2017-18 CFB SEASON / '18 NFL DRAFT

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

NFL - SENIOR BOWL - NFL

The staffs of the Texans and Broncos will coach the South and the North teams, respectively, at the Senior Bowl.

"Anytime you get to work hands-on with these young players and put them through the rigors of NFL-level practices and meetings," said Texans HC Bill O'Brien, "it can be tremendously beneficial to both parties. We are all looking forward to the week and making the most of it." On the Denver side -- led by HC Vance Joseph -- Broncos GM John Elway said that the organization "jumped" at the chance to be represented on the sidelines. Senior Bowl practices start Jan. 23, with the game to be played on Jan. 27.
Source: Senior Bowl m

Jan 3 - 5:01 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Saquon signed with ROC Nation Sports.

Not an earth-shattering development but on a personal level I'm a bit bummed by it considering of how highly I think of Saquon the guy. It's not something I'd personally hold against him too much or knock him down several pegs character wise but it's just a bit disappointing that he chose to go down that path with them. There's often extracurricular things that are sometimes unnecessary to me when it's come to their athlete stable. The good thing is I think Saquon is far more equipped with his current life skills to deal with the extra stuff that'll come with it than many others would be but on a selfish level I wish he'd have gone down a different path with a more boring, traditional agency. Obviously he might not believe that is right for him or something he wanted and that's fine. I'm just bummed by it on a selfish level. And who knows? Maybe he still stays away from any type of unnecessary junk.

Saquon Barkley is the next Randy Moss. He's going to create that kind of excitement again where people don't think he's from this world. He's going to market himself and make money in other places than just football too. We're seeing a demi god walk amongst us in the football world, I hope people like yourself will just appreciate the excitement he brings to the sport and not try and clip his wings at every wrong thing he may say or do.

You’re phucking delusional. I don’t know how the other posters here aren’t able to see that as well!? You’re probably the same guy that once said Reggie Bush can change direction in mid-air.

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Joseph Wicker - DL - Sun Devils

Arizona State junior DL Joseph Wicker will forego his final season of eligibility to enter the 2018 NFL Draft.

Wicker (6'3/273) has been a second-team All-Pac-12 performer each of the past two seasons. For the 2017 campaign, he put in 42 tackles (13.0 for loss), six sacks and a forced fumble. He possesses a killer first step off the snap and is adept in using his hands. Draft Analyst stamps Wicker with a fifth-round grade at this juncture.
Source: Arizona Republic

Jan 3 - 8:10 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Jordan Lasley - WR - Bruins

UCLA redshirt junior WR Jordan Lasley announced he will enter the 2018 NFL Draft.

On paper, Lasley and other UCLA players could potentially shine under Chip Kelly next season, but it is always up to the player to make the decision. After all, we know nothing about their current situation. Lasley, who stands 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, caught 69 passes for 1,264 yards and nine touchdowns this season, his best year. And that's with four games missed.
Source: Jordan Lasley on Instagram

Jan 4 - 9:13 AM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Jeffery Holland - LB - Tigers

Auburn redshirt junior LB/edge rusher Jeffery Holland announced he will enter the 2018 NFL Draft.

Holland is a pure pass rusher at this time and had a very hot start to the season, especially in games against Missouri and Arkansas. His run defense needs work, and it really held Holland back in 2016, but the arrow is pointing up.
Source: Jeff Holland on Twitter

Jan 4 - 9:27 A

[CrimsonCrew]

Good news on Darnold coming out so far as our pick goes. It should push one more talented non-QB down to the 9th or 10th pick. There's also a chance that there might be a market for a QB at our pick that would give us some leverage to shop the pick. Kind of bummed we don't have that second pick right about now, even though, on balance, I'll take the way the season ended.

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Good news on Darnold coming out so far as our pick goes. It should push one more talented non-QB down to the 9th or 10th pick. There's also a chance that there might be a market for a QB at our pick that would give us some leverage to shop the pick. Kind of bummed we don't have that second pick right about now, even though, on balance, I'll take the way the season ended.

That’s why I’m hoping for Lamar to declare as well.

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Tim Settle - DL - Hokies

Virginia Tech redshirt sophomore DT Tim Settle announced he will enter the 2018 NFL Draft.

Settle took a huge step forward in 2017. After playing on just 26 percent of the team's snaps in 2016, albeit impactful ones, his role climbed to 79 percent in 2017. He was absolutely dominant against Boston College and UNC this season, among other performances. And it wasn't just against the run for the 330-plus pounder, as he made an impact in the passing game as well.
Source: Andy Bitter on Twitter

Jan 4 - 10:24 AM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

CeCe Jefferson - DL - Gators

Florida edge rusher CeCe Jefferson announced he will return for his senior season.

It would be surprising if Jefferson announced the opposite. Yes, Florida is moving forward with a new head coach, but a switch in defense might help his development and role.
Source: CeCe Jefferson on Twitter

Jan 4 - 10:43 AM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Arden Key - DL - Tigers

LSU edge rusher Arden Key announced he will enter the 2018 NFL Draft.

It was an up and down 2017 for Key. He missed all of spring activities due to a shoulder operation, then spent more time away from the team. He returned in fall camp with head coach Ed Orgeron worried about his playing weight. At one point he reached 270 pounds after previously playing at 240 pounds. That weight evened out as the season went along, but the Key ran into knee and finger injuries, keeping him out of multiple games. His draft process will need to answer questions in order for him to land in the top 10 picks.
Source: Arden Key on Twitter

Jan 4 - 10:56 AM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Stay away...! I wouldn’t touch him until the 5th round, and I know there’s a great chance he’ll go much higher than that:

Josh Sweat - DL - Seminoles

Florida State junior DE Josh Sweat will forego his final year of eligibility to enter the 2018 NFL Draft.

No huge surprise, here. Sweat (6'5/250) sat out the Independence Bowl in December due to his professional aspirations and officially declared on Thursday. He posted 5.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss during the 2017 campaign. A talented athlete still tapping into his potential, Sweat could land as early as Round 2 in the spring draft. Draft Analyst's Tony Pauline has referred to his versatility as "incredible."
Source: Luke Easterling on Twitter

Jan 4 - 1:24 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

I like this guy a lot. Reminds me of Demarcus Lawrence. Could be a steal for the team that drafts him depending on where he lands:

Dorance Armstrong Jr. - DL - Jayhawks

Kansas junior edge rusher Dorance Armstrong Jr. will forego his final year of eligibility to enter the 2018 NFL Draft.

Armstrong (6'4/241) has been the crown jewel of the Kansas football program in what's otherwise been a dark time for the Jayhawks. For the 2017 campaign, the junior edge rusher registered 63 tackles (9.5 for loss), two sacks and three forced fumbles. He posted 20 tackles for loss two years ago. Just due to the team around him, Armstrong has done all this work facing near-constant double teams. While he's an athletic talent with plus-speed as a pass rusher, he occasionally has issues shedding blocks and could stand to add more playing weight heading into the professional ranks. Armstrong will likely see interest on Day 2 (Rds. 2-3) of the spring draft.
Source: Dorance Armstrong Jr. on Twitter

Jan 4 - 1:50 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Top 5 pass rushers in the 2018 draft, analysis was based on market share production.

Watch on YouTube

#

[ChrisPozz]

Saquon signed with ROC Nation Sports.

Not an earth-shattering development but on a personal level I'm a bit bummed by it considering of how highly I think of Saquon the guy. It's not something I'd personally hold against him too much or knock him down several pegs character wise but it's just a bit disappointing that he chose to go down that path with them. There's often extracurricular things that are sometimes unnecessary to me when it's come to their athlete stable. The good thing is I think Saquon is far more equipped with his current life skills to deal with the extra stuff that'll come with it than many others would be but on a selfish level I wish he'd have gone down a different path with a more boring, traditional agency. Obviously he might not believe that is right for him or something he wanted and that's fine. I'm just bummed by it on a selfish level. And who knows? Maybe he still stays away from any type of unnecessary junk.

Saquon Barkley is the next Randy Moss. He's going to create that kind of excitement again where people don't think he's from this world. He's going to market himself and make money in other places than just football too. We're seeing a demi god walk amongst us in the football world, I hope people like yourself will just appreciate the excitement he brings to the sport and not try and clip his wings at every wrong thing he may say or do.

