if true, he comes off my 1st round board
no way im investing a high 1st round pick in a diva WR
NFL Breaking News Free Agency Thread
- Thread starter Deus Irae
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if true, he comes off my 1st round board
no way im investing a high 1st round pick in a diva WR
Maye, Harrison, or trade out - collect multiple firsts next year.
Another scenario i could see playing out is them going for JJ McCarty (either at #3 or trading back a few picks) and then picking up Roman Wilson in round 2 or 3
I wouldn’t touch McCarthy with a 10 foot pole.
thats where my film study skills are ass
i dont watch college ball, so instead i just mass consume highlight videos, etc of different prospects and when i was watching McCarthy's it seemed like he had quite a good arm (although inconsistent/inaccurate at times) and was highly mobile/athletic
i've been eyeing Roman Wilson from other mocks a lot, and figured if they went with JJ they might want to pair him up with his college #1 WR
Maye's interview on NFL Network weirded me out
Some comments on the recent stuff.
If the Vikings offer the farm for #3, I'd be tempted to take it. That conversation starts with #11 and 25/26 1sts.
From what I understand JJ McCarthy is not ready to start and should be on the Rodgers/Love path.
Merril Hodge... Lol
T'Vondre Sweat news sucks, but if it means Pats can grab him on day 3... Hell yeah.
If the Vikings offer the farm for #3, I'd be tempted to take it. That conversation starts with #11 and 25/26 1sts.
From what I understand JJ McCarthy is not ready to start and should be on the Rodgers/Love path.
Merril Hodge... Lol
T'Vondre Sweat news sucks, but if it means Pats can grab him on day 3... Hell yeah.
When it comes to the upcoming NFL Draft, the quarterbacks are the headliners.
As many as four, perhaps even five, could go in the first round.
The Patriots, who need to find their next franchise quarterback, will be in the mix.
They could stand pat at No. 3, taking whichever quarterback falls to them there, or trade out of the pick, acquire assets, and perhaps land the QB later in the first round.
If they make the selection up top, either LSU’s Jayden Daniels or North Carolina’s Drake Maye figure to be the pick. If the hype about Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy is to be believed, he might be a consideration there as well.
Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. are possibilities if the Patriots trade down.
What to make of each?
Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, who’s done extensive film study on the quarterbacks he considers to be the top five, offered assessments on the contenders.
Speaking with MassLive, the NFL Network analyst pointed out issues with all of them, saying: “They’re all going to have to get better at the NFL to be that guy.”
Basically, teams are evaluating on traits and potential. No one knows what the finished product is going to be like. It’s educated guesswork - even for Warner.
“I can see the upside in all of these guys,” Warner said. “You look at the deficiencies and go, ‘What does that really mean?’ I’ll be the first to tell you I don’t know what any of it means. I don’t know how you decipher, I don’t know how you know what they’re going to be at the next level.
“They all have to get better,” he went on. “To know which ones have the capabilities like Tom (Brady) did to get better every year, that’s not everybody. Some people kind of max out. Those are the questions I don’t have answers to.”
And therein lies the rub. Even a Hall of Fame quarterback can’t say with any certainty who’s going to be the next Josh Allen, or worse, the next Josh Rosen.
That said, Warner’s top five, in order, are USC’s Caleb Williams, LSU’s Daniels, North Carolina’s Maye, Washington’s Penix and Michigan’s McCarthy.
Williams is the consensus going No. 1 to the Chicago Bears. Warner believes he is the “most seasoned” and most talented of the lot, and should go No. 1.
As for the rest, who are all in play for the Patriots, here’s what Warner had to say about each in terms of what he liked, as well as what worries him most.
“Is this one of those seasons that was just a great season? Or, is this the guy that we’re going to get moving forward?” Warner said. “Because he did so many good things. Now, they had a very simple offense. They ran the same play over and over again. But, he’s a dynamic playmaker. A good thrower of the football. He made good decisions and made a lot of plays.”
Warner said it’s easy to get excited about the Heisman Trophy winner, who threw 40 TD passes with just four picks during the 2023 season.
“But I’m always a little concerned when a guy plays three years, and has one really good one,” Warner said. “Then you go, ‘Ok, is that an outlier, or is that who they are? Kind of like Joe Burrow. And Joe showed us, that’s who he is. Maybe Jayden is that same way.”
Based on the film from last season, Warner can’t help but be impressed with Daniels, who ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes will be the Commanders pick at No. 2.
“If I’m just going off the film, and what he did last year, I really like a lot of what he’s about, and what he did,” Warner said of Daniels, who is expected to have his 30 visit with the Patriots Monday. “His level of consistency last year, game in and game out, and some of the games he played, were about as flawless as anybody that we’re talking about. So you feel good based off the tape you saw last year. I just don’t know because we didn’t get to see that for a good two, two-and-a-half years like we did with Caleb. But I really liked him.”
