Pro Day and Draft Prospects

[TomCat88]

What's crazy is how alot of these guys that left didn't improve their draft stock. You can't tell me that if a guy like Valdez stays here and dominates he's not going to at least get a UDFA contract? Sure he gained more NIL money. But maybe he dominates and gets a natty and gets drafted if he stays. Same for Rush.

Absolutely.

It’s all hypothetical. But I think if they stay here, put up big number, 1st team all American and all that…. Probably a good chance they actually get drafted.

Troy and Tommy have proven that you can get drafted staying at Montana State.

And then on the other end is Cam Ward. He's not going #1 if he stays at IW.

Carson wentz and trey lance would say otherwise. Both top 3 draft picks.

They both came out with sweet deals, and they both were overrated. The NFL will stick to the O-line guys from byzonville if any in the 1st round going forward.

I think Trey Lance was a gamble worth taking and that Covid year threw a lot of evaluations off because of the lack of access to players. However, I'd argue his fit with the 49ers was bad as Shanahan wants a West Coast QB (accuracy, timing, and efficiency). After going to the Cowboys for two years, he's finally in a really good landing spot with the Chargers as Jim Harbaugh prefers QBs with Lance's skillset (seriously take a look at every QB Harbaugh has mentored). Anyway, he's probably a career backup at this point but I hope he gets an opportunity to shine someday. He simply came out of college too soon.

Carson Wentz was literally the MVP of the league his first year starting with the Eagles, has a bad injury, Eagles win the Super Bowl, and then Doug Pederson starts to crumble as a coach as his staff gets depleted. Wentz has an okay 3rd or 4th year with the Eagles (can't remember which one) and then gets another shot with the Colts. He doesn't take advantage and then gets relugated to journeyman QB (arguably the best career to have in football). At the end of the day, Carson probably wasn't going to continue taking the league by storm if he stayed healthy his first year as teams adapt but he 100% was earning his draft status out of the gate.

I will concede that Wentz was a 1st round pick. He set 2 records for a rookie QB his 1st year, and was 2nd only to TB12 his 2nd year in the NFL for MVP. If it weren't for Nick Foles playing the best game of his NFL career in the Super Bowl, I do not believe he would have a ring. I don't think he would have held up as well against the Patriots in that game, but we will never know as Wentz was injured.

As for Lance, no chance. His career in the NFL has been a disaster. He has had 4 years to develop and has not come close. in fact he almost ended up in the CFL this year until the Chargers decided to blow 6 mil for him as a backup to Taylor Heinke who backs up Herbert. Chargers would have gotten a better value by buying the town of Pray MT for 2.1 million, (which is its listed price currently). Fellow 6th round draft pick and Payton award winner Tommy Mellott will have a better NFL career IMO, and we will find out.. Lance as #3 overall was almost as bad as Tim Couch at #1 in 1999. Overrated, I stand by that.

Sorry I didn't convey this in my above response. Lance is 100% overrated up to this point. I just wanted to make the pitch that if there is an offense that fits him, its Jim Harbaugh's.

NDSU is the OL capital of college football in my opinion. Yes, I know other schools have put out more OL but considering everything (like degree of difficulty) they're the best. They're entire 2021 OL is playing in the NFL. It's also their secret sauce to winning. Not a knock on their skill guys because they've had quite a few but without the OL many of those guys don't get drafted or get looks from the NFL. Wentz put the QBs on the map, but no one has been close to him, and I have to wonder just where Stick and Miller go without that lineage.

[grizzh8r]

What's crazy is how alot of these guys that left didn't improve their draft stock. You can't tell me that if a guy like Valdez stays here and dominates he's not going to at least get a UDFA contract? Sure he gained more NIL money. But maybe he dominates and gets a natty and gets drafted if he stays. Same for Rush.

Absolutely.

It’s all hypothetical. But I think if they stay here, put up big number, 1st team all American and all that…. Probably a good chance they actually get drafted.

Troy and Tommy have proven that you can get drafted staying at Montana State.

And then on the other end is Cam Ward. He's not going #1 if he stays at IW.

Carson wentz and trey lance would say otherwise. Both top 3 draft picks.

