I would be extremely happy with Richardson at 5 and beyond bummed with Carter at 5, I just have to imagine JS was thinking when he traded Wilson that he would be getting a good young QB to bring along at some point with the extra draft capital and if you really look at genos year last year it was a good first half and at best an average second half of the year, this is also why it makes so much sense to structure genos deal the way they did, also on Carter I really hope they keep the trend from last year and only draft players who love football and have great character it’s just one less thing to worry about
Great article. I just ran across a mock on 12th man rising that I found really creative and had a lot of names I hadn't considered but makes for an interesting read. Joe you will like his first pick! Here's the link. https://12thmanrising.com/posts/seahawks-2023-final-mock-draft
Can’t wait for the draft to get underway. Because I can’t take many more articles like I’ve see his morning at ESPN and CBS Sports. Lots of “new rumors” and “hot taeks” and almost no intelligent discussion.
Stay at Seaside Joe. Just stay here and ignore the rest.
I liked what Solak said about the part of the draft evaluation process that occurs behind closed doors (the interviews and character evaluation stuff) and how it makes the Carter evaluation so difficult this year for anyone that isn't part of an NFL scout team. Solak seemed to think that #5 is the earliest he could go which seems odd to me. I don't see why, given the uncertainty in the character evaluation process, he couldn't just as likely go at #2 or #3. If he is truly the best non-QB prospect in the draft, and it's not even close, then I can't feel too confident he will be an option for the Hawks at #5. Gonna have to keep my fingers crossed for a few more days (which really makes tying my shoes difficult, by the way).
What if they think, that NT canť play from year one and adress it via UFA?
I dont want them to draft Anthony Richardson (and i´m scared, they could do)
I surely want them to draft BOTH Jalen Carter and Will Anderson and because i know, it´s almost imposiible, i made my one/two options for every pick in the draft PLUS dream option DO for 1st 2nd and 3rd round picks and nightmare option NM for 1st round picks ) ..,..if it interests you, xyou can read further, if no, just jump to other comment :-)
5. Anderson/Carter (DO Bryce Young, NM Anthony Richardson)
20. Michael Mayer/Nolan Smith (DO Jaxson Smith Njigba, NM Will Levis)
37. Mazi Smith/Felix Anudike Uzomah (DO O Cyrrus Torrence)
52. Joe Tippmann/Luke Wypler (DO John Michael Schmitz)
83. Noah Sewell/Henry Tootoo (DO Zach Charbonnet)
123. Michael Wilson/Parker Washington (DO Cameron Latu)
151. Charlie Jones/Mekhi Becton (DO Kayshawn Boutte)
154. Andrew Vorhees/Jaxson Kirkland (DO Cory Trice)
197. Yaya Diaby/Bryce Ford Wheaton (DO Tyjae Spears)
BTW - doesn't anyone else see a bit of Terelle Pryor in Richardson? The 6'6" Ohio State QB who ran Very fast (4.3s) and could launch the ball 3/4 of the field...he could not go to the combine due to a tattoo scandal. This former Seahawk washed out as a QB after 3 teams tried to make an NFL signal caller out of him. He eventually was switched to WR...it was not that long ago.
Jalen Carter has talent, no doubt. What if he Never becomes pissed off to be Great? What if he never develops to be anything better than he is now? That would be a bummer. Yet, No improvement would Still make him superior to other draft options' upside.
As a player, Carter's 'floor' is John Matuzak or Brandon Mebane - His 'ceiling' is Reggie White or Cortez Kennedy. As a young man with first-time money, he buys a cool car. That car goes fast. It is fun to drive his car fast. Knuckle-headed behavior is somewhat expected from young men. At least for a phase.
I remember them saying that Cortez took plays off at Miami. They looked at his bod and claimed he was lazy and yet his quickness and technique made him a Game-wrecker. Young Jalen has excellent technique. Was he borne with it? No. He took to coaching and became better than anyone else.