“There were a lot of inconsistencies with Drake Maye this past year. Bouncing in the pocket, the technique wasn’t the best. Missing a lot of lay-ups,” he said. “Those things concern me, not that you can’t clean ‘em up, not that you can’t get better at them. Obviously, he was better his junior year than he was last year. But I feel like there are things there that you need to clean up for him to be able to be consistent at the next level.”
Warner said the hope would be for a top-tier quarterback to be closer to the finished product, than not. He’s on board with Maye’s potential, he’s just not sure how close he is to being a starter come September.
“You don’t want to have to correct a lot of stuff in my opinion even though he’s got the huge upside, and the big arm and the body and all of that stuff,” Warner said of Maye, who was in Foxborough Friday for his 30 visit. “Those are questions that you say: ‘Ok, can we clean it up? How quickly can it happen? Can that become his norm?’
“Or, is the loose technique something we’re going to be dealing with year in and year out? That’s the big question with me, with Maye, at that position.”
“I like him a lot. There’s a lot of good stuff to like,” Warner said. “I liked watching him at the Combine. The ball really came out clean. There are some things from a technique standpoint that I worry about a little bit. But, he was really accurate down the field. I liked the pace and the way the ball came off (his hands). He’s had two really good years.”
Warner brought up the medicals (Penix has torn his ACL twice) and how that might impact how teams view him.
On tape, however, there isn’t much question. Warner puts Penix at No. 4, or even as high as No. 3.
“He and Maye, I go back and forth. It depends on what traits you like and what you see in each of them. But he’s a guy I really liked, and there’s some upside there for sure,” Warner said. “I thought he made a lot of big plays, a lot of game-changing plays this past year.”
Asked if he’d classify Penix as a game-changer, Warner said that’s subjective.
“Do you look at a game-changer as being above and beyond? I look at above and beyond sometimes as being the guy that can process, make a little bit of movement in the pocket to create a play, like Tom (Brady) did,” Warner said. “Was he a game-changer? Yeah, he was a game-changer because of what he did mentally, the big throws, how he handled pressure, and so I look at that a little differently.”
As many as four, perhaps even five, could go in the first round.
The Patriots, who need to find their next franchise quarterback, will be in the mix.
They could stand pat at No. 3, taking whichever quarterback falls to them there, or trade out of the pick, acquire assets, and perhaps land the QB later in the first round.
If they make the selection up top, either LSU’s Jayden Daniels or North Carolina’s Drake Maye figure to be the pick. If the hype about Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy is to be believed, he might be a consideration there as well.
Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. are possibilities if the Patriots trade down.
What to make of each?
Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, who’s done extensive film study on the quarterbacks he considers to be the top five, offered assessments on the contenders.
Speaking with MassLive, the NFL Network analyst pointed out issues with all of them, saying: “They’re all going to have to get better at the NFL to be that guy.”
Basically, teams are evaluating on traits and potential. No one knows what the finished product is going to be like. It’s educated guesswork - even for Warner.
“I can see the upside in all of these guys,” Warner said. “You look at the deficiencies and go, ‘What does that really mean?’ I’ll be the first to tell you I don’t know what any of it means. I don’t know how you decipher, I don’t know how you know what they’re going to be at the next level.
“They all have to get better,” he went on. “To know which ones have the capabilities like Tom (Brady) did to get better every year, that’s not everybody. Some people kind of max out. Those are the questions I don’t have answers to.”
And therein lies the rub. Even a Hall of Fame quarterback can’t say with any certainty who’s going to be the next Josh Allen, or worse, the next Josh Rosen.
That said, Warner’s top five, in order, are USC’s Caleb Williams, LSU’s Daniels, North Carolina’s Maye, Washington’s Penix and Michigan’s McCarthy.
Williams is the consensus going No. 1 to the Chicago Bears. Warner believes he is the “most seasoned” and most talented of the lot, and should go No. 1.
As for the rest, who are all in play for the Patriots, here’s what Warner had to say about each in terms of what he liked, as well as what worries him most.
Jayden Daniels
Warner thought Daniels had a really special year. Given that was the LSU quarterback’s only “special” year raises one giant question in Warner’s mind.“Is this one of those seasons that was just a great season? Or, is this the guy that we’re going to get moving forward?” Warner said. “Because he did so many good things. Now, they had a very simple offense. They ran the same play over and over again. But, he’s a dynamic playmaker. A good thrower of the football. He made good decisions and made a lot of plays.”
Warner said it’s easy to get excited about the Heisman Trophy winner, who threw 40 TD passes with just four picks during the 2023 season.
