Always easier to look back: 2014/2015 draft classes...
NFL players drafted in 2014 and 2015 are still in their mid-20s. So it stands to reason that each member of those top 10 classes should still be anchoring the rosters of the teams that selected them.
With Blake Bortles, Kevin White and Ereck Flowers all being flushed in the past week, nine of those 20 top-10 picks now have been moved or been allowed to move on from the teams that drafted them. Two are with their third team. One — 2014 eighth overall pick Justin Gilbert — has been out of the league since 2016.
With Bortles on to the Rams as a backup, four of the top five picks from 2014 are now with teams that didn’t draft them. Only No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney of Houston remains with the team that picked him.
No. 2 pick Greg Robinson is in Cleveland after flaming out with the Rams and Lions. No. 4 pick Sammy Watkins, now with the Chiefs, also is on his third team without a Pro Bowl.
Then there’s Oakland. The Raiders picked good to great top-5 players in 2014 and 2015. But then they changed management and no longer wanted said good to great players. But at least they got three No. 1s as part of the deals that unloaded 2014 No. 5 overall pick Khalil Mack and 2015 No. 4 overall pick Amari Cooper.
That’s a heck of a lot more than the discombobulated Giants have to show for two top-10 picks in 2015 and 2016. Last fall, they dumped 2016 No. 10 overall pick Eli Apple for a fourth-rounder this year and a seventh next year. And this week, they let massive underachiever Ereck Flowers — the ninth overall pick in 2015 — walk.
Food for thought when discussing Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr and whether his sack stats are flashy enough on one of the league’s top defenses.
In 2014, the Vikings had the eighth overall pick. They wanted Barr. Cleveland wanted cornerback Justin Gilbert bad enough to trade up one spot.
Five years later, Barr has more Pro Bowls (four) than Gilbert had starts (three) in his two seasons with the Browns.
http://www.startribune.com/barr-looking-good-as-more-top-10-picks-from-2014-15-flounder/507407802/
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Pretty hard to write an article reviewing the '14 draft without even mentioning Aaron Donald, who went at #13. There was some jackstand on this board who wouldn't shut up about him. Saying batshit crazy things like he wasn't just the best player for the Vikings at #8 but the best player in the entire draft. Same asshole said that Johnny Manziel would be playing in Canada in three years, Justin Gilbert would be a bust, All Pro Joel Bitonio was the best guard in the draft and All Pro Telvin Smith was a late-round sleeper.
@"MaroonBells" said: Pretty hard to write an article reviewing the '14 draft without even mentioning Aaron Donald, who went at #13. There was some jackstand on this board who wouldn't shut up about him. Saying batshit crazy things like he wasn't just the best player for the Vikings at #8 but the best player in the entire draft. Same asshole said that Johnny Manziel would be playing in Canada in three years, Justin Gilbert would be a bust, All Pro Joel Bitonio was the best guard in the draft and All Pro Telvin Smith was a late-round sleeper.The jackwagon who said Gilbert would bust was me. I remember arguing ad nauseam with Jaime about it.
@"MaroonBells" said: Pretty hard to write an article reviewing the '14 draft without even mentioning Aaron Donald, who went at #13. There was some jackstand on this board who wouldn't shut up about him. Saying batshit crazy things like he wasn't just the best player for the Vikings at #8 but the best player in the entire draft. Same asshole said that Johnny Manziel would be playing in Canada in three years, Justin Gilbert would be a bust, All Pro Joel Bitonio was the best guard in the draft and All Pro Telvin Smith was a late-round sleeper.Glad you remembered me MB! jk jk. i want to claim i was first to say AD was the best player, but i prolly wasnt as i dont post that much. As far as all the rest, i didnt want Manziel at all but didnt have a clue on the rest of them.
