'20 KY TE Michael Mayer (Notre Dame Signee)

[BleedBlueGold]

I have never been more convinced that NFL teams generally have no idea what they are doing.

This is 1000% accurate and it's why there are some franchises who perennially at the bottom and those who are perennially at the top. Most of them get caught up in trendy hot takes which result in bad draft picks, bad trades, bad FA deals, etc. They are consistently bad because of it. Meanwhile there are a handful of organizations who are constantly good at making decisions and the product on the field yields a net positive result year in and year out. It's truly amazing to watch the same teams year after year maintain their status quo regardless of draft position.

 

[IRISHDODGER]

Just because of Mayer and Diggs or is there something else?
Neither seem like that big of a deal.
It's not like that day we had 4 players in some jackpot involving drugs and guns. That was a big day.

Or the day they announced the academic suspensions prior to 2013 season. I think Kiel had just transferred & it was Rees leading ND to the Pinstripe Bowl

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

I have never been more convinced that NFL teams generally have no idea what they are doing.

this makes them different from the rest of management in the American workforce how, then?

 

[GreenGemsOmally]

I have never been more convinced that NFL teams generally have no idea what they are doing.

There's a reason that many of the same teams often end up in the top picks of the draft every year. So many of them are just hot garbage at recognizing draft talent.

 

[Hammer Of The Gods]

I know I'll get howled out of here, but would he have been better off coming back dropping some weight and getting passes from Hartman? Probably be second behind Bower next season but he will go in the top 10 so...

I actually agree with you. top 10 might push it, but top 20 for sure.

Wonder what the contract differences are between 1st and 2nd round, i'm assuming there is a good drop off.

 

[Armyirish47]

I actually agree with you. top 10 might push it, but top 20 for sure.

Wonder what the contract differences are between 1st and 2nd round, i'm assuming there is a good drop off.

The difference is a few million dollars and the 5th year that 1st round picks can get.

Contract me bro!

 

[irishff1014]

This is why you can’t listen to these grades they give. It is an assumption that they think you’ll go in this round or about that location. Oh well he made a decision to listen someone that was wrong.

Even though a lot of the unreliable draft sites had him at 20 up or second round

 

[NDFAN420]

I have never been more convinced that NFL teams generally have no idea what they are doing.

I'm just the opposite on this one. I like Mayer a lot as a football player, but try to stay realistic about him as well. Round 1 in the NFL draft has been about explosion, projection, and superior athletic traits at $$$ premium positions for a long time now. Round 2 on the contrary is about safer, productive players who don't have as much athletic upside, but high floors at non-premium (think 5th year option on the contract) positions.

Mayer fits the pattern to a tee. Whether or not this proves that they don't know what they're doing - I don't know. But that 5th year on the contract for high $$$ positions makes sense to me why great players can fall.


P.S. Was really hoping that the Jets took Will Levis.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Looks like most updated mocks have him going 3rd to the Lions today

After the bangers they put out prior to last night?

Mayer is going to be fine wherever he goes, whenever he goes. I'm more surprised that so many here are surprised he didn't go in the first round. There was an overwhelming possibility it was going to happen as was him not being the first TE taken off of the board. There are 32 teams that all view the board differently and none of them have the same sentiment we do for ND players, which is stating the obvious.

If you're old enough to remember the Brady Quinn 2007 Draft freefall, nothing should upset or disappoint you anymore. The worst thing possible happening wasn't that he fell late in the first, it was the Browns traded up to get him. He never stood a chance. Sorry, @ACamp1900 , but it's the damn truth.

 

[ACamp1900]

If you're old enough to remember the Brady Quinn 2007 Draft freefall, nothing should upset or disappoint you anymore. The worst thing possible happening wasn't that he fell late in the first, it was the Browns traded up to get him. He never stood a chance. Sorry, @ACamp1900 , but it's the damn truth.

Fuck yo couch....

 

[Sea Turtle]

Super deep TE draft. Someone gave Mayer some bad advice.

 

[irishfan]

Super deep TE draft. Someone gave Mayer some bad advice.

Deep draft but I don’t think he was going to erase any question marks coming back. Maybe his blocking would continue to improve, but he’s not getting any more athletic. He’s pretty much been a finished product for a while now athletically. Still think it’s a complete joke he didn’t go Round 1.

 

[greyhammer90]

Might end up being a blessing in disguise for Mayer. You make your money in the 2nd contract. Since he's out of the first, a team can only sign him for 4 in his initial contract.

 

[GoIrish41]

Deep draft but I don’t think he was going to erase any question marks coming back. Maybe his blocking would continue to improve, but he’s not getting any more athletic. He’s pretty much been a finished product for a while now athletically. Still think it’s a complete joke he didn’t go Round 1.

I don’t get the knocks on his athleticism.

 

[irishff1014]

Deep draft but I don’t think he was going to erase any question marks coming back. Maybe his blocking would continue to improve, but he’s not getting any more athletic. He’s pretty much been a finished product for a while now athletically. Still think it’s a complete joke he didn’t go Round 1.