So...IF the Seahawks can handle the minimum of a stronger/quicker player who only occasionally dominates, like Matuzak or Mebane with the HOF potential ala Reggie White, they will draft him. If they fear Carter's racing days are not over. If they fear a Jerome Brown situation, the Eagle's stellar DT who died at 27 in a one car crash, they may pass.
My hope is they do draft him and somehow he decides to be great...actually, I kinda expect it.
That is my prediction for the likelihood of the #5 pick; from most likely to least likely. The trade down could be combined with some of those players. I think (though there's no way to know the team's preference) this is probably the short list for the Hawks within the top 10. Can't wait to see how this shakes down!
QBs - Young is a major talent, the size thing is way too overblown (go look up who he was sacked or tackled by at 'Bama, shockingly they are all the same size and weight of NFL players, and Young was fine). Strouds "fall" is just putting him back to where he was pre-Georgia game, Top10 bet. AR continues to buck the trend, because he is exciting and everyone can easily agree his ceiling is on part with Cam and Lamar - except one of those comps went #1 overall, and one went #32 - and that's AR's range, he could go #1, he could go #32. The Mayo-Man, as long as he doens't end up in Seattle i don't care. Colts can trade to #2 to take him, he could slip to the 3rd Round, i don't care, he puts Mayo in coffee, no-one should care.
JS was hot on Allen & Mahomes - except he clearly wasn't hot enough to actually stake his career on them. Luckily for AR, Schneider doesn't have to stake his career on him. So at #5 he really could be the Seattle pick. And that's fine. We're one of the best situations for AR to come into and give him the chance to reach those MVP highs. But "We'll take AR because JS loves those traits which are similar to Allen/Mahomes" is a poor take, because we didn't take Allen or Mahomes. Our actual QB takes were very different But this is a new era and #5 can be used to swing for the fences.
Carter & Wilson vs Anderson - It's pre-draft silly season. People need clicks and impressions and views. So buck the established trends and pitch Wilson vs Anderson, people will come read and comment and so on. NFL teams are decided which they like, won't change. Same for Carter. Teams knew their views on him a month ago. He'll go Top10 because the upside is worth the risk to at least one team. But I do feel maybe JS pulls rank and goes QB at #5 over Carter. Or not. Don't care, give me Carter or AR and i'm happy and excited to be a 'Hawks fan.
Also Kenneth, you're wrong. Bijan is the safest #5 Pick. Witherspoon is third behind Young, but ahead of AR, Stroud, Anderson and Carter (not in a specific order). In fact i'd put Mayer ahead of Witherspoon as a safe pick. Because Devon is a good player, tied CB1 in this class (still highly rate Gonzalez, have done for months) but he's not a generational positional talent like Bijan and Mayer are. In a true BPA pick at #5 it's Bijan. Also just because of the crazy depth to this CB class I think the 'Hawks especially will hold off from Devon at #5, it really does fit with their record last year and overall view on Corners. I wouldn't be shocked if we took a Safety before a Corner in this draft (which could be Branch at #20 and then Brents at #37 for example). Or if Devon slips out the Top10 I could imagine Pete pushing a trade-up to try and grab him before.
Skipping WR - this is not a good WR class. We should not be drafting a WR ahead of the 5th this year. Come back next year when it'll be a better class and when we've filled in other needs which this is a good class for (IOL, DLine, TE, RB, DB).
I'm so excited for Thursday! Wednesday i'm booked into a late-night double-bill showing of Alien & Aliens at my local cinema, so i'm already going to be wiped out ahead of the Draft. By Sunday i'll be a zombie, hopefully a happy excited 'Hawks fan zombie.
I must say this year's draft is fascinating in that it has fans and prognosticators all over the place. I tend to agree with Kenneth's takes. I see a Carter pick by the Hawks at five as a likely outcome and I don't rule out his getting taken earlier. I see a QB pick by the Seahawks as unlikely.
But that's not what fascinates me at this point about this discussion. It's more Kenneth's comment about being competitive. This draft season has given rise to a lot of debate and drama. At this point in my life, I'm not particularly competitive or attached to being right about stuff. If the Hawks should chose Richardson, I'll admit that I was wrong and hope for the best. If he winds up developing into a great franchise QB, I'll be thrilled and be overjoyed to admit how off base I was.
