The Giants coaching staff spent last week doing their final evaluations on the 2020 season. I figured I’d do the same, so here are my grades for every player who played at least 10 percent of the snaps on offense or defense this season.
An important note: Expectations are factored into my grading scale. Daniel Jones is obviously a better player than C.J. Board, but they got the same grade based on how their performances measured up to preseason expectations.
QUARTERBACKS
• Daniel Jones: C. Jones didn’t make “the leap” often experienced by second-year quarterbacks. Most of Jones’ numbers were down despite making 14 starts this season compared to 12 as a rookie. Jones’ drop in touchdown passes (24 to 11) was jarring, although he also cut back on turnovers (12 interceptions and 18 fumbles in 2019, 10 interceptions and 11 fumbles in 2020). This coaching staff leaned more heavily on Jones as a runner and he proved to be a legitimate threat on the ground.
There are endless reasons/excuses for the struggles of the offense, and by extension, Jones this season. How much the scheme, protection, skill players or reduced offseason affected Jones is impossible to quantify. But in a production business, the Giants offense was a failure. The quarterback has to bear some responsibility for that.
The coaching staff is fully committed to Jones as the quarterback of the future. It’s clear that coaches believe Jones has the intangibles to lead the team and they observed subtle improvements in the second half of the season. But he needs more production in his third season to validate that faith.
• Incomplete: Colt McCoy, Joe Webb. McCoy was exactly as expected: A solid veteran behind the scenes who could fill in competently in a spot start (he was the quarterback for the biggest win of the season over Seattle) but with physical limitations that make him best served as a backup.
RUNNING BACKS
• Devonta Freeman: C-. Freeman clearly wasn’t the player he was earlier in his career in Atlanta. He only averaged 3.2 yards per carry, but he had the misfortune of being the lead back before the offensive line hit its stride. Freeman never returned after suffering an ankle injury in Week 7.
• Wayne Gallman: B+. Gallman was buried by Pat Shurmur’s staff and then overlooked by Joe Judge until Freeman’s injury. Gallman took over as the lead back in Week 8 and thrived. His north-south style meshed with the offensive line and he always finished runs by falling forward. Gallman doesn’t bring much to the passing game, but he proved he’s a legitimate NFL back.
• Dion Lewis: D. Lewis clearly wasn’t capable of replacing Saquon Barkley, but the veteran underwhelmed in his primary role as a third-down back. Lewis had three fumbles, including two on kickoffs. He’s a good locker room presence who had familiarity with Judge, but the Giants need an upgrade next season.
• Alfred Morris: B. There were no expectations when the Giants signed the 32-year-old Morris to the practice squad in Week 4, but injuries eventually opened the door for a role. Morris has clearly lost a step from his Pro Bowl days, but the savvy veteran was surprisingly effective, averaging 4.3 yards per carry.
• Incomplete: Saquon Barkley, Eli Penny. Barkley’s torn ACL early in Week 2 was a crushing blow to an offense built around the dynamic back. Barkley has a lengthy rehab ahead, but expect him to come back loaded with motivation. The run game improved as Penny’s playing time increased in the middle of the season, but the fullback’s role was limited in this offense.
WIDE RECEIVERS
• C.J. Board: C. Board met low expectations. He was an afterthought as a receiver and didn’t make an impact on special teams.
• Austin Mack: B-. It’s an accomplishment for an undrafted rookie just to get playing time. Mack made an immediate impression with four catches for 72 yards when starting in Golden Tate’s place in Week 9, but otherwise was a non-factor as a receiver aside from a crucial third-down drop in Week 16. Mack’s aggressive blocking stood out. He likely needs to become a special teams contributor to carve out a role.
• Damion Ratley: D. The Giants chose to sign Ratley rather than keeping one of the receivers who impressed in camp. Ratley’s most notable contribution in five games was an offensive pass interference penalty that negated a touchdown in a loss to the Cowboys and led to his release.
• Sterling Shepard: B. I wrote before the season to “expect around 70 catches and 800 yards if Shepard stays healthy.” Shepard finished with 66 catches for 656 yards despite missing four games with turf toe. Shepard has proven to be a quality No. 2/3 receiver during his five seasons. The problem is he’s been thrust into a No. 1 role the past two seasons. Ideally, Shepard will slide back into the slot and complement big-play threats outside next season. He’s a useful player to have in that role.
• Darius Slayton: B. Slayton’s numbers in his second season were nearly identical to his rookie year (50 catches for 751 yards in 2020, 48 catches for 740 yards in 2019). His touchdown rate predictably regressed; he had three this season after having eight as a rookie. This season felt like a slight disappointment since expectations were high after his impressive rookie season, but Slayton has still been a steal as a fifth-round pick. It’s impossible to know how much Slayton was limited by injuries, but it seems clear that he’s not a No. 1 receiver. He could be a solid deep threat to complement a true No. 1.
• Golden Tate: D. It was evident in training camp that Tate’s role was going to be reduced. It was also predictable that the accomplished veteran wouldn’t handle that well. That friction came to a head when Tate was suspended for a game in the middle of the season after complaining about his role. His production plummeted this season, although he was oddly effective at making contested catches. Tate’s season came to a premature end when he suffered a calf injury in practice in Week 16. It’s a safe bet that the 32-year-old has played his final game in a Giants uniform since the team can create $6 million in cap savings if they cut him.
• Incomplete: Dante Pettis. Pettis had to wait until Week 16 for an opportunity after getting claimed in Week 10. The 2018 second-round pick made an impact in two games, which is encouraging heading into next season.
TIGHT ENDS
• Evan Engram: C-. It’s difficult to grade Engram objectively because his lows were so low, but he still was a productive player. His Pro Bowl selection was a farce, but his 63 catches and 654 yards ranked among the NFC leaders at tight end. But those numbers don’t tell the full story, as Engram was directly involved in a disproportionate number of turnovers and he was inefficient considering he was the fourth-most targeted tight end in the league. Engram works hard but it should be evident by now that he’ll never be a competent blocker. The Giants can bring Engram back for 2021 on his fifth-year option, but a change of scenery may be best for all involved.
• Kaden Smith: B. Smith didn’t take the next step after showing promise in place of Engram late in the 2019 season. Smith wasn’t a big part of the passing game but he remains a solid blocker, especially on the counter runs that became a staple of the offense. His ceiling is being a No. 2 tight end and he fills that role capably.
• Levine Toilolo: C-. It was always strange that the Giants gave Toilolo a two-year, $6.2 million contract with $3.2 million guaranteed. It didn’t make any more sense after Toilolo played just 27 percent of the offensive snaps. Toilolo was a decent blocker, while getting just six targets. He’ll likely be cut for $3 million in cap savings this offseason.
• Incomplete: Eric Tomlinson. Tomlinson was mostly a healthy scratch before getting cut in Week 10 and landing in Baltimore.
OFFENSIVE LINE
• Cameron Fleming: C-. Fleming was signed to be a swing tackle but was pressed into a starting job by Nate Solder’s opt out. Fleming wasn’t good, but his performance was in line with his established level of play. If nothing else, Fleming provided some reliability as a veteran.
• Nick Gates: B. Gates made tremendous progress after being thrust into the starting center job with no game experience (or even a full offseason at the position). It’s hard to evaluate the mental aspect of the position and that’s surely an area that will grow with experience. But Gates looked comfortable in the middle of the line and embraced an enforcer’s role. He showed enough to provide optimism that he can develop into a quality center.
• Will Hernandez: C-. Hernandez’s play was similar to last season, which was a disappointment since he hasn’t built on a promising rookie season in 2018. He lost the starting left guard job after missing two games with COVID-19 in the middle of the season. It doesn’t seem like Hernandez is a big piece of the new coaching staff’s plans.
• Shane Lemieux: C. Lemieux was a fifth-round pick, so expectations were low. He took over as at left guard after Hernandez missed time with COVID-19, starting the final nine games. Lemieux plays with a nasty streak that is evident in his run blocking, but he has a long way to go in pass protection. The Giants need to decide if they believe Lemieux is ready to be a full-time starter next season.
• Matt Peart: B. Peart was viewed as a developmental project, so it was encouraging that the third-round pick showed enough to merit snaps in a rotation with Fleming at right tackle. Peart looked promising early but his play fell off in the second half of the season after he missed one game with COVID-19 and dealt with an ankle injury. Peart didn’t play a single snap in the season finale, leaving questions about how he’s viewed by the coaching staff.
• Andrew Thomas: C. Thomas predictably experienced growing pains in his first season as a starting left tackle. The No. 4 pick had a particularly rough transition to the NFL in the first half of the season, but he made strides in the second half. The view of Thomas was hurt by comparisons to the other rookie tackles picked after him, but he showed enough signs to indicate he can be the long-term answer at left tackle.
• Kevin Zeitler: B. Zeitler’s play may have slipped a bit, but the 30-year-old remained a reliable, durable, low-maintenance player. The Giants have a big decision looming on Zeitler and his $14.5 million cap hit for 2021.
• Incomplete: Jackson Barton, Kyle Murphy, Spencer Pulley, Chad Slade. The line stayed remarkably healthy aside from a few COVID-19 related absences, so these backups never got an opportunity to play.
DEFENSIVE LINE
• B.J. Hill: B. Hill was effective in a limited role after being relegated to backup duty by the additions of Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams last year. Hill has another year on his rookie deal so he provides an insurance policy if Williams or Dalvin Tomlinson leave in free agency.
• Austin Johnson: B+. Johnson was a perfect fit in the role he was signed to fill. He was solid against the run and made a few big plays early in the season. He’s worth bringing back on a similar low-cost deal.
• Dexter Lawrence: B+. I predicted Lawrence would have four sacks after recording 2.5 as a rookie. He hit that total, as he made strides as a pass rusher. Lawrence’s strength remains run defense. The 23-year-old is a solid piece in the middle of the defense to build around.
• Dalvin Tomlinson: A-. The Giants know exactly what they’re getting from Tomlinson: A strong run defender who will be in the lineup every week and be a positive influence in the locker room. Tomlinson continues to show more as a pass rusher, recording 3.5 sacks for the second consecutive season and setting a career-high with 28 pressures. Tomlinson has earned a big free-agent contract; the question is if he’ll get it from the Giants.
• Leonard Williams: A+. This was the player the Jets thought they were getting with the sixth pick in the 2015 draft. Williams broke through with a career-high 11.5 sacks in his sixth season. Williams has always pressured quarterbacks, but sacks get players paid and he’s now in line for a deal worth $20 million per year. He’s young and durable, which will help the Giants feel comfortable making that type of commitment, although there should be an understanding that his sack production is likely unsustainable.
• Incomplete: R.J. McIntosh. The defensive line didn’t suffer any injuries so McIntosh was a healthy scratch all season.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS
• Lorenzo Carter: B. Carter looked like a good fit in Patrick Graham’s defense before tearing his Achilles in Week 5. But there still haven’t been any signs that he’ll ever be a top edge rusher. Carter could be a solid complement to a No. 1 edge rusher, which is a reasonable return for a third-round pick.
• Carter Coughlin: B. Injuries at edge rusher forced Coughlin into a bigger role than expected as a rookie. He flashed potential, although the seventh-round pick’s limitations were evident in an expanded role. Coughlin could grow into a Kyler Fackrell type of player.
• Kyler Fackrell: B-. Fackrell made a few splash plays early, but he was quiet in the second half of the season before missing four games with a calf injury. The Giants got a decent return on the prove-it deal they gave Fackrell, but he’s not a difference maker.
• Markus Golden: B. The coaching staff showed no interest in Golden, dating back to when he sat in free agency until the team applied the seldom used unrestricted free agent tender. Golden was a productive pass rusher in limited opportunities despite being buried behind less accomplished players before a midseason trade to Arizona.
• Jabaal Sheard: C+. The Giants needed a legitimate NFL edge defender after injuries and the Golden trade decimated the position. Sheard made a few plays, most notably a late strip sack in a win over the Bengals, but otherwise made minimal impact.
• Incomplete: Oshane Ximines, Cam Brown, Niko Lalos, Trent Harris. Ximines had a quiet start before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 4. Brown made a solid impression on special teams and flashed pass rush potential in limited opportunities, but he needs to get bigger to be an impactful player on defense. Lalos turned heads with a pair of takeaways in his first two games, but he didn’t get enough playing time to make a bigger impact.
INSIDE LINEBACKERS
• Tae Crowder: B. Considering he was Mr. Irrelevant, it was impressive that Crowder started six games next to Blake Martinez at inside linebacker. Crowder showed promise, particularly with his speed. But there’s plenty of room for improvement when it comes to taking on blocks and filling gaps consistently. Giants fans should be careful not to go overboard with expectations for Crowder as happened with Ryan Connelly a year ago.
• Devante Downs: C-. It’s hard to understand what the staff saw to make Downs a starter out of training camp. Downs’ performance was what was expected from a player who didn’t play a single defensive snap in first two NFL seasons. Downs needs to be a backup in the future.
• Blake Martinez: A. I predicted 140 tackles for Martinez; he was even more productive, finishing third in the league with 151 tackles. There was some skepticism about the three-year, $30.75 million contract the Giants gave Martinez in the offseason, but he was better than expected. In addition to being a tackling machine, Martinez was effective as a blitzer and wasn’t a liability in coverage. Martinez gives the Giants an ultra-reliable leader in the middle of their defense.
• David Mayo: C. Mayo shifted back to the reserve role that he’s suited for. The coaching staff oddly tried to use Mayo on the edge at times but he didn’t have the ability to fill that role.
• Incomplete: TJ Brunson. Brunson played a handful of special teams snaps in a few games, but mostly was a healthy scratch.
CORNERBACKS
• James Bradberry: A+. Imagine the Giants defense without Bradberry this season. If the nausea from that thought has passed, you can appreciate the impact Bradberry made in his first season in New York. Bradberry proved capable of eliminating opposing No. 1 receivers, although he wasn’t always asked to do so as the defense grew more zone heavy. Bradberry had three interceptions and 18 passes defensed, which ranked second in the league. Bradberry established himself as a premier cornerback after signing a three-year, $43.5 million contract with the Giants.
• Darnay Holmes: B. Like most rookie corners, Holmes struggled early in the season. He started to find his groove before a knee injury cost him three games late in the season. Holmes was flagged too frequently, and his penalties always seemed to come in costly moments. Holmes’ role could be reduced by the Giants’ commitment at safety.
• Ryan Lewis: C+. Lewis was signed because he’s a favorite of Patrick Graham. Lewis added some stability to the No. 2 corner spot, but he got beat deep late in losses to Dallas and Philadelphia. Lewis suffered a hamstring injury in Week 8 and missed the rest of the season. He’s best suited as a backup.
• Isaac Yiadom: B-. The Giants’ desperation at cornerback prompted a trade of a seventh-round pick to Denver for Yiadom late in camp. Yiadom struggled early in the season before providing some solid play after getting a second chance midway through the season. Yiadom was benched for the season finale after his play regressed. Like Lewis, Yiadom should be viewed as a backup.
• Incomplete: Madre Harper, Brandon Williams, Jarren Williams, Corey Ballentine. The Giants’ plan to start Ballentine at No. 2 corner was doomed from the outset and he was benched after two games and then cut in Week 10.
SAFETIES
• Julian Love: B. Love is the defensive version of Gallman. The coaching staffs in each of the past two seasons have been hesitant to play Love, but he’s been solid when given opportunities. Love filled in admirably twice at cornerback late in the season. He lacks the speed to be a full-time answer at corner, but he should be the ideal backup to Logan Ryan as a defensive back who can fill multiple roles.
• Jabrill Peppers: B+. Peppers had the best season of his career, showing flashes reminiscent of Landon Collins when the former Giant was on top of his game. Peppers was a physical presence around the line of scrimmage and a punishing tackler when he lined up ball carriers. Peppers is never going to be great in coverage, but this staff minimized his one-on-one matchups and he seemed more comfortable in the zone-heavy scheme. Peppers was productive as a punt returner and he brings an energy that the defense needs.
• Logan Ryan: B+. Ryan earned an A+ in intangibles, serving as a great model for younger players and providing vocal leadership buttressed by a pair of Super Bowl rings. Ryan was extension of coordinator Patrick Graham on the field, while his versatility allowed for varied looks defensively week-to-week. Ryan’s actual play was a bit uneven at times. He displayed a knack for big plays, particularly with forcing turnovers, but his tackling was spotty.
• Incomplete: Xavier McKinney, Nate Ebner, Adrian Colbert, Montre Hartage, Sean Chandler. McKinney provided a glimpse of his potential in the final six games after missing the first 10 games of his rookie season with a broken foot. Ebner’s limited defensive playing time reinforced that he should only be a special teamer.
SPECIALISTS
• Riley Dixon: C. It was a disappointing season for Dixon, who had been consistent in his first two seasons with the Giants. Dixon didn’t have the same knack for pinning opponents deep (9.2 percent of punts for touchbacks this season compared to 2.9 percent in 2019). That decline can partly be attributed to subpar gunners in coverage, but the Giants need Dixon to get back on track.
• Graham Gano: A+. Gano was lights out. His lone missed field goal was a 57-yarder in Week 2. He then made a franchise record 30 straight field goals. Gano made 5 of 6 field goals from 50-plus yards making him a weapon for a low-scoring team.
• Casey Kreiter: A. Kreiter’s name wasn’t mentioned once all season. That’s evidence of a job well done for a long snapper.
COACH/GM
• Joe Judge: A-. Since I’m weighing preseason expectations, Judge grades out well. I predicted the Giants would win five games so 6-10 can’t be viewed as a disappointment for Judge. Think about the obstacles he was facing as a first-time head coach in an unprecedented season with a flawed roster. Judge took charge from Day 1 and impressively got players to buy in, even when the team started 1-7.
Judge dealt with brushfires — suspending Tate, firing offensive line coach Marc Colombo — but always seemed in control. His game management was sound, although he skewed conservative on fourth downs. The defensive coaching was stellar and it’s clear that Judge and Graham have an excellent working relationship. On the other side, Judge assumes some responsibility for the No. 31 scoring offense and he needs to get that fixed for next season.
Judge succeeded in laying a foundation in his first season. The grading curve will get steeper next season when there will be higher expectations for tangible results.
• Dave Gettleman: B. Gettleman gets an A+ for free agency, as Bradberry, Martinez, Ryan and Gano were game-changing additions. The draft is harder to assess. Many of the rookies played this season, but none were clear stars. Time will tell on this draft class.
Gettleman’s grade is lower than Judge’s since this wasn’t his first season. It’s impossible to separate previous years when assessing a general manager. And the many holes on the roster that Judge had to compensate for is a reflection of the job Gettleman has done in his three years as GM.
Co-owner John Mara is encouraged by the working relationship of Gettleman and Judge. Their first year together was promising, but Gettleman needs another strong offseason to overcome the errors of his past.

