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[Dynasty] 2016 Draft Class (1 Viewer)
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massraider
Footballguy
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2016/mock-drafts/daniel-jeremiah/290600?sf21040963=1
Jeremiah's latest mock draft, and there's some very different picks here.
Jeremiah's latest mock draft, and there's some very different picks here.
Zyphros
Footballguy
Interesting choice of a lot of those, don't agree but nice to see it. 3 QB's in the top15? No WR and 1 RB? I like these types of mocks though makes you really think hey it could be possible.
Borden
Footballguy
I agree. Coming from Jeremiah, I think it's a valid opinion too. However, I think all these mocks change significantly after the combine. If Henry runs pretty good 40 (rumours say he will) then I think we see him get bumped up into the first. I also think Doctson should/could climb into the first and Coleman fall out. Coleman needs to scorch the 40 and his hands need to measure well. *Strange to talk about hand measurements being so important.
Rodeojones
Footballguy
massraider
Footballguy
massraider
Footballguy
The 2016 NFL draft process is well underway as we’re just a week away from the combine and ensuing pro days. Participants and other prospects are hopeful as they train for the biggest job interview they’ll ever have. It’s important for their physical and mental tests to go well so they can maximize their value.
One of the bigger names in the 2016 wide receiver class is Pittsburgh’s Tyler Boyd. Boyd was an impact player for the Panthers in each of his three seasons with the team. He accumulated an impressive 254 receptions, 3,361 yards and 21 touchdowns throughout his career.
The former four-star recruit from Clairton, Pennsylvania delivered on his lofty potential and proved to be a dangerous threat every time he stepped foot on the field. His selflessness was also on display as he took on major responsibility.
Boyd ran the ball a whopping 63 times in his career, and 40 came in 2015 after running back James Conner was diagnosed with cancer. He also stepped in as a return man, finishing his career with 46 kick returns and 27 punt returns. He finished his career second in all-purpose yards at the school.
As good as the cumulative production was for Boyd, he will enter the NFL as a project. The 6’2”, 200-pound receiver is still in the raw development stages of his career despite the gaudy numbers he’s posted. And there is reason to believe he won’t significantly improve.
I’ll unpack that statement in this article. While Boyd is a good player that has a clear role in the NFL based off his strengths, there are certain areas he must improve to shore up to maximize his skill set.
After digging into eight games of Boyd from 2014 and 2015, he occasionally had a play that clearly would translate to the NFL. His long yet thin frame allows his quarterback to be somewhat inaccurate and still have a reasonable chance at completing the pass. This is especially true if the pass is high.
Boyd flashed high-pointing talent with his length and very strong hands. There is no question that he is a terrific technician with his presumably large hands. He properly times his arm extension and consistently catches the ball with firm yet forgiving hands.
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Boyd too often loses the physicality battle throughout the route
Issue is, Boyd lacks the separation ability to give himself or his quarterback a reasonable margin for error. Even facing non-NFL prospects, Boyd routinely appears slow and overly reliant on his frame to create production in traffic. While he can convert some of these opportunities, his lack of suddenness and acceleration is limiting.
An effective NFL receiver doesn’t need to run in the 4.3s to get open, but those who lack deep speed must compensate with a trump card. Either short area quickness or highly nuanced route running can be the difference in Jason Avant or Keenan Allen. Strong hands only get a player so far.
When Boyd matched up against the two best cornerbacks he faced in 2015, he struggled badly to create space. Both his North Carolina and Iowa tape matched him against future NFL cornerbacks. His tape against each had several discouraging results.
North Carolina sophomore cornerback M.J. Stewart is a good athlete with an NFL frame, standing 5’11” and 200 pounds. At the Nike Sparq National Championship in 2013, he ran a 4.57 40-yard dash, four-second short shuttle and 33.6 vertical jump. Those numbers are pedestrian by NFL standards.
Boyd and Steward’s one-on-one showdown was an opportunity for Boyd to dominate with his nuance, craft and supposed NFL athleticism. Instead, Stewart was often the one looking like the better athlete. He was able to jump two of Boyd’s targets like the one below.
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Had this been just one example in Boyd’s film, it would be easy to brush off. But every single game has examples of Boyd lacking the twitch and route running ability to create space against collegiate athletes. In this specific play, the quarterback would have to move on from Boyd’s read because Boyd was fighting the sideline as well as a cornerback who was well-positioned to bat the ball away.
Boyd was able to show his excellent body control and strong hands earlier in the game on the sideline catch below. He traps the ball against his body and taps his toes before momentum takes him out of bounds. This is a strength of Boyd’s, but even in this there is concern.
