Super Bowl LX – A WalterFootball Draft Retrospective

Strengths:
Naturally Accurate passer. Throws a catchable ball. Pushed team to wins. Good internal clock. Stands tall in the pocket. Throws knowing he is going to get hit.

Weaknesses:
Ball security. Fumbles and interceptions. Some confidence issues back in 2017.
(I wonder if making it to the Super Bowl will bury any remaining confidence issues or reveal them.)

Summary:
There is a lot to like about Darnold as a future starter in the NFL. First and foremost, he is an accurate pocket passer who throws with good ball placement and is very precise in the short to intermediate part of the field. Darnold has excellent anticipation to know when and where receivers are going open. With his feel and timing, Darnold hits receivers on the run, leading them to picking up yards after the catch. He also regularly will throw receivers open and help them to find space to beat tight coverage. Darnold is a natural rhythm thrower who would fit best in a West Coast system to maximize his ability to throw accurately in the short to intermediate part of the field. He is a smooth precision passer who can be deadly when he gets into a good groove.

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4/24/18:
Across the league, Darold is the consensus top quarterback prospect even though he may not be the top pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Darnold has a quality skill set with exceptional accuracy as a passer and the ability to throw on the move…In the NFL, Darnold would be a great fit in a West Coast offense.

Darnold is the safest quarterback prospect in the 2018 NFL Draft. He didn’t throw at the NFL Scouting Combine, but he interviewed well with teams showing good recall and football IQ. At his pro day, Darnold put on a clinic, throwing accurate passes in the rain with excellent timing and anticipation. Of the top quarterback prospects, Darnold had the best pro-day performance.

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One-Year Grade: A Grade

It’s still astonishing that Sam Darnold fell into the Jets’ laps. Darnold had a strong debut to his career against the hapless Lions, then struggled a bit. He missed a few games, but was much better upon his return. Darnold was so impressive down the stretch that it makes believe that the Jets could compete for a playoff spot next year as long as they give him a couple more weapons. This re-grade definitely deserves to remain the same as the original.

Original Write-up:

Wow, the Jets had Sam Darnold fall into their laps. They traded up to No. 3, but they could’ve panicked. When the Broncos were rumored to move up to No. 2, they could have pulled the trigger, but they did not. They were patient, and they selected someone who many believe is the best quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft.

This has to be an “A” grade. The Jets finally found their quarterback of the future, but hopefully Darnold is much better than the previous USC signal-caller New York selected.

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Strengths:
Lethal Accuracy. Very accurate in middle of field. Pocket composure. Beats good coverage with accuracy, placement. Well-rounded.

Weaknesses:
Good skill set, but not elite. Footwork has to get better. Identifying blitzes.

Summary:
Maye is a pocket passer who can be lethal when he is given time. The most important attribute for any passer is accuracy, which Maye has. He throws the ball with excellent precision and ball placement. Utilizing natural loft and timing, Maye fits his passes into tight windows and is able to beat good coverage by being supremely accurate. He leads his receivers for more yards after the catch. Along with throwing receivers open, Maye throws passes with good loft and is able to give his wideouts a very catchable ball. In terms of arm strength, Maye has an arm capable of making all the throws for the NFL. He does not possess elite arm strength like a Josh Allen. Some sources have said that Maye’s arm strength is comparable to that of Joe Burrow, and others have said they think Maye’s arm is stronger than that. Regardless, Maye’s arm is solid and can get the job done.

Maye shows excellent accuracy over the middle of the field. However, his accuracy to the outside is not as good, and that is something he can work to improve. His accuracy also suffers when he throws off platform. Those are things he could improve upon with pro coaching, and it will be critical that Maye goes to a team with good quarterback coaching.

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4/22/24:
Maye completed 63 percent of his passes in 2023 for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also ran for nine touchdowns. Maye is a natural pocket passer who can be lethal when given time. The most important attribute for any passer is accuracy, and Maye has it. He throws the ball with excellent precision and ball placement. Thanks to natural loft and timing, Maye fits his passes into tight windows and is able to beat good coverage by being supremely accurate.

For the NFL, some team sources state Maye needs to improve his footwork. Some sources said his processing looks shaky, but others said they thought he had no issues processing the game. There are some divided opinions on Maye in the scouting community, with some scouts not being high on him and others thinking he could be the top quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. Maye reportedly interviewed well with teams at the combine.

