If we continue on pace with our season (2-3) towards the end we'll have slightly more losses than we will wins; but we won't be horrible. I'd put us in the middle somewhere. We have a first, two 2nd rounders, a third/fourth/ 2 5th rounds. I don't think we have a 6th because of ferg. and a seventh. 1, 2,2,3,4,5,5,7. What college players stand out to you that will be on the board by the time we have our picks? (i could be wrong about the rounds and picks I was trying to find something I had posted elsewhere but couldn't. feel free to berate me for being wrong).
After the ridiculous trade the Cowboys made for Roy Williams there is no way I see Anquan Boldin being traded for a 2nd rounder.
I hope we get some secondary help and some Lbs that can defend in pass coverage out of this coming draft.
Here: 1. Evander Hood DT 2a. Darius Butler CB 2b. Demetrius Byrd WR 3. Clint Sintim ILB 4. Rashad Johnson FS 5. Derek Walker DE/OLB 5. Garrett Reynolds OT
That's interesting. Randy Starks doesn't fit the mold for you or are you thinking a backup to starks?
Starks isn't the backup NT as far as I can tell, Soliai gets reps at the position ahead of him. Starks is this regime's answer for when we go nickel and dime, we can bring him in to play DT, or we can use him as a 3-4 DE. I don't think they expecting Langford to play this well to start the season so they ended up with two players for the same position. Hood plays with much more leverage, and many, many times is into backfield. He fits the profile of what they want, strong base, quick, powerful hands and lateral agility to get down the line and help stuff the run. He is active, and they like active. Peria Jerry is another guy I like at NT.
Not off the top of my head. I am working on something that i will share with the site soon. I've been doing this for months and need about one more to get the job mostly done. Evander Hood #94 Missouri is probably a best fit as a 3 technique tackle because of his ability to get into the backfield. Many cover 2 teams will covet this come come April. Firs the mold of what we want, as stated. Plays with energy and doesn't get blown off the ball much, and IMO doesn't get washed out as much as Sedrick Ellis did last year. Darius Butler #1 Connecticut is a tough little sucker, plays both ways and bumps the recivers often although he can operate in a zone quite wll. Is a little smaller than the regime would ideally like, but plays bigger than his size. Physical in pass routes, but doesn't throw himself into the run, and could be more physical there. Qucik feet, nice hands and has very good hips, he peaks too much and gets a little high in his back pedal and doesn't always play with technique but is a gifted athlete. Juaquin Iglesias #9 is a tall WR who looks smooth when running his routes although he can round his breaks and doesn't always sink well when changing direction, making the transition difficult. Has decent hands and good body control, he is physical in the run game and is a willing blocker for his teammates. I would like to see him get more separation but is he can refine his technique he could be good. Clint Sintim #51 is an OLB at Virginia and is a former DE. The Cavs use him to rush and drop into coverage and is much better than his running mate Appleby. Much more physical and has massive shoulders and arms. Moves his feet well, and is always around the ball. Plays with good instincts, but can tackle too high sometimes and doesn't always wrap up. Holds the POA very well against bigger O-lineman and would be a nice fit inside for us. Rashad Butler will hit you and has shown good range so far and is climbing up boards. He isn't as big as you may want but is a heady player as he has gotten Saban's schemes and makes the most out of his opportunities. He isn't a ball hawk but is a solid player who does a decent job tackling and reading the play although he can get caught flatfooted processing info. Derrick Walker #91 is a strong side DE for the Illini, he holds the point well, has the size and wingspan this regime will like. He is faster than Matt Roth and is pretty phyical himself. he has good hips and can redirect well, although he isn't explosive. He is steady if not spectacular and would be a nice addition to back up Roth and then replace him. I have seen him operate in space from time to time and he moves well for a guy 6'5'' 270. Garrett Reynolds is a decent OT, although he could be more physical and finish better. he has decent feet and can anchor well enough. He must get stronger at the POA and use his hands better when facing a player who hand fights. He sometimes waits on defenders too much and should be more aggressive. He could be a decent swing tackle.
