Pre Camp Aces 2022

[Guest]

This was a draft we really wanted to get our hands dirty with, and despite leaving us without a 1st rounder next season, we think it brought us a strong crop of players who will make a major difference for us this season.

1.21 - OLB Riddick Schultz - 30/44 --> 36/50 (+6/+6) Schultz is the gem of our class right now, looking like a serious game changer type at a position we covet greatly. Our defense has been lackluster at best that past couple seasons, and we would like to see that improve with a guy like Schultz stepping in and hopefully making things happen right away.

POST CAMP: Exactly what we expected. Will be a strong presence for us immediately and should get pretty damn good when he develops fully.

1.29 - QB Albert Garner - 19/38 --> 23/44 (+4/+6) Garner is cut from a similar blueprint to the type of QB we prefer to run our offense, and he will have the inside track on starting for us this year depending on how he looks in camp and how he absorbs the offense. He is already fairly pro ready with 11 formations in his repertoire and the intelligence to learn more quickly.

POST CAMP: Holy shit, awesome. Didn't expect this kind of move out of him, but looks like we have a QB for the next 10-15 seasons.

1.30 - LG Herb Conway - 30/60 --> 36/61 (+6/+1) Conway is a road grader with good agility that we hope can step in eventually and start for us at one of the G spots. For now he will be our top backup and see a lot of PT from that spot.

POST CAMP: Not a jump like I was hoping, but a guy who ends up in the low to mid 60's will be just fine.

2.29 - DT Marty Hurt - 26/66 --> 24/55 (-2/-11) Gambled on this guy based on our scouts advice, which has previously paid off when we picked up DE Norm Sheldon in the 3rd round several years ago.. Hurt looks like more of a run stuffer than our current starter, and he will step right into our 4-3 to hopefully help us slow down the run a bit more than we have been.

POST CAMP: Not sure if this was a VSOD or if he is just that bad. Hurt will stick for one year so we can get a better read on him.

3.28 - SS Spencer Duran - 23/54 --> 28/53 (+5/-1) Duran converts from CB well in our eyes, and should probably be one of our top 6 DBs this year. He will be a significant contributor off the bench and in dime packages.

POST CAMP: Solid pick, nothing fancy. Good depth at a spot where you can never have enough.

4.27 - DE Marlon Roberts - 17/43 --> 20/41 (+3/-2) Roberts is another guy highly regarded by our scout and we are hoping to strike some form of gold on him as a nice rotational DE to keep the pass rush alive when Norm Sheldon has to rest. He might not be on the field much this year, but is likely to be very busy in the future if he pans out.

POST CAMP: A miss on this one. He'll be lucky to stick.

4.30 - DE Jimmie Musser - 20/43 --> 22/41 (+2/-2) Also chosen for his ability to pass rush off the bench. Musser has a lower chance of sticking than Roberts, but will definitely have a home on our inactive list if he doesnt tank in camp.

POST CAMP: Another miss, so we went 0/2 on DE prospects this draft.

5.30 - QB Leonard Hardison - 11/28 --> 13/29 (+1/+1) A fast guy who we hope to hang on to as a project QB that may have a shot at a backup job in the future.. Not sure what to expect, but he'll get a long look in camp.

POST CAMP: Will possibly stick as a 4th QB if we can afford such a luxury.

6.29 - SLB Teddy Hudgins - 14/24 --> 18/28 (+4/+4) Hudgins is a project guy who we will take a look at in camp.. We thought he was too physically gifted to pass on, but he is incredibly raw and who knows what kind of ceiling he might have.

POST CAMP: Looks like a solid project guy who might eventually be one of our top backups if he keeps developing.

7.28 - WR Ken Calciano - 23/36 --> 29/40 (+6/+4) Calciano actually might be our 5th or even 4th WR depending on how things shake out in camp. He looks like he could be a decent slot guy for 4 and 5 WR formations, so hopefully he holds up.

