Just as anticipated, the WFT selected an Edge Rusher with their first pick. Oooops! Not exactly. A projected Top-10 player, Josh Conerly Jr checked off all the boxes. The O-Line pick feels a bit out of place. That’s only due to the big trade for a starting Left Tackle. Two picks this year and two next for Laremy Tunsil are now added to the 1st-Round pick for Conerly. There may be a bit of a theme here. Investing in the O-Line has been a thought long lost on the Burgundy-and-Gold afterguard. The new crew is righting the ship on that front. Tom Brady said before the NFC Championship Game started that the Washington O-Line was “Below Average.” Some five Draft Picks’ worth of investment later that’s no longer the case.
The Thinking
Peters said that the team would trade down unless Conerly was on the board. Three tackles came off the board in the first nine picks. Another went off in the first twelve. (Kelvin Banks is listed as a Guard in some quarters and a Tackle in others. If you consider him a Guard then only three Tackles were taken before Conerly.) Then Conerly slid to Washington. When your guy is there, you take him off the board.
These things all have to fit into the puzzle box. The O-Line Room is not young. This despite Brandon Coleman being only on his second year. Tunsil is over 30. Having a mix of ages with a bit of succession planning is the way to build consistency. Tactically, this lets Coleman slide to Guard after Conerly acclimates. That’s a better slot for Coleman. This introduces competition within the room which is always a good thing. And, the end product should be improved protection for Jayden Daniels. That is a very good thing indeed.
Within the commentariat on various message boards the term “Super Bowl” is mentioned often. Fans say that. But, football professionals focus on what’s in their lap; the Division. This Division has a King of the Hill in Philadelphia. Their biggest weapon, other than Saquon Barkley is their Defensive Front. If you want to beat that team your O-Line has to withstand the onslaught. Kansas City had a good Guard playing Tackle rather poorly because they had no one else. The replacement Guard was pretty poor. And, the Right Tackle wasn’t any good. Philly made Patrick Mahomes run for his life. Adam Peters was paying attention. The Super Bowl lives over the horizon after tackling Mount Philly.
The video quality on this is not great. But, here’s some of the tape the Front Office watched on Conerly. Notice he’s isolated one-on-one against Abdul Carter who is now in the Division. This may be a preview of coming attractions:
By the way, Kansas City drafted a Tackle. Josh Simmons was coming off of an injury, however. There were some “off-field concerns” as well. Adam Peters avoids the off-field concern guys like the plague.
Lastly, the supply of top-shelf Tackles is quite thin. There are only two projected for the second-round. But, the supply of possible Edge Rushers is fairly large. There are at least 7 Edges with 2nd-round grades depending on the grader. It could be as many at 10. Second-Rounders aren’t chopped liver. If Peters gets a fully functional Edge to accompany his stud Tackle he will have had a good start to the proceedings.
Kliff Gets His Wish
After the pick Adam had a light-hearted moment in the Draft Room as he revealed a note from Offensive Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
https://x.com/i/status/1915624760391700879
General Observations
-Everyone knew it was a bad year to need a Quarterback. There is a trend in the NFL now that is inescapable: Playoff teams need a first-round QB. In all there were 14 teams in the playoffs with 12 of them having first-round QBs. The team that won it had a 2nd-rounder. But, that team is good enough everywhere else to win with a middling QB. Enter Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Those two need a QB so badly that it must be a major source of irritation. Yet, neither one of them stretched for one of the candidates on the board. That speaks volumes.
-Shedeur Sanders slid out of the first round. Will he slide out of the second? Will he be the next QB selected? Between an average or below-average arm, supposedly some awful interviews, and bringing along Dad as a package deal the young man may be radioactive. But, until he’s taken he has the comfort of being the next “Best Player Available” according to Mel Kiper. That guy’s act is not aging well.
-Only two Cornerbacks came off of the board. One of them being Travis Hunter…who will probably be a Wide Receiver full time. There are nine more with second-third Round grades. IF Adam Peters trades down to get a 3rd and another 4th-rounder then taking a Corner is a strong possibility.
-Cleveland is sitting on Pick #33. They got a haul from Jacksonville for the #2 pick. That team needs a QB. Either they take Jalen Milroe or Tyler Shough with that pick OR they trade down again. The #33 pick is the Cat Bird Seat: Anyone wanting that slot calls all night long. If they trade down then look for them to bundle up a deal for Kirk Cousins. It would scream “None of these guys are good enough.”
-There were few trades. Atlanta traded up to get James Pearce Jr, the Edge from Tennessee. His numbers from the combines and his tackles behind the line of scrimmage are impressive. However, there were concerns about his work ethic along with off-field concerns. That suppressed his grading into the second round despite top-of-board athletic attributes. It will be interesting to see if Raheem Morris can get the best out of him.
-The Giants upgraded with Abdul Carter. Then they traded up to get Jaxon Dart. He’s a project. Lane Kiffin had him in a simple offense that hit an open receiver early. It worked until it didn’t at the worst times. When Florida went to press coverage Dart fell apart. He may well play late in the year. But, the brain trust there is on the hot seat. They need to look a lot better this year or the Maras are going to cut bait. That QB Room is a real case study with grizzled Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston joined by a Project. They have the Wide Receivers to make any of them look better than they are.
-Dallas took a Guard. That franchise is such an interesting study. They draft well typically. But, the results aren’t there. Jerry Jones said they would be doing trades. So far they haven’t. Last year Jerry said they were “All in.” He then proceeded to not act like it. They’re good at selling hype, however.
Day Two
Rounds 2 and 3 are tonight starting at 7 pm. Various ways to watch it are here on this link.
