I've got Dane Brugler's draft guide....AMA

[The Franchise]

Want to know what he said about your favorite prospect? Post in here and I'll do my best to respond with his write up as fast as I can.

[TambaBerry]

George Pickens please

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by TambaBerry

George Pickens please

8. GEORGE PICKENS | Georgia 6032 | 195 lbs. | JR. Hoover, Ala. (Hoover) 3/4/2001 (age 21.15) #1

BACKGROUND: George Pickens Jr., who goes by his middle name “Malik” with his family, grew up in central Alabama and attended Hoover High. After playing on the freshman team in 2015, he starred on the junior varsity team as a sophomore and moved up to varsity as a backup later in the season. As a junior, Pickens earned First Team All-State honors with 46 receptions for 735 yards and five touchdowns, adding a pair of punt-return touchdowns. He helped lead Hoover to the 2018 league title and finished his senior year with 69 catches for 1,368 yards and 16 touchdowns, along with a kick-return touchdown. Pickens earned Under Armour AllAmerican and First Team All-State honors and was a finalist for the Class 7A Player of the Year award.
A five-star recruit out of high school, Pickens was the No. 4 wide receiver in the 2019 recruiting class (No. 24 overall) and the No. 1 recruit in the state of Alabama. He started receiving scholarship offers as a sophomore (before he became a varsity starter as a junior), and Auburn made him a priority from the start. Pickens committed to the Tigers in July 2017 while also considering offers from Georgia, LSU, Miami and Tennessee. After a year-and-a-half commitment to Auburn, he surprised many by flipping to Georgia on signing day. It marked back-to-back years that the top-ranked recruit in Alabama left the state for college (Justyn Ross in 2018). Pickens’ older brother (Chris Humes) was a defensive back at Arkansas State (2012-16) and spent time with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent before playing two seasons with the CFL’s Winnipeg Bombers. Pickens elected to skip his senior season and enter the 2022 NFL Draft.

STRENGTHS: Tall, long athlete with growth potential ... has both short-area quickness and deep speed ... wins over the top with the ball-tracking skills to go and get the football ... graceful in midair to make full-extension grabs ... comfortable catching the ball away from his frame ... makes tight, 90-degree cuts to square off routes ... sinks and snaps hips on comebacks ... fluid at the stem to hit another gear on post or corner routes ... works back to the ball at all three levels ... 71.1 percent of career catches resulted in a first down or touchdown ... powers through press and plays with some dog to him ... looked like he belonged in the SEC the moment he arrived in Athens as a true freshman ... experienced lining up inside, outside and all over the formation.

WEAKNESSES: Lean-framed, and would benefit from continuing to add bulk ... will lose body position to physical cornerbacks downfield ... still learning how to be a more precise route runner ... has some wasted steps or momentum in route setup, and needs to develop better consistency ... excessive steps vs. press, and learning how to be more efficient at the line ... occasionally allows throws to get on top of him ... only average post-catch acceleration, and not very elusive ... willing blocker, but falls off contact quickly ... had several immature moments early in his career: ejected from a game as a freshman for trading punches with a Georgia Tech defender, and was suspended for a half the following game (November 2019); was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for spraying water on a Tennessee player on
the sideline (October 2020) ... missed most of the 2021 season because of a torn ACL in his right knee during 2021 spring practices (March 2021).
SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Georgia, Pickens was the X receiver in offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s balanced scheme. Shortly after he enrolled, Bulldogs’ coaches said he was the most talented receiver on the roster, and he didn’t disappoint (led the team in receiving in 2019 with several freshman receiving records), but his past two seasons were marred by injuries, most notably his 2021 ACL tear. Pickens is a balanced athlete, with fluidity at the stem and the wheels to win vertically, skillfully tracking the deep ball. While his competitiveness is a plus, he lacks discipline in several areas of the position and lost a year of on-field development because of his injury. Overall, Pickens has a discount sticker on him after missing most of the 2021 season, but he is a graceful athlete with outstanding ball-tracking and 50-50 finishing skills. He has WR1 traits and potential if he returns to pre-injury form and continues to refine his routes.