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There was great speculation that the Patriots would trade out of this pick, but they were never going to accept any offers that wouldn’t blow them away. The reason is simple – the Patriots were desperate for a franchise quarterback and happened to be in position to draft one. Drake Maye is riskier than the two quarterbacks chosen before him, but he has immense upside. The Patriots made a wise decision to draft him over any of the other options. …more

Strengths:
Natural football player. Tough, physical defender. Instinctive. Good feel in coverage.

Weaknesses:
A little underweight. Skinny lower body.

Summary:
For man coverage, Witherspoon is a talented cornerback with speed and fluidity. He is a smooth cover corner capable of running the route to prevent separation with loose hips and the agility to stay on top of wide receivers. Witherspoon doesn’t take false steps and is sound in his eye discipline. With his serious quickness, Witherspoon can carry vertical routes and is capable of running with speed receivers. Witherspoon is excellent in zone coverage as well, using his speed to eat up ground and break hard on the ball.

Scouts like Witherspoon’s cover ability, noting his speed and athleticism to run the route to prevent separation. They say he is a real “dog” and an ultra competitor. However, they would like him to get stronger because he has a skinny lower body. Witherspoon looks like a future NFL starter who might end up being a phenomenal a true No. 1 corner.

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4/24/23:
Witherspoon played well for Illinois in 2022, recording 40 tackles, three interceptions and 14 pass breakups. Team sources love Witherspoon’s cover skills in that he can run the route and prevent separation. They also like his instincts, how he attacks the ball, and his physicality. However, they are concerned about his size and ability to stay healthy in the NFL given how physical he is. Witherspoon reinforced those concerns by not working out at the combine, but he did run well at his pro-day workout. Witherspoon is the consensus top corner in the 2023 NFL Draft and looks slated to become a top-10 pick.

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Uhh, what? Did the Seahawks forget that they’re experts at drafting cornerbacks in the middle and late rounds? Did they also fail to remember that they have a talented No. 1 cornerback? Seattle really needed to improve its pass rush. Picking Witherspoon here over Jalen Carter seems ridiculous. …more

Strengths:
Fluid mover to run the route and prevent separation. Willing tackler. Fast. Good Length. Agile. Good vision, eye discipline.

Weaknesses:
Gives up plays he shouldn’t. Doesn’t play the ball that well. Too casual at tiems. Questionable competitiveness.

Summary:
As a cover corner, there really isn’t anything that Gonzalez can’t do. He is fast, athletic, long and fluid. Gonzalez has the speed and agility to run the route and prevent separation. He does an excellent job of staying in phase and not taking false steps that allow distance to develop. Gonzalez can flip his hips and run along the sideline, and also will use his length and athleticism to close, helped by impressive recovery skills. Gonzalez can handle big receivers or speed receivers and possesses the ability to play press-man, off-man, or zone coverages. He is a very fluid mover who can run the route and prevent separation.

Gonzalez possesses the mentality of a No. 1 corner, meaning he is comfortable playing on the island and going one-on-one with receivers. Gonzalez doesn’t need safety help and doesn’t panic when passes are coming his direction. With advanced composure and poise, Gonzalez stays calm and avoids penalties by not grabbing or getting too physical. In 2022, he showed improved ball skills, but he still needs to get better at playing the ball and tracking it downfield.

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4/24/23: Team sources were impressed with Gonzalez’s cover skills, starting from his 2021 tape and continuing into his play in 2022. Entering 2022, the junior did not have an interception, so NFL evaluators wanted to see him show more ball skills, and he showed improvement there over the season.

Gonzalez is a big corner who is fast, athletic, and is able to run the route to prevent separation. Some team sources feel Gonzalez has the best skill set of any corner in the 2023 NFL Draft, but they wanted him to show more fight and competitiveness. They feel if Gonzalez improves in those areas, he could be a No. 1 corner in the NFL. However, they feel that Gonzalez is a finesse player and lacks fight. Gonzalez helped himself at the combine with a fabulous workout, showing size, speed, and fluid athleticism.

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Holy s**t, I got a Patriots pick correct! If the site didn’t suck tonight, I’d be so happy right now. Christian Gonzalez has fallen because some teams believe he has no toughness. However, he is super talented and fills a big need for New England. Gonzalez could have easily gone No. 7 overall, so I love this pick. …more

Strengths:
Explosive. Strong. Quick feet. Versatile. Toughness; plays banged up.

Weaknesses:
Motor? Takes plays off? Can have quite stretches. Gets in trouble when he stands up to high.

