is a nicer way of saying
Draftageddon 2017: Jukeboxes and Jitterbugs Edition
This is Part VII. We are drafting Big Ten players to give you an overview of the guys and dudes around the conference. You come out of it with a four-deep preseason All-Big Ten. We come out of it with very strong opinions on Justin Jackson.
Previously: Picks 1-10 (Hurst, Gary Speight), Picks 11-20 (Peters), Picks 21-28 (Cole), and Picks 29-40 (McCray, Mone) Picks 41-50 (Winovich), Picks 51-60 (Bredeson, Kekoa, Khaleke)
THAT WHICH HAS ALREADY OCCURRED:
- Ohio State (11 players): DE Nick Bosa (3rd, Seth), QB JT Barrett (6th, Seth), DE Tyquan Lewis (8th, BiSB), CB Denzel Ward (11th, Seth), DT Dre’Mont Jones (13th, Ace), OC Billy Price (17th, BiSB), DE Sam Hubbard (20th, Ace), LB Jerome Baker (21st, Ace), OT Jamarco Jones (28th, Ace), NT Bob Landers (51st, Seth), DE Jalyn Holmes (54th, Seth)
- Michigan (11 players): DT Maurice Hurst (2nd, Brian), DE Rashan Gary (5th, Ace), QB Wilton Speight (7th, Brian), QB Brandon Peters (an obligatory 16th, BiSB), OT Mason Cole (26th, Brian), LB Mike McCray (36th, Ace), NT Brian Mone (40th, BiSB), DE Chase Winovich (48th, BiSB), OG Ben Bredeson (57th, BiSB), WR Kekoa Crawford (58th, Brian), VIPER!!! Khaleke Hudson (59th, Seth)
- Iowa (7 players): RB Akrum Wadley (18th, Brian), G/C Sean Welsh (22nd, Seth), LB Josey Jewell 23rd, Brian), OT Ike Boettger (35th, Seth), DE Anthony Nelson (42nd, Brian), CB Manny Rugamba (43rd, Seth), OC James Daniels (47th, Brian)
- Penn State (7 players): RB Saquon Barkley (1st, BiSB), QB Trace McSorley (4th, Ace), “TE” Mike Gesicki (25th, BiSB), S Marcus Allen (29th, Ace), OT Ryan Bates (41st, BiSB), LB Jason Cabinda (49th, BiSB), Brendan Mahon (53rd, Ace)
- Wisconsin (6 players): LB Jack Cichy (14th, Seth), TE Troy Fumagalli (15th, Brian), OG Beau Benzschawel (33rd, BiSB), OC Michael Dieter (34th, Brian), LB TJ Edwards (39th, Brian), WR Jazz Peavy (44th, Ace)
- Indiana (5 players): LB Tegray Scales (9th, BiSB), WR Simmie Cobbs (12th, Ace), WR Nick Westbrook (30th, Seth), CB Rashard Fant (32nd, BiSB), S Jonathan Crawford (52nd, Ace)
- Maryland (3 players): DT Kingsley Opara (19th, Seth), OT Damian Prince (45th, Ace), WR DJ Moore (56th, BiSB)
- Minnesota (2 players): DT Stephen Richardson (10th, Brian), WR Rashad Still (38th, Seth)
- Nebraska (2 players): OG Tanner Farmer (46th, Seth), S Joshua Kalu (50th, Brian)
- Northwestern (2 players): S Godwin Igwebuike (24th, BiSB), RB Justin Jackson (60th, Ace)
- Michigan State (2 players): OG Brian Allen (37th, Ace), RB LJ Scott (55th, Brian)
- Rutgers (1 player): OT Tariq Cole (27th, Seth)
- Illinois (1 player): WR Malik Turner (31st, Brian)
So we just got done having an argument about Justin Jackson. Speaking of guys wearing #21 for the Wildcats…
---------------------------
Seth: Round 16, Pick 2: Kyle Queiro, Safety, Northwestern
Off: QB JT Barrett (OSU), WR Nick Westbrook (IU), WR Rashad Still (MN), OG Sean Welsh (IA), LT Tariq Cole (RU), RT Ike Boettger (IA), OG Tanner Farmer (NE)
Def: NT Robert Landers (OSU), DT Kingsley Opara (MD), DE Nick Bosa (OSU), DE Jalyn Holmes (OSU), LB Jack Cichy (UW), VIPER!!! Khaleke Hudson (UM), S Kyle Quiero (NW), CB Denzel Ward, CB Manny Rugamba
Holy cow!@NUFBFamily's Kyle Queiro just out-did @JourdanJD's INT.