GRADE: 2nd Round (No. 47 overall)

[In58men]

Jalen Tolbert please sir

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by In58men

Jalen Tolbert please sir

9. JALEN TOLBERT | South Alabama 6011 | 194 lbs. | rSR. Mobile, Ala. (McGill-Toolen) 2/27/1999 (age 23.17) #8

BACKGROUND: Jalen Tolbert was born and raised in Mobile, Ala., and was a three-sport star at McGill-Toolen High, a private Catholic school. After earning a spot on varsity as a sophomore, his playing time increased throughout his junior year as the team went 13-1 and won the 2015 7A state championship. Tolbert finished his junior year with 14 catches for 135 yards, with most of that production coming in the four playoff games. He became a full-time starter as a senior and posted 37 receptions for 696 yards and nine touchdowns as McGill-Toolen reached the 7A state championship game for the second consecutive year. He also lettered in baseball and basketball, helping lead the basketball team to the state title his junior season (didn’t play basketball as a senior). A two-star recruit out of high school, Tolbert was the No. 415 wide receiver in the country and the No. 108 recruit in the state of Alabama. He didn’t become a starter until his senior year, so his recruitment was delayed as well. Tolbert was planning to attend FCS-level Jacksonville State after committing there as a senior, but South Alabama (located in Mobile) extended a scholarship a few weeks before signing day. He strongly considered late offers from Michigan State and Vanderbilt but
decided to stay close to home and sign with South Alabama, making the rare decision to choose the Sun Belt over the Big Ten and SEC. Tolbert also planned to play baseball at South Alabama but chose to focus on football. He graduated with his degree in leisure studies (May 2021) and is working on a second degree in interdisciplinary studies. Tolbert accepted his invitation to the 2022 Senior Bowl.

STRENGTHS: Smooth athlete ... skilled at releasing at the line and throttling his speed mid-route, which allows him to stack corners vertically ... brakes cleanly at the stem with sudden feet to redirect in any direction ... drives corners off the top of his routes ... above-average tracking and adjustment skills to snare inaccurate passes ... strong mitts to win 50-50 balls and finish catches through contact ... does a great job working back and high-pointing or attacking the ball with his long arms before it gets to him ... turns into a defensive back when necessary, so either he catches it or no one does ... added slot responsibilities as a senior ... faced only one Power 5 program over his final 34 games but made it count (7/143/1 vs. Tennessee in November 2021) ... rewrote the receiving records books at South Alabama, including career catches (178), receiving yards (3,140), touchdown catches (22) and 100-yard receiving games (10).

WEAKNESSES: Drop rate increased as a senior ... doesn’t have breakaway speed after the catch ... prone to drifts prior to his route breaks, tipping his path ... not elusive, and missed tackles were infrequent on film ... squeezes too tight along the sideline, allowing the corner to run him out of bounds ... half-hearted blocker, and won’t go looking for work if he doesn’t have to ... minimal experience on special teams coverages in college ... fumbled twice over his final two seasons and needs to better protect the football.

SUMMARY: A three-year starter at South Alabama, Tolbert was the X receiver in offensive coordinator Major Applewhite’s offense and lined up across the formation (unlike his underclassman tape). After bypassing scholarship offers from Power 5 programs to stay close to home, he became the most prolific receiver in South Alabama history, including the first player in school history to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season (he did it twice). Aside from the occasional focus drop, Tolbert shows impressive catch-point timing and adjustment skills. Although he doesn’t have elite top-end speed, he has fluid footwork and uses slight hesitation in his route breaks so he can mash the gas and create pockets of separation. Overall, Tolbert needs to tighten up a few areas of his game, but he has NFL starting traits with his ability to track deep or sink and work back to the football.

GRADE: 2nd-3rd Round (No. 59 overall)

[RunKC]

Sam Williams? Interested what rd he projects him to

[staylor26]

Can we get his top 10 WRs and EDGE?

You don’t have to post all of the info, just the rankings.

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by staylor26

Can we get his top 10 WRs and EDGE?

You don’t have to post all of the info, just the rankings.