My biggest memory is someone who is really into drafts saying AD’s arms were too short and he was 2-4 rounder lol
@"FSUVike" said:@"MaroonBells" said: Pretty hard to write an article reviewing the '14 draft without even mentioning Aaron Donald, who went at #13. There was some jackstand on this board who wouldn't shut up about him. Saying batshit crazy things like he wasn't just the best player for the Vikings at #8 but the best player in the entire draft. Same asshole said that Johnny Manziel would be playing in Canada in three years, Justin Gilbert would be a bust, All Pro Joel Bitonio was the best guard in the draft and All Pro Telvin Smith was a late-round sleeper. The jackwagon who said Gilbert would bust was me. I remember arguing ad nauseam with Jaime about it.MB was referring to himself... but I do remember you saying the same thing about Gilbert. I was right there with MB on the Aaron Donald bandwagon.
It's kind of interesting to look back at these drafts and see all the "can't miss/blue chip talent" that didn't pan out... kind of like the big FA signings. Fans and the media get all antsy in their pantsy saying teams really improved by signing "Player X, Y, and Z", but the best approach is what the Vikings have been doing... draft, develop, and re-sign your own studs.
It's why I haven't complained too much this offseason with our cap situation. The reason we don't have much money is partly because of Cousins contract, but most of it is the fact that we gave Diggs, Kendricks, Hunter, and now Barr the SOG (sack of gold).
@"Bullazin" said:@"MaroonBells" said: Pretty hard to write an article reviewing the '14 draft without even mentioning Aaron Donald, who went at #13. There was some jackstand on this board who wouldn't shut up about him. Saying batshit crazy things like he wasn't just the best player for the Vikings at #8 but the best player in the entire draft. Same asshole said that Johnny Manziel would be playing in Canada in three years, Justin Gilbert would be a bust, All Pro Joel Bitonio was the best guard in the draft and All Pro Telvin Smith was a late-round sleeper. Glad you remembered me MB! jk jk. i want to claim i was first to say AD was the best player, but i prolly wasnt as i dont post that much. As far as all the rest, i didnt want Manziel at all but didnt have a clue on the rest of them.My biggest memory is someone who is really into drafts saying AD’s arms were too short and he was 2-4 rounder lol
I think we had a 4 or 5 page thread on Aaron Donald. The arguments were mostly about his size and the fact that we already had Floyd. The Floyd argument was at least reasonable. But the one that drove me crazy was that some were saying that he couldn't beat double teams. I don't think I've ever watched a player destroy more double teams than Aaron Donald at Pitt. Triple teams even. I've been obsessing over the draft for 40 years and I've never seen a player who checked more boxes than Donald. From tape to Senior Bowl to combine to character...
@"MaroonBells" said:@"Bullazin" said:@"MaroonBells" said: Pretty hard to write an article reviewing the '14 draft without even mentioning Aaron Donald, who went at #13. There was some jackstand on this board who wouldn't shut up about him. Saying batshit crazy things like he wasn't just the best player for the Vikings at #8 but the best player in the entire draft. Same asshole said that Johnny Manziel would be playing in Canada in three years, Justin Gilbert would be a bust, All Pro Joel Bitonio was the best guard in the draft and All Pro Telvin Smith was a late-round sleeper. Glad you remembered me MB! jk jk. i want to claim i was first to say AD was the best player, but i prolly wasnt as i dont post that much. As far as all the rest, i didnt want Manziel at all but didnt have a clue on the rest of them.My biggest memory is someone who is really into drafts saying AD’s arms were too short and he was 2-4 rounder lol
I think we had a 4 or 5 page thread on Aaron Donald. The arguments were mostly about his size and the fact that we already had Floyd. The Floyd argument was at least reasonable. But the one that drove me crazy was that some were saying that he couldn't beat double teams. I don't think I've ever watched a player destroy more double teams than Aaron Donald at Pitt. Triple teams even. I've been obsessing over the draft for 40 years and I've never seen a player who checked more boxes than Donald. From tape to Senior Bowl to combine to character...
Toot away.
Would ya help a fella out here. What's your take on the Powerball tonight.
