The spectacle that is the NFL Draft is finally over, but the coverage isn't done. There will be hundreds of articles over the next few weeks about potential fits, impacts and what have you. We've decided to take a different spin; we evaluated each draft pick loosely using the 20-80 baseball scouting scale. For details on the 20-80 scale, FanGraphs has a great summary here. We have also given each draft pick a Rockies prospect comparison. I took picks one, three, five and seven while Logan evaluated picks two, four, six and eight. Did we get it right?
Paxton Lynch, QB - Memphis
Throw Power 70 |Throw Accuracy 50/60 | Speed 55 | Technique 40/70 | Facial Hair 65/80
Rockies Prospect Comp: Brendan Rodgers, SS
The Broncos had their eyes on Lynch throughout the entire first round and jumped at the chance to get them. He has the potential to be their cornerstone of the future and the skills to lead the team to another Super Bowl, but he’s not quite there yet. At Memphis, he barely played under center and has little experience throwing off play action, a key component of a Gary Kubiak, stretch-run offense. He needs some time to mature and develop, but has all the tools to be a star, much like Brendan Rodgers.
Rodgers is having a blistering start to the season in Low-A Asheville as a 19-year-old and is showing why he was worth the third overall pick last year. He, like Lynch, has All-Star potential if the Rockies are patient with his development and let him progress naturally through the minors. Rodgers, who sports a mean goatee, and Lynch, who brings the goatee/soul patch/mustache combo, both sport unique facial hair styles that accompany true stars. I mean, come on, the camera was made for these faces:
Adam Gotsis, DT – Georgia Tech
Strength 70 | Quickness 40 | Pass Rush 50 | Run Defense 60 | Accent 80
Rockies Prospect Comp: Carlos Estevez, RHP
Obviously, being a 296-pounder who shoves people is very different than anything that happens in baseball. The closest literal comparison is when a 73-year-old man went crazy and got pushed over. There just isn’t a whole lot of pushing and shoving in baseball.
But there are certain similarities. Adam Gotsis best compares to Carlos Estevez because they both rely heavily on their power. Gotsis will push right through his blocker, and Estevez will burn his fastball right past the hitter. Both are also similar in that this is their singular strength at this early point in their careers. Gotsis needs to work on his speed and agility and Estevez needs to work on his secondary pitches to be elite players. They can both contribute right away, but you hope that they will become top-tier players in the near future.
Bonus, the man has an Australian accent. They don’t interview defensive tackles very often but if they do, Broncos fans are in for a real treat.
Justin Simmons, S - Boston College
Speed 60 | Coverage 55/65 | Tackling 50/55 | Technique 55 | Bradley Cooper-ness 70
Rockies Prospect Comp: Jordan Patterson, OF
Simmons is a do-it-all free safety out of Boston College and looks to step in right away as the third safety/special teams stalwart in lieu of David Bruton leaving for the Washington Football Club. Simmons doesn’t have many holes in his game; he plays center field well, a very solid tackler in the open field (only four missed tackles in 2015) and has a good speed/size/agility combination to make plays on special teams. There’s potential for improvement but is coming in with a solid framework of skills. Besides being a good player with potential to improve, Simmons is one of the most flawless humans on the face of the earth (probably). Like Bradley Cooper, people root for Simmons for his personality as much as his playing or acting ability. There is not a single negative word about Simmons on the internet. That's a skill all in itself.
My comparison for Simmons is Jordan Patterson, who exhibits similar traits: projects as a third/fourth outfielder and, with some improvement, could be even better. Patterson is at least league average in every category, decent speed, fielding and arm to go with an above-average bat. He’s an all-around baseball player that should see some time up in the majors this year.
DeVontae Booker, RB – Utah
Speed 50 | Power 60 | Pass Catching 55 | Blocking 50 | Weight Lifting Face 80
Rockies Prospect Comp: Trevor Story, SS
DeVontae Booker, like Trevor Story, can do a little bit of everything. Story can hit home runs, steal bases, and play solid defense. Booker has shown the ability to block and catch passes out of the backfield in addition to being a prototypical three-down back.
Neither player was touted as elite leading up to their debut with Story being borderline top 10 in the rankings and Booker being a fourth round pick, but both are expected to contribute right away. Story already has in a big way, obviously. I don’t think we can expect Booker to produce the equivalent of consecutive 200-yard games to start his career, but he shouldn’t be riding the bench either.