POST CAMP: What a find in the bottom of round 7. This might be the best 6th and 7th round of a draft I have ever had.

Overall, pre-camp I think we have a B draft here. If we have 4 or 5 booms though, that will easily move right on up to an A+. This could be one of our best drafts in a while, or it could be a C or worse if we missed early.

FINAL GRADE POST CAMP: A-. Could have been an incredible class if the middle round guys panned out a little better, but we got 6-7 useful guys here and any time you find a QB like Garner, you feel pretty good about things.

[Aston]

Looks like another knock-it-out-of-the-park draft here. Conway...and Schultz...alas!

Hurt my scout hated, but he looks real promising, doesn't he?

[Guest]

Not quite out of the park, but a solid triple.

[Aston]

Wow, Garner went +5!

And that S is holding up handsomely well.

Julio, you are a mad genius for finding that QB. I don't know if anyone saw anything in him! It is a good thing Hurt was VO (my scout) and not VU (yours) because if he had been VU, that would have been frightening.

[Guest]

2023 DRAFT

1.10 - DT Rob Whalen (50/82) - We saw how he was falling, and the opportunity presented itself that we were able to pick up this pick at what we thought was a fair price. Whalen is a top of the line talent who would normally go in the top 2 or 3 picks in an average draft, so we took advantage of the depth in this one and got what appears to be a stalwart disruption specialist that will bring our defense to another level. With a line like we have assembled, I expect a big year from the defense.

2.30 - OLB Daniel Dorf (23/34) - Dorf is a near replica version of Schultz, and he will soon be side by side with his predecessor. This LB corps is going to grow into a strong one if Dorf develops the same way Schultz has.

3.5 - TE Nathan Brandon (23/35) - Nicknamed Stilts, this 6'8" freak of nature is raw but has potential to be a star. He will be trying to earn time behind current starter Smithson, but he and our 3rd year backup TE Poland should split backup reps unless Brandon really takes off.

3.13 - DE Pete Korber (30/53) - Not sure if he is actually good or just potentially good, but he has the speed and strength to be a good pass rusher as well as the agility to defend the run with some skill. Not quite elite on the surface, but we hope that he is better than advertised.

4.27 - WR Mitch Dodge (13/34) - Dodge is a curiosity and we took a flyer on him. He has good intelligence and strength you don't see in a lot of WR, but his speed is slightly below average and his agility is about the same. If he can turn his strength and intelligence into a substitute for pure athleticism, then he might be ok, but not sure what to expect at this point. We have low expectations.

6.29 - QB Rico Newton (11/38) - We think Newton might be a hidden gem of sorts, a future backup of reasonable quality. He has impressive intelligence, but we don't know if that means anything or not. Should be a decent medium passer, but what else will he be able to do?

7.30 - WR Troy Barnhill (12/19) - Barnhill has some serious volatility, along with borderline decent combine numbers. We suspect he may be worth a look based on that, but he is about as likely as Dodge to take hold here for the long term.

PRE-CAMP grade: B-. We passed on WR Dowd and that may have been a bad idea. We wanted CB Hatcher and DE Glenn, but got neither, just barely missing on both. We did get Dorf, who we really liked, and we also got Brandon the TE.. But missing on Hatcher and Glenn hurts. The gem of the class is obviously DT Rob Whalen who is the most talented guy we have had the opportunity to use since the league began.

In retrospect, it would have been smarter for us to stick with our early 2nd rounder and get Dowd, then Dorf in the bottom of the round. We also would have then been able to grab C Richard Banks in the bottom of the 5th instead of failing to get him as well.

PRE CAMP UDFA:

LT Ken Shea 21/45 - Hoping to strike a gem here after the draft, but not totally optimistic about it. If he maintains these numbers, he will likely stick.

WR Rondell Van Pelt 17/47 - Could be kind of like Lyubashevsky from a few seasons ago. We think he can get downfield better than he shows currently too, but his real contribution will likely be as a special teamer if he makes the squad.

