

[Craig]

I just gone crawling back to Sky like the spineless bitch I am.

 

[kieran_vale]

Have to wait until the very end for us to trade out the first. Wouldn't mind us taking Todd Gurley if we had a shot though, obviously Running Back in the first isn't widely done any more but for all intents and purposes this may as well be a second rounder when you pick so late.

 

[Anon]

Yeah, wouldn't be surprised to see us trade back too. Tbh I'd quite like to see a run at RBs and WRs so that players at other positions get pushed down...

 

[Craig]

Hopes for the first round?

Looking like Cameron Erving is the favourite for our pick at 18, and I'd be plenty happy with him, however I am hoping a gamble is taken on Beckham-Green instead. Looking forward to seeing Maclin in a Chiefs jersey but the prospect of Beckham-Green is much more exciting to me. Eric Kush is short on first string experience I suppose but who wants to sign a center in the first round?

 

[Aberstone]

That Trae Waynes somehow finds a way to fall to the Steelers. Byron Jones has huge upside and is so athletically gifted and is far more likely to fall to 22 so would be happy if we took him. We desperately need a corner so watch Kevin Colbert draft Randy Gregory, yet another linebacker in the 1st round.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Wishes:

- Best defensive player available (non-linebacker category).
- No running back tonight.
- Especially not Adrian Peterson.
- Booing of Goodell is so brutal and vociferous that Gary Bettman is moved to write a letter offering his sympathies.

 

[Aberstone]

Chuckled at the last line.

 

[Anon]

Best available ILB or corner, if the value is there at 30. ILB's the bigger hole, but with the our corner ranks thin, us playing a lot of nickel corner, and Raji back to help run stuffing, a boundary corner would be very welcome.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

FWIW...

"Unable to make deal so far with #Titans, I'm told #Eagles have inquired with #Bucs about the No. 1 pick, presumably for Marcus Mariota"

https://twitter.com/Edwerderespn/status/593907008790663168

 

[RavenBish]

Chip Kelly, master poker player.

 

[kieran_vale]

Schefter reported that the Bears have considered an offer of moving up to #2 but Titans not interested in taking Smokin Jay. I think the Titans may well end up drafting Mariota themselves. This must be the most the Titans have been talked about since the days of Jeff Fisher.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

This must be the most the Titans have been talked about since the days of Jeff Fisher VINCE YOUNG.

 

[kieran_vale]

Anyone seen that offer that Ian Rapoport has mentioned on Twitter the Eagles are looking to make? 2 Firsts, a Third Rounder, Fletcher Cox PLUS more players. Now it's the time to drug test Chip, insane.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

I really want Kelly to succeed to see all the stuffed shirt NFL journo types cry, but I really want the Eagles to fail horribly (obviously).

It's a reet quandary.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Byron Jones. I would've taken Brown there, but fine by me, rational minds can differ. Defense just got better.

CB is a need right now and will be even more so 12 months hence, since Claiborne and Carr are obviously not long for Valley Ranch after this year.

Pleasingly solid, sensible and boring. 2 years in a row!

 

[Craig]

Delighted with Marcus Peters, he's class and will get on well with our other half dozen CB's.

 

[kieran_vale]

Malcom Brown taken at #32 by the Pats. That of course was not before some strong stories came out about us trading back which quite naturally everyone believed. By all accounts this isn't too bad a pick.

Meanwhile the Colts really are idiots. They have an obvious weakness on D especially against the run so what do they do... Go and draft another receiver when they have an embarrassment of riches there already. They really have learned nothing over the years about you need more than just a bunch of offensive weapons to win a Championship.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Obv I'm biased but really nice pick at #32. He's probs more "(very) solid + disruptive" than "shit wrecker" at the next level, but I don't doubt that he be productive in the NFL. Really good guy too. Happy to see him finding a good home.

>> he's not got the pure horsepower to be a straight up Wilfork replacement, just to head off the inevitable (already being said). But he can and will contribute all up and the down the line and has coaches smart enuff to get him to do it now.

Dull as shit 1st round overall. See what happens when everyone is sensible?

>> Just to harp on. There was no drama here. No big Iggles trade. No Rivers or Peterson. No Manziel equivalent tantalisingly tumbling, a dream headline every time. Nothing at all out of the ordinary. So some director just stuck ad breaks in with 3 picks stacked up, after specifically instructing the media not to report what those picks would be, as if that constituted suspense. Bad reality TV with no pay off, a shit version of the Oscars. This could've been done with by 2.30am, easily. The best thing about sports is that the drama ain't manufactured, so maybe don't bother trying? Arseholes.