More video » https://t.co/Afb2pFbefbhttps://t.co/igOEAFZnss
— Northwestern On BTN (@NUOnBTN) October 22, 2016
- No. No he didn't. Unless you're thinking of an entirely different pick.
- That's pretty cool
- The reason he one-handed it is his other hand was in a club.
PFF's College football twitter last month started putting out graphics of their top 3 returning players for each team, with last year's grades. The Northwestern one both confirmed a sleeper pick I've been close to pulling the trigger on for a few rounds, and outs him.
Saturday morning news special: Those safeties up at Northwestern are pretty good. pic.twitter.com/qoMg1h6yxg
— PFF College Football (@PFF_College) July 22, 2017
PFF thought Kyle Queiro was almost as good as Iggy while playing mostly deep centerfield to Igwebuike's boxier role. On film the distance is wider. Igwebuike is a Player who eats jet sweeps and screens for lunch. Queiro, who's 6'3, is more of a Jarrod Wilsonian binkie, keeping the hashes clean and long runs to field goal drives. He's athletic enough that they use him to cover slots out of the nickel in their sub packages. Injuries kept him off the field for the early part of his career and much of September so his 53 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 6 PBUs, and 2 INTs (you remember the club) are in 10 games.
---------------------------
Seth: And let's make this clear: Lewis was alone in man-to-man and in better "I'm not touching you" personal space invasion technique than my brothers could master in a childhood of up north road trips. Queiro is drifting back in zone coverage with help over the top and Lagow significantly underthrew it.
[Hit THE JUMP for what Tom Haverford calls a scatback]
---------------------------
Ace: ROUND 16, PICK 1: Christian Campbell, CB, Penn State
I am not pleased that YouTube now thinks I want to watch
every Penn State pump-up video…
Off: QB Trace McSorley (PSU), RB Justin Jackson (NW), WR Simmie Cobbs (IU), WR Jazz Peavy (UW), OT Jamarco Jones (OSU), OT/OG Brendan Mahon (PSU), OT/OG Damian Prince (MD), G/C Brian Allen (MSU)
Def: DE Rashan Gary (M), DE Sam Hubbard (OSU), DT Dre’Mont Jones (OSU), LB Mike McCray (M), LB Jerome Baker (OSU), CB Christian Campbell (PSU), S Marcus Allen (PSU), S Jonathan Crawford (IU)
Penn State played their top three corners—Christian Campbell, Grant Haley, and John Reid—about an even share last year, and opponents had a tough time completing anything of substance on Campbell:
Indiana CB Rashard Fant leads all returning B1G 10 CBs with his low 55.3 passer rating when targeted last season. pic.twitter.com/NBRtE2p2jr
— PFF College Football (@PFF_College) June 23, 2017
Campbell only recorded one interception (in addition to six PBUs) last year, so that number isn’t skewed by a few fluke turnovers. Reid is in danger of missing the season with a knee injury, so Campbell will see his snap count rise. At 6’1", 191, he’s got excellent size, and if he maintains his per-snap efficiency from last year, he could be in for a late-career breakout. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see opponents avoid Campbell and go at the diminutive Haley when they take to the air.
---------------------------
Brian: ROUND 16, PICK 3: Grant Haley, CB, PSU
…but I know why it’s doing that.
Off: QB Wilton Speight (M), RB Akrum Wadley (IA), RB LJ Scott(MSU), TE Troy Fumagalli(UW), WR Malik Turner(ILL), WR Kekoa Crawford(M), OT Mason Cole(M), G Michael Deiter(UW), C James Daniels (IA).
Def: NT Stephen Richardson (Minn), DT Mo Hurst(M), DE Anthony Nelson(IA), ILB Josey Jewell(IA), ILB TJ Edwards(UW), CB Grant Haley(PSU), S Josh Kalu (Neb)
I guess? Haley was a starter for a pretty good secondary a year ago (6.4 YPA). He runs a "4.3" per Penn State), which is ludicrous but does place him amongst the top five on his team. He was a standout against OSU and Wisconsin, per PFF, making a critical fourth down stop in the Big Ten championship game by beating Austin Ramesh(!) and making a tackle at the LOS.
