I agree that WR is a need. That being the case, I think I'd rather take a stab at a Mike Wallace, Greg Jennings, or Dwayne Bowe in free agency as opposed to using a high pick on one.
Wide receiver(or two), pass rusher, LB that can cover TEs, and play makers at CB & Safety are at the top of my wish list ... am I asking for too much?
To each his own. I'd rather add some teeth to the defense. Just watching the 49ers vs. Packers game from this past Sunday, Miami's lacking impact players at 2 of the 3 levels. Other than Cameron Wake, there's really not anyone opponents have to gameplan around. I think Randy Starks and Paul Soliai are really good players on the front line, but neither makes a Justin Smith-like impact. Karlos Dansby, who gets a lot of unwarranted flack on here, is good, but I'd rather have Bowman or Willis. Give me anyone in their secondary over anyone in Miami's, particularly Dashon Goldson. Don't get me wrong, I would definitely use a pick on a receiver, just not a 1st rounder.
Do you see them as not top 5-10 pick worthy or not first round worthy? I'd really like to add a pass-rusher opposite Wake. I think I like Okafor the best, then Werner. I'm really interested to see Cornelius "Tank" Carradine play in the wake of Jenkins' injury. Carradine was somewhat of a local legend at Taft High here in Cincinnati. There's definitely some SERIOUS off-field red flags in his past if you go back far enough, but he was a really good player. I'm interested to see how he evolves at FSU this season. Might be a steal if those off-field issues drop his stock.
Mel Kiper's Latest Top 25 List: 1 Matt Barkley AGE: 21 DOB: 9/8/90 HT: 6-2 WT: 224 POS: QB Comp 46 Att 68 Pct 67.6 Yds 559 TD 10 Int 1 Will be tested a little more against Stanford. Working with great talent, Barkley is piling up totals, but that's a two-way street. Won't wow evaluators with physical skills, but sound across the board: ball-placement, timing, use of his eyes, poise, leadership skills and a ton of experience. Has improved every year. LAST WEEK: 1 | PLAYER CARD 2 Jarvis Jones * AGE: 22 DOB: 10/13/89 HT: 6-3 WT: 241 POS: OLB Tkl 17 Sack 3.5 Int 1 Simply dominated Missouri, showing off the full range. An explosive, relentless edge rusher, he profiles as a 3-4 OLB. Jones has a quick first step and violent hands, tackles well and closes fast. Improved against the run, and he can really cover, which many don't know. LAST WEEK: 2 | PLAYER CARD 3 Barkevious Mingo * AGE: 21 DOB: 10/4/90 HT: 6-5 WT: 242 POS: DE Tkl 8 Sack 0 Int 0 Mingo uses exceptional length and a lightning first step to turn the corner. Pass-rush skills are there, but could diversify. Still learning concepts after late start in football, but reads game well given lack of experience. LAST WEEK: 3 | PLAYER CARD 4 Sam Montgomery * AGE: 21 DOB: 5/25/90 HT: 6-4 WT: 260 POS: DE Tkl 4 Sack 1.0 Int 0 Montgomery has added some size and could be considered a fit in almost any system; and his frame can handle it if he adds more. Athleticism and pass-rush skills are there, and he really holds up against the run. Max-effort player, natural athlete, instinctive rusher. Still a lot of projection left. LAST WEEK: 4 | PLAYER CARD 5 Justin Hunter * AGE: 21 DOB: 5/20/91 HT: 6-4 WT: 205 POS: WR Rec 17 Yds 219 Avg 8.1 TD 2 Overshadowed by his teammate against N.C. State, but Hunter is dangerous. Stats haven't done him justice. Most of 2011 was wiped out by injury. Blazing speed, but uses good technique and gets in and out of breaks. Good hands, a major threat down the field. LAST WEEK: 9 | PLAYER CARD 6 Chance Warmack AGE: 21 DOB: 9/14/91 HT: 6-3 WT: 320 POS: OG GP 2 GS 2 With a great start to the season, Warmack is dominating the interior. A powerful run-blocker, he isn't just massive; Warmack moves well, with initial power plus the ability to seek out LBs on the second level. Solid pass-blocker, able to lock up rushers. LAST WEEK: 6 | PLAYER CARD 7 Star Lotulelei AGE: 22 DOB: 12/20/89 HT: 6-4 WT: 325 POS: DT Tkl 6 Sack 1.5 Int 0 Brings consistent, relentless effort. Demands double-teams, clogs up the middle of the field. A great sense for disrupting the run game, with power to bull rush. Quick off the ball, with great upper-body strength. Coaches rave. LAST WEEK: 7 | PLAYER CARD 8 Corey Lemonier * AGE: 21 DOB: 2/19/91 HT: 6-4 WT: 250 POS: DE Tkl 5 Sack 3.0 Int 0 Showing off with big games against Clemson and Mississippi State. Light for a defensive end prospect, Lemonier has the speed, but must hold up better against the run. He utilizes quickness as a pass-rusher, with great burst off the snap and a few counters. LAST WEEK: 11 | PLAYER CARD 9 Johnathan Hankins * AGE: 21 DOB: HT: 6-3 WT: 335 POS: DT Tkl 5 Sack 0 Int 0 Explosive first step for a big man, but not really a pass-rushing type. Size allows him to drive blockers into the backfield. Impressive agility; gets down the line well. Will draw constant double-teams all season, but has bouts of inconsistency. LAST WEEK: 5 | PLAYER CARD 10 Manti Te'o AGE: 21 DOB: 1/26/91 HT: 6-2 WT: 255 POS: LB Tkl 16 Sack 0 Int 1 Huge matchup approaches with Le'Veon Bell and Spartans. Should be the top interior linebacker in 2013 draft class. Has blitzing skills. Te'o is a big, strong, instinctive tackling presence in the middle of the field. Reads plays well and gets through traffic. LAST WEEK: 10 | PLAYER CARD 11 Luke Joeckel * AGE: 21 DOB: 11/6/91 HT: 6-6 WT: 310 POS: OT GP 1 GS 1 Showed his form against Florida. Really experienced, he has started on the left since his freshman season. Joeckel is best in pass protection and doesn't get rattled by speed or secondary moves. Not an elite athlete, but he's a good technician; faces great pass-rushers this season. LAST WEEK: 11 | PLAYER CARD 12 David Amerson * AGE: 20 DOB: 12/8/91 HT: 6-3 WT: 189 POS: CB Tkl 10 Sack 0 Int 1 Tough first week, but bounced back nicely. Exceptional cover skills, with a sixth sense for when to improvise. Size and speed to match up with any receiver, so he can go up for the ball, but freelances effectively. Led nation in INTs last year. Competitive. LAST WEEK: 13 | PLAYER CARD 13 Kawann Short AGE: 23 DOB: 2/2/89 HT: 6-3 WT: 312 POS: DT Tkl 5 Sack 3.0 Int 0 Played well against Notre Dame -- disruptive and into the backfield. A very good athlete who can control the line of scrimmage. Doesn't always show explosiveness, but uses his hands well to clear blocks and was constantly in the backfield. A better fit in a 4-3. LAST WEEK: 16 | PLAYER CARD 14 John Jenkins AGE: 23 DOB: 7/11/89 HT: 6-3 WT: 358 POS: DT Tkl 6 Sack 0 Int 0 Jenkins is simply a massive human being, perhaps the player in this draft class who, right now, best profiles as a true zero-tech, 3-4 nose tackle. The thing is, Jenkins can move pretty well, so he's not locked into that role. Guys like these have serious value. LAST WEEK: 18 | PLAYER CARD 15 Logan Thomas * AGE: 21 DOB: 7/1/91 HT: 6-6 WT: 262 POS: QB Comp 36 Att 61 Pct 59.0 Yds 442 TD 4 Int 0 OK start to the season, but Thomas is still getting comfortable with new pieces on offense. Huge kid with elite arm strength, and still building his repertoire as a passer. But he's not raw. In fact, has very good mechanics. Can drive the ball downfield, but displays nice touch. LAST WEEK: 14 | PLAYER CARD 16 Keenan Allen * AGE: 20 DOB: 4/27/92 HT: 6-3 WT: 206 POS: WR Rec 11 Yds 136 Avg 12.4 TD 1 Great athlete -- Allen could play defense if he wanted. Strong hands; catches the ball with ease away from his body. Sets up defenders, sees the field well, settles in creases against zones. Not a total burner, but can sell short routes and break deep. Run-after-catch skills. LAST WEEK: 14 | PLAYER CARD 17 Dee Milliner * AGE: 20 DOB: 9/14/91 HT: 6-1 WT: 199 POS: CB Tkl 5 Sack 0 Int 1 Another big corner in the Tide secondary, Milliner is another player who is extremely physical, and isn't shy in run support, but is fluid, reads the game well and can turn and run with top wideouts. LAST WEEK: 23 | PLAYER CARD 18 Eric Reid * AGE: 21 DOB: 12/10/91 HT: 6-2 WT: 212 POS: S Tkl 9 Sack 0 Int 1 Great instincts, and a sound tackler from the secondary. A safety who can cover but also play close to the line. Tied for team lead in tackles on a team that can really pursue the ball. Big hitter. LAST WEEK: 17 | PLAYER CARD 19 William Gholston * AGE: 21 DOB: 7/31/91 HT: 6-7 WT: 280 POS: DE Tkl 7 Sack 1.0 Int 0 Slow start against Boise State, but dominant in Week 2. Great length and frame, with very good pass-rushing skills. Has legit size and skills to be a 4-3 DE at the next level. Experience shows; reads offenses well. LAST WEEK: 21 | PLAYER CARD 20 Xavier Rhodes * AGE: 22 DOB: 6/19/90 HT: 6-2 WT: 209 POS: CB Tkl 5 Sack 0 Int 1 Didn't pile up INTs last year, but the tape shows how much QBs avoid him. A starter since his freshman season, Rhodes has elite size, handles deep routes well and can hang with smaller WRs. Can move up the board. LAST WEEK: 15 | PLAYER CARD 21 Robert Woods * AGE: 20 DOB: 4/10/92 HT: 6-1 WT: 185 POS: WR Rec 16 Yds 135 Avg 8.4 TD 4 Hasn't stretched defenses yet in 2012, but Woods is quick, crafty and dependable, and you can't discount his speed, as he'll beat teams over the top. Soft hands and will pick up yards after the catch. Uses space along sidelines and in the corners well. LAST WEEK: 20 | PLAYER CARD 22 Marcus Lattimore * AGE: 20 DOB: 10/29/91 HT: 6-0 WT: 232 POS: RB Rush 36 Yds 150 Avg 4.2 TD 3 A little tentative in his cuts, coming off ACL tear, but still effective. Just needs to regain confidence is my guess. Explosive, tightly packed player who packs a punch but moves better than a player his size should. Elite if healthy. LAST WEEK: 22 | PLAYER CARD 23 Le'Veon Bell * AGE: 20 DOB: 2/18/92 HT: 6-2 WT: 242 POS: RB Rush 62 Yds 280 Avg 4.5 TD 4 Piling up carries early in 2012, Bell runs, catches, blocks and is humble afterward. A bruising back, Bell follows blocks well and will run over tacklers. Not a burner, but has quick feet and can get wide where he won't run out of bounds. LAST WEEK: 24 | PLAYER CARD 24 Johnathan Banks AGE: 22 DOB: 10/3/89 HT: 6-2 WT: 185 POS: CB Tkl 7 Sack 0 Int 2 Off to a great start to reclaim his spot here, and was great against Auburn. A very good man corner, he's excellent in his backpedal and turns well. Plenty of speed to stay with speedy WRs, has length to battle up high. Tape shows he challenged line of scrimmage; gets TFL. LAST WEEK: NR | PLAYER CARD 25 Bjoern Werner * AGE: 21 DOB: 9/30/90 HT: 6-4 WT: 255 POS: DE Tkl 7 Sack 5.0 Int 0 Gaudy numbers early against soft competition, but Werner showed this last year, too. Strong but athletic, he has great ball awareness as he rushes, and knocks down balls at a high rate. Developing as a pass-rusher; high ceiling because of late arrival to the game.
For receivers, I'd love to have any of these 3. Justin Hunter, looks like a virtual AJ Green clone. Keenan Allen, would be an excellent fit for our offense. Reminds me of Victor Cruz with his suddenness, good acceleration, body control, balance, strong hands, and natural receiver instincts. Da'Rick Rogers, is as beastly as Julio Jones and could become a man among boys in the NFL.
