Didn't see a thread so started one. Got a bunch of Hokies who will likely get drafted on day 3:
- Amare Barno
- Tre Turner
- James Mitchell
- Luke Tenuta
- Lecitus Smith
- Jermaine Waller (maybe)
Hoffman maybe has a shot as well but it's less likely. Blackshear and Jordan Williams are both getting flat disrespected, by not being listed on draft boards, imo.
A lot of the guys from above are sitting lower than I'd imagine as well. Can't fault them for leaving, because I believe they're all '18 class or earlier (with the exception of Mitchell, who absolutely should be leaving anyway). But I hate to see special talents like Tenuta and Waller so low on the list. Thoughts?
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That "generational talent at QB" from unCheat not going in the first round is so sad isn't it?
Try not even going in the first FOUR rounds ๐
Top 100 recruit to 5th round pick in awful QB class.
Who else is here to laugh at Green Bay not drafting a WR?
Eh, not me.
There were 6 WRs taken in the first 18 picks. Maybe if one of those guys were available, they would've taken a WR but they picked up 2 defensive additions in places of need.
As a Vikes fan, I love it. But if Tre ends up on their roster I'm going to have a hard time dealing with that.
It wouldn't be the first, second, or third time a Hokie WR became a Packer
Favre to Freeman was a frequent call for several years.
That doesn't make it sting any less.
It's a deep WR draft, if they pass on WR in round 2, I would say they are trying for Deebo or are simply convinced Rodgers can make any WR work.
The bigger news was the deals that happened off the draft last night with AJ Brown getting absolutely paid big time by Philly and then Marquise Brown going to arizona. Interested to see what happens tonight after a few teams traded up like KC. Tried to stay up to see NE draft but in typical fashion BB decided to trade back and I was out well before the pick.
Also who else peeped the Jets pick trying to run away when he was selected?
Eagles getting a big defensive lineman and acquiring an elite receiver could end up paying in spades for them. Still a little skeptical on their OL, but the rest of the pieces could be there to jump back into at least a middling contender status soon.
$25m a year for Brown is... phew
Blame Jacksonville paying Kirk WR1 money, became one big domino effect. This pic from the Shitposting Yinzer himself, Urinatingtree basically sums up WR free agency this year:
yeah, definitely one of the better drafts of the Howie era, along with a very on-brand trade for Brown
I think Howie finally decided to stop outsmarting himself. I really like the draft and love the trade for Brown. I know that $$ looks huge (and it is), but thats the going rate for a young, elite WR1, which AJ clearly is. As mentioned above, Christian Kirk is getting $18M per and he is no where close to that caliber.
Word is that Kelce himself put in a recommendation for Jurgens, and I will trust that guy in regards to whatever he has to say about who can and can not play the C position.
The Birds come out of this draft with a top flight WR1, an athletic freak at DT (and a great read on SI about how his usage at Georgia had more to do with their scheme and overall program directives and less about his inability to rush the passer as was 1 knock on him), a LB that could be the best backer the Birds have drafted in a long time, and a guy that can give you 10 years at the C position, and still have 2 first rounders next year + additional picks, I'm not sure what there is to complain about.
Perhaps not getting a corner or safety, but even still I'm pleased.
Saw this bit of trivia on Reddit, re: Kenny Pickett drafted 20th:
Geez. And he at least at one point was considered San Francisco's worst draft pick ever
Someone help me out here. I remember Druckenmiller being a serviceable QB, but whose main draw was it was kinda like trying to tackle a tree. Dude would have guys hanging on him and still be able to get passes off. But would not at all have considered him to be worthy of being taken as the first QB (I've always paid more attention to college, so haven't paid attention to when our guys get drafted until more recently, but even that is just for kudos and because of the recruiting aspect). Anyway, am I misremembering how good he was? Was that just a REALLY bad QB class?
He had an arm like no other and that was back in the days that throwing it a mile was still seen as 1st round material for some reason. Basically he had all the measurables.
Druck had a cannon. That was the main thing. At tech he had Bryan Still. Throw it long and Still runs under it. Works every time.
Got to the NFL and supposedly struggled with the playbook. Even if that wasnt the case, his numbers were bad. He went from being the 49ers qb of the future to out the door.
49ers were still running a west coast offense more focused on efficient short/mid range passing right? Sounds like a bad fit for a guy who was great at chucking it deep
Washington still learning how to draft in 2022
I hope they never master it.
Gee guys, I don't know how well Pickett is going to adjust to this big cross country move. Pittsburgh isn't for everyone after all...
Bummed I have to wait another day before slandering Fuente over Malik Willis.
Before we beat the dead horse that is the coach formerly known as VT head coach, he did offer Willis as a QB and Willis decided to go to Auburn instead.
Not worth hashing out again. If anything VTs lack of picks these first couple days is a much bigger story.
I was under the impression we liked him as a DB/WR and Auburn offered him as a QB, but maybe I got it mixed up.
Definitely conflicting stories on that. I guess I choose to (naively?) believe the people with #sauces that he was offered/told he could at least start at QB.
I don't have much in the way of sauces, so I'm not working off anything but a somewhat hazy memory haha. I do think I remember us saying we'd give him a shot at QB, but that it was one of those "we'll give you shot... and then you're playing DB by the end of Spring camp" type shots lol.
There's no way to no for sure, but the general sense was that VT didn't want him as a QB but Auburn did. Source? Uh, these guys.
https://www.thekeyplay.com/content/2016/december/29/3-2017-ath-malik-wil...
Of course Auburn later decided he wasn't a QB. The two coaches who thought he couldn't play were fired while he's in the NFL. Hard to say who was right.
We're there any guys we expected to go in the first three rounds? I didn't think so. We may see a couple project guys taken in the later rounds, but sadly there just wasn't that much talent in the team.
Which is sad because I feel like Tre had so much potential that just wasn't developed. And the drama that was our past 6 years at QB and reliance on the jet sweep and QB runs on 3rd and long didn't help I'm sure either. After his freshman year, I thought he'd be one of our best receivers ever.
How are they going to treat a living legend like Ed like that. Screw you NFL! Party at the GOAT house!
Insane how many WRs are off the board already
Wow only two QB's taken in first two rounds and neither one is Malik. Only a handful of RB's taken also. Glad to see NFL teams realizing that RB's aren't a first round pick anymore (as long as Urban isn't in charge).
Hopefully teams are tired of over investing in QBs. Malik is a fantastic athlete, but too much money is wasted on QBs that don't pan out.
I mean 4 first round picks and $240m for Deshaun watson.... I think it's more that teams weren't high on this year's class of QBs in the draft
Not to be salty but I guarantee Mitchell is way better than whatever bum UVA TE got drafted in round 3
Might want to take those orange & maroon glasses off because this sentiment is simply not true. Jelani Woods is a physical freak- if you remember, he tore us a new ass this past year
Got to agree, love the gov - and I'm wondering how much of our terrible on the field offense was actually supposed to go through him (causing issues in game planning; this is not intended as apologetics for the last regime, merely I suspect they needed Mitchell to do what they were hoping to do causing irreparable harm in the meantime). Love was consistently a game breaker via eye test 1:1. And at least on tape there is none of Jimmy.
*lions fan happy he's with my team.
I had a field day yesterday at work. Most of the die hard PSU fans up here are also Steeler fans.
And the Steelers drafted the Pitt QB. I pointed and laughed at SO MANY coworkers.
But his smoke show of a fiancee has the last name PATERNOster
Gotta say, I'm shocked Barno at a minimum hasn't been picked up yet. Testing was great but makes me wonder if the interviews tossing people under busses and the lack of effort at times on tape caught up to him
I think a lot of people's perceptions of where guys will go is based on mocks. From what I've seen of drafts over the years, hardly any of the mock experts have any clue where anyone is going usually past round 3. Sometimes midway through round 2. So any time I see a player with a Round 3 grade, I pretty much know they can go anywhere from 3 all the way to 7. Teams are drafting for specific needs at that point, some might even just be picking guys to pick guys because they've got extra picks they can't move and are taking flyers on talent, and a whole host of other reasons. Point is, at that stage, its just really difficult to gauge where a guy is going. So I'm not all that surprised Barno has "slipped".
