I'm not perfect. I saw Bolton as a 2 down LB and wanted Terrace Marshall.

I'm not sure how I'd have felt had I not sat in the stands and watched him play his whole career.

He was always just different out there. And it didn't matter if it was against CMSU or Georgia. He was a guided missile and always around the football.

He's been one of the few exceptions to my 'plays faster than he tests is bullshit' rule. Most guys play exactly as fast as they test. But once I saw Bolton's numbers, I knew they weren't indicative of who he was as a player.

I just had an unfair advantage there.

I can admit that I didn't watch a ton of Mizzou games. So I wouldn't know shit about him.

I was killed on the Gay draft thread too.

But Gay brings more to the table than Watson, IMO.

With Gay I think its our coaches expecting him to be something he's not.

He's dumb and has bad instincts. So don't use him like an eraser. You send Gay at the QB or you should blitz and then drop him in coverage.

He's a weaponized pawn that can make big plays. Use him correctly.

Precisely the kind of pick that gets you to Super Bowls. Trust what you see on film more than in the undies; Bolton was always in the right place, when he hit you, you stayed hit...the only knock was that he couldn't cover (which was never a blatant shortcoming imho). This is exactly what Nakobe Dean will go through this year...wonder if any FOs will learn a lesson?

John Ross is such a poor example because athleticism and ability weren't the reasons he was a bust.

He could never stay healthy. Ever. Not in college, and not in the pros. That's why he was a bust.

Fair-ish, I suppose.

How about another "He's an elite athlete" for you...

Breshad Perriman

Aside from his rookie season when he tore his PCL, not much in terms of anything "major" in the injury department.

And go.

Sure, but we can do the same exercise with "route runners".

It's a matter of risk.

Philosophically, i believe that elite physical attributes lessen the risk of a player being a bust. It doesn't mean he won't bust, but at least there's some physical tools that can be utilized by a good coaching staff to maximize what they can do with him. Mecole Hardman, for example.

I've cooled on Watson since my first few watches. To me, he's kind of a larger Will Fuller.

But i also think the hate around him is a bit overblown too.

Will Fuller is a beast when he's on the field and healthy.

If Watson was a healthy Fuller I would be trading up for him.

Fuller has been nothing but a one-trick pony with suspect hands.

He's eclipsed 700 yards only once in his career.

Will Fuller probably ran close to as many routes his last year at Notre Dame as Christian Watson did in his entire career at North Dakota State. Watson ran like 350 routes, total, over the course of 4 seasons (3 as starter).

He very well could be a BIGGER version of Fuller.

Again. Not advocating for a first-rounder on him or even a trade up. But the pushback against him is a little over the top. And you especially are underplaying his ceiling.

What the real key is - and we only have murky information about - is how well/quickly he took to coaching on route running at the Senior Bowl. There are written reports of him needing a lot of extra attention on route running at the Senior Bowl. He has the physical traits for it, and there are clips of him doing "little guy" things on releases at the line.

Just a matter of how he took to it.

FWIW, Christian Watson currently has the same odds on FanDuel Sportsbook to go in the first round as Travis Jones, David Ojabo, Skyy Moore, Roger McCreary, Kaiir Elam, and Bernhard Raimann. They're all at +150, so not favorites to go in the first, but it wouldn't be a surprise at all.

George Pickens has slightly better odds to go in the first right now, but he's still not favored at +125.

Jahan Dotson is favored to go in the first at -150.

It would be a shocker if Watson makes it out of the second round. A team will bet on his measurables and development potential.

I'd still have Will Fuller on call if I were Veach.

If this draft goes well enough and we get comfortable with our top 4 WR options (JJSS, MVS, Hardman, draft pick), I would say we have the depth to absorb the injury risk in Fuller and take what we can get when he's healthy.

He's a really REALLY nice fit for this offense and could have a Watkins in the '19 SB run kind of impact if he just happens to be healthy at the right time. And if not, well we wouldn't really be relying on him.

I agree with a lot of this. I do agree with the "hate." I don't "hate" him and hope I'm not projecting that, I just don't like him as the pick at 30 or 50. My opinion is that's massive reaching based almost exclusively on those athletic traits. Personally, I stand by my comp to MVS with Watson, and I don't think that warrants a day 2 pick. I'd probably grade Watson as a 4th round guy. I don't think he'd be there in the 4th when KC picks, so I'd be mostly okay with him in the late 3rd. I've moved towards the mean by being on board with late 2nd but that's not where I value him. In the end, it doesn't matter what I think but I'm a draft nerd so I guess I just appreciate the thrill of looking back and seeing if my analysis was on or not.

I'm more of a believer in a team taking big swings later, most ideally in the 3rd and 4th rounds. If I were to zone in on a WR with speed for days and on the ascent that might be really good in a couple of years, then give me Danny Gray in the 3rd. A pass rusher that has some amazing physical tools but needs to get bigger and refine technique? Give me Amare Barno in the 3rd. I like those stabs. I think they merit, probably, 4th-round grades but I like them late 3rd because they probably aren't going to be there when KC picks in the 4th.

Because Watson has been a paragon of health...