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Stewart ran step for step with Boyd and forced Boyd to make an extremely difficult catch. Again, he’s on the lower end of what an NFL cornerback can do athletically. At best he projects as a fourth cornerback on an NFL team. Boyd should be able to explode away from end of the roster types.
The best way to project talent is to see how each player performs against top competition. When Iowa and Pittsburgh played, cornerback Desmond King offered the best barometer to measure what Boyd could do to an NFL-caliber defender. The results from their matchup were again mixed, but this time strongly skewed toward King.
King was able to box out Boyd despite being listed as three inches shorter. This cost the Panthers two interceptions, including one in the endzone. Below was King’s first interception of the game.
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On a basic double move, King was not threatened by Boyd’s speed, or lack thereof. He sat on the deep route and just read the quarterback. King then pinched Boyd to the sideline, used his body to take him out of the equation, and attacked the ball. This is an excellent representation of King’s ability, but also something that showed up too often throughout Boyd’s career.
Since Boyd does not have a thick, muscular frame to offset his lack of explosive traits, he’s going to struggle against physical NFL cornerbacks with his current play style. Lining up on the outside at the next level isn’t out of the question, but Boyd must run routes like this one below more consistently.
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Through the eight games I evaluated, only three routes were sharp enough to compete with the best route runners in the NFL. Unsurprisingly, Boyd created significant space when he executed at a high level. The two featured thus far are the most notable, but also uncommon.
Boyd generally runs vague, rounded off routes. But because he is tall and relatively slow, he automatically gets classified as a consistently great route runner. We saw the same thing when Jarvis Landry, Jaelen Strong, Jordan Matthews and Keenan Allen were drafted into the NFL.
Landry and Matthews have been very productive as slot receivers, but are limited to that role and have been miscast as No. 1 target earners for each team. On a high-performing offense, they should be tertiary targets. Their upside for big plays is just too limited to earn more targets than more explosive options.
Allen is a popular comparison for Boyd. Their height, college role and overall athleticism is similar. But their age, muscle mass and foot efficiency sets them apart.
When Allen was drafted in 2013, he had just turned 21 years old. He’ll be 24 in his his fourth season. Boyd will be 23 in November and could weigh between 185 and 200 pounds at the combine depending on where you’re looking at his measurements. Allen was 206 pounds and a solid 6’2 ½”.
Landry is the best comparison to Boyd in terms of upside, impact and role. Boyd can rotate between the slot and outside receiver positions depending on the matchup and routes being asked to run. He thrives among traffic or capitalizing on zone coverages.
Playing in the slot actually limits how much man coverage a receiver will see. This is good for Boyd since he struggles gaining space, and the NFL’s best playmakers can exploit an inch to create more yards. He also won’t run a full route tree from the slot and that’s a positive.
Youtube
Boyd runs upright instead of exploding off the line.
Some of Boyd’s route running issues can be fixed at the line of scrimmage. Boyd does not explode off the line, and he may need to alter his stance. He is often casual in his release and the inefficiency costs him tenths of seconds. That’s a large amount in the NFL.
Look at it from the aspect of a quarterback. According to Pro Football Focus, the median average time until sack in 2015 was 3.27 seconds. The longest average time was 4.29 seconds, but that was also Tyrod Taylor, who is mobile and buys more time for himself.
Can Boyd consistently get open in the NFL within 3.27 seconds? It’s unlikely if Boyd doesn’t evolve and increase his efficiency off the line and throughout his routes. He couldn’t create enough space in college consistently enough to have the confidence he will be more than a tough, strong hands slot receiver.
Youtube
Boyd must be able to consistently plant his foot and drive when he changes directions
His production as a return man and running back were helpful for Pittsburgh, but he will not be asked to do the same roles in the NFL. He was not an overly good kick returner, averaging just 24.4 yards per return and had zero touchdowns. He should only be asked to be a returner in case of emergency. He fumbled the ball nine times in 38 career games and a majority came on returns.
His inability to hold on to the football and inability to break tackles after gaining possession also limits his upside. A thin, limited frame constantly shows whether he is the ball carrier or the receiver. He has to win in certain conditions, or else his weaknesses will be exposed by opponents.
As Boyd goes through the combine and pro day process, he needs to measure well to protect his stock. Being smaller than listed or slow in drills will raise concerns about his fit in the NFL. Even right now, he is a slot receiver at the next level that needs work.