When I was younger I was more competitive. I was also far more attached to being right and avoiding being wrong. I think it's natural for young men to joust and compete to be most successful in their chosen fields. With time, one rises to whatever level one achieves and hopefully one comes to terms with it. It's rare for anyone to achieve success beyond his goals and dreams, though it does happen occasionally. Every now and again, someone like Paul Allen really hits it big. Guys like that can buy NFL teams. Most of us come up against our limitations and make peace with it. Few of us will be remembered except by the handful of people who loved us.
I've had several careers. As a young man, I took a year after college to try to get into an Air Force program to become a jet pilot. It was a really long shot. One in a hundred qualified. Somehow, I made it in and was sent off to Lackland Air Force base. Twenty one days later, I left, having realized I didn't have "the right stuff" for that sort of career. A less charitable way to say it is I "washed out". But I didn't give up. I kept looking for my place in the world.
A year later, I was in IT. Of all my careers, that was the one that was the most natural fit for my strengths and aptitudes. I could focus narrowly and immerse in a world of logic, chasing down bugs that others couldn't find. I loved following instructions in hexadecimal, 16-based math, which is a shortcut to speaking the machine's language, which is base-two, binary, just ones and zeros. I could go down rabbit holes and stay there for hours, coming up for air every now and again. I had a boss who told someone he'd never had an employee so brilliant.
Just the same, I wasn't satisfied because brilliance only seemed to go so far. I wasn't paid all that well and options for advancement were limited. That was before the field exploded into what it is now. Perhaps the wisest move would have been to stay in that field but I left after three years to attend law school. In many ways, law was a huge stretch. It wasn't what I expected. I thought it would be rigorously logical like IT. It's not. It's far more creative and, most of all, it's a field that demands people skills. The most successful are typically those who do really well in social settings. That's never been my strength. I have some skills that are important in law. My research and writing skills are excellent. I could have built a career around those skills but it felt suffocating. I wanted to work with people even though that's never been my strong suit. In fact, when I first went back to school it was a huge weakness. I would often say the most clueless things, truly offending people without meaning to.
I've found my place in the legal field and love what I do. I've had many clients who appreciate me and I get great online reviews. I feel very blessed to do work that feels meaningful. But I'm way off the beaten path. I've made a good living but have not gained great acclaim from colleagues or grown wealthy. At age 60, I'm fine with it. I have enough. I could retire today if I wanted to, though not like a rich person. But, my efforts have not been without pain and frustration. I often come up against my own limitations and feel frustrated. It happens to this day. As an example, I'm really bad at remembering names. Just today (or rather yesterday since I'm writing at 1:18 am), I ran into an attorney who addressed me by name and for the life of me I could not remember her name. This happens all the time. It was awkward and I didn't know how to handle it with any degree of aplomb. I simply avoided any reference to her name, which I'm sure made it obvious that I had forgotten. It probably would have been better to admit the truth but that would have been less than ideal and awkward too. So I felt a frustration that I often feel. Despite a lot of effort and some real improvement through the years, I still often fall short and probably hurt people's feelings or at least leave them thinking me indifferent. That's not really the truth but it comes across that way because I lack this particular skill.
I guess the way I look at it, that's life. I don't ask "why me?" but, rather, think "why not me?" The vast majority of people come up against their limitations, whatever they are, again and again -- so why should I be any different. Few ever truly soar. And even those who do, truth be told, have huge limitations. As an example, look at Elon Musk. Has one ever witnessed a person more brilliant behave more stupidly in so many ways? Bottom line, we all grapple. I'd go as far as to asser that that's what humans do best. We are a species of grapplers. It's one of the qualities that makes humans distinct from other animals. Our dogs adore us but they don't grapple. This grappling is not easy. It can leave us feeling alone in many ways, even though we're all doing it. And, in this grappling, together we build societies and empires.
