NFL Draft grades for real
OK, we can all agree about a few things on NFL Draft grades.
First, everyone who deals with the league and the teams is very soft on the grades. Most scales are said to be A to F. And it's almost impossible to remember anyone getting an F. (Heck the D's are very, Very, VERY few and far between.)
Second, next-day grades of drafts are almost impossible to do, making them even harder to take with a lot of merit.
With that in mind, let's grade the NFL Draft.
From 2013.
Here's the idea: Grade backward and look at the results of three best and three worst draft hauls for teams (and the teams on these lists are going to send clear signals of why some teams were in the playoffs and why some teams were picking in the top five again); Redraft who would be in the top 10 for team (looking at players and needs at the time).
A - Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles picked fourth in round one and picked the third tackle in the first four picks. But Lane Johnson is on the fast track to Canton and was an anchor for a front five that was a strength of the Super Bowl champs. (The others - Eric Fisher and Luke Joeckel - each have struggled mightily.) Round two produced Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz and round three netted long-time defensive tackle starter Bennie Logan. And most everyone thought the fourth-round pick of Matt Barkley was the Eagles' best. It turned out to be the least valuable.
A - Minnesota Vikings. Yes, they had three first-rounders and that helps. But they landed one of the best shutdown corners in Xavier Rhodes and a defensive line starter in Sharrif Floyd, who has been derailed by injuries. There were multiple picks who are still in the league with other teams, but the Vikings get credit for landing long-term contributors. There's also the good luck factor of signing Adam Theilen as an undrafted free agent.
A - Carolina. The Panthers drafted two defensive tackles in the first two rounds and Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short anchored a D-Line that has been a strength since, including their run to the Super Bowl. With only five picks, the Panthers made the most of them with four still in the league and three as major defensive contributors as late as last season.
Side note: Detroit was really close with good picks in the first three rounds and would be right there among the next group of best picks.
Redrafting the top 10 with team (who they picked) - and who they would pick with hindsight (and where he went)
Kansas City (Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan) - Le'Veon Bell (Pittsburgh with pick No. 48)
Jacksonville (Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M) - Lane Johnson (Philadelphia with pick No. 4)
Miami Dolphins (Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon) - Ziggy Ansah (Detroit with pick No. 5)
Philadelphia (Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma) - Xavier Rhodes (Minnesota with pick No. 25)
Detroit (Ziggy Ansah, DE, BYU) - DeAndre Hopkins (Houston with pick No. 27)
Cleveland (Barkeviovs Mingo, DE, LSU) - Sheldon Richardon (new York Jets with pick No. 13)
Arizona (Jonathan Cooper, G, UNC) - Kyle Long (Chicago with pick No. 21)
St. Louis (Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia) - Keenan Allen (San Diego with pick No. 76)
New York Jets (Dee Millner, CB, Alabama) - Desmond Trufant (Atlanta with pick No. 22)
Tennessee (Chance Warmack, G, Alabama) - Travis Frederick (Dallas with pick No. 31)
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher James Paxton throws his final pitch of the night as he strikes out Texas Rangers' Joey Gallo during the eighth inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 15, 2017, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) State of baseball
Here are two stats that have to concern MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. The first is aesthetic; the second is about the culture of the sport.
For the first time ever, there were more strikeouts in a month than hits. Read that again.
And it has not been close with 296 more K's than base hits.
Now know this: Joey Gallo, the Rangers slugger, is the first player in baseball history to have 50 career homers before he has 50 career singles. He is a career .203 hitter and has 308 Ks in 693 at-bats. And he is tied for the AL-lead in games played.
The games are designed for big swings and frequent misses. Is that a good thing?
And speaking of good things, did you know that 15 teams are on pace to win 90 games and eight teams are on pace to lose 100 games?
How about that imbalance?
For all the tanking talk that has consumed the NBA, the divide between the cans and the can nots in baseball is staggering.
