Okay, preseason in the books. Draft still rated #1 overall -- granted that's with extra picks in rounds 1,2,3 but not anything in the first half of the first round. I'm okay with it all.
DE McCormick did indeed jump in preseason, and now looks like a solid asset. Not a superstar, but a guy who could be part of a 3-man pass rushing rotation down the line, I suspect. Great for a 3rd round pick.
S Cole Austin dipped from 68 to 61 potential by the league scout, and mine has him at 40/58, so we have to temper hopes. Probably a long term asset regardless, still has key ratings I like. But not a change-the-team player, and to take a safety in the mid-1st, that's the only way to justify expending the capital there. So, a mild miss.
RB Lindsay dropped 51-44 by league scout, mine says he's 37/50. He may have the inside track to start this year. Our other rookie Royals imploded, and our veteran Harden is so weak in personality, it would be hard to commit to him. Lindsay likely will get the better end of a 60/40 split, which might mean 200 carries.
G Foreman, our late 1st, dropped 11 by the league scout, but still looks okay. My scout says 37/69. Basically the same review as S Cole - okay, but not a value pick given the early selection. If he were a late 2nd rounder, I'd be thrilled.
G Darby is an interesting case, however. League scout says he slid 49 to 44. My scout (good) says he's a 30/58 prospect with 82 potential in run blocking. I suspect I will get him into the lineup right away, and hope I have a right guard for the next decade in him. Optimistic.
NT Neill is unexciting. Decent player, decent chemistry, but can I really commit to this guy long term? I doubt it. Likely a whiff.
My scout loved LB Brotzman, but now after a -10 move, less so. His chem profile 87/94 makes him valuable to us, though. I'll try to get him starts this year, and he likely ends up as our ILB3 - a sort of 30 tackle guy, with no special teams skill but good chem match and future leadership potential.
After-draft pickup WR Vecchio will make the team - he's nothing super special, but he'll be a great chemistry asset (68/90, sign matching the QB), can play special teams, and that's enough to stay for a decade.
Here is the career arc I'd hope for from him. Hopefully for minsal the whole way.
CB Keeler was the guy who saddened me with his bad (well, great, but on the wrong sign) chemistry numbers... turns out not much of a loss. He's a bump only guy, my scout rates him 24/33 overall, and with no special teams he'd be at lest a marginal asset for us. Doesn't even make the BELCo rankings summary. Likely a cut.
DE Rico Whiting. 23/34 now, but 87 personality. Borderline call, bubbled.
TE OJ Whiting bumped by the league scout from 16/18 to 20/38, mine has him at 19/33. No one standout skill, without special teams assets he likely can't be a TE3 for us.
QB Richie Bryant, undrafted rookie, likely makes this team and sticks around, perhaps longer than Jimmy Mc. Why? It's a zero-injury league. Our starter is gonna start and play any game within reach. What good is QB2? Mentor and/or chemistry. Bryant is an 88/100 chem guy, so once he gets starts (this year, not at QB), he will be a 6-7 guy who could lead a group some day, but for now will just super-gel with our leaders from the 2-3 and 4-5 groups. Basically, this guy (and the WR) are the reason why I really should just be dumping off my 5-6-7 draft picks every year, in every league. With the way I build teams, I can do much more damage in the after-draft world (where I know more about the players) than i can during the draft where there's a massive fog of war. A perverse incentive, and partially specific to my own preferences, but so it goes.
This class isn't going to revolutionize our approach, but I think we accumulated some quality talent that can stick around. Probably 6 guys here who will still be on the team in 6-8 years, and that's not bad at all.