Top 10 WRs

1. GARRETT WILSON Ohio State 1st JR. 5116 183 4.38 (1.53) 32 9 7/8 76 1/2 21.77
2. JAMESON WILLIAMS Alabama 1st JR. 6014 179 DNP (DNP) 32 1/8 9 1/4 75 7/8 21.09
3. DRAKE LONDON USC 1st JR. 6037 219 DNP (DNP) 33 9 3/8 77 3/4 20.76
4. CHRIS OLAVE Ohio State 1st SR. 6003 187 4.39 (1.45) 31 1/8 9 1/2 73 1/8 21.84
5. TREYLON BURKS Arkansas 1st JR. 6020 225 4.55 (1.57) 33 1/2 9 7/8 79 1/8 22.10
6. JAHAN DOTSON Penn State 1st-2nd SR. 5105 178 4.43 (1.56) 30 3/4 9 1/2 74 22.10
7. SKYY MOORE Western Michigan 2nd JR. 5095 195 4.41 (1.46) 31 10 1/4 73 5/8 21.63
8. GEORGE PICKENS Georgia 2nd JR. 6032 195 4.47 (1.50) 32 3/8 8 3/4 77 3/8 21.15
9. JALEN TOLBERT South Alabama 2nd-3rd rSR. 6011 194 4.49 (1.49) 32 1/4 10 76 3/8 23.17
10. CHRISTIAN WATSON North Dakota State 2nd-3rd rSR. 6041 208 4.36 (1.45) 32 1/2 10 1/8 77 5/8 22.96

Top 10 EDGE

1. AIDAN HUTCHINSON Michigan 1st SR. 6065 260 4.74 (1.61) 32 1/8 10 1/4 78 1/8 21.72
2. TRAVON WALKER Georgia 1st JR. 6050 272 4.51 (1.54) 35 1/2 10 3/4 84 1/4 21.36
3. KAYVON THIBODEAUX Oregon 1st JR. 6040 254 4.58 (1.56) 33 1/8 9 3/4 79 1/2 21.37
4. JERMAINE JOHNSON Florida State 1st rSR. 6045 254 4.58 (1.59) 34 9 7/8 81 5/8 23.31
5. GEORGE KARLAFTIS Purdue 1st JR. 6036 266 4.77 (1.65) 32 5/8 10 1/4 78 7/8 21.07
6. ARNOLD EBIKETIE Penn State 1st-2nd rSR. 6023 250 4.65 (1.69) 34 1/8 10 1/4 81 3/4 23.26
7. LOGAN HALL Houston 1st-2nd SR. 6061 283 4.88 (1.67) 32 3/4 9 5/8 79 1/8 22.02
8. DAVID OJABO Michigan 2nd rSO. 6040 250 4.55 (1.59) 33 1/2 9 80 3/4 21.95
9. BOYE MAFE Minnesota 2nd rSR. 6036 261 4.53 (1.56) 32 5/8 9 7/8 80 3/4 23.41
10. DRAKE JACKSON USC 2nd-3rd JR. 6030 273 DNP (DNP) 34 10 1/8 82 5/8 21.04

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Sam Williams? Interested what rd he projects him to

17. SAM WILLIAMS | Ole Miss 6035 | 261 lbs. | rSR. Montgomery, Ala. (Lee) 3/31/1999 (age 23.08) #7

BACKGROUND: Samuel “Sam” Williams was born in Birmingham into a rough family situation. Along with his siblings, he was removed from his birth mother’s custody at age 6 and relocated to Verbena, Ala., to live with his grandmother and later with his aunt (Latoya Kizito) and her family. Williams originally attended Marbury High in Deatsville, where he emerged as a star on the basketball court, making varsity as a freshman. As a junior, he averaged 15.1 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in 2015, earning All-State honors. After an off-campus incident involving a knife, Williams was expelled from Marbury the summer after his junior year. He transferred to Robert E. Lee High in Montgomery for his senior year and moved in with Tiffani Cain (the mother of one of his friends at Marbury), who eventually became Williams’ legal guardian (he refers to her as “mom”). With very little football experience, he joined the football team at Lee where he was a 215-pound linebacker in 2016 and teammates with WR Henry Ruggs III.