I'd take a flier on Stoneburner. Myer has him playing WR but he can be a dynamic TE in the NFL. Like CK pointed out Fauria would be a great addition. For a late round pick I would take a chance on Ben Cotton. He is not featured in the pass game at Nebraska but neither was Jake Ballard and Cotton is much quicker than Ballard was.
No I think we're out of the tight end business for a little bit unless a special guy is available at the right pick. I certainly wouldn't mind taking another later round guy though, just to roll the dice. You could consider that position in some ways a lot like the QB position, valuable enough that maybe you take one every year...because the position is such a mismatch oriented position, and mismatches can drive offenses.
Ah, I see you already said that. Yeah I'd consider taking one a year, like Ron Wolf used to say about QBs.
I'm not sure I would shoot for a receiver with our 1st round pick in this class. I don't know that I see elite type receivers in this one. Maybe, but it's still unclear. I do see elite type talent at defensive end and right now Cameron Wake is the only guy we can count on there. STOCK UP ON THESE GUYS while they're hot and available. That's what I say. Can never have too many. We also need some damn help in the secondary. Actually would be nice if we could somehow take care of the WR spot in free agency with someone that knows the system a bit...because personally I'd love to take two DEs and two corners. I like Terry Hawthorne. And of course I love juniors like Dee Milliner, Carrington Byndom, Nickell Roby and Xavier Rhodes. I'm just trying to think about this a little. You've got five picks in the first three rounds. I would love to have with those picks...Keenan Allen, James Gayle, Cornellius Carridine, Nickell Robey and Terry Hawthorne. Maybe that's unrealistic but a hell of a haul.
The secondary needs a ball hawk with good ball skills, and Jonathan Banks is the best that is coming out relative to his ball skills. He leads all current defensive backs in college football with 14 career interceptions and counting.
I agree with this but if we have a top 10 pick is a caliber player like Eric Berry or Mark Barron? Where do you see him going draft day? Cliff Avril, Freeney, Osi I wouldn't mind Dwight Freeney if the price is right. I'd rather go DE in round 2 or 3. Right now Safety or WR in round 1 for me.
I have no idea what this guy's draft stock is like, but I figure I'll toss his name out here. BW Webb, CB, William & Mary. Honestly, the only reason I know him is because he played at my alma mater... but you could tell watching him that he really seemed to overmatch opposing receivers. Granted, he played mostly against CAA opponents, but also has played against UVA (twice), UNC, and Maryland. Dude had 2 or 3 INTs and a TD in his first gave against UVA. Anyways, I hear that he has been receiving some buzz from friends on the football team. Here is some info on him: http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=103568&draftyear=2013&genpos=CB http://www.tribeathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=25100&ATCLID=205073472 Some videos on him: http://www.tribeathletics.com/club/std/ViewCategory.dbml?BIO_PLAYER_ID=739308&DB_OEM_ID=25100
With Fasano being a FA you don't think we would be in the market for a complete TE? Clay and Egnew are more of mismatch players then your typical starting TE. If Fasano doesn't resign our TE position becomes really thin pretty quickly. I am not sure what other FA TE might be available next year though so we might not need to draft one.
I think they'll try and get Fasano back...and I've not had any indications Fasano is so disillusioned with Miami that he's itching to leave.
Yeah, I'm with Chris - with those first five picks if you could come away with a Tony Jefferson, a Jonathan Banks, a Xavier Rhodes, a Tharold Simon, a David Amerson in the secondary and then load up with pass rushers, then I'd do it. I'd fix WR in free agency and in round 3 and I'd be all over Mathieu depending on what he does, solely because he does the one thing that only Cam Wake and Dan Carpenter do on our entire team and that's make plays.
The guy I'm intrigued with is Margus Hunt. If we don't re-sign Starks and have to move Odrick inside to replace him, then IMO Hunt might be a nice fit to take over Odrick's current job, only do so as a slightly better pass rusher (despite needing obvious polishing in both aspects of the game). He kinda reminds me of JJ Watt in ability, only a little leaner and a tad quicker.
definitely agree, Alen. How would you compare their underlying, natural talent ability considering how new to football Hunt is?
