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The 2016 NFL Draft and even bigger news

5/3/2016

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PictureI'm gonna kind of need an answer
The big excitement for the weekend wasn’t the NFL draft. Don’t get me wrong. There was plenty of excitement in the draft but it paled in comparison to the BIG NEWS! The Sax Man and Saxy Lady got engaged Friday!

It was an elaborate and perfectly executed proposal by the Sax Man. It turns out the Saxy Lady’s best friend from her first day at College Orientation (or Dawg Days as they call it) is a gifted artist and talented singer - talented enough to go on tour. When her concert dates for this year were announced in January the Sax Man sprang into action.

He arranged for an elaborate ruse. First he had friends invite the Saxy Lady to the concert. He then arranged for the Singer to have her and some other close friends come on stage to be backup singers (for the sake of the audience the mic was turned off). Then in front of hundreds of fans (of the singer – not the Sax Man – his number, generously, in the tens) he appeared on stage.

 The Saxy Lady was dumbstruck. She had just seen the Sax Man a couple of weeks ago and was not expecting him for several more weeks – it’s a long distance romance, you see, he lives in Michigan and she is in Georgia.

She was even more taken aback when he handed her the ring. She stood there, hands covering her face, not saying a word. Alex was just a tinge worried.

But then she nodded. He took it as a yes and the engagement was on. The crowd went nuts. And all captured on video. No detail was overlooked by the Sax Man. He even arranged for the theater marquee to be changed to “Congratulations Sax Man and Saxy Lady” while they were on stage.

Well done son. Well done. And congratulations to the two of you.

For those of you who want to see some photos or the video just drop me a line. Great stuff.

PictureNow that's the way to hit a bong!
There was plenty of excitement at the draft too. I went with some guys from work to a sports bar (in a casino no less). I had to do a little planning to pull it off too. Most sports bars might have the draft but no audio. That would be for baseball or the basketball playoffs. And the draft without audio is rather pointless. 

Watching the draft with no sound is kind of pointless. Its pretty tough to figure out what is going on. So I went to the bar the week before and arranged to have a table reserved and a small TV ready with sound. Nice.

By the time we got there the first 5-6 selections were off the board. One of my coworkers said “It looks like Tunsil is dropping fast Appears he posted a video of himself smoking some weed”. A couple of minutes later he said “And here it is”
​
My first reaction on seeing it was..

WHY DIDN”T WE THINK OF THAT!!

There was Tunsil hitting a bong through a gasmask. What a great idea! Back in the day we would have been all over that one.


Of course we didn’t have millions of dollars on the line. Tunsil kept falling. He finally came off the Board in the first round when our second round arrived. Roger goes up and announces that he was going to Miami. My buddies groaned. They’re Dolphin fans. I taunted them with “Yeah, there’s no weed down on South Beach. He’ll be OK” To which one guy went “Maybe they can get Ricky Williams to be his mentor” Good one.

It put some drama into a draft that wasn't expecting much. 

The first two picks went according to plan and then the pot party started.​

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1. Jared Goff QB California
While the Sheriff is glowing I'm not too sure about this pick. First, LA gave up way too much for a QB that would have been the third best QB, at best, last year and perhaps next year as well. Goff is pencil thin, had a losing record and never had to play under center in  the Cal "Bear Raid" Attack.  

The Rams desperately needed a QB but he is going to have to be the next Aaron Rodgers for this pick to pay off. 
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2. Carson Wentz QB North Dakota St
This may have been a worse pick than the Rams even of they did get the better QB. As stated in the pre draft update the Eagles have too many QBs under contract. Why take another?

Unlike Goff, Wentz played in a pro type offense and is much bigger with a stronger arm. But he'll be playing for a team with a depleted roster. We may never get to see how really good he is. 
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3. Joey Bosa DE/OLB Ohio State
And then the surprises started. With the first choice of the non QBs the Chargers stunned many by taking Bosa. Not taking Tunsil would soon become apparent but Jalen Ramsey and DeForest Buckner look to be better. 

Bosa didn't shine at the combine and has had some some off the field antics (who hasn't at the Shoe?). He'll be good but the Chargers will wish htey had tis pick back in a couple of years. 
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4. Ezekiel Elliot RB Ohio State
Not exaclty a need pick for the Boys but Elliot was the best RB in the draft. He is powerful and can catch out of the backfield

Still if you are going to be a RB at #4 you better be All Day or barry Sanders. He's not. He may be as good as Todd Gurley if he is lucky. 

