Early Mock Draft - Gophers

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nitramnaed

nitramnaed

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Sorting by MN brings up Cooper too. I think 5 gophers getting drafted and another 5 go UDFA.
 

Hey I really appreciated what these players did for the program. And wish them the best. They gave us 109%. But this class merely represents a middling program in search of something better. Fleckball and the UM has a lot of work to do against huge obstacles in order to get into the blue blood level.
 

Bayfield Gopher said:
Hey I really appreciated what these players did for the program. And wish them the best. They gave us 109%. But this class merely represents a middling program in search of something better. Fleckball and the UM has a lot of work to do against huge obstacles in order to get into the blue blood level.
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If 4 guys really get drafted that is a great sign for our development. I do not think we get that many drafted but even 3 is a pretty good sign.
 

Bayfield Gopher said:
Hey I really appreciated what these players did for the program. And wish them the best. They gave us 109%. But this class merely represents a middling program in search of something better. Fleckball and the UM has a lot of work to do against huge obstacles in order to get into the blue blood level.
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I gave up thoughts long ago of being at blue blood level, especially now with NIL. Too many inherent obstacles to overcome. I'm content with the team always being good and competitive with a 2019 year every 4 or 5. I'm also happy that Fleck seems to have a bunch of good people playing for the school.
Maybe I'm too easily satisfied but I've seen it when's it's been really bad and I see other U teams really suck, so the football program doesn't give me much angst at the moment. Do I wish we were 1 more level up, somewhere between blue blood and where we are, yes. I do think Fleck is ever so slowly getting us there. We'll see.
 



Gopher_Devil said:

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Sorting by MN brings up Cooper too. I think 5 gophers getting drafted and another 5 go UDFA.
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I always love the discrepencies between the draft mavens. PFF has Cooper at 185 and Walley nowhere to be seen. That's the first time I've seen that in the pre-draft analyses.
 

Bayfield Gopher said:
Hey I really appreciated what these players did for the program. And wish them the best. They gave us 109%. But this class merely represents a middling program in search of something better. Fleckball and the UM has a lot of work to do against huge obstacles in order to get into the blue blood level.
Click to expand...
From 2000 - 2019 we had roughly 30 players drafted into the NFL
From 2020 - 2024 we had 15 guys drafted with another 4-5 likely to hear their name called this year as well.

We are not likely to ever reach blue blood status in college football but we are far from a middling program as well. Especially as it pertains to putting players into the NFL as we have seen a pretty significant increase in guys playing at the next level over the past few years.
 

gophernut1 said:

Amazed that 4 drafts don't have Ersery in the 1st round and the one that does has him going #13 to Miami.

I have a hard time believing with the proven work ethic, athletic abilities and growth in his game that he does not go towards the end of the 1st round.
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I've been having draft stuff on in the background when I'm doing busy work around the house, people are really split on him. McShay thinks he will end up the best. Some guys don't like him at all. I have no idea how accurate it is, but McShay said he could not find 1 example of a guy with 15+ P5 starts that was over 6'3" and over 320 lbs that ran a 40 in under 5.2 that did not turn out to be a good pro.
 

50PoundHead said:
I always love the discrepencies between the draft mavens. PFF has Cooper at 185 and Walley nowhere to be seen. That's the first time I've seen that in the pre-draft analyses.
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Yeah, I'm really surprised at where I've been seeing Walley.

I get that he doesn't have elite size or speed, but they aren't bad. He is just kind of good at everything. He is a solid tackler, good in man coverage, good in zone coverage, etc. I just don't see any way he doesn't stick in the NFL as a 3rd or 4th corner (minimum).
 



No Daniel Jackson love? I know he may not have the measurables, but my eyes did not deceive me. He is a great player. I hope he gets a legitimate shot, even as an UDFA.
 

Bayfield Gopher said:
Hey I really appreciated what these players did for the program. And wish them the best. They gave us 109%. But this class merely represents a middling program in search of something better. Fleckball and the UM has a lot of work to do against huge obstacles in order to get into the blue blood level.
Click to expand...
I'd much rather have this "middling" program that is consistently putting guys in the pros and winning bowl games than our early 2010's program not making bowl games or putting anyone in the pros.
 