FS Kerry Hansen 10/27 - Maybe he is a hidden gem?

TE Kerry Finch 18/54 - Maybe a decent possibility to stick as a 3rd or 4th TE, most likely will be lucky to make the inactive list.

TE Brad Francis 16/38 - Brought in as part of a scattershot idea to see if we can address TE depth with quantity and hope someone shines.

RT J.B. Samuels 18/34 - Samuels is similar to the other UDFA guy we picked up to give a look for our T depth.

DE Mitchell Anthony 21/37 - Anthony is an ok guy our scout liked, with no combines, who knows what he actually has.

DT Jason Fuld 22/30 - Intrigued by the combo PRS/PH bars.

WILB Chad Branch 10/22 - Another pair look, M2M/END

CB Carlton Wilson 12/28 - Wilson will make the team, but do his combines prove he is better than he looks?

We decided to throw a lot of stuff at the wall and see what sticks this preseason. It won't be hard to cut most of these guys, but if a few look promising, we will have to do at least a little bit of thinking.

[Guest]

I'm kicking myself for not taking Banks in the 4th. I was naive enough to think no one noticed him and could get him in the 5th.

[Guest]

2023 DRAFT

1.10 - DT Rob Whalen (50/82) - We saw how he was falling, and the opportunity presented itself that we were able to pick up this pick at what we thought was a fair price. Whalen is a top of the line talent who would normally go in the top 2 or 3 picks in an average draft, so we took advantage of the depth in this one and got what appears to be a stalwart disruption specialist that will bring our defense to another level. With a line like we have assembled, I expect a big year from the defense.

57/83 after camp, Whalen looking like the guy we drafted him to be. Should make a big time difference right off the bat.

2.30 - OLB Daniel Dorf (23/34) - Dorf is a near replica version of Schultz, and he will soon be side by side with his predecessor. This LB corps is going to grow into a strong one if Dorf develops the same way Schultz has.

28/41 (+5/+7) after camp, an excellent jump. Dorf is a future starter.

3.5 - TE Nathan Brandon (23/35) - Nicknamed Stilts, this 6'8" freak of nature is raw but has potential to be a star. He will be trying to earn time behind current starter Smithson, but he and our 3rd year backup TE Poland should split backup reps unless Brandon really takes off.

+1/-1 for Brandon. Surprisingly, he didn't do anything in camp and will likely be cut. Not really sure why.

3.13 - DE Pete Korber (30/52) - Not sure if he is actually good or just potentially good, but he has the speed and strength to be a good pass rusher as well as the agility to defend the run with some skill. Not quite elite on the surface, but we hope that he is better than advertised.

Korber finishes camp at 36/52, so he makes a solid addition as a backup pass rusher and gives us youth and depth in a position where age is catching up to us.

4.27 - WR Mitch Dodge (13/34) - Dodge is a curiosity and we took a flyer on him. He has good intelligence and strength you don't see in a lot of WR, but his speed is slightly below average and his agility is about the same. If he can turn his strength and intelligence into a substitute for pure athleticism, then he might be ok, but not sure what to expect at this point. We have low expectations.

The gamble did not pay off, and Dodge ends up +2/-2 and likely out of a job.

6.29 - QB Rico Newton (11/38) - We think Newton might be a hidden gem of sorts, a future backup of reasonable quality. He has impressive intelligence, but we don't know if that means anything or not. Should be a decent medium passer, but what else will he be able to do?

+7/+3 to 18/41 for Newton in camp, we're extremely happy with that. It wasn't unexpected, but it wasn't expected either.. Now we have 2 QBs that can stick around for a long time.

7.30 - WR Troy Barnhill (12/19) - Barnhill has some serious volatility, along with borderline decent combine numbers. We suspect he may be worth a look based on that, but he is about as likely as Dodge to take hold here for the long term.

