I'll be at the baseball game tonight, so very few (if any) draft updates from me... but I'm interested to see how it shakes out re: the top 3 Bama guys.
I reached out to a scout and 2 others in the industry over the last few days to try and get a read on the 3 main Bama guys as they head into the draft. It's intriguing in a way because all 3 could go in round 1, we could see any combo of 2 of them, just 1 of them, or we could see a possibility where none of them go in round 1. Here is a summary on each...
Milroe- He is (predictably) all over the boards with teams, some like him much more than others. It's not a great year overall for the QB draft class (on paper) in terms of top QB's, but there are a good amount of QB value picks that should be there in the mid rounds. Several teams who want a QB are leaning to find one of those players in the later rounds or wait a year. On Milroe specifically, his stock was at its highest after the UGA game, where he was QB 1 on several teams' boards. His inconsistent and erratic play down the stretch was costly. He had a great opportunity to regain lost ground in Mobile during the practices, but failed to do so as scouts thought he was tentative and lacked confidence, especially in making the deep(er) throws. It also wasn't really a stage where he could show his running ability, though teams are already well aware of what he can do there. The bad news is, his combine showing (throwing) wasn't good either. Erratic and inconsistent were again the terms used. The positive side for Milroe, teams apparently (not surprisingly) liked the sit downs with him, supposedly no red flags there. They also love his athleticism, speed, and arm. It'll come down to which team values his overall potential the most and thinks they can untap it while he waits his turn behind a vet. And just as an aside, re: the reports that teammates would have bailed if he had returned to UA, etc. Nearly every time a team anonymously leaks negative stuff on a player, it's in an effort to strategically lower the player's stock. That isn't always the case, but more often that not, it is. As for teams to watch for Milroe... it's no secret that the Steelers have invested a lot of time with him (fwiw, Tomlin also apparently likes Shedeur Sanders a lot too). And while at this point a 1st round pick would be a little bit of a surprise, it still isn't out of the question. Raiders, Rams, and Giants have also spent a lot of time with Milroe. Could see a team trade up for him at the end of round 1 or early round 2. None of the three people I reached out to thought he'd fall past mid 2nd round and the consensus was very early round 2 with a chance at late round 1.
Campbell- He had an excellent showing at the Combine... quick, fast, strong, explosive. He has first round grades but if he falls to the 2nd round it'll be because of his labrum/shoulder injury which has given some teams a degree of concern. The Bills, Lions, Rams, Cardinals, and Bucs are supposedly high on Campbell.
Booker- Teams like Booker a lot for what he offers on and off the field. He's not going to have the value of some of the tackles, but it sounds like there's a good chance he gets grabbed tonight. One team that really likes him is the Eagles. The Cardinals, Bengals, and Rams have also shown Booker a lot of attention.
I reached out to a scout and 2 others in the industry over the last few days to try and get a read on the 3 main Bama guys as they head into the draft. It's intriguing in a way because all 3 could go in round 1, we could see any combo of 2 of them, just 1 of them, or we could see a possibility where none of them go in round 1. Here is a summary on each...
Milroe- He is (predictably) all over the boards with teams, some like him much more than others. It's not a great year overall for the QB draft class (on paper) in terms of top QB's, but there are a good amount of QB value picks that should be there in the mid rounds. Several teams who want a QB are leaning to find one of those players in the later rounds or wait a year. On Milroe specifically, his stock was at its highest after the UGA game, where he was QB 1 on several teams' boards. His inconsistent and erratic play down the stretch was costly. He had a great opportunity to regain lost ground in Mobile during the practices, but failed to do so as scouts thought he was tentative and lacked confidence, especially in making the deep(er) throws. It also wasn't really a stage where he could show his running ability, though teams are already well aware of what he can do there. The bad news is, his combine showing (throwing) wasn't good either. Erratic and inconsistent were again the terms used. The positive side for Milroe, teams apparently (not surprisingly) liked the sit downs with him, supposedly no red flags there. They also love his athleticism, speed, and arm. It'll come down to which team values his overall potential the most and thinks they can untap it while he waits his turn behind a vet. And just as an aside, re: the reports that teammates would have bailed if he had returned to UA, etc. Nearly every time a team anonymously leaks negative stuff on a player, it's in an effort to strategically lower the player's stock. That isn't always the case, but more often that not, it is. As for teams to watch for Milroe... it's no secret that the Steelers have invested a lot of time with him (fwiw, Tomlin also apparently likes Shedeur Sanders a lot too). And while at this point a 1st round pick would be a little bit of a surprise, it still isn't out of the question. Raiders, Rams, and Giants have also spent a lot of time with Milroe. Could see a team trade up for him at the end of round 1 or early round 2. None of the three people I reached out to thought he'd fall past mid 2nd round and the consensus was very early round 2 with a chance at late round 1.
Campbell- He had an excellent showing at the Combine... quick, fast, strong, explosive. He has first round grades but if he falls to the 2nd round it'll be because of his labrum/shoulder injury which has given some teams a degree of concern. The Bills, Lions, Rams, Cardinals, and Bucs are supposedly high on Campbell.
Booker- Teams like Booker a lot for what he offers on and off the field. He's not going to have the value of some of the tackles, but it sounds like there's a good chance he gets grabbed tonight. One team that really likes him is the Eagles. The Cardinals, Bengals, and Rams have also shown Booker a lot of attention.