If you aren’t sold on his actual scouting report, you should put your confidence in Booker because of his composure while picking up heavy things and putting them back down. A quick Google search shows what can happen when people strain themselves. The fact that Booker can get jacked while still having the presence to not look like a doofus deserves a tip of the hat.
Connor McGovern, G - Missouri
Speed 40 | Power 70 | Run Block 60/65 | Pass Block 50/55 | Turning Green 20/80
Rockies Prospect Comp: Ryan Castellani, RHP
McGovern is a big, strong man. He broke the weight room records at Missouri and actually tore his pectoral muscle trying to bench 515 pounds. That’s nearly three of me! He’s got the power and strength but it hasn’t fully transferred into his on-field performance, hence the fifth round selection. He can play either tackle or guard, but his footwork needs work for pass protection. The best comparison I found for McGovern is Ryan Castellani.
Your offensive line is your rotation makes sense because they keep you in the ballgame. Their job is to give the other players on the field a chance to succeed. By keeping the game close, they give our offense a chance to win the ballgame. Ryan Castellani’s stuff compares to McGovern’s physical ability: he has one plus pitch and everything else is average to below-average. Castellani’s two-seamer sits low-90s with movement and makes it very hard to square it up. That movement along with velocity sets up the rest of his pitches, creating his success. Plus, as you see in this video, Castellani is a big dude who can add some size. It’s not out of the question that either one or both of them are the Hulk in their spare time. My money's on McGovern.
Andy Janovich, FB – Nebraska
Speed 40 | Ball Carrying 60 | Blocking 55 | Toughness 70 | Ability to make me insecure at the gym 80
Rockies Prospect Comp – Ryan Casteel, C/1B
Andy Janovich is the type of corn-fed Nebraska guy that coming in, you expect to hear about a workout where he pulls a plow and chops down trees. He is raw, strong, powerful, and like any good Midwestern boy, he also was an all-state wrestler in high school. If there is one thing that a jacked, beefy fullback loves to do, it is hit people.
This is where the Ryan Casteel comparison fits like a glove. Casteel has shown an ability to hit throughout his minor league career. The issue has always been finding a spot on the diamond where his bat can play. Is he a first baseman? Is he a catcher? He has split time fairly evenly thus far this season. Janovich, on the other hand, is entering the NFL into a position that is slowly going extinct. Both players have a chance to contribute as gritty workers on their respective teams, assuming their team has a place to put them.
Will Parks, S – Arizona
Speed 55 | Coverage 45/55 | Tackling 45/50 | Technique 65 | Nicknames 35/55
Rockies Prospect Comp: Mike Tauchman, OF
Parks is a gamer. He has the "football intelligence" label that coaches love to see and his game preparation and instincts help him overcome his average speed. Parks’ doesn’t have the speed to play deep safety nor the size to play in the box consistently, but his instinct on the field earn him some consideration as a developmental prospect and special teams guy. He also apparently needs a nickname and I’m sure there are better ones than were given here.
He reminds me of Mike Tauchman because they’re both missing one skill that could propel them into a starting lineup. Tauchman has hit at every stop in his minor league career but has yet to show consistent power. He’ll toss out a few triples and 15-20 doubles, but not much beyond that so far. As he enters his fourth professional season, Tauchman has only seven home runs and is lost in the shuffle behind other outfield prospects like Patterson, David Dahl and Raimel Tapia. He brings speed, defense, average and a workman’s attitude but might be missing that one key part to his game to have staying power in the majors.
Riley Dixon, P – Syracuse
Leg Strength 45 | Accuracy 60 | Hangtime 60 | Confidence 80 | Right Hook 80
Rockies Prospect Comp: Alex Balog, RHP
Riley Dixon is known as a punter with a relatively weak leg, but who gets a lot of air under it and is able to place the ball where he wants. He compares to Alex Balog because Balog doesn’t blow away hitters and he doesn’t have swing-and-miss stuff. Balog sits in the low 90s and his best pitches are a sinker changeup. He lives on ground ball outs. If either Balog or Dixon are out on the field, it means that the coaching staff trusts the defense.
Balog could also find himself in a long relief role if he doesn’t pan out as a starter. Being a long reliever is similar to being a punter in that your job is to keep the other team from laying on the points. You don’t necessarily have to do anything remarkable. You just need to keep everything in control and give your offense a chance to get you back into the game.
While I cannot speak to Alex Balog’s agility, I can’t write about Dixon without presenting arguably the best punter video on the internet. Many punters have executed fakes, but few fakes are capped off by an attempted hurdle and an air punch that looks straight out of Rocky.