I am going to expound at length here about what I believe should be the Bills' primary target to add tot this offense for the coming years:
For the offseason: how do we feel about trading up (~top 10) to land Kyle Pitts? Personally, I think THAT move, singularly, would take Josh Allen, and this franchise, to unbelievable heights for many years to come.
The league is shifting in a way in which having a "plus (+)" player at the tight end position is extremely valuable. And I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner. A good tight end can be summed up as a pure mismatch player, no matter what you do with him. I'm thinking guys like Kelce, Kittles, Andrews, Waller, and a few others. Jimmy Graham, Gronkowski in their primes. Tony Gonzales and Shannon Sharpe in their days. BIG guys that can really catch the ball and run routes that have the athleticism - way too much speed for most/all linebackers to cover, and way too big for DB's to cover. Game changers in the blocking scheme because they are or nearly as big and strong as D linemen and LB's. Can pick up DB blitzes and also block down field for YAC... all in helping your overall pass-and-run blocking game if they can block. That position carries so much value, and I haven't been impressed by any of the guys we have rotating there for us. I think that ONE gamechanger at TE will plant Josh Allen firmly as a top QB for at least a decade.
And everyone is talking about Trevor Lawrence being the 'can't miss, generational' prospect in this draft. They have said this many times about lots of guys with this same level of hype and been wrong. that's the nature of the QB position and how so many psychological factors and system issues play a part. You really never know, and even Lawrence carries some real risk in aspects you can't really predict until he starts playing. The real generational prospect is Kyle Pitts...
Started following the guy last year and from the very moment he took the field your eyes just fixate on that guy. The dude is 6'6" and 250lb, but he still looks and plays like an elite WR when he's going out. Elite in all aspects - route-running, beating defenders, array of separation moves, and top end speed for the position. When I said he's like a WR out there... a guy that big and he can run 4.4, and they 'say' he can run in the 4.3's (ran the 100m in HS in 10.45s, but obviously he was about 40lb lighter then. Of course these numbers are probably juiced or unverified... but the point is: he is FAST. It is clear on film and by the mere fact that people would not be shocked in the slightest if those numbers hold when he is officially timed.
What he's added is muscle, so it's made him into a solid pass blocker. His athleticism and skills make him great in the running game and he can continue blocking down field with pace ahead of RB's.
But here's where I think we have to do everything possible to get this guy: "spectacular"/ explosive play / chunk catching ability. He will literally catch everything thrown in his direction, relatively within his extensive orbit. In 2 years, the ONLY targets that he did not catch were due to poor throws that weren't close, out of bounds, back of the end zone, etc. I have not seen a guy so easily beat double, and even triple coverage and come down with the ball every time like I have with this guy. You know that brutal hail Murray play that really depressed us for a while? I am willing to bet any amount of money that if you throw a Hail Mary in Pitts' direction 10 times, it's a touchdown at least 6-8 of those times. Moss-like instincts with timing and nose for the football, but over 6'6 with ~40+" leaping ability, massive hands, and... ZERO, i said zero, unforced drops in his 2 years in the SEC, the stiffest competition with, typically, the nation's top defenses that feed the NFL talent pool year after year.
I mentioned those names of great TE's earlier, and I genuinely believe that this guy could surpass all of them if he remains healthy. There is a goofy little futures bet that I placed a while ago with +550 odds at the time that – that I am loving right now – that he will be on the Madden cover by 2025. When we started 4-0 and it became clear our draft pick was going to be very late in the first round (maybe 27+... HOPEFULLY 32!!!) I was thinking he'd be available that late in the 1st round. He also sat out several games this year and I was hoping he'd continue to do so... but it didn't matter. In the games he DID play he was easily the best player on the field and a nightmare for all defenses. He even torched Alabama and thoroughly, consistently, and easily beat Patrick Surtain III, projected top 10 pick and considered the next great CB from this draft. It wasn't even a contest. He will be taken in the top 20 for sure, and some GM's with a need might even take him top 5. He's that good. Play him on the line, put him in the slot, motion him anywhere you want, use exotic schemes, or just simply use him as your prototype, topflight WR1... he'll be the highest tier in any of those roles as a premier receiving weapon. You literally take other teams' defensive playbooks throw half of it in the trash. Man coverage will not be played no matter WHO you have, and this is a guy that got the moniker as a 'zone beater' this past season when he’d get consecutive calls for him for multiple 10-18-yard gains down the field... but it's just the only way you can hope to guard against the singular explosive chunk plays.
He's a guaranteed TD in the red zone, and the best deep ball threat since Randy Moss... I NEVER feel high on prospects. Never have. On the contrary, I roll my eyes and because, if you make the effort you track back, the ‘experts’ completely miss the mark on ~2/3 or more of the first round, the rest either underperform based on expectations/hype, and a few live up to the draft pick. Not to mention the guys taken in later rounds that become superstars and go back, find, and have a good laugh at the past ‘scouting reports’ and ‘draft profiles’ later on. The Mel Kiper's and Todd McShay's and everyone else get it wrong way more often than they get it right. [PS Kiper is taking so much credit for being high on Josh Allen from the start, but he doesn’t want to play that game of analyzing all his mock draft analysis for as long as he’s been doing it]. Congratulations, Mel… but you were MIA, mum on the subject for his first two shaky seasons. I’d prop him up if he was standing by it and standing by his take and say8ing Allen would eventually make that leap. You had nothing to do with his development by this Bills’ coaching team and management. He’d end up a Darnold if he landed with the Jets, and while I always stood by him because our coaches were, and they are trusted, I NEVER expected this kind of dramatic leap between each of his first 3 years. But you’ll take the credit when Beane, McDermott, Daboll, Frazier, all the positions’ coaches worked together in building a long-term, sustainable, and ingrained culture of success that Allen found himself in.
But even though these prospect scouts/analysts DO acknowledge that Pitts is surely lottery pick, I believe they are still grossly sleeping on what a 'generational' player he WILL be, barring health to the extent that I am confident he will be.
Add him to this Bills' passing attack and keep the rest of this receiving corps intact (Diggs and Brown out wide, Davis as a no. 3, Beasley in the slot, McKenzie as the ATH/gadget man, and Andre Roberts as return specialist intact for the foreseeable future) ... the passing attack could be not just the most lethal in the NFL, but a historic one. I don't know if you want to place a ton of focus on the running game, but Moss and Singletary are plenty good enough to do what the run game needs to do, and they have proven that many times over. And although I'd ideally want to avoid this - we saw just last week what a threat Allen himself poses when he (smartly, please) takes off.
The pairing of this player - Pitts - with Allen, in particular, is just so tantalizingly saucy. Allen has shown tremendous accuracy this year, but Pitts completely erases the consequences of the errant throw - he catches everything in his general air space. He is the PERFECT weapon for a QB with elite 'arm talent,' unaffected by velocity, distance, or height. Fast enough to chase down a deep overthrow, will win every red zone/end zone jump ball with size/leaping ability, and the hands, technique, and body control to make every spectacular catch.
I know this has become a massive gush-fest, but if you can believe it, I don't think I'm doing it enough justice with how I believe it can alter the course of our beloved Bills franchise for at least a decade. So I feel the NEED to start some sort of movement or campaign within Bills mafia so that the chatter spreads.
We need to move up from the 32nd pick that we're going to get this year, but exactly how far up is murky. Most of these mocks by various big-name experts and groups have him going in the 12-20 range, while a few have him in the top 10. (One has him going no. 3 overall to Miami in that pick they got from Houston, which would be the WORST thing to happen... on a division rival and arguably the biggest challenger for the next several years). The lowest I saw was him falling to 25, but that is not going to happen. There are several teams with a need and young promising quarterbacks that they'd love to pair with an elite TE for years - I'm thinking the Chargers/Herbert, Bengals/Burrow, the Texans are desperate to make up for their massive fuckup in trading DHop and he'd be lethal with Deshaun.
I understand that the front office and many fans prefer to think in terms of primary roster 'needs,' and want us to find a top notch CB2 opposite Tre, add another top-end, high leverage linebacker, or shore up the interior offensive line to invest in that weakness and further protect our pending long-term investment in Josh Allen for the long haul as well as help with the, at times, average run blocking between the tackles, and I would be completely on board if we went that way. I think we could even add an edge rusher to eventually take the mantle when Hughes retires opposite Addison and with Epenesa moving around/rotating. it does appear we need a more dynamic running back, as well, capable of just finding one hole and gone. Moss and Singletary (bless his heart on that final hilarious TD run last week but it'll be a LONG time before he breaks one like that again) are good enough for how we utilize the run, but they are definitely used situationally - to shorten distance on early downs, pick up critical few yards here and there, manage the clock, and keep the defense honest and not just play dime and nickel all game. But they are NOT home run threats, and it might be nice to have a guy that can do it out of the backfield and not have to rely on risky jet sweeps and gadget plays for McKenzie, Roberts, Brown, and co. We can find that in late rounds/undrafted pool.
I am just imploring that there will be plenty of ways to either make improvements with later picks, in free agency/other offseason moves, at least to hold us over for subsequent opportunities to do so. But [my humble yet unequivocally FIRM opinion] there isn't and won't be a better and/or more synergistic player to pair with Josh Allen to come around in the next ten years.
And that concludes my pitch.
Go Bills!