+2/+4 for Barnhill, good looking rise. He will probably make the team off that, but will need to produce similar gains over the next couple seasons to hold a spot.

PRE-CAMP grade: B-. We passed on WR Dowd and that may have been a bad idea. We wanted CB Hatcher and DE Glenn, but got neither, just barely missing on both. We did get Dorf, who we really liked, and we also got Brandon the TE.. But missing on Hatcher and Glenn hurts. The gem of the class is obviously DT Rob Whalen who is the most talented guy we have had the opportunity to use since the league began.

In retrospect, it would have been smarter for us to stick with our early 2nd rounder and get Dowd, then Dorf in the bottom of the round. We also would have then been able to grab C Richard Banks in the bottom of the 5th instead of failing to get him as well.

PRE CAMP UDFA:

LT Ken Shea 21/45 - Hoping to strike a gem here after the draft, but not totally optimistic about it. If he maintains these numbers, he will likely stick.

25/44 after camp, he will be a solid backup for us.

WR Rondell Van Pelt 17/47 - Could be kind of like Lyubashevsky from a few seasons ago. We think he can get downfield better than he shows currently too, but his real contribution will likely be as a special teamer if he makes the squad.

Finished camp at 20/45, so he sticks. Will likely see most of his playing time as a contributor on special teams.

FS Kerry Hansen 10/27 - Maybe he is a hidden gem?

14/30 after camp. Will be a deep depth chart addition, but ST value will keep him on the roster probably.

TE Kerry Finch 18/54 - Maybe a decent possibility to stick as a 3rd or 4th TE, most likely will be lucky to make the inactive list.

Finishing camp at 19/42 is no way to go through life, son. Finch is already applying for jobs back in his hometown of Rockport.

TE Brad Francis 16/38 - Brought in as part of a scattershot idea to see if we can address TE depth with quantity and hope someone shines.

Finished camp at 18/36 - Not sure what to think of the TEs we brought in. May not keep any of them.

RT J.B. Samuels 18/34 - Samuels is similar to the other UDFA guy we picked up to give a look for our T depth.

19/34 after camp, nothing special, probably doesn't make the team.

DE Mitchell Anthony 21/37 - Anthony is an ok guy our scout liked, with no combines, who knows what he actually has.

24/35 after camp, nothing great.

DT Jason Fuld 22/30 - Intrigued by the combo PRS/PH bars.

22/28 - *fart noise*

WILB Chad Branch 10/22 - Another pair look, M2M/END

13/24 after camp, an ok bottom of the roster guy, but we have no room for him.

CB Carlton Wilson 12/28 - Wilson will make the team, but do his combines prove he is better than he looks?

14/27 after camp. We need depth at CB pretty badly.

We decided to throw a lot of stuff at the wall and see what sticks this preseason. It won't be hard to cut most of these guys, but if a few look promising, we will have to do at least a little bit of thinking.

[Aston]

Oh man, Barnhill is a nice pick. He was definitely on my radar in the 7th round, maybe I should have taken him but I didn't want three drafted receivers.

Dorf looked a lot better than I expected. I guess the mask was obvious, I am just surprised by how much. That is an incredible camp!

I don't know how you found Newton and I don't know how you found Garner last year. I didn't think much of either guy pre-camp. Please share your QB gem-finding secrets :-D

[Guest]

Regarding QB's: I'm a big believer in the broad jump these days. Overall, I wasn't super pleased with this draft because I missed some opportunities in favor of players who wont even make the team. Next year I am definitely going to be more wary of gambling when I am more sure of other players who may not be as much of a position of need. I'll give this one a B- mostly on the strength of Dorf and Whalen. Korber was decent value as well.

[Guest]

2024 - We moved around a lot this year, trying to make sure we got a few guys who could really help us out instead of stabbing at guys who were not worth the value we put on them due to trying too hard to fill needs. This year it was BPA above all.