“But I’m always a little concerned when a guy plays three years, and has one really good one,” Warner said. “Then you go, ‘Ok, is that an outlier, or is that who they are? Kind of like Joe Burrow. And Joe showed us, that’s who he is. Maybe Jayden is that same way.”
Based on the film from last season, Warner can’t help but be impressed with Daniels, who ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes will be the Commanders pick at No. 2.
“If I’m just going off the film, and what he did last year, I really like a lot of what he’s about, and what he did,” Warner said of Daniels, who is expected to have his 30 visit with the Patriots Monday. “His level of consistency last year, game in and game out, and some of the games he played, were about as flawless as anybody that we’re talking about. So you feel good based off the tape you saw last year. I just don’t know because we didn’t get to see that for a good two, two-and-a-half years like we did with Caleb. But I really liked him.”
Drake Maye
Warner sees why Maye is no longer the unquestioned No. 2, first highlighting what’s worrisome to him about the North Carolina quarterback.“There were a lot of inconsistencies with Drake Maye this past year. Bouncing in the pocket, the technique wasn’t the best. Missing a lot of lay-ups,” he said. “Those things concern me, not that you can’t clean ‘em up, not that you can’t get better at them. Obviously, he was better his junior year than he was last year. But I feel like there are things there that you need to clean up for him to be able to be consistent at the next level.”
Warner said the hope would be for a top-tier quarterback to be closer to the finished product, than not. He’s on board with Maye’s potential, he’s just not sure how close he is to being a starter come September.
“You don’t want to have to correct a lot of stuff in my opinion even though he’s got the huge upside, and the big arm and the body and all of that stuff,” Warner said of Maye, who was in Foxborough Friday for his 30 visit. “Those are questions that you say: ‘Ok, can we clean it up? How quickly can it happen? Can that become his norm?’
“Or, is the loose technique something we’re going to be dealing with year in and year out? That’s the big question with me, with Maye, at that position.”
Michael Penix Jr.
Warner is an unabashed fan of Penix and how he delivers the football.“I like him a lot. There’s a lot of good stuff to like,” Warner said. “I liked watching him at the Combine. The ball really came out clean. There are some things from a technique standpoint that I worry about a little bit. But, he was really accurate down the field. I liked the pace and the way the ball came off (his hands). He’s had two really good years.”
Warner brought up the medicals (Penix has torn his ACL twice) and how that might impact how teams view him.
On tape, however, there isn’t much question. Warner puts Penix at No. 4, or even as high as No. 3.
“He and Maye, I go back and forth. It depends on what traits you like and what you see in each of them. But he’s a guy I really liked, and there’s some upside there for sure,” Warner said. “I thought he made a lot of big plays, a lot of game-changing plays this past year.”
Asked if he’d classify Penix as a game-changer, Warner said that’s subjective.
“Do you look at a game-changer as being above and beyond? I look at above and beyond sometimes as being the guy that can process, make a little bit of movement in the pocket to create a play, like Tom (Brady) did,” Warner said. “Was he a game-changer? Yeah, he was a game-changer because of what he did mentally, the big throws, how he handled pressure, and so I look at that a little differently.”
J.J. McCarthy
The Michigan quarterback has risen up the boards. There’s been speculation he could be taken as high as No. 2 to Washington, or even No. 3 to New England.Warner’s take?
“I would put him No. 5 on my list, but I see what people like in him. I think he’s got a good demeanor in the pocket. I think he’s got a good pocket presence,” Warner said. “He doesn’t panic in the pocket. Obviously, he’s been a winner. Played in a more pro-style system in a lot of ways, under center, in the shotgun. He can make the throws down the field which to me is always important. You’ve got to be good at the second-level throws.
“But, the things everybody talks about - I’ve never seen him carry a team, so that always makes me wonder if I’m drafting a guy, especially on a team where I feel like he’s going to have to make plays for me. Can he be that guy?”
Warner doesn’t know if McCarthy can be more than a game manager.
“There’s lots of quarterbacks in this league, backup quarterbacks that can go in and give you 25 throws a game and manage things,” Warner said. “But I don’t want a game manager if I’m taking him in the top five. I need a guy who’s a game-changer. And I don’t know if he’s that guy.”
Warner also offered a few critiques of McCarthy, who helped lead the Wolverines to a national championship.
“He’s got one pace on the football. Everything he throws, he kind of throws a hundred miles an hour. So, when you do that, you either hit or miss,” Warner said. “There’s no room for error, and no room for adjustment by your receivers and stuff like that. And, that’s something he’s going to have to get better at. He just missed too many open throws for me because the throw was a hundred miles an hour. It was behind a guy, and the guy couldn’t adjust to it, or he threw it out in front of the guy, and there was no catching up to it because of it. So that’s where I’m at with J.J.”
Along with Maye and Daniels, McCarthy is also expected to have a 30 visit with the Patriots.