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Now that we have passed the opt-out deadline and are only about three weeks away from the Chiefs and Texans kicking off the 2020 NFL season, I wanted to put together my pre-season power rankings and put all 32 teams in separate tiers, to give you an idea of where I see them at this point.
When putting together this list, I considered the talent on the roster, coaching staff and what will be a more important factor coming into this season than it has been in previous – the continuity as a franchise, since the COVID situation has limited the amount of preparation and ability to build chemistry as a team. That will be especially tough for new head coaches and inexperienced teams.
With that being said, this is how I would group them:
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Super Bowl contenders:

This group of four represents what I think are the four elite teams in the NFL. They all feature complete rosters, excellent coaching and continuity as a franchise. I think these are the franchises that will most likely square up against each other in the conference championship games on either side of the bracket.
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1. Kansas City Chiefs
We have heard this many times over the course of the offseason – the reigning Super Bowl champs bring back 20 of 22 starters (actually 19 now) on offense and defense combined. They have the best player in the league, the most dangerous receiving corp, above-average O-line play and a still improving defense, that just added some much-needed speed at the second level, which will allow DC Steve Spagnuolo to even more versatile. So at this point I can not have anybody unseat them. I think Clyde Edwards-Helaire (LSU) will be a star in that offense, they get a couple of guys back that missed their playoff run and there are plenty of young, developing players on that roster. What general manager Brett Veach has done this offseason in terms of securing Patrick Mahomes for the next decade and still opening up cap room to also sign their best defensive player in Chris Jones is amazing to me. My only two concerns for Kansas City at this point are a lack of depth in the secondary and the fact they will have to go on the road when they face the four best teams on their schedule – Baltimore, Buffalo, Tampa Bay and New Orleans, which has me favoring the second team on my list for the number one seed in the AFC and which this year means having one more game in the playoffs on their road to another Super Bowl for Andy Reid’s troops.
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2. Baltimore Ravens
Right behind the Chiefs, as the biggest competitor for the AFC is Baltimore. They were the best team in the regular season from this past year, but the Titans handed them only their third loss of the season in the Divisional Round at home. While they did lose what to me is a first-ballot Hall of Fame guard in Marshal Yanda, outside of that the Ravens to me have an even better roster. The reigning MVP Lamar Jackson is only entering his third season in the league, the Ravens just added a top prospect in J.K. Dobbins (Ohio State) to a backfield that set a league-record in rushing yards and some of these young receivers will continue to develop. On defense, they addressed the two areas that needed some help, when they brought in Calais Campbell to boost their pass-rush and two top-six linebackers on my board in the draft (Patrick Queen & Malik Harrison). They may not have as many superstar names as some other teams, but without a full offseason to prepare for it, that Greg Roman offense could be even tougher to stop if Marquise Brown becomes a more dependable deep threat (now fully healthy) and I love how multiple Wink Martindale is with his defense, combining the different pressure looks to go along with more versatile pieces up front and one of the elite secondaries in the game. You combine that with a rising young special teams coordinator in Chris Horton and a great motivator and in-game decision-maker in John Harbaugh – I just can’t find a lot of L’s on their schedule.
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3. San Francisco 49ers
Obviously the Super Bowl hangover will be brought up a lot of times with the loser of that contest, but unlike a lot of these teams coming off the big game – yet similar to the actual winners in the Chiefs – John Lynch did a great job re-tooling for the few losses they did have and didn’t overspend on some of their talented guys. Kyle Shanahan to me is the best offensive play-caller and game-designer in football, with a diverse rushing attack and the type of personnel to match it, while Jimmy G, despite some issues, is coming off his first 16-game season in his career. Defensively, they are losing what I thought was their best player in DeForest Buckner, but they did replace him with a top ten prospect in Javon Kinlaw (South Carolina) and Fred Warner is an emerging superstar. Their Seattle-based scheme under Robert Salah may not be very complex, but the Niners have a ferocious pass-rush, fast-flowing linebackers and a great safety tandem to be very sound in their execution. The Deebo Samuel injury is definitely a concern for me and if he doesn’t get back a few weeks into the season, I might drop San Fran a spot or two, plus I don’t love what they have at that second cornerback spot, but as for now I see the recipe that made me predict them winning the NFC West ahead of 2019 and what allowed them to be up double-digits in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl.
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4. New Orleans Saints
One of the themes this offseason for me has been how loaded this Saints roster is and that they just need to win this year. This is the final season with Drew Brees at the helm, they are already in a horrible place with the cap – before that even goes down in 2021 – and to be honest, a lot of their key contributors are getting pretty old now. While I have seen a significant drop-off in the arm-strength of Brees, other than that I don’t see any offense with this Sean Payton-led offense – the front-five is elite, Alvin Kamara should be back to 100 percent as a dynamic dual-threat back and they finally found a number two receiver in Emmanuel Sanders. When healthy, that defensive line is a dominant unit, I think third-round pick Zack Baun (Wisconsin) gives that linebacker group some versatility and they have a lot of experience in the secondary, including a guy I thought would be a future star on the outside in Marshon Lattimore. Before anything else, they need to take care of divisional-rival Tampa Bay – which is a very tough challenge already – but if they can do that, they are fairly in the hunt for the NFC’s top seed. There’s a lot of pressure on this group because of the cap situation, their all-time great QB having his “Last Dance” and brutal playoff losses in recent years, but they have all it takes to finally break through all the way.
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Playoff contenders:

This second tier consists of eight teams that to me have only or two holes on their roster, while their coaching gives them an advantage over the majority of teams in the league and they bring back most of their pieces from a year or at least improved in those areas. I expect all but one of these squads to make the playoffs in 2020, as long as they don’t suffer significant injuries along the way.
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5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Number five in the entire league seems pretty high for a team that finished below .500 last season, but this is not just about Tom Brady coming in, but rather the roster Tampa Bay has built around him. To me Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are the top receiver duo in the league, the Bucs arguably have the best tight-end room in the league and the offensive line only got better with superhuman Tristan Wirfs (Iowa) playing one of those spots on the right side. I have talked about this a lot over the offseason, looking at the match between Bruce Arians’ vertical-based passing attack and what Brady is used to, in terms of spreading the field and getting the ball out of his hands quickly. My bet is they go to a bit of hybrid and figure things out. Maybe more importantly, I don’t think people realize what they have put together on defense. Last season the Bucs finished number one against the run, they forced the fifth-most turnovers (28) and tied for sixth with yards per play (5.1) in the league. Todd Bowles is excellent defensive mind, who now enters his second season with as much talent as he has had since his Arizona days. Jameis turned it over 35 times last year (12 more than any other player in the league), while Tom didn’t even crack double-digits once again, and he immediately improves their situational football awareness and overall execution. This is a very dangerous squad.
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6. Dallas Cowboys
When you talk about some of the most talented rosters in the league, the Dallas Cowboys come to mind right away – especially on the offensive side of the ball. Dak Prescott now has one of the premiere receiver trios with the selection of Ceedee Lamb (Oklahoma) in the draft, still probably a top-five offensive line and Zeke looking to re-establish himself as a top-tier back, after looking a step slow for most of last season. Defensively they are getting back Leighton Vander Esch, whose energy they desperately missed for stretches last season, and they have a very deep rotation at the defensive line (even though nobody knows what we’ll get from a couple of guys that were out of the league), while Mike Nolan will change things up a little more and get his guys into the face of opposing receivers. We have yet to see how much Mike McCarthy will want to have say in the offensive play-calling, but I like that they retained a young and creative OC in Kellen Moore, and as far as in-game control and CEO duties go, I certainly believe McCarthy is an upgrade. There are some questions with the secondary after the loss of Byron Jones and losing Travis Frederick to retirement hurts, but I think those are things that can be overcome. Something that I think should not be overlooked is the signing of former Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein and his special teams coordinator John Fassel, after converting only 75 percent of their field goal attempts last season (6th-lowest in the league) and missing a couple of crucial kicks.
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7. Philadelphia Eagles
Right behind the Cowboys, I have their division rivals from Philadelphia. I think the Eagles actually have a better quarterback, the best defensive player among the two teams in Fletcher Cox and a more experienced secondary. However, with Brandon Brooks out for the season and maybe the worst group of linebackers in the NFL, I could not put this group ahead of Dallas, even though they have come up victorious against them in the big games recently. Last year Carson Wentz carried a group of skill-position players from the practice squad and a banged-up O-line to a division title. This upcoming season he will go from already wasn’t an overly dynamic receiving crew to a group of track stars, most notably with first-round pick Jalen Reagor (TCU) and a hopefully healthy DeSean Jackson, plus Miles Sanders I think is ready to emerge as a star back for Philly. The defense did lose some long-time stalwarts like Malcolm Jenkins and Nigel Bradham, but I loved the addition of Javon Hargreave in the middle to free up the other guys to attack upfield and with Darius Slay as their new CB1, not only does that move everybody one spot lower on the depth chart, but it also finally makes more sense for Jim Schwartz to be as aggressive with those zero-blitzes, since he has the guys to cover. Those two newcomers also fit perfectly when matching up against Dallas, because of an improvement interior run defense and having a guy who can match up with Amari Cooper, after the other guys got toasted for the most part.
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8. Buffalo Bills
For the first time in about twenty years, a team not named the Patriots will enter a season as favorites in the AFC East – and it’s actually not that close for me. Buffalo made a switch last season offensively to more 11 personnel and quick-tempo with Brian Daboll moving to the booth. This offseason they finally got the big-armed Josh Allen a dependable deep threat in Stefon Diggs, who averaged 12.0 yards per target last season (second-highest in the league), which – similar to what I just talked about with the corners in Philadelphia – moves everybody else down one spot in the food chain. And I love what they do defensively, with Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazier’s game-plan specific zone pattern coverages, with a versatile secondary to execute those, to go with a deep D-line and two super-rangy linebackers. Even outside the Diggs trade, Buffalo has made some sneaky-good deals since losing that Wildcard game at Houston in such heart-breaking fashion. Whether that is Mario Addison as double-digit sack guy in four straight years, added depth on the O-line or a really solid draft class to complement what they already had. I don’t want to crown them at this point, but to me they are the favorites for the AFC’s number three seed as for right now, since I think the South doesn’t have that clear front-runner to win the majority of their divisional games.
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9. Seattle Seahawks
I would have probably had the Hawks as the final team of this group or right at the top of the next one a couple of weeks ago, but after acquiring Jamal Adams, I think they have re-established themselves as that second team in the NFC West, since I had them very close with Arizona originally, I did not love what they did in the first two days of the draft (somewhat of a trend with them), they lost their second-best defensive player at that point in Jadeveon Clowney, I’m not sure if they upgraded on the offensive line and we don’t even if know if Quinton Dunbar will be suspended at this point. With that being said, Seattle has finished above .500 every single year with Russell Wilson under center and while I’m not a fan of their conservative approach offensively, where they don’t allow Russ to throw the ball on first downs and push the tempo a little at times, they are one of the most effective rushing teams and they have two lethal weapons to catch those trademark rainbow balls from the Seahawks QB. Defensively there are still some questions about the edge rush and at second corner spot, but Pete Carroll at least has what he wants most in a team at those positions – competition – and you already saw them go to more two-high looks in coverage than we are used to, telling me they utilize Jamal’s versatile skill-set more than what that strong safety mostly does in that system.
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10. Green Bay Packers
The whole Aaron Rodgers-Jordan Love drama has been looming large over the offseason and that has brought us some interesting discussions, but let’s not allow this to take away from the fact Green Bay just had a first-round bye in the playoffs and made it to the NFC title game. While they were 8-1 in one-score games and should regress more towards the mean in terms of the success rate in those close games, the North is still wide open and they have a few things going for themselves – they have the best quarterback in the division, the best offensive line, the most versatile and effective pass rush and a lot of young talent in the secondary. The first-round selection of a future signal-caller aside, I wasn’t too fond of what they did in the draft. Even though I liked Cincinnati’s Josiah Deguara and can see what they want to do with him as H-back/move guy in this offense, I thought they did not get Aaron Rodgers help in the receiving corp, which has no proven commodity outside of Davante Adams. Their defense got absolutely steamrolled in two games against the eventual conference champion 49ers, but I hope to see Rashan Gary develop in his second season and I think Christian Kirksey was a very under-the-radar signing as a run-stopping linebacker. I think schematically with Matt LaFleur’s offense based on what they did under Sean McVay and Mike Pettine being very creative himself they are one of the better coaching staffs in the NFC, but I would like to see them open up the offense more for Rodgers and break tendencies more often with their coverage calls.
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11. Pittsburgh Steelers
Another very dangerous squad for me is the Steelers. I have talked many times about how bad the Steelers quarterback situations was last season, as both Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges finished near the bottom in air yards per attempt, percentage of throws beyond the marker and many others. We have only seen Big Ben throw in some short clips on the internet, but if he is just 70-80 percent of what he was in 2018, this team is bound for a playoff berth. There are some question marks with this group of skill-position players, but I expect Juju to bounce back in a major way with a capable QB and being healthy himself, I have already picked Diontae Johnson as a breakout candidate for this season and I like the diversity of this group of backs. Pittsburgh’s defense was already elite last year, finishing top five in both yards and points allowed, tied for first in yards per play (4.7), the most takeaways (38) and sacks (54). If former Raven Chris Wormley can replace Javon Hargreave as a two-down run-stopper at least and rookie Antoine Brooks Jr. (Maryland) can fill a very specific role as their second sub-package linebacker in place of Mark Barron, I think they will one of the scariest units in the NFL once again. So the best all-around defense for my money and an offense who I would say has top ten potential at the very least is a tough match-up. Maybe not quite battling with the Ravens for the North, but the top Wildcard spot for sure.
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12. Indianapolis Colts
If there is one team in the AFC that could go from finishing sub-.500 to making it all the way to the conference championship game, the Colts would be my pick. I thought Philip Rivers had a really rough 2019 campaign, in which his arm looked rather weak and his decision-making hurt the Chargers on multiple occasions, but he will play behind by far the best offensive line he has ever had and they will run the heck out of the ball. Indy already had a pretty good back in Marlon Mack, but Wisconsin superstar Jonathan Taylor, who they selected in the second round, will be one of the front-runners for Offensive Rookie of the Year if given the chances in combination with what I believe is the best front-five in the entire league, plus their other second-rounder Michael Pittman Jr. (USC) will be that Vincent Jackson/Mike Williams type target for Rivers. More importantly, with the trade for a top 50 player in the league in DeForest Buckner, this entire Colts D immediately takes a step forward, since he is a perfect fit as that 3-technique in their front and help them disrupt plays at a much higher rate, to go with range in zone coverage behind that, including the “Maniac” Darius Leonard chasing people down. I’m a big fan of Frank Reich and the coaching staff he is has put together, in terms of in-game decision-making, offensive gameplans and just the intensity his team plays him.
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Fringe playoff teams:

This middle tier is made up from all those teams who I expect to be at .500 or above, firmly in contention for a Wildcard spot at least. They can be some areas of concern, but overall they have the roster ready to compete with the big dogs and/or feature above-average coaching. With a couple of these there is a change at quarterback and head coach respectively, but they have enough around those to overcome that.
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13. Tennessee Titans
This definitely seems a little low for a team that is coming off an AFC Championship game appearance, but people seem to forget the Titans were 8-7 ahead of week 17 and if it wasn’t for the Steelers losing their final three games, this group wouldn’t have even been in position to lock down the six seed. Things were also made a lot easier by their division rival Texans, who sat most of their starters after beating Tennessee two weeks prior. So as impressive as their playoff run was, you have to think of what happened before that and put it into perspective a little. With one more playoff spot in each conference, their chances of making it to the tournament should be at least equally as good, but I believe the Colts are the favorites to win the South and for me the Steelers are the favorites for the fifth seed. With all that being said, there is plenty to like about this team still – they can pound you with the Derrick Henry and the run game, Ryan Tannehill at least gives them the threat of pulling the ball and going deep off play-action, they have some young weapons catching the ball and defensively they are very versatile in how they set up gameplans. I also like the mind-set Mike Vrabel installs in these guys and I was impressed with what OC Arthur Smith did in 2019. If there are two spots that could decide if this group is fighting for a division title or that final playoff berth, it will be their rookie right tackle Isaiah Wilson (Georgia) and recently signed edge rusher Vic Beasley.
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14. Cleveland Browns
While I don’t see them competing for the AFC North – just because of how loaded the Ravens are – the Browns are pretty clearly the most talented team that is considered to be third in their division. In terms of their group of starting skill-position players at least, they are near the top of the NFL, the O-line to me already just made my top ten ranking with room to move up, if healthy they are at least in the conversation for that with the D-line as well, with a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Myles Garrett, and I like how they have assembled their secondary. Now, they have some unproven guys at the linebacker level and Cleveland’s potential is largely dependent on which Baker Mayfield we will get. With Kevin Stefanski coming and installing an offense that will be built on the zone run game and bootlegs off that, where his quarterback is put on the move, I could see much more efficient play and more comfort in that system. Something that really jumped out to me on tape was how many times Baker seemed to not be “on the same page” with his receivers, expecting routes to break off differently and unfortunate drops in certain situations. Even though the preparation for the season does look a lot different and QB & WRs haven’t been able to spend too much time together, I expect this to improve and more suitable roles for those pass-catchers overall. And if they are ahead in more games, that pass rush will be a problem.
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15. Arizona Cardinals
There are certainly still some issues here, but the Cardinals are probably the most exciting young team in all of the NFL. Kyler Murray was a one-man show last season and is due for a big jump, with DeAndre Hopkins being added to a receiving corp that severely lacked dependable weapons, to go with some other youngsters fully healthy, Kenyan Drake looked like a different player once he came over from Miami and the O-line should at least be marginally better. Defensively they transitioned a little up front, with big gap-pluggers on the line and Isaiah Simmons being that ultra-rangy player on the second level, who can run guys down on the edges, if those ball-carriers forced to bounce outside, plus they have maybe the most underappreciated edge rusher over the last four years in Chandler Jones. I don’t think they are very deep in the secondary, but Budda Baker is an absolute baller, Jalen Thompson emerged late last season and I already predicted Byron Murphy would have a breakout second season. With Kliff Kingsbury and Vance Joseph, Arizona has creative play-calling on both sides of the ball and they now have the personnel to execute at the needed level as well. Like I mentioned, I was ready to have the Cardinals at least go toe-to-toe with Seattle for a playoff spot, but the addition of Jamal Adams has shifted the balance again to some degree. And if you just go based off my rankings, two NFC Wildcard spots already go to teams from five to seven.
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16. Denver Broncos
A team that has been getting a lot of love this offseason is the Broncos. They have pretty much all the pieces that you usually see with those rising squads – a promising second-year quarterback with a lot of weapons surrounding him, a ferocious defensive front and having shown signs late last season. My belief in them has taken a bit of a dump unfortunately since I thought they did well to improve the offensive line, with Garrett Bolles on the left end being the only weak-spot, but now that Ja’Wuan James won’t be available at right tackle for the second straight year (injury last season and now opting out), their duo of OTs is a concern for me. Defensively you have to love what they have in the front seven, with Von Miller and now again Bradley Chubb coming off the edges, Jurrell Casey added to the interior to go with Shelby Harris and Alexander Johnson being an under-the-radar standout at linebacker. I’ve always been a big fan of Justin Simmons, but that second corner spot is still up in the air. I like Vic Fangio and that coaching staff they have put together in Denver, with Pat Shurmur providing a QB-friendly offense, the game’s best O-line coach in Mike Munchak and most of the people that have helped Fangio put out elite defenses at multiple stops before. So the Broncos are still the most dangerous opponent of the Chiefs in the AFC West, but now I’m not sure if they can add some drama over the fourth quarter of the season.
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17. Minnesota Vikings
At the same time, a team that has been a little overhyped to me this offseason is Minnesota. While I don’t love how the Packers have operated since February, what have the Vikings done to really improve? They traded away the best deep threat in the league last season in Stefon Diggs, stalwarts on the D-line in Everson Griffen and Linval Joseph are now gone, their entire group of corners has combined for less than 1500 career snaps and their offensive coordinator is now in Cleveland. I’m intrigued by the combination of Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson, who could be pretty interchangeable in their roles and I like their 12 and 21 personnel groupings, but they lack depth at the receiver position. And the defense will be relying on several inexperienced pieces to step in. I mean their three starting corners from last year are off the team now. So I don’t really get how most people all of a sudden put them ahead of the Packers. With that being said, I like the offensive scheme and always thought Gary Kubiak was a huge factor in their success on the ground at least. On defense there are certainly question marks – especially in the secondary – but Minnesota could easily have a top five player at their respective position at all three levels, with Danielle Hunter, Eric Kendricks and Anthony Harris, plus they still have some promising young guys like Ifeadi Odenigbo, Mike Hughes and a deep rookie class. Their only true shade nose Michael Pierce opting out hurts though.
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18. New England Patriots
This offseason must have been a rollercoaster for Patriots fans. First, Tom Brady leaves and everybody goes crazy. Then people start getting onto the Jarrett Stidham hype train and talk about how good the rest of this team still is. Out of nowhere they sign Cam Newton for the veteran minimum basically and they are back in the conversation for the top teams in the AFC all of sudden. And now, they lead the league in players opting out of the season, with key defensive pieces like Dont’a Hightower and Patrick Chung, to go with a couple of role players on offense at least. So now they are right at the bottom of these fringe playoff teams for me, because purely based on the roster, they are not even in the top 20 league-wide, but they still have maybe the greatest defensive mind in NFL history in Bill Belichick and one of the best offensive play-callers right now in Josh McDaniels. Obviously a lot of this will come down to what version of Cam Newton we will get and even if he is and can stay totally healthy. Not only is New England the most adaptable team in terms of how they can adjust to personnel and how flexible they are with their game-plans, but Cam is a great fit in that offense, where he can spread the field and make decisions based on defenses adjusting. The one area that took the biggest bump – outside of quarterback I’m guessing – is the offensive line, because they lost a legendary position coach in Dante Scarnecchia and their probable starter at right tackle in Marcus Cannon. While the Pats do have some young players, who can replace part of the losses, they were already more in plan for the pieces that left before there was any virus outbreak.
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Around .500:

This broad group of seven teams represents all those franchises who will be dancing around .500 mark in the win-loss column. A couple of teams have the potential to win nine or ten games, while others could see those numbers on the wrong side of the column as well. There are obvious question marks in certain areas, even though they might feature top-tier players and/or coaches.
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19. Houston Texans
It’s kind of tough to put a team here that has won its division the last two years, but I think the Texans are pretty clearly number three in the South now. I love Deshaun Watson and I think he has fairly established himself as a top five quarterback in the NFL, but Bill O’Brien just took away an elite wide receiver in DeAndre Hopkins and replaced him with an injury-prone Brandin Cooks to go with another always banged up Will Fuller and a declining Randall Cobb, to go with a David Johnson in the backfield, who was unrecognizable last season. I think the O-line is improving, but outside of Laremy Tunsil maybe, they don’t have anybody other than Deshaun who is clearly above-average in their role. And defensively they finished in the bottom five in yards allowed and tied with Cincinnati (who picked first overall in the draft) for an NFL-high 6.1 yards allowed per play. Hopefully having J.J. Watt back for a full season should help, I like the selection of Ross Blacklock (TCU) on the inside and there are some talented young corners on this roster, who could be better much in 2020. I would not be surprised if they are that .500 team at heart and their quarterback carried them to a couple of wins that they weren’t supposed to get – which we have seen him do many times before – but it’s more likely to me that they are fighting for one of the two bottom Wildcard spots.
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20. Atlanta Falcons
Very rarely do you have a team that was among the worst over the first half of the season and among the best over the second half. The Falcons started out 2019 with a 1-7 record, but would go on to win six of the final eight games. Their defense was absolutely atrocious early on last season, with no pass-rush impacting the opposing quarterback and several miscues in coverage. With Raheem Morris taking over the defensive play-calling, they showed a lot of improvement already and there are signs that trend will continue. While there are some questions about the back-end and if they can get consistent production from their rush outside the top two guys, I think Dante Fowler is an upgrade over Vic Beasley, I like Marlon Davidson (Auburn) as a guy with inside-out flexibility on sub-packages and Keanu Neal is back healthy, as that Kam Chancellor-type, who can be that extra defender in the box in their system and punish receivers when catching the ball over the middle or in the flats. Offensively I believe this is still a team that can move the ball – they just have to start doing so earlier in games. While the top NFL receiver duo is in their own division with the guys in Tampa Bay, Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley could easily be that next one. They lost a very productive tight-end in Austin Hooper, but I believe Hayden Hurst can replace at least 80 percent of that production, and while we have no idea what we get from Todd Gurley and his knees at this point, last year the Falcons had one of the least effective per-touch backs in Devonta Freeman. Plus, the O-line should take a step forward with former first-round pick Chris Lindstrom returning from injury.
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21. Las Vegas Raiders
To me the Raiders are still in transition, not only moving to Las Vegas, but also in terms of roster construction and the culture Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock are trying to establish. Outside of Tyrell Williams, that entire group of receivers was overhauled, they have a lot of young pieces on the defensive line and the secondary, plus they will have at least two new starters on the second level of their defense. By far the biggest thing they have going for them is the offensive line and second-year back Josh Jacobs running behind it. When I did my top ten offensive lines in the NFL a couple of weeks ago, I had the Silver & Black at number five, and Jacobs was already a top 100 player in the league for me, with how physical and elusive a runner as he is. I could easily see the Raiders finish near the top in terms of ground production, and I also like the young guys they brought in around that, with Henry Ruggs III (Alabama) keeping the defense honest with his speed, Bryan Edwards (South Carolina) as a physical receiver, who will get hands after the catch, and Lynn Bowden Jr. (Kentucky) as that chess-piece potentially, that you can use in a multitude of way. My bigger question here is if Derek Carr is willing to push the ball down the field. Defensively I like the rotation they have on the interior D-line and the two linebackers they brought in via free agency, most notably Corey Littleton. There are still some questions about how snaps will be split between their corner group, but I’m excited to see a full season of Jonathan Abram hopefully. These guys have some attitude and an energetic head coach.
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22. Los Angeles Rams
Oh, how far we have come. Just one-and-a-half years ago the Rams were officially 20 spots higher basically, when they lost the Super Bowl to New England. Ahead of last season, I predicted them to miss the playoffs and while they made a bit of a run at it late, that’s what ended up happening. Now I see them as the fourth team in their own division – even though that says more about the competition they face rather than them. I still believe in Sean McVay and his ability to win on paper with play-design and game-planning, but Jared Goff has turned out to be an average quarterback, they don’t have a prime Todd Gurley setting the table anymore and the offensive line had some major issues, for large stretches of last season, especially in the run game. I was very high on Cam Akers, who they selected in the second round out of Florida State, but he will obviously be a rookie with shortened preparation, rather than an Offensive Player of the Year like Gurley was for them. Defensively, they have two elite players in Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey and I like some of the other guys in their roles, but overall the high-end talent beyond the two biggest names isn’t overly impressive. Leonard Floyd might be their top edge rusher and he has always been more of a Robin, they have no proven commodity as stand-up linebacker and I have yet to see if Brandon Staley can actually be an upgrade over Wade Phillips as their defensive coordinator.
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23. Detroit Lions
While I was going back and forth with putting the Lions third or fourth in the NFC North, I recently said they are among the top two teams that could go from worst to first in their division and I would not be surprised if they were in the hunt for a Wildcard spot in the last couple of weeks of the season. His second year in a system under Darrell Bevell – where he wasn’t just going in shotgun 40 times a game and asked to make magic happen – Matthew Stafford looked like an MVP candidate as long as he was healthy in 2019. That duo of Kerryon Johnson and my top-ranked running back in the draft D’Andre Swift (Georgia) could be one of the most dynamic ones in the league, the receiving corp is highly underrated and I like those rookies competing for the two guard spots. Defensively, they seem to finally look like what Matt Patricia wanted, when he came over from New England, in terms being versatile with their fronts and having guys who can take on receivers in man-coverage. With that being said, there is also a good chance that the Patricia experiment could go to shambles, if some of the veterans get turned off by his style of coaching without having established that winning culture, and this team has simply been dealing with too many injuries to key players. I don’t think there is much of a gap between the Lions and Vikings for example, but Detroit has not shown the stability of some other organizations.
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24. Chicago Bears
A franchise that I don’t really hear anybody talk about – unless it’s their quarterback competition – is that team from the Windy City. I understand that the Bears aren’t really sexy because they lack those superstars on offense that people will recognize, but I’m higher on some of the guys they do have on that side of the ball and on defense they could be much closer to 2018, when they led the league in points allowed and turnovers forced, rather than being just inside the top in most categories last season. A guy I already predicted to break out for Chicago this upcoming season with a bigger workload is running back David Montgomery, to go with Anthony Miller as a gadget player and developing young pass-catcher and one of the more underappreciated receivers out there in Allen Robinson. Defensively, I thought the biggest issue last season was Akiem Hicks missing double-digit games, as a table-setter with his ability to disrupt plays from the interior, and Leonard Floyd didn’t provide much on the opposite side of Khalil Mack, who they upgrade from with Robert Quinn, who just had his best season since the Rams were still in St. Louis. Now, I don’t love what they have at that second safety spot to complement Eddie Jackson, someone will have to fill that second corner spot – even though I’m a fan of second-round pick Jaylon Johnson (Utah) – and nose tackle Eddie Goldman opting out is a huge loss. If the quarterback position can just complement the rushing attack and the defense plays up to their potential, this group could be competing for second in the North, but Foles or Trubisky could still hold them back.
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The final tier is in the comments!!
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If you enjoyed this breakdown, I would really appreciate if you could visit the original piece - https://halilsrealfootballtalk.com/2020/08/18/ranking-all-32-nfl-teams-in-tiers-pre-season/
You can also listen to my analysis on the Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz7WE0epZw8

We continue with the divisional rundown of the 2020 NFL Draft with the intriguing AFC South. Catch up on the other installments of this 2020 NFL Draft review series with the NFC South, AFC East, NFC East, AFC North, and NFC North.
Every year after the draft, I write a way-too-long review of each team’s draft. The purpose of this draft review is to give predictions for the careers of each team’s drafted players. I’ve watched film of each player I’m commenting on. Draft grades are overly optimistic and unrealistic. Unlike the majority of post-draft coverage out there, I will pick busts. Keep in mind that 23.4% of all first-round picks bust.
Let me preface this by saying: predicting the career of an NFL draft pick is a ridiculous exercise. There is so much unknown that goes into whether a player succeeds or fails at the next level. I can make educated guesses based on team situation, supporting cast, and research about the prospect’s character and work ethic, but there’s a reason teams make so many mistakes every year. You simply don’t know for sure how a player will react to being a pro. Injuries are also a huge factor in the fate of a player and impossible to predict accurately. Nevertheless, this is a fun exercise and gives us a chance to review how each team approached the draft.

Overview

Before we start, here are some of my general thoughts on the 2020 NFL Draft.
Quickly on the broadcast - they did a great job given the circumstances. The production quality was great and they did more actual analysis than usual. My main gripe with draft coverage every year is that they don’t show incredible highlights (they somehow didn’t show the Aaron Dobson catch in 2013). This year, they showed more footage of actual football and I appreciated that. The only two negatives for me were the constant tragic stories and Booger McFarland.
Oh, and if any poor soul bet on Justin Jefferson Under 21.5 draft position, ESPN should apologize to you. They showed him on the phone celebrating right before cutting to Goodell announcing the 21st pick - Jalen Reagor to the Eagles. Jefferson was of course on the phone with the Vikings, who took him at 22. Brutal beat.
As for the draft, remember this tweet about mock drafts being “wronger” than ever? Funny, this was probably the chalkiest first-round ever in the internet age. Nothing was truly shocking to me, including the Packers trading up for Jordan Love (more on that here). I had Damon Arnette in the first round in my first mock draft this draft season. I wrote an article lauding Jordyn Brooks as an undervalued commodity. Noah Ibinoghene going in the first was surprising, I suppose. But there was no Clelin Ferrell at No. 4 or Tyson Alualu at No. 10. It speaks to how the media and internet scouts might be catching up to, or God forbid actually influencing the teams.
So here is another installment of my annual draft review. Each player will receive their career prediction in parentheses following their name. For example: Joe Burrow (5). Here's how the picks break down:
5 – All-Pro: Starter who has performed at an elite level at his position. 4 – Above-Average: Starter who has been among the best at his position. 3 – Solid: Starter or valuable back-up with significant positive production. 2 – Replacement Level: Below-average starter or back-up who made minor contributions. 1 – Bust: Player who didn’t amount to anything positive.
Next up, the AFC South.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars had one of the best drafts in the league. They came in needing to re-tool the defense and added two of my top-15 players. In the second they took a high-upside playmaker, and capped their day-two haul with one of my favorite run-stuffers in the entire draft.
C.J. Henderson (4) has shutdown corner talent. He has the innate ability to cover people in man, showing good technique in press, off, trail, and motor. His coverage instincts and breaks on the ball are on par with Jeff Okudah. Henderson’s weakness defending the run is partially due to a lack of ideal strength. If the Jaguars play enough man coverage, it won’t be exposed much. Henderson’s blazing speed was on display on an unreal hustle play to force a touchback (gif below). He has very pretty feet. I’m not Rex Ryan, I swear.
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With the 20th-overall pick, the Jaguars selected one of my favorite players in the entire draft in LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson (5). Chaisson was the 9th-ranked player on my board and epitomizes the traits vs. performance misconception. In 2015 I endorsed Danielle Hunter as a big-time pass rusher despite tallying just 4.5 sacks at LSU. It’s coincidental that any critique of Chaisson begins with “lack of production.” On film, there are instances of being this-close due to technique deficiencies. He likely did not always great out amazingly with his position coach. But as far as evaluating translatable traits, and projecting him to the completely different NFL game, Chaisson is oozing with upside at just 20 years old.
Everyone agrees that Chaisson's physical traits are outstanding. He’s an exceptional athlete, somehow both smooth and twitchy with great balance. He’s a raw speed rusher who can bend, and has ideal ankle flexion for an edge player. Against older and more experienced tackles like Andrew Thomas and Alex Leatherwood, Chaisson didn’t always produce or perform well in an NCAA context. However, he had reps where he won and/or displayed ideal translatable traits in terms of pass-rushing technique, power, speed, handwork, and moves he can develop. My notes are overwhelmingly positive. He destroyed a guard on a stunt, stunted over two gaps to explode inside for a sack, showed big hits in space, beat Leatherwood twice off the ball, and showed power against the Oklahoma left tackle. I was right on Hunter. Chaisson has even more upside.
In the second round, the Jaguars selected one of the most enigmatic players in the draft in Colorado’s Laviska Shenault Jr (3). Shenault was flat-out dominant for the majority of his college career, standing out as the best player on the field in most games. His power is uncommon for a wide receiver. As a run-after-catch threat, he’s in the Cordarrelle Patterson mold. And while he’s undoubtedly a better natural receiver than Patterson, he’s still too raw to start at Z right away. His stop-start ability is terrific and he’s a threat to take it to the house on hitch routes. His coaching staff gave him a 4th-and-2 end-around.
As a vertical receiver, his film leaves a lot to be desired, with multiple bad offensive pass interference, lack of separation and ball tracking, and route-running issues. Simply put, he’s raw. There’s a lot of projection here, and if he puts it all together, he can be a star. His lack of timed speed (4.58 40) actually did show on tape. On the Cordarrelle Patterson-Anquan Boldin spectrum, I predict he’ll land closer to Boldin. The draft slot disparity between he and Henry Ruggs shows how much NFL teams value speed over college production. Perhaps they shouldn’t.
I wrote extensively about Davon Hamilton (4) here. He’ll develop into one of the best run-stuffers in the league and a top interior force. I also liked Ben Bartch (3) and even Josiah Scott (2) a bit, while the rest of the draft community thought the enormous Collin Johnson (2) was a steal. The Jaguars made 12 picks. If six of them are still on the roster in three years, this rookie class will spark a successful re-build.

Tennessee Titans

When the Titans drafted Marcus Mariota, the vast majority of people thought he'd become a franchise quarterback. I predicted he would max out as an Alex Smith-level player. The Mariota era is over in Tennessee, as Ryan Tannehill parlayed his late-season surge into a huge contract. The Titans came into this draft without any glaring holes. Their first two picks suggest they went with the best player available on their board.
Unfortunately, Isaiah Wilson (1) was nowhere near the best player on my board at No. 29. I had him ranked 67th-overall despite rumors he would be a first-round pick. Clearly something was off with the perception of Wilson, as the draft community was much lower on him than NFL teams. One reason for the disparity is how much the NFL values pure size in the trenches. At 6-6, 350, Wilson surely looks the part. I think NFL decision-makers still put a value on “first-guy-off-the-bus” type bodies, which Wilson definitely has.
The actual film shows arguably more pure strength than Mekhi Becton, but not nearly the same athleticism. He’s a raw right tackle who is good on double teams and shows awesome power when he gets his hands inside. The issue I can’t get over is his tendency to bend at the waist and miss initial hand placements. He wasn’t even in the top 100 players on PFF’s big board, which suggests he may not have graded out well. They’ll need to coach bad posture habits out of him and hope he keeps his weight in check.
I was also not a huge fan of Kristian Fulton (2). Fulton was productive in terms of pass break-ups and one of the top performers at DBU. But again, projecting to the NFL is not about college performance, it’s about translatable NFL traits. There’s a reason such a productive college player with ideal speed and measurables fell to 61. Fulton generally struggled to get his head around defending verticals along the boundary, showing a lack of ideal balance and some clumsiness. He made a couple of big plays against Virginia, but was “weirdly beat in the red zone.” I had Fulton ranked 48th overall, but if I could re-do my board after the draft, I’d put guys like Arnette and Robertson over him.
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While I didn’t have Darrynton Evans (3) in my top-100 due to positional value, I am always a fan of selecting running backs on day two. Evans’ speed (4.41), production, and ultimate draft slot all point to future fantasy success. If he can learn pass protection, he can replace Dion Lewis quite easily. His film against South Carolina wasn’t great, but that speed plays, and is a great complement to Derrick Henry.
Remember that last year’s first-rounder Jeffrey Simmons started his rookie year fresh off a serious injury. It is fair to expect him to grow as a player, perhaps developing into an All-Pro. It will be fascinating to see if Tannehill can repeat his 2019 magic. If he plays at a high level again, Tennessee has the offensive supporting cast to contend in the AFC.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts came into the draft with needs at wide receiver and defensive back. After trading for DeForest Buckner, they didn't have a first-round pick. The biggest Colts storyline going into the draft was the possibility of selecting a quarterback early. They chose not to, and I agree with that decision.
Michael Pittman Jr. (3) seemingly has it all. He plays fast (4.52) with great size (6-4, 223) and excellent hands. He dominated certain games, including Utah, which featured multiple pros in their defensive backfield. In terms of physical traits, there is no question he has what it takes to be an outstanding pro. However, a deeper look into his film has me questioning his transition a little. He's not particularly strong for his size and doesn't possess great balance. His shoulder pads flop when he runs - it sounds odd but he plays a bit high. It's understandable for someone his size, but I have to be fair to my notes.
He blocked a punt and has a lot of "college" highlights, mossing poor 5-10 corners and blowing by 2-star recruits. When I went back for a second look I kind of loved his fluidity. He could be an outstanding pro or just-a-guy. The sweet spot for wideouts is typically the second round so I'll bet on him.
So where should an incredibly talented and productive Big Ten running back be selected in the NFL Draft? A few years ago Saquon Barkley parlayed an ideal frame, 4.4 speed, and tremendous statistical production into being selected second overall. Jonathan Taylor (3) was routinely thought of as a late-first to earl-second-round pick throughout the draft process, with a similar size/speed/production mix. The main on-paper differences were receiving production and fumbling. Are those differences worth such a disparity in draft stock? The point here is to pre-emptively defend my evaluation of Jonathan Taylor. He was an elite college back, but I do not believe he profiles as a special back in the NFL. His film is more solid than amazing.
Taylor's positives on film are obvious. He's smooth with home run speed and tremendous vision. He understands blocking schemes and is difficult to get down to the ground. However, his film, specifically against Illinois, is more solid than spectacular. I do not know if his not-going-down skills translate to the pro game where everyone is bigger, faster, and stronger. He gets knocked back and doesn't drive the pile way too much. Perhaps he's picking his spots, which leads to the first of the three frequent arguments against him - tread on tires (probably overrated), too many drops, and fumbling issues. Going to Indianapolis, he will have the best offensive line in football blocking for him and less pass-game responsibility. I do not expect him to be an All-Pro back, but I will likely target him early and often in fantasy leagues due to situation.
Julian Blackmon (3) has injury question marks but shows a spirited playstyle and tackling ability that translates. He has all the football traits, but deep speed is a question mark. His short-area burst is great, but he had a poor game against USC, displaying some bad angles. He should be a solid specials contributor and third safety at absolute worst.
I had Jacob Eason (2) ranked in the top-30 on my first big board. I liked his film a lot. Against Oregon, he looked like a first-round pick. The best trait Eason shows on film is his ability to make quick decisions. He loves slants, will get to his check-downs, and was good against pressure in the games I saw. Obviously he has the arm, but I noted his deep ball placement as "meh." Washington had arguably the best offensive line in the country, but Eason didn't have great weapons, as I noted multiple drops by receivers. Another underrated trait is his ball-handling, as his footwork on play-action shot plays was excellent. I would have picked Eason to be a good player if I did not read concerning insight into his character in Bob McGinn's Athletic article with quotes from scouts. That's why he fell so far. I'll give a good coaching staff a chance to develop him, but playing quarterback is so hard, you can't have question marks surrounding your intangibles for anyone to feel confident in your transition.
The Colts will take a stab at contending this year with Philip Rivers at quarterback, a great offensive line, and excellent coaching staff. They decided to build on a strength, adding Jonathan Taylor to an already talented running back room. Analytics folks may not love it, but the 49ers just had a successful year with a run-heavy attack. With how much nickel and dime teams play, it might be smart to zig when everyone else zags.