That Penn State blog that likes baby talk and calling Pitt "Butt" thinks he's their top corner and draftable late because he "has great speed and has shown excellent coverage abilities." So he's sure to get some more inticepties this year.
Oh, and he returned that field goal against Ohio State. He's a #clutch #playmaker, and I believe in both those things a lot. Yeah, he's short. He's also an established senior starter who does not suck.
---------------------------
Brian: obligatory
BiSB: I believe interceptions are called "pickorino romanos," or simply "cheese-o's" for short.
Seth: Blind underthrows downfield are called "chuck-a-ducks."
---------------------------
BiSB: ROUND 16, PICK 4: Ty Johnson, RB (Maryland)
[Patrick Barron]
Off: QB Brandon Peters (UM), RB Saquon Barkley (PSU), RB Ty Johnson (MD), WR DJ Moore (MD), TE/WR Mike Gesicki (PSU), G/C Billy Price (OSU); G/T Beau Benzschawel (UW), G/T Ryan Bates (PSU), G/T Ben Bredeson (UM)
Def: NT Bryan Mone (UM); DE Tyquan Lewis (OSU), DE Chase Winovich (UM), LB Tegray Scales (IU), LB Jason Cabinda (PSU) CB Rashard Fant (IU), S Godwin Igwebuike (NW)
This one is pretty straightforward. Ty Johnson’s 9.13 yards per carry led the Big Ten by more than a full yard, and by more than two and a half yards over any other back with 100+ carries. Johnson’s 9.6 yards per play lead all returning Big Ten backs by more than two yards. He led the conference in plays of 30+/40+/50+/60+ yards; he had at least as many 40+ yards plays from scrimmage as five Big Ten teams, including Ohio State. He was a big play waiting to happen.
Bill Connelly’s numbers agree: Johnson was among the best backs in the country. It’s true that he did most of his damage against bad teams, but that was mostly a function of his line. If Johnson got a sliver of daylight, he made significant hay. With Maryland bringing back four starters on the offensive line, along with some really strong OL recruiting in recent years, that ratio should improve this year.
---------------------------
BiSB: Oh. There is this little nugget from that Connelly article as well:
Northwestern’s Justin Jackson was incredibly all-or-nothing for a workhorse back. He was fourth in the country in intended touches despite averaging just 4.1 yards per target (over 54 targets) and gaining five or more yards on just 32 percent of his carries. There is a skill of sorts to taking 300+ hits over the course of the season, and hey, Northwestern had its best offense in four years in 2016. He clearly played a role in that. (Just ask Pitt.) But still. An odd lack of productivity for someone touching the ball 25 times per game.
---------------------------
BiSB: ROUND 17, PICK 1: D’Cota Dixon, S (Wisconsin)
[perfectly timed shot by Bryan Fuller]
Off: QB Brandon Peters (UM), RB Saquon Barkley (PSU), RB Ty Johnson (MD), WR DJ Moore (MD), TE/WR Mike Gesicki (PSU), G/C Billy Price (OSU); G/T Beau Benzschawel (UW), G/T Ryan Bates (PSU), G/T Ben Bredeson (UM)
Def: NT Bryan Mone (UM); DE Tyquan Lewis (OSU), DE Chase Winovich (UM), LB Tegray Scales (IU), LB Jason Cabinda (PSU) CB Rashard Fant (IU), S Godwin Igwebuike (NW), S D’Cota Dixon (UW)
Eh. Reliable, versatile safety is reliable, versatile. Dixon doesn’t really pop off the tape. But there aren’t many proven, experienced safeties left that I particularly trust. Dixon picked off four passes, but they all seemed to be off deflections or quarterback brainfarts. I doubt if he has the speed to play a traditional center field, but he can play a deep half and still have the strength and gumption to come down and stick his nose into the box.
Overall, if Draftageddon has taught us anything this year, it’s that the experienced secondary talent in the Big Ten dun’ gone and left. There is experience, and there is talent… but most teams are going to be picking their poison between the two (if they even have that luxury).