1.26 WR Darrin Schoen (25/44) Schoen had top 10 combines in the bottom of the 1st round. His bars don't look as appetizing, but he looks like a guy who will turn out similar to how Eric Cassidy did for us. He'll be learning from the man himself, and will probably start as our number 3 or 4 until he proves more useful than one of the veteran starters.

2.9 G Kendall Andrulis (46/75) We were looking to boost our O-Line with youth and got lucky grabbing one of the top guys in the draft early in round 2 with a well timed move up. Andrulis has the kind of strength we love in interior linemen, and he will play opposite G Keith Mathers and next to C Anthony Bradley to form one hell of an interior offensive line. Overall, this will be as strong as our offensive line has been in years, and hopefully that translates on the field.

4.1 WR Deron Wilcox (33/56) Wilcox was a very attractive target to still be hanging around in the 4th round, and being able to grab the pick and make him our second WR selection of this draft was a nice stroke of good fortune. He looks like a future #2 starter with excellent 3rd down skills. Hopefully he holds on to those initial ratings.

4.23 T Jerome Bohrer (16/40) Bohrer is a guy we're crossing our fingers on for a transition from LG to LT. He is big enough and athletic enough to do it well, but it will take a significant amount of learning to get him there. Keeping our fingers crossed for this one.

[Aston]

I didn't know about Schoen but if you had that much faith in him, there's no doubt he turns out very, very solid. Especialy with Andrulis and Bohrer this seems like a steal of a draft!

[Guest]

I didn't know about Schoen but if you had that much faith in him, there's no doubt he turns out very, very solid. Especialy with Andrulis and Bohrer this seems like a steal of a draft!

Only cause you didn't listen to me when I was talking to you about whether or not he was worth snagging at 1.12 (which I don't think he was).

[Aston]

yup, I gotta start paying attention ;) Seems like several noticed him. Good call there.

[Guest]

2024 - We moved around a lot this year, trying to make sure we got a few guys who could really help us out instead of stabbing at guys who were not worth the value we put on them due to trying too hard to fill needs. This year it was BPA above all.

1.26 WR Darrin Schoen (25/44) Schoen had top 10 combines in the bottom of the 1st round. His bars don't look as appetizing, but he looks like a guy who will turn out similar to how Eric Cassidy did for us. He'll be learning from the man himself, and will probably start as our number 3 or 4 until he proves more useful than one of the veteran starters.

2.9 G Kendall Andrulis (46/75) We were looking to boost our O-Line with youth and got lucky grabbing one of the top guys in the draft early in round 2 with a well timed move up. Andrulis has the kind of strength we love in interior linemen, and he will play opposite G Keith Mathers and next to C Anthony Bradley to form one hell of an interior offensive line. Overall, this will be as strong as our offensive line has been in years, and hopefully that translates on the field.

4.1 WR Deron Wilcox (33/56) Wilcox was a very attractive target to still be hanging around in the 4th round, and being able to grab the pick and make him our second WR selection of this draft was a nice stroke of good fortune. He looks like a future #2 starter with excellent 3rd down skills. Hopefully he holds on to those initial ratings.

4.23 T Jerome Bohrer (16/40) Bohrer is a guy we're crossing our fingers on for a transition from LG to LT. He is big enough and athletic enough to do it well, but it will take a significant amount of learning to get him there. Keeping our fingers crossed for this one.

Schoen showed decently in camp to go to 29/46, but I am slightly surprised at his RR bar so far. We'll see if he is one of those guys that just develops as the season goes on.

Andrulis was as expected (50/75 now) and makes our Offensive line a lot better. Might play him at T this year after veteran LT Wetnight nosedived in camp.

Wilcox was a great pickup in the 4th, and finished camp at 37/55 - He should end up right about there hopefully.

Bohrer isn't super stunning or anything, but came in at 18/36 after camp. He will at least be a decent backup T for us down the line.

[Guest]

Barnhill also bumped up to 18/29 with room to grow. He might actually see the field by next season.