Would have loved to see him with another year to develop under Pry/Marve. All the athleticism in the world but extremely raw technique-wise.
Almost 5 rounds done and no Hokies picked so far....
I think that may not be the case soon.
I think James Mitchell will go to Green Bay
Unfortunately just went to the Lions two picks prior to them. His career is over before it even started
Do you think they drafted him just so Green Bay couldn't?
Keep Detroiting, Detroit.
Hey man Detroit had Goff an I'm pretty sure he can only throw to tight ends so that's a plus
Well, he went first, anyway.
Mitchell to Detroit means more college wins for him than NFL wins if he stays there
Well...Jordan Stout was picked in the 4th by the Ravens......
JAMES MITCHELL LETS GO
Also Barno is 6'5 250 and runs a 4.36, how is he still on the board
Edit: There we go, great draft for the Panthers
Former Hokie Jordan Stout picked before the punt god Araiza ๐
Is the tackle from Fordham really better than Tenuta? Haven't done my due diligence but I find that very hard to believe.
Barno to Carolina!
Really glad Panthers got him. Hoping he can be a good pass rusher and pseudo replacement for Reddick.
And it was announced by Timmy Chandler of the USMNT, and some other guy in Frankfurt, for some reason!
Tenuta, there we go. Another Hokie to the Bills
Best wishes and congrats to him
I see Jeremy Webb and Bryce Watts are also remaining prospects
Lecitus to the Cardinals
Tough one for Tre and Waller. Both were projected to go in the first three rounds at least some point in their career. Hope Waller gets over the injury bug and I think Tre will surprise people when he actually gets some development
Both really hurt themselves badly with performances at the Combine.
Waller ran 4.65+ which simply isn't draftable as a CB. He probably went off of many teams boards completely with that.
Turner ran a "meh" 40 but was near or at the bottom in several other drills (Vertical being the one that I remember best).
Don't remember hearing too much about either improving greatly at VT Pro Day.
Tre's combine performance killed his chances of getting drafted. It was really bad.
I'm sure the "rumors" re: reads and routes from the previous administration doesn't help things
If I'm mathing correctly, it looks like VT finished tied with UNC for the most drafts picks by an ACC school at 4
Which, while as great as that might be, is probably more indicative of just how poorly the NFL sees the ACC talent as of late
Still, four players drafted is a solid number, and more than I expected.
Even though they were all later picks, four drafted players makes the program look pretty decent, especially considering this was a down year where our coach got fired.
UDFAs:
Tre Turner to
MinnesotaLas VegasBrock Hoffman to Cleveland
Jordan Williams to Miami
Changa Hodge to Arizona
Raheem Blackshear to Buffalo
John Parker Romo to New Orleans
And I'll also include Jeremy Webb to New York Jets edit: looks like he was invited to a rookie minicamp
Wow shocked Changa Hodge got any look at all, his tape is all from basically 2019 in FCS
His Twitter video from VT Athletics was him catching a 3 yard route and being immediately tackled if that tells you anything about his time here
In possibly the greatest indictment of how the late Fuente era crushed my interest in Virginia Tech football, I've never even heard of Changa Hodge.
Everyone I expected to get drafted from us did. Think tenuta lands in a fantastic situation with the Bills, Barno and Burns is one super quick/fast edge combo for the Panthers
https://mobile.twitter.com/scottrichards19/status/1520576541608005632
Hoping this Mack Brown experiment continues on the "Fuente who can recruit" path it appears to be on now
Tre now headed to Raiders as an UDFA.
Bruh $2500 for an NFL contract
Uga sets record with 15 players taken
Texas has zero players drafted, 2nd time since 1938
Cincy has 9 players most for a G5 team, breaking Houstons 1990 record if 7
Missouri Valley Conf (FCS) had 8 players, which is more than the MAC, sun belt, and c-usa
13 schools had more players drafted than VT. UCLA, Baylor, Wisconsin, Ole Miss, and Cincinnati are the only schools with less wins than VT in the 13. The 8 schools with more wins and not more draft picks combined for 15 picks with WVU and Texas having 0.
