Williams In Play At 18?

I find this analysis a little suspect when so many draft experts are saying he is one of the best Left Tackle prospects to come out in years and contradicts a lot of what Pauline is saying by praising his athleticism and quick feet. If one of the best left tackles in the draft isn't good enough to stay at left tackle at the next level, what does it say about this draft class for OLineman? I don't buy it. The same stuff is being said about Greg Little. For Tackle starved teams, I don't see either one of them sliding down to the Vikings. I think the demand for quality OLineman will drive up their rankings and value. Even Risner is getting mentioned in the top 15 now which I think is way too high for his talent level compared to the defensive prospects available in Round 1. Same thing happened last year and that was a much deeper draft for OLine talent. 

I kind of have flashbacks of last year's draft where all these offensive linemen would be available at the 30th pick for the Vikings according to the draft experts.  Lo and behold, those linemen peeled off the board faster than you could blink an eye.  Hopefully with the 18th pick, Speilman and Zimmer are better prepared this time around.

Yeah, but will we want him? These mid-January rankings are worthless IMO. This time last year Orlando Brown was a top 10 pick. He went in the 3rd. Arden Key was a first rounder. He went in the 3rd. 

It won't be until these so-called "experts" get a chance to talk to actual scouts and actual NFL personnel at the combine and Senior Bowl before these rankings and mock drafts will start to dial in a little bit. 

@"MaroonBells" said: Yeah, but will we want him? These mid-January rankings are worthless IMO. This time last year Orlando Brown was a top 10 pick. He went in the 3rd. Arden Key was a first rounder. He went in the 3rd. 

It won't be until these so-called "experts" get a chance to talk to actual scouts and actual NFL personnel at the combine and Senior Bowl before these rankings and mock drafts will start to dial in a little bit. 

Very true and I totally agree.  I just don't want to see another repeat like last year.

@"ArizonaViking" said:

@"MaroonBells" said: Yeah, but will we want him? These mid-January rankings are worthless IMO. This time last year Orlando Brown was a top 10 pick. He went in the 3rd. Arden Key was a first rounder. He went in the 3rd. 

It won't be until these so-called "experts" get a chance to talk to actual scouts and actual NFL personnel at the combine and Senior Bowl before these rankings and mock drafts will start to dial in a little bit. 

Very true and I totally agree.  I just don't want to see another repeat like last year.

@"purplefaithful" said:

@"ArizonaViking" said:

@"MaroonBells" said: Yeah, but will we want him? These mid-January rankings are worthless IMO. This time last year Orlando Brown was a top 10 pick. He went in the 3rd. Arden Key was a first rounder. He went in the 3rd. 

It won't be until these so-called "experts" get a chance to talk to actual scouts and actual NFL personnel at the combine and Senior Bowl before these rankings and mock drafts will start to dial in a little bit. 

Very true and I totally agree.  I just don't want to see another repeat like last year.

???

I'm not drafting, but Hughes and O'Neil weren't exactly whiffing at the plate. Neither was H. Hill. Conklin was decent enough, Carlson sucked balls here...

If they could have kept Gosset too?

I don't totally buy this, but there is some truth to it. After I watched some of Jonah Williams I was surprised he was this "sure-fire" top 10 pick. How he test will play a factor since some scouts are going to be concerned he'll get burned by off the ball edge rushers. He's highly technical but you can't teach foot speed. You can try but can't. That doesn't mean he wouldn't be a 10 year starter at guard or an average LT. But you don't take average in the top 10. 

So while I think some teams may put a late 1st/2nd round grade on him there will be others who view him in the top 1/2 of the 1st. There isn't a surefire LT in this class which makes it tougher to place him as well. 

I actually think O'Neill is the best LT to come out in the last 2 years.  I was thrilled with the pick and remain so.
I also have little doubt Jonah Williams will be a successful NFL player.  But, he's not a freak like Isaiah Wynn.
I think he's a red chip player at worst, and I would prefer Cody Ford at #18 because he's massive and athletic and has a high floor.  Should he go later?  I don't think guys with that size and skillset last long at all.
I'm not sold on Greg Little, however.  I would prefer to see if I could strike lightning twice in The Second and take Trey Adams Wash OT.

Does a massive G fit with what we want? There was a massive G available last year and we passed on him...

@"kahsmick" said: I actually think O'Neill is the best LT to come out in the last 2 years.  I was thrilled with the pick and remain so. I also have little doubt Jonah Williams will be a successful NFL player.  But, he's not a freak like Isaiah Wynn. I think he's a red chip player at worst, and I would prefer Cody Ford at #18 because he's massive and athletic and has a high floor.  Should he go later?  I don't think guys with that size and skillset last long at all. I'm not sold on Greg Little, however.  I would prefer to see if I could strike lightning twice in The Second and take Trey Adams Wash OT.

Wait, is Trey Adams even in this draft? I can't find a definitive answer. He was given a red shirt for his injury, so he was eligible to return. In December, Roto reported that he was taking it, but he's also in a lot of mocks I see floating around. 

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/cfb/137167/trey-adams 

@"MaroonBells" said: Yeah, but will we want him? These mid-January rankings are worthless IMO. This time last year Orlando Brown was a top 10 pick. He went in the 3rd. Arden Key was a first rounder. He went in the 3rd. 

It won't be until these so-called "experts" get a chance to talk to actual scouts and actual NFL personnel at the combine and Senior Bowl before these rankings and mock drafts will start to dial in a little bit. 