Houston Texans

The Texans essentially used their first-round pick on stud left tackle Laremy Tunsil, then extended him. One of the main reasons first-round picks are so valuable is because of how cheap rookie contracts are. So while Tunsil is clearly worth a first-round pick in a vacuum, it’s not as much of a no-brainer considering the difference in salaries. They came into the draft needing help on defense.
With the 40th overall pick they selected TCU defensive lineman Ross Blacklock (3), the 59th-ranked player on my board. While watching Blacklock’s film, I noted he would fit in best as a true nose tackle. He played his gap well, shooting out of his low four-point stance. He showed strength at the point of attack and made me think of him as a potential impact run-stuffer. Then I looked at his measurables. At just 290 pounds, Blacklock simply does not have the size to be a premier run-stuffer at the pro level. Blacklock showed a good rip move for a sack against Purdue but showed almost no juice as a pass rusher against Texas.
My Reverse Planet Theory states that the relative worst offensive linemen in college football play inside. There are only so many quality offensive linemen in the world, and in the NCAA most play tackle. When lovable penetrating defensive tackles transition to the NFL, they are now matched up against amazing interior talents and converted tackles. No other position has a jump up in competition like interior defensive linemen. Blacklock is a potential victim of the Reverse Planet Theory, but his understanding of leverage is what will make him a decent pro.
With their next pick, the Texans took Jonathan Greenard (1) of Florida. Greenard moves like he has cement in his cleats, and has substandard change of direction ability. He has some competitiveness and physicality, but not enough juice as a pass rusher to be a true edge dude. His production was nice at the college level, but I’m not even sure if his traits will allow him to be a rotational asset or special teams contributor. He wasn’t in my top 100.
Bill O’Brien received a lot of deserved hate after dealing away DeAndre Hopkins. Personal issues probably played a role, but there is no excuse for only receiving essentially a second-round pick and veteran running back for one of the best receivers in football. The next few drafts are vital for Houston, as they won’t have much cap space after inevitably extending Deshaun Watson.
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for the NFC West and AFC West in the coming days.
AFC South Article with Gifs: https://www.rotoballer.com/2020-nfl-draft-review-and-team-grades-afc-south/736898
NFC South: https://www.rotoballer.com/2020-nfl-draft-review-and-team-grades-nfc-south/736460
AFC East: https://www.rotoballer.com/2020-nfl-draft-review-and-team-grades-afc-east/736202
NFC East: https://www.rotoballer.com/2020-nfl-draft-review-and-team-grades-nfc-east/735919
AFC North: https://www.rotoballer.com/2020-nfl-draft-review-afc-north/735564?src=cat_feat_9954
NFC North: https://www.rotoballer.com/2020-nfl-draft-review-and-team-grades-nfc-north/734932

If you missed the first installment of this series, you can read the NFC North review here. Every year after the draft, I write a way-too-long review of each team’s draft. The purpose of this draft review is to give predictions for the careers of each team’s drafted players. I’ve watched film of each player I’m commenting on. Draft grades are overly optimistic and unrealistic. Unlike the majority of post-draft coverage out there, I will pick busts. Keep in mind that 23.4% of all first-round picks bust.
Let me preface this by saying: predicting the career of an NFL draft pick is a ridiculous exercise. There is so much unknown that goes into whether a player succeeds or fails at the next level. I can make educated guesses based on team situation, supporting cast, and research about the prospect’s character and work ethic, but there’s a reason teams make so many mistakes every year. You simply don’t know for sure how a player will react to being a pro. Injuries are also a huge factor in the fate of a player and impossible to predict accurately. I still write this long prediction article for three reasons:
1 - No one else does it. 2 - It’s more interesting than draft grades. 3 - It’s fun to try to get things right.

Overview

Like NFL teams, I’m going to get things wrong. The greatest football mind in history drafted Ryan Mallett and Chad Jackson. I also like to argue against the consensus when my evaluations allow me to. That has gotten me in trouble with some unpopular predictions that turned out to be hilariously wrong. On the flip side, I don’t think anyone else predicted Lamar Jackson would be the best quarterback of his draft class. All of my picks are rooted in comprehensive film study and a mathematical understanding of what drafts typically produce (spoiler: draft grades are unrealistically generous).
Before we start, here are some of my general thoughts on the 2020 NFL Draft.
Quickly on the broadcast - they did a great job given the circumstances. The production quality was great and they did more actual analysis than usual. My main gripe with draft coverage every year is that they don’t show incredible highlights (they somehow didn’t show the Aaron Dobson catch in 2013). This year, they showed more footage of actual football and I appreciated that. The only two negatives for me were the constant tragic stories and Booger McFarland.
Oh, and if any poor soul bet on Justin Jefferson Under 21.5 draft position, ESPN should apologize to you. They showed him on the phone celebrating right before cutting to Goodell announcing the 21st pick - Jalen Reagor to the Eagles. Jefferson was of course on the phone with the Vikings, who took him at 22. Brutal beat.
As for the draft, remember this tweet about mock drafts being “wronger” than ever? Funny, this was probably the chalkiest first-round ever in the internet age. Nothing was truly shocking to me, including the Packers trading up for Jordan Love (more on that here). I had Damon Arnette in the first round in my first mock draft this draft season. I wrote an article lauding Jordyn Brooks as an undervalued commodity. Noah Ibinoghene going in the first was surprising, I suppose. But there was no Clelin Ferrell at No. 4 or Tyson Alualu at No. 10. It speaks to how the media and internet scouts might be catching up to, or God forbid actually influencing the teams.
So here is the first installment of my annual draft review. Each player will receive their career prediction in parentheses following their name. For example: Joe Burrow (5). Here's how the picks break down:
5 – All-Pro: Starter who has performed at an elite level at his position. 4 – Above-Average: Starter who has been among the best at his position. 3 – Solid: Starter or valuable back-up with significant positive production. 2 – Replacement Level: Below-average starter or back-up who made minor contributions. 1 – Bust: Player who didn’t amount to anything positive.
Next up, the AFC North.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have historically been pretty good at drafting despite having the smallest scouting staff in the league. With the first pick in each round, they would have had to try to mess this up. Instead, they had the single best draft in the entire league, drafting the No. 1, No. 14, No. 52, and No. 69 (nice) players on my board.
Joe Burrow lacks the ideal competitiveness after transfer- just kidding. The Tiger King just had the greatest season in the history of college football, capped off by a dismantling of a Clemson defense with multiple day-one picks. Joe Burrow (5) is going to be a franchise quarterback and Zac Taylor is a lucky man. Joe Exotic is being praised everywhere for his poise, accuracy, touch, and athleticism. What stood out to me on film was his ability to create outside the structure of the offense. He is dynamic in that he can scramble to run or throw - a defensive coordinator’s nightmare. LSU even ran him on designed quarterback draws, an indication they were comfortable with his durability.
Burrow’s 2018 obviously wasn’t great (57.8% comp., 16/5 TD/INT), but it’s not smart to question his ball placement after his 2019 film. His offensive supporting cast was amazing, but it was overwhelmingly obvious that the game moved extremely slowly for him at the highest level of college football. When the NFL bullets start flying even faster, Burrow will have an easier time adjusting than most quarterbacks.
Tee Higgins (4) may have been the best value in the entire draft. Higgins’ perceived draft status on the internet was just odd. From WRU with 28 career touchdowns and undeniably impressive film, Higgins was widely accepted as the 5th-8th best receiver in this class. Why? I don’t care much about his lack of timed speed (4.54) as he played fast enough and has other dominant traits. The only legitimate reason for the lack of respect is his thin body as it relates to durability. He came up lame a lot on film, and NFL teams are spooked by medical issues. I am not going to be shy about endorsing this pick.
Tee Higgins has unbelievable hands, body control, and ball-tracking ability in a 6-4, 216-pound frame. He didn’t look great against Jeff Okudah and Ohio State but was clearly banged up. There’s also no shame in struggling against Okudah, who’s probably a top-five NFL corner right now. Joe Burrow to Tee Higgins will be the premiere QB-WR connection in the league by 2023.
Logan Wilson (3) was one of “my guys” and Akeem Davis-Gaither was close (No. 69 on my board). Wilson was arguably the best coverage linebacker in the draft and is probably not terrible at tackling, considering he tallied 409 (!) of them at Wyoming. His film was fun to watch, as an off-ball linebacker with ten career picks. As for Akeem Davis-Gaither (3), he’s light but lightning fast. His floor is a contributor on specials, but in a pass-happy league with Lamar Jackson running around, his speed plays on defense as well. He’s not going to take on blocks in a phone booth but he made some wow plays at Appalachian State, constantly finding the ball and getting tackles-for-loss on the edge from his Sam position. Doubling up on linebacker with two talented prospects was a great strategy.
The Bengals aced this draft. Loading up on defense will be the priority for the next few years, as they have one of the best young offensive cores in all of football.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens always draft well and this year was no different. They selected my No. 11 overall player at 28, my top-ranked running back at 55, and four other players in my top-100. The legacy of Ozzie Newsome lives on.
Patrick Queen (4) showed some inconsistencies on tape in terms of missing tackles and angles and possibly even taking plays off. However, his highs on film are as impressive as any player in this class, and in the Ravens organization, they feel confident in coaching him up to play at that level consistently. Put on the National Championship game and Queen looks like the best defensive player on the field. Put on Texas and watch the goal-line sequence where he almost scores a 99-yard touchdown on third down and then fits up for a 4th-down stuff. His Auburn tape isn’t as impressive, getting beat by their running back (No. 3) and blocked in space on screen passes. In Baltimore, he’ll be kept clean and asked to fly around and hit people. He could not have gone to a better situation.
J.K. Dobbins (3) was my No. 1 running back in this class. He is a tougher (love a back not wearing gloves) runner than Jonathan Taylor and plays with great contact balance and low pad level. He has a stiff-arm, ideal burst, and necessary physicality and creativity. He’ll be a hammer learning from Mark Ingram in Baltimore. Again, a perfect fit for the Ravens in real football, but probably not the best landing spot for fantasy, at least in the short term.
As for their other picks, the only one I’m not excited about it is Justin Madubuike (2). He screams Reverse Planet Theory to me, taking advantage of bad guards with splash plays that don’t translate. Devin Duvernay (3) can be an actually-explosive version of Willie Snead. Malik Harrison (3) is a thumper who can call the defense and make plays. Ben Bredeson (3) was one of my favorite mid-round guard prospects. I’m very happy Lamar Jackson won MVP last year, and this class will help keep the Ravens among the elite teams in the NFL.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns were easy to mock for going into the draft, with two huge needs at left tackle and safety and a fairly stacked roster everywhere else. They unsurprisingly filled those needs with their first two picks, grabbing arguably the best prospect at both positions.
Jedrick Wills Jr. (3) was not exactly my favorite tackle. I noted balance issues, which scare me more than anything else for an offensive lineman. I saw his head snap back too many times, noted some off-target punches, and really scary attempted shoulder blocks. His traits are all top-notch, including his uncommon lateral agility for his size. There are winning reps that highlight his strength (grabbing and throwing guys down on speed rushes), but don’t inspire in the way of translatable technique. He’s a better prospect than Ereck Flowers, but some of his mis-timed and off-balance punches remind me of the Giant bust. There’s more risk here than people realize, but coaching can take care of the sloppy technique.
Grant Delpit (4) was my favorite safety. His 2018 film was tremendous, and his 2019 film showed a clearly banged-up player toughing it out to help lead his team to a championship. Delpit has tremendous change-of-direction skills and great instincts as a center field player. He is a little sloppy and all-over-the-place, but again not at 100%. Bottom line is that he gets it done, and the game is slower for him than most. He’ll start for years to come and make multiple pro bowls.
As for the rest, I didn’t think Jordan Elliot (2) was big enough to be as not-really-that-quick as he was. Jacob Phillips (2) called the LSU defense and fills a need, but strikes me as more of a special teamer at the pro level. Harrison Bryant (1) profiles as a possible TE2 but according to my notes “might just be a college dude.” He had two touchdowns versus Utah’s exclusively NFL-player secondary though. Finally, Donovan Peoples-Jones (3) falling to 187 made no sense talent-wise so there must be off-field or medical concerns. He’s raw and the game didn’t come easy to him, but I liked his activity as a blocker and he ran solid routes (comebacks especially). He showed good hands and has a ton of potential, perhaps even slotting in as the WR3 this season. I don’t think Shea Patterson is good.
I was never high on Baker Mayfield, but it's easy to be excited about this Browns roster going forward. There is no real personnel weakness anywhere. If Mayfield can be coachable and tone down the turnovers, the Browns have enough talent to compete for one of the for-some-reason seven AFC playoff spots.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers essentially used their first-round pick on Minkah Fitzpatrick, who would have easily been the best safety in the draft. They came into the draft needing a quarterback, tackle, and cornerback, but somehow didn’t select any of those positions. I wasn’t a huge fan of their haul, which was headlined by one of the most overrated receivers in the draft.
After being burned by Limas Sweed and Sammie Coates, the Steelers went back to the big-and-fast archetype at wide receiver with Chase Claypool (1). I ultimately labeled him as an “average pro if that” after noting his below-average ankle flexion, tight hips, and general clumsiness. Claypool’s large hands are fantastic, and he’s obviously very fast, but I wasn’t feeling his film as translatable to the next level. I love that he was still on the punt unit but I don’t see a high ceiling as an outside receiver against quicker corners. There were better receivers on the board.
Alex Highsmith (1) was the first of two Charlotte… uh… Bobcats?... selected this year. Highsmith attempted to tackle Travis Etienne versus Clemson and was run through like a middle-schooler. Throughout that film, he was quite easily neutralized by the Tigers' left tackle. He tries really hard, has a decent first step, and can bend just a little. I’m a big 3-cone guy for edge rushers, and his 7.32 in addition to poor film against Clemson doesn’t help his case.
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Every single Anthony McFarland (2) mention starts with his legendary performance against Ohio State in 2018. Unfortunately looking closer at the film, they simply missed some fits and he exploded on the edge. He did show some one-cut ability in the open field, but his tape shows someone who is clearly comfortable on the edge, which doesn’t really fit the NFL at all. McFarland has traits, but the game is difficult for him, getting stuffed on the goal line by Temple, showing bad ball security, and rarely pushing the pile. He’s a satellite speed guy, which if schemed right can be valuable.
I'm sorry Steelers fans, but this year could be the last dance for Ben Roethlisberger. Minkah Fitzpatrick is really, really good at least.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more divisions in the coming days.
Link to this article: https://www.rotoballer.com/2020-nfl-draft-review-afc-north/735564?src=cat_feat_9954
Link to NFC North article: https://www.rotoballer.com/2020-nfl-draft-review-and-team-grades-nfc-north/734932

