The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1113082
50 ■ THE WOLFPACKER "I can promise that there are a lot of teams picking in the 20s that are now upset that Garrett Bradbury is off the board," ESPN host Trey Wingo immedi- ately noted. "You think about an athlete, and that's what Bradbury is," ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. added. "He's a good technician, he's a smart football player with great character. … The Vikings' offensive line was a mess, and Bradbury is going to be a key guy to anchor that group and improve that group moving forward." The applause of the pick has only grown louder in the aftermath. The con- sensus is that he not only filled a need for Minnesota, but he is the perfect fit for the club's zone-blocking system under head coach Mike Zimmer. "There were a couple guys that we looked at, but Bradbury was by far our target tonight when we got into the draft," general manager Rick Spielman said. "We were sweating it out there at the end," Zimmer admitted. "… Everybody [on the team's offensive staff] loved this kid in the draft." NFL Network expert Daniel Jeremiah dubbed Bradbury "The Grim Reacher" dur- ing the NFL Combine for his ability to reach block, a crucial component for the tip of the Vikings' spear. "This is the best center in the draft and one of the best to come out in the last handful of years," Jeremiah said. "I call him 'The Grim Reacher' because I have never seen some- body reach more [effectively] in the run game than the way Garrett Bradbury does." "He is a plug-and-play center and will play a long time because of his athleticism, staying on his feet and rarely stressed," The Athletic's draft expert Dane Brugler wrote. "This allows the Vikings to move [2017 third-round pick] Pat Elflein to guard, virtually upgrading two positions on the offensive line." It's clear Bradbury was the right choice for Minnesota, a team that went from the No. 2 seed in the NFC for the 2017 NFL playoffs to an 8-7-1 outfit that missed the postseason completely in 2018. That fall coincided with the offense dropping from 10th in the league for scoring in 2017 to 19th last year and from tied for seventh in sacks allowed to 15th. Pratt, Finley And Harmon Round Out Draftees Linebacker Germaine Pratt came off the board at No. 72 overall in the third round to the Cincinnati Bengals. The former safety earned first-team All-ACC honors this past season and will fit right in with his new squad, which plays in the rugged AFC North. "He plays with some thump," Jeremiah said. "He's an outstanding blitzer, needs to work in coverage, but inside, tackle to tackle, he's really good. … He's going to be able to match up with that physical style [of the AFC North] inside." Pratt filled Cincinnati's "desperate" need for a linebacker who can "help against the run but also cover tight ends," according to ESPN.com's Chris Sprow, while Bengals. com senior writer Geoff Hobson noted: "It's hard not to see Pratt starting in Seattle [for the first game]." The Bengals went back to the Wolfpack well with their next pick as well, trading a pair of sixth-round choices to move up six slots and secure Ryan Finley, now the heir apparent to veteran quarterback Andy Dalton, at No. 104. It marked only the fifth time the franchise traded up in a draft and was the first time it did so for a quarterback. "We had him targeted all along as a quar- terback that would fit for us at the right place. … Instead of trying to wait to see if he fell to us, we decided to go and get him," offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said. Club officials later revealed they only brought in two signal-callers for pre-draft visits: Finley and a potential undrafted free agent from Central Connecticut. Although he was a polarizing prospect on the ESPN draft set, Finley did have a staunch supporter in Todd McShay. "I love this guy," McShay said. "I had him as the fourth-graded quarterback in this class, and the best available prospect still on the board coming into today [which featured rounds four through seven]. "He's a tall, lean-framed quarterback who has got athleticism. People always say be- cause he's tall and long, he's not a good athlete — not true. He can make throws outside, he can extend some plays. … I think he's the most pro-ready quarterback from a developmental standpoint in the entire class." McShay noted the Bengals aren't ready to move on from Dalton, who turns 32 in October and is signed through 2020, just yet but explained he would "give Ryan a year or two to show what he can do, and then maybe he becomes the starter at a lot cheaper price than what Andy Dalton would be." The analyst later revealed he thought there was "an outside shot" Finley could've been a first-round pick based on what he had been hearing around the league, although Kiper scoffed at that, pointing to questions about Finley's arm and frame. "We're talking about weight with this guy?" McShay incredulously asked at one point of the discussion. "… The more important part is this is a system where I think he can excel because he's a better ath- lete than people think. "When it comes to touch and timing and anticipating throws, this system is a perfect fit for what he does at a very high level." The final NC State pick was another who many thought would go higher than he was selected in wideout Kelvin Harmon. The back-to-back 1,000-yard receiver was thought by most prognosticators to be safely in the day two discussion, but instead he lasted until the penultimate round. Harmon first appeared on Kiper's "10 best available" list that scrolled across the bottom of ESPN during pick 156 in the middle of round five and climbed to No. 3 by pick 189. Yet, he was still on the board until No. 206, the 33rd choice of the sixth round, a fact that Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden admitted was surprising. All experts seemed to agree that Harmon represented both great value and a good fit for the Redskins. "When you're building a wide receiving corps … you have to have guys with different skill sets," ESPN's Louis Riddick said. "They took Terry McLaurin in the third round, now Kelvin Harmon in the sixth who is just the opposite of Terry. "Terry is an outside burner, Harmon is a guy who is one of the better double-move route runners in this draft. … It's a very smart move." CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson called the choice Washington's best pick, noting Harmon "was one of our favorite receivers in this class, and we had him pegged as a day-two pick at worst. … He could end up being one of the steals of this draft." ■ The Cincinnati Bengals' Ryan Finley was called the "most pro-ready quarterback" in the draft by ESPN's Todd McShay. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN