http://www.gbnreport.com/2013projection.html I will say this about Tavon Austin- it makes me shudder to think of the Pats drafting him. They always find players who can gain separation and win 1 on 1 match ups. Look at this studder step and acceleration/break away at the play starting at :45 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxzPryPMB74 We just don't get that with out current WR crew. With one of our guys that play is stopped after a short gain- how much better would Tannehill be with a player like that and a competent speedster like Williams or Wheaton (or Greg Jennings in FA) out wide?
I think those Keenan Allen projections miss the point. Allen may develop into a better version of Hartline, but our team improvement will be marginal. We don't need another WR who can't stretch the D but is great at possession receptions through the use of his hands and feet. We need the pieces that complement what we have. And I agree about Austin?NE. You combine a receiver who can get quick separation and has the ability to turn one bad defensive angle into a TD with a QB that can anticipate and get the ball out quickly and accurately and you have a defensive nightmare. On that team, Austin can potentially become a Welker with homerun capability.
Anyone else have a feeling Miami could likely be in a semi trade frenzy mode? I can see much like Ireland did with with the Odrick pick trading down and then accumulating a few more 2nd and 3rd round picks and some for next year. Not saying I think he/we should but with one year paired with Philbin he may feel multiple picks from 20-85 would be the best way to address the needs and get Philbin his type of players. There seems to be pretty good depth in that range as well , and if indeed he feels he has security it could be time to start hoarding picks for the future too. Just a sense I am having mind you.
Hartline can be a competent #2 but at some point we are going to have to figure out what role Davone Bess is to have. He has his merits, but a short and slow "Mr. Reliable" isn't ideal for a slot weapon imo. The question really is imo, is being consistent and reliable good enough, does that offset speed and explosion deficiencies in a small WR? I can see him in 3 WR sets when we're in, say 3rd and six. He has his niche, he's good at chipping away and short yardage passing downs. I saw the Dexter McCluster comparison- I'd rather have Austin, more of a true WR/RB as opposed to RB/WR imo. I'm not ready by any means to say that Armon Binns is the big, fast guy we need out wide, so I'm still thinking 2 WRs all the way, with Hartline moved to #2 and Bess, quite frankly, moved to the bench if not moved out entirely. Think about the talent infusion that a combo of Da'Rick Rogers and Austin would bring to the table. If that were to happen, and Rogers continued his streak of good behavior, that would be a massive improvement imo.
Ideally, I would like a more dynamic slot. It all comes down to opportunity though. As I look at the opportunities in this coming draft, I think the best strategy would be to target one of the DE pass rushers in the first rather than force the issue with a WR at that point. I think DE/OLB is a premium impact position and this draft has some potential premium talent at those positions that could be available at 12. Then I'd love to add Elam, S with our first 2nd round pick. I think he's potentially a special player and would be a great fit for us. I would then target whomever of Austin/Bailey/Hopkins makes it to our second 2nd round pick. I think it's a good bet that at least one of those three drops far and Bess is pretty good anyways. I think Elam would be a more impactful and difficult to find upgrade. If Elam is not there then I might double up on those WRs and target one of the other (lesser IMO) S prospects later in the draft. I also assume that we'll target and get one of the big name WR FA options. That would give us a WR corp of Jennings/Wallace or Bowe with Hartline, Bess, Austin/Bailey or Hopkins and Matthews. In a year when Bess is a FA we might be ready to move on if these young guys develop. We'd still have a hole at TE if Clay/Eggnog don't make strides or we don't add a FA TE, but you can't solve everything at once.
Call me crazy but I'd love to see a trade back for Austin and take Tank Carradine at 2c as the pass rusher...... and personally I'd make Lattimore & Mathieu priorities in the 3rd-5th round. IMO I'd start with Austin as the focal point and build the receiving corps around him. I'd want a serious vertical threat next to him to clear out space and occupy or draw the safety and a playmaking upgrade over Hartline on the other side. How it goes would depend on FA. Either Mike Wallace - Austin - Q Patton (or Nuke Hopkins).... or Markus Wheaton - Austin - Bowe (or Greg Jennings). I'd also make sure to grab one of the many TEs/Hbacks capable of stretching the middle of the field and pulling some coverage with him as well..... and I'd want either Marcus Lattimore or Reggie Bush re-signed to pair with Lamar Miller to keep LBs honest and exploit all the created space.
We should consider merging all these Mock Drafts threads into one in the same way we are doing with underclassman declaring. That way it would have the same long discussion thread
Bess doesn't have to play in the slot. He played a minority of his snaps there with Henning, and he generally does just as well or better on a per snap basis outside as he does inside. I think it's pretty manageable from a formation tendency standpoint in this offense for Bess to get a fair amount of slot snaps without being the primary slot guy too.
I have no good idea who Miami will draft at 12 and no good idea who I'd like to see us draft. I'm not sure this is a good thing.
Some people view NC State's Glennon as the top QB prospect this year. I loved Barkley last year, but didn't think he progressed much this year which was sad.
