Quote:
Originally Posted by RedinTexas
Ok, I get it. It's very dependent on how you define "first round talent." It sounds like your definition is more applicable to something like "top tier talent."
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I view it thusly: A "First round talent" would be taken in the first round of any draft regardless of position and regardless of depth.
So a 'first round grade' on, for instance, a safety - that's gonna need to be a DAMN good safety. Now in some years you see 3 safeties taken in the 1st round but that's mostly because the class is weak elsewhere so those safeties get moved up.
For instance, look at the 2022 draft. Two safeties in Cine and Hill went in the 1st round. Those guys weren't 1st round talents. Very few years would have them going in the 1st.
Kaiir Elam from that draft is a perfect 'close call' example. The draft got a little shallow at CB after the top 3 guys. And the Bills needed a CB. So they took him at 23 when in a lot of years, there's just going to be a better CB there at CB4 and Elam's not going to go to Buffalo at 23 but rather TN at 35 (the next team to pick a CB). Now Elam's borderline in that regard - I'm betting some teams really did put a 1st round grade on him. But on balance I think he was a need pick.
If a guy is going to go in the 1st round every year regardless of the depth of his class and regardless of the need of the teams later in the round, that's a 'First Round Grade' player, IMO.
And as others have said, to my eyes that usually goes about 18-20 players deep. And usually they're all gone by about pick 28.