---------------------------
Ace: does Brian have to take a DE here or do we categorize it as all DL?
Brian: Oh. yeah i should have to take a DE. Otherwise that restriction means nothing
Ace: Yeah, Seth took Holmes in the 14th.
---------------------------
ROUND 17, PICK 2: Jesse Aniebonam, DE, Maryland
FYI he wears #6 now. Also Maryland fans argue whether to call him a linebacker because that’s #Durkinlife [Matt Regan/The Diamondback]
Off: QB Wilton Speight (M), RB Akrum Wadley (IA), RB LJ Scott(MSU), TE Troy Fumagalli(UW), WR Malik Turner(ILL), WR Kekoa Crawford(M), OT Mason Cole(M), G Michael Deiter(UW), C James Daniels (IA).
Def: NT Stephen Richardson (Minn), DT Mo Hurst(M), DE Anthony Nelson(IA), DE Jesse Aniebonam(MD), ILB Josey Jewell(IA), ILB TJ Edwards(UW), S Josh Kalu (Neb)
Aniebonam picked up 9 sacks and 14 TFLs in his junior year playing weakside end, or OLB, I guess? The thing DJ Durkin calls BUCK. You know, the Ojemudia thing. PFF had to stretch a little bit to get him in a tweet by noting his 30 pressures last year were tops among returning Big Ten 3-4 OLBs. Almost no-one in the league runs an actual 3-4, so that's sort of a participation trophy, or it would be if 30 pressures wasn't an excellent number.
But mostly I'm taking him because of this video.
Yeah creepy train intro. Yeah.
Aniebonam is generally ranked as a mid to late draft pick by the kind of places that do conference-wide surveys of draft-eligible players; he was a big-time recruit (composite #129) and should have some upside left to explore; he's by far the most productive DE left on the board. And also not that much less productive than #4 or #5.
Ace: Wisconsin. I think that’s the only pure 3-4, though.
Seth: They lost both Biegel and Watt. They have another one who's pretty good though because Wisconsin's offensive lineman factory apparently converted to linebackers when Bielema left. Someone should have taken a look at Garret Dooley, who’s the next Schobert/Biegel (strongside). Minnesota has a Jake Ryan-esque dude too.
…
Seth: Does that put me on a counter to take an RB?
BiSB: I believe so
Seth: In the past this was part of a nebulous flex group but if we are splitting off DEs it seems fair to do the same with running backs.
Ace: I think you can wait until the 18th round to pick one. I picked Jackson in the 15th.
Seth: I'll just go with it now since it's written up.
---------------------------
Round 17, Pick 3: Chris Evans, RB, Michigan
Dude. [Fuller]
Off: QB JT Barrett (OSU), RB Chris Evans (UM), WR Nick Westbrook (IU), WR Rashad Still (MN), OG Sean Welsh (IA), LT Tariq Cole (RU), RT Ike Boettger (IA), OG Tanner Farmer (NE)
Def: NT Robert Landers (OSU), DT Kingsley Opara (MD), DE Nick Bosa (OSU), DE Jalyn Holmes (OSU), LB Jack Cichy (UW), VIPER!!! Khaleke Hudson (UM), S Kyle Quiero (NW), CB Denzel Ward, CB Manny Rugamba
This Big Ten has some way more established guys, so take this national top-five elusiveness rating with a grain of salt:
Chris Evans returns after a sensational freshman season in the Maize and Blue as the Big 10's most elusive returning RB. pic.twitter.com/NQb7w1EO01
— PFF College Football (@PFF_College) July 3, 2017
Ditto his 7 YPC, finishing fourth among freshmen in PFF's YAC per attempt metric, and 8th in Bill Connelly's highlight yards, IE what you do once you get past five yards. Thehighlightreels,like the incredible numbers, reflect a big portion of his carries coming against Rutgers and Hawaii and the like. Salt. Salt. Salt.
But oh how that's piling up. An Indiana track record-shattering HS career led to an offseason of hype, and revealed a freshman year of lacerating cuts, lighting acceleration, and very good speed. And then the football dude things, where he's converting knowledge of the defense to predicting where he can knife them, or waking up before 95% of campus to scout a flag football team, and not even the one he coaches. This spring he was up to 212, and left no doubt he's Michigan's starter, and more signs he's going to be a legit slot receiving threat. It's a circumstantial case, sure, but all the evidence here says we've got ourselves a Dude.
