2017 NFL Draft

[moonpie23]

color me picky, but i don't think a single one of the 17 "top prospects" standing on the stage had their hand over their heart while the national anthem was sung...i mean, is that not the tradition anymore?

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Bears deserve what they're gonna get with that moronic pick. And I'm not just hating on a cheater. What a bunch of dumb arses.

[Reilly]

... i don't think a single one of the 17 "top prospects" standing on the stage had their hand over their heart while the national anthem was sung...i mean, is that not the tradition anymore? ...

I don't know if it's tradition.

It is federal law, however: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/36/301

As with many things, Coach K sets a good example in this regard.

I believe the lack of following tradition (or the federal law) is not a repudiation by today's youngsters; moreso a lack of proper instruction.

[JNort]

Wow. Just freaking wow. Panthers could only make "realistically" 1 bad choice at the 8th spot and of course we made it.

[moonpie23]

Wow. Just freaking wow. Panthers could only make "realistically" 1 bad choice at the 8th spot and of course we made it.

solid pick...

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Wow. Just freaking wow. Panthers could only make "realistically" 1 bad choice at the 8th spot and of course we made it.

Seems to be getting solid reviews from people who know better than I - at least in headlines I see.

[luburch]

color me picky, but i don't think a single one of the 17 "top prospects" standing on the stage had their hand over their heart while the national anthem was sung...i mean, is that not the tradition anymore?

Are you supposed to put your hand over your heart for the National Anthem? I've never done so. Always two hands behind the back and head down.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Seems to be getting solid reviews from people who know better than I - at least in headlines I see.

Okay, prompted me to go look. An A- from SI and a D from CBS. Guess you could call that "mixed reaction."

For the record, CBS graded much more harshly across the board, as though they had a frustrated fan of each team hand our the grades.

[fuse]

Wow. Just freaking wow. Panthers could only make "realistically" 1 bad choice at the 8th spot and of course we made it.

Curious who you think would be a better pick?

Running back with good hands? All purpose yards leader? Only time will tell if there were a better choice.
For what it's worth, I'm not picking on you. I thought Kuechly was a horrible pick and I was really, really wrong.

[CDu]

Not thrilled with what the Bears spent to get Trubisky. I have had a feeling they might draft Trubisky though. Pace (the GM) must have felt strongly that Trubisky was THE guy. And he must have been convinced that San Fran had other trade partners. If Pace is right, the cost almost doesn't matter. If he is wrong, he will get fired.

[chriso]

Not thrilled with what the Bears spent to get Trubisky. I have had a feeling they might draft Trubisky though. Pace (the GM) must have felt strongly that Trubisky was THE guy. And he must have been convinced that San Fran had other trade partners. If Pace is right, the cost almost doesn't matter. If he is wrong, he will get fired.

Personally I like when teams roll the dice. It shows an all in approach, although you have to make sure it is the right guy. But that Bears pick did surprise me. Like others have said if he works out it will be worth it. I like the Bears so I hope it works out. My Bengals took John Ross, a receiver from Washington, who is really good but there are durability issues. I'm from Washington so I've seen him play a lot and he's the real deal when healthy and obviously a burner. But it's an aggressive pick with high upside and I like it. Curious to see how Deshaun Watson pans out. He was incredible in college.

[CDu]

Personally I like when teams roll the dice. It shows an all in approach, although you have to make sure it is the right guy. But that Bears pick did surprise me. Like others have said if he works out it will be worth it. I like the Bears so I hope it works out. My Bengals took John Ross, a receiver from Washington, who is really good but there are durability issues. I'm from Washington so I've seen him play a lot and he's the real deal when healthy and obviously a burner. But it's an aggressive pick with high upside and I like it. Curious to see how Deshaun Watson pans out. He was incredible in college.

