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Not much to report for free agency this year. That one WR I almost didn't resign as a RFA last year left to some other team, and I picked QB up off the streets who had been thrown out by Dakota. He could end up starting for us.
With that out of the way, one last look out our rookies before all their hopes and dreams (and Future ratings) get smashed to tiny bits by Training Camp.
1.17 DE Jeff Brooks (26/54)
Cut Test: -2
First Impression: Disaster
Should have taken: Best WR Available
This pick was our highest since trading up to draft Burt Newman way back in in 2017, so I was determined to put some thought into this one and make it count. Unfortunately I failed miserably.
By the time this pick came up our draft list for the first round read "1. Best WR Available 2. Jeff Brooks." But with the top 4 WR long since off the board I wasn't sure there were any left that would be mid-first round value (of course my entire WR corps is roughly a 5th round value so really anybody would have been an improvement) so I picked Brooks instead. Even though DE was my position of least possible need, this still seemed like the "safe" pick.
Brooks' 40-time was quite good and his 33 reps on the bench were second only to #2 overall pick Chester Badillo among all DE's in the last three OSFL drafts. His Broad Jump was just high enough that it could conceivably correspond with the big END bar he was showing, while his worst combine, Agility, wasn't quite low enough to set off any alarm bells (7.6 being the cut-off on stretch's simple draft value chart and at the bottom of a huge range of values in MalcPow's benchmarks). But it was his Solecismic score that caught my eye. 34 a was pretty good score and his intelligence was only 58 so the rest should go to play diagnosis, right? But his play diagnosis bar was tiny. A possible sign of masking?
Nope, it looks like he's just a combine warrior. A cut test of -2 is pretty damning. Also through the trade window I can see that his PRS and PH bars are both down on the wrong side of 50 at the very, very bottom of the range my scout was showing me for those two "static" bars. Ouch.
2.16 G Marvin Feret (19/39)
Cut Test: 0
First Impression: At least it was only a second round pick
Should have taken: That overrated QB from Chicago I tried to trade for last year
A few years ago I thought I was set at guard when a guy I took in the second round, Earl Blackwell, popped 8 points in his rookie TC. Then the next year the VSOD beat him down by about 30 points. Each year since then I've picked at least 1 guard whose bars and combines come close to matching the pattern Blackwell had (high blocking strength, and a suspiciously low run blocking compared to a good 40 time) and who have all had VU grades from my scout. None of those guards have panned out. This year it is Marvin Feret's turn to not pan out.
3.15 CB Brett Gray (23/36)
Cut Test: +1
First Impression: I should draft special teams guys with affinities more often.
Should have taken: Brett Gray, even a stopped clock is right twice a draft.
Speaking of drafting the same guy over and over again, Gray's combines and bars are nearly identical to another guy I drafted 5 years ago, Eric Sherman. Like Sherman, Gray was picked because he had a big Special Teams bar and an affinity with a position leader. If he ends up going +2 this training camp like Sherman did, he'll likely be my starting RCB opening day. Only downside to this pick, I got Sherman in the 6th round, I had to spend a 3rd on Gray.
4.14 TE Gene Flowers (31/43)
Cut Test: 0
First Impression: Don't I already have a long snapper?
Should have taken: This might just be time #2
For the second time in four rounds South Maryland takes the guy at the top of my list one pick before me. As a result I got to choose between a FB I really didn't need and TE I didn't really need. I went with the TE... because he'd have an affinity. Of course I already have a long snapping #3 tight end with an affinity, but since I run a lot of 2 TE sets I figure might as well have two of those guys as well.
5.20 LT Bucky Caruso (17/48)
Cut Test: 0
First Impression: Hey look, it's a fifth round pick!
Should have taken: DT Brian "Moist" Ouellette
Bucky is an undersized, unimpressive left tackle who doesn't have an affinity with my current or future OL leader. My scout says he might get better if I move him to guard, where he would be an unimpressive guard who doesn't have an affinity with my current or future OL leader. I think I already drafted that guy in round 2.
6.19 WR Bill "Don't bring me down" Bruce (14/21)
Cut Test: 0
First Impression: Unfortunately for ELO fans, that nickname is 1 character too long
Should have taken: A WR in rounds 1 or 2.
WR was not only the #1 need by my team, it was also numbers #2 through about 11. So of course we didn't actually draft a WR until the 6th round. That way next year WR should need #1 through about 13 or 14. Bruce has already brought me down, he has no special teams or return skills to speak of and it would take a mighty impressive VSOL and some serious upward creeping for him to even make our team.
7.18 WR Roosevelt Newman (15/36)
Cut Test: 0
First Impressions: In case of emergency, draft a guy named Newman
Should have taken: Does it really matter by this point?
Newman looks like a bum but that's ok because he's a 7th round pick, they're supposed to be bums. He may or may not have some return skills, and should have an affinity. He also as a Very High volatility, so who knows, maybe a miracle will happen.
With that out of the way, one last look out our rookies before all their hopes and dreams (and Future ratings) get smashed to tiny bits by Training Camp.
1.17 DE Jeff Brooks (26/54)
Cut Test: -2
First Impression: Disaster
Should have taken: Best WR Available
This pick was our highest since trading up to draft Burt Newman way back in in 2017, so I was determined to put some thought into this one and make it count. Unfortunately I failed miserably.
By the time this pick came up our draft list for the first round read "1. Best WR Available 2. Jeff Brooks." But with the top 4 WR long since off the board I wasn't sure there were any left that would be mid-first round value (of course my entire WR corps is roughly a 5th round value so really anybody would have been an improvement) so I picked Brooks instead. Even though DE was my position of least possible need, this still seemed like the "safe" pick.
Brooks' 40-time was quite good and his 33 reps on the bench were second only to #2 overall pick Chester Badillo among all DE's in the last three OSFL drafts. His Broad Jump was just high enough that it could conceivably correspond with the big END bar he was showing, while his worst combine, Agility, wasn't quite low enough to set off any alarm bells (7.6 being the cut-off on stretch's simple draft value chart and at the bottom of a huge range of values in MalcPow's benchmarks). But it was his Solecismic score that caught my eye. 34 a was pretty good score and his intelligence was only 58 so the rest should go to play diagnosis, right? But his play diagnosis bar was tiny. A possible sign of masking?
Nope, it looks like he's just a combine warrior. A cut test of -2 is pretty damning. Also through the trade window I can see that his PRS and PH bars are both down on the wrong side of 50 at the very, very bottom of the range my scout was showing me for those two "static" bars. Ouch.
2.16 G Marvin Feret (19/39)
Cut Test: 0
First Impression: At least it was only a second round pick
Should have taken: That overrated QB from Chicago I tried to trade for last year
A few years ago I thought I was set at guard when a guy I took in the second round, Earl Blackwell, popped 8 points in his rookie TC. Then the next year the VSOD beat him down by about 30 points. Each year since then I've picked at least 1 guard whose bars and combines come close to matching the pattern Blackwell had (high blocking strength, and a suspiciously low run blocking compared to a good 40 time) and who have all had VU grades from my scout. None of those guards have panned out. This year it is Marvin Feret's turn to not pan out.
3.15 CB Brett Gray (23/36)
Cut Test: +1
First Impression: I should draft special teams guys with affinities more often.
Should have taken: Brett Gray, even a stopped clock is right twice a draft.
Speaking of drafting the same guy over and over again, Gray's combines and bars are nearly identical to another guy I drafted 5 years ago, Eric Sherman. Like Sherman, Gray was picked because he had a big Special Teams bar and an affinity with a position leader. If he ends up going +2 this training camp like Sherman did, he'll likely be my starting RCB opening day. Only downside to this pick, I got Sherman in the 6th round, I had to spend a 3rd on Gray.
4.14 TE Gene Flowers (31/43)
Cut Test: 0
First Impression: Don't I already have a long snapper?
Should have taken: This might just be time #2
For the second time in four rounds South Maryland takes the guy at the top of my list one pick before me. As a result I got to choose between a FB I really didn't need and TE I didn't really need. I went with the TE... because he'd have an affinity. Of course I already have a long snapping #3 tight end with an affinity, but since I run a lot of 2 TE sets I figure might as well have two of those guys as well.
5.20 LT Bucky Caruso (17/48)
Cut Test: 0
First Impression: Hey look, it's a fifth round pick!
Should have taken: DT Brian "Moist" Ouellette
Bucky is an undersized, unimpressive left tackle who doesn't have an affinity with my current or future OL leader. My scout says he might get better if I move him to guard, where he would be an unimpressive guard who doesn't have an affinity with my current or future OL leader. I think I already drafted that guy in round 2.
6.19 WR Bill "Don't bring me down" Bruce (14/21)
Cut Test: 0
First Impression: Unfortunately for ELO fans, that nickname is 1 character too long
Should have taken: A WR in rounds 1 or 2.
WR was not only the #1 need by my team, it was also numbers #2 through about 11. So of course we didn't actually draft a WR until the 6th round. That way next year WR should need #1 through about 13 or 14. Bruce has already brought me down, he has no special teams or return skills to speak of and it would take a mighty impressive VSOL and some serious upward creeping for him to even make our team.
7.18 WR Roosevelt Newman (15/36)
Cut Test: 0
First Impressions: In case of emergency, draft a guy named Newman
Should have taken: Does it really matter by this point?
Newman looks like a bum but that's ok because he's a 7th round pick, they're supposed to be bums. He may or may not have some return skills, and should have an affinity. He also as a Very High volatility, so who knows, maybe a miracle will happen.