FanPost

Help, I've Fallen and I Cant...

It’s almost absurd how much time I have spent analyzing the draft. A cell phone obsession so deep, my relationship is at risk. "Is that the damn Detroit Lions site again?" No honey, I’m on PFF right now. It’s bad.

Throughout the process, I have found myself coming back to the same players over and over again. While I wont be upset if the Lions don’t draft these players, I definitely am hanging my "I know what I’m talking about" hat on whether these players end up becoming stars. Regardless of where they go, I somehow have some weird emotional obsession on them achieving their potential. So without further ado, here are my potential All Pro’s after Round 1 (according to current ESPN rankings):

#57 George Pickens – He has everything you want in a #1 WR, except health. If he is healthy, he is the best WR in this draft. His highlights are absurd, and he has the mentality to match. If he busts, it will likely be injuries, certainly not ability. He loves football, he’s 6’3" and he blocks with a mean streak.

#70 Troy Anderson – I call him Mr. Football. He is not just an underwear olympian. Yes, he has a RAS of 10. I love him as a prospect because he is only two years into playing LB. He had 150 tackles last year. He was the Big Sky Freshman of the year at Running Back with 6.85ypc. His sophomore year he was First Team all Big Sky…at Quarterback. In 2021, he was the FCS National Player of the Year. He eats, drinks, sleeps football. He dominated the FCS level of competition in a way Malik Willis never did. His only knock is the level of competition…that he dominated in every facet of the game.

#73 Josh Pashal – With #2 likely to be an edge player, not much love has been given to those tier 3 Edge defenders. He had a 90 PFF grade last year. He had both a better Pass rush Win Rate (16.3%) and Run Stop rate (12.4%), than Jermain Johnson (14.3% and 7.2% respectively). He is the one of two edge defenders with 80+ PFF grades against both the run and pass in this draft, the other is Aidan Hutchinson. Obviously pass rush is more important, but playing the run will get you on the field on first and second down. When we look back on this draft, we will wonder why he went so late. He has a RAS of 9.47, and a 10 yard split faster than both Hutchinson and Thibodeaux. But perhaps my favorite info came from his coach: "There are some guys that have an innate toughness that you would really have to chop both of his feet off and his hands he’ll still probably pull himself onto the field.You’ll have to drag him off the field." He was also a three time team captain and the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award winner for 2021 season. He lined up over the tackle or inside on 397 snaps, far more than Travon Walker, and still put up better pass rush numbers. Jermaine Johnson only lined up inside 41 times. How much did alignment play in his lower sack numbers? Don't be surprised to see him go earlier than projected.

#128 Zach Tom – He played T and C in college but with his athleticism might be able to play anywhere along the line. He had a PFF score of 84.8, with a Pass Block grade of 92.5 and Run Block grade of 79.2. His RAS of 9.68 at Tackle would have been higher if not for his height and weight. He played C in the East/West Shrine game and flat out dominated, which should not be a surprise as he held Jermaine Johnson in check during their regular season matchup.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pride Of Detroit or its writers.