Introduction

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Maurizio Sarri has returned to Serie A after just one year in the Premier League. He takes charge of Juventus, who relieved Massimiliano Allegri of his duties. Sarri has said some unsavory things about Juve during his time at Napoli, but he now finds himself leading the 8-time defending champions. He is notorious for his style of play, dubbed “Sarriball”. The biggest question now becomes how will Juventus adapt to his style of play? What players may need to leave, and who could be brought in to support Sarri’s style? That’s the focus of this analysis today, to assess just how “Sarriball” might work (or if changes should be made) for the reigning champions.
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Tactical Styles and Adjustments

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Sarri’s Tactics (Chelsea and Napoli)
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It’s important to see what “Sarriball” is and how it’s worked before diving into any predictions. I would recommend watching these Tifo Football videos from his Chelsea and Napoli sides as a really good look into his tactical system. However, I can give a decent summary with both this depth chart and tactical analysis below.
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https://preview.redd.it/dk7xb0zzk8631.png?width=1366&format=png&auto=webp&s=2fd5efd197c492292cbe2d073ca3791baad9d78e
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https://preview.redd.it/yi3ak1y1l8631.png?width=1366&format=png&auto=webp&s=b4365a05b35a61fa9b1688378a641a80c181abb5
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Sarri’s 4-3-3 features a midfield three of two central midfielders and a defensive midfielder. The left-sided central midfielder (one of Marek Hamsik, Piotr Zielinski, Ross Barkley, or Mateo Kovacic) usually operates more offensively than the right-sided one (Allan or N’golo Kanté), who operates from box-to-box. The defensive midfielder (Jorginho for both sides) looks to act as a bridge between the build-up play of defenders (Kalidou Koulibaly as the strongest example of this) and the midfield.
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The goalkeeper needs to be strong on the ball and work with the central defenders in the build-up. The central defenders need to be particularly strong carrying the ball forward, making passes through the midfield, and provide an option for the defensive midfield. The fullbacks must provide options for the central midfielders and wingers and work in a triangle in the opponent’s half of the pitch. Generally, the left-sided winger will operate more as an inside forward who will look to cut inside and play off of the central striker (Lorenzo Insigne and Eden Hazard being perfectly suited for the offensive portion of this role). The right-sided winger drops off a bit more and plays a bit wider. This works the same for the fullbacks, as the left back tends to advance further forward than the right back (Emerson/Marcos Alonso get further forward than Azpilicueta).
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The sole striker will need to drop off to support the midfield’s vertical build-up, but also be the focal point of getting shots off. Movement and awareness is an absolute requisite for this position. This is part of the reason that Chelsea struggled to adapt to Sarri’s style, given that their striker’s were poor in at least one of those area’s. While Dries Mertens’s speed, movement, build-up play, and generally good finishing made him an ideal candidate for the striker role, the same can’t be said for any of Chelsea’s strikers. Alvaro Morata’s poor movement in the attacking third and often times abysmal finishing saw him fall out of favor, Olivier Giroud’s slow pace meant that even his great build-up play and precise movement meant he couldn’t work well as a sole striker, and Gonzalo Higuain, who previously flourished under Sarri, lacked the clinical finishing that supplemented his movement. Sarri was sometimes even forced to use Hazard in the striker position. As you can see from this table, Chelsea’s strikers struggled to replicate Mertens’s form
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I've talked previously about the lack of precision in Expected Goals and Assists, but here it shows Mertens's solid finishing and chance creation compared to the Chelsea Strikers.
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One of the more damning stats is that even with more minutes than all of the Chelsea forwards, Mertens was caught offsides almost three times less (13) than the forwards listed (37). It shows just how unsuited Chelsea’s strikers were to Sarri’s system (or in Higuaín’s case, how much he has regressed).
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The reason for Sarri’s struggles could also be down to the style of play between the two leagues. Many people criticized Sarri for his style of play, saying it could never work in the Premier League. They may not be wrong on that account, seeing as though there is in general style of play difference amongst the two leagues. This is highlighted by this article from Opta. Although it focuses on the Eredivisie, there are interesting insights for the two leagues we want to focus on. It shows how the Premier League defends more compactly within their own box and attacks more directly in the opponent’s half. This is compared with the Serie A which has lots of build-up play in the center (with a bigger focus on left-sided attacks vs. right-sided attacks) and a higher defensively line. Sarri’s style of build-up play perhaps wasn’t as effective against sides holding very deep, nor was his defensive high-line ideal against a more direct style of attack (Tifo has an entire video dedicated to this as well).
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Allegri’s Tactics
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It’s also important to take a look at how Juventus faired under Allegri, and the comparisons that can be made to Sarri’s style. The biggest difficulty with that is simply that Allegri doesn’t really favor a single system. He is renowned for changing styles between matches to foster rotation amongst his versatile players. This within itself will be difficult for Sarri at Juventus, to get them to focus on a single style. On the positive side, Allegri did seem to use a 4-3-3 some of the time. As a bonus, Juventus had more opportunities and shot more from the left side than from the right. Pretty similar to Sarri’s style. The biggest issue comes with defensive styles. Sarri favors high presses to either win the ball back quickly or force teams to clear the ball. Allegri’s Juventus do not press aggressively, looking more for interceptions at the right moment.
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What needs to Change?
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Obviously, the defensive style will need an overhaul. There is a silver lining for Sarri, in that Juventus usually finds themselves in the opponent’s half more often than Chelsea did last year. In fact, a defensive comparison shows that Juventus actually defended more actively than Chelsea did last year.
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The difference in tackles and interceptions are notable for the type of pressing style, but the lower number of blocks showed how little Juventus were under pressure.
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While this isn’t too reflective of the pressing styles, it does show that Sarri will have less to worry about in enforcing his defensive style. Having a more dominant team that can control possession more effectively should support any initial defensive shortcomings. Outside of that, getting the team to buy into one system may prove to be a challenge, even with the versatility at Sarri’s disposal. The biggest thing going for Sarri is that he is back in the Serie A, which will make his style of play more effective.

Individual Players

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With the tactics and changes lined-up, let’s look at the players Juventus have and see where they could fit in the squad.
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The Ronaldo Factor
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Sarri has had world-class talent at his disposal (Eden Hazard, Dries Mertens, Kalidou Koulibaly, etc.), but at Juventus, he gets a shot at Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese star is in the twilight of his career, but you couldn’t tell by looking at his stats or his physique. Having previously solely operating on the left wing, Ronaldo has been frequently deployed at the striker position. His aerial prowess and technical ability have translated solidly to a new league. The question now becomes, how will he perform under Sarri? Theoretically, Ronaldo should be a perfect fit for this system, given his incredible off-the-ball movement and willingness to drop deeper and receive the ball. He should be perfect to build off from if you are one of his wingers. The problem could be in the pressing style. While Ronaldo is again a great physical specimen, he is still aging, and may not respond as well to such an aggressive defensive style. He may need more frequent rest than he is accustomed to. Ronaldo could once again become an option on the left wing if Sarri elects to, given Ronaldo’s prowess there as well (and potential lack at the left wing position, as I will dive into later). Using him as an inside forward who is also a direct outlet could be an interesting choice for Sarri. Wherever he elects to play him, Sarri must utilize the aging Ronaldo accordingly to maximize his world-class ability.
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No Jorginho? No Problem
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Sarri is well known for his preference of Jorginho as his number six, with the Italian International transferring alongside Sarri to Chelsea. However, it is very unlikely that the Chelsea midfielder will elect to go to Juventus (and that’s not to say Chelsea would sell him cheaply either). However, there is not a need for concern. Miralem Pjanic represents an excellent emulator (perhaps even successor) of the Italian International. While the Bosnian is usually placed within a flat midfield three, he tends to play the furthest back, almost operating in the defensive midfield role. He has had two german midfield partners who have shouldered the defensive portion of the task (Emre Can last season, and Sami Khedira in seasons previous), and Blaise Matuidi also tends to play a defensive-minded role. This is shown in the statistics, where Jorginho blows Pjanic away in about every defensive category (even in per 90 stats, so the difference in minutes are accounted for). But still, there are incredible signs for the two in terms of the passing side of the role.
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Again, xG Buildup is only there to be a bit more fair to Jorghino's involvement, but still shouldn't be taken as too precise.
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Yes, both operated in different roles in different positions, so perhaps early comparisons are a bit short-sited. But the lack of passing depth from the aforementioned german midfielders makes Pjanic the best candidate for the job. Plus, his set-piece prowess should make his prospects look even better. I’d look for the Bosnian midfielder to be a mainstay in Sarri’s side.
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Does Dybala Work?
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Transfer rumors are always going to be deceptive and usually untrue. However, given that this post is a prediction for the future, some inferences are going to have to be made, even with all of the noise of the tabloids. One of the players rumored to leave is João Cancelo. There is a very high chance he will leave to Manchester City, so we’ll get to filling the right back role in short time. But what about Paulo Dybala? He’s been linked to a few teams, but why would Juventus want to sell their number 10, especially at such a prime age? Well, the first issue is the number 10. Not the jersey, but in a general sense he does not positionally seem to be suited to Sarri’s style.
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If he were to be played as the right wing, there would be issues with him being predominantly left-footed. Dybala tends to cut inside and push higher up the pitch, which would be great if he were right-footed and played on the left wing. He also featured a lot at attacking mid, but that position simply doesn’t exist within Sarri’s system. The best he could do would be the most advanced of the three midfielders, on the left side.
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Perhaps his best position would be as the central striker. He played there a few times last season, but almost always featured there during his first season at Juventus and his time at Palermo. He does have the qualities of a good Sarri striker, with quick movement and good technical ability to work with the wings. However, that would mean pushing Ronaldo to the left wing, which may not be in the team’s best interests. It’s a puzzling situation that may convince Juventus to potentially try him out in the market.
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Filling Out the Rest
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What about the rest of the squad? How will they work within Sarri’s system? Who will need to go and who will slot right in? Let’s go position by position and assess the rest of the squad.
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- Goalkeeper will probably still be in the hands of Wojiech Szczesny, although Sarri may want to experiment between him and Mattia Perin in the early parts of the season. The biggest requisites for goalkeeper in Sarri’s system is comfortableness on the ball and distribution, so Sarri will look to see who could fit that bill the best.
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- Center Backs are probably the most solidified with the current squad list. Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci will most certainly reprise their roles. Both are incredibly comfortable on the ball, with Leonard Bonucci possessing ball-playing skills (and sometimes defensive lapses) reminiscent and probably exceeding David Luiz’s at Chelsea. Getting those two to work well with a sole holding midfielder will be crucial to getting both a solid defensive style and a solid build-up play. Danielle Rugani should fill in, though not particularly as soundly, should either of the two be unavailable.
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- Right back becomes a bit of a question mark with the potential departure of João Cancelo. Even then, he may not have fit Sarri’s style of play best. Cancelo’s attack-mindedness may not have suited what Sarri wants in a more defensively focused right back, but he definitely was the best quality option. As it stands, Mattia De Sciglio, who has featured on both the right and left side of defense, will be first in line to take on the role. However, there may be a new candidate to take the role, who I will discuss later.
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- Left back in theory belongs to Alex Sandro. Even though his performances last year were perhaps not up to his usual standard, he still possesses incredible quality at the left back position. In Sarri’s system, where he will look to be a wide outlet and be encouraged to move further up the pitch, he may find another level. De Sciglio could also be another option, rotating between left and right fullback.
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- I’ve already discussed Pjanic as the best fitting holding midfielder, but Khedira and Can could still be options here if they can adapt to Sarri’s style of play.
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- Central midfield is where we see an insane amount of depth and perhaps not enough standout quality. We’ll start with the more defensive right midfielder, and Blaise Matuidi seems like a solid candidate. He’s featured a lot in the Juventus side and is perhaps the most comparable to Kanté of the options. And before you point of the obviousnesses of a French center mid being similar to Kanté, let me at least talk about the qualities these players possess. Both are engines in the midfield who can operate box to box with decent holding of the ball. Both have some deficiencies in the attacking third but can still contribute. The biggest problem comes with Matuidi perhaps being unable to adapt to Sarri’s style of play. There are certainly some questions about his ability to work in the build-up, so he may indeed be sold. Rodrigo Bentacur could be a great option here, given his well-roundedness and versatility. He works well defensively, can carry the ball, and has great qualities in the final third as well. He’s still quite young, but could be the answer here, if he understands that he must be the more defensive minded of the two center mids. And I do have to bring up Sami Khedira and Emre Can again. Can could actually be great here as well, as he is defensively astute (perhaps more so than Bentacur) and still has enough quality to hold the ball. It’s the attacking part which could spell issues, as he lacks the quality in the final third. Same goes for Khedira, who was utilized even less than Can and is considerably older. Khedira being sold seems quite likely. Still, that’s four respectively options to fill one position.
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- The left central midfielder is essentially whoever is decided amongst the other three midfielders who don’t make it. Remember, this is the more attack oriented of the two central midfielders, so Bentacur seems like a solid shout for the role if he isn’t decided for the right-sided spot. Dybala could be an answer if he is willing to learn the pressing system and track back enough. He would represent the best attacking option of the bunch. However, there is a new signing that could be the answer here as well (who I will discuss later, sorry to have so many cliffhangers).
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- Left wing, as I mentioned before runs into some problems. Perhaps not as many problems as Hazard created defensively for Chelsea under Sarri’s system, but still enough to discuss. I’ve already mentioned how Ronaldo could work well, but may work better at striker. Douglas Costa leaps out as having solid potential. With a similar skill set and a similar physique to both Hazard and Insigne, Costa seems like an obvious choice. But again, he is primarily left-footed, opting more to cross than to cut inside. Sure, his ability to beat his man is similar, but Sarri’s insistence may see him lose out. He already didn’t feature as much under Allegri last season, so who knows what could happen with him. Early signs are positive for the Brazilian, but he’ll have to prove his place after a quiet season. Another potential option is Mario Mandzukic. While featuring more as a central striker under Allegri, he certainly has had experience as a left-midfielder in a Juventus side. He is notorious for his stamina and pressing ability, which would suit Sarri well. His aerial prowess would be an interesting exploit as well, getting on the end of more direct and vertical passing, which could be an interesting option that adds to the team’s versatility. However, it’s unclear whether he has the technical ability to operate in these tight spaces, and is getting up there in age. Left wing is another interesting position to be in (pun intended) that doesn’t have any standout answer.
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- The right wing has great options, but could come down to transfers and a sense of preference. Dybala was mentioned earlier, and he would be the greatest quality here. But I’ve already talked about how he may not be best suited for the role. Two solid candidates could also have a say. Juan Cuadrado, who himself made a switch from Chelsea to Juve, has some solid credentials. Quick, skillful, and able to play out wide, he fits the bill for a Sarri right winger. As a bonus, he already is suited to play more defensively, featuring often as a right midfielder in a 4-4-2, or even times at right back (which I doubt he would play as under Sarri). Federico Bernardeschi also has a good look-in. Although he is left-footed, he still has a solid right foot and has all the qualities Sarri could look for, with the added set piece threat. Incidentally, both players made their mark through Fiorentina, so each has had similar styles impressed on each other. It could turn into another Willian/Pedro situation, where one plays for 60 minutes while the other gets the last 30. However, it could also be likely that if Dybala is chosen for the right wing role, that Cuadrado could leave the club.
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- The striker position gets messy, and potentially changes what happens to the other positions. It’s crucial that Sarri gets his striker call right, as that is what hurt him the most at Chelsea. His decision at striker should really be his first call, with the other positions trickling down. Ronaldo seems the obvious call given the aforementioned reasons, but getting him to press the way Sarri wants will be interesting. Ronaldo has also usually featured as a striker with another striker, whether with Manduzkic or Dybala at Juve, Karim Benzema at Real Madrid, or with Gancolo Guedes and the young Joao Felix in the Portugal set-up. If Sarri believes shifting Ronaldo to the left is the right call, then maybe Dybala is the answer. He’ll have to go back to a similar role as when he first joined Juventus and be comfortable as a lone striker. Mario Manduzkic could also be the answer here. He played centrally for most of last year, and has the hold-up play and movement that Sarri will look for. However, at his age, Sarri will have to bet on him not regressing like Higuaín at Chelsea. There is of course a fourth option in the young Moise Kean. He stepped in when Ronaldo was injured and played extremely well. His movement and finishing could be enticing as well. However, he’s still quite young, and needs to become more polished in the build-up play before he should be considered for the starting role. I’d look to see him come off the bench whenever Juventus are in trouble.