@"MaroonBells" said:@"Bullazin" said:@"MaroonBells" said: Pretty hard to write an article reviewing the '14 draft without even mentioning Aaron Donald, who went at #13. There was some jackstand on this board who wouldn't shut up about him. Saying batshit crazy things like he wasn't just the best player for the Vikings at #8 but the best player in the entire draft. Same asshole said that Johnny Manziel would be playing in Canada in three years, Justin Gilbert would be a bust, All Pro Joel Bitonio was the best guard in the draft and All Pro Telvin Smith was a late-round sleeper. Glad you remembered me MB! jk jk. i want to claim i was first to say AD was the best player, but i prolly wasnt as i dont post that much. As far as all the rest, i didnt want Manziel at all but didnt have a clue on the rest of them.My biggest memory is someone who is really into drafts saying AD’s arms were too short and he was 2-4 rounder lol
I think we had a 4 or 5 page thread on Aaron Donald. The arguments were mostly about his size and the fact that we already had Floyd. The Floyd argument was at least reasonable. But the one that drove me crazy was that some were saying that he couldn't beat double teams. I don't think I've ever watched a player destroy more double teams than Aaron Donald at Pitt. Triple teams even. I've been obsessing over the draft for 40 years and I've never seen a player who checked more boxes than Donald. From tape to Senior Bowl to combine to character...
I remember mocking Donald to the Vikings once but personally determining it just didn't make sense with Floyd on the roster. You were all over him though Maroon. I was all over OBJ and Mike Evans in 2014 believing they were special.
@"FSUVike" said:Yep, Jaime was definitely the big Gilbert guy on the board. But ya know what? Daniel Jeremiah loved him, too. And clearly so did the Browns. He went 8th overall.@"MaroonBells" said: Pretty hard to write an article reviewing the '14 draft without even mentioning Aaron Donald, who went at #13. There was some jackstand on this board who wouldn't shut up about him. Saying batshit crazy things like he wasn't just the best player for the Vikings at #8 but the best player in the entire draft. Same asshole said that Johnny Manziel would be playing in Canada in three years, Justin Gilbert would be a bust, All Pro Joel Bitonio was the best guard in the draft and All Pro Telvin Smith was a late-round sleeper. The jackwagon who said Gilbert would bust was me. I remember arguing ad nauseam with Jaime about it.I don't remember what your beef with him was, but for me it was his head. Immaturity, inconsistency, mental errors. And sure enough, he started as a rookie, as most 8th overall picks would, but was eventually replaced by an undrafted rookie. His own teammates called him a basket case. Couple years later he's out of the NFL.
I just think mental toughness and character are so underrated when it comes to these guys.
A good compare and contrast when it comes to this year's draft is Dalton Risner vs. Greg Little. Both tackles. Greg Little has more size, strength, balance, technique and athleticism than Risner could ever dream about, and for these reasons he'll probably go ahead of Risner. But I'll bet you dollars to donuts that Risner will be the better pro because of the little things.
I remember pounding the table for Donald but Im no draft guru by any means. When we traded back into the first and snaged Teddy I was estatic. I really thought he was going to be a star.
@"MaroonBells" said:@"Bullazin" said:@"MaroonBells" said: Pretty hard to write an article reviewing the '14 draft without even mentioning Aaron Donald, who went at #13. There was some jackstand on this board who wouldn't shut up about him. Saying batshit crazy things like he wasn't just the best player for the Vikings at #8 but the best player in the entire draft. Same asshole said that Johnny Manziel would be playing in Canada in three years, Justin Gilbert would be a bust, All Pro Joel Bitonio was the best guard in the draft and All Pro Telvin Smith was a late-round sleeper. Glad you remembered me MB! jk jk. i want to claim i was first to say AD was the best player, but i prolly wasnt as i dont post that much. As far as all the rest, i didnt want Manziel at all but didnt have a clue on the rest of them.My biggest memory is someone who is really into drafts saying AD’s arms were too short and he was 2-4 rounder lol
I think we had a 4 or 5 page thread on Aaron Donald. The arguments were mostly about his size and the fact that we already had Floyd. The Floyd argument was at least reasonable. But the one that drove me crazy was that some were saying that he couldn't beat double teams. I don't think I've ever watched a player destroy more double teams than Aaron Donald at Pitt. Triple teams even. I've been obsessing over the draft for 40 years and I've never seen a player who checked more boxes than Donald. From tape to Senior Bowl to combine to character...
aaron donald is the closest thing I've seen to Alan Page since John Randle...