A no-star recruit out of high school, Williams received attention from several high-profile college programs, but he had less than a year of football experience and didn’t have the grades to qualify. He signed with Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville, where he continued learning the game as a freshman, posting 53 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 2017. Williams was named a junior college All-American as a sophomore with 75 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles in 2018. A four-star recruit, he was the No. 3 defensive end and the No. 8 juco recruit overall. Williams considered offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, LSU, Texas A&M and others before committing to Ole Miss. He was suspended from the program in July 2020 after he was arrested on felony charge of sexual battery. The chargers were later dropped, and Williams returned to the team in September 2020. He has a one-year old son (Sam Jr.). Williams graduated with his degree in multidisciplinary studies (May 2021). He accepted his invitation to the 2022 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and was a late call-up to the 2022 Senior Bowl.

STRENGTHS: Well-built with adequate length and muscle tone ... explosive out of his stance ... hard-charger upfield with above-average rush acceleration to skim the corner ... uses forward flexibility and raw power to create knock-back with his violent hands and stab moves ... creates inside burst with his plant-and-go cuts ... works well laterally and is able to bounce off blocks while maintaining his play radar ... his revved-up motor expands his range to chase down plays outside the numbers ...has some experience dropping into space ... has gritty play personality and doesn’t make thing easy on blockers ... had the productive senior year that NFL teams were hoping to see from him.

WEAKNESSES: Plays tall with inconsistent balance at contact and in space ... his poor block leverage leaves him controlled on the edges ... his run-defending instincts are still in the development phase ... shows hints of stiffness at the top of his rush ... needs to do a better job setting up his rush and formulating a plan ... tape is riddled with undisciplined mistakes, including nine penalties as a senior (illegal use of hands, offsides, facemask, multiple roughing the passers, etc.) ... inconsistent finisher who leaves tackle/sack production on the field ... his off-field will require extensive vetting after he was suspended from the Ole Miss program (July 2020)
following an arrest on felony sexual battery (chargers were later dropped).

SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Ole Miss, Williams was a hybrid boundary end (two and three point) in defensive coordinator Chris Partridge’s 3-3-5 base scheme, lining primarily in the 4i-technique. He turned his flashes into more consistent production as a senior, breaking the single-season school record with 12.5 sacks, which ranked top-five in the FBS in 2021. Although he needs better setup and countering skills mid-rush, Williams creates a surge with his hard-charging athleticism and violent hands. In the run game, he has a reliable motor but struggles to control the point because of a faulty anchor and tall pads. Overall, Williams must improve his discipline to be a more consistent edge-setter and rusher, but he has the upfield acceleration and attacking mentality to affect the game as a quarterback hunter.
He is an exciting pass rush prospect in subpackages with potential to be more.

GRADE: 3rd Round (No. 91 overall)

[staylor26]

Logan Hall is definitely a dark horse in the 1st.

[DJ's left nut]

I download this thing every year and every year I end up reading like 6 pages of it.

[staylor26]

I know he’s not a popular pick, but Dotson just feels like a guy that kind of gets lost on the discussion even though he makes a lot of sense for us in the 1st.

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by staylor26

Logan Hall is definitely a dark horse in the 1st.

I mean...they were looking at Key....so who the hell knows.

Overall, Hall has some tweener traits and lacks consistency, but with additional coaching, he can be a matchup weapon thanks to his athletic versatility, body length and disruptive nature. He projects as an NFL starting edge rusher who can slide inside in subpackages.

[DJ's left nut]

It took me the entire damn draft season to talk myself into Traylon Burks and it's pretty much a foregone conclusion for me at this point that he'll be gone by 22.

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

It took me the entire damn draft season to talk myself into Traylon Burks and it's pretty much a foregone conclusion for me at this point that he'll be gone by 22.

Jesus Christ.

Overall, Burks is underdeveloped as an outside route runner, but he is a dynamic weapon with the ball in his hands and boasts the unique blend of size, athleticism and ball skills to grow into an NFL team’s No. 1 receiver. He compares to a linebacker-sized Deebo Samuel in a similar scheme.