Yeah I'm liking this draft better than last years even though we had #3. There is a much greater chance of getting an impact player at a need position. Maybe it's just because we're finally in full re-build mode that I feel this way. 1 of the following scenarios is almost assuredly going to happen, and I'm all for it.

1. We draft our QB of the future.
2. We draft a tackle and have a solid O-Line locked down for the rebuild.
3. We draft a receiver (Pitts is a receiver dammit) and have 3 good weapons for our QB in Hock, Williams, and the rookie.
4. We trade back to a QB hungry team and stockpile picks.
5. We reach for Parsons because jack of all trades speed linebacker is becoming an underrated asset.

Any of the picks we make certainly could be busts, but the top 10 of this draft seems very solid. We should come out in good shape.

I did some lolyoutubes after the pitts 40 yesterday and came away impressed and reached the conclusion that he's probably the best version of WR/TE hybrid prospect there's been and likely a matchup nightmare. you can literally play him anywhere and he'll be far better than average. wouldn't be opposed if it fell that way and trade down wasn't very attractive.

another thing I want to talk about from the loltubes is Kyle Trask. in the 2 highlight vids of Pitts I watched all I seen was Trask dropping dimes. his arm is far from electric but his ball placement was absolutely outstanding. at worst he looks like a upper echelon backup QB. best case he reminds me of Drew Brees a fair bit.

for anyone who's interested in either guy

At worst Pitts is like Golladay. He may not have top end speed but he's big and can win at the point of the catch. My only knock is he seemed sluggish in his route running and didn't get great separation against man coverage. But then he beats the coverage when the ball arrives. It looks like he finds holes in zone coverage just fine. Of course on YT you only see the highlights, not the plays he doesn't make. But he will be a mismatch for any NFL coverage. He may be a TE in a dink and dunk college spread offense, but he is an NFL WR.

Kyle Trask is an interesting prospect. He has the accuracy and the arm that you can build an NFL QB around. I wouldn't be surprised if someone jumps into the late first round to grab him.

Damn Parsons ran a 4.39 at his pro day. Would love to trade back a few spots and grab him. Wouldnt be upset if we took him at 7 even.

Yeah as im doing more research into the draft I do like it better then I did before. Actually starting to feel like it would of been nice to have that Panthers pick now that I'm looking into the players more.

I honestly give 0 shits which position they draft this year as long as they get a good player at 7 or in a trade back. It could be Pitts, Waddle, Chase, Parsons, Lance, Sewell, Slater, hell even one of the cornerbacks. Just get someone who is actually going to be a cornerstone of this team. There is just zero reason to worry about positional value at this point when you don't have anything.

The defense is likely to be a complete tire fire again this year. I like Aaron Glenn but I don't think he can work miracles. The players looked bad last year regardless of the crap scheme Matty P ran. There's no scheme that can make a good defense out of linemen who can't get to the QB, Linebackers who can't get to the edge, and slow DB's who get burned at the jump.

o/u on years until detroit sees playoffs?

I'd go 4.5 at this point.

If the rebuild goes well they could get there in 2 years. They've got a QB who at least has shown some ability to win big games, a GM whose forte was college scouting, and a coaching staff made up of former players that should at least keep them from being a bottom of the barrel team if they can bring in some talent.

A-A-ron will be gone in a few years, and the Bears and Vikings are still the Bears and Vikings. You don't need to be a top tier team to win this division.

The flipside is that this rebuild could spectacularly fail and we could be entering another lost decade like we had from 2000 to 2010. So splitting the difference, and considering we are already a couple years into the suck, 4.5 seems about right.

Philly just scored a '22 1st round pick to trade down from 6 to 12 with Miami. Of course, Philly had the 6th pick because they purposefully tanked W17. If they had won, that would be us in that slot. Dammit.

Good thing we went all out vs the bears and came back for the win

Good job guys.

Yeah thats lame.

How about last season their is 2 really good QB prospects on the board and we literally pull nothing out of the teams behind us that are targeting them because its so fkn obv what were doing. Actually thinking more about it I think we had some kind of offers from someone but our GM didnt want future picks because whats the use of those when your not here to use them. He basically just tunneled Okudah as the best way to add some wins to keep him in the 8 win keep his job hunt.

Kind of annoying Miami is right in front of us now. I feel like they will scoop what we should draft. They could be targeting Pitts if he passes the Bengals. Sewell more likely to go to the Bengals to protect Burrow I'd actually like Sewell I cant believe how young he is. Would also be nuts if their plan is to use that pick as another trade down for more stuff to a QB needy team.