EDIT: in the last 6 years VT has had 19 players drafted, in the previous 7 years they had 20, and in the previous 4 years they had 21 and 18 in the 3 years prior .... so recruiting from 2007 on has been a problem
Really interesting breakdown. A little late, hope you get the morning traffic or on my case the west coast after dark.
Took me a second to get the last patty of your edit but ima chalk that up to needing calculators for simple math and the 4-5 bevys I've enjoyed.
For those in my boat that's: 2-3 drafts per year for the last 13 years and 5-6 /yr the 7 before that (has it really been 20 years?)
Either poor recruiting, really bad player development, or some combination of both.
If I recall correctly I think I saw a stat that said that 2017 Alabama now has tied the record for the most draft picks from a single roster with 2001 Miami.
I saw that too
Nice break down.
Not to nit-pick, but Houston was in the Southwest Conference in 1990. It was definitely considered a "major" conference until it broke up in 1996.
You're correct, I completely forgot about that.
If you want to torture yourself, look up teams that had a QB drafted from 2017-present. VT isn't on that list despite having a QB whisperer running things.
Qhy would that be torture, its not like VT has a lot of QBs drafted. I am not sure what Logan was drafted as but TE was a possibility at the time. That leaves what 3? Tyrod, Vick, and Druckenmiller since the 70s.
Edit: Will Furrer was drafted as a QB, so 4.
Thomas was drafted as a QB and threw a TD pass before being converted to TE.
Why is it torture? On the list are such notable QB factories like Wyoming, Liberty, North Dakota State, Western Kentucky (twice) and Florida International (twice).
Eh, that's nothing compared to the 1 college LB VT has had drafted in the last 14 years, or the lack of RBs from Wilson to Herbert. And Herbert was a transfer, so VT hasn't developed a running back since Wilson.
You wanna torture yourself, be a Miami fan, 4 1st round QBs in 5 years, and since then 2 7ths and 1 6th rounder in 33 years. Mean while lil old VT had two first round QBs.
Or Michigan who hasn't had a QB selected in the last 6 years and hasn't had a 1st round QB since 87, again this little independent program in Appalachia has had 2 since then.
Tennessee top ten program, home of Peyton Manning, 1 first round QB in the last 33 years.
Notre Dame, mount Rushmore of football, has had 1 first round QB since Druckenmiller was selected.
Texas, everything is bigger In Texas, except the lifetime number of first round QBs as VT has more.
Texas A&M, little brother to Texas, still richer than everyone else, two first round QBs all time.
Clemson, a top 15 program all time, 2 first round QBs in the last 30+ years.
There are lots of teams that would love to have VTs success at QB and probably looked at us in the mid-nineties/early 2000s just they way you look at Wester Kentucky.
edit: fixed a autocorrect, or I misspelled it, but autocorrect
I think the point was not about VT's history, but Fuente's. He had coached two NFL drafted QBs coming into the HC job here, then delivered zero more on that front.
I mean, Fuente didn't recruit Andy Dalton, and the story about how he got Lynch doesn't really sound like he really did anything other than was the only one left standing at the end. Everyone else that shows interest changed jobs. So why is it torture to go through a time period with out a drafted QB from a coach that really hasn't recruited QBs?
I think my favorite part of this entire draft was Liberty and UVA fans talking shit online about VT having no one drafted as soon as they saw a single player of theirs taken, only to watch VT end up with 4 to their 1.
Piss on UVA!

Piss on LU!
Kalil pimpleton signed as udfa with the lions
Did a couple REALLY get married on stage at the draft??? I haven't watched the draft in years, but this has definitely jumped the shark.
Also, WTF were the Vikings thinking with a $2500 contract with Turner???
Honestly it's indicative of his likelihood of making the roster. A small, relatively slow receiver who runs poor routes due to lack of development in college.
... which is why Tre needed another year. The talent is there, but the refinement needed work. I always wonder who is feeding players crap information on their NFL potential. Seen too many guys from VT declare early and flame out quick if they even make a roster.
to be fair, how many of these early leavers were in the last 5-6 years? I dont remember too many during the years before that other than maybe you could say ryan wiiams or darren evans but they had injury issues
Without looking I'm sure there are plenty because of the unique situation from the last couple years. However, the financial risk is pretty big. Yes they may be done with school, but having tuition covered for a masters, plus another year of physical and mental football growth should, in my mind, outweigh the risk of being outside the top 15 players at your position.