New Signings

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Bringing up the tabloids again, Juventus have been linked to a multitude of new signings to work in Sarri’s system. Let’s finally discuss these potential new players and see what they could bring to the table should they come to Juve.
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Aaron Ramsey, 28, Arsenal (Confirmed Signing for Juventus)
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There is one player we know for sure is coming. Aaron Ramsey will be leaving London for Turin this summer on a free transfer from Arsenal. Some critics has scoffed at his hefty wage bill, but I think Ramsey could prove vital for Sarri’s system. He featured a lot as an attacking midfielder last season under Unai Emery, but was deployed almost the same amount in the central midfield. Ramsey has incredible holding of the ball and ability to work with wingers in the build-up play. His willingness to push further out wide could help set up the passing triangles that Sarri is looking for with the left back and left wing. The biggest concern though is coming from the Premier League. We’ve already seen that things do not translate smoothly between Serie A and the Premier League, referring of course to Sarri’s style of play. If Ramsey can make that adjustment and make it fast, he could be vital to Sarri’s side.
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Elseid Hysaj, 25, Napoli
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The right back issue has had two possible solutions linked. We’ll start with the least likely, with Elseid Hysaj as a potential rumor. Sarri has of course worked with Hysaj before, so having someone who knows the system could prove vital. However, with Napoli's president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, being openly hostile with Juventus in the past and with his berating words of Sarri’s betrayal, Napoli will be unlikely to want to give up the Albanian right back.
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Kieran Trippier, 28, Tottenham
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The option that has been much maligned but the most linked has been Tottenham full back Kieran Trippier. Juventus may well be getting two players from North London sides. Trippier had come off the back of a stellar 2017/2018 Premier League season and one of the best World Cup performances in the English side. Last season, there was a drop-off in performance which saw Trippier’s quality to be doubted. Sarri has had an up close and personal look at Trippier at Chelsea, and may well remember the own goal Trippier scored for his side. However, this is just one moment in one match, no matter how embarrassing. The truth is, Juventus are going to need a fullback, and their options are frankly limited. Trippier is well known for his crossing ability, both from set pieces and from open play. Having him cross from deep into Ronaldo or Manduzkic almost sounds like cheating. The biggest concern of course is going to be the defensive adjustment. Trippier will not only have to adjust to a single system (as Mauricio Pochettino changed systems almost as frequently as Allegri did), but he will have to adjust to an entire new league with a completely different defensive makeup. Trippier has also looked the strongest in a 5-at-the back like he did for the English side, as he has struggled last season in a four at the back. It would certainly be a gamble to see if Trippier could adjust defensively to Sarri’s style. But the offensive contributions he could provide may just be what Sarri will need in his right back.
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Matthijs De Ligt, 19, Ajax
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If Juventus are to get their hands on perhaps the most coveted young center back in Europe, then their depth problem at center back is instantly resolved. Matthijs De Ligt has the makings to be not only one of the best center backs in Europe, but a perfect Sarri center back. He can deal with the aerial balls caused by the high press (he won almost four aerial duels a game last year). He had a freakish 90% pass accuracy in the Eredivisie last season. He’s an aerial threat from set pieces (Juventus fans won’t forget his header against them in the Champions League). He’s accustomed to both passing short and working with a defensive mid in Frenkie De Jong. He’s worked with another ball-playing center back in Daley Blind. He was played under a one system coach that used a 4-3-3 in Erik ten Hag (granted with a different midfield shape). He’s Ajax’s captain at 19. Everything seems in perfect order for someone like De Ligt to be an instant success in Sarri’s system. The only potential issue comes with the style of play between Eredivise and Serie A. Looking back at the style of play article by Opta, it becomes clear that possession is held mostly with the two center backs, rather than quicker, more vertical build up play through the midfield. While Ajax’s center back do play a bit more progressively (especially under ten Hag), it will still be a change in system. But again, De Ligt is still only 19 years old, and could be chosen over one of the Italian center backs if Sarri elects to do so. This could represent a massive investment in Juventus’s future.
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Adrien Rabiot, 24, PSG (Available on Free Transfer)
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Juventus have also been linked to three midfielders of top quality. Let’s start with the most likely in Adrien Rabiot. He’s available on a free transfer following his fallout with Paris Saint-Germain. While the French club may want to keep the midfielder, a transfer to Juventus has still been discussed as being quite possible. Rabiot possesses some interesting skill sets that could suit Sarri’s system. He’d most likely slot in the right central midfield position due to his quality in quick-passing and well-roundedness. However, he could also make a case for the holding midfielder position if he is able to learn the system. He also represents height and a bit of a physical prescience in the midfield, which is lacking in the side.
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Paul Pogba, 26, Manchester United
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Another option is Paul Pogba. He’s been linked with a move back to Juventus, given the rumors of him being unsettled at Manchester United. Pogba flourished under the Turin side, earning him a move back to the club who developed him. Pogba contains similar qualities to Rabiot, but has an incredible passing range and creativity within the final third, which would probably see him play in the left sided center midfield role. The biggest issue I could see would be the strictness of Sarri’s system. While Pogba would be able to play the highest up the pitch of the theee midfielders, he can tend to roam to fit the conditions of the game. It’s what makes him so unpredictable and decisive in matches, and the system may hinder that.
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Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, 24, Lazio
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A third option could be Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. He was tipped for a move to Juventus after an incredible 2017/2018 season, but had a poor World Cup. This season has seen a bit in the drop of form for the Serbian, which may have lowered his price. Again, another creative central midfielder who is a physical presence, but SMS may be the most accustomed to Serie A currently.
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All three of the players I just talked about represent great quality in the central midfield, but that position is perhaps the lowest priority in terms of current depth. Barring a few transfers, there are solid options in the midfield. With Ramsey coming in as well, it just might not be worth it to splash the cash on these players, despite their immense quality. Rabiot coming on a free should help his cause though, and may see Matuidi or Khedira (or both) moved as a result.
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Let’s look at a few left-field options, in terms of both transfer potential and fit within the side.
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Jorginho, 27, Chelsea
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Jorginho was always going to be brought up as soon as the news hit that Sarri was off to Juventus. He knows the system better than anyone else, and represents exactly what Sarri wants in his holding midfielder. The problem comes with the fact that Chelsea are about to be put under transfer embargo, and their options in the defensive midfield are limited. If Frank Lampard is to make the switch to Chelsea, it may be hard to see the Italian’s limited but quality skill set being utilized. He would come at an enormous price, and I already believe Pjanic can fill the role just as well.
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Gonzalo Higuaín, 31, Juventus (On Loan to Chelsea)
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I’ve mentioned Gonzalo Higuaín already, and he is set to return from loan. Sarri has already stated that he will accept the Argentinian should he decide to stay, but he will not be impressed with the striker’s return in the last half-season. It’s clear he has regressed quite a bit, and would certainly play second fiddle to Ronaldo or Dybala, depending on who Sarri wants up top. Whether or not he is ok with that is up to Higuaín, but I cannot see him returning to his blistering Napoli form. I wouldn’t be surprised if he elects to move elsewhere.
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Kalidou Koulibaly, 28, Napoli
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Kalidou Koulibaly is most certainly not going to move to Juventus, despite him potentially being an incredible fit within this side. De Laurentiis has already given a hands-off price for Koulibaly, and it’s unlikely that Juventus will go for him, no matter
how quality he is.
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Projected Lineup

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Given everything we have so far, what could Juventus’s team sheet look like on the first game week? Let’s take a look at a couple lineups that could happen given different circumstances. First, I have some predicted transfers going in and out of the club.
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Projected Transfers
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Transfers In
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Ramsey
Trippier
Rabiot
De Ligt
One more signing perhaps not mentioned yet (SMS still as a possibility)
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Transfers Out
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Cancelo
Khedira
Matuidi
One of Manduzkic or Higuaín
One of Cuadrado or Dybala
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The Current Depth Chart
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https://preview.redd.it/xq6jhir6m8631.png?width=1366&format=png&auto=webp&s=6aaa0b62c0855fd57812d6440635f34fad5b0993
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Currently, Juventus have some decent options. They could definitely fill out a title-winning side, but there are concerns about the midfield depth being able to adjust to Sarri’s tactics, and if Cancelo is actually going to be with the team this year. Center back depth is also a concern, especially with the aging starters. Again, potential concerns that need to be addressed in the transfer window.
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The Left Wing Ronaldo Squad
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https://preview.redd.it/r7c2302am8631.png?width=1366&format=png&auto=webp&s=c34622e1304492ccfca3091701ee08ea84ca97b8
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If Ronaldo does end up on the left side, which could end up being a good position for him, I imagine Dybala will shift into the striker role. This allows Bernardeschi to step into the right wing role.
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The Transfer Team
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https://preview.redd.it/t22ono5em8631.png?width=1366&format=png&auto=webp&s=0ef033ab493d7f52fb0957ae457789776e5c279b
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Rabiot becomes an instant starter within the side, filling in well on the right side. Bentacur will still see plenty of time from the bench, as I imagine he will be one of the first subs on. De Ligt also sees himself slot into the team in my opinion, as he represents great quality that doesn’t need much time to adjust to the Sarri system. Sarri may want to keep Bonucci and Chiellini together at the start as their experience together will be important at the start of the season. But I think De Ligt could force his way into the side immediately. Trippier would be in the team as well, although De Sciglio will still see time early as Sarri will look to see who settles better. If SMS or Pogba is to come, then Ramsey may be shifted out of the starting eleven.
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The Inversion
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https://preview.redd.it/ikdw243im8631.png?width=1366&format=png&auto=webp&s=f0bb02543090b74c61bc61dfcdaf186c41a76659
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On paper, this seems like almost the exact same squad with Rabiot and Ramsey switched. But Sarri has said he will assess the players and then work on the tactics, not the other way around. In my opinion, he doesn’t have to go all that far to change his system to get the best out of his players. If he focuses attacks on the right side and pushes up the right side further than the left, he solves a lot of the positional and left-footed issues. Dybala is allowed to play higher and work inside on his left foot. Douglas Costa operates as a traditional winger and can cross on his left foot. Trippier is allowed to play higher up the pitch, maximizing his offensive output. Ramsey and Rabiot each play on their strong foot. The only potential loser would be Alex Sandro, who may not be able to play as high up as he would like. If Sarri does want to bring his style of play and play to the squad’s individual strengths, this may be an idea worth investigating. But remember, I’m just some guy on the internet making tactical predictions.
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The Old Ways
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https://preview.redd.it/ozno7v0lm8631.png?width=1366&format=png&auto=webp&s=85099f5cbc86bc41f4b47955256b659a29437740
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Sarri hasn’t always played his 4-3-3. At Empoli, he would often play a 4-3-1-2, which would be in some players’ best interests. Ronaldo would work with a second striker like he’s done many times before, Dybala gets to play at the ten, and the midfield three remains mostly the same. This could be viable if Costa is transferred and both Higuaín and Manduzkic are kept. If Sarri wants to roll the dice, maybe he could employ this strategy. He’s not a man known for rotation or changing of style, but if he is willing to adapt, maybe he could go back to his roots.
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Conclusion

Sarri will definitely have his hands full this summer in terms of decisions. He should be fine in terms of system, and should be thrilled at the quality and versatility of the players at his disposal. He will have to get to work on instilling a system into a team that was used to rotation and constant changes. He’ll also have to make sure he can get the team to press the way he wants. There are a lot of questions up front that Sarri has to get right immediately. His options in the midfield are impressive and he could even afford to sell off a few midfielders should Rabiot, SMS, or Pogba make their way to the Allianz. Pjanic will have to quickly understand his role, but Sarri should be excited about his potential to succeed Jorginho. The right back spot will need to be filled, and if the answer is Trippier, Sarri will need to help him rediscover his quality. The center back pairing of Chiellini and Bonucci should have no issue, and if De Ligt is on the way, perhaps he will be in line to replace one of them (Bonucci being the likelier candidate to be replaced).
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There are a lot of question marks for Juventus, but the future looks promising. There’s one thing for certain, though: Sarri begins his reign at the Allianz, and it will be interesting to see how he may utilize his notorious system for Juventus.
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If I missed anything or if you have better suggestions, let me know, as this is my first foray into a more tactical analysis.