I've wanted JFF, DGB, Cordarrelle Patterson etc...
I'm like that dumb-asz chick at the bar always falling for the bad boyz.
@"AGRforever" said: I remember pounding the table for Donald but Im no draft guru by any means. When we traded back into the first and snaged Teddy I was estatic. I really thought he was going to be a star.He still might.
I watch way too much CFB. Don't care that much about the Combine. If I see Gilbert in 3-4 games in the Big 12 showing that same inconsistency that you mentioned, drawing bad penalties,.peeking in the backfield, exhibiting bad technique, etc., then there's really not much your numbers at the underwear olympics can do to change my mind.
My weakness is when I hate the team I tend to not give individual players enough credit. Used to despise Notre Dame so i didn't give Harrison Smith a fair evaluation. My biggest miss to date.
Now that I'm older and FSU sucks I have mellowed out and just enjoy watching the games to see who.looks good and make educated guesses on how they project as a Pro.
My current hot take is that the LSU guys (White and Williams) are not going to live up to their draft status.
I recall many folks being big fans of Donald. Khalil Mack was one I was a big fan of and did like Barr, Mosley and Shazier if I remember right. However, we needed a QB and that’s where I focused my time. Most people didn’t consider the class to offer much and I shared that sentiment. For me I only liked two guys outright and one developmental.
#3 Blake Bortles - not sure what people recall but I was not a fan at all. If I remember right he fell near the bottom of my top five. He was adored by experts but I didn’t see him as an end of 1st round early 2 guy. The biggest issue I remember having with him was field vision and decision making. I felt both areas were sub-par but I was in the minority on that. Many liked him. He’s actually been better than I expected if that gives you an idea of where I was at with him.
#22 Johnny Manziel - I also rated him 4 or 5 and I’m pretty sure off the board for awhile. I saw potential with him but he was such a headcase. I also felt he was inflated because Mike Evans made him look so good. Many thought he wouldn’t be worth a crap once he got paid and he certainly didn’t disappoint.
#32 Teddy Brodgewater - Teddy ran 1st or 2nd on my board. I really liked his decision making and overall ability to make plays. I recall for most of us there was concern around his build and staying healthy. The other knock people had for him was throwing power. I disagreed with many on this and felt he had a good enough arm. I thought higher of him than most though. I expected it to get better as well. It’s horrible to think about what could have been. Teddy wasn’t the flashiest but I felt he was the kind of guy who could win, especially with a good defense. In my estimation his development was picking up speed and he had a very bright future. Tough injury.
#36 Derek Carr - I was a huge fan of Carr out of the class. I felt he had the most natural throwing talent. The concern as it was for pretty much everyone I remember was the system he was coming from can take time to adjust. Accuracy was another area of concern and I think that was a valid issue but he has improved finishing 9th last year. People were not high on him on the board with some not being fans at all.
It’s hard to fathom but he’s the last guy from the class still with his original team. In my estimation he’s been the best QB by a wide margin, especially comsidering the team he has had around him. He’s had pretty decent weapons but their defense and line for some of it has been attrocious. Here are his stats:
2016
2015
2014
Career
He certainly hasn’t been the best but he’s a middle of the pack guy and would have been a huge upgrade for us. I saw a Matthew Stafford level of player and he’s generally fallen into that category in my opinion. I do think his best football is ahead of him and it will help having Chucky in charge now from a coaching standpoint. In many ways I don’t see him as much different caliber wise than Cousins.
#62 Jimmy Garappolo - I saw Jimmy as a solid developmental guy with real potential. I would say an evaluation for me still reads incomplete. Having been taken by the Pats sort of changed his career trajectory so we’ll see how he does coming back from injury.
The rest? I didn’t like any of them and there’s not a single one left in the league. Crazy right! Even Jamie’s great love Mettenberger is out of the league lol! It’s fun to look back an eye opening to see how it shook out.
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