Oldfaithful
Hall of Famer
With the start of the NFL Season. It's time for this crap. Your favorite crass, sarcastic scout is now coming to you in ARTICLE FORM.
Okay, this, much like my other articles, will be sad pathetic excuses for journalism. But, I am very passionate about scouting and started early this year. So here it is. My way too early mock offseason. No, this will not be a weekly thing.
Offseason
Resignings
Ryan Jensen-At the very worst, he's great depth who should be very affordable. Even if he does not turn into a solid starter by the end of the season, I still feel as if we will be able to keep him. Unless he turns into a megastud, which I doubt.
Mike Wallace-I feel as if that he really likes it here. He seems to have a good rapport with Flacco, and he should be really affordable given his age. But I feel as if he's got one more season left as a good deep threat.
James Hurst- Hopefully Lewis is healthy next season so he can fill Hurst's role. But ultimately, he's cheap, he will play multiple positions, and he will be valuable depth who can play either tackle position. I ain't happy about this, but this is probably going to happen.
Let go
Terrence West- To be honest, I like him as a player, but think Dixon can do everything he can do. Woodhead is also a good receiver. I think he could return if he's cheap, but I think an upgrade at RB is going to be a priority.
Brent Urban-Have you seen our depth at DL?
Javorius Allen- Again, see our RB depth? I think he will be employed somewhere, but I think we are going to look for an upgrade.
Brandon Carr- I think Humphrey supplants him as the starter sooner rather than later. And with Young returning we could honestly let him go. He could return if we resign him to a smaller deal ala Webb, but don't see him as a starter.
Austin Howard- He might be decent, but I think he's nothing more than a pure stop gap. I could view Alex Lewis potentially starting at RT next season. Even though this team(foolishly) keeps him at guard despite him being nothing more than a decent pass blocker and a piss poor pass blocker. I think we option him, and don't see any other way around it.
So I see us having an offseason similar to the Broncos in 2014 when they got Ward, Talib, and Emmanuel Sanders. Big spending, but necessary big spending. Since we are projected to have some cap room to play with, and Howard and Carr's releases providing more room for us, I think we go big next offseason in an attempt to put the team over the top.
Free Agent Acquisitions
Andrew Norwell, OG- Yeah. He's the perfect scheme fit for LG and a very good player. And the Panthers likely won't be able to afford him. He's arguably the most underrated guard in the league, and like Tony Jefferson last year, clearly fits the "play like a Raven" mantra. He's a stud. That's an automatic upgrade to the line and suddenly turns it into a rock solid line, regardless of who is starting at RT. He gets a big contract and turns the left of the line into a stonewall. Does he fix the line all by himself? No, but I see him doing a lot.
Allen Robinson, WR- I am well aware that Perriman can have a breakout year, I have us resigning Wallace, and a #1 WR at the NFL level is already on the roster. But, the Jaguars do not have a lot of cap room next offseason(and in my scenario where Carr and Howard are both gone, we should have some room to play round with), and Robinson might be affordable next offseason and likely will want out of Jacksonville next offseason. He was poorly used last offseason and had to put up with Blake Bortles. Flacco, even on his worst day, is a clear upgrade. Not to mention, it'd help that we are a winning organization. I would not be surprised if we took a one year flier on Robinson as a "prove it deal" as he is coming off of a torn ACL, and is going to be in a saturated WR market in 2018. He could be an affordable option who fits very well with Flacco as a red zone option. This would also provide us some much needed firepower on offense.
Zach Brown, ILB. Us having cap room to play with makes this a great offseason to spend. Especially since this team is not far off from being a contender again. So, I decided to mask a weakness at ILB and have us go get a pretty good one. Mosley and Brown would form a formidable duo together, and make the middle a pain to throw against. I think Correa is nothing more than an average, to slightly below average. And us getting rid of Carr gets rid of a big weakness for us. Brown would make our impressive defense even better.
NOW FOR THE DRAFT.
So, just for parameters sake, I have us picking in the early 20s. Which I think is reasonable. I've done some scouting at multiple positions and see this as reasonable. We are a good team, but need some work.
Round One: Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame
Although I am not the leader of his hype train, I will happily hop onto it without any hesitation. Nelson is as close to a perfect guard prospect as I have ever scouted. Great in pass protection, and a nasty run blocker who can straight up move people and knock them on their ass. "But Lost, you acquired Norwell in the offseason and resigned Jensen, why draft Nelson". Simple. BEST PLAYER AVAILABLE. Not to mention, I think Yanda could/should move to center to help prolong his career. He's getting up there and could benefit from a move to center, as centers have proven to be very effective into their late thirties. Hell, Yanda has called the protections before during the Gino Gradkowski era(gets triggered). He could have a Zack Martin level of effectiveness for a rookie season. Also, Jensen would bolster the depth significantly, providing potentially starter quality play from the bench barring an injury with the versatility play all three interior positions. Nelson is the successor to Yanda in this scenario.
Stanley-Norwell-Yanda-Nelson-???(you'll see).
That suddenly turns into one of the best interiors in all of football and makes for a potentially GREAT offensive line. Now this is how I hope the offseason goes.
Round Two: Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia
Anyone surpised? I've been hyping up the guy for awhile. He's the running back the offense needs, and deserves. Want a power back? He can drag defensive players with him to gain the extra yard or two. He can also push a pile an extra yard or two on a crucial third down. He's got above average speed, and has excellent vision, with an innate ability to make really good cuts in the open field. Now, why do I have him falling to the mid 20s in the second round. It's simple. This running back class is also really good. Barkley, Jones III, Wadley, Scarbough(even if I don't like him), Freeman, Guice, and Chubb also has significant questions about durability despite being more talented than some of the names on the list. Likewise questions about his workload over the past four years might be brought up. He also has little experience as a receiver out of the backfield, and while he is good at the blocking part of pass protection, he often can make a poor decision when face with who to block. So he needs some coaching. He's also lost some of his explosiveness because of the horrific knee injury. But, even with all this, he's the perfect fit for a Greg Roman run blocking scheme with his ability to make smart, quick cuts in the open field, with really good vision and burst and power. Their loss is our gain. He would be the most talented back on the roster day one, and could be a very good running back for us for years to come.
Round Three: Mitch Hyatt, T, Clemson
Mitch Hyatt is not perfect. At all. He's got issues, but ones that are solvable. While he is a very solid pass blocker, and a good run blocker, he needs to get a lot bigger and stronger for the NFL level. He's good at sealing and opening holes and has some quick feet. But I feel as if he could be a good(not great) RT at best in the NFL, and at worst be a very valuable reserve depth who is capable of being a swing player. Ultimately, I could see him as a potential upgrade to Howard in the long run, and at worst this would bolster our depth.
Stanley-Norwell-Yanda-Nelson-Hyatt/Lewis. Overall, Hyatt is a guy I could see developing into a good RT at the NFL level if he puts on a bit of strength. Something an NFL weight can solve pretty easily, especially at the offensive lineman position.
With Lewis, Jensen, Hurst, Siragusa, and Elumenor as the potential depth. Now the oline is deep, and has a formidable starting lineup. I can die a happy man.
Round Four: Da'Shawn Hand, DL, Alabama
It's an even year, so we are going to draft a player from Alabama. Yes, I am well aware that in 2016 we didn't take a player from Alabama(funny how it's also been Ozzie's best draft in years), but the bias is obvious and denying it at this point is foolish. Also, in 2017 we drafted two Alabama players to make up for us not drafting one in 2016. So I fully expect the cycle of us drafting an Alabama player every two years to start again this year. It is also a year, so Ozzie is bound to spend one of his draft picks on a low ceiling high floor defensive linemen that we have come to know and love(I mean sure, Wormley broke the mold, but Davis, Henry, and Kaufausi, along with Jernigan and Williams all had high ceilings coming out of school). To be honest, that isn't a terrible strategy, I just wish he did the same with oline. That said, Hand fits the low ceiling high floor thing perfectly. He was once the top recruit in the country, and he's miserably underperformed. Even to my surprsie. Nonetheless, he's a good dlinemen who's a solid run stuffer at worst. He also displayed some improvement in the pass rush later on in the season and overall is a massive project. One we'd be likely to take on given that we've taken on Davis, Henry, etc. And I don't disagree. Hand has a lot of potential and we are historically very good at developing defensive linemen. Also, with Urban leaving it seems logical that we'd draft a semi-replacement for when we inevitably let everyone leave.
Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it. If not, screw you. Will catch you again real soon. I have articles on certain players scouting report wise that I will start to release throughout the season.
Thank you for reading.
Okay, this, much like my other articles, will be sad pathetic excuses for journalism. But, I am very passionate about scouting and started early this year. So here it is. My way too early mock offseason. No, this will not be a weekly thing.
Offseason
Resignings
Ryan Jensen-At the very worst, he's great depth who should be very affordable. Even if he does not turn into a solid starter by the end of the season, I still feel as if we will be able to keep him. Unless he turns into a megastud, which I doubt.
Mike Wallace-I feel as if that he really likes it here. He seems to have a good rapport with Flacco, and he should be really affordable given his age. But I feel as if he's got one more season left as a good deep threat.
James Hurst- Hopefully Lewis is healthy next season so he can fill Hurst's role. But ultimately, he's cheap, he will play multiple positions, and he will be valuable depth who can play either tackle position. I ain't happy about this, but this is probably going to happen.
Let go
Terrence West- To be honest, I like him as a player, but think Dixon can do everything he can do. Woodhead is also a good receiver. I think he could return if he's cheap, but I think an upgrade at RB is going to be a priority.
Brent Urban-Have you seen our depth at DL?
Javorius Allen- Again, see our RB depth? I think he will be employed somewhere, but I think we are going to look for an upgrade.
Brandon Carr- I think Humphrey supplants him as the starter sooner rather than later. And with Young returning we could honestly let him go. He could return if we resign him to a smaller deal ala Webb, but don't see him as a starter.
Austin Howard- He might be decent, but I think he's nothing more than a pure stop gap. I could view Alex Lewis potentially starting at RT next season. Even though this team(foolishly) keeps him at guard despite him being nothing more than a decent pass blocker and a piss poor pass blocker. I think we option him, and don't see any other way around it.
So I see us having an offseason similar to the Broncos in 2014 when they got Ward, Talib, and Emmanuel Sanders. Big spending, but necessary big spending. Since we are projected to have some cap room to play with, and Howard and Carr's releases providing more room for us, I think we go big next offseason in an attempt to put the team over the top.
Free Agent Acquisitions
Andrew Norwell, OG- Yeah. He's the perfect scheme fit for LG and a very good player. And the Panthers likely won't be able to afford him. He's arguably the most underrated guard in the league, and like Tony Jefferson last year, clearly fits the "play like a Raven" mantra. He's a stud. That's an automatic upgrade to the line and suddenly turns it into a rock solid line, regardless of who is starting at RT. He gets a big contract and turns the left of the line into a stonewall. Does he fix the line all by himself? No, but I see him doing a lot.
Allen Robinson, WR- I am well aware that Perriman can have a breakout year, I have us resigning Wallace, and a #1 WR at the NFL level is already on the roster. But, the Jaguars do not have a lot of cap room next offseason(and in my scenario where Carr and Howard are both gone, we should have some room to play round with), and Robinson might be affordable next offseason and likely will want out of Jacksonville next offseason. He was poorly used last offseason and had to put up with Blake Bortles. Flacco, even on his worst day, is a clear upgrade. Not to mention, it'd help that we are a winning organization. I would not be surprised if we took a one year flier on Robinson as a "prove it deal" as he is coming off of a torn ACL, and is going to be in a saturated WR market in 2018. He could be an affordable option who fits very well with Flacco as a red zone option. This would also provide us some much needed firepower on offense.
Zach Brown, ILB. Us having cap room to play with makes this a great offseason to spend. Especially since this team is not far off from being a contender again. So, I decided to mask a weakness at ILB and have us go get a pretty good one. Mosley and Brown would form a formidable duo together, and make the middle a pain to throw against. I think Correa is nothing more than an average, to slightly below average. And us getting rid of Carr gets rid of a big weakness for us. Brown would make our impressive defense even better.
NOW FOR THE DRAFT.
So, just for parameters sake, I have us picking in the early 20s. Which I think is reasonable. I've done some scouting at multiple positions and see this as reasonable. We are a good team, but need some work.