---------------------------
Ace: Motherf*****.
Brian: Was that not obvious
Ace: With Seth? It’s never obvious. Dude picked a Rutger in, like, the fifth round or whatever.
Brian: Ok fair but you can't really motherfuck when he does the logical thing
BiSB: From the people who brought you #1 Overall Back Venric Mark.
Brian: You should stay out of this, I Drafted A Backup QB In Round 5
Ace: You’re just bitter, Brian.
Brian: And you're giddy because it's the kind of pick that screws two teams that aren't you.
Ace: Guilty as charged. But I do at least see the logic in taking Peters there. Best upside available and he can always grab Clayton Thorson, like, whenever.
Brian: I see the logic in drafting Ham Sandwich because he's delicious -ace
Ace: The grapes, they are sour.
BiSB: ~Mike Onwenu
Seth: It's not like there are no good backs left. I'm not sure Bryan took the better Maryland back, and then Karan Higdon and that other guy who's kind of like him are still on the board.
Ace: Yeah, I like Evans’s versatility, though. Not as redundant as most second backs.
BiSB: If you want a substantive reason to doubt Evans as a pick: with Higdon, Ty Isaac, Kareem Walker, and the Hammering Panda, you're looking at a guy who's going to get, what, 40% of Michigan's running back carries?
Seth: De'Veon Smith had 181 carries last year, which is 20 more than Akrum Wadley.
Ace: Same argument applies to most everyone that isn’t Jackson or Weber. Or Barkley, obviously.
Seth: Right, that guy.
BiSB: LJ Scott is going to get all the carries. So will Wadley, with Daniels gone.
Seth: As to that, Iowa brought in a plug-and-play transfer for Daniels' carries. Never doubt Ferentz man.
Ace: I’m not sure Scott will get all the carries, either. He straight-up refused to pass block last year. Gerald Holmes is still there, as is Madre London, and for whatever reason it doesn’t seem like Scott has the full trust of the coaches.
…despite clearly being the most talented player left on that team, I’ll add.
BiSB: Yeah, that's the thing I wanted to say about Scott back when he was picked, but didn't know how: something... ain't right there.
But despite that, he got 58% of State's RB carries
Ace: Yeah, it’s not as bad as I first thought. There’s still the general state of the team and the O-line specifically. Plus the chance he mentally checks out for the NFL before the season is actually over.
BiSB: And given the lack of any real receiving threat, I think Dantonio reverts to LeVeon Bell/Jeremy Langford ratios Bottom line, Chris Evans is good.
Seth: NFL running backs have a short lifespan and we knew L.J. Scott was one his freshman year, which means when they finally get around to litigating football's archaic apprenticeship system some attorney is going to have to describe in detail how two years of MSU is a highly unfair kind of professional purgatory.
---------------------------
Ace: ROUND 17, PICK 4: Lorenzo Harrison, RB, Maryland
Off: QB Trace McSorley (PSU), RB Justin Jackson (NW), RB Lorenzo Harrison (MD), WR Simmie Cobbs (IU), WR Jazz Peavy (UW), OT Jamarco Jones (OSU), OT/OG Brendan Mahon (PSU), OT/OG Damian Prince (MD), G/C Brian Allen (MSU)
Def: DE Rashan Gary (M), DE Sam Hubbard (OSU), DT Dre’Mont Jones (OSU), LB Mike McCray (M), LB Jerome Baker (OSU), CB Christian Campbell, S Marcus Allen (PSU), S Jonathan Crawford (IU)
I could go with Ohio State’s Mike Weber here, but he’d be pretty redundant with Jackson already on my roster. Plus, Maryland had two of the nation’s most explosive backs last year, and I think BiSB snapped up the wrong guy. As a freshman, Lorenzo Harrison posted a superior PFF grades and elusive rating to his older backfield mate.
Harrison performed much better than Johnson against good defenses and was generally way more consistent—he didn’t drop below five YPC in a game once all season, while Johnson did six times. Harrison looked on the verge of taking over as the lead back before he did a very stupid college kid thing and got suspended for the last four games of the season.
