I am delighted with our first pick. Our run defence has been a drag on our team. It’s been an eyesore that’s been here since Ratliff decided that he didn’t like Jerry Jones anymore. So, Mazi Smith fits the position that we need, and I absolutely love the pick.
I’ve warmed up to our second pick. We needed another Te, we got one. Next!
I really like a lot of our later picks. I think Overshown, Fehoko, and Vaughn are excellent picks. Overshown, because now we have a heat-seeking missile at LB who is likely going to be a younger version of Kearse. Fehoko because one can never have too many pass rushers, and Vaughn because of his similarities to Sproles. I also like the Asim Richards pick. I think he and Waletzco will make good depth.
The biggest thing from the draft that I think is a massive need is kicker. More on that in a moment (if you’ve seen my threads on kickers, I think you know where this is going).
Overall, I’d give this draft a B+. It wasn’t the best, but it certainly wasn’t the worst. It has some very good choices, and a few picks that we will see how they develop.
I also like what I’ve seen so far at UDFA. I like the WRs we are bringing in. This is a good thing. I think one of the best ways to find a good WR is to cast a wide net, and let the competition show it. This is where I think my first suggestion comes in. Earlier, I made a thread about a Canadian WR named Jevon Cottoy from the BC Lions. Essentially, I think he’s a WR who, at 6’5", would give us a wide range to throw. He’s been a standout in the CFL, from what I’ve seen. I think he’s worth a try out at TC.
I also like that we seem to be bringing in a few olinemen. Might as well keep that churning. I think training camp will be fun this year. Especially at WR and oline.
Now, we come to kicker. This is a spot that I’m not excited to watch. Maher is probably done. I can see Crosby being brought in, but I’d like to see an actual competition here. Enter, you guessed it, some kickers I like from the Japanese League. I’m not going to go into full details here like I did on another thread, but I’m particularly interested in Koji Nasho (https://sports.jp.fujitsu.com/frontiers/players). Essentially, he’s a kicker who just won a championship with a team in the Japanese X-League. From what I’ve seen, he seems consistent and has a good leg. His lone FG attempt in the game that I saw was a beautiful kick. Given the nature of their league, he has to be comfortable kicking in grass, turf, and even a baseball/football dual use turf. Yet, the kickers there, including Nasho, seen very accurate and have massive legs. I think Nasho should be brought to camp. Wouldn’t be the first time we used a foreigner at kicker, and I think it’s time we got a little creative trying to find a kicker.
I’m also a tad nervous about QB. I like Dak a lot, and I’ve been very supportive of him and will continue to do so. However, I think he has to protect the ball better. We have almost the perfect defence. I like what our offense is building into, and I think the WCO suits him. He just needs to protect the ball. He used to be good at that, but last year was not good from him. If he can drive the bus, score points, and not turn it over, I think this team can do great things.
Overall, I’m actually optimistic about our draft. I think it’s been a decent draft. However, Dak has to control the ball and just drive the bus, and we need a kicker battle. I’m excited to watch the. WR battle as well. Should be a fun TC.