Clemson WR Justyn Ross udfa to Chiefs. First round talent who had a neck issue and needed spinal fusion surgery -- really hope he makes a full recovery
Could be a major steal for the Chiefs if he gets back to his 2018-2019 level and stays healthy.
The limited results in the draft show how far off this team and player group is. Waller going as an UDFA 2 years ago I would have said your nuts but the drop off these last few years is showing.
I hope they all succeed and do well loved each one of the guys who have been here. It says alot when our best guys like Tre Turner aren't getting drafted it should help folks understand we have a long way to go to get where we compete on the big stage again.
I gotta say, I'm pretty thrilled about the Falcons' draft this year. They had done a good job of plugging holes in the offseason with servicable players (about as good as they could do with their cap issues). And they did a great job of selecting for talent and upside in the draft. My thoughts on the draftees:
1.8 Drake London, WR, USC
As much as Falcons were screaming to grab Jordan Davis or Jermaine Johnson, this is a great pick. ATL has a dearth of talent in the WR room, and though some felt it was too early to go WR, the run on WR afterwards shows that it was the right time to get the WR the FO wanted. (Also regarding the changing WR economics, I was of the opinion before the draft that WRs were moving up draft boards, so the early pick and the run didn't surprise me.) Much has been said about his ability to win contested catches (and what that means about lack of separation), but he's shown he can get separation underneath, and he's a load to bring down after the catch. The combination of London and Pitts is going to be interesting going forward. And one thing I heard/read (can't remember where) strikes me: it was noted that if it was the FO's intention to draft Ridder all along, then they picked the WR that fit his abilities well. Not sure exactly what that means, but it sounds good.
2.38 Arnold Ebikete, EDGE, Penn State (from 2.43 and 4.114)
An EDGE rusher with a borderline 1st round grade a great pass rush win rate? Yes, please! One of ATL's biggest needs filled with authority. He'll be an immediate starter. Worth the 4th rounder to move up ahead of the Seahawks to get him.
2.58 Troy Anderson, LB, Montana State
An athlete in a LB uniform. Anderson will take a bit to learn the position well, but he's extremely versatile (played QB and RB due to necessity), and shows loads of potential. Will be a star at LB in a few years.
3.74 Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
Needs some work on accuracy, but he does everything else pretty well, with good mobility and athleticism both inside and outside of the pocket, a live arm, and mechanics that draft analysts fell all over themselves to praise. His ceiling in the NFL is probably "good starter" instead of "great quarterback," but I think he'll be an effective leader for the Falcons, if the OC can tailor the game well to his strengths. Maybe it helps that the Falcons have two large pass catchers with huge catch radii? Oh, and his competitiveness and drive are off the charts.
3.82 DeAngelo Malone, EDGE, W. Kentucky
A double-dip at EDGE with 5 years of production (94 tackles, 17.5 TFL, 9 sacks his senior year) and accolades (2-time CUSA DPOY) to boot! Will be able to factor in the EDGE rotation his first year.
5.151 Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU
Good plus-sized back with a will to break tackles and a nose for the endzone. Will slot into the RB rotation immediately, and eventually take the reins as the top option out of the backfield. Plus, will give the Falcons about 2.5 million reasons to release Mike Davis.
6.190 Justin Shaffer, IOL, Georgia
Big (6-4, 330) IOL that will get a chance to compete against Jalen Mayfield at LG immediately. Not sure why they picked him over Jamaree Salyer (his teammate and IOL at Georgia), but whatever. We need competition at LG, stat, as Mayfield was awful his first year.
6.213 John FitzPatrick, TE, Georgia
We needed a TE, we got a TE. Not much more there.
About the only miss here is at IDL (I was screaming at the TV for them to pick Travis Jones at multiple picks), but there' s a lot to love about this class. Mainly that the FO filled the biggest holes we had on the roster with very athletic players. I like the direction this team is going. It's going to take a few years to turn this around and win more than they lose, but I'm optimistic with this start.