The drama that's arisen out of this year's draft is a microcosm of these principles. Maybe Rob Stanton's an idiot. Maybe he's not. Maybe it's me and Kenneth, whom I agree with on what's most likely, who are way off base. It really doesn't matter. At the end of the day, we're all part of the same society. Perhaps Kenneth will gain great acclaim over time. Perhaps he'll struggle to make a living doing what he loves without gaining a lot of notoriety. Maybe he'll give it up at some point and do something else. Whatever happens, it's just a tiny subplot in the huge drama of life. Only the rare person is as phenomenally successful as Paul Allen and gets to own a team, unless one is lucky enough to have a brother like Paul or otherwise be born into a family of wealth and privilege. And, truth be told, one could sweep the entire multi-billion dollar industry called the NFL aside and it would have no more impact on the world than dropping a thimble full of water into the ocean.
Most of us just go about our lives, grappling and trying to carve out a life that's comfortable, satisfying and meaningful. Though few achieve enormous success, many of us find a niche and that's enough. And then there are those who struggle from day to day and year to year without ever finding their place. For most of history, that reality was almost universal. Thoreau famously said, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation". I've no doubt that in his time it was true. Today, fortunately, life is far better and easier for most of us. Back then, the poor starved and, worse, watched their children starve. Today, the biggest challenge among the poor is obesity. Not that being poor is easy; in fact, it still sucks. Just not on the same scale it once did.
Bottom line, rich or poor, life is not without challenge. We don't appear to be here to self actualize, at least most of us, most of the time. It seems to me we're here to grapple. That's what we do best. It's also what we do most often.
I'm cool with Jalen Carter at 5. I'm most cool with trading back and picking up a first next year. I also want to trade Fant to an AFC contender to help secure that 1st round pick. The offensive talents I'm most hot on are: Darnell Washington at 37, AT Perry in the 3rd, and Zach Charbonnet at the bottom of the 2nd. For defense, it's: Jalen Carter in the top 10, Lukas Van Ness at 20, and Mazi Smith in the mid 2nd. I like Ade Ade if he's there and I've got an extra pick. Devon Witherspoon (top 15), Darius Rush (early 3rd), and Cory Trice (4th) make sense to me for CB.
Is the correct connection from "Regulate" to Carter the fact that Nate and Jalen are both Doggs (Dawgs?)
Regarding the article, I love how the topic is how you haven't changed you ideas, but then you go on in the body to describe how and why you changed [INSERT FRIENDLY LAUGH HERE]. It's a perfect example of a reasonable approach to ideas; a true scientific method approach, if you will. If the data points away from our initial hypothesis, we must adjust the hupothesis or create a new one. There is a humility in it, and in you that comes through in your writing. I find it refreshing. It is noticeably absent in most "analysis" out there.
I agree with your reasoning that a trade down may be called for, but after following your articles and your citations of Pete and John's context clues, I now chant "Stay for 'Spoon!". If in fact this is a deep class with few blue-chips, then regardless of whether he is considered one of those said blue-chips or not; if Witherspoon is someone who can make a difference for our team with tone-setting attitude as well as his skill and athleticism, then doesn't that make him a blue-chip for us? I say we're better off with one "A" player who can make our whole defense better instead of two "B-" guys who will be decent starters.
I have five players I want in round 1. In order, Jalen Carter, Bijan Robinson, Devon Witherspoon, Nolan Smith and Calijah Kancey. I don't see us getting any of those at #5 and #20, other than maybe Carter at #5. I would fucking DIE if we got two of these guys with our draft choices.
I quite enjoy following both you and Rob for draft coverage. I've been following each of you in some combination since 2018 (field gulls for you). Both of you have hit on a variety of evaluations in the past, so It's so interesting to see both of you have such different opinions on the prospects, particularly the QBs. I don't watch film so I've got no idea!