Edit-

Miami turned Tunsil into 4 1st rounders and a 3rd rounder now. Also sitting at pick 6 with one of them. Thats exactly why I don't like them in front of us they know what the **** to do.

My first thought was that this trade sucks because SF is clearly after a QB so this makes a trade down much less likely, but there's a lot of reports that SF is after Mac Jones? If so there's at least a decent chance Lance or Fields may still be available at 7 so maybe someone wants to jump up for them at 7. Either way, Jones being off the board would seem good for Detroits overall draft prospects.

Then Miami has a better spot to trade to unless they have a target in mind. Its possible Miami is aiming for Pitts or a WR though so who knows. Either way I agree with you more QBs going in front of us is good. Swear we say this every year but its going to be hard to not get a good player at 7.

based on the most recent SI article from Albert Breer there's a realistic chance Sewell falls to Detroit. he's reporting the reason Philly was willing to move out of 6 is because Cincy is taking Chase at 5 who Philly wanted. also believes Mia wanted to jump us for D Smith. so, assuming ATL doesn't throw a wrench in and take him, it'll go 1-4 QB, 5-6 WR.

pretty nutty but it's shaping up this way. anybody not cool with this? I'd be pretty happy because Sewell seems like a really good prospect. not sure how that would shake out with who plays right side long term but like my Dad would say, "that's one of those good problems"

Yeah it's a good problem to have, but still a problem. Sewell is a natural LT, and you have Decker there on a big contract and he's a legit top 10 NFL LT. So of course you move Sewell to RT (I've heard his body type and style is well suited to RT even though he's never played there) and hope he adjusts.

I'm conflicted. My brain knows that building form the line outwards is the right way to do it, so if Sewell is there you have to go for it, and if not Sewell then Slater is also good. But I want a shiny new toy like a Pitts, Waddle, or Lance. But it's a deep WR class so there's talent in the 2nd.

solid assessment, Koss, I feel very similar wrt shiny new toy to play with but I think you nailed it.

I'm a BIG Bateman fan and depending on if he somehow falls to the 20's or later I wouldn't be opposed to moving one of the Rams picks + some of this years capital to get him. wouldn't break the bank to do it or anything but I can absolutely see him coming out of this class as WR1 5 years down the road.

My #1 player on the board for us is Sewell. In a normal non QB heavy draft he would never make it to us. Actually I would be very surprised if he made it past Cin and Mia. If he does you grab him that would give us an elite Oline. Thats something to build around. We can grab a good WR in round 2 the position is ultra deep this season.

Defense and a young QB will have to be picked up next season we cant fix every hole year 1 of rebuild anyways.

I like Bateman. In some simulation thing he ran a 4.37 if hes a 4.4 flat or less kinda guy hes not lasting till the 2nd. I do agree he could be one of the best WRs in the class. That said I rather not use the Rams pick in year one of the rebuild. If the plan to is to trade the Rams picks for later 1st rounders I'd of preferred to just take the Panthers 8 pick. I rather pray the Rams fall apart as their pretty top heavy giving us serious future ammo.

If you listen to draft channels WR is going to be really deep again this year. I think we should just let Holmes identify some of that talent thats going to be pushed down due to how many good guys are out.

My homer pick of the draft is Nico Collins. He has big talent and numbers were held back due to Michigan having crap QB play and sitting out this season. He ran a 4.43 at his pro day and is 6'4 215 hes projected as a round 2-3 guy.

Damn Chase lit up his pro day. 4.38 killed the vertical guys a freak. Sounds like Burrow wants him in Cinc. Thats the type of wr im taking early if i go WR. I imagine the fins will scoop up Sewell right in front of us leaving us with Pitts, Smith,Slater or Parsons. I wouldnt mind a trade down if Sewell and Chase are off the board.

Here's my final thoughts before the draft.

First, I think positional value and need are overrated concepts, especially during a rebuild. The most important thing at #7 is to get a good player. My benchmark of a good draft is getting someone at 7 who is at worst a borderline pro-bowler by year 2. Or if it's a QB someone who is considered top 15ish or better. The round 2 pick needs to be a day 1 starter. The round 3 picks need to be important rotational pieces looking to breakout in year 2.