And since nobody else cares about the Falcons' draft, why don't you do a rundown of yours? ;^)
The man will be getting PAID!
Didn't catch this before, but Tre Turner was waived by the Raiders on Monday
from Raiders.com
Kinda strange they gave him $40k guaranteed then cut him before camp
WADR respect and Tre was a great Hokie... the surprise is that they invited him to camp. How many slow, skinny, oft injured WRs are in the NFL today?
Don't disagree there, he was going to be a project in the NFL just to be a practice squad guy
Looks like Waller's career is over
Without rehashing all the old staff stuff too much, our old S&C deserves so much blame. I get injuries happen but why do I feel like every guy we send to the league was halfway broken in college just to get more broken in the NFL
NBC Story
Oh this is horrible
Kevin Jones
Mike Vick
Farley
Coale
Waller, too?
I know I'm missing a few, but damn, we do not have luck on our side when it comes to health in the NFL
I'll add on, our lack of success at the next level, or our quiet success at the next level, has always been a question mark to me. I have wondered if it effects recruiting or the overall perception of the program.
How you do in the NFL at most positions has relatively little to do with college. At the end of the day, there are certain things like athleticism and innate ability that matter more than anything you can be taught in college. Some of the most gap sound, instinctive, and schematically learned LB's every year get completely passed over by the NFL because their arms aren't long enough and don't have a fast enough 10 yd split.
There are definitely little things that programs can do to better prepare certain players than the NFL than others. For example, our DB's under Foster have consistently been praised upon entering the league for their versatility, superior and varied scheme knowledge, and instincts when they join the league. At the end of the day though, the ones that make it are the ones athletic enough to cut in the NFL.
There's nothing about our RB development over the years that would have kept Kevin Jones from getting a Lisfranc fracture, or RMFW from getting serious shoulder and knee injuries in the league.
Suggs, rmfw, wilson...
Agreed! It is crazy how many dudes get to the league and then news comes up about a serious injury. Makes me wonder how many just play several games at VT while injured...like in Waller's case, how does he play every game of the 2021 season but then get to the NFL and now he is critically injured enough that he wants to retire? It doesn't make sense.
There's reason for it, and it's not just S&C. If you listen to any of Don V's podcast interviews with former players, every single one of them had injuries that significantly affected their careers, and they are not shy to bring up the medical staff's competency. Kumah, Mook, and others all say this.
I actually think you have some recent bias. There were lots of Hokies that were out of the league due to injuries early in their NFL careers under the Beamer admin. David Wilson, Ryan MF Williams and probably others that I don't remember.
Also, I suspect that this is true of most college football programs. The competition to make a team at that level is fierce and players try to push their bodies beyond their limits to gain those coveted spots.
I know its fashionable to shit on the previous staff (and they deserve it) but but I am not sure their results in the NFL (injury-wise) were any worse than the S&C staff under Beamer or any other school for that matter
Don't forget Tyrod and his lung ๐ฎโ๐จ
Also if you're a late round pick then no one is going to keep you at the slight wiff of injury. Farley is still on the titans because he's a first round pick and many come back from ACL injuries. We are tracking some late round players because they are hokies, I doubt many people can name the late round players selected by teams they don't follow.
Hate it for Tre, but to quote the biggest ahole in the history of the NFL (Jerry Glanville), the NFL stands for "Not For Long" if you don't put in the work. All you had to do was look at Tre's body, especially his legs, and then look at his inability to get off tough coverage, and you knew this was a strong possibility.
The NFL is the league for people who are absolutely committed, perhaps to an unhealthy extent, to being as physically and mentally prepared for success as possible. Not everyone is suited for it, and those who do still pay a tremendous physical and mental health price in most cases.
Agree here. Love Tre and thankful for him choosing to be a Hokie. But throughout his career it always seemed like he was stuck in middle gear and never really had a breakout. Making a big play here or there and disappearing for most of the game isn't indicative of a top WR. I knew if guys like Isaiah Ford and Cam Phillips (the two most productive WRs in VT history and huge work ethic) couldn't find a footing in the league Tre definitely wasn't either.