They both came out with sweet deals, and they both were overrated. The NFL will stick to the O-line guys from byzonville if any in the 1st round going forward.

I think Trey Lance was a gamble worth taking and that Covid year threw a lot of evaluations off because of the lack of access to players. However, I'd argue his fit with the 49ers was bad as Shanahan wants a West Coast QB (accuracy, timing, and efficiency). After going to the Cowboys for two years, he's finally in a really good landing spot with the Chargers as Jim Harbaugh prefers QBs with Lance's skillset (seriously take a look at every QB Harbaugh has mentored). Anyway, he's probably a career backup at this point but I hope he gets an opportunity to shine someday. He simply came out of college too soon.

Carson Wentz was literally the MVP of the league his first year starting with the Eagles, has a bad injury, Eagles win the Super Bowl, and then Doug Pederson starts to crumble as a coach as his staff gets depleted. Wentz has an okay 3rd or 4th year with the Eagles (can't remember which one) and then gets another shot with the Colts. He doesn't take advantage and then gets relugated to journeyman QB (arguably the best career to have in football). At the end of the day, Carson probably wasn't going to continue taking the league by storm if he stayed healthy his first year as teams adapt but he 100% was earning his draft status out of the gate.

I will concede that Wentz was a 1st round pick. He set 2 records for a rookie QB his 1st year, and was 2nd only to TB12 his 2nd year in the NFL for MVP. If it weren't for Nick Foles playing the best game of his NFL career in the Super Bowl, I do not believe he would have a ring. I don't think he would have held up as well against the Patriots in that game, but we will never know as Wentz was injured.

As for Lance, no chance. His career in the NFL has been a disaster. He has had 4 years to develop and has not come close. in fact he almost ended up in the CFL this year until the Chargers decided to blow 6 mil for him as a backup to Taylor Heinke who backs up Herbert. Chargers would have gotten a better value by buying the town of Pray MT for 2.1 million, (which is its listed price currently). Fellow 6th round draft pick and Payton award winner Tommy Mellott will have a better NFL career IMO, and we will find out.. Lance as #3 overall was almost as bad as Tim Couch at #1 in 1999. Overrated, I stand by that.

Sorry I didn't convey this in my above response. Lance is 100% overrated up to this point. I just wanted to make the pitch that if there is an offense that fits him, its Jim Harbaugh's.

NDSU is the OL capital of college football in my opinion. Yes, I know other schools have put out more OL but considering everything (like degree of difficulty) they're the best. They're entire 2021 OL is playing in the NFL. It's also their secret sauce to winning. Not a knock on their skill guys because they've had quite a few but without the OL many of those guys don't get drafted or get looks from the NFL. Wentz put the QBs on the map, but no one has been close to him, and I have to wonder just where Stick and Miller go without that lineage.

[blueandgoldblitz]

Thought some might be interested in this tidbit about Valdez. Interesting that they potentially played him out of position depending on your teams perspective:

DT Sebastian Valdez, Washington
Like fourth-round pick C.J. West, Valdez was knocked for his lack of length (6-foot-3 with 31 1/4-inch arms) and meager pass-rush production (two sacks and 19 quarterback pressures in 2024). However, he might have been playing out of position at times at Washington, which used him a lot at nose tackle and took him off the field on passing downs.

The 49ers eye him as more of a three-technique tackle, someone who can shoot through gaps and muddy the offensive backfield. Valdez has good quickness and excellent power. He bench pressed 225 pounds 34 times at Washington’s pro day and benched as much as 405 pounds last year. He showed that strength-quickness combination in the Huskies’ 31-19 win over UCLA last season, finishing with a sack and nine quarterback pressures.

Roughly 20 teams were trying to sign Valdez as the draft wound down and he’d committed to the Miami Dolphins — who’d had him on a 30 visit — with around eight picks to go. When the Dolphins added Georgia Tech defensive tackle Zeek Biggers at pick No. 253, he changed his mind and the 49ers rose to the top of his list.

[lutecat]

You have to wonder what would've happened if he played in the right position and stayed here. Don't fault him for leaving but maybe it's different