Summary:
With his combination of speed and strength, Williams looks like a first-day NFL starter. He is very strong to shed blocks and is fast off the snap. Williams consistently blows by tackles or guards on the pass rush. He is well suited for left defensive end as he gives right tackles a lot of problems. Williams is generally a tough mismatch against all offensive linemen. He is too strong for most left tackles and too fast for right tackles or interior linemen. Off the snap, Williams has a fast burst to fire his gap and achieve penetration into the backfield.

Williams is a safe pick with a high floor and upside to develop at the next level. There should be a lot of teams that are coveting him on draft day.

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4/25/15:
In speaking with NFL teams, they like Williams, but don’t grade him in the same range as Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy or Jadeveon Clowney when they were coming out. Teams aren’t as high on Williams as some in the media have rated him. They feel that Williams wasn’t consistent or dominant enough to be the No. 1-rated player on their draft boards.

At the Combine, Williams solidified his standing as the top defensive lineman for the 2015 NFL Draft. He ran well in the 40 and looked good in the field drills.

Williams would fit a 3-4 or 4-3 defense in the NFL. He would be an excellent five-technique for the former since he has the strength and length to set the edge while also being able to rush the passer. Williams could play three-technique defensive tackle in a 4-3 or be a power left end who moves inside to tackle in passing situations. Really, Williams can be lined up anywhere on the defensive line.

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Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson… and Leonard Williams!? Crazy. I can’t blame the Jets for this, and I don’t think it’s a bad pick. On the contrary, I like it a lot. The Jets are taking the best player available, so there isn’t much to complain about. Besides, there have been rumors floating around regarding New York trading Wilkerson. That may not happen now, but the Jets could deal him down the road. If they do, they won’t have to worry about addressing a need on the defensive line. In the meantime, Williams can provide solid depth up front.

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Strengths:
Excellent athlete. Intelligent. Good awareness. Knee bend. Plug-and-play starting potential. Puts defenders into the ground often.

Weaknesses:
Short arms. Not a road-grader. Short; lacks length. Limited to center.

Summary:
Bradbury’s top traits are his athleticism and quickness at the point of attack. He is agile to get to spots with the athletic ability to put himself in position to hit blocks that other centers are unable to do. In pass protection, that athleticism comes through with him being an asset to execute double teams or pick up blitzes.

Bradbury is an intelligent blocker with good technique. He plays with good leverage and can anchor against some bull rushes. Bradbury is not a dominating pass blocker as he can give up some pressures, but on the inside of the line, he is pretty reliable. Bradbury is not a center who a team would want to have isolated on an elite nose tackle who has a lot of power. Bradbury would be better off working in tandem with a guard against a large, heavy nose tackle.

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4/24/19:
At the Senior Bowl, Bradbury had a solid week of practice. Bradbury continued his strong postseason with a good combine performance. He showed his quickness and athleticism in Indianapolis. There are some projections of Bradbury being a first-round pick, and he shouldn’t get out of Round 2.

Bradbury’s top traits are his athleticism and quickness at the point of attack. He is agile to get to spots with the athletic ability to put himself in position to hit blocks that other centers are unable to do. In pass protection, that athleticism comes through with him being an asset to execute double teams or pick up blitzes. Bradbury is an intelligent blocker with good technique. He plays with nice leverage and can anchor against some bull rushes.

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One-Year Grade: B+ Grade

Garrett Bradberry was a solid, but unspectacular center in his rookie season. While the Vikings still had some blocking issues that were made apparent in the divisional-round loss to the 49ers, the offensive line improved as a whole this year compared to 2018, thanks to Bradberry.

Original Write-up:

I’ve slotted Garrett Bradbury to the Vikings for several weeks, so I wouldn’t have been surprised by this pick heading into the 2019 NFL Draft. However, I expected them to choose Andre Dillard when he slipped to them. Minnesota apparently wanted to stick to the plan and upgrade the middle of the offensive line. Pat Elflein was the worst center in the NFL last year, so he absolutely needed to be upgraded. Elflein will now move to guard, where he should perform better, meaning the Vikings are getting two upgrades with one pick. This is a good choice, as the Vikings absolutely had to bolster Kirk Cousins’ protection.

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Strengths:
Plays the typewriter with his feet. Ideal size. Good length. Blocks through the whistle.

Weaknesses:
Needes some development time. Neets to get stronger. Needs to get bigger.

Summary:
Cross really excels in pass protection, showing a special skill set to be a blind-side protector in the NFL. He has quick feet and the length to shut off the corner from speed rushers. Thanks to his smooth athleticism to go along with his speed, Cross is adept at playing the typewriter with his feet to cut off the edge. He also will use his quickness and agility to ride defenders around the pocket and open up the left side as an option for quarterbacks to slide laterally. Cross is able to adjust to inside moves, and with his quick reaction skills, he moves to cut off inside lanes. There is no doubt that Cross is very good at mirroring speed rushers coming off the edge. He has more issues with physical defensive ends, but he does have the size in his base to anchor.

