Well, I'm really excited to show off what we could do with this team. Time to make some moves:
Trades:
#26 overall to the Buffalo Bills for #30 overall, #62 overall, and #177 overall.
(Bills jump to secure Ezeiruaku from the Ravens while we collect a second and an early sixth.)
#62 overall, #127 overall, and 2026 second round pick to the Miami Dolphins for #48 overall and #155 overall.
(We trade up for someone special who will impact our defense for years to come while Miami gets extra picks.)
Now, time for the taking of names:
Draft:
#30 overall - Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina.
(Here he is, the guy that's going to put us on top. Revel is a tall (6'2"), physical corner who has ball skills and coverage for days. He utterly shut down Michigan's passing game, and this was during their Championship run in 2023. He got injured in 2024 during a practice and never got to show what he could do, and you have to trust the 2023 tape, but he's a mature twenty-two-year-old who worked his ass off to get where he was (including taking graveyard shifts at Amazon, just for the opportunity to chase his football dreams), and I have a gut feeling that he's going to be a top two cornerback from this class - which says a lot given the amount of great corners in this class. I want us to be that team that gets him.)
#48 overall - Carson Schwesinger, ILB, University of California, Los Angeles.
(Yes, we're trading up for an inside linebacker, but Schwesinger is someone I've had my eye on since I heard the Rams had their eyes on him. He's not the biggest inside linebacker (6'2", 242 lbs.), but he's a sideline-to-sideline demon who does not miss tackles. A local walk-on, he worked his ass off and bulked up from 225 lbs., and he also has a knack for run defense and delayed pass-rushing, allowing us to fill a void. He's surprisingly adept in coverage; he'll never be mistaken for prime Urlacher, but he's absolutely capable. Helping him even more is his intelligence: he's a bioengineering major who is a two-time Fall Pac-12 Honor Roll recipient. Schwesinger could end up being the captain for our defense, a guy you keep on the field at all times.)
#90 overall - Ozzy Trapilo, OT, Boston College.
(Trapilo could end up being a solid bookend for A-Jax when Havenstein eventually retires. A 6'8", 319 lbs. monster, Trapilo may not have the longest arms nor is he the most athletic, but he is a wizard with technique who knows how to use leverage. Doesn't that just remind you of a certain right tackle of ours?)
#101 overall - Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Virginia Tech.
(Credit to
@OldSchool for uncovering him. Tuten has warp speed, great vision, and surprising contact balance. Give him an opening, and he's gone, period. Right now, he's not at the point where he's more than a rushing threat, but his hands are decent for a running back, and while he'll never be K-Will when it comes to blocking, he's at least willing. I think that after K-Will leaves, Tuten and Corum will definitely split carries, and maybe Tuten wins the job outright.)
#155 overall - Rylie Mills, DT, Notre Dame.
(I know what you're going to say: why spend a mid-fifth on another DT, especially coming off of a recent ACL tear? Mills is worth it, and is a pass-rushing force in the middle (7.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for a loss during his shortened senior year). I still think that when Fiske went out during that Eagles game, we lost a huge member of our pass rush because the Eagles could double Turner without reproach. Mills going to be on the PUP list to start, but I think we have the horses to hold on...until he gets healthy. Then look out.)
#177 overall - Oronde Gadsden, WR, Syracuse.
(Here's our big slot receiver! Gadsden has unparalleled receiving ability and size (6'5", 243 lbs.) from the slot, which is where he played most of his snaps. I do not think he's a tight end at the next level; he simply isn't a good enough inline blocker. His medicals will also have to be checked after he missed time with a Lisfranc injury. But the receiving ability at this stage is just too good to pass up.)
#190 overall - Isaac TeSlaa, WR, Arkansas.
(Our X receiver of the future. TeSlaa has incredible athletic ability, as evidenced by his RAS score (nothing was below above average). I've watched tape on him, and while he struggles with separating from cornerbacks, he has not once dropped a pass: he has vises for hands. His struggles with separation merit concern, but I think he could be a better pro than collegian, much like Nacua was and what I think Whittington could be.)