I would be extremely happy with Richardson at 5 and beyond bummed with Carter at 5, I just have to imagine JS was thinking when he traded Wilson that he would be getting a good young QB to bring along at some point with the extra draft capital and if you really look at genos year last year it was a good first half and at best an average second half of the year, this is also why it makes so much sense to structure genos deal the way they did, also on Carter I really hope they keep the trend from last year and only draft players who love football and have great character it’s just one less thing to worry about
Great article. I just ran across a mock on 12th man rising that I found really creative and had a lot of names I hadn't considered but makes for an interesting read. Joe you will like his first pick! Here's the link. https://12thmanrising.com/posts/seahawks-2023-final-mock-draft
Can’t wait for the draft to get underway. Because I can’t take many more articles like I’ve see his morning at ESPN and CBS Sports. Lots of “new rumors” and “hot taeks” and almost no intelligent discussion.
Stay at Seaside Joe. Just stay here and ignore the rest.
I liked what Solak said about the part of the draft evaluation process that occurs behind closed doors (the interviews and character evaluation stuff) and how it makes the Carter evaluation so difficult this year for anyone that isn't part of an NFL scout team. Solak seemed to think that #5 is the earliest he could go which seems odd to me. I don't see why, given the uncertainty in the character evaluation process, he couldn't just as likely go at #2 or #3. If he is truly the best non-QB prospect in the draft, and it's not even close, then I can't feel too confident he will be an option for the Hawks at #5. Gonna have to keep my fingers crossed for a few more days (which really makes tying my shoes difficult, by the way).
I agree with you. Perfectly written.
My thought are:
What if they think, that NT canť play from year one and adress it via UFA?
I dont want them to draft Anthony Richardson (and i´m scared, they could do)
I surely want them to draft BOTH Jalen Carter and Will Anderson and because i know, it´s almost imposiible, i made my one/two options for every pick in the draft PLUS dream option DO for 1st 2nd and 3rd round picks and nightmare option NM for 1st round picks ) ..,..if it interests you, xyou can read further, if no, just jump to other comment :-)
5. Anderson/Carter (DO Bryce Young, NM Anthony Richardson)
20. Michael Mayer/Nolan Smith (DO Jaxson Smith Njigba, NM Will Levis)
37. Mazi Smith/Felix Anudike Uzomah (DO O Cyrrus Torrence)
52. Joe Tippmann/Luke Wypler (DO John Michael Schmitz)
83. Noah Sewell/Henry Tootoo (DO Zach Charbonnet)
123. Michael Wilson/Parker Washington (DO Cameron Latu)
151. Charlie Jones/Mekhi Becton (DO Kayshawn Boutte)
154. Andrew Vorhees/Jaxson Kirkland (DO Cory Trice)
197. Yaya Diaby/Bryce Ford Wheaton (DO Tyjae Spears)
23x. Jake Haener/Trey Dean III (DO Ronnie Bell)
BTW - doesn't anyone else see a bit of Terelle Pryor in Richardson? The 6'6" Ohio State QB who ran Very fast (4.3s) and could launch the ball 3/4 of the field...he could not go to the combine due to a tattoo scandal. This former Seahawk washed out as a QB after 3 teams tried to make an NFL signal caller out of him. He eventually was switched to WR...it was not that long ago.
Jalen Carter has talent, no doubt. What if he Never becomes pissed off to be Great? What if he never develops to be anything better than he is now? That would be a bummer. Yet, No improvement would Still make him superior to other draft options' upside.
As a player, Carter's 'floor' is John Matuzak or Brandon Mebane - His 'ceiling' is Reggie White or Cortez Kennedy. As a young man with first-time money, he buys a cool car. That car goes fast. It is fun to drive his car fast. Knuckle-headed behavior is somewhat expected from young men. At least for a phase.
I remember them saying that Cortez took plays off at Miami. They looked at his bod and claimed he was lazy and yet his quickness and technique made him a Game-wrecker. Young Jalen has excellent technique. Was he borne with it? No. He took to coaching and became better than anyone else.
So...IF the Seahawks can handle the minimum of a stronger/quicker player who only occasionally dominates, like Matuzak or Mebane with the HOF potential ala Reggie White, they will draft him. If they fear Carter's racing days are not over. If they fear a Jerome Brown situation, the Eagle's stellar DT who died at 27 in a one car crash, they may pass.
