More thoughts on the draft … There are a couple of reports making the rounds this day regarding what’s going on at the top of the board. On the one hand, there is a report that Las Vegas has reached out to Washington about a possible trade for the #2 pick where the Raiders would presumably take LSU QB Jayden Daniels. At the same time, there are reports that New England, which has at least been shopping the 3rd pick, has not yet received any serious offers. What all that may reflect is the fact that while we have generally been talking about the top 4 QBs in this year’s draft, all top QBs are not necessarily equal. In fact, one gets the sense that there is something of a consensus around the league that USC’s Caleb Williams and Daniels are viewed as legit potential elite franchise QBs for whom most teams that need a top-flight passer would empty the vault. At the same time, one gets the sense that Drake Maye of North Carolina and Michigan’s JJ McCarthy are viewed more as good prospects, but still more as developmental types. Maye, for example, has all the prototype physical tools including size, arm strength and athleticism, but hasn’t yet shown elite instincts, while McCarthy aces all the intangible tests, but doesn’t have the big-arm to consistently fit the bill into the tight spaces NFL QBs have to do every week.
Perhaps the biggest tell that such a gap may exist is the very fact that New England, which needs a QB more than any franchise in the league and has an owner on record saying he thinks the Patriots’ biggest need is a passer, is apparently still actively looking to trade down. In fact, we suspect the Patriots may be looking for the kind of package for Maye or McCarthy from teams like the Giants, Minnesota, Denver and Vegas that those teams likely would pay to get a shot at Williams or Daniels, but aren’t anywhere near as inclined to pay that much for what they may view as more developmental types. Of course, we may end up with something of a similar situation if New England opts to sit tight and take Maye when Arizona gets on the clock with the 4th pick. One also gets the sense that the Cardinals haven’t traded the pick already in part because the teams looking to move up want to know whether they’re going to be getting Maye or McCarthy as it appears the former is somewhat more coveted than the latter as Maye’s strengths just aren’t coachable.
Just an interesting note on that last point. In the past 24 hours or so, both Daniel Jeremiah, the NFL Network’s lead draft analyst, and Mel Kiper, ESPN’s top guru, have posted their final top 150 rankings for this week’s draft here and here respectively and neither have McCarthy ranked in their top 10 with Kiper having him at #15 overall and Jeremiah at #20. Of course, they wouldn’t be the first prime draft analysts to miss on a guy, but it is curious given the buzz that has surrounded the former Wolverines’ star the past couple of months.
In fact, while there is all kinds of intrigue about potential trades heading into Thursday night’s opening round, at this point in time, it does not look like much of anything is going to happen until teams actually get on the clock. Should be fascinating.