#195 overall - Jabbar Muhammad, CB, Oregon.
(Muhammad has ball skills and technique for days. He's definitely small and slight (5'9", 182 lbs.), but he makes up for it with tenacity in the run game, outstanding football IQ in both zone and press coverage, and ball skills that just aren't normally there when you're taking a cornerback this late. He would be fantastic for our cornerback depth.)
#201 overall - Jalin Conyers, TE, Texas Tech.
(Conyers is going to be a stud. Credit to
@Memphis Ram for finding him. A former quarterback who transitioned to tight end, Conyers is a big (6'4", 260 lbs.) mold of clay. He's already got solid hands, a surprising precocious ability for running routes, athleticism, and the willingness to block. He's not there yet and he's quite raw, but with Higbee's tutelage, I think Conyers could be a steal here.)
#202 overall - Jasheen Davis, EDGE, Wake Forest.
(Davis put himself back on the map after a downgraded senior season with a 4.62 forty at 270 lbs. He had a decent career at Wake Forest (twenty total sacks, including 7.5 and sixteen tackles-for-a-loss in his junior year), has decent length (34-inch arms), a relentless motor, a good first step, and he's an expert at blocking kicks and punts on teams, which is something we lost with Hoecht. Maybe he turns out to be just as good as Hoecht was.)
Roster:
QB: Matt Stafford, Jimmy Garoppolo.
(No surprises.)
RB: Kyren Williams, Blake Corum, Bhayshul Tuten, Cody Schrader (KR).
(I could put Tuten as the kick returner, but I prefer Schrader as far as sure-handedness. K-Will takes the majority of the snaps, but I expect him to return a pick at the trade deadline, potentially.)
WR: Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Jordan Whittington, Chatarius Atwell, Oronde Gadsden, Isaac TeSlaa (PR).
(Atwell is your deep threat, while I think Whittington takes a lot of snaps in the slot. Gadsden gets a mostly redshirt year, while TeSlaa is your sure-handed punt returner.)
TE: Tyler Higbee, Davis Allen, Jalin Conyers.
(Parkinson is cut as a June 2nd before the season starts. Other than that, I understand that I'm playing with fire with injuries and a raw rookie...but I'm hoping that the injuries don't have as much of an impact as last year, and that Higbee stays healthy. Lots of hopes.)
OL: Alaric Jackson, Steve Avila, Coleman Shelton, Kevin Dotson, Rob Havenstein, Beaux Limmer, Dylan McMahon, KT Leveston, Justin Dedich, Ozzy Trapilo.
(No real surprises. I don't like the Shelton signing, want to give Limmer more of a chance, but I don't think the coaching staff thinks the same way I do. Trapilo could be the swing tackle, but I think they try Leveston out there first.)
DL: Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Poona Ford, Tyler Davis, Desjuan Johnson, Rylie Mills (PUP).
(Mills starts out on the PUP, and I'm assuming we cut a corner to make room for him when he starts playing. Otherwise, no real surprises.)
LB: Jared Verse, Byron Young, Omar Speights, Nate Landman, Brennan Jackson, Nick Hampton, Jasheen Davis, Carson Schwesinger, Tony Fields/Elias Neal/UDFA.
(Fully expecting us to sign a lot of UDFAs at ILB, even in this scenario, and it'll be a battle. Brennan Jackson takes the spot of Hoecht as the third pass-rusher. I also don't think Schwesinger immediately wins the job; it hasn't been our style, but I expect him to eventually start and excel.)
DB: Akhello Witherspoon, Emmanuel Forbes, Quentin Lake, Kamren Kinchens, Kam Curl, Cobie Durant, Josh Wallace, Charles Woods, Shavon Revel Jr., Jabbar Muhammad, Jaylen McCollough.
(Going to keep the extra corners. Assuming that Muhammad takes a redshirt year. Revel could eventually start, but right now, I'm fine with him learning from Witherspoon, Durant, and the vets. Kendrick will go far, far away, hopefully. I can hope.)
ST: Josh Karty, Ethan Evans, Alex Ward.
(No surprises, thank fate.)
Feel free to flame.
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