My hope is they do draft him and somehow he decides to be great...actually, I kinda expect it.
Devon Witherspoon
Jalen Carter
Trade down
Nolan Smith
Bijan Robinson
That is my prediction for the likelihood of the #5 pick; from most likely to least likely. The trade down could be combined with some of those players. I think (though there's no way to know the team's preference) this is probably the short list for the Hawks within the top 10. Can't wait to see how this shakes down!
QBs - Young is a major talent, the size thing is way too overblown (go look up who he was sacked or tackled by at 'Bama, shockingly they are all the same size and weight of NFL players, and Young was fine). Strouds "fall" is just putting him back to where he was pre-Georgia game, Top10 bet. AR continues to buck the trend, because he is exciting and everyone can easily agree his ceiling is on part with Cam and Lamar - except one of those comps went #1 overall, and one went #32 - and that's AR's range, he could go #1, he could go #32. The Mayo-Man, as long as he doens't end up in Seattle i don't care. Colts can trade to #2 to take him, he could slip to the 3rd Round, i don't care, he puts Mayo in coffee, no-one should care.
JS was hot on Allen & Mahomes - except he clearly wasn't hot enough to actually stake his career on them. Luckily for AR, Schneider doesn't have to stake his career on him. So at #5 he really could be the Seattle pick. And that's fine. We're one of the best situations for AR to come into and give him the chance to reach those MVP highs. But "We'll take AR because JS loves those traits which are similar to Allen/Mahomes" is a poor take, because we didn't take Allen or Mahomes. Our actual QB takes were very different But this is a new era and #5 can be used to swing for the fences.
Carter & Wilson vs Anderson - It's pre-draft silly season. People need clicks and impressions and views. So buck the established trends and pitch Wilson vs Anderson, people will come read and comment and so on. NFL teams are decided which they like, won't change. Same for Carter. Teams knew their views on him a month ago. He'll go Top10 because the upside is worth the risk to at least one team. But I do feel maybe JS pulls rank and goes QB at #5 over Carter. Or not. Don't care, give me Carter or AR and i'm happy and excited to be a 'Hawks fan.
Also Kenneth, you're wrong. Bijan is the safest #5 Pick. Witherspoon is third behind Young, but ahead of AR, Stroud, Anderson and Carter (not in a specific order). In fact i'd put Mayer ahead of Witherspoon as a safe pick. Because Devon is a good player, tied CB1 in this class (still highly rate Gonzalez, have done for months) but he's not a generational positional talent like Bijan and Mayer are. In a true BPA pick at #5 it's Bijan. Also just because of the crazy depth to this CB class I think the 'Hawks especially will hold off from Devon at #5, it really does fit with their record last year and overall view on Corners. I wouldn't be shocked if we took a Safety before a Corner in this draft (which could be Branch at #20 and then Brents at #37 for example). Or if Devon slips out the Top10 I could imagine Pete pushing a trade-up to try and grab him before.
Skipping WR - this is not a good WR class. We should not be drafting a WR ahead of the 5th this year. Come back next year when it'll be a better class and when we've filled in other needs which this is a good class for (IOL, DLine, TE, RB, DB).
I'm so excited for Thursday! Wednesday i'm booked into a late-night double-bill showing of Alien & Aliens at my local cinema, so i'm already going to be wiped out ahead of the Draft. By Sunday i'll be a zombie, hopefully a happy excited 'Hawks fan zombie.
I must say this year's draft is fascinating in that it has fans and prognosticators all over the place. I tend to agree with Kenneth's takes. I see a Carter pick by the Hawks at five as a likely outcome and I don't rule out his getting taken earlier. I see a QB pick by the Seahawks as unlikely.
But that's not what fascinates me at this point about this discussion. It's more Kenneth's comment about being competitive. This draft season has given rise to a lot of debate and drama. At this point in my life, I'm not particularly competitive or attached to being right about stuff. If the Hawks should chose Richardson, I'll admit that I was wrong and hope for the best. If he winds up developing into a great franchise QB, I'll be thrilled and be overjoyed to admit how off base I was.
