NFLRT 3/8/2024

The questions and discussion…

1) In your opinion who is the best QB in this year’s draft? Why?

Hands down, Caleb Williams.

He’s a generational quarterback talent. He has the arm strength, can place passes on a dime across the field with his body facing the other way. If you watched any Caleb Williams’ highlights on Twitter or during the combine or any NFL Draft analysis shows, you’ll see he makes throws into tight spaces across the field from the opposite hash across his body and rope the passes into the corner of the end zone.

He threw 30 TD passes and five interceptions this year, which included a tough game against Notre Dame where three of those interceptions came. But, he had to play with a horrible defense. And the year before he absolutely dominated in college football on his way to a Heisman trophy.

He’s creative, can make first downs out of thin air, and reminds a lot of people of a Patrick Mahomes-type creator on the field in how he can make first downs happen, move around the pocket, and get incredible throws roped on a dime to his target. 

Since Caleb Williams followed Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley to USC the strong armed QB in two years has thrown 72 TDs against just 10 INTs. Former NFL QB and current sports analyst Chris Simms says, “The power in the arm is second to none. Second to none. In any way you want to talk about it. Off a back foot, perfect pocket, standing, I gotta run up in the pocket and throw a bomb down the sideline, I gotta run to the sideline, either way — he’s one of the best on the run throwing quarterbacks I’ve ever seen in my life. He is one of the most machine throwing quarterbacks in a clean pocket that I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Williams has an extremely accurate throwing arm with terrific agility and excellent ability to break open as a runner. His ability to see the entire field enables him to see the entire field and has the ability to get the ball from various angles either from the packet or on the run to his play makers. Simply put he has the velocity, touch and pinpoint accuracy to attack all levels of the field.

One of the concerns regarding Williams is that he can all too often deviate from play calls and attempt to do too much on his own rather than staying within the confines of the play. 

Another concerns is that Williams often holds the ball for too long, inviting hits and can be prone to losing the ball. In his three seasons of college ball he fumbled 20 times including a career-high 10 times in 2023.

A flaw in his technique is he tends to exhibit is he will throw off his back foot and across his body.

With the right coaching in the pros hose flaws are very correctable  

The bottom line is that Williams is a natural playmaker who possesses the talent and doggedness to make the impossible play a consistent reality kinda, sorta like the current Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes and there is no quarterback in this year’s draft class with higher upside and potential to be a success in the NFL.

2) Word is that the New England Patriots will have in the neighborhood of $101-million in cap space this off-season…

If you had the final word regarding the Patriots’ player personnel and their 53-man roster for the 2024 season which free agents would you sign? Why?

With New England, there’s rumors that they could move from the third overall pick and acquire a lot of draft capital in order to build the roster fully since there are so many holes on it. From offense to defense, this team needs almost a complete makeover starting from the quarterback on down. They need offensive line help. They need offense, all over. They need some playmakers on defense, and they need a kicker. This team was a mess last season.

If they can trade down, they can still get Bo Nix, JJ McCarthy or Michael Penix Jr and be okay in having him sit for a year or play some time in the second-half of the season. But they need to grab a quarterback in free agency. That’s first and foremost. Jacoby Brisset has been rumored.

If I had full control in New England, I’m starting with the offensive line. I’m going after Jonah Jackson at tackle. He’s an animal, with an over 90% pass-block win rate and is a mauler for run block. Then I’d try to grab Minshew, but Brissett would be a nice second-place prize for that. They need to acquire as much talent as they can. So grab a WR, maybe Gabe Davis, maybe Curtis Samuel, maybe Tyler Boyd. If I can get him for a good price, I’d grab Tyler Biadasz at center as well to bolster the offensive line. They need to grab an above-average guard as well. Jon Runyan comes to mind there if the Packers don’t re-sign him.

The safety pool is going to be deep this off-season, which is going to drive their contract levels down, and I would look at Fuller, Byard, Savage or Poyer. There really aren’t any limits on free agency, except to grab as much talent as you can, and make sure some steals are in there as well since they’re going to spend close to all of their money on free agencies to bolster up a roster that was probably the worst in the NFL last season from top to bottom. 

The Pats need everything so if I’m in charge of things my immediate concerns are building strong offensive and defensive lines.

I go big after two of the youngest offensive tackles available in the Bengals’ Jonah Williams (27-years old) and the Jets Mekhi Becton (25-years old). While not as young as Williams or Becton, I would also target the Cowboys’ Tyron Smith.

On the defensive line I go the Dolphins Christian Wilkins, the Seahawks Leonard Williams and maybe the Bills Tim Settle. For my edge players I try to sign at least one of the following… Jaguars’ Josh Allen,  Jets’ Bryce Huff and Vikings’ Danielle Hunter. My backup guys would be  49ers’ Chase Young and Texans Jonathan Greenard.