Ha, oh boy. You might have me confused with some other folks but here I go.

1.) I hope for the sake of Saquon he doesn't have to deal with some of the Randy Moss type fans who were completely unreasonable when it came to seeing the entire Randy Moss picture. I wouldn't want that for him. I hope, for the most part, and realistically, his fans are reasonable when coming to any Saquon arguments. Granted I hope that for all players but we live in a world with some fanatics that can't accurately argue about their favorite players. So be it.

If we want to go generic and say he's going to develop a level of excitement around himself where people hold him in an all-time regard and talk about he's doing things at a size that next to nobody has ever done, cool. That's actually closer to where I reside in the argument.

But when we deal in demigods and fan worship and getting away from some realities and not being able to handle where a player might come up short, or even accurately being able to talk about certain shortcomings, that's where I personally start to get lost and start to lose interest in talking with a person. (Not saying you or anybody specific is doing that here). That's why the Randy Moss name wasn't a good example for me personally because living where I do I dealt with it for over a decade where you could not approach certain things with the Randy Moss folks because they used words like that and many were so unreasonable and just not worth the time. Again, not that you personally are that way with Saquon.

2.) On making money elsewhere. I WISH more players knew how to do that and do it the right way WHILE they are an NFL player. It's something I probably focus on more than anybody else I know and I'm very, very conscious about giving players credit who have great life skills and are the type of people who strive to do bigger things in life and have a sense for all that stuff. It's something I consistently look into.

My problem with it is with the ROC Nation stable and some of the distractions some of their guys have taken and the world it's led them into. Not that it has cost numerous players their entire careers, not that every single ROC Nation player will be wrecked by them, but so much of the stuff they concentrate on is stuff that is unnecessary stuff to me while you're an NFL player. It'd be easy for a lot of players to fall into that extracurricular stuff after you sign with them specifically and go down the wrong path.

As I will continue to say, I think Saquon borders on being a special kid on a human level, is above a lot of things, and wouldn't necessarily be the kid I'd say will fall into that trap but you never know for sure.

I just would've preferred to see him sign with an agency that focuses on things and prepares athletes in a way that falls more in line with the types of things I like. As I said before, it's not something I'd personally hold against him too much or knock him down several pegs character wise for, but I was personally disappointed to see him go that route because I do really like him.

3.) Lastly, the excitement he SHOULD bring to football is a bit exciting and in a lot of ways it should be a breath of fresh air because of the type of guy he is. He does a lot of things the right way from what I can tell. This is me singling out yet again another player that should get credit for these things...so far. I wish we had a ton more of Saquon Barkley type kids coming into the league based on everything I've seen...so far.

I might harp on athletes saying stupid stuff more quickly than others do but usually I feel like my disgust or dislike for some of those things with certain people is fairly reasonable and understanding that a lot of these kids aren't always going to say the right things and acknowledging that for the most part you can come back from it but I do have a shorter leash for stupid stuff than most people. Somewhere in there I'm sure I could be better about it and do acknowledge it doesn't always make the easiest person to listen to or be around but for me I see it as both a positive and negative thing and I tell that to all the athletes I am around.

Again I don't expect Barkley to find himself in too many of those situations because I've been very impressed by the type of kid he is and I do think he is above a lot of stuff that you see inside a lot of kids today. I will give him that and we'll see.

I'm not even sure I need to say it because when I usually have addressed Saquon it's usually been in pretty good detail but I'm far closer to agreeing with a lot of the Saquon top, elite, special, spectacular talk than being worst guy ever type stuff.

I do acknowledge unlike some other RBs where I was on them early (LaDainian Tomlinson, Brian Westbrook, Clinton Portis, Steven Jackson, Darren Sproles, Marion Barber, Ronnie Brown, DeAngelo Williams, Adrian Peterson, Matt Forte, Jonathan Stewart, LeSean McCoy, Dion Lewis, Eddie Lacy, Carlos Hyde, Derrick Henry, etc.) it took me longer to get on the Saquon train in combination with where you'd have to take them if you want to get him. I do admit that. It's not that I didn't like him. I just took LONGER than many before fully coming to grips with saying I could see a scenario where he could potentially be the guy for me at a spot that was reasonable for him.