I think the early rankings are the most accurate.  They are right after the season.  Then, players go through the pre-draft crapola and some suddenly rise real high without even playing one more snap of actual football.  Go figure.
For example, Shariff Floyd was ranked around #30 by cbssports (Dane Brugler was doing it back then) and after the combine, etc. he rose to top 5 or 10.
When the Vikings drafted him at #23 it was probably the right spot for him all along.
Key had off field issues (like Randy Gregory) and Brown had weight issues that probably scared teams.
It could be that Williams goes after players like Little, Cajuste, and even Cody Ford.

@"MarkSP18" said:

@"MaroonBells" said: Yeah, but will we want him? These mid-January rankings are worthless IMO. This time last year Orlando Brown was a top 10 pick. He went in the 3rd. Arden Key was a first rounder. He went in the 3rd. 

It won't be until these so-called "experts" get a chance to talk to actual scouts and actual NFL personnel at the combine and Senior Bowl before these rankings and mock drafts will start to dial in a little bit. 

I think the early rankings are the most accurate.  They are right after the season.  Then, players go through the pre-draft crapola and some suddenly rise real high without even playing one more snap of actual football.  Go figure.

Maroon

 I don't know if Trey Adams has declared.  He moves well.  Great length, and would be a nice bookend with O'Neill.

It depends on how they feel about their tackles.  Maybe Storm Norton comes on miraculously at LT.  He looked good in preseason.  Maybe Aviante Collins puts it all together this year at LT.  Maybe Remmers has more quality snaps left at RT.  I thought Rashod Hill looked adequate.  He has a chance.

So, that leads me back to Cody Ford as a first choice.    And more ham for the interior OL in the next rounds, if possible.

@"kahsmick" said: Maroon

 I don't know if Trey Adams has declared.  He moves well.  Great length, and would be a nice bookend with O'Neill.

It depends on how they feel about their tackles.  Maybe Storm Norton comes on miraculously at LT.  He looked good in preseason.  Maybe Aviante Collins puts it all together this year at LT.  Maybe Remmers has more quality snaps left at RT.  I thought Rashod Hill looked adequate.  He has a chance.

So, that leads me back to Cody Ford as a first choice.    And more ham for the interior OL in the next rounds, if possible.

If Adams didn't get hurt and was in this draft, he'd probably be the first tackle chosen. He's a prototype. Pretty sure he decided to go back though.

I'm all for taking a tackle, as long as we get a guard or two from either free agency and/or the 1st three rounds of the draft. 

Seems to be a disagreement right now about Ford. Some have him as a mid-2nd rounder. Others have him in the top 10. I'm typically an optimist, but I tend to think that the latter is more accurate. Guys who are 6-4, 335 don't move like that.

we shoild prolly keep in mind Rashod Hill will get a decent offer from another team.  If it ends up being 4-5 per i would roll with Compton as the swing T

Draft Analyst's Tony Pauline writes that Alabama OL Jonah Williams is expected to be "a great interview" at the NFL Scouting Combine. While Pauline has been a vocal critic of Williams' upside as an NFL left tackle -- he believes that the 6-foot-5, 301-pound Alabama standout will have to slide inside to guard -- he is hearing plenty of good things when it comes to the offensive lineman's professional composure. The analyst passes along that "multiple people (in the industry) have complimented Williams’ game preparation, ability to absorb game planning and overall work ethic." Pauline has heard from multiple evaluators who view Williams as a second-round selection, but that's not a consensus view. Just to offer a few other angles, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. pegs Williams all the way up to No. 5 with the Buccaneers in his first mock draft of 2019, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranks him as the No. 9 prospect in the class and NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah ranks him as the No. 16 prospect for the spring. It should be noted that DJ views Williams' best pro fit to come at guard.

I don't care what OL is there at #18, but they better pick one: OT or OG, don't care. Hell, pick a center and move Elflein to OG. 

@"Bullazin" said: we shoild prolly keep in mind Rashod Hill will get a decent offer from another team.  If it ends up being 4-5 per i would roll with Compton as the swing T

can he play OT?  I have my doubts because he sure as hell cant play OG worth a damn.

@"BarrNone55" said: Does a massive G fit with what we want? There was a massive G available last year and we passed on him...

Who knows what Stefanski’s preference is.  Then you thrown in Zimmer’s comment about wanting to be more physical on the OLine.  Then you throw Kubiak into the mix.

I would guess that we’re going to value guys who can move
more than guys who are massive, but I think we would highly value big physical
guys who can also move.  I think we would
definitely draft Hernandez this year if we had a chance to redo it.  He’s big and mobile.
I think we overestimated how bad the need was for OLine, and overestimated the availability of guards where we picked, but this season I think there's going to be a much more heightened focus on drafting OLine.

@"MaroonBells" said: Yeah, but will we want him? These mid-January rankings are worthless IMO. This time last year Orlando Brown was a top 10 pick. He went in the 3rd. Arden Key was a first rounder. He went in the 3rd. 

It won't be until these so-called "experts" get a chance to talk to actual scouts and actual NFL personnel at the combine and Senior Bowl before these rankings and mock drafts will start to dial in a little bit. 

Orlando Brown played really well this year. They dropped the ball on him late. This is why I haven't really put all my eggs into the combine. It helps, sure.., Orlando Brown is simply a gamer IMO