When I was younger I was more competitive. I was also far more attached to being right and avoiding being wrong. I think it's natural for young men to joust and compete to be most successful in their chosen fields. With time, one rises to whatever level one achieves and hopefully one comes to terms with it. It's rare for anyone to achieve success beyond his goals and dreams, though it does happen occasionally. Every now and again, someone like Paul Allen really hits it big. Guys like that can buy NFL teams. Most of us come up against our limitations and make peace with it. Few of us will be remembered except by the handful of people who loved us.
I've had several careers. As a young man, I took a year after college to try to get into an Air Force program to become a jet pilot. It was a really long shot. One in a hundred qualified. Somehow, I made it in and was sent off to Lackland Air Force base. Twenty one days later, I left, having realized I didn't have "the right stuff" for that sort of career. A less charitable way to say it is I "washed out". But I didn't give up. I kept looking for my place in the world.
A year later, I was in IT. Of all my careers, that was the one that was the most natural fit for my strengths and aptitudes. I could focus narrowly and immerse in a world of logic, chasing down bugs that others couldn't find. I loved following instructions in hexadecimal, 16-based math, which is a shortcut to speaking the machine's language, which is base-two, binary, just ones and zeros. I could go down rabbit holes and stay there for hours, coming up for air every now and again. I had a boss who told someone he'd never had an employee so brilliant.
Just the same, I wasn't satisfied because brilliance only seemed to go so far. I wasn't paid all that well and options for advancement were limited. That was before the field exploded into what it is now. Perhaps the wisest move would have been to stay in that field but I left after three years to attend law school. In many ways, law was a huge stretch. It wasn't what I expected. I thought it would be rigorously logical like IT. It's not. It's far more creative and, most of all, it's a field that demands people skills. The most successful are typically those who do really well in social settings. That's never been my strength. I have some skills that are important in law. My research and writing skills are excellent. I could have built a career around those skills but it felt suffocating. I wanted to work with people even though that's never been my strong suit. In fact, when I first went back to school it was a huge weakness. I would often say the most clueless things, truly offending people without meaning to.
I've found my place in the legal field and love what I do. I've had many clients who appreciate me and I get great online reviews. I feel very blessed to do work that feels meaningful. But I'm way off the beaten path. I've made a good living but have not gained great acclaim from colleagues or grown wealthy. At age 60, I'm fine with it. I have enough. I could retire today if I wanted to, though not like a rich person. But, my efforts have not been without pain and frustration. I often come up against my own limitations and feel frustrated. It happens to this day. As an example, I'm really bad at remembering names. Just today (or rather yesterday since I'm writing at 1:18 am), I ran into an attorney who addressed me by name and for the life of me I could not remember her name. This happens all the time. It was awkward and I didn't know how to handle it with any degree of aplomb. I simply avoided any reference to her name, which I'm sure made it obvious that I had forgotten. It probably would have been better to admit the truth but that would have been less than ideal and awkward too. So I felt a frustration that I often feel. Despite a lot of effort and some real improvement through the years, I still often fall short and probably hurt people's feelings or at least leave them thinking me indifferent. That's not really the truth but it comes across that way because I lack this particular skill.
I guess the way I look at it, that's life. I don't ask "why me?" but, rather, think "why not me?" The vast majority of people come up against their limitations, whatever they are, again and again -- so why should I be any different. Few ever truly soar. And even those who do, truth be told, have huge limitations. As an example, look at Elon Musk. Has one ever witnessed a person more brilliant behave more stupidly in so many ways? Bottom line, we all grapple. I'd go as far as to asser that that's what humans do best. We are a species of grapplers. It's one of the qualities that makes humans distinct from other animals. Our dogs adore us but they don't grapple. This grappling is not easy. It can leave us feeling alone in many ways, even though we're all doing it. And, in this grappling, together we build societies and empires.
