RugbyMuffin
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Well the draft is almost here, and I will be honest, I am clueless as the rest of you on where the Cardinals are going and what there goals are.
Coach Wilks is an interesting personality, a large personality, much like Arians, but just with a different flavor. All you have to do is read, watch, and listen to the man, and realize he is not lacking any confidence, and that he believes in what he is doing.
Of course, that means Jack squat, and the proof will come once the pads go on, and the games begin. Until then ?
Well, it is a matter of Wilks building his team. Anyone thinking this is not a re-build of both the roster, and the system in which this team will operate, is in my mind quite naive. Not trying to slam anyone, but if you do not think this is a rebuild then please, just think about it. Almost 1/2 the roster is turned over, starters have left, the defensive system is going to a 4-3, the offensive system is going to power running.
I am excited for the overdue change. I think it was a bit of a wasted season last season when the Cardinals didn't get the message in 2016 that 2015 was over, and the big lie that the Cardinals convinced themselves was the truth, that the "2015 team" was basically the 2016 team and 2017 team. No. Just no. The 2016 had more than 1/2 the starters hurt, or they left, and 2017 was even worse.
So, it is time for a new beginning, and I for one am looking forward to it.
The Cardinals spent free agency paying the cost of "going for it" for the last couple of seasons, with a bloated roster full of older, and over priced players. Getting rid of a lot of dead weight, a lot of players that no longer fit the scheme, and just plain purging the roster. All you have to do is look at the cap numbers for next season, and it is not a shock that the main goal for this year, per the press conferences is, "a competitive team". No longer a Super Bowl ring, just be competitive.
Why? Because this team is going to rebuild, find its core, and hit the ground running next season. Does that mean this will be a lost season ? I do not think so. Any thing can happen in the NFL, and I for one like watching a new team come together.
So, lets get to it.
2018 draft is around the corner, and I did a bunch of mocks.
My method this year was simple. I studied players, found a group of players that I thought would fit the new system (which is tough since I do not have a "vibe" on the new staff and their preferences). Once I got my group of players, then I looked through 10 to 15 databases both pre and post-combine, found the average of where those players are rated, and made my own ratings based on that.
Then I mocked my butt off.
Where I fail in all this, is that I draft for need. I cannot help myself, I just do. Yes, I do the best player available as best I can, but in the end, I cannot bring myself to draft three inside linebackers in one draft.
My disclaimer in all this, is these are mock drafts, they are not accurate, and never will be. So, if ESPN has a guy in the 4th, and I drafted him in the 2nd, or visa versa, well, that is mock drafting.
There are players still, with draft just about here, who are rated from the 2nd round to being an Undrafted free agent.......that is a quite a range to try to keep in order with all these players. Just look at Kameron Kelly, CB/S. I have seen this physical specimen rated in the 2nd round, and also as one of the bottom of the barrel undrafted free agents. So your guess is as good as mine, as good as 40 mock draft sites, as good as ESPN, as good as Mel Kiper, and as good as Mike Mayock.
So, take it for what it is worth.
If I had to make my own mock draft, based on the information below and what I have seen, this would be the consensus, the guy should be there at that round, and who I would like to see drafted:
MY MOCK DRAFT 2018:
1 - Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
2 - Carlton Davis, CB, Auburn
3 - Darius Leonard, ILB, South Carolina State
3 - Frank Ragnow, C, Arkansas
4 - A. Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame, B. Auden Tate, WR, Florida St.
5 - Troy Fumagalli, TE, Wisconsin
6 - A. Matthew Thomas, ILB Florida St., B. Wyatt Teller, OG, Virginia Tech
7 - A. Davontae Harris, CB, Illinois St., B. Brandon Facyson, CB, Virginia
Below are my groups of players, by round, that I thought were the best for the Cardinals and honestly who I liked the best as well. Then the pages that follow show all the post-combine drafts I have. The pre-combine drafts can be found here: http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/forum/threads/fanspeak-on-the-clock.259283/page-2
Player Groups:
Coach Wilks is an interesting personality, a large personality, much like Arians, but just with a different flavor. All you have to do is read, watch, and listen to the man, and realize he is not lacking any confidence, and that he believes in what he is doing.
Of course, that means Jack squat, and the proof will come once the pads go on, and the games begin. Until then ?
Well, it is a matter of Wilks building his team. Anyone thinking this is not a re-build of both the roster, and the system in which this team will operate, is in my mind quite naive. Not trying to slam anyone, but if you do not think this is a rebuild then please, just think about it. Almost 1/2 the roster is turned over, starters have left, the defensive system is going to a 4-3, the offensive system is going to power running.
I am excited for the overdue change. I think it was a bit of a wasted season last season when the Cardinals didn't get the message in 2016 that 2015 was over, and the big lie that the Cardinals convinced themselves was the truth, that the "2015 team" was basically the 2016 team and 2017 team. No. Just no. The 2016 had more than 1/2 the starters hurt, or they left, and 2017 was even worse.
So, it is time for a new beginning, and I for one am looking forward to it.
The Cardinals spent free agency paying the cost of "going for it" for the last couple of seasons, with a bloated roster full of older, and over priced players. Getting rid of a lot of dead weight, a lot of players that no longer fit the scheme, and just plain purging the roster. All you have to do is look at the cap numbers for next season, and it is not a shock that the main goal for this year, per the press conferences is, "a competitive team". No longer a Super Bowl ring, just be competitive.
Why? Because this team is going to rebuild, find its core, and hit the ground running next season. Does that mean this will be a lost season ? I do not think so. Any thing can happen in the NFL, and I for one like watching a new team come together.
So, lets get to it.
2018 draft is around the corner, and I did a bunch of mocks.
My method this year was simple. I studied players, found a group of players that I thought would fit the new system (which is tough since I do not have a "vibe" on the new staff and their preferences). Once I got my group of players, then I looked through 10 to 15 databases both pre and post-combine, found the average of where those players are rated, and made my own ratings based on that.
Then I mocked my butt off.
Where I fail in all this, is that I draft for need. I cannot help myself, I just do. Yes, I do the best player available as best I can, but in the end, I cannot bring myself to draft three inside linebackers in one draft.
My disclaimer in all this, is these are mock drafts, they are not accurate, and never will be. So, if ESPN has a guy in the 4th, and I drafted him in the 2nd, or visa versa, well, that is mock drafting.
There are players still, with draft just about here, who are rated from the 2nd round to being an Undrafted free agent.......that is a quite a range to try to keep in order with all these players. Just look at Kameron Kelly, CB/S. I have seen this physical specimen rated in the 2nd round, and also as one of the bottom of the barrel undrafted free agents. So your guess is as good as mine, as good as 40 mock draft sites, as good as ESPN, as good as Mel Kiper, and as good as Mike Mayock.
So, take it for what it is worth.
If I had to make my own mock draft, based on the information below and what I have seen, this would be the consensus, the guy should be there at that round, and who I would like to see drafted:
MY MOCK DRAFT 2018:
1 - Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
2 - Carlton Davis, CB, Auburn
3 - Darius Leonard, ILB, South Carolina State
3 - Frank Ragnow, C, Arkansas
4 - A. Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame, B. Auden Tate, WR, Florida St.
5 - Troy Fumagalli, TE, Wisconsin
6 - A. Matthew Thomas, ILB Florida St., B. Wyatt Teller, OG, Virginia Tech
7 - A. Davontae Harris, CB, Illinois St., B. Brandon Facyson, CB, Virginia
Below are my groups of players, by round, that I thought were the best for the Cardinals and honestly who I liked the best as well. Then the pages that follow show all the post-combine drafts I have. The pre-combine drafts can be found here: http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/forum/threads/fanspeak-on-the-clock.259283/page-2
Player Groups:
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lol
