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Thread: 2017 NFL Draft

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    2017 NFL Draft

    Laval's TE Antony Auclair has tested before 17 NFL scouts in preparation for the NFL draft.

    The Laval Rouge et Or tight end went through his paces before 17 NFL scouts. And the native of Notre-Dame-des-Pins, in Quebec’s Beauce region, did so despite suffering a pulled hamstring roughly 10 days ago.
    Auclair said following Monday’s session he considered rescheduling the workout before deciding to go ahead with it.
    “I wanted to show I can play through an injury and be tough,” Auclair said during a telephone interview. “All the scouts knew I was injured and I think I did a good job of showing them I could play through it and the competitor I am.”
    Despite the injury, the six-foot-six, 254-pound Auclair posted a 33½-inch vertical jump and nine-foot, nine-inch broad jump — both solid indicators of explosion and lower-body strength. Auclair, 23, also registered a personal-best 22 reps in the 225-pound bench press and a respectable 40-yard dash time of 4.82 seconds given his physical condition.

    “I was aiming for the high 4.6s or low 4.7s (in 40-yard dash),” Auclair said. “I’m happy but being the competitor that I am, I’m kind of disappointed with that.
    “But I have to tell myself, ‘Hey you’re injured, man.'”
    It’s been a busy year for Auclair, whose season began in May participating in Canadian university football’s East-West Bowl. He then returned to Laval, registering 17 catches for 229 yards and two TDs while also proving to be a terrific blocker in helping the Rouge et Or capture a Vanier Cup title.
    Auclair had six catches for 70 yards and a TD in Laval’s thrilling 31-26 championship win over Calgary.
    Auclair was named the second-ranked prospect for the 2017 CFL draft in December before heading to the East-West Shrine game in January in St. Petersburg, Fla. There, he spoke with 25 NFL clubs.
    http://montrealgazette.com/sports/fo...at-his-pro-day
    Last edited by jerrym; 03-16-2017 at 09:05 PM.

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    Below is the NFL's 2017 Draft Tracker.

    http://www.nfl.com/draft/2017/tracker

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    Great article on the reality of NFL Draft (or other drafts for that matter): most players are busts.

    Pro Football Reference put together a metric called “draft value” which attempts to rate the draft value of players at different positions to arrive at a measure of how well teams have drafted. It ranges from 0-160, with only 1% scoring 80 or higher. It weighs factors such as number of games started, individual stats, team performance and all-pro honors. It also does not include a player’s career after he was traded from the team that drafted him. So, for example, Jared Allen’s value to the Chiefs was much lower because it did not consider his career after he was traded to the Vikings.
    BREAKING DOWN NFL DRAFT SUCCESS

    Based on this metric, here is how all draft picks over the past 20 years (not including last year) have fared overall:

    16.7% Didn’t Play for the Team that Drafted Them.
    Most of these are draft picks that didn’t make the team, however, there were a few draft picks that were immediately traded that were of great value- Eli Manning and Philip Rivers for example. But generally these were few and far between so it is safe to say that most in this category (let’s say 16% of the 16.7%) were busts.

    37% Were Considered “Useless”
    Also known as busts. These are players that had a draft metric of between 0-4, and rarely or never saw the field. Guys like Ryan Leaf, Ryan Mallet and the Vikings’ 1999 1st round pick Dimitrius Underwood, to name a few. These are players that basically did nothing to help the team at all - and represent over a third of all draft picks over the past 20 years.

    15.3% Were Considered “Poor”

    Still pretty clearly in bust territory. These are players that had underwhelming careers with a draft metric between 5-10, and include some pretty well known busts such as Jamarcus Russell (who scored a 6).
    So, if you add up these first three categories of bust (excluding a few draft pick trades that worked out), you come up with just over 68% of all draft picks over the past 20 years have been busts- over two-thirds of all draft picks.

    10.5% Were Considered “Average”
    This is also not a category that most would consider a successful draft pick, except perhaps a late round pick. Guys like Matt Leinart are in this category, as are Vikings picks such as Nate Burleson, Jasper Brinkley, and Jim Kleinsasser. These are guys that scored between 11-17 on the draft metric scale. These are journeymen that filled a role, but were otherwise undistinguished.
    The one thing that comes to mind here is that the draft metric doesn’t consider the round the player was drafted in. A guy like Kleinsasser, for example, who was a good pick, becomes a little less so as a 2nd round pick that was average. As a 4th or 5th round pick, he would have been a much better value- and perhaps where you would pick a fullback these days.

