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[Dynasty] 2021 NFL Draft Class (1 Viewer)

Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert dismissed the notion that first round running backs are a risky value proposition. 

“If you have a dynamic player at any position, that player could make a difference — and running back is no different," Colbert said during a pre-draft press conference. The Steelers, with the 24th pick in the NFL Draft, have been strongly linked for weeks to Najee Harris or Travis Etienne. It would hardly be a shock to see the team invest heavily in its backfield after being one of the NFL's worst rushing offenses in 2020. NFL teams have slowly come around on not using first rounders on a largely replaceable position like running back, but it looks like Colbert and the Steelers are ready to take the plunge in a desperate search for a workhorse runner. 

RELATED: 

Travis Etienne

, Pittsburgh Steelers

SOURCE: Gerry Dulac on Twitter 

Apr 26, 2021, 11:08 AM ET
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Andy Dufresne said:
"Elijah Moore's likely a Day 3 pick."

Saywhatnow?
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That clashes with the consensus that has been building on Elijah Moore over the last few weeks where he is almost universally ranked as a top 6 WR in the 2021 draft class.

Todd McShay published this today:

I haven't spoken to a single decision-maker in the past week who doesn't have Ole Miss' Elijah Moore as that team's No. 4 wide receiver in the class. Most seem to have Ja'Marr Chase first, and then DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle are in some order at No. 2 and No. 3. But Moore is getting buzz and appears set to be the fourth wideout drafted.
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https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/nfl-mock-draft-2021-49ers-give-the-nod-to-justin-fields-broncos-make-surprise-grab-at-no-9/

"Yes, the Bengals would do well to go after former LSU weapon La'Marr Chase -- who also helped propel Joe Burrow to a national championship, a Heisman and the No. 1-overall pick last season -- but the team doesn't need a reminder of how quickly their fortunes can tank if Burrow gets injured. For that reason, send them Sewell, an all-world specimen who can protect as either a left tackle or guard."

"experts"

 
ESPN's Todd McShay reports that Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond and Florida QB Kyle Trask are "very likely" to be selected before the end of Round 2.

Throw in Stanford's Davis Mills, who has received a little Day 1 buzz, and at least by the rumor mill's estimation, we could see eight quarterbacks off the board midway through the second day of the draft. To which we would just say, easy now. Over-projecting the position is a tale as old as time. Trask doesn't profile as much more than a backup in the pros while Mond will take time to develop. With five quarterbacks expected to be drafted in Round 1, it could be difficult to find slots for three additional signal-callers in Round 2.

SOURCE: ESPN Plus

Apr 26, 2021, 1:51 PM ET
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Andy Dufresne said:
I thought I heard a rumor that The Sporting News has an official motto of "As Relevant as AOL", but I might be wrong.
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Man, when I was a kid, The Sporting News was just the coolest thing to get every week.

I was unaware this was still a thing.  

This makes me wanna go check my fantasy team on CBS Sportline.

Went to Sporting News Twitter.  Most recent tweet:

If you were drafting Zach Wilson, Trey Lance or Justin Fields based on their

@ChipotleTweets

order, who are you taking?
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Excellent......

 
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‘The hay is never in the barn’: Texas QB Sam Ehlinger confronts doubters, NFL questions head-on in draft prep

Excerpts:

“He has that Opie Taylor Boy Scout look,” Ehlinger’s quarterbacks coach Jeff Christensen told USA TODAY Sports. “But inside, he’s a vicious, vicious competitor.”

That competitor in Ehlinger makes clear: He desires and believes he is capable of becoming an eventual NFL starter. But he’s realistic about the ground he’ll likely be expected to cover before attaining that goal.

Which leads Ehlinger back to a family-favorite “control what you can control” mantra, a work ethic teammates study to mirror and a relentlessness that warrants fellow Longhorn NFL prospects labeling him as the physically and mentally toughest member of their college team.

“I love his competitiveness,” said ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay, who projects Ehlinger as a “late-round, probably Day 3” selection. “He can run, he’s got great pocket presence, he’s physical, he’s tough. He takes care of the football.

“But what he’s got to do is get with someone who can actually help improve his consistency with his deep-ball accuracy and his overall accuracy as a quarterback.”
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It’s 9:47 a.m. on a Wednesday in Fort Worth, and Ehlinger is cramming in just a few more throws under Christensen’s guidance in an empty indoor football arena down the street from APEC. 

“Shuffle. Shuffle. Close your eyes,” Christensen directs before issuing a chorus of “yes, yes, yes” when Ehlinger’s closed-eye throw hits his receiver just as accurately as his visible heave had.

Ehlinger’s goals in these sessions are multifaceted: He aims to quicken his release and tighten his mechanics, to increase his spin rate and velocity while also rhythmically incorporating clean footwork. In the week before he learns his draft fate, Ehlinger meets Christensen alternately at this indoor arena and the sprawling outdoor field of nearby All Saints’ Episcopal School, the backdrop shifting but technical recommendations consistent. 

“Do you have nephews or nieces yet? Rocking the baby,” Christensen compares the need to release tension in one session. “Go babysit. Get the rhythm with the ball.”

Christensen asks repeatedly how the motion feels for his budding quarterback, pleased when Ehlinger reports he’s “still pretty damn tight” after a series of accurate intermediate throws. "That means," Christensen responds, "your wrist and fingers are operating at a high level.”

Following the lead of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Ehlinger is working position fundamentals with Christensen and body mechanics with performance coaches from the Fort Worth APEC gym. There, more than a month after Ehlinger’s pro day has passed, he joins NFL players including former Longhorn teammates for sessions to bolster speed and strength as well as agility, flexibility and recovery.

