Picking a perfect landing spot for members of the Oregon Ducks in the 2024 NFL Draft
One of the most intriguing things about the NFL draft each and every year is the fact that a lot of talented players likely never see their full potential based on where they go to play their professional ball. Unlike at the college recruiting level, where players get to pick and choose which coaches they want to play for, and select the system that best fits their skill set, the NFL doesn’t work that way.
Instead, a team could draft someone based on their talent, but for various reasons, a fit may never end up happening, and that talented player may never see that high ceiling that they left college with.
In a perfect world for players, they would get to choose the teams they go to, but that isn’t the world that we live in.
On Monday’s episode of the Sco-ing Long Podcast, though, hosts Zachary Neel and Jonathan Stewart took a trip to that “perfect world” and tried to figure out where the best landing spot would be for each member of the Oregon Ducks who is anticipated to get drafted this year. From Bo Nix to Khyree Jackson, the two considered coaching, fit, scheme, and location, among other things, to pick where each Pro Duck should ideally land.
Here’s what they ended up with:
QB Bo Nix
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Stewart’s Perfect Landing Spot: Arizona Cardinals
Reasoning: “I want him to be in a position where he doesn’t have to go and start immediately, and give him some time to actually develop. Not that I don’t think he’s ready for the starting position at the next level, but I think that it always does a guy a service to be able to sit behind a vet for at least a couple of games or a quarter of the season.
Neel’s Perfect Landing Spot: Los Angeles Rams
Reasoning: “I just really want to see him with a solid offensive coach, and I think you get that with Sean McVay. He seems like the NFL version of a Will Stein or a Kenny Dillingham, he’s going to scheme up something for his quarterback.”
RB Bucky Irving
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Stewart’s Perfect Landing Spot: New England Patriots
Reasoning: “I can see the Patriots utilizing him kind of like they’ve done in the past with James White. A guy who can catch it out of the backfield, be in space, make guys miss, all of those things. Depending on what they do with Austin Eckler this offseason, I can see (the Chargers) too.”
Neel’s Perfect Landing Spot: Arizona Cardinals
Reasoning: “I think he would be a really nice complement to James Conner, who is more of a big bully-ball-type back now.”
WR Troy Franklin
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Stewart’s Perfect Landing Spot: Houston Texans
Reasoning: “Man, listen, I want him to go to the Carolina Panthers, but he’s not going to be there for them. This is a deep wide-out draft, and I think he’s going to fly under the radar a little bit. I feel like everything is going to work out for Houston. He would go to a place where they already have two quality receivers, but I think it’s a situation where he’s going to be there for the long haul, and he won’t be an odd man out.”
Neel’s Perfect Landing Spot: Kansas City Chiefs
Reasoning: “You see that offense and you see the relative lack of receiver talent there, and you plug Troy Franklin in… it’s like ‘Oh my god.’ I can’t imagine what it would be like to see him catch balls from Patrick Mahomes.”
OL Jackson Powers-Johnson
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Stewart’s Perfect Landing Spot: Carolina Panthers
Reasoning: “He would be able to come in and be a cure almost. The way he played this year finishing blocks, his movement downfield, his spacial awareness. An offensive line coach is drooling over a guy like him. I honestly think he’s the best offensive lineman in the draft.”
Neel’s Perfect Landing Spot: Cincinnati Bengals
Reasoning: “I think their offensive line needs help, and obviously they’ve got the other positions offensively figured out. You’ve got the QB, you’ve got the WRs, you’ve got the RB, if they can just figure out the offensive line, then I think the sky is the limit there, and I think JPJ would be a really good plug and play option there.”
DL Brandon Dorlus
Stewart’s Perfect Landing Spot: Detroit Lions
Reasoning: “I think their linebacker crew could use some help, you saw how they lost against the 49ers not being able to play contain, and I think he would be the type of guy to help that.”
Neel’s Perfect Landing Spot: Minnesota Vikings
Reasoning: “They’re a solid team, but they need a little bit of help in that front seven to beef things up.”
CB Khyree Jackson
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
Stewart’s Perfect Landing Spot: Seattle Seahawks
Reasoning: “Secondary help is needed across everybody’s board, you can never have enough. I think the Seahawks — who knows what their plans are with the new regime — but if they’re going to do anything to try to build the culture like they did before, I know that secondary is really important.”
Neel’s Perfect Landing Spot: New England Patriots
Reasoning: “When was the last time New England missed on a cornerback draft pick? I feel like cornerbacks go there and they’re just good. Of course, they have the new regime too, so we’ll see if that continues with Belichick gone now, but if (Khyree) ended up in New England, it’s like ‘Alright, he’s set.’ It’s not like a QB going to Cleveland.”
S Evan Williams
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
Stewart’s Perfect Landing Spot: New Orleans Saints
Reasoning: “They are already pretty stacked defensively, but that would just solidify it. If you’re going to be a guy who is going to go into a system and be able to play in that system, I feel like that would be a smart arrangement.”
Neel’s Perfect Landing Spot: Seattle Seahawks
Reasoning: “Sticking in the Pacific Northwest, being part of that new culture, part of that new regime, I think that would be a really good spot.”