The drama that's arisen out of this year's draft is a microcosm of these principles. Maybe Rob Stanton's an idiot. Maybe he's not. Maybe it's me and Kenneth, whom I agree with on what's most likely, who are way off base. It really doesn't matter. At the end of the day, we're all part of the same society. Perhaps Kenneth will gain great acclaim over time. Perhaps he'll struggle to make a living doing what he loves without gaining a lot of notoriety. Maybe he'll give it up at some point and do something else. Whatever happens, it's just a tiny subplot in the huge drama of life. Only the rare person is as phenomenally successful as Paul Allen and gets to own a team, unless one is lucky enough to have a brother like Paul or otherwise be born into a family of wealth and privilege. And, truth be told, one could sweep the entire multi-billion dollar industry called the NFL aside and it would have no more impact on the world than dropping a thimble full of water into the ocean.
Most of us just go about our lives, grappling and trying to carve out a life that's comfortable, satisfying and meaningful. Though few achieve enormous success, many of us find a niche and that's enough. And then there are those who struggle from day to day and year to year without ever finding their place. For most of history, that reality was almost universal. Thoreau famously said, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation". I've no doubt that in his time it was true. Today, fortunately, life is far better and easier for most of us. Back then, the poor starved and, worse, watched their children starve. Today, the biggest challenge among the poor is obesity. Not that being poor is easy; in fact, it still sucks. Just not on the same scale it once did.
Bottom line, rich or poor, life is not without challenge. We don't appear to be here to self actualize, at least most of us, most of the time. It seems to me we're here to grapple. That's what we do best. It's also what we do most often.
I'm cool with Jalen Carter at 5. I'm most cool with trading back and picking up a first next year. I also want to trade Fant to an AFC contender to help secure that 1st round pick. The offensive talents I'm most hot on are: Darnell Washington at 37, AT Perry in the 3rd, and Zach Charbonnet at the bottom of the 2nd. For defense, it's: Jalen Carter in the top 10, Lukas Van Ness at 20, and Mazi Smith in the mid 2nd. I like Ade Ade if he's there and I've got an extra pick. Devon Witherspoon (top 15), Darius Rush (early 3rd), and Cory Trice (4th) make sense to me for CB.
Is the correct connection from "Regulate" to Carter the fact that Nate and Jalen are both Doggs (Dawgs?)
Regarding the article, I love how the topic is how you haven't changed you ideas, but then you go on in the body to describe how and why you changed [INSERT FRIENDLY LAUGH HERE]. It's a perfect example of a reasonable approach to ideas; a true scientific method approach, if you will. If the data points away from our initial hypothesis, we must adjust the hupothesis or create a new one. There is a humility in it, and in you that comes through in your writing. I find it refreshing. It is noticeably absent in most "analysis" out there.
I agree with your reasoning that a trade down may be called for, but after following your articles and your citations of Pete and John's context clues, I now chant "Stay for 'Spoon!". If in fact this is a deep class with few blue-chips, then regardless of whether he is considered one of those said blue-chips or not; if Witherspoon is someone who can make a difference for our team with tone-setting attitude as well as his skill and athleticism, then doesn't that make him a blue-chip for us? I say we're better off with one "A" player who can make our whole defense better instead of two "B-" guys who will be decent starters.
Just putting this out there to ya for another guy's perspective on Will Levis plus some ther of his favorite players.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=582F_In7tbU
https://www.theringer.com/nfl-draft/2023/4/24/23695321/ranking-quarterbacks-2023-nfl-draft-anthony-richardson-bryce-young
Ruiz favorite QB is… Richardson. He sees Young as a small, frail Joe Burrow. He’s down on every other QB.
I have five players I want in round 1. In order, Jalen Carter, Bijan Robinson, Devon Witherspoon, Nolan Smith and Calijah Kancey. I don't see us getting any of those at #5 and #20, other than maybe Carter at #5. I would fucking DIE if we got two of these guys with our draft choices.
I quite enjoy following both you and Rob for draft coverage. I've been following each of you in some combination since 2018 (field gulls for you). Both of you have hit on a variety of evaluations in the past, so It's so interesting to see both of you have such different opinions on the prospects, particularly the QBs. I don't watch film so I've got no idea!
Excited to see how it pans out, woo!!