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4/26/22:
Cross looks like a future starting left tackle in the NFL and impressed team evaluators in 2021. He has excellent feet, athleticism, and quickness to play on the edge. For the next level, sources say Cross needs to get stronger and bigger for taking on pro linemen, but that is not abnormal. They feel after a little developmental time, Cross could be a very good pro left tackle.

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I would’ve preferred Jermaine Johnson, but Charles Cross is an excellent pick as well. The Seahawks have needed to spend a premium pick on an offensive line for quite some time, and they’ve finally done so. It’s funny that it finally happens when Russell Wilson is gone, but Seattle needs better blocking without Wilson’s mobility.

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Strengths:
Soft hands. Works the middle seam well. Can sustain his blocks. Adept at finding soft spot in zone. Deceptive quickness, athleticism.

Weaknesses:
Lacks elite speed. Quality blocker but not overpowering.

Summary:
Sources have said they really like Henry. He is a balanced player and more complete than other top tight end prospects. The juniot is a good blocker and a tough receiver who can get some yards after the reception with sneaky athleticism and running ability. One of Henry’s impressive traits are his soft hands. He rarely ever dropped a pass and did an excellent job of securing passes.

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4/26/16:
At the combine, Henry declined to run the 40-yard dash, plus had a poor showing in the field drills. Teams also weren’t blown away in his interviews. Still, this is a weak tight end class and Henry remains the favorite to be the first selected. Most team projections have Henry going in the second round.

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It was expected that the Chargers would take a tight end at some point after losing Ladarius Green to the Steelers in free agency. Hunter Henry is the top tight end in the class, and he was viewed as a high second-round prospect, so this selection makes a ton of sense. The Chargers probably should’ve gone with Myles Jack, but I won’t knock them down too much for it.



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Strengths:
Good anchor. Versatile, can play all over the line. Agile. Hits blocks in space. Good at pulling.

Weaknesses:
Short arms (32 inches). Will bend at waist at times. Lacks heavy hands in pass protection. Could improve hand placement.

Summary:
In pass protection, Zabel shows his agility and athleticism to slide with speed rushers. Zabel shows light feet to play the typewrite and slide with rushers moving upfield. He also has the size and strength to anchor against bull rushes. Zabel has some technique to improve for taking on professional defensive linemen. He has an inclination to bend at the waist sometimes, and that could be exploited by pro defenders. He also needs to improve his hand placement. Playing on the inside will help Zabel as a pro, and his short arms would be a problem blocking on the edge.

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4/22/25:
Zabel has started at guard and tackle for the Bison over the past couple of seasons, and he has versatile size for the NFL, where he could compete at either spot. Zabel earned an invitation to the Senior Bowl and had an excellent week of practice. He has the potential to be cross-trained at multiple positions up front. While Zabel could be a solid starting tackle or guard, he might be the most dominant version of himself playing center.

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Like the Bengals, the Seahawks wanted to trade out. They couldn’t do so, but it’s probably for the best because it forced them to draft a talented offensive lineman to protect Sam Darnold. Grey Zabel was awesome at the Senior Bowl, and he can play every position. The Seahawks still need lots of help up front, but this was a nice start. …more

Strengths:
Fast, strong North-South runner. Home run speed. Contact balance. Runs behind his pads. Outstanding blitz protection.

Weaknesses:
Not super elusive. Gets dinged up.

Prospect Comparison:
David Montgomery. With a strong build physical runner and the ability to contribute as a receiver, Henderson reminds me of Montgomery. Montgomery was a third-round pick out of Iowa State and Henderson could go in the third round this year. Montgomery is a good starter in the NFL, and Henderson could be a similar caliber pro depending on which team he lands with and if he can stay healthy.

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4/22/25:
In 2024, Judkins averaged 5.5 yards per carry for 1,060 yards with 14 touchdowns. He had 22 catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Team sources feel that Judkins is a big, fast, and explosive back with pretty good instincts. Even though Judkins has some tightness as an athlete, he has three-down starting potential for the NFL.

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I’m not a big fan of Rhamondre Stevenson, so I’m all for the Patriots attempting to either upgrade him or complement him. TreVeyon Henderson should be a better pro, and he’s one of the best players available. He can play all three downs for New England, which Stevenson can’t really do that well. Henderson easily could have gone in the first round. …more