I agree with you. I would spend a pick and money on a play like Mayer. Very healthy, reliable, will block his ass off, catch everything that comes his way, absolutely great head on his shoulders and will be a leader. You want consistency and he is the definition.

 

[NDFAN420]

I don’t get the knocks on his athleticism.

Relative Athletic Score - Mayer

RASRAS Information

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ras.football

He's got "okay" testing athleticism for the position, he's not Eifert. He could have also not gone down so easily in the open field against DBs.

Mayer vs. Eifert:

RASRAS Compare

Have you ever wanted to look at two players side by side and see how they tested when compared to one another? Does that new rookie your team drafted remind you of a player from yesteryear and you&…

ras.football

 

[GoIrish41]

Relative Athletic Score - Mayer

RASRAS Information

Visit the post for more.

ras.football

He's got "okay" testing athleticism for the position. He could have also not gone down so easily in the open field against DBs.

I don’t do this for a living, but I watched every ND snap he ever took and never thought he lacked athleticism or went down easy. Indeed I always thought he had plus athleticism and was a bull to bring down.

 

[FDNYIrish1]

He’s a great football player but not a great looking athlete in the underwear Olympics. He’s going to make a team look very smart in the future for picking him.

 

[NDFAN420]

I don’t do this for a living, but I watched every ND snap he ever took and never thought he lacked athleticism or went down easy. Indeed I always thought he had plus athleticism and was a bull to bring down.

Well, you now have proof (RAS, NFL Draft 1st Rd.) that he doesn't have plus testing athleticism as least as it relates to the position.
I don't scout football players for living either but I did play CB (doesn't make me any kind of expert) in college and try to use that experience when evaluating. When watching, the mirror neurons kick in big time though.

 

[T-Boone]

Deep draft but I don’t think he was going to erase any question marks coming back. Maybe his blocking would continue to improve, but he’s not getting any more athletic. He’s pretty much been a finished product for a while now athletically. Still think it’s a complete joke he didn’t go Round 1.

I think he could have lost weight and gotten more athletic and also been on the end of Harriman’s passes. He was a work horse last year.

 

[T-Boone]

I don’t do this for a living, but I watched every ND snap he ever took and never thought he lacked athleticism or went down easy. Indeed I always thought he had plus athleticism and was a bull to bring down.

He was great but I had the same thought the he went down easier than you would think.

 

[bumpdaddy]

Well, you now have proof (RAS, NFL Draft 1st Rd.) that he doesn't have plus testing athleticism as least as it relates to the position.
I don't scout football players for living either but I did play CB (doesn't make me any kind of expert) in college and try to use that experience when evaluating. When watching, the mirror neurons kick in big time though.

I think the point is that "testing" athleticism and "on the field" athleticism are actually two different things but some people think the testing numbers are more objective and, thus, more valuable. I think a lot of us think that's just really dumb. The testing numbers should basically be treated as pass/fail. A lot of us think on-the-field athleticism is much, much more important and the testing numbers should really only be factored in if some numbers are much lower than expected.

Mayer is an elite route runner and has elite ball skills. It's extremely difficult to cover him. The testing numbers won't show that and that's why they shouldn't matter as much.

 

[IrishLax]

He cuts and runs routes extremely well. NFL teams are massively overthinking this. Too many want a glorified WR as a TE and don’t realize how he would compliment a traditional passing attack.

 

[Huntr]

I think the thing about the draft that confounds me the most is that picking players who should project to be at least ok seems pretty
easy. Identify the good players in college, then draft 'em.

How easy should it be for the Lions to simply not pick Gibbs and Campbell, like they did last night? Those were stupid ass picks. I'm a Raiders fan and could probably point to at least 1, often 2 or 3 of these types of picks every year for the past 15-20 years. Even if your picks aren't "great" and maybe there were better choices on the board at the time, it should be easy to not be a total dumbass. Yet, there were at least 5 picks last night that were exceptionally dumb and there always are.

So Mayer goes in R2. And so does Brian Branch. And so does O'Cyrus Torrence, etc, etc. And I'm just shaking my head like I do every year.

 

[SeekNDestroy]

I think the point is that "testing" athleticism and "on the field" athleticism are actually two different things but some people think the testing numbers are more objective and, thus, more valuable. I think a lot of us think that's just really dumb. The testing numbers should basically be treated as pass/fail. A lot of us think on-the-field athleticism is much, much more important and the testing numbers should really only be factored in if some numbers are much lower than expected.

Mayer is an elite route runner and has elite ball skills. It's extremely difficult to cover him. The testing numbers won't show that and that's why they shouldn't matter as much.

I don’t understand why they don’t do all their testing in full gear (other than lifting.) It would seem that those numbers would be more beneficial.

 

[KPENN]

Shut the fuck up

 

[PigtownIrish]

Lions are dumb

 

[TNUtoNotreDame]

Stupid

 

[IrishLax]

I would bet literally any amount of money that Mayer finishes with more receptions, yards, and TDs than LaPorta.

 

[IA4irish]

Literally at a loss for words. Michael Mayer was the best player in every game I watched for the past two years. That includes games with Kyle Hamilton