IMO, considering we need defensive pressure players and an upgraded secondary, I would love to draft LB Sean Porter and Tryann Mathieu. I'm just trying to think outside the box here b/c there's no rule that says the pressure has to come from a traditional defensive end position. Our Dline is doing an great job as it is (outside of needing more pressure on passing downs) so why screw with that if we don't have to when we can bring pressure in other, non-traditional ways. Porter would be an outstanding asset to this defense IMO b/c he can be groomed into the traditional 4-3 WLB role, and during nickel, Soliai comes out, Odrick slides over, and Porter moves up to nickel pass rusher.... with the Honey Badger coming in as nickel corner. The flexibility we'd have out of this package would be incredible. We could rush 5 with Mathieu blitzing, which should be especially effective if he's coming off Wake's side. We could blitz Mathieu and drop off Porter or Wake in coverage..... or could even line up Porter & Wake next to each other and blitz Mathieu from the opposite side while dropping both Wake & Porter into coverage. Plus, in our base 4-3 defense, we could rush 5 on any given down when Porter is on the field. Considering how stout our Dline is, I don't see his size being a liability. During Porter's 1st year he could serve as a situational pass rusher. IMO he would be a key piece to our defense b/c of the flexibility he allows, so I'd go as far as trading up our 2nd rounder to get him. He also frees up our 1st rounder to go after a top cover corner like Milliner or Amerson who would be an ideal compliment to Porter & Mathieu b/c if we can land someone with great cover skills, we can bring more pressure with Porter & Mathieu, and it'd allow us to move Mashall to FS. If we can't add Wallace, Jennings, or Bowe, it'd give us the freedom to draft Keenen Allen. I guess a lot of this would depend on whether or not we re-sign Starks. If we don't, I'd move Odrick over and go after Werner, Mingo, or Montgomery with our 1st. Ideally we'll re-sign Starks and add Jennings or Wallace, leaving an ideal draft of: 1. CB Milliner or Amerson (trade back and grab an extra 2nd) 2. WLB/pass rusher Sean Porter 2. WR Da'Rick Rogers (to be our physical, imposing Jordy Nelson) 2. CB Tyrann Mathieu
Honestly, I couldn't imagine Philbin signing off on Mathieu AND Rogers. I also suspect Mathieu might play in 2013/14 for LSU as payback for LSU not kicking him off the team and giving him all the help.
I'd have to think long and hard about acquiring a player that has been to rehab for drug addiction. People tend to think of it as low risk, high reward, long as you're not drafting him high. But really the scenario you're kind of afraid of is if he does pan out well and you start counting on him because he's so good, and then he stabs you in the heart. Tough situation, I can understand if a coach just doesn't want to get into that. Then again when you've got no play makers as Simon says, you've got to take some gambles because it's a totally unacceptable situation. Really tough call. I think I would probably choose to find play makers in other ways, probably. But it's understandable either way. ****ing Bjoern Werner and James Gayle are so good. I'd love to see FSU and Alabama play. Two great defenses.
You roll the dice on a player - Adam Jones - and he blows up in your face. Then you roll on a Janoris Jenkins and - thus far - it seems to have paid off. But you can NEVER tell.
Good point.... but IMO Philbin & Ireland would be wise to look at it on a player by player basis, as it's possible for one or both of these guys to learn a valuable lesson from this wake up call and be more mature as a player and person b/c of it. On the other hand, I wouldn't just assume they've grown from it though. Rogers I would have a big hard on for if he's there in the 2nd round. Wallace/Jennings + Rogers would be quite nice IMO. If we could get a stellar, consistent corner opposite SS24, then IMO having a disruptive nickel corner like Mathieu would be worth his weight in gold blitzing off the edge with Wake commanding so much attention, but like you said---- he'll probably return for his senior year, which only makes sense. Side note: Personally, I'd almost rather go after Porter with our 2nd pick than draft a full time DE with our 1st. IMO, Odrick as base DE with Porter moving up to nickel DE is plenty good enough for what we're looking to do--- add pressure w/o sacrificing vs the run..... and at least we could still blitz Porter from our base defense if we feel the need to turn it up, and do so w/o leaving ourselves vulnerable in coverage thanks to Milliner. I just think the combo of Porter & Milliner (or Amerson) would compliment the defense tremendously. If we couldn't do Mathieu, I'd go after one of the FSs you like and let Marshall man the nickel job. Just my opinion.
Did Mathieu go to rehab b/c he really needed it, or did he go b/c it was more of a gesture to show LSU he'll do whatever it takes to correct his mistake?