Harrison’s charges were dropped, he was reinstated right after the season, and he reportedly picked up where he left off in the spring. He’s speedy with make-you-miss-in-a-phone-booth moves and his low center of gravity allows him to break through arm tackles. He may well emerge as the lead guy for the Terps, which could very well make him more valuable than Jackson; at worst, he should be an electric change-of-pace guy.
---------------------------
Ace: ROUND 18, PICK 1: Ian Bunting, TE, Michigan
Off: QB Trace McSorley (PSU), RB Justin Jackson (NW), RB Lorenzo Harrison (MD), WR Simmie Cobbs (IU), WR Jazz Peavy (UW), TE Ian Bunting (M), OT Jamarco Jones (OSU), OT/OG Brendan Mahon (PSU), OT/OG Damian Prince (MD), G/C Brian Allen (MSU)
Def: DE Rashan Gary (M), DE Sam Hubbard (OSU), DT Dre’Mont Jones (OSU), LB Mike McCray (M), LB Jerome Baker (OSU), CB Christian Campbell, S Marcus Allen (PSU), S Jonathan Crawford (IU)
Jake Butt’s graduation leaves 68 tight end targets up for grabs in Michigan’s offense, and there’s even more to go around given the departures of both starting receivers and the uncertain status of Grant Perry. So, yes, Ian Bunting only caught five passes last year; I still like his chances of producing a big-time season than, say, OSU’s enigmatic Marcus Baugh. Bunting entered the Orange Bowl and briefly made us believe Butt had magically healed a torn ACL. He plays in the Harbauffense. That’s enough for me.
---------------------------
Seth: So now that we all have at least one, who can guess the 10 Big Ten running backs who made the Doak Walker Award Watch List?
- Saquon Barkley (Jr.), Penn State
Kendrick Foster (Sr.), Illinois
Justin Jackson (Sr.), Northwestern
Chris James (Jr.), Wisconsin
Ty Johnson (Jr.), Maryland
LJ Scott (Jr.), Michigan State
Bradrick Shaw (So.), Wisconsin
Rodney Smith (Jr.), Minnesota
Akrum Wadley (Sr.), Iowa
Mike Weber (So.), Ohio State
Ace: That’s not too strange beyond the inexplicable Wisconsin duo.
BiSB: They went the Rimington route where they name everyone. Which is fine, I guess?
Seth: They didn't even name everyone.
Smoothitron: EMU and WMU: 3, UM and MSU: 1
BiSB: But who did they miss who has a realistic chance to win the Doak Walker?
Seth: They always put a billion people on the list who don't need to be. The Wisconsin duo is weird as hell considering the B tier of RBs is also deep. Robert Martin had 5.17 YPC behind the worst OL in the Power 5. Shannon Brooks.
---------------------------
Seth: ROUND 18, PICK 2: Tyree Kinnel, S, Michigan
[Barron]
Off: QB JT Barrett (OSU), RB Chris Evans (UM), WR Nick Westbrook (IU), WR Rashad Still (MN), OG Sean Welsh (IA), LT Tariq Cole (RU), RT Ike Boettger (IA), OG Tanner Farmer (NE)
Def: NT Robert Landers (OSU), DT Kingsley Opara (MD), DE Nick Bosa (OSU), DE Jalyn Holmes (OSU), LB Jack Cichy (UW), VIPER!!! Khaleke Hudson (UM), S Tyree Kinnel (UM), S Kyle Quiero (NW), CB Denzel Ward, CB Manny Rugamba
It's August 2013 and that 2014 safety class is falling apart you say? No worries, Tyree Kinnel just committed for 2015. Hoke's program is crumbling, and the 2015 class is heading for the hills! Relax: Tyree Kinnel is still in it. But we just burned the redshirts of Hill and Thomas on special teams, and only recruited one safety in the 2014 and 2015 classes! Shhh. It's okay, man. It's Tyree.
It is now 2017, and yet somewhat miraculously a fanbase that lived through 10 years of plagued secondaries isn't preaching end times. Praises be unto Covtu, God of Boring:
Now the old man of the secondary with a beard to match, Kinnel is so locked into a starting job that he's rarely discussed anymore. Did well with dimeback snaps a year ago and looked the part in the spring game. Heady gent who should get Michigan in the right D consistently. A reload player, not a rebuild player.