Yeah I cant see Boldin moving for anything less than a first round pick at this point. Con, why do you see us going NT? I assume you think Ferg. is not gonna be around for to long and that Solai isnt anything more than a backup?
BP LOVES defensive lineman and LB's. Of all the first round draft picks he has ever had 50% have been LB's, care to take a guess what his second favorite draftee is? Ferguson is older and has had issues staying healthy. I'd like him to stick one more year and help to groom the other guy. That way whoever we take will have a year to get game experience without everything being thrust on him all at once. Soliai doesn't fit the mold either, and he plays like he's 280, not like Ferguson who plays like he's 330 lbs. Soliai does it backwards.
Cool. You dont think we will take a look at a guy like Malauga or Laurinaitis? Or are we more in for a pass rushing OLB type?
Malauaga has the size, but he misses reads and uses his athleticism to bail him out. He misses many plays and gets bailed out. Basically he isn't as instinctive as you think, reminds me of Lavar Arrington that way. Laurenaitis is more technically sound, although I wonder if he is the banger we need to operate this defense effectively. Our ILB's have to take on G's and be able to handle them pound for pound, thats why guys like Ayodele fit it because he is an ex DE who got moved to OLB in Jax, then kicked inside. We need a good base and strong upperbody and shoulders to execute the defense. Sintim is that type of player. Basically look for strong steack and shed type guys who can handle the POA very well. They don't have to blitz well, but be able stand up a G when needed and play off the block.
Like Con says, if it isn't a defensive end convert to linebacker or a NT, then I'll be stunned. Big disappointment that Lawrence Wilson is out for the season. You like Hood, I like Granger at this point. He isn't clean character wise, but he's no Pac Man Jones either. BJ Raji had a massive game vs NC State a week back with 3 sacks. He's a nice player as well. I don't see us taking Maualuga for the reasons that you state, which we've talked about often enough before. He's instinctively brain dead. Chris adores Brandon Spikes and size wise he fits the bill of the archetypal Jeff Ireland player. I have some pretty severe reservations at this point and his 2 picks against LSU certainly masked what was a decidely average game. You seen Anthony Felder of Cal? Saw him against Maryland and he was all over the field. Checks in around 6'3, 250. Tackling machine.
Where did we get the extra 5th round pick? We have three 7th round picks. Our original 7th, one for Daniels, and one for McCown.
Hey boom how do you like Lawrence Wilson and Cameron Heyward as 3-4 DE's? I'm bummed about Wilson having a 2nd season ending injury seems the guy can't catch a break.
No I haven't seen Felder - but I'll see what I can unearth Keep an eye on Julius Williams from UConn - Cody Brown gets all the pub, but this guy is the reason he can show up. Williams does all the dirty work on the strong side. I could see him getting kicked inside - he has good hips and feet in his back pedal. Watch Brown's packbedal and try to keep your beer from coming out your nose at the difference in natural athleticism. Maybe Kirston Pittman but I wonder if he'll stand up and move all that well. I still say watch Sintim as he will climb up boards unnoticed until draft day when the average fan goes "who the hell is this guy?" Raji is a very good player, but he has very slow hands compared with the other 2 DT's you mentioned and he can be stoned easier as he doesn't have that explosive step that Hood and Granger do. Different player archetypes, but still. Raji would work better for the Pats and Chargers I would think, given the way they play.
I liked Wilson an awful lot. He struck a couple of us as a pretty ideal conversion candidate from end to OLB. I hope he can come back and put the injuries behind him because he's very much the sort of player this team craves.
Cameron Heyward would be nice - I like him. Isn't he only a soph though? As Boom said Wilson has been discussed a few times that I remember.
Thanks Boom Its too bad about his injuries, Broken Leg and now a Torn ACL. I hope he makes a full recovery. Yup he is a Soph, the Buckeyes switched him to DT though, well against spread teams anyways.
As of right now I'm still favoring guys like Pannel Egboh, Matt Shaughnessy, C.J. Wilson, maybe Tim Jamison, and Brian Cushing.
I really don't know. It's a concern, for sure. More concerning to me is that he's always played in a more coverage role than a rusher role...leaving the straight up rushing to guys like Clay Matthews. Cushing has the ability to change games with his rushing, so the question becomes...are they putting him at the other spot because that's the more valuable position in their defense? Or is it that there's something they don't like about his pass rushing?