    12.3% - Were Considered “Good”
    These are solid bread-and-butter players generally, who started many games, did reasonably well but not many accolades. These players scored between 18-35 on the draft metric scale. Guys like Michael Clayton, Carlos Rogers are considered here, as are Vikings picks Christian Ponder (!), Chris Hovan, Dwayne Rudd, Brandon Fusco, Ray Edwards, Moe Williams, and Sidney Rice.
    Um, obviously there is a fairly wide definition of “good” used here, but strictly speaking I suspect the number of starts, rather than individual performance stats, had the greatest impact on most of these players being considered in this category. Again, if let’s say Ponder had been a 3rd or 4th round pick, the fact that he started as many games as he did might be more impressive than being picked 12th overall. But having been picked 12th overall, it’s hard not to see Ponder as anything more than a bust- despite being labelled “good” according to this metric.
    Ponder is an example of where position makes a big difference- it’s a lot easier to call a mediocre interior lineman “good” as a draft pick that started for 4-5 years, but with a QB it’s a little different...

    6.9% Were Considered “Great”
    These were picks that started for many years and were also at least above average, but not necessarily elite, at their position. These players scored between 36-80 on the draft metric scale and included players such as Vikings draft picks Chad Greenway, Bryant McKinnie, Matt Birk, EJ Henderson, John Sullivan, and Phil Loadholt.
    Again there is something of a range here, as the metric number range suggests, but these are all guys that a team got a lot of mileage out of, and had some pretty good years mixed in. The fact that guys like Birk and Sullivan were taken in the 6th round adds to their draft value in my view.
    For many people, this is the expectation for any 1st round pick, and probably most other rounds too. But the fact remains that staggeringly few draft picks ever reach this level.

    1% Were Considered “Legendary”
    Tom Brady and Ray Lewis are at the top of the heap here, with a draft metric of 160. Both have had long, highly decorated careers with the same team that drafted them, which is why they are ranked so high in this draft metric. These are generally Hall of Famers, with long, distinguished careers that included all-pro accolades- and mostly with the same team that drafted them. Guys like Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Brian Urlacher, Orlando Pace, JJ Watt, and Vikings picks Adrian Peterson, Daunte Culpepper, Kevin Williams, and Randy Moss.
    Interestingly, both Moss and Culpepper just barely made this category (scoring 80 and 81 respectively) as the scoring doesn’t include their post-Vikings careers, which were very different. Had Moss had his same career entirely with the Vikings, I’m sure he would be much higher in this category. Culpepper may not have made it so high.

    Overall This Shows How Difficult It Is To Draft Well
    When guys like Christian Ponder, John Sullivan and Daunte Culpepper are considered good, great and legendary picks respectively, it shows, at least on a relative scale, how difficult it is to draft a quality starter.
    http://www.dailynorseman.com/2017/4/12/15274148/most-nfl-draft-picks-are-busts


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    Here's Jared Dubin's Mock NFL Draft.

    http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/20...ked-in-top-16/

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    Here's the latest rumours on who may be drafted early.

    http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/n...rb-with-lynch/

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    Here's a look at who would be the "best fit" for the first draft choice for each team.

    Who is the best fit for each team in the NFL Draft, based loosely on where that team is picking, but with little regard to whether that player might logically already be chosen?The so-called return of the running back was acknowledged with four teams picking three ball carriers. Stanford's Christian McCaffrey was named by NFC East rivals Philadelphia (No. 14) and Washington (No. 17).
    http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/20...-on-the-clock/

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    John Kryk discusses four of the Canadians most likely to be drafted or signed as free agents by the NFL this year below.