Round One: Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame
Although I am not the leader of his hype train, I will happily hop onto it without any hesitation. Nelson is as close to a perfect guard prospect as I have ever scouted. Great in pass protection, and a nasty run blocker who can straight up move people and knock them on their ass. "But Lost, you acquired Norwell in the offseason and resigned Jensen, why draft Nelson". Simple. BEST PLAYER AVAILABLE. Not to mention, I think Yanda could/should move to center to help prolong his career. He's getting up there and could benefit from a move to center, as centers have proven to be very effective into their late thirties. Hell, Yanda has called the protections before during the Gino Gradkowski era(gets triggered). He could have a Zack Martin level of effectiveness for a rookie season. Also, Jensen would bolster the depth significantly, providing potentially starter quality play from the bench barring an injury with the versatility play all three interior positions. Nelson is the successor to Yanda in this scenario.
Stanley-Norwell-Yanda-Nelson-???(you'll see).
That suddenly turns into one of the best interiors in all of football and makes for a potentially GREAT offensive line. Now this is how I hope the offseason goes.
Round Two: Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia
Anyone surpised? I've been hyping up the guy for awhile. He's the running back the offense needs, and deserves. Want a power back? He can drag defensive players with him to gain the extra yard or two. He can also push a pile an extra yard or two on a crucial third down. He's got above average speed, and has excellent vision, with an innate ability to make really good cuts in the open field. Now, why do I have him falling to the mid 20s in the second round. It's simple. This running back class is also really good. Barkley, Jones III, Wadley, Scarbough(even if I don't like him), Freeman, Guice, and Chubb also has significant questions about durability despite being more talented than some of the names on the list. Likewise questions about his workload over the past four years might be brought up. He also has little experience as a receiver out of the backfield, and while he is good at the blocking part of pass protection, he often can make a poor decision when face with who to block. So he needs some coaching. He's also lost some of his explosiveness because of the horrific knee injury. But, even with all this, he's the perfect fit for a Greg Roman run blocking scheme with his ability to make smart, quick cuts in the open field, with really good vision and burst and power. Their loss is our gain. He would be the most talented back on the roster day one, and could be a very good running back for us for years to come.
Round Three: Mitch Hyatt, T, Clemson
Mitch Hyatt is not perfect. At all. He's got issues, but ones that are solvable. While he is a very solid pass blocker, and a good run blocker, he needs to get a lot bigger and stronger for the NFL level. He's good at sealing and opening holes and has some quick feet. But I feel as if he could be a good(not great) RT at best in the NFL, and at worst be a very valuable reserve depth who is capable of being a swing player. Ultimately, I could see him as a potential upgrade to Howard in the long run, and at worst this would bolster our depth.
Stanley-Norwell-Yanda-Nelson-Hyatt/Lewis. Overall, Hyatt is a guy I could see developing into a good RT at the NFL level if he puts on a bit of strength. Something an NFL weight can solve pretty easily, especially at the offensive lineman position.
With Lewis, Jensen, Hurst, Siragusa, and Elumenor as the potential depth. Now the oline is deep, and has a formidable starting lineup. I can die a happy man.
Round Four: Da'Shawn Hand, DL, Alabama
It's an even year, so we are going to draft a player from Alabama. Yes, I am well aware that in 2016 we didn't take a player from Alabama(funny how it's also been Ozzie's best draft in years), but the bias is obvious and denying it at this point is foolish. Also, in 2017 we drafted two Alabama players to make up for us not drafting one in 2016. So I fully expect the cycle of us drafting an Alabama player every two years to start again this year. It is also a year, so Ozzie is bound to spend one of his draft picks on a low ceiling high floor defensive linemen that we have come to know and love(I mean sure, Wormley broke the mold, but Davis, Henry, and Kaufausi, along with Jernigan and Williams all had high ceilings coming out of school). To be honest, that isn't a terrible strategy, I just wish he did the same with oline. That said, Hand fits the low ceiling high floor thing perfectly. He was once the top recruit in the country, and he's miserably underperformed. Even to my surprsie. Nonetheless, he's a good dlinemen who's a solid run stuffer at worst. He also displayed some improvement in the pass rush later on in the season and overall is a massive project. One we'd be likely to take on given that we've taken on Davis, Henry, etc. And I don't disagree. Hand has a lot of potential and we are historically very good at developing defensive linemen. Also, with Urban leaving it seems logical that we'd draft a semi-replacement for when we inevitably let everyone leave.
Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it. If not, screw you. Will catch you again real soon. I have articles on certain players scouting report wise that I will start to release throughout the season.
Thank you for reading.