They need a QB, and I would talk to the Bears about Justin Fields and if that goes nowhere then target someone like target Gardner Minshew. Otherwise stay with the third overall pick and grab one of the top QBs left after the Bears take Williams and the Commanders probably take Jayden Daniels.

Next the QB needs to have playmakers he can get the ball to… so at wide receiver I try to sign either the Bills’ Gabe Davis, Jaguars’ Calvin Ridley or the Cardinals’ Marquise Brown.  And then take your pick from the deep group of running backs available with dual threat Saquon Barkley at the top of my list but considering he has stated he wants to go to a winning team he’s probably not coming to the Pats. So maybe more realistic would be a guy like the Eagles’ Deandre Swift.

That should be a decent base to start the rebuild from.  

3) Former NFL QB and MVP Boomer Esiason recently said that the Bears GM Ryan Poles should draft Caleb Williams with the overall number one pick in the draft , and if Poles isn’t willing to do that, then the Bears should fire him.  

What are your thoughts regarding Esiason’s comments? Would it be that huge of a mistake for Poles not to draft Williams? Why? 

If the Chicago Bears don’t draft Caleb Williams, Ryan Poles will be fired mid-draft.

That would be an enormous miss by the Chicago Bears if they decide to keep the number one pick, and don’t draft Caleb Williams, the best QB and overall player in the draft. If they want to get a WR or a different position, then trading down is an absolute must. But I think that would be a mistake to stick with Justin Fields and have to pay him on an extension in only a year’s time. Getting a franchise-altering quarterback and getting him on a rookie deal for multiple seasons to build up the roster around him, would be the ideal situation for the Bears. And they must draft Caleb Williams or Poles does deserve to be fired five minutes after the non-quarterback pick happens. 

If Williams is the real deal and could potentially have the effect of being the 2024 version of the Texans’ CJ Stroud for the team that drafts him which all indications seem to say he is and that he could have that capability, then yeah, if Poles doesn’t select him with the first pick he needs to immediately be given his walking papers.  

4) In recent years past the Washington Commanders have struggled to select a consistent quarterback and this offseason they are back at the drawing board to decide who will be their offensive leader for the future. Adam Peters is entering his first year as the Commanders general manager and will have a major role in choosing who they will go forward with at QB for the 2024 season.

If you are Peters do you trade or keep incumbent QB Sam Howell and what you do with the overall number two pick in this year’s draft? Why?

If I’m Washington, I’m drafting Drake Maye.

In most drafts, Maye would be a clear-cut number one overall pick. But instead, because he’s faced with Caleb Williams as another quarterback in this draft, he’s placed at number two. And Washington needs to improve their quarterback situation. Sam Howell threw up a bunch of yards last season. But he took so many hits and so many sacks that it wasn’t funny. There was a point in the season where he was on pace to have over 100 sacks allowed last year, and that’s just not winning football.

They have a ton of weapons in Washington, just signed Zach Ertz to replace Logan Thomas going to free agency, and they need to solidify their quarterback situation. Jacoby Brissett came in as a back-up and played some games late in the season and looked completely different. They get Maye, pair him with their weapons, and we might actually see consistent play from Scary Terry (Terry McLaurin). 

If I am the Commanders GM I trade Howell for the best deal I can get in draft picks and then either select Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye.

Depending if some team wants to trade up and include first round swaps in the deal I would also consider guys like Quinyon Mitchell or Michael Penix.

5) Despite two Pro Bowl nods Arizona Cardinals 26-year-old QB Kyler Murray has missed multiple games in three straight seasons and is just 28-36-1 as a starter for the team.

Is the upcoming 2024 season a “make it or break it” year for Murray? Why or why not?  

It definitely is going to be a “make-it-or-break-it” year for Kyler Murray in Arizona.

They’re most likely going to end up drafting a generational talent at wide receiver in Marvin Harrison Jr and that should really help out the weapons available for Murray. He didn’t look bad when he came back from his leg injury last season, and he can make plays with his feet. He just needs to trust his receivers a little bit more, but Arizona was competitive last season against almost every opponent despite not having a good team.

They have a lot of potential and for the Arizona Cardinals, Kyler Murray needs to have a big year. Otherwise the deal they signed with him is going to backfire heavily and force them to really draft a quarterback next season, despite them missing out on one of the best crop of quarterbacks in a long time. I think he can redeem himself this year, after having a full, healthy off-season to prepare for this season, and it’s going to really fall on his lap in a horrible way if he doesn’t turn back into the quarterback that everybody thought he was going to be when Arizona drafted him with the number one overall pick out of Oklahoma. 

Yeah I think it is a “make it or break it” year for Murray.

He needs to prove once and for all if he is the franchise QB that the Cardinals thought they were drafting when they took him with their number overall one pick in 2019.