To be completely transparent I can name some other RBs I was later than some to the party on but had some like for before fully deciding the same thing later than others did: Willis McGahee, Frank Gore, Marshawn Lynch, Jamaal Charles, DeMarco Murray, Mark Ingram, Le'Veon Bell, Devonta Freeman, Melvin Gordon, Todd Gurley, Joe Mixon).

[ChrisPozz]

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[ChrisPozz]

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[Dodub]

I like this guy a lot. Reminds me of Demarcus Lawrence. Could be a steal for the team that drafts him depending on where he lands:

Dorance Armstrong Jr. - DL - Jayhawks

Kansas junior edge rusher Dorance Armstrong Jr. will forego his final year of eligibility to enter the 2018 NFL Draft.

Armstrong (6'4/241) has been the crown jewel of the Kansas football program in what's otherwise been a dark time for the Jayhawks. For the 2017 campaign, the junior edge rusher registered 63 tackles (9.5 for loss), two sacks and three forced fumbles. He posted 20 tackles for loss two years ago. Just due to the team around him, Armstrong has done all this work facing near-constant double teams. While he's an athletic talent with plus-speed as a pass rusher, he occasionally has issues shedding blocks and could stand to add more playing weight heading into the professional ranks. Armstrong will likely see interest on Day 2 (Rds. 2-3) of the spring draft.
Source: Dorance Armstrong Jr. on Twitter

Jan 4 - 1:50 PM

You beat me to it!! I’m a huge fan of Armstrong and I still believe that he will be a start pass rusher in the league. He’s an athletic freak at DE. If he fell to the 3rd round I would be absolutely shocked and frankly a bit upset that we didn’t pick him with our 2nd rounder.

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Watch on YouTube

[I_am_1z]

Saquon signed with ROC Nation Sports.

Not an earth-shattering development but on a personal level I'm a bit bummed by it considering of how highly I think of Saquon the guy. It's not something I'd personally hold against him too much or knock him down several pegs character wise but it's just a bit disappointing that he chose to go down that path with them. There's often extracurricular things that are sometimes unnecessary to me when it's come to their athlete stable. The good thing is I think Saquon is far more equipped with his current life skills to deal with the extra stuff that'll come with it than many others would be but on a selfish level I wish he'd have gone down a different path with a more boring, traditional agency. Obviously he might not believe that is right for him or something he wanted and that's fine. I'm just bummed by it on a selfish level. And who knows? Maybe he still stays away from any type of unnecessary junk.

Saquon Barkley is the next Randy Moss. He's going to create that kind of excitement again where people don't think he's from this world. He's going to market himself and make money in other places than just football too. We're seeing a demi god walk amongst us in the football world, I hope people like yourself will just appreciate the excitement he brings to the sport and not try and clip his wings at every wrong thing he may say or do.

Ha, oh boy. You might have me confused with some other folks but here I go.

1.) I hope for the sake of Saquon he doesn't have to deal with some of the Randy Moss type fans who were completely unreasonable when it came to seeing the entire Randy Moss picture. I wouldn't want that for him. I hope, for the most part, and realistically, his fans are reasonable when coming to any Saquon arguments. Granted I hope that for all players but we live in a world with some fanatics that can't accurately argue about their favorite players. So be it.

If we want to go generic and say he's going to develop a level of excitement around himself where people hold him in an all-time regard and talk about he's doing things at a size that next to nobody has ever done, cool. That's actually closer to where I reside in the argument.

But when we deal in demigods and fan worship and getting away from some realities and not being able to handle where a player might come up short, or even accurately being able to talk about certain shortcomings, that's where I personally start to get lost and start to lose interest in talking with a person. (Not saying you or anybody specific is doing that here). That's why the Randy Moss name wasn't a good example for me personally because living where I do I dealt with it for over a decade where you could not approach certain things with the Randy Moss folks because they used words like that and many were so unreasonable and just not worth the time. Again, not that you personally are that way with Saquon.