Dallas needed defensive players but decided that controlling the clock with the running game was a better option to help the defense. Elliot can do that. 
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5. Jalen Ramsey CB/S Florida St
Finally a great pick. Ramsey proclaimed himself the best player in the draft and he just might be. 

Ramsey has the size and physicality to be a star right away. The Jags secondary was a mess last year. Ramsey is a huge upgrade. 

The Jags had a huge gift fall right into their laps. 
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6. Ronnie Stanley OT Notre Dame
By now the Tunsil debate was in full gear. Stanley is solid in pass protection but lacks toughness. 

Not sure why the Ravnes passed on Tunsil It's not like they haven't had character issue players on the roster before. Anyone remember Ray Lewis or Ray Rice

I'll take a pot head over a softie
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7. DeForest Buckner DE Oregon
He 49er front office has been a disaster but even a blind squirrel.... With Tunsil dropping like a bong, Buckner became the best player available. For once San Fran didn't whiff on the pick 

And its becoming Duck Dynasty Bay Area style with fellow Duckmate DE Arik Armstead on the roster and Chip Kelly leading the charge.

Better against the run then pass rushing, he can still get to the QB. He will be moved all around putting pressure on the OLs
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8. Jack Conklin OT/G Michigan State
Tunsil continued to fall so Tennessee went with the toughest OT on the Board. 

It was a bit of a surprise as the Titans traded up for the pick but then passed on Tunsil. 

No matter. With the Big Prick Taylor Lewan likely to stick on the left side, Conklin will anchor the right and the Titans will have a nasty OL to protect Marcus Mariotta. 
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9. Leonard Floyd OLB Georgia
The chatter prior to the draft was that the Giants had not taken a LB in the first round in 32 years (Carl Banks MSU #3 overall if you want to win a bar bet) The Giants were targeting Floyd. 

Chicago wanted him too so they traded up right ahead of the GMen and grabbed the first SEC player off the board. 

Floyd is a better edge rusher than Bosa and can play some coverage too. He will be an immediate help on 3rd downs
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10. Eli Apple CB Ohio State
The Giants were caught off guard with Conklin and Floyd nabbed ahead of them so they went for a need pick.

With a 4.4 40 and being 6'1" Apple brings a rare combination of size and speed at CB. 

He still needs to add some strength to match up with big receivers but will be a good addition to the secondary
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11. Vernon Hargreaves CB Florida State
​Tampa Bay had a nice first day as they traded back and still got the guy they wanted. 

Hargreaves has good ball awareness and can stay with receivers even if  bit undersized and lacking that top gear. 

He is an instant upgrade to a huge problem area for the Bucs
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12. Sheldon Rankins DT Louisville
The Saints telegraphed their desire for a 3 technique player all during the off season. They got the guy they wanted. 

Quick if a bit undersized, Rankins will be an immediate upgrade to an horrfic run defense while becoming a better pass rusher. 
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13. Laremy Tunsil OT Mississippi
And the saga comes to an end. At one time, considered the #1 overall pick, Tunsil dropped due to trades and then the "My twitter account was hacked" video. Not that he denied it was him in the video. 

As long as he stays away from the gas masks this was a great pick for the Fins. Easily the best OT in the draft with good strength and length. 

​Tunsil is the most likely player to be an All Pro in this years class. 
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14. Karl Joseph S West Virginia
A bit of a stretch by Da Raiders. Joseph is rangy with good ball hawking skills. He's solid against the run too. 

But he is coming off a season ending knee injury and is a tad on the small size. 

He was projected to be a late first round early second round so Oakland could have had him later. 
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15. Corey Coleman WR Baylor
The Browns need playmakers and they got one. Coleman has that top gear to pull away from corners. 

But he wil drop the ball too. If he learns to hang onto the ball he will be a weapon for whichever QB the Brownies draft next year. 
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16. Taylor Decker OT Ohio State
The Lions decided to go for size in this years draft. Much better than the previous strategy of WR busts. 

He's not quite big enough to play left tackle so Reiff, a right tackle too,  will remain on the left side.

He's dependable and a good technician so he should be on the Lions OL for quite some time. The Lions are finally starting to figure out the draft. 
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17. Keanu Neal S Florida
This was a reach pick. Neal was expected to go in the second round. 

Neal breaks on the ball nicely but lacks that top end speed. 

Not sure about this pick given that Myles Jack and Shaw Lawson will still on the board. 

The Falcons will likely wish they had this one back. 
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18. Ryan Kelly C Alabama
The National Champs finally get a guy picked. The prior years champs  already had 4 go before Bama had their first one. 

