Legendary Coachspeak - Optimism and Consistency

Positioned as potential huge value in the middle of the fifth round if he returns from injury, though Leoni Gretch acknowledges he probably won't be available at that point; locked in at a high ADP tier with Jahmyr Gibbs, with pick 103 positioned as the earliest he could be selected.

Late-round running back that fell deep in recent mock drafts. Leoni Gretch drafted him after waiting on running back through the early rounds, demonstrating his availability as a late-round value option in zero RB builds.

Leoni Gretch clearly prefers Bucky Irving over Jadarian Price and is surprised he's available this late in the summer at his current ADP. Gretch describes him as 'the stud sandwich' and suggests it doesn't make sense to be getting him this cheap this late in the offseason, positioning Irving as underpriced relative to his talent.

ADP has risen sharply in recent weeks. Three weeks prior to this episode, Chris Bell was going in the final round or undrafted; now he's being drafted around pick 180. The rise reflects increased role definition and production clarity as the season approaches.

GM Jason Light identified Godwin as Tampa Bay's go-to receiver option with Mike Evans gone, praising him as a consistent, steady, clutch player who looks very good in camp. Godwin is locked into the slot role in Tampa Bay's receiver hierarchy. However, he dealt with a toe injury last year that affected his play; the injury could flare back up, creating opportunity for McMillan to see increased work if Godwin is unavailable.

Mid-round running back available around pick 130 in zero RB draft builds. Leoni Gretch identifies him as part of the mid-round running back depth that makes zero RB strategies viable, allowing drafters to wait on running back without sacrificing quality.

Kmet is priced at late fifth, early sixth round as the number three target on the Bears, which is not ideal but carries upside; he has a more downfield profile than Loveland and Burden, which matches well with Caleb Williams' tendency to make improvised downfield throws. Leoni Gretch recommends not being 'super underweight' on him given the potential for sporadic weeks where he becomes the number one target in specific matchups, particularly in baseball-style game flow where target distribution can shift.

Colston Loveland was dubbed 'Mr. Steady' by his head coach in a press conference, signaling positive coach sentiment regarding his consistency and reliability. Leoni Gretch identifies Loveland as the number two target in Chicago's concentrated passing game behind Luther Burden, with significant target share upside. However, Gretch notes Loveland is expensive relative to his draft position and considers him a game-breaker talent alongside Burden, making him difficult to acquire despite his role. The concentrated nature of the offense means target share will be concentrated among Burden, Loveland, and Roman Dunay, with no significant competition expected from other receivers like Xavian Thomas or Khif Raymond.

Early-round receiver option in zero RB draft builds; part of a strong receiver core (Jamar Chase, Nico Collins, Drake London, Tedoroa McMillan) that Gretch used to anchor a zero RB strategy, demonstrating the viability of building around elite receivers early.

Late-round running back option in zero RB mock drafts. Leoni Gretch used him as part of a late-round running back strategy alongside Jonah Coleman and Brian Robinson, demonstrating viability as a contingent upside play in receiver-heavy builds.

Fourth-round running back option with improved draft value due to Chimera's injury status; Leoni Gretch notes 'ETN in the fourth is very nice' and agrees it represents efficient value around pick 47, though cautions against reaching earlier than that.

Dynasty tight end with significant health and efficiency concerns. Leoni Gretch suggests this might be Kittle's last year of relevance, noting uncertainty about how he will look in 2024, his efficiency level, and his ability to stay healthy throughout the season; projects that he might not be in the league in two to three years, making him a poor dynasty target compared to alternatives.

Elite early-round receiver anchor for zero RB draft strategies. Leoni Gretch built a strong receiver core around Chase (alongside Nico Collins, Drake London, and Adonai Mitchell) to demonstrate the viability of receiver-heavy early draft approaches, stating 'that feels pretty good' about the resulting roster construction.

Leoni Gretch is reasonably in on Price but acknowledges significant uncertainty; likes him in mid-to-late fifth round after Bucky Irving and Trey Benson go, but expresses concern about his college backup status and limited playing time at Notre Dame behind Jeremiah Love and Audrey Esté. Price has a wide range of outcomes—could be a star or could resemble first-round bust Roshan Johnson—making it hard to project with certainty; Gretch prefers Irving and Benson over Price.

Jahmyr Gibbs is locked in at a high ADP tier with Bijan Robinson; pick 103 is positioned as the earliest he could be selected in this draft, indicating strong consensus on his draft capital.

Going around pick 170, significantly cheaper than historical context; Leoni Gretch has started drafting him due to the cheap valuation. However, he's squeezed in the depth chart with Godwin in slot, Ibuka at Z, and Hurst competing for X reps. McMillan will see his routes impacted by Hurst's presence, which is not good news for him. Health concerns exist (broke neck last year, 20% chance to miss games per Draft Sharks), but he earned targets immediately upon return. At current price, he's a speculative dart throw at the end of drafts, comparable to DeMario Douglas in value tier. McMillan is a less natural fit at X receiver compared to Hurst, suggesting the Buccaneers may need to deploy him elsewhere despite his draft capital.