FILE - In this Nov. 4, 2017, file photo, Jose Ortiz rides Good Magic to victory in the Sentient Jet Juvenile horse race during the Breeders' Cup in Del Mar, Calif. Chad Brown believes this is his best chance to win the Kentucky Derby heading into the first leg of the Triple Crown with Good Magic hitting his stride. The Breeders' Cup 2-year-old champion colt is second in qualifying points thanks to a win in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland and appears primed to add the Derby to is list of victories _ a race that has eluded Brown four previous times.(AP Photo/Denis Poroy, File)Derby dancing'
Sorry we never put together a draft contest last week.
So it goes.
Now comes one of the easiest to enter. It's the Doing the Derby Who's first, Who's last event (a derby or any other fancy hat optional).
The entry process is simple: Either email your picks to jgreeson@timesfreepress.com or submit them in the comments.
Picking the winner is worth 1 point; picking the horse that finishes last is worth 1.1 points. (Note: Horses have to be in the field and run. Scratches are out, and if your horse scratches late, you can resend as long as it is before post time.)
Here's the field for Saturday's 144th Run for the Roses, with odds as of this morning:
Mendelssohn, 4-1
Justify, 4-1
Audible, 5-1
Magnum Moon, 8-1
Bolt d'Oro, 9-1
Good Magic, 11-1
Hofburg, 16-1
Vino Rosso, 16-1
Noble Indy, 20-1
My Boy Jack, 22-1
Solomini, 22-1
Enticed, 25-1
Promises Fulfilled, 33-1
Free Drop Billy, 33-1
Flameaway, 33-1
Firenze Fire, 40-1
Combatant, 40-1
Bravazo, 50-1
Restoring Hope, 50-1
Snapper Sinclair, 50-1
Lone Sailor, 50-1
Instilled Regard, 50-1
Reride, 50-1
Sporting Chance, 66-1
Dream Baby Dream, 100-1
Givemeaminut, 100-1
So there you go friends, and yes, sadly, Gronkowski is a scratch. But here's betting that the real Gronkowski will be in the stands, so there's that.
This and that
- Strong Game 1 showing from Boston vs. everyone's fav Philadelphia as the Celtics rolled the 76ers.
- Kudos to the Celtics fans for creativity, chanting "Not a rookie! Not a rookie!" at 76ers budding star Ben Simmons. Nice.
- The Dodgers stink. That is all.
- Josh Hader faced nine batters, struck out eight and walked one. Yes, he pitched 2.2 innings and the only defender he truly needed was the catcher. He's the first pitcher since the late-1800s to record eight more outs in a game and all of them be Ks.
- Man Jason Witten is a wanted dude. ESPN wants him. Reportedly. Dallas wants him back. Now come stories that another network wants him. Also in that story are the numbers: ESPN offering between $4-4.5 million to do Monday football; Dallas offering roughly $1.8 million total to play football. That seems like a no-brainer to this guy.
- Tom Brady had a lot to say with Jim Gray at a conference Monday. Who knew? And his thesis that you have to respect everyone's opinion is flawed on its face. Everyone is entitled to their opinion sure, but if someone's opinion is "Adultry is cool" or "America sucks" or "Miller Lite is better than Bud Light" well, then no I don't have to respect that opinion. Sorry, Tom.
- Wow, here's a shock. Apparently the Ball family experiment in Lithuania did not go well. The Lithuania coach, as amazing as this may sound, got into it with LaVar because of a lack of playing time for the youngest Ball. The league official said everyone got bored with the entire ordeal. Sounds about right, huh?
- And finally, here's another shocker. Apparently, according to that report, playing football can increase the likelihood of head and brain injuries. Who knew? Wonder if smoking is bad for you? Someone get on that please.
Today's questions
True or false, you have to respect everyone's opinion.
True or false, the Celtics are the team to beat next year, Warriors included.
True or false, the big-bombs, big-bunches-of-misses baseball is more fun to watch.
Give an answer, leave a T or F.
Also, get in the Derby Deal. It gives you a vested interest.
As for today, May 1, let's see.
In 1931, the Empire State Building opened. That's pretty cool.
In 1898, Adm. Dewey issued a military quote that has lived for ever, telling his men, "You may fire when ready."
On this first day of May, we will keep it simple and ask you to be creative.
Rushmore of 'May' - be it name, title or phrase - and let's see whatcha' got.