Yeah, it's a bold move for sure. Pace must feel VERY strongly in his evaluation of Trubisky. QB is the most important position on the field, and it is a position that famously hasn't worked out for the Bears in decades. And Pace had gone two drafts already without taking a single QB. He basically HAD to take one in the first two rounds. Apparently he really wanted Trubisky. It's a bold move that will define his tenure as Bears' GM. If Trusbisky works out, there is almost no price that would have been unacceptable to ensure he got his guy. If Trubisky doesn't work out, Pace would get fired anyway. As a Bears fan, I hope it works out.

[throatybeard]

In years when there aren't any can't-miss QBs, need compels some teams to take the material available and convince themselves the QBs are better than they are.

[JNort]

Curious who you think would be a better pick?

Running back with good hands? All purpose yards leader? Only time will tell if there were a better choice.
For what it's worth, I'm not picking on you. I thought Kuechly was a horrible pick and I was really, really wrong.

CM doesn't fit the Panthers and that's the main problem. He a small rb who is known for his receiving ability. The Panthers don't throw short often, Cam struggles throwing screen and we use a power run game. College success after a certain point doesn't matter very much, guys break records all the time based on usage/talent around them/talent they go against and the style their team plays.

If we wanted rb so bad we should have made a move for Fournette. If we didn't wanna make a move then we should have gone with one of the other positions we need so bad (CB, S, DE, OT, OG, C, TE, WR, K). Personally I would have been fine with almost everyone drafted after us for a while over CM. I'd have liked to see us trade back with one of the teams who wanted a QB or draft Marshon Mattimore or Malik Hooker.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Yeah, it's a bold move for sure. Pace must feel VERY strongly in his evaluation of Trubisky. QB is the most important position on the field, and it is a position that famously hasn't worked out for the Bears in decades. And Pace had gone two drafts already without taking a single QB. He basically HAD to take one in the first two rounds. Apparently he really wanted Trubisky. It's a bold move that will define his tenure as Bears' GM. If Trusbisky works out, there is almost no price that would have been unacceptable to ensure he got his guy. If Trubisky doesn't work out, Pace would get fired anyway. As a Bears fan, I hope it works out.

I would love to know if the 49ers really had any other offers for the pick on the table and/or any interest in picking Trubisky themselves. My hunch is that John Lynch did a great job of bluffing the Bears and was able to extract several decent picks out of them to move up one spot when Trubisky likely would have fallen to the Bears anyway. Taking Trubisky that early was a huge all-in move for Pace and the Bears. Taking him that early while also giving up several other picks is even bigger. It is a large early vote of no confidence towards Glennon, though his sizable checks will still be clearing so he can't complain that much.

[luvdahops]

CM doesn't fit the Panthers and that's the main problem. He a small rb who is known for his receiving ability. The Panthers don't throw short often, Cam struggles throwing screen and we use a power run game. College success after a certain point doesn't matter very much, guys break records all the time based on usage/talent around them/talent they go against and the style their team plays.

If we wanted rb so bad we should have made a move for Fournette. If we didn't wanna make a move then we should have gone with one of the other positions we need so bad (CB, S, DE, OT, OG, C, TE, WR, K). Personally I would have been fine with almost everyone drafted after us for a while over CM. I'd have liked to see us trade back with one of the teams who wanted a QB or draft Marshon Mattimore or Malik Hooker.

I don't follow the Panthers that closely, but my impression is that they drafted McCaffrey precisely because their preferred offensive approach of the past few years - power running plus downfield shots - had grown a bit stale. They ranked 21st in the NFL last year in both total yards and average yards per play (5.2), 23rd in 3rd down conversion percentage (37%) and last in completion percentage (54.4%). Those are unacceptable numbers for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. While McCaffrey is undoubtedly a good receiver for a RB (and may also spend time as a slot receiver), he is also pretty effective running between tackles, and provides Carolina with someone who can rip off big gains with some daylight.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

CM doesn't fit the Panthers and that's the main problem. He a small rb who is known for his receiving ability. The Panthers don't throw short often, Cam struggles throwing screen and we use a power run game. College success after a certain point doesn't matter very much, guys break records all the time based on usage/talent around them/talent they go against and the style their team plays.

If we wanted rb so bad we should have made a move for Fournette. If we didn't wanna make a move then we should have gone with one of the other positions we need so bad (CB, S, DE, OT, OG, C, TE, WR, K). Personally I would have been fine with almost everyone drafted after us for a while over CM. I'd have liked to see us trade back with one of the teams who wanted a QB or draft Marshon Mattimore or Malik Hooker.

ESPN headline (who do they have left to write those things, anyway?) said "Panthers draft help for Cam."

Perspective, I suppose.

[JasonEvans]

I'm a Falcons fan and would like nothing more than to see the Panthers continue to struggle... and I am quite upset they took McCaffrey. I think he's going to be a heck of an offensive player and is clearly willing to do whatever it takes to make his team better. My only hope is that Cam doesn't figure out how to use him effectively. I fear that the Panther's offense just got a ton better (luckily, their D appears to be steeply declining).

-Jason "CDu's analysis of the Bears pick is perfect... either the GM got a good QB and looks like a genius or his career as GM is over... it is as simple as that" Evans

[Olympic Fan]

First, I think the NFL draft is the single most overrated event on the annual sports calendar.

I know the teams are built via the draft, but it's such a hit or miss situation. Look at the best QBs in the game today -- starting with Tom Brady, who was a sixth round pick. Russell Wilson, third round. Dak Prescott, the best rookie QB in the league, went in the fourth round. Guys like Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlesberger and former stars such as Brett Farve and Dan Marino were late first-round picks after numerous other QBs were picked. Yeah, there are some good ones who go early (John Elway, Andrew Luck) but the No. 1 guy last year Jared Goff, barely got off the bench.

The "experts" don't help ... I loved the clips of Mel Kiper saying that he would NEVER take a running back in the top 10 ... then watching him try to backtrack that absurd statement.

Yeah, I watched, even though I don't take it very seriously.

I do want to make one point ... amazing how often the choice comes down to a player who was a great college player with so-so measurables (speed, strength, etc.) and a player who was only so-so in college, but has great measurables.

I'm not saying 100 percent, but in my experience, the college stars outperform the workout wonders 80-90 percent of the time.

That's why I'd prefer Deshaun Watson to Mitch Tribisky.

As for Christian McCaffrey, I hate the Panthers, but I wish him luck in Charlotte (he's almost like an extended part of the Duke family). But I think Dalvon Cook (who will be picked tonight) will have a better NFL career.

PS As for the national anthem issue -- if they are going to start enforcing that federal law about holding your hand over your heart, more than half the people in Cameron (including half the basketball team) will be arrested at the next game. Actually, I think the NFL was lucky that some of them didn't take a knee during the anthem.

[PackMan97]

It is a large early vote of no confidence towards Glennon, though his sizable checks will still be clearing so he can't complain that much.

I'm sure Glennon is happy to cash that $45 million the bears will be paying him, although only $18.5 of that is guaranteed and $16 of that in the first year. So it's quite possible they signed Glennon to give Trubisky a season to adjust and plan on cutting Glennon loose next year.

Either way, I congratulate the Tarheels on maybe, just maybe, having their first full time starting QB in the NFL. Just for fun...let's run down UNC's QB history.

Trubisky makes the 7th QB drafted out of Carolina.
Scott Stankavage (1984) became the first Carolina QB** to throw a forward pass in the NFL. He played in four games and went 8-25 for 66 yards!
TJ Yates (2011) broke the starting barrier for Carolina and became the first Tarheel QB to start an NFL game. He has gone on to start in 7 NFL games over 6 seasons and has thrown for a Tarheel best, 1,534 yards in 18 games.
** Prior to Scott and TJ, the best Tarheel passer had been RUNNING BACK, Ed Sutton who went 5 of 15 for 146 yards.

So good luck to Trubisky, he stands a good chance of rewriting the history books on UNC Football's 130 year tradition of excellence at the QB position.