Jumbo

Get Stoned at Mile High Matt Stone adds 8 catches, 102 yards, and a TD as Jets take driver seat in quest for first round bye

McConnell got snubbed

Pretty happy with that defensive performance. Nice win for a home opener

Wow, that went completely over my head. I just assumed he died after the ACL injury

WELL-OILED MACHINE RUNS OUT OF OIL IN LUCAS OIL Jets lose nailbiter to Colts, 19-17

Welcome back! For those who don't know, this series of articles is a deeper dive into college prospects for the upcoming 2020 NFLHC Draft. I'm going off of eligible players and conferences that have updated their stats. This column will only include those players who have already been rated. Let's get to it. Blow, Man For Bowman Washington Redskins (1-10-1): In their first three seasons of existence, Washington largely was mediocre, going 6-10, 9-7, and 8-8 in those first three seasons respectively. That is relative success for an expansion team and is largely due to the blockbuster Javier Fields trade made prior to the 2017 NFLHC Draft. In the end, I'm not sure either side won the deal as the Falcons used the #2 pick acquired in the trade on AJ Jefferson, who has not lived up to the expectations of that pick. Nonetheless, it allowed Washington to stay competitive enough in their first years of existence. However, a couple of seasons of relatively mediocre drafting - with the exception of C Matt Cole - and the Redskins no longer have the talent to compete with the rest of NFLHC. Combine that with serious regression from Fields: he had 30 TD / 11 INT in 2019 compared to 11 TD / 12 INT thus far in 2020, and Washington's disaster of a season doesn't seem all that surprising. Outside of Tanner Bowman, this does not seem like a particularly enticing QB class right now. With the relative devaluation of QB in the draft compared to their impact on a team the Redskins might not have to use their high first rounder on a QB. In fact, I'd recommend they didn't. This team is bereft of talent and with the dearth of overall talent entering the draft thus far, and they'd be hard pressed not to use it on a high overall early declaration or perhaps North Carolina's DE Josiah Harden. Back to the QB position, Fields' serious regression has to be concerning, and when backup Yancey Musgrave got a chance to start he didn't look particularly good either. Depending on who enters, the Redskins could draft and develop a player. Someone like Nicholas Garland from Stanford or David Oates from Washington State could be intriguing options, or if Washington is inclined to develop a scrambler Pitt's Grant McConnell could also be an option. Fields' contract is expiring and I don't see Washington paying him, so we'll likely see Musgrave, someone brought in in a trade, or a free agent signing starting in the capital next year. Dallas' Taylor Rodriguez could be an intriguing short-term option, but either way, a new solution is needed. The Skins drafted Ricardo Reed in the 2nd round of the 2019 draft. He had a solid rookie year with 4.35 YPC and 8 TD in 16 starts, but has regressed this year with 3.92 YPC, just 4 TD, and 7 fumbles (4 lost) so far. However, this is a terrible RB class and with other pressing needs Washington should probably give Reed at least another year and look in another direction to fill needs. Receivers-wise, Washington's corps was terrible going into the 2020 draft, but Sam Hiller-Weeden was picked in the first round and he's been pretty good for a rookie whose QB is terrible as he's caught nearly half of the TDs Fields has thrown. Outside of that, the Redskins WR corps is a flaming dumpster fire and needs to be upgraded ASAP, as only SHW and the injury-prone Patrick Burke are on roster for 2021. A free agent signing and a draft pick is not out of the question. Someone like Kansas' Malcolm Davis could be an intriguing pick at the top of the 2nd round - with 5 TD already this season he could be a nice redzone complement to Hiller-Weeden's chain-moving abilities. Another depth pick at WR, such as USF's Claudio Howard, could bring a nice speed element out of the slot. Washington also has 2 solid TEs on roster, though only James Ware comes back and he's more of a blocker than a receiver (he has 0 TD this season). There is depth in this TE class so someone could potentially be added. Washington's offensive line is probably the most stable part of the team - unfortunately however they are a bottom 5 line by rating this season, a regression from the average line they were in 2019. As the line has stayed relatively healthy overall, it's clear that upgrades are needed. The interior seems solid with Matt Cole being a Pro Bowl level player, Clayton Williams being an acceptable level starter, and rookie 2nd round pick Nick Ramos filling it out. The blame should likely partially be put on the rookie guard and the older tackles; the tackles should probably be upgraded. OTs are not heavily valued commodities in the draft at this juncture and so Washington may be able to land a solid plug-and-play tackle like Virginia's Shawuan Holsey at the top of the 2nd round. As they obtained a rookie 75 overall tackle in the 7th round of the last draft only one should probably be drafted, and in the 2nd-3rd round if Washington is leaning that way. Oklahoma State's OT/OG Beckett Miller may be in consideration at Washington's high