(Patreon) NFL Draft Big Board Update: Wrapping Up TE, DL, and S

We're wrapping up safeties, tight ends, and defensive linemen on this big board update.

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Hey, guys! Instead of posting my updated big board standings and making you guys comb through all of the prospects to see what’s different, I figured I’d just isolate my new player evals in a quick post here on Patreon along with where they rank on the overall board. Of course, if you want to revisit the big board, it’s linked below! Here’s who I added to the board today:

26. DL Mazi Smith, Michigan – I caught myself a couple of weeks ago gravitating towards Smith as I was trying to cut up some Sam LaPorta tape. I was trying to watch the Iowa tight end, but I just kept catching myself saying “holy shit – look at Mazi Smith.” He is so explosive for a guy who is built thicc like a pot-bellied pig. It’s like a leprechaun’s pot of gold sprouted legs and can also teleport like Nightcrawler (that’s a comic book reference if you guys didn’t know). He’s 6’3” 323 pounds, and he uses every bit of that frame to pack a punch. He’s agile and powerful enough to shed blocks and burst through gaps. He can lose his balance and end up on the ground when moving laterally, but there’s not too much about his game that would give me pause when considering him as a first round pick. He may be the most complete defensive tackle in this draft class.

28. S Brian Branch, Alabama – There is some projection going on here with Branch, as he wasn’t exactly a pure safety at Alabama, but he has traits that figure to translate well at the next level. The fact that he’s the best safety prospect in this year’s class says more about the state of the position than it does Branch’s readiness to play safety in the NFL. There is a cerebral quality to Branch’s game in how he masters angles and undercuts routes in coverage. He’s a hard hitter, and like a lot of the Alabama players, you  didn’t catch him out of position often. He’s a smooth, fluid athlete that plays with balance and good ball tracking skills.

45. DL Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh – Kancey’s tape is a ton of fun to watch because he is a pure pass rusher from the interior with an insane first step that has offensive linemen looking around like “where did he go?” I get that, and some NFL team is probably going to way overdraft him because of it. But, I think there are only a few situations he’ll be able to really succeed in in the NFL. At a certain point, size does matter (that’s what she said), and Kancey is undersized, plain and simple. He doesn’t have ideal length, and when his first step doesn’t work, guards are pretty well able to wrangle him up. If you have some beefy edge rushers who are also good against the run (Detroit), Kancey could wreak havoc along the interior as a pass rusher if you free him up to do that. But, I don’t see the same upside others do.

54. TE Tucker Kraft, South Dakota State – I understand the reservations surrounding Kraft – it’s hard to get a read on what his true potential could be. The quarterback at South Dakota State stunk, and I felt like Kraft was blocking on 99.8% of their offensive snaps. But, you see the athleticism and traits show up at the Scouting Combine. He was also working his way back from an injury in 2022 that you’re rolling the dice on as the reason he looked a step slower compared to his 2021. Kraft is powerful, well-built, he’s tough to tackle, and he’s hard to bring down once you get your hands on him. Is in-line blocking is inconsistent – he seems to lose his ground after the initial pop. But, man – he can spring a block in space. I can’t wait to see him in an NFL offense with better quarterback play.

107. EDGE Nick Herbig, Wisconsin – I watched a few Wisconsin games this draft season, almost by accident. But, I was pleasantly surprised by Herbig. He does have a bit of a lanky frame, but he’s a pretty polished pass rusher that has more than one tool in the pass rush tool kit. He’s a bendy guy that can get around tackles and hammer down his path to the quarterback quickly and get his long arms around them.

113. TE Brenton Strange, Penn State – Yeah, I’m ready to put the “sleeper” tag on Strange. He caught my eye at the Scouting Combine, where he posted a 1.57 10-yard split and tied for the lead among tight ends on the bench press. He doesn’t have good production – let’s get that out of the way now. He only had 32 catches for 362 yards in 2022, but honestly, that’s kind of the lay of the land playing tight end in today’s college climate. He has a good RAS and looks like a fluid athlete when you pop on his tape. Strange has a strong prowess as a blocker. I noticed him violently throwing his shoulder into his block on a couple of occasions. He certainly doesn’t shy away from the contact, though he could stand to be a bit more proactive with his hands and get them up a little higher when blocking in space. I loved his tendency to pop someone before getting into his route. He’s a natural runner in the open field with the ball in his hands, more of a zone beater than a pure separator, but he’s a nifty YAC guy that runs smooth routes and  finishes as a blocker. Tons of untapped potential with Strange.

120. S Christopher Smith II, Georgia – Maybe I just need to watch more Christopher Smith II tape, but I don’t understand why this guy isn’t considered among the top of this subpar safety class. He’s a complete defensive back. Sure, he’s a bit undersized. I thought he struggled against straight line deep speed in man coverage situations. But, he checks so many boxes that you look for in a quality safety that I’m not sure why everyone is so down on him. He plays with great instincts, play recognition, he can cover a lot of ground quickly, is a good tackler, a decisive runner, and he was quick enough to corral Jalin Hyatt in the open field a time or two! This is a relatively safe free safety prospect that offers upside as a downhill safety.

121. TE Luke Schoonmaker, Michigan – LOVE the RAS with Schoonmaker (9.85), and I LOVE the blocking prowess. He is an edge setting blocker who blocks with a wide base and can clear the way on straight line blocks. I don’t think he’s as strong in space, where I felt like he drifted a bit, not looking quite as aggressive in initiating the block. As a receiver, Schoonmaker weaves his way through zone coverage, and looks capable of being a safety valve for a quarterback. He excels in the flat, on crossers, and up the seam. That athleticism didn’t necessarily show up on the tape to me. I worry about his ability to consistently separate against man coverage, as he offers little in terms of deep speed, though admittedly, I don’t know what you’d see on his tape that would make you want to use him in that fashion. Physical defenders don’t seem to disrupt his timing as he works through them and shows good concentration at the point of the catch. He could stand to add some weight and power, but he’s a good combo tight end that should be efficient in an offense that already has a vertical threat tight end. Schoonmaker has a solid jack-of-all-trades quality to him – I don’t mind the “discount Dawson Knox” nickname.

134. DL Dante Stills, West Virginia – Stills is a fluid mover who had a solid outing at the Scouting Combine, where he put his athleticism on display. I wouldn’t call him an elite athlete, but he’s pretty damn good. Good enough in the measurables department that I’d say there’s some real upside here. I don’t love the way he’s built – he’s all legs, and his frame doesn’t look like the prototypical defensive lineman. But, he’s too big and bulky to be a pure pass rusher. That can have some analysts putting him in no man’s land, sure. But, I like the way he plays – he can get low, dropping his pad level to create leverage. His long arms extend to keep OL at bay, he flashes some relentless pursuit (though at times, I felt he got blocked out of a play and didn’t turn to find his way back to it). He has a smooth but not explosive initial burst and he needs to be more consistent in disengaging from blocks better, could stand to drive his feet more. But, there are some intriguing traits and tape to build off of here.

Check out how these guys stack up on my full 2023 NFL Draft Big Board, and keep an ear to the ground for more updates here on Patreon!

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