!!!TRADE!!!TRADE!!!TRADE!!!
The Pittsburgh Steelers have traded their 17th overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings for their 23rd and 25th overall picks.
Im sorry, but I cant justify Jones, Vaccaro or Eifert at 17. Jones will probably be a Saint, as well as he is clearly a 1 trick pony. And a potentially ill and slow one at that. Vaccaro will probably follow in the footsteps of Mark Barron and also go top 15. And while Miller is 31 and now injured, TE is not as pressing of a need, especially at 17. Side note- If Rhodes is somehow, someway on the board, HE IS THE PICK. Tomlin must still be pissed we missed out on Revis, and I bet you he wont let that happen again. But alas, Rhodes is considered by most the 2nd best CB. And if you believe all the shit falling on Milliner, Rhodes could be the 1st CB taken. Either way, hes long gone by 17.
Yes, Ive been paving the way for Elam at 17, but even that might just be a tad too high. But even more important is the fact that weve lost over a half dozen players, many of them former starters, and if you add in the backups, we have far more than 8 holes.
Up until last night I was really leaning on Atlanta to be our best trade partner, but then I starting thinking like my co-blogger. Where is the history between the teams? With Atlanta? None. 49ers? Nope. Minnesota? Ummm, yup. Tomlin was their former DC before becoming our HC. And I bet, if Teo (will be), Patterson (probably will be), Austin (flip a coin) or even Tank Carradine (perhaps) are their at 17, we're trading with the Vikings. We need the picks. And Colbert said himself "there are 6-8 players worthy of our 1st pick" as well as "rounds 2-4 are very very deep". So lets get 2 of them. Maybe even 3.
One more note before I continue- Ive been making a mistake the last 4 drafts, thinking that Tomlin has never drafted 2 players from the same school in the same draft. Maybe it was my MS, or maybe just my Black N Gold blood not allowing me to remember the 2008 "draft", but sure as shit we did draft Sweed and Hills, both Longhorns. Remember that when you go thru this final mock. Yes, its my final mock. I will not be posting the one I built with Jarvis at 17, nor the ones with Cooper (I wish) or Elam (still wishing) at 17. This my friends, is the way it will go. So it is said, so it shall be done. Or some movie line I cant quite recall.
That said, lets get to business...
23 (from MN) Matt Elam, Safety Florida- Ive written about Elam as the perfect fit for our defense as well as our 1st pick many many times. Ed Bouchette had an article the other day that further backed my belief. Ed wrote that unlike most other teams, they dont do a full NFL mock. The do a Steelers mock, at every pick, allowing them and Mr. Rooney to omit players that either do not fit our team or that have off field issues that Dan doesnt wanna have. Ok, except for Rainey. And Ta'Amu. And Adams. Ugh. Either way, this shows that while other teams may have Vacarro as the best safety in the draft, MT and Colbert very well could have Elam at that spot. And Im betting they do. Add to that Mike Mayock released his top 100 with Elam 25 overall.
25 (from MN) Arthur Brown, LB Kansas State- The Steelers attended his pro day in mass, and like the other 31 teams, drooled at the sight. These 1st 2 picks could go either way, but keeping in the history of us drafting a junior, Elam, first. Nevertheless, the only way Brown makes it to us now at 25 is if the Bears are in the john when picking at 20. I do have to say this- he was invited to the Senior Bowl, but due to a minor injury he could not attend. Actually, he couldnt play. He still attended. He wanted to show the coaches and scouts that just like in the game, if hes injured, DONT WRITE HIM OFF. He still wanted to work out and meet with the coaches. He didnt want to disappear due to some injury. He wanted to make sure he was known. I liked that ALOT. Much like Timmons Brown can flex inside and out, while in his case ILB might be his more comfortable position but most teams see him flexing to OLB with ease. We have 1-2 years to see where he fits best, as Harrison (and Worilds) replacement at ROLB, or as Farrior (and Foote and Spences) replacement inside. Either way, we cant lose. He is the same size as Harrison with Timmons speed. He wraps up tackles and has the patience to allow the play to unfold before striking. I can only imagine Elam and Brown starting out on Special Teams, as well as certain packages to get their feet wet. Yup, drooling.
48 LeVeon Bell, RB Michigan State- While there is recent news that Franklin has our eye, I happen to think this news, along with inviting both he and Lacy, were on purpose. There are some that have said Bell is indeed the best all around back in the draft. Some say its Franklin. And some Lacy. What better way to allow Bell to be there at 48 than to show other teams were interested in the other RBs. Let them take Franklin and Lacy, only to have Bell come right to our doorstep. Side note- Id be fine with any of these RBs (Franklin, Ball, Bell, Gillislee, maybe even Michael) but Bell is at the top of my list. And if you look further, hes a junior. And Tomlin loves juniors. He feels younger players are more open to being coached. Bell has soared up the draft boards, and had dinner with MT and Colbert. In my opinion Bell looks and plays a lot like Steven Jackson. As a matter of fact, Jax also said Bell reminds him of himself. While he doesnt have scary 4.4 speed, he does have the patience to find the best hole, and then deliver a brutal stiff arm to give himself separation. He has experience in the inside and outside zone blocking scheme, and while the stretch play might be more difficult for him to pull off in the NFL, a counter or misdirection could give him plenty of room to break away. And thats not to mention his threat in the passing game.
79 Stedmon Bailey, WR WVU- Yes we invited mid to late rounders with speed in Boyce, King and Brown, but with Wallace gone and Sanders to probably follow we need to act sooner to fill the WR spot. Why Bailey? He happens to have similar YPC to Patterson, but is a 3 year starter, and runs superb routes (everything Patterson is not). He is similar in size to the "Young Money Family", and is about the same speed as Sanders, and like Sanders he can play in the slot or outside. He is very physical at the LOS, and can get off the snap with damn near anyone in his face. To put more fuel to the fire he worked out with Mr. Richard Mann to get ready for the Combine. Recognize the name? Hes our new WR Coach and has raved about Bailey from day 1. I also did some math recently on the number of players we draft that were also brought in for a workout. We average 3-4 per year. While the number of visitors sits only at 24/30, my other mocks had far too many visitors being drafted by us. So I tweaked it, but kept with the history of MTs most successful drafts, 2010, 2011 and 2012 (maybe). Bailey falls right into place here.
115 Dion Sims, TE Michigan State- Remember when I said I was wrong with the 2 players 1 draft thing? MT and Colbert took Bell and Sims to dinner before the MI State pro day. Sims is very much like Miller in that he is a terrific in line blocker, but is also a threat in short/intermediate routes. While Miller is left behind when the "best TEs" are ranked, he led our team in receptions last year and if given the chance Sims could be a nice filler to take over for Heath in a year or 2. While we wont flex him out to the slot too often, Haley can easily do that with Paulson and keep Sims in to block, or even chip block, then being the surprise target underneath.
150 B.W. Webb, CB William and Mary- Here is my only player falling. Why? Height and lack of competition. Or so I hope. The more I read and watch this kid, the more I like him. He is a total ball hawk that will knock the bejesus outta you if given the chance in run support. Plus, hes from MTs Alma Mater. Weve invited a few mid round CBs all with 2 things in common- speed and hands. Webb grabbed the attention of scouts and coaches with his play at the Senior Bowl. While he doesnt have the height Id prefer at CB, he does happen to be the same size as a certain former MT draftee... Ugh, William Gay. Webb usually plays the LCB spot, but has also played nickel as well as returned punts. And what makes his 5'10 height ok?- a 40 inch vertical. Go ahead, put it up. This kid will give everything he has to go get it, or at least knock it down. He can give Brown some competition at the dime spot, while actually getting playing time on special teams as a punt returner.
186 Michael Mauti, LB PSU- Its about time we drafted a LB from Penn State. Oh, this one has had 3 ACL tears? 3 ya say? Not 2? No. 3. Shit. The way I understand it is that weve been involved with the kid for a long long time, and will give him every chance to start out on special teams and maybe fill in for the other seriously injured ILB Spence at some point. Ive also read that his football smarts are extremely high, and he has a big love for the game. Its the 6th round, so what the hell. Why not? I did move him up 1 pick from my former mocks, more so to meet the history trends of MTs prior mocks. I have also read that if not for the ACL tears, he coulda been a top 60 pick.
206 Ryan Griffin, QB Tulane- Ive written about him before. He is known for his accuracy, though against iffy competition. Were not looking for the next Big Ben, but competition for the 2nd and 3rd QB spot is fine. And damn near anything besides Leftwich is a step up.