    The Canadian with the best hope of being selected in this week’s NFL draft is an offensive right tackle, Justin Senior of Montreal. A three-year starter at Mississippi State, the 22-year-old helped protect Dallas Cowboys starter Dak Prescott during his last two years as a Bulldog.The NFL draft runs Thursday to Saturday.Senior is one of four Canadians who have the best shots at being drafted — if only late Saturday afternoon when the final two of seven rounds take place.The other three Canadians: tight end Tony Auclair of NotreDame-des-Pins, Que. (a Laval University product); offensive guard/tackle Geoff Gray of Winnipeg (University of Manitoba), and defensive lineman Eli Ankou of Ottawa (UCLA).Senior, the son of Jamaican immigrants, faced many of U.S. college football’s best edge rushers at Mississippi State competing in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) against the likes of Alabama, LSU and Florida.“Like they say, the SEC is the closest thing to the NFL,” Senior said at the NFL scouting combine. “It really makes me feel good about what I’m doing. It’s like, ‘Oh, I’m not that far off.’ ... Now it finally feels like something I can attain.”Although some draftniks originally pegged Senior to be a middle-round draft pick, his stock apparently has slipped.“I like Justin Senior,” NFL Network lead draft analyst Mike Mayock said. “I’ve got him at the top of the sixth round right now. He’s got size. He played at a major college in a major division.” Mel Kiper, ESPN’s longtime draft analyst, said Monday he sees Senior either as a “late-round” pick or a priority free-agent signee shortly after the draft ends early Saturday evening. If his NFL dream fails to materialize, Senior has a fallback. Since September he has been rated the No. 1 CFL draft prospect by that league’s scouting bureau.Auclair, the Laval tight end, and Gray, the Manitoba O-lineman, were invited to take part in a U.S. college all-star bowl, the EastWest Shrine Game in St. Petersburg, Fla. There, both caught the eyes of NFL talent evaluators, scoring numerous interviews.Auclair sees himself as a prototypical tight end who can block as well as catch. Now 6-foot-5 3/8 and weighing 257 pounds, the 23-year-old said he has been hoping to play in the NFL since he was eight. Ranked the No. 7 CFL draft prospect, Auclair said he has visited with 10 NFL teams. “Auclair is really interesting to me,” Mayock said. “He’s a big, strong kid that’s athletic and tough. But he also happens to face the deepest tight-end class in years ... There is a chance he could go late in the draft.”Gray, 22, started his last three years with the Manitoba Bisons — mostly at right guard. A competitive weightlifter on the side the past four years, Gray has studied mechanical engineering at UM and hopes some day to specialize in thermo-fluids. Pro football is his focus now. He’s the No. 3 ranked CFL prospect, but has NFL aspirations.“I’ve got Gray as a priority free agent,” Mayock said. “Don’t think he’s going to get drafted. But I think he’s going to be in somebody’s camp.” The Green Bay Packers flew the 6-foot-6, 315-pounder down for his lone NFL team visit. Gray fits the bill as a lineman who is quiet and unassuming off the field, but ferocious on it. “I would say that I’m definitely someone who plays with an aggressive edge,” he said.Ankou is the No. 2 CFL draft prospect. In four years with the Bruins, he played every position along the defensive line. That versatility should help him.“I’ve worked out for the (L.A.) Rams, (L.A.) Chargers and Dallas Cowboys, and I’ve visited the (Indianapolis) Colts and Green Bay Packers,” the 22-year-old said. Asked to assess the draft chances of Auclair, Gray and Ankou, ESPN’s Kiper said: “The tight end has a chance, maybe, late. But I’d say, for me, the way I grade them out: late-round or priority free agents, (and) I would shade priority free agent for all of them, pretty much.”
    https://www.pressreader.com/canada/c...82110636497426

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    Cleveland Browns have ended up with three first round choices, including the first overall (but no QBs), thanks to trades.

    The Cleveland Browns selected defensive end Myles Garrett of Texas A&M with the first overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, then added two more first-round picks via a pair of trades.
    One of them was used on Michigan star Jabrill Peppers, whom coach Hue Jackson later said would be given a chance to play offense.
    Jackson called Garrett "as good as I've seen in a while" when he described the first Browns first overall pick since 2000. Cleveland sees Garrett as a key part of an emerging defense for a team that has not been to the playoffs since the 2002-03 season.

    The Browns traded out of the 12th spot with the Houston Texans and took Peppers with the 25th pick. In doing that, the Browns passed on bringing quarterback Deshaun Watson to Cleveland; Houston drafted him with the pick.
    The Browns concluded the night by trading the No. 33 pick and a fourth-rounder to the Green Bay Packers for the 29th pick, which they used on tight end David Njoku of Miami.
    It all added up to a busy night for the Browns, who became the first team since Minnesota in 2013 to pick three players in the opening round. None, though, were quarterbacks, a position of significant need.
    "We obviously value the position, but we don't want to force certain positions,'' vice president of football operations Sashi Brown said. "Obviously we have guys here on the roster and we want to give them an opportunity and we will continue to look, but we wanted to make sure we got players we felt good about. We've got a lot of holes to fill on this roster, so this is just about making sure when we get the quarterback it's someone that we all believe in and get behind and move forward.''


    http://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2017/story/_/id/19257313/2017-nfl-draft-cleveland-browns-select-myles-garrett-no-1


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    Mike Tanner rates all 32 first round picks below. Although he gave Cleveland's first overall pick, DE Mylles Garrett (Texas A & M0, an A, he gave Chicago's second overall pick, QB Mitchell Trubisky (North Carolina), a D.

    http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...for-every-pick

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    Dan Ralph discusses top ranked Canadian OT Justin Senior, as well as TE Anthony Auclair, DL Eli Anjou, OL Geoff Gray and Jordan Herdman's prospects in the NFL draft and possible free agent signings.

    Justin Senior isn’t putting his life on hold for the NFL draft.
    The 22-year-old Montreal native is projected as a late-round selection, but he won’t be at a lavish draft party glued to the television anxiously waiting to hear his name called.
    “I’ll probably be in the gym Saturday,” the Mississippi State offensive tackle said. “I’m just a guy looking to get to work.
    “This is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s still plenty to do.” ...