Keely is good at both run blocking and pass pro - something the Colts need to keep Andrew Luck upright. 

He has a solid football IQ and was a three year starter for the Tide. Nice solid pick for the Colts. 
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19 Shaw Lawson DE Clemson
Lawson has a great frame and plays with intensity. He started to drift down in the mocks due to an injured shoulder but it medically checked out. 

There were also questions about his attitude but if he brings it he will be an immediate impact player for the Bills. 
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20. Darron Lee LB Ohio State
And yet another BuckNut gets selected. What? Did Urban give free tattoos to the GMs?

He didn't need to with this pick. Lee fills a need for the Jets at the inside linebacker spot. He has the athleticism to matchup in zone or man coverage. 

​Lee figured to go in the low teens as a pick so great value for the jets too
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21. Will Fuller WR Notre Dame
The Texans must have really wanted Fuller since they moved up all of one spot to get him - switching with the Redskins

Fuller has elite top end speed but drops the ball even more than Corey Coleman. 

The Texans don't care. They see him as a nice bookend with DeAndre Hopkins.
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22. Josh Doctson WR TCU
Everyone had their own favorite WR this year. Washington liked Doctson better than Fuller (and Treadwell for that matter, who was still on the board)

He may not be as fast as Treadwell but he tracks the ball better and hangs on to it. 

Not a need pick but with DeSean Jackson going to free agency next year he will see plenty of playing time soon enough. 
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23. LaQuon Treadwell WR Mississippi
And another WR comes off the board. Rather than a speedster the Vikings were looking for a possession receiver which is Treadwell's strong suit. He can create late separation with his size and strength. 

I'll always remember him for the gruesome injury he suffered at the end of the Auburn game. Amazing he was able to come back from that Theismanesque injury.
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24. William Jackson CB Houston
The Bengals were looking for a WR but got smoked by the three teams ahead of them. 

Getting Jackson is a nice consolation prize though. He has excellent speed to stay with receivers and good but not great ball skills. Cincy's defense got even better. 
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25. Artie Burns CB Miami
The Steelers usually do well in the draft by letting quality players fall to them. 

Not this year. They made a stretch by taking a 2nd round pick at 25. Burns is good but not great in coverage and run defense. 

​He'll add depth but not what you are looking for in a first round pick. 
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26. Paxton Lynch QB Memphis
When I saw Denver move up I thought - here goes Connor Cook. Boy was I wrong. Cook didn't go until the 4th round. 

Lynch has the size and arm to be an NFL QB but he has a lot to learn about reading defenses. 

Denver had to make the pick with Mark Sanchez as the likely starter coming into camp. Bronco fans are going to miss Noodle Arm Manning next year.
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27. Kenny Clark DT UCLA
The Packers needed a nose tackle with the retirement of BJ Raji. Clark fits the bill. 

He has good core strength and just enough quickness to be a run stopper. 

​He was probably a 2nd round pick but the Pack went with need. 
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28. Joshua Garnett G Stanford
And just when you think the Niners figured out what they are doing the turn around and make a huge blunder. 

It takes a real clown show to not only take a third round pick in the first round but to trade up to do it as well.

Garnett is good at run blocking but needs work in pass pro. He adds depth for a team that needs starters. Huge whiff by San Fran.​
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29 Robert Nkemdiche DT Mississippi
If it was based on talent alone Nkemdiche would have been a top 10 pick. He has that rare combination of size power and athleticism scouts drool over. 

But falling from a 4th floor hotel window in Buckhead and then getting charged with possession of some Tunsil can cost you millions. 

Zona is OK with taking characters. Look how well Honey Badger is doing. The Cards defense gets even better. 
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30. Vernon Butler DT La Tech
A best available pick for the Panthers. They didn't need a DT but Butler was too good to pass on.

He has above average quickness and is explosive for a 320 pound lineman. 

The knock on Butler is he needs to play with more consistency
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31. Germain Idefi OT/G Texas A&M
Idefi has all the tools to be an NFL starter. He is the athletic type player that the Seahawks like to grab. 

Not only was he a need pick, the OL was a disaster for Seattle last year, but he was a value pick too. Seattle was targeting him at 26 but was able to trade back and get him anyways. 

He will need to work on his run blocking but otherwise he is ready to step in right away. 
Remember the 2016 GO JUMBO trip is Nov 5th at the Westgate Hotel. If you are coming in on Thursday you better hurry up and make reservations. The huge SEMA convention is in town
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