“It’s like I went from majoring in business in school to kind of majoring in my body and what it takes to be successful at the next level,” said Ehlinger, who graduated from Texas in December. “The way I’m able to move and utilize different angles and optimize the biomechanics of my body using the strength to my advantage. ...Letting my body work for me instead of working against my body.”
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Bobby Stroupe, APEC’s founder whose NFL clientele includes Mahomes, has overseen what he deems Ehlinger's transformation from physically preparing like a fullback to physically preparing like a quarterback.

Stroupe points to Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott as an ideal model for Ehlinger’s post-college development.

“If he continues to improve at this rate, what will he be in 12 months and in 36 months?” Stroupe told USA TODAY Sports. “That’s what people missed on Dak: They did not say, ‘Wow, he’s had substantial improvement.’ They just acted like, ‘This is who the guy is going to be in perpetuity.’”

Stroupe is careful to emphasize he’s not suggesting Ehlinger’s current capabilities equate to those of Prescott. But “his eval is on par with Dak’s (entering the draft),” Stroupe says. “What’s interesting is I’ve talked to a handful of teams that agree as well.”

Ehlinger isn’t Prescott — Prescott’s collegiate stats were more efficient by air and ground — but the Cowboys QB exemplifies how a dual-threat, still-developing passer would marry high intellect, elite leadership and coachability with physical tools needing further development.

Ehlinger aimed to show his intellectual growth trajectory as he methodically studied the Dolphins’ offense at the Senior Bowl to master protections and route concepts, including more checks and kills than he had handled in college. He aimed to display that physiological development the week of his pro day, when his vertical jump hit 36 1/2 inches in addition to Stroupe posting video of Ehlinger sailing each a 77-yard deep ball and 58-mph dart.

“You’ve got to answer the questions,” Stroupe said. “My job is go find the (expletive)-talking and prove to them that they’re wrong so the kid can move on with his eval.”

It’s a fine line between resolving immediate issues and prioritizing long-term development, a balance Ehlinger and those around him are careful to strike. Stroupe and his colleagues innovate drills to target both, including their Friday quarterback session during which Ehlinger was tasked with running, skipping and laterally shuffling around the center of a basketball court awaiting a clap from one of four receivers flanking each corner of the court. The more adeptly he can nail the receiver while askew and in motion, the better.

“To improve the neurological and physiological components,” Stroupe says, “that help quarterbacks solve problems on the field.” 
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Ehlinger knows intangibles alone don’t win NFL jobs or draft spots in a league in which 10 to 15 quarterbacks have been drafted each year since 2016. But those close to him look to his leadership as a trait that will further stabilize whatever roster he joins, his football intelligence an asset in any quarterback room he contributes to. His 27 wins fell far short of his championship goals at Texas but “being able to lead the program through such adverse times,” he says, “we didn’t sink completely like we could have.” 

Add in a résumé with more than 11,000 passing yards and 1,500 rushing yards, just the second such one in Power Five college football history, and Ehlinger is confident he’ll also leave his next organization better than he finds it.

Doubt him? He welcomes it.

"When people are hating or talking trash, if they think that it’s actually hurting anybody, it’s actually helping me,” Ehlinger said. “So I appreciate them more than they know. … Tweeting or commenting, some hater messaging me — that’s not hurting me in any sort of way from being driven.

“That’s actually helping me and giving me more motivation. So I appreciate the haters.”

He’ll carry that fuel into the next set of dropbacks with Christensen, the next sled he pushes at APEC and the next so-long-his-face-turns-red plank that performance coaches assign.
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The Miami Herald's Adam Beasley reports Oregon T Penei Sewell is "a possibility" for the Dolphins with the sixth pick in the NFL Draft. 

The report comes after Miami traded T Ereck Flowers and a late-round pick to Washington in exchange for a day three draft pick. Beasley said the team planned to move Robert Hunt to right guard in 2021. Never a sure bet to stay put in a draft, the Dolphins could nab the best offensive lineman available in Sewell, 20, who has been connected to the Bengals for months. Sewell could be a big get for Miami, which featured the league's 11th worst pass blocking offensive line in 2020, according to Pro Football Focus. The Dolphins had the 12th best run blocking line, per PFF. 

RELATED: 

Miami Dolphins

, Cincinnati Bengals

SOURCE: Adam Beasly on Twitter 

Apr 27, 2021, 11:25 AM ET
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massraider said:
Went to Sporting News Twitter.  Most recent tweet:

If you were drafting Zach Wilson, Trey Lance or Justin Fields based on their

@ChipotleTweets

order, who are you taking?

Excellent......
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Wow. Just...wow. There's Kool Aid around here somewhere in this tropical paradise we've got going in South America. Want some?

 
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports Jaguars HC Urban Meyer narrowed down the No. 1 selection to Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and Justin Fields.

There's no doubt that Lawrence will ultimately be taken at the top of the draft despite Meyer failing to name him as the selection when talking with Rapoport. However, Justin Fields making the final cut for Jacksonville is noteworthy. Recent reports have ruled him out as an option for San Francisco with the No. 3 overall pick but if other teams arrive at similar conclusions to the Jaguars, Fields' slide could be shortlived. Atlanta at No. 4 is the first team that could realistically draft Fields with the Lions and Panthers as the next two teams in the draft order who could see quarterback as a need.

SOURCE: Ian Rapoport on Twitter

Apr 27, 2021, 1:27 PM ET
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