MNVCGUY said:
From 2000 - 2019 we had roughly 30 players drafted into the NFL
From 2020 - 2024 we had 15 guys drafted with another 4-5 likely to hear their name called this year as well.

We are not likely to ever reach blue blood status in college football but we are far from a middling program as well. Especially as it pertains to putting players into the NFL as we have seen a pretty significant increase in guys playing at the next level over the past few years.
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If Gophs have four drafted, puts the U inside the top 25 for schools looking at 2024.
 


Bob_Loblaw said:
Yeah, I'm really surprised at where I've been seeing Walley.

I get that he doesn't have elite size or speed, but they aren't bad. He is just kind of good at everything. He is a solid tackler, good in man coverage, good in zone coverage, etc. I just don't see any way he doesn't stick in the NFL as a 3rd or 4th corner (minimum).
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Walley’s going to be a buy for some team.
 

nitramnaed said:
Hopefully “Nuts” finds a team that can make the best of his skill set. He could surprise people. 🥜🥜🥜
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Yep...probably won't get drafted but if he finds a good fit could definitely see him making a team.
 


Here is Pete Prisco's take on Walley:

Although he played outside in college, he has the look of a top-level slot corner because he's 5-10, 190 pounds. Despite the size, he will throw his body around as a player who plays much bigger. There are a lot of plays on tape that show him more than willing to be a part of the run defense. As a cover player, he is sticky and can run with receivers in man coverage. His 4.4 speed shows up. He can sometimes get a little grabby. But he has nice instincts on tape, such as when he jumped a route against Maryland for a pick six. He can also blitz off the edge, which he showed with a sack against Wisconsin when he beat the back to make it happen. He can play outside because of his speed, but he might be a star nickel corner on the next level.
 



BroncoRedux said:
Here is Pete Prisco's take on Walley:

Although he played outside in college, he has the look of a top-level slot corner because he's 5-10, 190 pounds. Despite the size, he will throw his body around as a player who plays much bigger. There are a lot of plays on tape that show him more than willing to be a part of the run defense. As a cover player, he is sticky and can run with receivers in man coverage. His 4.4 speed shows up. He can sometimes get a little grabby. But he has nice instincts on tape, such as when he jumped a route against Maryland for a pick six. He can also blitz off the edge, which he showed with a sack against Wisconsin when he beat the back to make it happen. He can play outside because of his speed, but he might be a star nickel corner on the next level.
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Nice write-up and thanks for posting. Good to see Walley's instincts mentioned. I'm no scout, but he seems (note "seems") to read what's in front of him very well and has enough athleticism to make adjustments. He's not big, but like Prisco says, he isn't afraid to throw his body around.
 


Gopher_Devil said:
I think 5 gophers getting drafted and another 5 go UDFA.
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I think there will be more than 5 former Gophers to get an UDFA opp, IMHO.


Likely drafted:
Aireontae Ersery
Jah Joyner
Justin Walley
Cody Lindenberg
Max Brosmer

Likely to get UDFA chance (if they don't get drafted):
Tyler Cooper
Quinn Carroll
Daniel Jackson
Danny Striggow
Jack Henderson
Ethan Robinson
Dragan Kesich
Nick Kallerup
Elijah Spencer
Marcus Major
 


tjgopher said:
I think there will be more than 5 former Gophers to get an UDFA opp, IMHO.


Likely drafted:
Aireontae Ersery
Jah Joyner
Justin Walley
Cody Lindenberg
Max Brosmer

Likely to get UDFA chance (if they don't get drafted):
Tyler Cooper
Quinn Carroll
Daniel Jackson
Danny Striggow
Jack Henderson
Ethan Robinson
Dragan Kesich
Nick Kallerup
Elijah Spencer
Marcus Major
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Don't know if I'd go as far as to say Brosmer is "likely" to be drafted at this point but he's certainly got a chance. 4 or 5 picks is a solid number!
 

Bayfield Gopher said:
Hey I really appreciated what these players did for the program. And wish them the best. They gave us 109%. But this class merely represents a middling program in search of something better. Fleckball and the UM has a lot of work to do against huge obstacles in order to get into the blue blood level.
Click to expand...
Wow I didn’t realize

 

Honestly, I would love to spend a late rounder on Brosmer. With coaching from KOC, he might turn out to be a decent backup.
 

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