    The six-foot-five, 331-pound Senior tops the list of Canadians who could be late-round picks or priority free agents this weekend. The draft begins Thursday in Philadelphia with the opening round, followed by the second and third rounds Friday.


    The final four rounds go Saturday.
    Other potential draftees include: Laval tight end Antony Auclair of Notre-Dame-des-Pins, Que.; UCLA defensive lineman Eli Ankou of Ottawa; and Manitoba offensive lineman Geoff Gray of Winnipeg.
    Simon Fraser linebacker Jordan Herdman, who played in the Senior Bowl, could also join an NFL team as undrafted free agent. Twice the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s top defensive player, the Winnipeg native holds GNAC records for career (428), single-season (165) and single-game (26) tackles.
    Senior was a three-year starter at Mississippi State, capturing the 2016 Kent Hull Trophy as the state’s top offensive lineman. He’s also the top prospect for CFL draft May 7.
    It was a hectic off-season for Senior, who played in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 28 before competing at the NFL combine. He also participated in Mississippi State’s pro day before having a private workout with the Houston Texans.
    “Honestly, yes it’s been a long process but I’m honoured to have had these opportunities,” Senior said. “It would be surreal (to be drafted) because I’ve always watched the draft and never thought I’d ever be in the picture.
    “But to know I have a chance to have my name called is just crazy, it’s amazing.”
    After months of being tested and interviewed, Senior can’t wait to learn where his football future lies.
    “I’d love to be on a team again, to have teammates and kind of have a goal,” he said. “I’m not really thinking about the draft . . . I’m just thinking about what I’m going to do when I show up to camp Day 1.
    “That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
    It’s also been a whirlwind off-season for Auclair. After helping Laval win the Vanier Cup, the 23-year-old played in the East-West Shrine Bowl before auditioning for 17 NFL scouts at his pro day.
    Then the six-foot-five, 257-pound Auclair, who’s the seventh-ranked CFL draft prospect, visited 10 NFL teams. Agent Sasha Ghavami said Auclair will watch the NFL draft with family and friends in his hometown.
    “I think he’s done everything he has to in order to get consideration to be drafted,” said Ghavami. “I’ve spoken to many teams, they all have him on their board so we’ll see . . . I’m confident (Auclair will be drafted).
    “It (NFL draft preparation) is a crazy experience full of ups and downs. But it’s a fun time to be a football player and you have to feel privileged to be in that situation.”
    Gray started three seasons at Manitoba, seeing action at guard and tackle. He played in the East-West Shrine game before attracting eight NFL teams to his pro day.
    One of those teams, the Green Bay Packers, invited the six-foot-six, 315-pound Gray to Wisconsin for a visit. Gray is the CFL draft’s third-ranked prospect but his agent, Darren Gill, said all the mechanical engineering major wants is a chance to play in the NFL.
    “I think he’s shown he belongs in a group of guys who’ve earned draft consideration,” Gill said. “He had a strong season, strong Shrine game and excellent pro day and now the process will take us wherever it does.
    “He’s looking forward to a chance to prove himself and having gone through this process at every step, I think he’s felt actually more confident that he does belong. Once he gets that opportunity, he feels he’ll be poised to go in and compete . . . and to me that’s what matters most.”
    The six-foot-three, 325-pound Ankou, the CFL draft’s second-ranked prospect, appeared in 38 career games at UCLA, registering 91 total tackles and 1.5 sacks. He posted 31 reps in the bench press at the Bruins’ pro day along with a 26.5-inch vertical jump and broad jump of nine feet seven inches.
    Ankou reportedly worked out for the L.A. Rams, L.A. Chargers and Dallas Cowboys and visited the Indianapolis Colts and Packers.

    https://www.thestar.com/sports/footb...-canadian.html

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    Justin Senior was drafted by Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round (210th overall).

    Senior spent his college career at Mississippi State where he was a three-year starter. The 22-year-old captured the 2016 Kent Hull Trophy as the state's top offensive lineman. He's also the top prospect for the CFL draft on May 7.
    Senior played in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 28 before competing at the NFL combine. He also participated in Mississippi State's pro day before having a private workout with the Houston Texans.
    http://www.brandonsun.com/sports/bre...483.html?thx=y

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    While Justin Senior was the only Canadian taken in the NFL draft, DL Eli Ankou (UCLA to Houston), OL Geoff Gray (Manitoba to Green Bay) and TE Anthony Auclair (Laval to Tampa Bay) quickly signed as free agents.

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    Leon McQuay III was drafted by KC in the 6th round.

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    John Kryk looks at each NFL team's draft below.

    http://www.ottawasun.com/2017/05/01/...2017-nfl-draft

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