"Becoming"? I think you've already passed Go and collected 200 bucks. Just curious, how can you like Barkley and not like Boyd? IMO Boyd is a better version of Barkley.
IMO you're selling Hartline short. I see him as a nice #2 and he has a good rapport with RT. I'd prefer a #1 paired with Hartline and a guy like Hopkins or Bailey to develop (and Matthews too). I'd also keep Bess for another year until that development happened.
I don't like Bess on the outside. He can produce stats, but he can't threaten the defense. You put him outside and the D is happy to let him catch short passes all day while they shut down everybody else. In the end he produces a few first downs, but our offense bogs down.
I don't think I am. It's not like Hartline wouldn't see the field. If I can upgrade Hart with a better playmaking caliber receiver who also poses a threat in the redzone, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Personally, I'd rather have Hartline as a backup, jack-of-all trades receiver capable of rotating in at all 3 positions, which would give him plenty of playing time. Not only would that strengthen the starting flanker position but it'd strengthen our depth and provide greater flexibility & versatility. I'd prefer to have an efficient starting split end with 850+ yards & 6+ TDs paired with Hartline as the versatile 600+ yards, 1 TD backup than have Hartline as the starting flanker at 800+ yards & minimal scoring production paired with a less versatile backup who might initially be limited to just 1 position. I'm not sure how this is any different from what I said, as Hopkins would hopefully earn the starting job over Hartline opposite whatever top receiver we sign, effectively making Hartline a backup, no?
You always want the upgrade assuming it makes economic sense. I just don't think that there should be this push to sign/draft (with prime resources) more than a couple of WRs since we already have a good #2 and a good #3 on the roster along with one decent developmental prospect. The impression I got was that you were demanding some wholesale turnover of the receiving corp and I don't agree with the wisdom or necessity of that. I actually think we'd be fine with just the #1 WR and a seam TE. I only want to target guys like Hopkins, Bailey etc. b/c that's where I see talent in this draft. I want one of those guys for developmental purposes down the line. I'm not expecting great production this coming year. If it happens great. I think that it's possible that a guy like Hopkins could be a Desean Jackson type, but realistically the best bet is that our production will come from the FA #1, Hartline, Bess and hopefully the development of Matthews.
I never said he's useless. I just don't think he's as effective out there in terms of total offense productivity. The route tree from the slot better suits his skill set, he's sometimes covered by LBs and motion is more common so he gets a free release more often.
I dont buy into Keenan Allen at all especially reaching at number 12. If Miami reaches for a receiver at 12 I would hope its either Terrence Williams, Hopkins or even Austin. Austin is the best available playmaker in this draft and I would not mind taking him at 12. He helps in so many different aspects of the game. I know taking him at 12 might seem crazy, but after the combine I bet people will start to realize that wouldn't be the craziest pick after all. I'd rather reach for Austin then Allen overall point.
I like Allen and I do think he'd make our WR corps better. I think he can be an Anquan Boldin type of WR. He's not going to take the top off of a defense, but I think he might be the safest 1st round WR to give you production right away. I don't think he's very good value at 12 though and that's why I would much rather the Dolphins add Wallace/Jennings/Bowe and choose from that next tier of WRs who I think give you much better value where they are slated to go.
We should get Cincy to trade up with us for an extra 2nd. The late 1st through round 2 seems rife with good gambles. Package our two thirds for another second as well. A late first and four second rounders would play well for our needs in this draft. Ireland would be spent after day 2...
The whole issue of that 12 slot is confusing. In terms of pure filling of needs and our need for playmakers, I wouldn't mind if we took Elam or Austin with that first pick. Year in and year out high 1st rd picks are supposed to to have ideal size- Elam is short and Ausitn is short and thin, but they are dynamic and would fill needs. Bob Sanders was 5'8 and that didn't stop him from being NFL Defensive MVP. Earl Thomas is about the same height as Elam, and Elam looks like he's flying all over the field to me, like Thomas. Austin would probably help tremendously with his speed, explosion and escapability- Desean Jackson isn't much bigger and does just that. What if Jake Long walks and one of the A&M boys is sitting there? What about Chance Warmack given our Guard situation? What if Lotulelei is actually there at #12? What if we dumped Dansby and his bloated contract and drafted Alec Ogletree? We might have a chance to trade down if one of the OTs or Lotulelei slip- or of course just take them. I have no idea what we'll do, but it might not be a bad year to draft 2nd round size and 1st round production as opposed to being seduced by the player with ideal size and potential. Just take a player- ideally a playmaker- who fits our needs and provides quality.
I really do not want to see the Dolphins trade down. I'm tired of them moving back and passing on blue chip talent. That's how you end up with Jared Odrick instead of JPP or Earl Thomas. We have enough early picks that we don't have to move down to add more. This isn't a team right now that's missing a lot of pretty good players. It already has that. It needs some playmakers on both sides of the ball.
Oh please do go on about the success rate of WR's taken in the first... Dude, I hear you, but unless a Teo or Jones drops, this is not the draft to apply your frustrated sensibilities to. You can still get Allen or Hunter or whoever at 20 and beyond. None of these WR's are rated in the top half of the first round.