first round pick as well. Defensively, Washington is below average. On the line, Fred Romanowski has a lower sack total this year but he's still an imposing force up the middle; Mike Hill is a solid player who can both rush the passer for 6-7 sacks a year while stopping the run effectively; Kevin Nitschke is just a mediocre DT2; and rookie DE Kenneth Stanford is a JAG who has contributed nothing this year, though he's only recently been filling in for Dennis Abdullah. Washington could consider DE Josiah Harden if they're in position to draft him, but with heavy drop-off after Harden and UNT's Javier Grady with the next highest player being just a 76 overall, that's a move that could play out in Washington's favor. Abdullah is acceptable as a starter but his contract is expiring and a player like Harden is a clear upgrade; but if Harden or Grady are not drafted Washington probably will not draft one except in the late rounds as depth. Nitschke could be upgraded as backup DT but it shouldn't be a huge priority. Washington's linebackers are also extremely mediocre. OLBs Craig Davis and Anthony Brown are both uninspiring players who have done much nothing much this year, and neither are extremely impressive in coverage or against the run to make up for it. Depth at OLB could be possible in the mid-rounds but otherwise I don't see Washington addressing the position for another year or two as both are under contract for another year. Washington is weak at ILB as 2019 7th rounder Nicholas Haskell starts. Washington starts rookie 3rd rounder Raheem Burkett as will ILB. Haskell has been OK but he's been more of a stat accumulator than impact player, while Burkett is yet to appear on the statsheet. ILB is weak in this class (although most positions are weak) but if Washington falls in love with one of the top guys they could be added as all 3 (Illinois' Jamal Harley, Arizona State's Garrett Holiday, and Penn State's Christopher Clayton) have the potential to be available at Washington's 2nd round pick and would be likely upgrades over Haskell. The Redskins secondary is definitely a weak point. CB1 Michael Barber is a solid coverage player but doesn't offer much turnover-wise, but he is a nice piece to have as CB is so valued. CB2 Joe Gammon is an acceptable nickel but probably shouldn't be relied upon as a major starter at this point. He was brought in for a 4th round pick in the 2020 draft and does have another year under contract, so he'll probably start another year, but his coverage isn't great and he doesn't bring much turnover-wise either. The depth is a weak point and Washington should see if they can land a developmental nickel type player, like Temple's Christopher Anthony, in the mid-to-late rounds in 2021. Washington's safeties have combined for 2 INT and 1 FF this year but the team has actually been above average defending the pass and with only a couple of impact safeties appearing in this class the Redskins could potentially draft for depth but nothing more, holding it off until next year unless FS Patrick Parks walks after his contract expiration. Rookie K Thomas McMahan has been OK and only Penn State's AK McGowan would be an upgrade from this draft class, and the Redskins would be better off building depth at offensive and defensive positions with mid and late round picks. P John Collins is good and fully guaranteed for the next 2 years so the team is fine there. The Redskins do need to infuse talent at some key positions like QB, WR, OT, ILB, and CB. It might take a couple of seasons and a solution at QB before this team is back into contention. Also in the hunt: Los Angeles Chargers (1-11) Chicago Bears (2-10) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-10) Buffalo Bills (3-9) New England Patriots (3-9) New York Giants (3-9) Minnesota Vikings (3-9) Let's Play Matchmaker This section will look at some of the top talent in college football and match those prospects up with teams that have a dire need at the position. New England Patriots: DT Hudson Adam, West Virginia The Patriots rush defense has been serious problem this season - they are the worst team in the league by 12 YPG. This is definitely partially due to starting Rich Moore at NT. He is known for being a great pass rusher and terrible run defender, but as he only has 2.5 sacks this year he's not bringing that proper value anymore. Bringing in someone who can actually stop the run at NT could help the defense seriously improve. The team did just sign him to a 3 year, 30 million extension with the first 2 years fully guaranteed (??????) but they could potentially switch to a 4-3 or trade Moore to a 4-3 team with this pick as someone who can stop the run up the middle is sorely needed. Adam (6-0, 310) got some Heisman hype leading up to this season after his 12-sack junior year. He only has 3 sacks thus far in 2020, but that's still pretty solid up the middle. NFLHC isn't typically a huge fan of short DTs but Adam has incredibly burst for a man of his size and will almost certainly be a top 20 pick. He can rush the passer effectively but also holds his own against the run, often breaking through double teams to bring down ball carriers up the middle, almost like a Rich Moore who can actually stop the run. Detroit Lions: CB Robert Bleeker, Arkansas The Lions secondary, since they're being coached by SlinkyJr, is usually expected to be pretty good. Unfortunately, this year the team ranks 24th in pass defense. While part of that is playing in a pass-happy division with Brian Vardell, Norris Brooksheer, and Jason Johnson all passing the ball at an above average rate, the Loins have neglected their secondary needs for a while. Keyshawn Thompson has been having a rough season by his standards but part of that is not having anyone else to help him. While I'm sure SlinkyJr would love to land Michigan State's Kordell McKinnon, that seems unrealistic for where Detroit is likely to finish. Adding Bleeker and even playing him in the slot for a year could be a good option and allow Slinky to develop a high-picked CB for the first time in 6 drafts. Bleeker (5-11, 188) is a JUCO transfer to Arkansas. He had a lot of D1 offers coming out of high school but couldn't qualify academically. He reportedly got his act together his local school Arkansas Baptist College after a couple of years before transferring to Arkansas and winning the CB1 job immediately. Bleeker does have an interception thus far this year, but he'll likely need to show a bit more to solidify himself as a first round pick in the upcoming draft. But with its current weakness he could easily fall to Detroit and slide into a nice situation. Minnesota Vikings: WR Luke Cobb, Florida State The Vikings are not having a good year. After trading face of the franchise Chester Henson, the team's offense has seriously struggled. The team is last in rush yards by almost 100 and Brian Vardell is posting the worst season of his entire career with 16 TD / 8 INT and an 85 passer rating. Part of that is definitely due to a weak receiving corps, with former first round pick Sonny Beckett proving to be more of a complementary piece. Wayne Wegert is terrible, Mohamed Charles is mediocre, and 2020 4th rounder Jacory Kessler is still learning to be a receiver. Instead of waiting on Kessler to develop, Minnesota can just go after Cobb. Cobb (6-5, 198) is one of the most hyped high school recruits we've seen. A so-called "unicorn," Cobb is a tall fast receiver who can beat you down the field, win jump balls in the end zone, and even play as a target move-the-chains player if needed. He's looking like he'll be a top pick in the upcoming draft. In a normal draft he probably wouldn't be the best receiver, but he is having a great year (just look at the UMass game where he put up 280 yards and 4 TD), has a great track record with 1100+ yards and 10+ TDs each of the last two years, and will probably be a good NFL receiver; and at this point Brian Vardell could use that. That should be Minnesota's priority at this point. Dallas Cowboys: SS Cameron Whitney, Connecticut The Cowboys are having a renaissance after a disappointing season last year. The team picked QB Graham Burnett at #7 and will likely start him in 2021. The team is surprisingly vulnerable in some spots; they're starting a 4th year 75 overall SS who has not put up any stats. The team's pass defense has been top 5 this year, but picking a player like Whitney could improve the run defense as well with his ability to play in the box. Whitney (6-2, 183) is a tall, lanky safety who can cover the TE and make plays when needed. He famously had a 3-interception game last season against Louisiana Tech which won him a Player of the Week award. A 2019 JUCO transfer, Whitney is a great coverage safety who can also hit hard though he does need to improve his tackling ability. He has the potential to be chosen above where Dallas picks, as he is a potential game-changer at the position; but if he does fall to them he's a great fit for their needs and defense as a great coverage safety who can play man to compliment rookie FS Emmanuel Slade could play well and make Dallas' defense even better in 2021. Buffalo Bills: TE Jonathan Greer, Virginia The Bills, after blowing a 3-game AFC East lead to finish a last-place 9-7 in 2019, have regressed to 3-9 thus far this year. Their starting QB a month ago is now playing WR2 and a highly paid, highly rated defensive line is only 11th in sacks thus far this year. It's been overall disappointing for Buffalo. While the team does have some minor needs, TE is an important position where the Bills are completely bereft of talent. They can remedy this by taking Greer (6-2, 217), the top rated TE in this class who nevertheless will likely be available in the 2nd round. The 2019 first-team all-ACC TE has been steadily improving as a receiver since he's been on campus, as he came in as a converted high school offensive lineman (coach npklemm thought 217 pounds was too small to play offensive tackle). With 51 catches for 707 yards and 8 TD in 2019 and being on pace to eclipse that in 2020, Greer could offer an upgrade as a blocker at TE while also being a target for whatever the Bills define as a QB. Oakland Raiders: OLB Caleb McNamara, Vanderbilt With QB Nick Hall injured, the Raiders are in danger of missing the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Of course, the AFC is so terrible that even at 6-6 the Raiders are right in the thick of contention. The Raiders did defeat Miami with Charlie Walter at QB, but a setback against the Ravens this week and Hall's likely absence for at least 2 more games this season makes it an uphill battle for the Raiders especially with so