Original Pick: OG Keylan Rutledge
Ghost Pick: Og Keyland Rutledge
Again, we defer to the team scouts on first round picks, that they believe the player is an immediate starter. For Rutledge, he also has a passing YAS score at all three OL position. This is not a repeat of the Kenyon Green, the athleticism fwith Rutledge is verified.
2(4)
Original Pick: DT Kayden McDonald
Ghost Pick: DT Kayden McDonald
He did no testing, so how do we agree with the McDonald pick? High 2nd round is close enough to the first, that our “deference to the team in the first round” rule can still apply. There simply are not a lot of draftable DT that completed enough drills to obtain a score. The next highest one is Nick Barrett, who projects as a 5th rounder, and the team appears to indicate an immediate need for a starting caliber DT with this pick.
2(27)
Original Pick: TE Marline Klein
Ghost Pick: TE Sam Roush – 3(5)
This is where YAS begins to call for changes. If you want a Y tight-end, Roush is the pick. Klein was missing agility numbers, but even when we gave him TOP-quarter times, his YAS score did not match out as a T tight-end or a big slot.
4(6)
Original Pick: OG Febechi Nwaiwu
Ghost Pick: OG Kage Casey – 4(11)
Nwaiwu has an above-mean OG YAS score. However, Casey, who is ranked in the same area (and was eventually drafted just after Nwaiwu) is more than a standard deviation above the mean. In this instance, we go with the athlete.
4(23)
Original Pick: LB Wade Woodaz
Ghost Pick: LB Kaleb Elams-Orr – 4(26)
Jack Kelley was a consideration here, but it appears that the Texans need more of a cover linebacker. Woodaz received no YAS score and Elams Orr was in the 7.88 range.
5(1)
Original Pick: S Kamari Ramsey
Ghost Pick: S VJ Payne
They are both tall safeties, but Payne is longer and shows more explosion in his testing. Additionally, Ramsey simply did not perform his agility drills, and even when we project him mean times, his YAS score is simply at the position mean.
6(23)
Original Pick: WR Lewis Bond
Ghost Pick: WR Anthony Smith
Even when projecting Bond as a traditional, short/quick slot, his YAS score was more than two standard deviations below the mean.
7(27)
Original Pick: LB Aiden Fisher
Ghost Pick: LB Jack Dingle
Look, Fisher has no YAS score. Even when we assign him TOP quarter 3-cone times, his YAS score is below mean. This late in the draft, the most highly rated LBs with passing YAS scores are Jack Dingle (8.09) and Jaden Keller (9.22). We want to lean Keller because of the YAS, but we cannot even find a scouting report on him in Dane Brugler’s The Beast. Accordingly, we go with Dingle.