 

[.V.]

My knowledge of college football is extremely limited, but trading up to take a RB in the first, I'm not sure on that.

 

[Renegade]

Surprised no one took a chance on Gregory, especially the Saints/Pats at the end of the night. Widely seen as a top 10 talent, someone's is going to get a bargain/headache. If he falls to the Raiders, would be cool to see what him and Khalil Mack would do together. Maybe the Jets, Bowles won't believe his luck if he gets Williams and Gregory first two rounds.

Must be seen as a far more troublesome player than Shane Ray.

 

[RavenBish]

If you believe the Deadspin 'we're going to make assumptions' article then the Gregory slide could be much further than even the second round, which would be disappointing and still confusing to me even if the anxiety/depression rumours were true (He's a 22 year old, you're telling me you don't have someone in your massive organisation/medical team etc...that can help him with that?).

My overall takes from the first round are thus;

Looking at the top of the draft I like the Cooper, Beasley picks the most in that top 10 range definitely. A lot of the players taken high kind of prove how poor the draft is though, Ereck Flowers is baaad and I really don't think Leonard Williams or Dante Fowler are top prospects at all - more solid contributors (although Williams might be accentuated by playing on the same line as fucking Richardson and Wilkerson).

Picking a running back in the first is dumb but it'd be contradictory to pan picking Gurley at 10 because a) Gurley is fucking awesome. If that knee's healthy then imho people won't give a shit where he was drafted in 5 years time when he's putting up big numbers - and b) it's a weak draft class, like at that point I don't think anyone wouldn't have had Gurley far and away #1 on their draft board...just positional value and that, also the fact St. Louis weren't really in dire need with Tre Mason already there who seems a good back.

Middle of the round - I like Peat, Johnson, Peters and Parker. Dislike - Armstead, Gordon (mainly because I just don't think he's as good as Gurley and actually trading up for a back seems mental).

Bengals - fucking Christ. I get the fact Whitworth and Smith are free agents next year but Whitworth will be old but probably still young enough for a couple of more years and Smith, even if you keep him, won't be expensive. So then what, what do you do with Ogbuehi? Don't get me wrong, O-line depth is great - there's nowt worse than having a porous o-line or having an OT get hurt and see Marshall Newhouse run onto the field but the team needs players for now. It's just weird that every year the first round pick is effectively red-shirted when first round picks really should be players coming in and making an impact straight away. I'm not advocating just picking anyone like Dupree but there were plenty of players there that would've made the team better Day 1 like Malcom Brown. I don't even dislike Ogbuehi either.

Bottom of the draft - Byron Jones, Malcom Brown, D.J Humphries all seem like great picks to me. In a weak class I'm surprised 3 prospects like that lasted so late. I'm also still in awe of how much of a freak Byron Jones is, not in a normal man perspective either, he's a freak by NFL standards. Like, Marquise Goodwin was an Olympic standard long jumper and broad jumped 11 feet and Jones jumped 12 fucking 3.

 

[Anon]

there's nowt worse than having a porous o-line or having an OT get hurt and see Marshall Newhouse run onto the field

One of the worst players I've ever seen for us, although at least he'll no longer in Cincinnati for 2015.

Happy with what we've seemingly picked up, should fit right in with Capers' scheme and probably be converted to corner.

 

[Kim Mitten]

Well I'm pretty happy with that round 1 for the Lions. Move down a few spots and get Manny Ramierz for the O-Line and a 5th round pick. Tomlinson looks decent enough as well - they'll both be starters alongside Reiff and Waddle (if he's fit), Matt Stafford is very very happy. I expect D-Line in round 2.

Pick of the round for me is Pats - to get Malcolm Brown at 32, I think if Lions had gone D-Line he would have gone then, but obviously with the trade they saw a way to upgrade O-Line even more.

 

[RavenBish]

I hate you so much Carel, lucky prick.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Really happy. Absolutely a gamble I endorse making at #60.

Pick up a solid RB next time round and Jerrah has officially WON THE DRAFT.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Finally another QB. Grayson holding a clipboard with Brees and Payton to learn from is not bad at all.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

Hicks to Iggles. CONFLICTED.

>> Chaz Green. I have no idea.

Edified that they are doubling down on the RBs as fungible dealio, at least.