2.) On making money elsewhere. I WISH more players knew how to do that and do it the right way WHILE they are an NFL player. It's something I probably focus on more than anybody else I know and I'm very, very conscious about giving players credit who have great life skills and are the type of people who strive to do bigger things in life and have a sense for all that stuff. It's something I consistently look into.

My problem with it is with the ROC Nation stable and some of the distractions some of their guys have taken and the world it's led them into. Not that it has cost numerous players their entire careers, not that every single ROC Nation player will be wrecked by them, but so much of the stuff they concentrate on is stuff that is unnecessary stuff to me while you're an NFL player. It'd be easy for a lot of players to fall into that extracurricular stuff after you sign with them specifically and go down the wrong path.

As I will continue to say, I think Saquon borders on being a special kid on a human level, is above a lot of things, and wouldn't necessarily be the kid I'd say will fall into that trap but you never know for sure.

I just would've preferred to see him sign with an agency that focuses on things and prepares athletes in a way that falls more in line with the types of things I like. As I said before, it's not something I'd personally hold against him too much or knock him down several pegs character wise for, but I was personally disappointed to see him go that route because I do really like him.

3.) Lastly, the excitement he SHOULD bring to football is a bit exciting and in a lot of ways it should be a breath of fresh air because of the type of guy he is. He does a lot of things the right way from what I can tell. This is me singling out yet again another player that should get credit for these things...so far. I wish we had a ton more of Saquon Barkley type kids coming into the league based on everything I've seen...so far.

I might harp on athletes saying stupid stuff more quickly than others do but usually I feel like my disgust or dislike for some of those things with certain people is fairly reasonable and understanding that a lot of these kids aren't always going to say the right things and acknowledging that for the most part you can come back from it but I do have a shorter leash for stupid stuff than most people. Somewhere in there I'm sure I could be better about it and do acknowledge it doesn't always make the easiest person to listen to or be around but for me I see it as both a positive and negative thing and I tell that to all the athletes I am around.

Again I don't expect Barkley to find himself in too many of those situations because I've been very impressed by the type of kid he is and I do think he is above a lot of stuff that you see inside a lot of kids today. I will give him that and we'll see.

I'm not even sure I need to say it because when I usually have addressed Saquon it's usually been in pretty good detail but I'm far closer to agreeing with a lot of the Saquon top, elite, special, spectacular talk than being worst guy ever type stuff.

I do acknowledge unlike some other RBs where I was on them early (LaDainian Tomlinson, Brian Westbrook, Clinton Portis, Steven Jackson, Darren Sproles, Marion Barber, Ronnie Brown, DeAngelo Williams, Adrian Peterson, Matt Forte, Jonathan Stewart, LeSean McCoy, Dion Lewis, Eddie Lacy, Carlos Hyde, Derrick Henry, etc.) it took me longer to get on the Saquon train in combination with where you'd have to take them if you want to get him. I do admit that. It's not that I didn't like him. I just took LONGER than many before fully coming to grips with saying I could see a scenario where he could potentially be the guy for me at a spot that was reasonable for him.

To be completely transparent I can name some other RBs I was later than some to the party on but had some like for before fully deciding the same thing later than others did: Willis McGahee, Frank Gore, Marshawn Lynch, Jamaal Charles, DeMarco Murray, Mark Ingram, Le'Veon Bell, Devonta Freeman, Melvin Gordon, Todd Gurley, Joe Mixon).

My point was that you're already nitpicking. When ESPN builds up a player they love to nitpick them for every decision. More recently we've seen it with LeBron and O'Dell ; in the past we've seen it with Iverson and Moss. Saquon's inner circle is about to seem bigger. He's going to have more people in his ear telling him all he wants to hear. He might get bigheaded in the process. I'm almost sure he'll get ripped for not being perfect, unless you have some evidence into ROC Nation not looking out for the interests of their clients, why even question it if a clean nosed kid like Barkely signs with them?

[Ray_Dogg]

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My god he tossed Wilkins.

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

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My god he tossed Wilkins.

Wilkins is not as great as people make it out to be. He will struggle to get on the field his first year. He needs to get stronger, but I think he could be a Kawann Short type of player in a couple years thereafter.