That's where I'm at with Simmons too. Folks here are too convincing for me to continue wishcasting him as the future. So I've moved on to Conerly.

Maybe some kid in a basement is talking about NFL draft but anyone can quickly search and find many many many "so called experts" saying the same thing. Are they being lazy and just spitting out media crap? Maybe, but Simmons had the best pass blocking PFF grade before he went down and while PFF is not perfect it at least has a sliver of truth to say Simmons "MIGHT" actually be an elite OT?

I do believe Simmons will go before our pick and Veach will either trade up or hopefully take a great value DT player that normally wouldn't be available at the end of the 1st.

I totally agree with this, and I didn't mention offensive or defensive tackles. Just tackles, and more specifically, tackling. ;)

Well shouldn't that tell you that is was NOT a homer just trying to push Simmons down peoples throat? The doctor was just giving his expert opinion on the injury Simmons has and what that typically means for OTs. This is much better than hearing from a media person who could be at the ear of scouts/agents/teams. This was 100% unbiased medial information.

I've already said that, yes.

Because again, you're talking about the difference between starting caliber and bench warmer.

I've made this point 1,000 times over when people say "Well if he's at 90%, put him out there"...

90% of a player doesn't yield 90% of his production. It yields...crap.

Lets say you have a starting pitcher throwing 95 mph and he gets hurt. He comes back at 90% of what he was -- so he's throwing 86. That's not gonna give you a guy who's ERA is 90% as good as it was. He's not gonna go from a 3.00 ERA to a 3.30 ERA.

He's throwing friggen batting practice at that point. He's a pinata.

If you have a guy who's left leg isn't sound and he's "90% of the player he was" he's not going to be 90% as useful. He's going to be scrap. Regardless of which leg. DCs get paid to do nothing but sit around and dissect weaknesses. It took about 5-6 weeks to see that you can just charge right through Thuney -- you think DCs won't see that he's favoring his left leg and just figure out how to wreck him?

Because the lines between success and failure in the NFL are just infinitesimally small. Especially when a guy wasn't an elite prospect to begin with and man, you're the only person who seems to have EVER suggested that he was. At best, he was the best OT in a bad OT class.

He has to be back to 100% and NOBODY can say that he ever will be. No medicals can tell you that. And the history of injuries for guys at his position says he just won't be.

We know this injury blows up careers in general. Guys lose enough athleticism and explosion that they aren't the same, and they become more injury prone.

When I say "vertical pass sets" I'm talking about the type of pass sets the Chiefs' T typically take, which involves them taking a kick-step and surrendering ground to build the pocket (rather than being aggressive and trying to hold their ground at the LoS). That doesn't necessarily lead to a vertical passing game.

Brother, you don't have to pick a knee. You can actually draft a guy with two functional knees

Good read on a study about a torn patellar tendon injury from 2013.

https://dynastyleaguefootball.com/20...asty-doctor-6/

Article is mainly about Ryan Williams but gives good info about other players with a patellar tendon injury.

Weakest tackle class in years and 3 of these guys are still going top 10?

We will never be able to draft a good LT picking so late. Just the way it is unfortunately

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On The Insiders, we played Fact or Fiction, tackling some of the NFL Draft’s top questions: <br>— Will Jeanty be the top skill player taken?<br>— Will the Broncos trade up for a WR?<br>— Will 3 OTs go in the Top 10? <a href="https://t.co/2vDOSYzwmc">pic.twitter.com/2vDOSYzwmc</a></p>&mdash; Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1914467900678713789?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I've been screaming from the rooftops all offseason that this isn't a weak OT class and that it's normal. Last year's exceptionally deep class of OTs has created this recency bias that somehow this is a weak group when it really isn't. I've maintained, as well, that we aren't getting a guy that can play day 1 without moving up from 31. Conerly is not going to be there. Some team probably also takes a shot on Simmons before it gets to us. There are a solid 7 teams that could trade up from the top of the 2nd round to get in front of us if any scraps do fall past Houston. It's move up or move on to another positon and take a developmental guy later.

I'm not moving up for Conerly, and I'm CERTAINLY not moving up for Simmons, so I'm going elsewhere if I'm Veach.

So he probably will! Lol. Because I never know what the guy is going to do, but it always makes sense after the fact. Well, usually.

This is more quantity than quality kind of class but teams are going to continue to be thirsty for them.

I've got Simmons going in the Top 20 and Conerly to the Texans. 5 total in the first round.

I don't subscribe to the "we need to add X good football players" theory because for me, there is no position of greater importance beyond QB than LT. That said, there is a maximum cost for me, and it has to be in alignment with where I believe their likely availability deteriorates and their talent matches the slotting. I'm not subscribing to just going up and getting one for the pure joy of it. I sure as hell have no interest in Simmons. The only two I'm game for going up for are Conerly and Banks, and I'd place a maximum of 24 and 19, respectively.

I have little interest in any of the other OTs in this draft the rest of the way out. Maybe I'd consider Ozzi Trapilo as a future RT or Charles Grant at LT if either is there at 95. I sure as hell wouldn't be chasing them with trades.

Outside of that, I'd rather keep developing KS as a tackle and draft an OG than take any of the other "developmental" shits in this class.

If we don't go tackle in round 1, my preference would go to DE. I really like JT Tuimoloau a ton. I also like Nic Scourton plenty. I wouldn't hate a small trade up for Mykel Williams if he falls a bit more than I think he would. If not DE, then I might start looking at playmaker on offense with one of RB TreVeyon Henderson, WR Emeka Egbuka, WR Luther Burden III, or TE Mason Taylor.

I agree with you that Left tackle is the second most important position for an offense.

But you can't just manifest one because you want one.

Sure, there are plenty of things at play.

There are a finite number of good prospects. There are even fewer that will make it into the trade-up range. Then you have the aspect of a team(s) wanting to trade down and let you come up for one.

The likelihood that any of them make it to 31 is not zero, but it's not very high.

The most likely outcomes are that you can reach for a guy like Ersery, who is probably going to struggle a bit at LT in the league, or you take a massive risk on a guy like Simmons. I'd be floored if any of the rest are around past 25.

If you can't move up, you can't move up. I wouldn't just force it with Ersery or Simmons. I'd take a chance on one of those guys if they made it to 63, but no way at 31.