223 Nik Embernate, OL San Diego State- We might have struck gold with the Beachum pick here last year. Could we do it again? While Nik (easier to type than his last name) isnt as position flexible, he does have something in common with a former Steeler. Kemoeatu. Niks nickname is EmberNASTY. His coaches yanked him from his starting spot after being thrown out of a game in his freshman year. He simply enjoys hitting people. And in a zone blocking scheme both in college and now here, that isnt a "bad" thing, as long as its under control. He hasnt had any issues of the sort since that one episode, saying that it really woke me up". Like Destro he is very familiar (and enjoys) trapping to the left from the RG spot. While I thought finding a OL that had spent time as a OT would be the best, this mock just didnt turn out that way. I do have 2 UDFAs that could help with that matter though. In the meantime, Nik can probably be worked out at OC at some point, as well as LG.
Based on our losses as well our very limited gains in Free Agency we can actually add up to 17-19 UDFAs. Here are my top 10 favorites.
Xavier Brewer, DB Clemson- played CB and can flex to both safety spots.
Byron Jerideau, DT South Carolina or Darius Smith, DT Miami- either could be a practice squad NT and learn to flex to the 5 tech. Both happen to be the same size as the DT Tomlin loves, Brandon Williams. Plus, we gotta have someone ready when TaAmu gets busted again.
Jonathan Meeks, S Clemson- more of a pure safety that can play either spot. We did lose 2 safeties to free agency, but Golden may have earned 1 of the backup spots with Elam at the other. A solid PS I bet. He was brought in for a visit.
Marvin Burdette, LB UAB- we worked him out at his pro day, and while hes probably not taller than, umm, ME, he is a lot like the Mauti pick in that he is all football all the time. A solid wrap up tackler who feels he should make every tackle on the field. Are you paying attention Sylvester?
Ryan Turnley, OL Pitt- heres the local kid. He has and can play almost all of the positions on the oline, he is easily a solid replacement for Bruno but takes it a step further. In addition to OC and OG, he has the size to play RT if needed.
Mike Farrell, OT PSU or RJ Dill, OT Rutgers- either can flex both OT spots as well as RG.
Curtis McNeal, RB USC- here is Raineys replacement. While Id love to draft McCalebb from Auburn we cant afford to pick 2 RBs in the draft. Here is another fast, scat back who is also a kick returner.
Justin Brown, WR Oklahoma- I had him as our 7th round pick for a long time but trading with the Vikes only gets us 1 extra pick. Heres hoping he falls thru and we grab him. He is the tall, bigger WR that Ben has been wanting for awhile now. He was also invited for a work out.
This blog is solely used to provide both Steelers and Bears fans with a very realistic look at their teams upcoming possible draft picks.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
2013 NFL Draft Positional Rankings (Defense)
Now onto the defensive side of the ball.
-Edge Rushers (4-3 DE/3-4 OLB)-
1. Jarvis Jones, Georgia
2. Barkevious Mingo, LSU
3. Dion Jordan, Oregon
4. Ezekiel Ansah, BYU
5. Bjoern Werner, Florida State
6. Datone Jones, UCLA
7. Alex Okafor, Texas
8. Cornelius Carradine, Florida State
9. Damontre Moore, Texas A&M
10. Jamie Collins, Southern Miss
11. Corey Lemonier, Auburn
12. Sam Montgomery, LSU
13. Margus Hunt, SMU
14. Devin Taylor, South Carolina
15. Brandon Jenkins, Florida State
16. John Simon, Ohio State
17. William Gholston, Michigan St.
18. Quanterus Smith, Western Kentucky
19. Malliciah Goodman, Clemson
20. Chase Thomas, Stanford
Jones is still #1 despite the 40. Most productive career of this group. One of the most highly recruited of this group. He's a good football player, athleticism or not. Back is a non-issue. Mingo had great Soph. tape, showed flashes as a Jr. He's over Jordan because he actually did rush the passer primarily (and did it well) in college. Jordan and Ansah are this high for athletic ability. Wouldn't be surprised if both are busts. I probably wouldn't take either if I'm picking in the top 8. Okafor is very underrated. Consistent player without elite athleticism, but experienced and a savvy pass rusher. Numbers 10, 11, 14, 15, 18 and 19 may all have their best football ahead of them. Smith, in particular, was leading the nation in sacks before tearing his ACL...including doing a huge number on Bama's DJ Fluker. Potential steal if his knee checks out.
-Interior DL (4-3 DT, 3-4 DE, 3-4 NT)-
1. Star Lotulelei, Utah
2. Sharrif Floyd, Florida
3. Sheldon Richardson, Missouri
4. Kawaan Short, Purdue
5. Sylvester Williams, North Carolina
6. Bennie Logan, LSU
7. Jesse Williams, Alabama
8. Jonathan Hankins, Ohio State
9. Brandon Williams, Missouri Southern State
10. John Jenkins, Georgia
11. Jordan Hill, Penn State
12. Akeem Spence, Illinois
13. Montori Hughes, Tennessee-Martin
14. Everett Dawkins, Florida State
15. Kwame Geathers, Georgia
Floyd has shot up draft boards. Richardson probably was the most productive/unblockable player of this group, but Lotulelei is still a freak. Star's size, strength, athleticism combo is elite. Hard not to think of Hloti Ngata watching him play. Short is underrated. Looked like he had some conditioning issues, but he'll wreak havoc in the opponents backfield for 30 plays a game. Logan from LSU has his best football ahead of him. Like him about as much as I liked his teammate Michael Brockers last year. Probably even more productive in college. Brandon Williams is somewhat of a sleeper who also has a great size/speed/strength combination. Hughes is also extremely talented, but has to get his head on straight.
-Linebackers (All 4-3 LBs, 3-4 ILBs)-
1. Alec Ogletree, Georgia
2. Arthur Brown, Kansas State
3. Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
4. Khaseem Greene, Rutgers
5. Kevin Minter, LSU
6. Jon Bostic, Florida
7. Sio Moore, UConn
8. Zaviar Gooden, Missouri
9. Kevin Reddick, North Carolina
10. Kiko Alonzo, Oregon
11. DeVonte Holloman, South Carolina
12. Sean Porter, Texas A&M
13. Trevardo Williams, UConn
14. Jelani Jenkins, Florida
15. Vince Williams, Florida State
The popular thing to do is to question Ogletree's instincts, but you don't make 109 tackles in 9 games and not know what's going on. Granted, he's no Ray Lewis out there, but he's possibly the best specimen at the LB position since LaVar Arrington came out. I think he can be coached up. Start him out at SLB, eventually move him to the middle, get a star if he stays out of trouble. It's also popular to talk bad about Manti Te'o. Part of the reason he looks so bad right now is because people for some reason called him a top 10 pick at one point. That was a mistake, and he's back now where he should be a late 1 to mid-2 pick. Has all the instincts in the world. Really like players 6-8, Moore is very versatile. Looks like a 4-3 SLB who can really blitz and rush the passer on 3rd down. Gooden is extremely athletic. Kind of like Zach Brown who had a strong rookie year for Tennessee last year. Can probably cover any TE in the league. Jenkins would be higher if he could stay healthy.
- Cornerbacks-
1. Dee Milliner, Alabama
2. Xavier Rhodes, Florida State
3. Desmond Trufant, Washington
4. Jamar Taylor, Boise State
5. David Amerson, North Carolina State
6. DJ Hayden, Houston
7. Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State
8. Jordan Poyer, Oregon State
9. Tyrann Mathieu, LSU
10. Logan Ryan, Rutgers
11. Robert Alford, Southeastern Louisiana
12. Dwayne Gratz, UConn
13. Darius Slay, Mississippi State
14. Brandon McGee, Miami
15. Terry Hawthorne, Illinois
16. Leon McFadden, San Diego State
17. Blidi Wreh-Wilson, UConn
18. Steve Williams, California
19. B.W. Webb, William & Mary
20. Sanders Commings, Georgia
I'm very particular about my CBs. I don't know why anyone spends a top 15 pick on one unless you know for a fact they are going to be a stud....talking Deion Sanders, Patrick Peterson type. There's no such player in this class. Rhodes is a close 2 for me. Milliner's ball skills are iffy, but he shutdown everyone he played. Interested to see how he does without 7 all americans surrounding him on every play. 4-6 are guys I would take between 25-40 and probably get as much production as the top 3. Amerson had some ugly games this year, but he's a big CB who intercepted 10 passes as a Soph. Play him in some off man or zone, and I like his ability to make plays on the ball. Not as big as most on Wreh Wilson. Steve Williams is my big sleeper of the group. Blazing speed, good enough size.