Running back with week-one availability uncertainty (50/50 status) and backfield competition from Tyler Algier; Leoni Gretch is surprised Love has not slipped further in draft ADP given these concerns. Gretch identifies Love as the RB he would target in the third round, but notes that fourth-round pricing would be 'super inefficient' and a smash value, suggesting current ADP is too high relative to risk.

Running back option drafted in recent zero RB mock drafts; Gretch used him as part of a late-round running back strategy alongside Dylan Samson and Brian Robinson, demonstrating viability as a contingent upside play in receiver-heavy builds.

Leoni Gretch expects Jonathan Brooks' talent to win out by midseason despite Week 1 uncertainty. Coach Dave Canales said on September 2nd, "I'm very optimistic he'll be available for week one," and Canales has a stellar track record with the word "optimistic" in injury contexts—his only prior use of "very optimistic" was for Rob Hunt before a playoff game, and Hunt suited up. Brooks is coming off a double ACL tear but showed good form running on the sideline at practice and received decent work in the offseason and preseason. Canales highlighted Brooks' versatility, pass-game ability, screen-game explosiveness, and home-run speed as factors that will differentiate him from predecessor Chuba Hubbard. Gretch has been bullish on Brooks throughout the offseason and is actively drafting him in the late seventh round after he fell back to early-August ADP levels, getting him in the 120s after avoiding him in the 140s as too speculative. At current late-seventh pricing, Gretch notes the soreness is already priced in and he's not continuing to rise, making him a discount value.

Mid-fifth round quarterback option positioned as huge value; Leoni Gretch lists him alongside running back options as a preferred target in that round.

Leoni Gretch identifies Luther Burden as the clear number one target in Chicago's offense. Gretch emphasizes the target share will be concentrated among Burden, Colston Loveland, and Roman Dunay, with no significant competition expected from other receivers like Xavian Thomas or Khif Raymond. Gretch prioritizes Burden in drafts despite disliking his price, projecting him to beat his ADP given the concentrated nature of the offense and the likelihood of high pass volume from a defense expected to be poor.

Late-round running back option that has emerged as a viable target in zero RB builds. Leoni Gretch notes that Malik Davis has now popped up as an available option, increasing the depth of running back choices and reducing the risk of being forced into poor late-round selections.

Leoni Gretch acknowledges Harrison as 'a very good player' but does not view him as a game-breaker talent on the level of Luther Burden and Colston Loveland; Harrison is going around the same ADP range as Carnell Tate and Raandre Stevenson. This positioning reflects the concentrated nature of the Chicago passing game, where the top three receivers (Burden, Loveland, and Dunay) are expected to dominate target share.

Leoni Gretch views Mike Washington Jr. as likely nothing more than 'a breather back for the Raiders' despite preseason performance. While Washington has a faster 10-yard split and slightly better acceleration ability than Ashton Genty, he was 'not a good breakaway runner in college,' whereas Genty was. The talent gap between the two is described as 'gigantic,' and Gretch suspects 'the gap is actually quite clear' when Washington faces real defenses. Washington is compared to Zamir White and Kaylin Bell archetypes—'very athletic, but I'm not sure how good of a back he ultimately will be.'

Leoni Gretch used Nico Collins as an early-round receiver option in zero RB draft builds, pairing him with Jamar Chase, Drake London, and Tedoroa McMillan to anchor a zero RB strategy, demonstrating the viability of building around elite receivers early. Collins is cited as a historical example of third-round rookie receiver risk—he had a monster breakout later in his career and was a dynasty draft target in rookie drafts, but did not produce much as a rookie—illustrating why immediate role establishment for third-round rookies is unusual and valuable.

Quentin Johnston was more efficient than Lad Maki last year, but that context was clouded by the Chargers offense struggling and offensive line issues; Johnston is expected to see usage focused on his YAC ability, creating target-share competition with Maki and other receivers (Harris, Hampton, Kolar, Gatson).

GM Jason Light confirmed Hurst will play a role in 2024 after impressing in training camp and OTAs; Light noted he was drafted to learn behind veterans but has evolved into a player they can use this year. Leoni Gretch highlights this as bullish because third-round rookies historically lack immediate role establishment, making Hurst's early opportunity unusual and valuable. Hurst fits naturally at X receiver where Jaylen McMillan is a less natural fit; currently going around pick 203-209. Gretch loves Hurst as a late-round pick and has over 20% allocation on him, noting he impressed in training camp at the X position and the GM is saying he will have a role.

Fourth-round running back with improved draft value due to Chimera's health concerns; Leoni Gretch is actively taking ETN in the fourth round and describes it as 'very nice' value around pick 47, though cautions against reaching earlier than that.

Leoni Gretch prefers Trey Benson over Jadarian Price in the draft, but expresses concern about Benson's role if Charbanet returns and takes goal-line and passing-game work; notes Benson did his best work in the middle of the season and is now splitting with Charbanet, who is designed to be a high-touch, high-value-touch player.