Watts' VORP was way higher than Te'o's

by Mike (bart), Friday, April 24, 2026, 10:04 (32 days ago) @ Jay

Te'o did a great job as an ILB but he also was dependent mightily on having a clean DL front occupying blockers so he could get a clear path to the ball. He was a perfect player for Diaco's D, but as we saw in Miami and really in the non-2012 years, Diaco's scheme was basic enough to have a pretty hard ceiling.

A guy like Watts - smart, instinctual, organized, and athletic enough to man-cover from the safety position let Golden get to a whole different level. I think there's a strong argument to be made for Watts as the cornerstone player of the early Freeman Era. Think of it this way, if you'd had a chance to put Te'o on the 2024 defense, I don't think it would have appreciably raised the unit's ceiling. If you gave me a choice between adding Te'o and losing Watts from last year's defense, or just keeping Watts, I'm keeping #0 every time.

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Complete thread:

pre-draft treat: J-Love career highlights - Jay, 2026-04-23, 15:11
- Coogan didn't go until the 6th round -- - omahadomer, 2026-04-25, 19:23
  - He's a center and not great. 6th round seems just right. - San Pedro, 2026-04-27, 12:06
- Schrauth to TB in the 5th round. - omahadomer, 2026-04-25, 12:08
  - Tampa has had a strong draft IMO - KGB, 2026-04-25, 12:35
- FWIW, Drew Allar went in Rd 3 to Pittsburgh - hobbs, 2026-04-25, 06:40
  - The '27 draft should be loaded at QB - Jeff (BGS), 2026-04-25, 10:02
  - his new Delta pledge name is Jill Stein - KGB, 2026-04-25, 08:47
- Fields to the Giants in the 3rd round (74th overall) - Jeff (BGS), 2026-04-24, 18:49
- Cards drafted an OG at the top of Round 2 - BPH, 2026-04-24, 17:06
  - Good to see - Jeff (BGS), 2026-04-24, 17:49
    - But then their next pick is Carson Beck. SMH. - Jeff (BGS), 2026-04-24, 18:25
- How about ND now having... - BPH, 2026-04-24, 08:39
  - Remarkable considering the drought for most of the century - Aaron (Shakespeare), 2026-04-24, 09:06
- who else will get drafted? - Jay, 2026-04-24, 07:37
  - Raridon is getting some chatter. - Domer99, 2026-04-24, 07:47
    - Raridon went to NE in Rd 3 with the 95th pick. - hobbs, 2026-04-25, 06:35
    - Fields likely today - KGB, 2026-04-24, 14:46
- That's over 30min long, and it's so hard to stop watching. - Mike (Max), 2026-04-24, 06:48
- What a tremendous day for these guys. And ND football. - San Pedro, 2026-04-24, 06:34
- Remind me. He won the Heisman and OLine won Joe Moore - Grantland, 2026-04-24, 06:30
- Second time in three years an ND player has gone top 5. - KGB, 2026-04-24, 03:38
- I'm not really expecting Price to get drafted tonight -- - omahadomer, 2026-04-23, 18:58
  - Must Watch. ND released a video of Price's phone call - KelleyCook, 2026-04-24, 10:22
    - This might be an even better JP video - Domer99, 2026-04-24, 13:23
      - That was great. Thanks. - omahadomer, 2026-04-24, 16:18
      - That interview is better. Thanks for posting it. - hobbs, 2026-04-24, 15:44
    - Seattle apparently had to scramble to get Price’s phone # - Joe I, 2026-04-24, 11:05
    - That's great! - oviedoirish, 2026-04-24, 10:37
  - Can the Niners trade for Estime? - Jeff (BGS), 2026-04-23, 21:50
    - Not a bad idea. I'm still pissed they passed on Kyren. - omahadomer, 2026-04-24, 07:25
  - Congrats to Jadarian. He gets to live in Seattle! - hobbs, 2026-04-23, 20:30
    - And the maple bars! - Silk, 2026-04-23, 21:45
      - That's a really great pull. - Greg, 2026-04-24, 08:35
    - And play for a Super Bowl contender - Jeff (BGS), 2026-04-23, 21:00
  - Done! - bobbywal, 2026-04-23, 20:05
    - It has to be a boost to recruiting both HS and portal -- - omahadomer, 2026-04-23, 20:23
      - Keep the miles off too… - bk, 2026-04-24, 02:40
        