That undersells him I think. We've got over 100 snaps to work with and have seen exactly what was advertised: a cornerbackish safety who can cover a slot or over the top, heady enough to run multiple coverages and get his teammates to do the same. While the scouting reports emphasize his coverage, on film we've been treated to several Kovacsian plays where he shoots up outta nowhere to stop a play dead. And now he's had a second year in a Don Brown defense that's a perfect match for his skills and type.
---------------------------
Brian: Attempting to recover from disastrously bad picks with homerism is probably your best bet.
Seth: Thank you. Who's got it better than us, Brian?
HOW THINGS STAND AFTER 70 PICKS:
- Michigan (14 players): DT Maurice Hurst (2nd, Brian), DE Rashan Gary (5th, Ace), QB Wilton Speight (7th, Brian), QB Brandon Peters (an obligatory 16th, BiSB), OT Mason Cole (26th, Brian), LB Mike McCray (36th, Ace), NT Brian Mone (40th, BiSB), DE Chase Winovich (48th, BiSB), OG Ben Bredeson (57th, BiSB), WR Kekoa Crawford (58th, Brian), VIPER!!! Khaleke Hudson (59th, Seth), RB Chris Evans (67th, Seth), TE Ian Bunting (69th, Ace), S Tyree Kinnel (70th, Seth)
- Ohio State (11 players): DE Nick Bosa (3rd, Seth), QB JT Barrett (6th, Seth), DE Tyquan Lewis (8th, BiSB), CB Denzel Ward (11th, Seth), DT Dre’Mont Jones (13th, Ace), OC Billy Price (17th, BiSB), DE Sam Hubbard (20th, Ace), LB Jerome Baker (21st, Ace), OT Jamarco Jones (28th, Ace), NT Bob Landers (51st, Seth), DE Jalyn Holmes (54th, Seth)
- Penn State (9 players): RB Saquon Barkley (1st, BiSB), QB Trace McSorley (4th, Ace), “TE” Mike Gesicki (25th, BiSB), S Marcus Allen (29th, Ace), OT Ryan Bates (41st, BiSB), LB Jason Cabinda (49th, BiSB), Brendan Mahon (53rd, Ace), CB Christian Campbell (62nd), CB Grant Haley (63rd, Brian)
- Iowa (7 players): RB Akrum Wadley (18th, Brian), G/C Sean Welsh (22nd, Seth), LB Josey Jewell 23rd, Brian), OT Ike Boettger (35th, Seth), DE Anthony Nelson (42nd, Brian), CB Manny Rugamba (43rd, Seth), OC James Daniels (47th, Brian)
- Wisconsin (7 players): LB Jack Cichy (14th, Seth), TE Troy Fumagalli (15th, Brian), OG Beau Benzschawel (33rd, BiSB), OC Michael Dieter (34th, Brian), LB TJ Edwards (39th, Brian), WR Jazz Peavy (44th, Ace), S D’Cota Dixon (65th, BiSB)
- Maryland (6 players): DT Kingsley Opara (19th, Seth), OT Damian Prince (45th, Ace), WR DJ Moore (56th, BiSB), RB Ty Johnson (64h, BiSB), DE Jessie Aniebonam (66th, Brian), RB Lorenzo Harrison (68th, Ace)
- Indiana (5 players): LB Tegray Scales (9th, BiSB), WR Simmie Cobbs (12th, Ace), WR Nick Westbrook (30th, Seth), CB Rashard Fant (32nd, BiSB), S Jonathan Crawford (52nd, Ace)
- Northwestern (3 players): S Godwin Igwebuike (24th, BiSB), RB Justin Jackson (60th, Ace), S Kyle Queiro (61st, Seth)
- Minnesota (2 players): DT Stephen Richardson (10th, Brian), WR Rashad Still (38th, Seth)
- Nebraska (2 players): OG Tanner Farmer (46th, Seth), S Joshua Kalu (50th, Brian)
- Michigan State (2 players): OG Brian Allen (37th, Ace), RB LJ Scott (55th, Brian)
- Rutgers (1 player): OT Tariq Cole (27th, Seth)
- Illinois (1 player): WR Malik Turner (31st, Brian)
- Purdue (participated)
NEXT TIME ON DRAFTAGEDDON:
