AU In The 2020 NFL Draft

[DAG 33,982]

1 hour ago, I_M4_AU said:

Yeah, not arguing, just pointing out that he (Stidham) has to unlearn a bad tendency.  He will either grow or get cut.

Yep I 100 percent agree with you . 

[AURex 1,995]

Okay, regarding this year's draft, I have a question. I have no agenda here. I'm just interested in perspectives.

So, Auburn's OL play has been the subject of constant derision for several years. Not only lack of talent, but poor coaching.

2 Auburn OL get drafted. The other 2 sign UFA contracts. So my question is -- was it really lack of talent, or was it poor coaching, or was it Malzahn's "goofy offense" (that's a draft analyst's terminology) scheme that contributed to such poor play by our OL in recent years?

I guess I was just surprised to see anyone other than Prince even get a look, the way everyone has been ragging on the OL play (including me).

 

[DAG 33,982]

32 minutes ago, AURex said:

Okay, regarding this year's draft, I have a question. I have no agenda here. I'm just interested in perspectives.

So, Auburn's OL play has been the subject of constant derision for several years. Not only lack of talent, but poor coaching.

2 Auburn OL get drafted. The other 2 sign UFA contracts. So my question is -- was it really lack of talent, or was it poor coaching, or was it Malzahn's "goofy offense" (that's a draft analyst's terminology) scheme that contributed to such poor play by our OL in recent years?

I guess I was just surprised to see anyone other than Prince even get a look, the way everyone has been ragging on the OL play (including me).

 

It’s not a lack of talent . We have a lot of boys with untapped potential . Some of it is coaching and scheme as well. 

[twilli13 600]

29 minutes ago, DAG said:

It’s not a lack of talent . We have a lot of boys with untapped potential . Some of it is coaching and scheme as well. 

I feel like our scheme didnt jive with the players strengths. We didnt have any road grading offensive lineman and Gustards offense is still mostly dependent on run success to work well. So the guys may have been descent pass blockers but it didnt translate to great team success in our offense. I honestly was more suprised by the Driscoll selection than Tega. 

[DAG 33,982]

1 hour ago, twilli13 said:

I feel like our scheme didnt jive with the players strengths. We didnt have any road grading offensive lineman and Gustards offense is still mostly dependent on run success to work well. So the guys may have been descent pass blockers but it didnt translate to great team success in our offense. I honestly was more suprised by the Driscoll selection than Tega. 

I would agree with you . 

[alexava 6,973]

I don’t see how Horton was signed. Both centers were not very good to be generous. Tega, Driscoll, and Harrell were all “ok” enough that two more solid interior linemen could have been the difference in those 3 loses. 

[alexava 6,973]

As far as Stidham, there’s no doubt the difference between’17 and ‘18 was the people around him. He had much less time to throw and the run game was worse than that. My point was that he had chances to grind out more plays. In close games we needed a few more plays that were there and he didn’t come through. He obviously couldn’t have been the difference in all the loses. I think he could have won two or three more. Without the TXAnM type heroics, just maybe a third and short when he made a bad decision. He looks great in preseason. Especially on a highlight film. You can’t fake that talent. He’s got it. I hope the best for him. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

11 hours ago, twilli13 said:

I feel like our scheme didnt jive with the players strengths. We didnt have any road grading offensive lineman and Gustards offense is still mostly dependent on run success to work well. So the guys may have been descent pass blockers but it didnt translate to great team success in our offense. I honestly was more suprised by the Driscoll selection than Tega. 

Tega was hurt by not getting to work out. He's still raw and his athleticism was what made him a decent prospect. Also, he's evidently not as long as we thought.

Driscoll is a more polished prospect. Lower ceiling but higher floor. 

As for strengths, I partially agree with that. The center position didn't have any strengths. Brahms might get there, but flip flopping with Kim as a true freshman in that train wreck... he didn't stand a chance last year. Horton and Harrell just weren't as tough mentally as we needed them to be. And just not enough nasty on the OL in general. Not sure our guys have played through the whistle since 2014, except for Braden Smith and maybe Casey Dunn. But the last two years have probably been the most glaring IMO.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

How many Auburn Tigers signed with NFL teams?

[AURex 1,995]

Let me put it another way. There are 130 FBS teams. Auburn's OL has been called shiiiiite for the past few years. Yet 2 of the 4 in this years draft get drafted by NFL teams and 2 more ger UFA contracts ---- out of 130 teams. What gives?

 

[metafour 4,969]

Interesting timing for this article

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2889503-jarrett-stidham-is-the-reason-the-patriots-didnt-draft-a-quarterback-in-2020

 

Quote

Jarrett Stidham Is the Reason the Patriots Didn't Draft a Quarterback in 2020

When the New England Patriots came on the clock with the 23rd pick of the 2020 NFL draft, Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert had been selected at the quarterback position. But Bill Belichick and director of player personnel Nick Caserio had their pick of Jordan Love, Jalen Hurts, Jacob Eason and Jake Fromm—players all ranked by expert draft analysts as potential top-50 selections.

Instead of drafting a quarterback, the Patriots traded the pick to the Los Angeles Chargers, opting to move out of the first round. With Tom Brady leaving Foxborough after 20 seasons for Tampa Bay, why did the Patriots not prioritize an heir apparent?

Two words—Jarrett Stidham.

"People around the league can't help but think of some great Patriots conspiracy that they'll trade up for a quarterback," an AFC pro scout said. "First it was Baker [Mayfield], then it was Tua. Spoiler alert: They really like Stidham."

Rumors started circling at the NFL Scouting Combine in late February that the Patriots were ready for life after Brady should he decide to walk in free agency, with one top agent telling me that he was trying to set up calls with New England to talk about his free agency or quarterback prospects in the draft.

Those calls, per the agent, came and went without a response from the Patriots. "They like the guy they have," he told me in a predraft call.

As soon as it was known Brady was leaving, the Patriots signed veteran Brian Hoyer, the type of backup who won't threaten Stidham's spot on the depth chart and has the experience to mentor a young player. Settling on Hoyer instead of spending on Marcus Mariota or trading for Nick Foles should have signaled to the NFL that New England was committed to the second-year passer from Auburn.

Every move the Patriots have made has pointed to turning the keys of the franchise over to No. 4. They franchise-tagged top guard Joe Thuney. They drafted two tight ends to make middle-of-the-field passing easier. They kept a veteran secondary together while letting expensive linebackers walk to get the salary cap healthy for free-agency runs in 2021 and 2022.

"They really believe in him," said another pro personnel scout. "The rumor was that Belichick, Caserio and Josh [McDaniels] think they can win with Stidham on a rookie contract."

But is Stidham good or just cheap?

He's good.

Speaking to scouts pre- and post-draft this April, many believe that Stidham was better than Jordan Love as a prospect and would have ranked as the No. 3 or 4 quarterback in the 2020 class—behind only Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa.

"Let's not forget that after his junior season the kid looked like a first-rounder, then Auburn ruined him in '18 with that terrible supporting cast," said an SEC area scout. And that's true—Stidham had a Round 1 grade on my scouting notes headed into his senior season, but the Auburn offense fell apart, and his stock went down with it.

Said the same scout, "If you need a reminder of what he can do, turn on the Auburn vs. Alabama game from 2017 and you'll see a first-round quarterback and a future franchise passer."

One of Bill Belichick's best friends in football? Nick Saban, the head coach Stidham beat that day with a 21-of-28 effort in which he added 51 rushing yards and a touchdown. It wasn't just that day, either. Stidham ended his college career on a high with a five-touchdown performance against Purdue and then dominated at the Senior Bowl and had a very good NFL Scouting Combine week.

The talent was there. His stock was just rocked by his struggles with a poor talent group around him in 2018. But the same case was made for Love and Herbert in this draft class.

Said the one Patriots staffer who would return a text for this piece, "Go ahead and get excited about him."

Why did the Patriots pass on every quarterback outside of the top three? Why didn't they package their stockpile of draft capital to move up for a quarterback?

Simple—it's because they already have their guy. This is Jarrett Stidham's team now.

 

[bigbird 60,521]

1 hour ago, metafour said:

Interesting timing for this article

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2889503-jarrett-stidham-is-the-reason-the-patriots-didnt-draft-a-quarterback-in-2020

 

 

Weird, huh...

[DAG 33,982]

On 5/2/2020 at 11:42 AM, metafour said:

Interesting timing for this article

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2889503-jarrett-stidham-is-the-reason-the-patriots-didnt-draft-a-quarterback-in-2020

 

 

https://www.espn.com/blog/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4820076/moment-wont-be-too-big-for-jarrett-stidham-says-his-former-coach

 

I found this to be funny. 

"When he got drafted by the Patriots [in 2019], I thought it was a perfect spot for him system-wise -- spreading the field. He's so good with protections, changing protections, and scheme-wise everything that goes with it, and just the flexibility the scheme gives him. I think that really applies to his strength."

 

Why didn't you maximize his strength when he was at Auburn?! Derp

[McLoofus 35,182]

On 5/2/2020 at 12:13 AM, AURex said:

Let me put it another way. There are 130 FBS teams. Auburn's OL has been called shiiiiite for the past few years. Yet 2 of the 4 in this years draft get drafted by NFL teams and 2 more ger UFA contracts ---- out of 130 teams. What gives?

We had 1 tackle go, in the 6th round.

bama had one go in the 1st. uga had 2 go in the first. MSU had one go in the 3rd, and LSU had one go in the 4th.

We had 1 guard go, in the 4th.

LSU had one go in the 3rd, and uga had one go in the 4th before our guy.

Our center for the season opener was a senior. He lost his job to a freshman and did not enter the draft. 

Out of 46 OLs drafted, we had 2 of them. Seems decent until you consider how unlikely it is that many other teams' entire OLs were returning starters and/or seniors (I think Kim was the only "or"). And that percentage likely goes down once you get into UFAs.

TL;DR  We don't compare ourselves to 130 teams, but to the top 20 or so (really should be a smaller number). And our 2020 draft numbers are inflated by graduating the entire OL. 

[Rednilla 5,391]

On 4/24/2020 at 1:33 PM, Zeek said:

 

@MommaWorm Is Shaun all of 5'7? I had it in my head he was 5'6. Not that it really matters, I'm just curious.

[Momma Worm 2,844]

On 5/6/2020 at 9:29 AM, Rednilla said:

@MommaWorm Is Shaun all of 5'7? I had it in my head he was 5'6. Not that it really matters, I'm just curious.

He’s between 5’6/5’7... he is grew an inch since he’s been home so he might be now 

[AURex 1,995]

On 5/4/2020 at 9:07 AM, McLoofus said:

TL;DR  We don't compare ourselves to 130 teams, but to the top 20 or so (really should be a smaller number). And our 2020 draft numbers are inflated by graduating the entire OL. 

Well, in the NFL draft, I'd say we compare ourselves to ALL OTHER teams with players in the draft. So, considering ALL the OL players eligible for the draft, I'd say the Auburn guys who signed with NFL teams must have been *good enough* to merit NFL team attention. As highly regarded as OL guys from AL, UGA, etc? No. But still, *good enough* to get an NFL payday.

So, my question was never "who had the best OL players"? My question was, Here are Auburn OL guys being taken by NFL teams, but they've been criticized all year as totally incompetent, POS linemen by Auburn people on this forum. So, were they actually that incompetent? Or was it the goofy Malzahn offensive scheme? Or was it crappy OL coaching that made it impossible for them to perform at their their best?

Because obviously, in terms of measurables and talent, they were good enough to get NFL attention.

 

[McLoofus 35,182]

9 hours ago, AURex said:

My question was, Here are Auburn OL guys being taken by NFL teams, but they've been criticized all year as totally incompetent, POS linemen by Auburn people on this forum. So, were they actually that incompetent? Or was it the goofy Malzahn offensive scheme? Or was it crappy OL coaching that made it impossible for them to perform at their their best?

Then the answer is "yes".

Five draft-eligible guys for a P5 powerhouse team. Two got drafted. Based on their draft position, it will be a good result if one of them is ever a consistent NFL starter. The two UFAs are unlikely to ever see an active NFL roster. 

Let's look at TAMU, who recruits about on par with us and, like us, sits in the middle of the SEC West (it's so freaking infuriating to say that). Look at the starting five for TAMU week one in 2016, since all of them have fulfilled their eligibility by now. (Not sure how else to compare since all our guys to start 2019 were eligible this year):

LT- Avery Gennessy, undrafted
LG- Colton Prater, undrafted
C- Erik McCoy, 2nd round
RG- Connor Lanfear, undrafted
RT- Jermaine Eluemunor, 5th round

From 2016-2019, Texas A&M won 8, 7, 9 and 8 games. 7 games got Sumlin fired in 2017. 

If we compare ourselves to the other middle-of-the-pack SEC West team, then we're only a little bit behind them in terms of NFL OLs produced the last 4 years. 

Now here's something that doesn't support my argument at all, and which I found very shocking. Of Clemson's 5 starters going into 2016, none got drafted and only one (Mitch Hyatt) has seen any NFL action. I really don't even know what to do with that info.