many teams around the same record. Both of the Raiders starting OLBs have been good this year, with Sergio Miller being solid with both sacks and turnovers; nonetheless, a player like McNamara could make the defense even better. McNamara (6-2, 217) is mostly known for his coverage ability, but in that respect he'd be an upgrade over Baumgartner. With 2 sacks this year, he's also shown an improved ability to get after the quarterback thus far. There's also a Vanderbilt connection as McNamara played with former Raiders first round pick David Pennington for 2 seasons. alienufo could look to continue the pipeline and also have some immediate chemistry between the two. Team Draft Report In this section, we take a deeper look at a specific team and where they stand in regards to the 2021 NFLHC Draft. Cincinnati Bengals: I wanted to cover the Bengals for this section as they're in one of the more intriguing positions in NFLHC. The AFC North is garbage, but the teams are all almost equally as bad. Cincy is currently in last at 5-7, but all other teams are 6-6 so the team could still potentially qualify for the playoffs. 6 of the highest 7 paid players on the team are expiring, and with some of them probably not being brought back into 2021 this team is going to see a larger amount of turnover than most of NFLHC usually does. There's probably some cap flexibility to go after free agents as well. With most impact players needing to be re-signed, how the Bengals play their re-signings will also factor into how they play their draft. Joel King, who the Bengals traded a massive amount of picks up to get before almost immediately regretting it and trading down a few spots while still nabbing him, has at the very least made progress this year. He went from 56.6% completion, 13 TD / 14 INT, and a 70.13 rating as a rookie to 62.13% completion, 22 TD / 17 INT, and an 87.55 rating this year. The picks are definitely a serious problem, though, and a likely massive reason for improvement are the respective trades for Rodney Montgomery and Adrian Jankowski which turned the Bengals receiving corps from one of the worst to a top 5 corps. King still does not look comfortable and his mistakes often compound on themselves; when he stays calm and solid in a game it seems to extend until he makes a mistake when it starts piling on. With the Bengals needing to make a decision on his 5th-year option and future as a starter next offseason, I'd assume he needs to at least make progress to the mid-90s in QB rating and cut down on the picks in order to have a certain long-term future in Cincinnati. Both Cincinnati backups are OK but also expiring, so if they can't re-sign either someone may not to be brought in in the draft. Ron Thomas is a really good RB who has stayed healthy and looked good even when Cincy made him handle a significantly larger workload than he should have. Cincy's only current backup is Charles Rocha who should probably be on a practice squad. This draft doesn't have too much at RB but if I was Cincinnati I'd at least be looking for a backup or someone who can handle 3rd down duties. Boston College's Zahir Watts is in a similar mold to Thomas and has been relatively productive; I think he could be a nice fit as a backup to spell a few snaps and come in in case Thomas starts to break down or pick up some injuries. He could potentially play 3rd down back as well if needed. FB Tom Edwards is good and under contract for another two years so the team is fine there. The team's top 3 receivers are really good; Montgomery and Jankowski are a great tandem and Greg Newman is a solid slot receiver. There's no depth however and both Montgomery and Newman see their contracts expire this offseason. Montgomery just rejected an extension offer from the Bengals and was reportedly insulted with how much the team lowballed him; the team likely wants to bring him back but if they can't Newman could see an offer as well. If Montgomery does come back, though, Newman will walk. Brandon Lane is an OK 4th receiver but the team could probably add someone in the mid-rounds as a developmental player. Southern Miss' Randall Johnson is an intriguing option; while he doesn't catch many TD he can pick up yards and move the chains which is what the Bengals would mostly want from a depth receiver. Cincy only rosters one full-time TE, Tony DeMarco, and his contract expires this offseason. He wasn't offered at mid-season, but I could see the team attempting to bring him back. Even if so a TE needs to be brought in during the draft as depth at the very least. Texas' Steven Maloney and Air Force's Cayden Reese are intriguing options as tertiary options for King, as both have shown to be solid receivers when needed. The Bengals' o-line is highly rated but there could be issues if OT Blake Pile walks this offseason. He's playing on the transition tag this year and just rejected an extension saying that he wants more money. Losing a 94 OT would be a serious issue for any team, and I wouldn't want to worsen King's protection right now; I'd back up the truck for him if I was the Bengals. The line is mostly fine outside of that; depth could be used along the line and a new RT will probably be needed in a year or two but it's performing acceptably for the most part. Defensively, Brett Bailey is good (and just signed an extension!), although