        That helped both Love and Price -- - omahadomer, 2026-04-24, 07:24
        
        "If Price wants to be a first-round pick... - KGB, 2026-04-24, 03:28
  - I know it’s been said back here many times - Jeff (BGS), 2026-04-23, 19:35
    - It's a brilliant pick by Seattle -- - omahadomer, 2026-04-23, 20:14
  - #32 - KGB, 2026-04-23, 19:04
    - Somebody here knows: When’s our last 2-1st Rounders Draft? - Joe I, 2026-04-23, 20:09
      - was going down memory lane - Jay, 2026-04-24, 06:54
        
        And three more the next year - BPH, 2026-04-24, 08:32
      - Only two other times 2 RBs from same school in 1st round. - omahadomer, 2026-04-23, 20:19
        
        Without looking it up - - MattG, 2026-04-24, 08:04
        
        Nicely done. Cadillac and Ronnie were both top 5 picks. - San Pedro, 2026-04-24, 08:24
        
        And yet, emblematic of that era - BPH, 2026-04-24, 08:30
        
        It was indeed a different time. - San Pedro, 2026-04-24, 09:12
      - Nelson and McGlinchey both went top ten their year. - Joe, 2026-04-23, 20:11
        
        Thx. I suspect we won’t have to wait long to happen again - Joe I, 2026-04-23, 20:17
        
        Like Carr and Moore? - omahadomer, 2026-04-23, 20:19
        
        Tae - hobbs, 2026-04-23, 20:23
    - Nailed It! - hobbs, 2026-04-23, 20:02
      - The list of first-round NFL draft picks - KGB, 2026-04-23, 20:18
        
        Has there ever been a first round pick who never started? - Dallasdomer, 2026-04-24, 05:03
- In Other Draft News - Rams draft Ty Simpson @15 - hobbs, 2026-04-23, 18:33
  - I hope he sucks -- - omahadomer, 2026-04-23, 18:41
    - McVay is a wizard - KGB, 2026-04-23, 19:18
      - Interestingly, McVay did not sound happy about the pick - Aaron (Shakespeare), 2026-04-24, 09:18
        
        interesting - KGB, 2026-04-24, 14:42
- Best ND player of the 2000s? - HumanRobot, 2026-04-23, 17:36
  - Serious Nominees would be - Mike (bart), 2026-04-24, 06:13
    - That's a fair analysis. And if we include a requirement that - BillyGoat, 2026-04-24, 09:26
    - No Harrison Smith? - Domer99, 2026-04-24, 07:52
      - He was really good in college, but a better pro - Mike (bart), 2026-04-24, 09:03
        
        Hayseed is a unique case. He was allowed to play - BillyGoat, 2026-04-24, 10:02
        
        I think he was better than Watts in college - Jay, 2026-04-24, 09:27
        
        Watts' VORP was way higher than Te'o's - Mike (bart), 2026-04-24, 10:04
    - I think it's one of those 3 as well. - Chris, 2026-04-24, 07:02
    - I think Teo has to be more seriously considered - HullieAndMikes, 2026-04-24, 06:27
      - best defensive highlight reel for sure - Jay, 2026-04-24, 06:57
      - I kinda think he's emblematic of the 1997-2021 era at ND - Mike (bart), 2026-04-24, 06:45
        
        Agreed. Athletically he was not at their level. - San Pedro, 2026-04-24, 06:56
  - Best skill position player since Rocket - Flann, 2026-04-23, 19:16
  - definitely owns the best highlight reel - Jay, 2026-04-23, 18:34
    - That was kind of nice to watch -- - omahadomer, 2026-04-23, 18:46
  - He has a good case -- - omahadomer, 2026-04-23, 18:18
- THIRD PICK! - omahadomer, 2026-04-23, 17:26
  - The 50 Million Dollar Man - Jeff (BGS), 2026-04-23, 17:51
  - And we didn't get to see him in the playoffs.... - cdawg, 2026-04-23, 17:27
    - We did in 2024--25. - omahadomer, 2026-04-23, 18:31
      - F’IU - Mark, 2026-04-23, 19:31
      - The TD against Penn State. - NDinVA, 2026-04-23, 19:24
        
        One of the best but I thought this one was more important. - Grantland, 2026-04-27, 12:12
        
        The greatest TD in ND history, given the moment (imo) - Dylan, 2026-04-24, 04:11
        
        Top 10 for sure -- - omahadomer, 2026-04-25, 18:07
        
        Also, I'll give $25 jaybucks to anyone who can find Al - Grantland, 2026-04-27, 12:39
        
        Jay and my era has something to say. - Grantland, 2026-04-27, 12:17
        
        The Best Two Yard Run of All Time - CK08, 2026-04-24, 04:36
- also from the channel - Jay, 2026-04-23, 15:13

the Polo Grounds

Watts' VORP was way higher than Te'o's