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Boyd (in the slot) rounds off his route at the stem, allowing the cornerback to smother him
If Boyd can work on his release off the line and increase the sharpness of his routes, he can be a receiver that can rotate between slot and outside. His reliable hands and excellent body control in tight spots will keep him in the NFL for the foreseeable future. To hit that next level and fulfill his potential, there’s work to be done.
Based off his comparisons and upside, Boyd should be a top-100 draft choice. This puts him in the Day 2 range. More explosive and physically gifted receivers offer much more upside and potential to be an impact player than Boyd. This should factor into his draft positioning.
massraider
Footballguy
Rotoworld:
An NFC director of personnel told NFL Media's Lance Zierlein, "I wouldn't draft [Auburn WR D'haquille Williams] in any round."
Ouch. Reasonable, but ouch nonetheless. Williams was booted off the team in October following an alleged bar fight. After Sammie Coates left for the NFL in 2015, it was thought that the 6-foot-2, 224-pounder would take on a larger receiving role. That failed to coalesce, through little fault of the program. Wrote Zierlein, "With no Senior Bowl invite and a reputation as a malcontent, Williams is unlikely to be taken before the third day of the draft and might go completely undrafted unless he blows teams away at his workout sessions." The analyst is concerned that beyond the very legitimate off-field/character concerns, there's just not enough of a big play ability to wash out the other, murkier elements that come along for the ride. He compared the former Tiger to former UConn WR Geremy Davis, who was selected by the Giants in the sixth round of the 2015 draft.
Source: NFL.com
An NFC director of personnel told NFL Media's Lance Zierlein, "I wouldn't draft [Auburn WR D'haquille Williams] in any round."
Ouch. Reasonable, but ouch nonetheless. Williams was booted off the team in October following an alleged bar fight. After Sammie Coates left for the NFL in 2015, it was thought that the 6-foot-2, 224-pounder would take on a larger receiving role. That failed to coalesce, through little fault of the program. Wrote Zierlein, "With no Senior Bowl invite and a reputation as a malcontent, Williams is unlikely to be taken before the third day of the draft and might go completely undrafted unless he blows teams away at his workout sessions." The analyst is concerned that beyond the very legitimate off-field/character concerns, there's just not enough of a big play ability to wash out the other, murkier elements that come along for the ride. He compared the former Tiger to former UConn WR Geremy Davis, who was selected by the Giants in the sixth round of the 2015 draft.
Source: NFL.com
Rotoworld:
An AFC WR coach told NFL Media's Lance Zierlein that Mississippi State WR De'Runnya Wilson is "[v]ery limited but he scores touchdowns, and he's really big so he can play in the league."
"Wilson might never be a volume target option, but his size and ability to score touchdowns in the red zone creates draft value," notes Zierlein. This past season, the 6-foot-5, 225-pounder caught 60 passes for 918 and 10 touchdowns. He has 19 touchdowns to his name over the past two seasons. Outside of his size, he's decidedly limited on a few fronts. Noted the NFL Media analyst, "He doesn't have long speed to keep cornerbacks at bay or the the acceleration out of breaks to open passing windows as a possession receiver." Zierlein compared Wilson to Ravens wideout Darren Waller, who was selected out of Georgia Tech in the sixth round of the 2015 draft.
Source: NFL.com
An AFC WR coach told NFL Media's Lance Zierlein that Mississippi State WR De'Runnya Wilson is "[v]ery limited but he scores touchdowns, and he's really big so he can play in the league."
"Wilson might never be a volume target option, but his size and ability to score touchdowns in the red zone creates draft value," notes Zierlein. This past season, the 6-foot-5, 225-pounder caught 60 passes for 918 and 10 touchdowns. He has 19 touchdowns to his name over the past two seasons. Outside of his size, he's decidedly limited on a few fronts. Noted the NFL Media analyst, "He doesn't have long speed to keep cornerbacks at bay or the the acceleration out of breaks to open passing windows as a possession receiver." Zierlein compared Wilson to Ravens wideout Darren Waller, who was selected out of Georgia Tech in the sixth round of the 2015 draft.
Source: NFL.com
Borden
Footballguy
Being positive; he didn't want teams to think that the shoulder injury was an issue and he didn't want people to think that he couldn't play through pain. So he just declined thinking that not attending would be better than playing hurt or declining for health reasons and drawing an injury red flag.
Being negative; he thought that he was better that going and he didn't need to do the extra Senior Bowl event. Now that his stock is plummeting he's saying it was an injury. Also, the quote about being a competitor feels manufactured.