So who do I want them to draft? I'm going with one of the two tackles. I think Sewell is the clear #1 and locks down the offensive line during the rebuild. If he's gone, then Slater is a good consolation. His arm length is a minor concern but he was a stud in college. I've been hearing stuff from analytics circles that it's outside that matters (WR/CB) as far as value, but I've always thought that most games are won or lost at the line. After seeing last years superbowl, I still believe it. There's rumor that depth in this draft is good and they could potentially get an RT in rd. 2. If so, the other options:

As for pass catchers, I think I rank them this way.
1. Ja'Marr Chase. Looks like a solid #1 WR. He has all the tools.
2. Kyle Pitts. He looks like Kenny Golladay to me. Not blazing speed, but good at all the other aspects.
3. Devonta Smith - He pairs nicely with Jared Goff in being a speedy separator. Main concern is size and ability to shed a press and break tackles.
4. Jaylen Waddle - Similar to Smith but a bit bigger. I think he'd be good as well.

My QB Ranking (as far as who will realistically be there).
1. Trey Lance - He seems to have the most NFL translatable skillset. He'd get to learn behind Goff for a year.
2. Justin Fields - His athleticism brings another layer to his upside, but I have concerns about his ability to run more complex NFL offenses.
3. Mac Jones - Kind of a boring prospect but sometimes guys who just get the job done without flash end up crushing it in the NFL.

Some possible surprise picks at 7.
1. Micah Parsons - Not a huge surprise since he's mocked to DET a lot, but I've heard him sliding down draft boards due to character concerns.. There are also some questions as to his coverage skills. As for character, I'm less concerned with what he's done in the past. As long as he is mature enough to handle the NFL workload, I'm fine with it.
2. Patrick Surtain 2. He's the top CB on a lot of boards and mocked in the top 10 a lot. If the analytics are true and the positional value of CB is high, then this could make sense. There's still a need here on the team if they want this to be a strength.
3. Kwity Paye. Most think he'd be a reach at 7, but he's the best edge in the draft, and it would not surprise me if he went in the top 10.

If we are left with QP and slater and there is a QB someone would want I would hope they trade down

If the four QB are gone we pick one of Sewell pitts or chase

No other options here.

My board

1.Sewell
2.Chase
3.Fields
4.Pitts
5. Parsons

I've changed my mind through the draft process but those are the guys I'm locked in on at pick 7. I feel like any of these guys are high % franchise players. I'm also cool with trading down and grabbing extra picks and a guy like Slater,Waddle, or Smith.

At this point I really like this draft. The strong QB class is leaving some stud prospects on the board where we pick.

Sewell would be an A+ pick. Otherwise I hope they get a good offer from a team looking to move up. Lots of holes to fill.

agree that positional value isn't very important when you have so many holes. the focus should be on nailing picks. Sewell does that, Chase does that. Parsons probably does but there's the character red flags. I think Pitts does but is maybe somewhat redundant in Detroit.

Fields is a leverage play because young QB value doesn't really depreciate. you take him and if Goff doesn't work you have a top tier prospect in the wings. if Goff does work, you have a top tier prospect in the wings to trade

Trey Lance = obv bust to me. from the lolyoutubes I've watched dude can't hit the broad side of a barn. a lot of times he's just chucking the ball out there to nobody in particular. he's like a less accurate Josh Allen, or a less athletic Terrell Pryor throwing the ball, either way he's no bueno IMO

so, yeah, I say Chase, Sewell, then Fields would be my ideal picks in order at 7 with a trade down to a QB hungry team being equally fine.

one thing I'm pretty excited about is that this draft is supposedly very deep at a lot of positions Detroit is lacking talent. should be a really good early indicator at if Holmes is as sharp as I'm hoping he is.

LFG, boys!

One other potential surprise pick at 7 would be LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. He's a small but speedy defender with a lot of versatility. Reminds me a bit of Jabril Peppers but a bit bigger. Some have him higher than Parsons on the board, and he may be the first LB taken. I've seen him mocked as high as 9 so 7 isn't that crazy, but he could also be a solid pickup in a trade down scenario.

Owusu-Koramoah is a solid player but would be a reach at 7. He's a mid-first round pick at best and even then I'd have questions.

If Sewell isn't there I'd rather see them trade down if a decent offer presents itself. Otherwise Chase or Pitts would be acceptable, not excited about taking a QB -- I like Fields quite a bit but I think they need to fill other holes. For every Carappallo trade there's a trade where you get nothing for your backup prospect QB or he just gets outright cut.