he did have more sacks in one game last year than he does all of this year combined (4 in one game vs 3.5 this year). EJ McQuarters is an OK DE2. Both will come back next season so unless Cincinnati opts for Josiah Harden or Javier Grady the team is fine at the position, and there's acceptable depth currently. The team is extremely weak at DT and although Bill Kelly is owed 3 million guaranteed next year he's been benched for underperformance. The team does run a 3-4 so someone like Hudson Adam could fit in at nose; Stanford's Emmanuel Serrano or LSU's Cameron Street could probably immediately start for the Bengals and will most likely be available in the 2nd and 3rd round respectively. At linebacker, Nick Upshaw just signed an extension. That said, he's going into his 8th season and will almost certainly start declining in the next season or two. Still, he's still a decent starter (though he has just one statsheet game with 5 tackles this year) and since he signed an extension the Bengals likely aren't looking to replace him. Germaine Dixon has been really good at OLB this year, and is under contract for two more years. Will linebacker Daniel Barnes has played really well as a rookie in 2019 and has been on par with that this year. He went +3 this past offseason as well, and as he's under contract another two years he's locked up a starting spot for a while. Other OLB starter Mike Hulsey is just an OK player. He could easily be replaced if the Bengals like a player in the draft. The team mostly needs depth at mike ILB as Upshaw could start becoming injury prone and Richard Pitts is a questionable backup. The team also has absolutely no quality depth at OLB and so at least one pick should be spent in the mid-rounds on someone who can come in and play backup at bare minimum. You can't be having 66s and 65s as primary backups at this point for the most part. The team's corner situation is intriguing. DJ Reed has not been good as the team has been exposed against any team with a good WR1. He's been one of the league's worst CBs this year though he's not exactly in a fair situation. Blake Turner has been solid in his rookie year as CB2 as he has 2 picks (both returned for TDs) and has been playing admirably in coverage for such a raw corner. The team traded for Aaron Stiles this season in exchange for what boils down to a 3rd round pick. He's playing nickel in Cincinnati now and has been alright; he probably needs another year of development before he's really ready to start. He's still really young, but his development is definitely boom-or-bust. Those 3 are an acceptable trio for now developmentally and with the overvaluation of CBs in the draft I'd ignore the position for now. At FS, Jim Sisemore definitely won't be paid $10 million by Cincinnati again next year. With just 2 picks combined the last 2 years and a declining overall, Sisemore is declining to the point where he won't be starting for much longer. The team drafted Kenneth Schwartz in 2019 and he's developed alright behind the scenes. I expect him to start in 2021. The team might draft a backup, but this draft is weak at FS and so they might be better off just signing a free agent backup FS. 2017 2nd round pick SS Calvin Celestin has pretty much plateaued at 81 overall and with his contract expiring the team will likely let him walk unless he's wiling to come back at a cheap price point. Rookie Jose Leon was drafted to develop a year and potentially start next year; Cincinnati might also be looking at UConn's Cameron Whitney or TTU's Cameron Riley as SS of the future if the value is right. Leon is the most likely 2021 starter, however. K Justin Nielsen, a 5th round pick last year, is >90% on field goals this year and has been solid. Cincinnati's punting, however, is 30th in the league this year and the team should look to move on from current P Tommy Brown. He has $1 million guaranteed next year, but the team saves $1 million by cutting him. Just cutting him and drafting or signing a cheaper P is probably worth it as he has declined in his average ranking amongst punters the last couple of years. Oregon State's Patrick Wolff or USC's Giuseppe Bernstein are both options. The Bengals could re-structure their team in a million different ways. It could look very similar or very different in only 2 seasons, depending on who they want to re-sign and who wants to re-sign with them. With their division an easy one to take over with correct development, the team could be the kings of the AFC North in 2 seasons or a dumpster fire, and I don't see too much in-between.

Yeah, pretty much this. I started unranked and PSU started #1, and I only won in 2OT so it's not like I proved I was definitively better. It's definitely an understandable ranking even though there's arguments both ways

I really love the draft, the site during the draft, and mostly making fun of people for their godawful picks and trades Also when I told @DStack11 to go fuck himself with a rusty pipe for taking the lead on a croot I was gonna win with barely any points invested. That's a fond memory.

I'll miss you buddy. My sig will never be the same

Not sure what that has to do with Matt Jones, but if you want to join us I wouldn't be opposed to trying a phillyfan 2-QB system

WELL-OILED MACHINE Jets have outscored last 2 opponents 74 to 17

Blow, man for Bowman