Not as much as Cushing. He plays with minor injuries, no doubt he is a great talent just gets nicked up a little bit more than usual.
That certainly fits needs... but with this regime, will we strictly go needs or BPA? I know next to nothing about College football, or those players, unfortunately, so thanks to all of you in this thread for edifying me.
Why Evander Hood in Round 1? My draft: 1-Vontae Davis-Cornerback-Illinois 2A: Kam Chancellor-Safety-Virginia Tech 2B: Evander Hood-Defensive Tackle-Missouri 3: Juaquin Iglesias-Wide Receiver-Oklahoma that is my 1st 3 rounds
Yup, I bet he ends up there by the time the draft rolls around. Once the testing an all that jazz gets done. Hopefully he'll be smart and go to the Senior Bowl and show he can play lights out. Sedrick Ellis wasn't anywhere close to the place he was drafted at this time last year. He rose so much after the season it was ridiculous, and I'm betting Hood gets that same type of rise. If I am wrong, I'll be found out, but thats what I'll say. Obviously I'm not betting a house on it or anything but you get the idea. I also had us doing that around 9-12 range (#11 in my mind) so it isn't that wild an idea there IMO, given the nature of the NFL.
If that Cody fella from Bama keeps playing like this...I've been skeptical of him because of stamina concerns, but he's definitely the elephant in the room when it comes to our draft targets. Let's face it, Jason Ferguson just showed part of the reason he was let go by Dallas for a 6th round pick even though he plays really well. You can't rely on him to play every game or stay healthy. And on top of that, Paul Soliai picks now to start breaking team rules, screwing off and getting suspended. Randy Starks played NT and even though he pass rushed well from the position, he was inadequate when it came to stopping the run. Keep in mind that Phil Merling's position may not necessarily be signed and sealed yet. He looks like he's gaining a bit of weight but the coaches could always tell him to reverse that, and they've tried him extensively at an OLB position like Roth's. Randy Starks' emergence could mean Starks, Holliday, Langford and maybe Dotson or someone rotate a bit at the DE positions more while Merling works a little bit on the outsides, longer term.
Hmm, well I don't know if that's true. He was definitely duking it out with Glenn Dorsey for #1 DT status, and everyone knew that the dropoff from those two, to everyone else, was tremendous. In fact, at this point in the year, Dorsey's injuries put Sedrick Ellis as the #1 DT in college football according to NFL Draft Scout. Not saying Evander Hood couldn't pull it off, just saying I'm not sure I'd draw the Sedrick Ellis comparison yet because Ellis was long regarded like 1b to Dorsey's 1a, especially at this point. Elephant in the room is that Cody kid from Bama. If he's for real, and not just some mirage, then we're going to have to keep a very close eye on him barring a trade down (strong possibility, we still need so many positions). I would look for them to take at least two cornerbacks in this next draft, from the mid to low rounds. They like to double up when an entire position needs taking care of. They could and should probably do the same with the WR position. From there, you have to decide what you're going to do at positions like ILB, OLB, NT and S. Free agency, I guess. I figure, in the draft, you can probably take care of three things. You can take a Cody, then take care of two other positions, get some other guys to fill out some different areas. You have to try and do the rest in FA. Can we get a big time WR in free agency? Tough question. If so maybe we can focus on the CB and ILB positions in the draft.
I do not remember Ellis being ranked that high before the combine, Senior Bowl etc. Yes he was considered 1b, but his draft spot wasn't in the Top 10 before all of that happened. He was, if memory serves a 15-20 range first round pick going into all of that. Hood is climbing, I will say that as he continues to get into the backfield with stunning regularity. Is he as refined as Ellis? Probably not, is he as athletic? IMO yes. I think Hood definitely comes into the picture at #10 and after in the first round by the time it is all well and done. I know I'm looking at a good jump from being the 2nd round, but if some of these juniors don't declare, his path will much, much easier given what is out there. If guys like Senderick Marks etc come out then it will help to push him down but I still believe that he will be in the 1st round.
