So going into this draft, I was pretty gung ho about improving at WR and OL. So I can't say this is the draft I would have went with but perhaps it was the draft we needed. So let's get into each pick.
R2 (39) — CB Kyler Gordon, Washington - All the WRs I would have wanted here were gone and CB is a massive need so I was pretty content with this pick.
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R2 (48) — S Jaquan Brisker, Penn State - I was not happy with this pick as I fundamentally do not like drafting S that high given you can easily find them throughout the draft and they are one of the cheapest positions to fill in FA. Having said that, I really was not fond of Pickens given his injury and character concerns and while I probably would have leaned Moore here, he was not one of my favorite picks. So preferences aside, the fact is Poles most likely got an instant starter for the D so in the end, this is just a difference of opinion on draft strategy.
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R3 (71) — WR Velus Jones Jr., Tennessee - Boy I did not like the idea of a 25 year old rookie and VJJ was not on my radar in the 3rd. So really hated this pick at first. However doing some digging, he was the 2nd fastest WR at the combine and more importantly at the Senior Bowl when in pads. He also led CFB in YAC so he fits a clear need. Part of Fields development is going to be learning to get the short stuff and part of selling him on that is going to be having goes like VJJ who can take the short stuff and consistently bang out 4-5 yards of RAC. So I expect VJJ to catch his fair share of slants and underneath routes and to also be able to go over the top if defenses try to cheat on the short stuff.
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R5 (168) — T Braxton Jones, Southern Utah - I probably was looking at different OL prospects but thought this was a fine pick. He had ideal length and athleticism to play T and just needs to get stronger in his base as he is high cut. But perfect guy as a developmental T that can hopefully emerge as a starting caliber player that can compete if Jenkins or Borom
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R5 (174) — EDGE Dominique Robinson, Miami (OH) - Think he is one of the steals of the draft for me as I mocked him quite a bit to us. Again he has ideal measurables for Edge and just needs coaching and experience. If he develops he also makes a Quinn trade more feasible.
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R6 (186) — T Zachary Thomas, San Diego State- Again, I was probably leaning for another OL but this is another athletic tackle who I think fits as reliable back-up who can play both G and T but probably more of a guard at this level.
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R6 (203) — RB Trestan Ebner, Baylor - Again this pick is all about saying to Fields take the checkdown if it is there and let your guys make a play. Ebner is really a WR playing RB so will be interesting to see how he is used by the Bears. I expect a 3rd RB role and some gadget plays at WR essentially filling the Cohen role. In other words, a solid contributor that can beat LBs and S on WR type routes out of the backfield.
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R6 (207) — C Doug Kramer, Illinois - Not on my radar at all but this is Poles adding another athletic lottery ticket to the OL depth.
R7 (226) — T Ja'Tyre Carter, Southern University - Seems obvious that part of the strategy of acquiring more picks was to load up on OL in a draft that Poles indicated was deep at OL. And again Poles keeps going back to the athletic lineman well with the hopes that at least 2 of these 4 guys develops into a solid contributor in the NFL.
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R7 (254) — S Elijah Hicks, California - Depth piece but remember when I said S can be found throughout the draft. Hicks is a solid two way safety prospect as not afraid to drop down and hit. He also has enough coverage skills to play in the slot so he is a versatile S prospect who will provide depth to the S position.
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R7 (255) — P Trenton Gill, North Carolina State - Part of the beauty of adding all this picks was having the luxury of taking the punter with the 3rd best punt yardage in CFB last year. More importantly he gets better hang time on his punts than Punt God so less likely to out punt coverage teams.
So all in all certainly not how I would have approached the draft. In terms of players especially at the top of the draft I would give Poles a C+. However, in terms of how he went from having the first number of picks to tied for the most I would give him an A. He worked the draft to perfection in terms of accumulating picks and being able to then leverage all those picks to load up on OL and fix the P position cheaply. So I would say this draft averages out to about a B for me.