-Safeties-
1. Eric Reid, LSU
2. Matt Elam, Florida
3. Kenny Vaccaro, Texas
4. Jonathan Cyprien, Florida International
5. Shamarco Thomas, Syracuse
6. JJ Wilcox, Georgia Southern
7. TJ McDonald, USC
8. Baccari Rambo, Georgia
9. DJ Swearinger, South Carolina
10. Philip Thomas, Fresno State
11. Shawn Williams, Georgia
12. Duke Williams, Nevada
13. Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma
14. Josh Evans, Florida
15. Earl Wolff, North Carolina State
Great class. There's no way 15 safeties go on the first 2 days, but I think all these guys are worth top 90 picks. Not a big fan of Vaccaro, though I see the versatility and why teams/scouts like him. His slow 40 is a concern that I've always had and I don't know that he's "great" at any area (tackling, man, deep middle/half zone) other than blitzing. Reid had great Soph tape. Looked like he was trying to make splash plays too much last year (big hit or INT). But can't teach 6'2" with that speed/range. Good coach makes him a star. My co-writer is a big fan of Elam, and I agree. If he was a little bigger, he'd be my #1. Swearinger, Shawn Williams, Evans and Wolff look like solid/reliable players. Rambo, Duke, the Thomases and Jefferson all have big upside or bust potential.
-Edge Rushers (4-3 DE/3-4 OLB)-
1. Jarvis Jones, Georgia
2. Barkevious Mingo, LSU
3. Dion Jordan, Oregon
4. Ezekiel Ansah, BYU
5. Bjoern Werner, Florida State
6. Datone Jones, UCLA
7. Alex Okafor, Texas
8. Cornelius Carradine, Florida State
9. Damontre Moore, Texas A&M
10. Jamie Collins, Southern Miss
11. Corey Lemonier, Auburn
12. Sam Montgomery, LSU
13. Margus Hunt, SMU
14. Devin Taylor, South Carolina
15. Brandon Jenkins, Florida State
16. John Simon, Ohio State
17. William Gholston, Michigan St.
18. Quanterus Smith, Western Kentucky
19. Malliciah Goodman, Clemson
20. Chase Thomas, Stanford
Jones is still #1 despite the 40. Most productive career of this group. One of the most highly recruited of this group. He's a good football player, athleticism or not. Back is a non-issue. Mingo had great Soph. tape, showed flashes as a Jr. He's over Jordan because he actually did rush the passer primarily (and did it well) in college. Jordan and Ansah are this high for athletic ability. Wouldn't be surprised if both are busts. I probably wouldn't take either if I'm picking in the top 8. Okafor is very underrated. Consistent player without elite athleticism, but experienced and a savvy pass rusher. Numbers 10, 11, 14, 15, 18 and 19 may all have their best football ahead of them. Smith, in particular, was leading the nation in sacks before tearing his ACL...including doing a huge number on Bama's DJ Fluker. Potential steal if his knee checks out.
-Interior DL (4-3 DT, 3-4 DE, 3-4 NT)-
1. Star Lotulelei, Utah
2. Sharrif Floyd, Florida
3. Sheldon Richardson, Missouri
4. Kawaan Short, Purdue
5. Sylvester Williams, North Carolina
6. Bennie Logan, LSU
7. Jesse Williams, Alabama
8. Jonathan Hankins, Ohio State
9. Brandon Williams, Missouri Southern State
10. John Jenkins, Georgia
11. Jordan Hill, Penn State
12. Akeem Spence, Illinois
13. Montori Hughes, Tennessee-Martin
14. Everett Dawkins, Florida State
15. Kwame Geathers, Georgia
Floyd has shot up draft boards. Richardson probably was the most productive/unblockable player of this group, but Lotulelei is still a freak. Star's size, strength, athleticism combo is elite. Hard not to think of Hloti Ngata watching him play. Short is underrated. Looked like he had some conditioning issues, but he'll wreak havoc in the opponents backfield for 30 plays a game. Logan from LSU has his best football ahead of him. Like him about as much as I liked his teammate Michael Brockers last year. Probably even more productive in college. Brandon Williams is somewhat of a sleeper who also has a great size/speed/strength combination. Hughes is also extremely talented, but has to get his head on straight.
-Linebackers (All 4-3 LBs, 3-4 ILBs)-
1. Alec Ogletree, Georgia
2. Arthur Brown, Kansas State
3. Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
4. Khaseem Greene, Rutgers
5. Kevin Minter, LSU
6. Jon Bostic, Florida
7. Sio Moore, UConn
8. Zaviar Gooden, Missouri
9. Kevin Reddick, North Carolina
10. Kiko Alonzo, Oregon
11. DeVonte Holloman, South Carolina
12. Sean Porter, Texas A&M
13. Trevardo Williams, UConn
14. Jelani Jenkins, Florida
15. Vince Williams, Florida State
The popular thing to do is to question Ogletree's instincts, but you don't make 109 tackles in 9 games and not know what's going on. Granted, he's no Ray Lewis out there, but he's possibly the best specimen at the LB position since LaVar Arrington came out. I think he can be coached up. Start him out at SLB, eventually move him to the middle, get a star if he stays out of trouble. It's also popular to talk bad about Manti Te'o. Part of the reason he looks so bad right now is because people for some reason called him a top 10 pick at one point. That was a mistake, and he's back now where he should be a late 1 to mid-2 pick. Has all the instincts in the world. Really like players 6-8, Moore is very versatile. Looks like a 4-3 SLB who can really blitz and rush the passer on 3rd down. Gooden is extremely athletic. Kind of like Zach Brown who had a strong rookie year for Tennessee last year. Can probably cover any TE in the league. Jenkins would be higher if he could stay healthy.
- Cornerbacks-
1. Dee Milliner, Alabama
2. Xavier Rhodes, Florida State
3. Desmond Trufant, Washington
4. Jamar Taylor, Boise State
5. David Amerson, North Carolina State
6. DJ Hayden, Houston
7. Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State
8. Jordan Poyer, Oregon State
9. Tyrann Mathieu, LSU
10. Logan Ryan, Rutgers
11. Robert Alford, Southeastern Louisiana
12. Dwayne Gratz, UConn
13. Darius Slay, Mississippi State
14. Brandon McGee, Miami
15. Terry Hawthorne, Illinois
16. Leon McFadden, San Diego State
17. Blidi Wreh-Wilson, UConn
18. Steve Williams, California
19. B.W. Webb, William & Mary
20. Sanders Commings, Georgia
I'm very particular about my CBs. I don't know why anyone spends a top 15 pick on one unless you know for a fact they are going to be a stud....talking Deion Sanders, Patrick Peterson type. There's no such player in this class. Rhodes is a close 2 for me. Milliner's ball skills are iffy, but he shutdown everyone he played. Interested to see how he does without 7 all americans surrounding him on every play. 4-6 are guys I would take between 25-40 and probably get as much production as the top 3. Amerson had some ugly games this year, but he's a big CB who intercepted 10 passes as a Soph. Play him in some off man or zone, and I like his ability to make plays on the ball. Not as big as most on Wreh Wilson. Steve Williams is my big sleeper of the group. Blazing speed, good enough size.
-Safeties-
1. Eric Reid, LSU
2. Matt Elam, Florida
3. Kenny Vaccaro, Texas
4. Jonathan Cyprien, Florida International
5. Shamarco Thomas, Syracuse
6. JJ Wilcox, Georgia Southern
7. TJ McDonald, USC
8. Baccari Rambo, Georgia
9. DJ Swearinger, South Carolina
10. Philip Thomas, Fresno State
11. Shawn Williams, Georgia
12. Duke Williams, Nevada
13. Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma
14. Josh Evans, Florida
15. Earl Wolff, North Carolina State
Great class. There's no way 15 safeties go on the first 2 days, but I think all these guys are worth top 90 picks. Not a big fan of Vaccaro, though I see the versatility and why teams/scouts like him. His slow 40 is a concern that I've always had and I don't know that he's "great" at any area (tackling, man, deep middle/half zone) other than blitzing. Reid had great Soph tape. Looked like he was trying to make splash plays too much last year (big hit or INT). But can't teach 6'2" with that speed/range. Good coach makes him a star. My co-writer is a big fan of Elam, and I agree. If he was a little bigger, he'd be my #1. Swearinger, Shawn Williams, Evans and Wolff look like solid/reliable players. Rambo, Duke, the Thomases and Jefferson all have big upside or bust potential.
2013 NFL Draft Positional Rankings (Offense)
These are my personal rankings by position. Will start with the offensive side of the ball. Defense to follow.
-QB-
1. Geno Smith, West Virginia.
2. Matt Barkley, USC
3. EJ Manuel, Florida State
4. Tyler Bray, Tennessee
5. Tyler Wilson, Arkansas
6. Mike Glennon, North Carolina State
7. Ryan Nassib, Syracuse
8. Matt Scott, Arizona
9. Zac Dysert, Miami (OH)
10. Sean Renfree, Duke
11. Brad Sorensen, Southern Utah
12. Landry Jones, Oklahoma
13. Ryan Griffin, Tulane
14. Matt Brown, Illinois State
15. Colby Cameron, Louisiana Tech
Four games into the college season, Geno Smith was my #1 pick and Heisman winner. Much is made about his 2nd half struggle, but that "struggle" was still 18:6 TD to INT ratio. Still had 5 of 7 games over 65% completion, a pair of 350 yard games, and still put up over 30 points 5 times. I think he's still a top 10 caliber pick. Bray has the most arm talent in this draft. Needs a good QB coach. Like him better than Glennon for the big QBs. Wilson, I still like for his JR tape. Arkansas was a disaster this past season and he's still the guy that looked like a top 5 pick going into the 2012 season. Not a fan of Landry Jones. Statuesque QBs with mediocre arms don't last long in the NFL. Never really saw it with Jones, especially when he gets pressure anywhere near him.
-RB-
1. Eddie Lacy, Alabama
2. Giovanni Bernard, North Carolina
3. Jonathan Franklin, UCLA
4. Andre Ellington, Clemson
5. Le'Veon Bell, Michigan State
6. Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina
7. Joseph Randle, Oklahoma State
8. Mike Gillislee, Florida
9. Montee Ball, Wisconsin
10. Christine Michael, Texas A&M
11. Kenjon Barner, Oregon
12. Stepfan Taylor, Stanford
13. Kerwynn Williams, Utah St
14. Michael Ford, LSU
15. Jawan Jamison, Rutgers
16. Latavius Murray, Central Florida
17. Ray Graham, Pittsburgh
18. Knile Davis, Arkansas
19. Zac Stacy, Vanderbilt
20. Theo Riddick, Notre Dame
Not a fan of Montee Ball. Too much wear and tear. Doesn't appear big enough, fast enough, shifty enough to do in the NFL anywhere near what he did in Madison. Same can be said for Stepfan Taylor. Franklin could be the best RB of this group. Really like his all-around game If Lattimore is close to what he was coming out of HS, he's easily the best in this group, but I doubt that will happen.
-WR-
1. Justin Hunter, Tennessee
2. Tavon Austin, West Virginia
3. DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson
4. Cordarelle Patterson, Tennessee
5. Robert Woods, USC
6. Keenan Allen, California
7. Markus Wheaton, Oregon State
8. Quinton Patton, Louisiana Tech
9. Terrance Williams, Baylor
10. Da'Rick Rogers, Tennessee Tech
11. Kenny Stills, Oklahoma
12. Stedman Bailey, West Virginia
13. Ryan Swope, Texas A&M
14. Marquise Goodwin, Texas
15. Aaron Dobson, Marshall
16. Cobi Hamilton, Arkansas
17. Chris Harper, Kansas State
18. Aaron Mellette, Elon
19. Josh Boyce, TCU
20. Marquess Wilson, Washington State
Hunter was my #1 all offseason. Only reason he's not a consensus #1 is because of the ACL tear, but his explosiveness really came back the 2nd half of last year with 6 plays over 50 yards. He's an AJ Green/Sidney Rice (with Favre throwing him the ball) type of talent. Austin takes #2 simply because he's amazing. I see NFL OCs able to use his speed and open field ability more than a few years ago. Too dynamic to slight for his size. Lots of talent in this group. Stills, Bailey and Swope have flat out produced at big time programs. Hopkins, Wheaton and Woods are Day 1 NFL ready WRs. Not a huge fan of Keenan Allen, bad 40 confirmed my concerns with him. Looks the part, but doesn't have the big time talent of the guys ahead of him.
-TE/FB-
1. Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame
2. Zach Ertz, Stanford
3. Gavin Escobar, San Diego State
4. Travis Kelce, Cincinnati
5. Vance McDonald, Rice
6. Jordan Reed, Florida
7. Dion Sims, Michigan State
8. Nick Kasa, Colorado
9. Lonnie Pryor, Florida State
10. Chris Gragg, Arkansas
Eifert frankly passed Ertz for me at the combine. Better athlete, better blocker. Clear #1. Players 3-6 can all really get open and all can run after the catch. Best TE class in a long time, IMO. Kasa has great upside as a former DE.
-OT-
1. Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M
2. Eric Fisher, Central Michigan
3. Lane Johnson, Oklahoma
4. Justin Pugh, Syracuse
5. DJ Fluker, Alabama
6. Kyle Long, Oregon
7. Terron Armstead, Arkansas Pine Bluff
8. Menelik Watson, Florida State
9. Jordan Mills, Louisiana Tech
10. Reid Fragel, Ohio State
11. Brennan Williams, North Carolina
12. Garrett Gilkey, Chadron State
13. Xavier Nixon, Florida
14. Vinston Painter, Virginia Tech
15. Chris Faulk, LSU
Pugh and Long are OGs for a lot of people, but I think you have to start them at OT. Pugh has T-Rex arms, but is just a football player. As Mayock would say, "let him prove he's not a tackle before you write him off as a guard". Long is the opposite. He's long and athletic. He needs some work, but he has football in his blood, and I think he has the ability to protect the edge with his athletic ability and nastiness. The players ranked 7-10 all have big upside. All have little big time experience at tackle, but are among the top athletes at their position.
-Interior OL (OC/OG)-
1. Chance Warmack, Alabama
2. Johnathan Cooper, North Carolina
3. Larry Warford, Kentucky
4. Travis Frederick, Wisconsin
5. Brian Schwenke, California
6. Barrett Jones, Alabama
7. Alvin Bailey, Arkansas
8. Brian Winters, Kent State
9. Dallas Thomas, Tennessee
10. Hugh Thornton, Illinois
11. David Bakthari, Colorado
12. Khalid Holmes, USC
13. David Quessenberry, San Jose State
14. Earl Watford, James Madison
15. Eric Herman, Ohio
Another strong group. Warford is one of my favorite players in this draft. If he moved better in space, he'd be ahead of Warmack. But he doesn't let anything thru him though. Holds his ground well, forces defenders around him in pass protection. Frederick and Bailey are guys that had huge seasons in 2011. Frederick looked like a 1st rounder at LG before moving to C in 2012. Bailey was the best lineman on a big-time offense before the team fell apart this past season. Both could be steals. 8-10 could play OT, but not going to do it well. Best suited inside. Watch out for all the small school guys.
-QB-
1. Geno Smith, West Virginia.
2. Matt Barkley, USC
3. EJ Manuel, Florida State
4. Tyler Bray, Tennessee
5. Tyler Wilson, Arkansas
6. Mike Glennon, North Carolina State
7. Ryan Nassib, Syracuse
8. Matt Scott, Arizona
9. Zac Dysert, Miami (OH)
10. Sean Renfree, Duke
11. Brad Sorensen, Southern Utah
12. Landry Jones, Oklahoma
13. Ryan Griffin, Tulane
14. Matt Brown, Illinois State
15. Colby Cameron, Louisiana Tech
Four games into the college season, Geno Smith was my #1 pick and Heisman winner. Much is made about his 2nd half struggle, but that "struggle" was still 18:6 TD to INT ratio. Still had 5 of 7 games over 65% completion, a pair of 350 yard games, and still put up over 30 points 5 times. I think he's still a top 10 caliber pick. Bray has the most arm talent in this draft. Needs a good QB coach. Like him better than Glennon for the big QBs. Wilson, I still like for his JR tape. Arkansas was a disaster this past season and he's still the guy that looked like a top 5 pick going into the 2012 season. Not a fan of Landry Jones. Statuesque QBs with mediocre arms don't last long in the NFL. Never really saw it with Jones, especially when he gets pressure anywhere near him.
-RB-
1. Eddie Lacy, Alabama
2. Giovanni Bernard, North Carolina
3. Jonathan Franklin, UCLA
4. Andre Ellington, Clemson
5. Le'Veon Bell, Michigan State
6. Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina
7. Joseph Randle, Oklahoma State
8. Mike Gillislee, Florida
9. Montee Ball, Wisconsin
10. Christine Michael, Texas A&M
11. Kenjon Barner, Oregon
12. Stepfan Taylor, Stanford
13. Kerwynn Williams, Utah St
14. Michael Ford, LSU
15. Jawan Jamison, Rutgers
16. Latavius Murray, Central Florida
17. Ray Graham, Pittsburgh
18. Knile Davis, Arkansas
19. Zac Stacy, Vanderbilt
20. Theo Riddick, Notre Dame
Not a fan of Montee Ball. Too much wear and tear. Doesn't appear big enough, fast enough, shifty enough to do in the NFL anywhere near what he did in Madison. Same can be said for Stepfan Taylor. Franklin could be the best RB of this group. Really like his all-around game If Lattimore is close to what he was coming out of HS, he's easily the best in this group, but I doubt that will happen.
-WR-
1. Justin Hunter, Tennessee
2. Tavon Austin, West Virginia
3. DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson
4. Cordarelle Patterson, Tennessee
5. Robert Woods, USC
6. Keenan Allen, California
7. Markus Wheaton, Oregon State
8. Quinton Patton, Louisiana Tech
9. Terrance Williams, Baylor
10. Da'Rick Rogers, Tennessee Tech
11. Kenny Stills, Oklahoma
12. Stedman Bailey, West Virginia
13. Ryan Swope, Texas A&M
14. Marquise Goodwin, Texas
15. Aaron Dobson, Marshall
16. Cobi Hamilton, Arkansas
17. Chris Harper, Kansas State
18. Aaron Mellette, Elon
19. Josh Boyce, TCU
20. Marquess Wilson, Washington State
Hunter was my #1 all offseason. Only reason he's not a consensus #1 is because of the ACL tear, but his explosiveness really came back the 2nd half of last year with 6 plays over 50 yards. He's an AJ Green/Sidney Rice (with Favre throwing him the ball) type of talent. Austin takes #2 simply because he's amazing. I see NFL OCs able to use his speed and open field ability more than a few years ago. Too dynamic to slight for his size. Lots of talent in this group. Stills, Bailey and Swope have flat out produced at big time programs. Hopkins, Wheaton and Woods are Day 1 NFL ready WRs. Not a huge fan of Keenan Allen, bad 40 confirmed my concerns with him. Looks the part, but doesn't have the big time talent of the guys ahead of him.
-TE/FB-
1. Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame
2. Zach Ertz, Stanford
3. Gavin Escobar, San Diego State
4. Travis Kelce, Cincinnati
5. Vance McDonald, Rice
6. Jordan Reed, Florida
7. Dion Sims, Michigan State
8. Nick Kasa, Colorado
9. Lonnie Pryor, Florida State
10. Chris Gragg, Arkansas
Eifert frankly passed Ertz for me at the combine. Better athlete, better blocker. Clear #1. Players 3-6 can all really get open and all can run after the catch. Best TE class in a long time, IMO. Kasa has great upside as a former DE.
-OT-
1. Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M
2. Eric Fisher, Central Michigan
3. Lane Johnson, Oklahoma
4. Justin Pugh, Syracuse
5. DJ Fluker, Alabama
6. Kyle Long, Oregon
7. Terron Armstead, Arkansas Pine Bluff
8. Menelik Watson, Florida State
9. Jordan Mills, Louisiana Tech
10. Reid Fragel, Ohio State
11. Brennan Williams, North Carolina
12. Garrett Gilkey, Chadron State
13. Xavier Nixon, Florida
14. Vinston Painter, Virginia Tech
15. Chris Faulk, LSU
Pugh and Long are OGs for a lot of people, but I think you have to start them at OT. Pugh has T-Rex arms, but is just a football player. As Mayock would say, "let him prove he's not a tackle before you write him off as a guard". Long is the opposite. He's long and athletic. He needs some work, but he has football in his blood, and I think he has the ability to protect the edge with his athletic ability and nastiness. The players ranked 7-10 all have big upside. All have little big time experience at tackle, but are among the top athletes at their position.
-Interior OL (OC/OG)-
1. Chance Warmack, Alabama
2. Johnathan Cooper, North Carolina
3. Larry Warford, Kentucky
4. Travis Frederick, Wisconsin
5. Brian Schwenke, California
6. Barrett Jones, Alabama
7. Alvin Bailey, Arkansas
8. Brian Winters, Kent State
9. Dallas Thomas, Tennessee
10. Hugh Thornton, Illinois
11. David Bakthari, Colorado
12. Khalid Holmes, USC
13. David Quessenberry, San Jose State
14. Earl Watford, James Madison
15. Eric Herman, Ohio
Another strong group. Warford is one of my favorite players in this draft. If he moved better in space, he'd be ahead of Warmack. But he doesn't let anything thru him though. Holds his ground well, forces defenders around him in pass protection. Frederick and Bailey are guys that had huge seasons in 2011. Frederick looked like a 1st rounder at LG before moving to C in 2012. Bailey was the best lineman on a big-time offense before the team fell apart this past season. Both could be steals. 8-10 could play OT, but not going to do it well. Best suited inside. Watch out for all the small school guys.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
The Steelers pick 17th in 2 days... (updated)
Ive been adamant that the Steelers will certainly be looking to move down in the draft, accumulating more picks. We have more holes than our 8 picks will fill (that wasnt supposed to be so dirty). Either way, with or without the average 2 UDFAs making the 53, we still need more help. If for no other reason then to add much needed competition. Ya hear me Ta'Amu? Sylvester? Curtis Brown? Worilds? Carter?
I do also want to take a moment to mention that OLB is NOT, I repeat IS NOT our most important need. Weve drafted a 2nd rounder and a 5th rounder that now have the chance to prove their worth. However, that doesnt mean we shouldnt bring in more competition. In addition, weve lost both of our backup safeties, while our starters are well over 30, and 1 averages playing in barely 12 games a year. And our RBs were called out by Colbert to "not be as good as we expected or thought". While everyone wants Lacy at 17, its far too soon, and hes looking like he might be a bit of a risk. Moving on...
I had been working on a trade with the Vikings. Theyre not hiding the fact that with either their 23rd or 25th pick, theyre targeting Teo. The problem is, the Giants look to want him also and pick ahead of the Vikes. They could trade with us to jump ahead of the Giants, nabbing Teo. However, the Falcons recently made it known that they WANT to move up. Rumors have it its either for a CB or for the WVU WR Austin. So I built the following mock trading our 17th pick for the Falcons 30th, as well as their 92nd, 163rd and 236th.
This mock had Brandon Williams, the NT from Missouri Southern State until the recent extension given to McLendon. While I prefer Williams to either Steve or Ta'Amu, I am trying to be realistic. Ok, maybe not realistic, but at the very least having my decisions here be as close to happening as possible. So Ive redone this mock, still keeping with Tomlin and Colberts history.
17 (30 ATL) Matt Elam, Safety Florida- Ive written about Elam as the perfect fit for our defense as well as our 1st pick many many times. Ed Bouchette had an article today that further backed my belief. Ed wrote that unlike most other teams, they dont do a full NFL mock. The do a Steelers mock, at every pick, allowing them and Mr. Rooney to omit players that either do not fit our team or that have off field issues that Dan doesnt wanna have. Ok, except for Rainey. And Ta'Amu. And Adams. Ugh. Either way, this shows that while other teams may have Vacarro as the best safety in the draft, MT and Colbert very well could have Elam at that spot. And Im betting they do. Add to that Mike Mayock released his top 100 with Elam 25 overall.
48 LeVeon Bell, RB Michigan State- Tomlin loves juniors. He feels younger players are more open to being coached. Bell has soared up the draft boards, and had dinner with MT and Colbert. In my opinion Bell looks and plays a lot like Steven Jackson. While he doesnt have scary 4.4 speed, he does have the patience to find the best hole, and then deliver a brutal stiff arm to give himself separation. He has experience in the inside and outside zone blocking scheme, and while the stretch play might be more difficult for him to pull off in the NFL, a counter or misdirection could give him plenty of room to break away. And thats not to mention his threat in the passing game.
79 Barrett Jones, OL Alabama- Theres a chance Winters could be still on the board and almost has as much position flexibility as Jones, but Jones has proven what he can do on the biggest stage. Not once, but twice, and has earned the Rimington and the Outland Trophies. The kid has started EVERYWHERE on the Bama oline. Thats the definition of position flexibility. And while we generally dress 7 or 8 OL on game day, Jones mixed with Foster and Bechums flexibility would allow us to dress 7 and maybe even add a veteran LT at some point. No, not Starks.
(92 ATL) John Simon, DE/OLB Ohio State- I think Tomlin has been waiting for this moment since he was hired. Finding a DE/OLB "Tweener" that was a Buckeye. Its obvious that his favorite Conferences are the SEC and the Big 10, but you could also narrow it down to Florida and Ohio State. While I wasnt a fan of the tape of Simon's Senor Bowl practice of him attempting to drop into coverage, I have read that hes improved. As usual he will have a year to spell Worilds while learning the defense, and coming in on obvious blitzing calls. He has speed and power, and unlike other Tweeners in this draft, he has multiple moves. He doesnt solely bull rush.
115 B.W. Webb, CB William and Mary- Ahhh the Alma Mater. Weve invited a few mid round CBs all with 2 things in common- speed and hands. Webb grabbed the attention of scouts and coaches with his play at the Senior Bowl. While he doesnt have the height Id prefer at CB, he does happen to be the same size as a certain former MT draftee... Ugh, William Gay. Webb usually plays the LCB spot, but has also played nickel as well as returned punts. And what makes his 5'10 height ok?- a 40 inch vertical. Go ahead, put it up. This kid will give everything he has to go get it, or at least knock it down. He can give Brown some competition at the dime spot, while actually getting playing time on special teams as a punt returner.
150 Josh Boyce, WR TCU- didja think I forgot about drafting a WR? I didnt. The 3 WRs weve brought in so far were mid to late rounders. Why? Antonio Brown, thats why. The selection of Wallace and Sanders have obviously failed as we couldnt retain one, and the other was looking for greener pastures as soon as he could, only to be brought back for his, yes, final year. Boyce runs very crisp routes, and has lived on YAC. Did I mention his 4.3 40? Yes, hes very much like another Antonio but is far more familiar with the route tree.
(163 ATL) Mychal Rivera, TE Tennessee- Here is the pick that Im pissed I didnt figure out weeks ago... even months ago. Steelers OC Haley drafted Tony Moeaki, a TE from Iowa in the 3rd round 3 years ago. Rivera is a spitting image. Like, almost a F'in CLONE. Theyre similar height, weight, used as a TE inline, slot and in the backfield Google their pics. Its almost scary. This is the blocking/ pass cathcing flex TE that Haley loves!!! A year behind a healed Miller, as well as competition with Paulson will do him good. And you thought we went to the TN pro day to look at Bray or the WRs. Nope.
186 Kwame Geathers, DL Georgia- Typcial Tomlin, drafting a NT late. Geathers was John Jenkins backup last year, moving from the 5 tech to the 0 tech, and was expected to be the Bulldogs starter this year. Well, he entered the draft. Ta'Amu is a drunk, and isnt a 0 tech. Hes a 3 tech in a 43 defense. So MT and Colbert get some added competition for the drunkard, but this one has hands on experience at playing at both the DE and the NT spots with SEC competition. Bye Ta'Amu. Welcome to the club Kwame.
206 Ryan Griffin, QB Tulane- Ive written about him before. He is known for his accuracy, though against iffy competition.
223 Michael Mauti, LB PSU- Its about time we drafted a LB from Penn State. Oh, this one has had 3 ACL tears? 3 ya say? Not 2? No. 3. Shit. The way I understand it is that weve been involved with the kid for a long long time, and will give him every chance to start out on special teams and maybe fill in for the other seriously injured ILB Spence at some point. Ive also read that his football smarts are extremely high, and he has a big love for the game. Its the 7th round, so what the hell. Why not?
(236 ATL) Justin Brown, WR Oklahoma- Ive been a fan of this kid for a long time now. He was a PSU transfer that played opposite Kenny Stills. He has played outside as well as the slot. He has great separation speed in crisp routes, not so much the 9 route though, but is also built on YAC. By the way, hey Ben- this kid is 6'3. Yer welcome.
Thats all for now. Ill be posting a mock soon that does not have us trading back. The essence of it is within this draft with only a few differences. I also took the 8 round mock and tweaked it if we had a certain OG fall in our lap again, as well as one to please all those bastards that are hell bent on us drafting Jarvis Jones. Even though that would be nothing more than MT and Colbert saying "oops, not only did we totally fuck up the entire 2008 draft we also botched drafting Jason Worilds and Chris Carter."
I do also want to take a moment to mention that OLB is NOT, I repeat IS NOT our most important need. Weve drafted a 2nd rounder and a 5th rounder that now have the chance to prove their worth. However, that doesnt mean we shouldnt bring in more competition. In addition, weve lost both of our backup safeties, while our starters are well over 30, and 1 averages playing in barely 12 games a year. And our RBs were called out by Colbert to "not be as good as we expected or thought". While everyone wants Lacy at 17, its far too soon, and hes looking like he might be a bit of a risk. Moving on...
I had been working on a trade with the Vikings. Theyre not hiding the fact that with either their 23rd or 25th pick, theyre targeting Teo. The problem is, the Giants look to want him also and pick ahead of the Vikes. They could trade with us to jump ahead of the Giants, nabbing Teo. However, the Falcons recently made it known that they WANT to move up. Rumors have it its either for a CB or for the WVU WR Austin. So I built the following mock trading our 17th pick for the Falcons 30th, as well as their 92nd, 163rd and 236th.
This mock had Brandon Williams, the NT from Missouri Southern State until the recent extension given to McLendon. While I prefer Williams to either Steve or Ta'Amu, I am trying to be realistic. Ok, maybe not realistic, but at the very least having my decisions here be as close to happening as possible. So Ive redone this mock, still keeping with Tomlin and Colberts history.
17 (30 ATL) Matt Elam, Safety Florida- Ive written about Elam as the perfect fit for our defense as well as our 1st pick many many times. Ed Bouchette had an article today that further backed my belief. Ed wrote that unlike most other teams, they dont do a full NFL mock. The do a Steelers mock, at every pick, allowing them and Mr. Rooney to omit players that either do not fit our team or that have off field issues that Dan doesnt wanna have. Ok, except for Rainey. And Ta'Amu. And Adams. Ugh. Either way, this shows that while other teams may have Vacarro as the best safety in the draft, MT and Colbert very well could have Elam at that spot. And Im betting they do. Add to that Mike Mayock released his top 100 with Elam 25 overall.
48 LeVeon Bell, RB Michigan State- Tomlin loves juniors. He feels younger players are more open to being coached. Bell has soared up the draft boards, and had dinner with MT and Colbert. In my opinion Bell looks and plays a lot like Steven Jackson. While he doesnt have scary 4.4 speed, he does have the patience to find the best hole, and then deliver a brutal stiff arm to give himself separation. He has experience in the inside and outside zone blocking scheme, and while the stretch play might be more difficult for him to pull off in the NFL, a counter or misdirection could give him plenty of room to break away. And thats not to mention his threat in the passing game.
79 Barrett Jones, OL Alabama- Theres a chance Winters could be still on the board and almost has as much position flexibility as Jones, but Jones has proven what he can do on the biggest stage. Not once, but twice, and has earned the Rimington and the Outland Trophies. The kid has started EVERYWHERE on the Bama oline. Thats the definition of position flexibility. And while we generally dress 7 or 8 OL on game day, Jones mixed with Foster and Bechums flexibility would allow us to dress 7 and maybe even add a veteran LT at some point. No, not Starks.
(92 ATL) John Simon, DE/OLB Ohio State- I think Tomlin has been waiting for this moment since he was hired. Finding a DE/OLB "Tweener" that was a Buckeye. Its obvious that his favorite Conferences are the SEC and the Big 10, but you could also narrow it down to Florida and Ohio State. While I wasnt a fan of the tape of Simon's Senor Bowl practice of him attempting to drop into coverage, I have read that hes improved. As usual he will have a year to spell Worilds while learning the defense, and coming in on obvious blitzing calls. He has speed and power, and unlike other Tweeners in this draft, he has multiple moves. He doesnt solely bull rush.
115 B.W. Webb, CB William and Mary- Ahhh the Alma Mater. Weve invited a few mid round CBs all with 2 things in common- speed and hands. Webb grabbed the attention of scouts and coaches with his play at the Senior Bowl. While he doesnt have the height Id prefer at CB, he does happen to be the same size as a certain former MT draftee... Ugh, William Gay. Webb usually plays the LCB spot, but has also played nickel as well as returned punts. And what makes his 5'10 height ok?- a 40 inch vertical. Go ahead, put it up. This kid will give everything he has to go get it, or at least knock it down. He can give Brown some competition at the dime spot, while actually getting playing time on special teams as a punt returner.
150 Josh Boyce, WR TCU- didja think I forgot about drafting a WR? I didnt. The 3 WRs weve brought in so far were mid to late rounders. Why? Antonio Brown, thats why. The selection of Wallace and Sanders have obviously failed as we couldnt retain one, and the other was looking for greener pastures as soon as he could, only to be brought back for his, yes, final year. Boyce runs very crisp routes, and has lived on YAC. Did I mention his 4.3 40? Yes, hes very much like another Antonio but is far more familiar with the route tree.
(163 ATL) Mychal Rivera, TE Tennessee- Here is the pick that Im pissed I didnt figure out weeks ago... even months ago. Steelers OC Haley drafted Tony Moeaki, a TE from Iowa in the 3rd round 3 years ago. Rivera is a spitting image. Like, almost a F'in CLONE. Theyre similar height, weight, used as a TE inline, slot and in the backfield Google their pics. Its almost scary. This is the blocking/ pass cathcing flex TE that Haley loves!!! A year behind a healed Miller, as well as competition with Paulson will do him good. And you thought we went to the TN pro day to look at Bray or the WRs. Nope.
186 Kwame Geathers, DL Georgia- Typcial Tomlin, drafting a NT late. Geathers was John Jenkins backup last year, moving from the 5 tech to the 0 tech, and was expected to be the Bulldogs starter this year. Well, he entered the draft. Ta'Amu is a drunk, and isnt a 0 tech. Hes a 3 tech in a 43 defense. So MT and Colbert get some added competition for the drunkard, but this one has hands on experience at playing at both the DE and the NT spots with SEC competition. Bye Ta'Amu. Welcome to the club Kwame.
206 Ryan Griffin, QB Tulane- Ive written about him before. He is known for his accuracy, though against iffy competition.
(236 ATL) Justin Brown, WR Oklahoma- Ive been a fan of this kid for a long time now. He was a PSU transfer that played opposite Kenny Stills. He has played outside as well as the slot. He has great separation speed in crisp routes, not so much the 9 route though, but is also built on YAC. By the way, hey Ben- this kid is 6'3. Yer welcome.
Thats all for now. Ill be posting a mock soon that does not have us trading back. The essence of it is within this draft with only a few differences. I also took the 8 round mock and tweaked it if we had a certain OG fall in our lap again, as well as one to please all those bastards that are hell bent on us drafting Jarvis Jones. Even though that would be nothing more than MT and Colbert saying "oops, not only did we totally fuck up the entire 2008 draft we also botched drafting Jason Worilds and Chris Carter."
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
A little insight to the Bears War Room
While it's tough to get a definitive read on what Phil Emery is to do given his brief history as an NFL General Manager, there is a little writing on the wall. Based on his 1 draft as Bears GM, his history as head scout for the Chiefs and Falcons, and his general personality, I think there are a few things that can help Bears fans kind of know what to expect come draft weekend.
1. Linebacker 1st pick? The Bears have brought in nearly every LB projected in the top 2 rounds for a private workout. Arthur Brown, Alec Ogletree, Jon Bostic, Manti Te'o, and Khaseem Greene have or will all have worked out for the Bears at Halas Hall this pre-draft season. After losing Brian Urlacher and Nick Roach, and only signing 2 guys on 1-year deals, it's well known that the Bears are targeting a LB at some point in this draft. These visits show the Bears are probably getting one very early in the draft. If not at 20, then after a trade down or at the latest, with the 50th overall pick in the 2nd round. Last year, Emery employed the same strategy before the 2012 draft. The Bears made it clear that they were going after a pass rusher early, bringing in guys like Chandler Jones, Bruce Irvin, Quinton Coples, Nick Perry, and Whitney Mercilus for private workouts. Emery ultimately selected Shea McClellin with the 19th pick.
So, on one hand, the Bears are again keying on 1 position first and foremost in the draft. But on the other, could this be a smokescreen? It's pretty clear that Emery had his sights set on Bruce Irvin in the 1st, only to have Seattle take him a few picks before them. Even if the Bears don't go LB with their 1st pick, I'd imagine they'll take one early just based on who they've brought in. While I do think a smokescreen is possible, Emery doesn't seem like a guy that is into playing these types of games. Like with McClellin last year, Emery is probably OK with his 2nd or 3rd choice at LB and doesn't care if the world knows it because he's going to get a player he likes either way. Thinking Ogletree is the ideal target, but I think he'd be OK with Te'o.
2. Watch out for WR early. Emery has drafted or influenced the drafting of several WRs. Most recently, the Bears took Alshon Jeffery. Before that Emery heavily influenced the pick of Jon Baldwin in KC. And his claim to fame is Roddy White in Atlanta. What those guys have in common is that they were all selected in the top 3 rounds (can throw in Laurent Robinson and Harry Douglas also). Emery has mentioned getting a guy to stretch the field at WR in this draft, but most people have assumed that means a late round target. But I think the WR option is wide open as early as 20, as I don't think the Bears can pass on getting Cutler a dynamic playmaker like Tavon Austin or Cordarelle Patterson, if available. In the 2nd-3rd rounds (if the Bears can trade for a 3rd), there are several other options the Bears could consider including Robert Woods, Markus Wheaton, and Ryan Swope among others. With the hiring of an offensive head coach, you have to figure Emery is going to give him a new toy to play with early in the draft.
3. Trade down. Emery has publicly stated that the #20 pick is for sale and the Bears are very willing to trade down for extra picks. Not often does a GM come out and say he's looking to trade down and NOT actually do it. Emery has stated he wants to have 6-8 players to choose from when he picks. It's not too hard to figure out what teams behind you are targeting in the internet era. So, assuming 3-4 of those players are on the board at 20, the Bears will undoubtedly trade back for an extra pick or 2 and still get someone from their original pool of players. I could see the Bears trading back anywhere from Houston at 27 to the early part of the 2nd round by trading with one of the many teams that wanting to trade back into the 1st for a QB.
4. Height/Weight/Speed. One thing I've quietly noticed about Emery is that he seems to really value freak athlete types. Baldwin and Jeffery were both big 6-3 WRs who ran sub 4.5 40s, and Emery wanted Jeffery so much he traded up to get him. Mentioned the Irvin interest before, he was the fastest pass rusher in the draft last year by far, and Emery was one of the few who gave him a 1st round grade. When that didn't work out, Emery took the 3rd fastest....McClellin. Emery also selected one of the top 3 fastest TE/FBs in Evan Rodriguez. He took a 6-4 safety who ran in the 4.4s also in Brandon Hardin. When in doubt, Emery will take the fastest or biggest freak of an athlete.
5. Don't forget DLine. When looking at mock drafts on the web and lists of the Bears team needs, everyone mentions LB and OL first and foremost. Some have the Bears taking multiple linemen or linebackers (neither will happen). All have them taking a CB based on the fact that 5 of the 6 on the roster are FAs after 2013. All have them taking a WR based on Emery's comments. But people are overlooking the DL. While the Bears have a ton of FAs everywhere on the roster, the 2 best players on the DL could be ex-Bears at this time in 2014. Henry Melton is still not signed long-term and Julius Peppers has a huge cap number that he didn't quite live up to in 2012. If Melton walks and Pep is cut, there will be a huge hole in the front line of the defense. The Bears could really use more of an interior pass rush as they appear to be losing Amobi Okoye and Israel Idonije, 2 very productive DTs in the last 2 years. Emery has brought in players all over the field in free agency, but has strangely almost completely neglected a position where their best player is a FA after the year and the top backup at the position is a former UDFA (Collins). DT is quietly probably the thinnest position on the roster. The Bears have to take some depth at least here and potentially a starting caliber player early at the position.
1. Linebacker 1st pick? The Bears have brought in nearly every LB projected in the top 2 rounds for a private workout. Arthur Brown, Alec Ogletree, Jon Bostic, Manti Te'o, and Khaseem Greene have or will all have worked out for the Bears at Halas Hall this pre-draft season. After losing Brian Urlacher and Nick Roach, and only signing 2 guys on 1-year deals, it's well known that the Bears are targeting a LB at some point in this draft. These visits show the Bears are probably getting one very early in the draft. If not at 20, then after a trade down or at the latest, with the 50th overall pick in the 2nd round. Last year, Emery employed the same strategy before the 2012 draft. The Bears made it clear that they were going after a pass rusher early, bringing in guys like Chandler Jones, Bruce Irvin, Quinton Coples, Nick Perry, and Whitney Mercilus for private workouts. Emery ultimately selected Shea McClellin with the 19th pick.
So, on one hand, the Bears are again keying on 1 position first and foremost in the draft. But on the other, could this be a smokescreen? It's pretty clear that Emery had his sights set on Bruce Irvin in the 1st, only to have Seattle take him a few picks before them. Even if the Bears don't go LB with their 1st pick, I'd imagine they'll take one early just based on who they've brought in. While I do think a smokescreen is possible, Emery doesn't seem like a guy that is into playing these types of games. Like with McClellin last year, Emery is probably OK with his 2nd or 3rd choice at LB and doesn't care if the world knows it because he's going to get a player he likes either way. Thinking Ogletree is the ideal target, but I think he'd be OK with Te'o.
2. Watch out for WR early. Emery has drafted or influenced the drafting of several WRs. Most recently, the Bears took Alshon Jeffery. Before that Emery heavily influenced the pick of Jon Baldwin in KC. And his claim to fame is Roddy White in Atlanta. What those guys have in common is that they were all selected in the top 3 rounds (can throw in Laurent Robinson and Harry Douglas also). Emery has mentioned getting a guy to stretch the field at WR in this draft, but most people have assumed that means a late round target. But I think the WR option is wide open as early as 20, as I don't think the Bears can pass on getting Cutler a dynamic playmaker like Tavon Austin or Cordarelle Patterson, if available. In the 2nd-3rd rounds (if the Bears can trade for a 3rd), there are several other options the Bears could consider including Robert Woods, Markus Wheaton, and Ryan Swope among others. With the hiring of an offensive head coach, you have to figure Emery is going to give him a new toy to play with early in the draft.
3. Trade down. Emery has publicly stated that the #20 pick is for sale and the Bears are very willing to trade down for extra picks. Not often does a GM come out and say he's looking to trade down and NOT actually do it. Emery has stated he wants to have 6-8 players to choose from when he picks. It's not too hard to figure out what teams behind you are targeting in the internet era. So, assuming 3-4 of those players are on the board at 20, the Bears will undoubtedly trade back for an extra pick or 2 and still get someone from their original pool of players. I could see the Bears trading back anywhere from Houston at 27 to the early part of the 2nd round by trading with one of the many teams that wanting to trade back into the 1st for a QB.
4. Height/Weight/Speed. One thing I've quietly noticed about Emery is that he seems to really value freak athlete types. Baldwin and Jeffery were both big 6-3 WRs who ran sub 4.5 40s, and Emery wanted Jeffery so much he traded up to get him. Mentioned the Irvin interest before, he was the fastest pass rusher in the draft last year by far, and Emery was one of the few who gave him a 1st round grade. When that didn't work out, Emery took the 3rd fastest....McClellin. Emery also selected one of the top 3 fastest TE/FBs in Evan Rodriguez. He took a 6-4 safety who ran in the 4.4s also in Brandon Hardin. When in doubt, Emery will take the fastest or biggest freak of an athlete.
5. Don't forget DLine. When looking at mock drafts on the web and lists of the Bears team needs, everyone mentions LB and OL first and foremost. Some have the Bears taking multiple linemen or linebackers (neither will happen). All have them taking a CB based on the fact that 5 of the 6 on the roster are FAs after 2013. All have them taking a WR based on Emery's comments. But people are overlooking the DL. While the Bears have a ton of FAs everywhere on the roster, the 2 best players on the DL could be ex-Bears at this time in 2014. Henry Melton is still not signed long-term and Julius Peppers has a huge cap number that he didn't quite live up to in 2012. If Melton walks and Pep is cut, there will be a huge hole in the front line of the defense. The Bears could really use more of an interior pass rush as they appear to be losing Amobi Okoye and Israel Idonije, 2 very productive DTs in the last 2 years. Emery has brought in players all over the field in free agency, but has strangely almost completely neglected a position where their best player is a FA after the year and the top backup at the position is a former UDFA (Collins). DT is quietly probably the thinnest position on the roster. The Bears have to take some depth at least here and potentially a starting caliber player early at the position.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
My Offseason Plan Part II, THE DRAFT!
On the eve of free agency, I gave my plan for the offseason when dealing with free agency. And I must say, I didn't do a bad job. Called the cuts of Davis, Spaeth and Toeina (I know, not exactly groundbreaking stuff). Called for Sam Baker, but the Bears went out and signed Jermon Bushrod. I did nail the contract terms being "a little cheaper than Will Beatty's deal". Also threw Martellus Bennett's name out there, and that came to fruition. Now if the Bears can do some restructures and get a couple other guys back, it will be pretty accurate.
Now onto the draft. I have run many mock drafts thru my head and down on paper, but haven't really shared anything with the blog. I'm going to try to change that as there are several different ways the Bears could go, especially on the first 2 days of the draft with having filled 2 major holes and still not completely done in free agency. This mock was actually put together BEFORE the news of Brian Urlacher and the Bears going in their separate directions.
1 (20)- Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State. Was really hoping for him to be there in the 2nd round so the Bears could go another way in the first and still get what I consider to be the best LB in this draft. But as the pre-draft season goes on, Brown just keeps climbing up draft boards. Playing at about 228lbs this season, Brown looked like a prototype WLB in a Cover 2 scheme. But on gameday, he doesn't play like a WILL LB. He's a guy that hits anything that moves, takes on blocks surprisingly well, and runs like the wind. Showing up at the combine at 241lb proved he could bulk up to possibly play SLB and even MLB in the 4-3, but would the extra bulk slow him down? After running in the low 4.6s at his pro day, there's no question to me that Arthur Brown could be the next great MLB for the Chicago Bears. Ideally, the Bears would be able to trade down in the 1st and still get him while picking up an extra pick, but teams like St. Louis, Minnesota, Indianapolis, and Green Bay could all use LB help, and I doubt Brown makes it past the Ravens being that he's getting some comparisons to a young Ray Lewis.
2 (50)- Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon St. This is a player I wanted on the Bears back in September. Back then, Wheaton was still flying under the radar as a nice WR in a WR loaded PAC-10 conference. After seeing him fly down the field and fly up draft rankings, I wrote him off as an option in Chicago...figuring he would go too high for our tastes. But then I did some homework. And while it isn't the Bears biggest need, the team has stated they want to add some speed to the WR corps to stretch the field for their bigger guys underneath. So why Wheaton this early? GM Phil Emery has drafted his share of WRs in his time as GM and head scout for the Falcons, Chiefs and now the Bears. And what do Roddy White, Harry Douglas, Jonathan Baldwin, and Alshon Jeffery all have in common? All were drafted in the first 3 rounds when Emery had some say so. Wheaton has drawn comparisons to this year's big FA signee, Mike Wallace. The Bears, then under GM Jerry Angelo, were very interested in Wallace, almost pulling the trigger on him before trading down for a guy that could jump out of a pool (don't get me started). The Chiefs, with Emery as head scout, also showed a ton of interest in Wallace coming out of the draft, interviewing him at the combine and Senior Bowl. Wheaton can stretch the field and should be able to work from outside or the slot. He has good hands, runs strong routes, and was a 100m champion at Oregon St.
4 (117)- Allen Bailey, OG, Arkansas. This is later than I'd like to wait for OL help, considering the Bears have 2012 UDFA, James Brown as the only current option to start at LG next year. So, hopefully the Bears can find someone to hold the fort at LG in case Bailey isn't ready from Day 1. But Bailey fits the mold of the Saints OGs that made Kromer (Bears OC, former Saints OL coach) a sought after assistant coach. In fact, Bailey is almost the exact same size as Jahri Evans was when the Saints drafted him in the 5th round in 2006. Bailey quietly had a very strong combine, including running 4.95 in the 40. But he's also from a power blocking scheme and is a 3-year starter, with 38 starts in his career. His strength showed in his 27 bench reps. He's played both LG and RG, including some times on the same series as the Razorbacks put him to the side they were often running to (or pulling from to run to the other side). Needs some work on technique, but he has all the tools to be a solid NFL guard and will be coached by a guy that knows what he's doing when it comes to interior OL. Experienced enough to be a Day 1 starter at LG.
5 (153)- Steve Williams, CB, California. Another guy who quietly had a very strong combine performance. 4.42 in the 40, looked very good in the drills backpedaling and showing ball skills. Continues with the theme of this draft to get faster as a team. If you look at the Bears when they went to the Superbowl, they had a lot of speed. Urlacher, Briggs, and Tillman were all young and hadn't lost a step yet. They had speed on the front 4 also. Williams starts out as the #4 CB, playing special teams and eventually takes over the nickel. Despite being a little undersized, he's also very tough against the run, racking up 80 tackles this season. A defensive tackle is also an option here as depth is very slim...but so are the draft options at the position after the 4th round.
6 (188)- Michael Ford, RB LSU. This may be one of my favorite picks. It is a luxury pick, but if the Bears make this pick, I'd be willing to bet that they would reap huge benefits from it in 2014. Quietly was in the top 10 in the 40 at the combine for his position. Prototype RB size at 5'10", 210 lbs. Former Parade High School All American, and one of the top recruited players in his class 3 years ago. But only 243 career college carries in 3 years due to playing in a loaded backfield for all 3 seasons. Dynamic runner with career 6 yards per carry in the SEC. Shown flashes of being a good receiver out of the backfield. He's the #3 RB for his rookie season while he works on improving pass protection skills. Then in 2014, he allows the Bears to release Matt Forte, clearing 7Mil off the cap for next year, and becomes the #1B to Michael Bush...eventually either becoming "the guy" or the #2 to a 2015 draft pick. Either way, I think Ford will be a steal. He had the potential of being a 2nd round RB if he had gone to a school where he would have been the primary runner.
Now onto the draft. I have run many mock drafts thru my head and down on paper, but haven't really shared anything with the blog. I'm going to try to change that as there are several different ways the Bears could go, especially on the first 2 days of the draft with having filled 2 major holes and still not completely done in free agency. This mock was actually put together BEFORE the news of Brian Urlacher and the Bears going in their separate directions.
1 (20)- Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State. Was really hoping for him to be there in the 2nd round so the Bears could go another way in the first and still get what I consider to be the best LB in this draft. But as the pre-draft season goes on, Brown just keeps climbing up draft boards. Playing at about 228lbs this season, Brown looked like a prototype WLB in a Cover 2 scheme. But on gameday, he doesn't play like a WILL LB. He's a guy that hits anything that moves, takes on blocks surprisingly well, and runs like the wind. Showing up at the combine at 241lb proved he could bulk up to possibly play SLB and even MLB in the 4-3, but would the extra bulk slow him down? After running in the low 4.6s at his pro day, there's no question to me that Arthur Brown could be the next great MLB for the Chicago Bears. Ideally, the Bears would be able to trade down in the 1st and still get him while picking up an extra pick, but teams like St. Louis, Minnesota, Indianapolis, and Green Bay could all use LB help, and I doubt Brown makes it past the Ravens being that he's getting some comparisons to a young Ray Lewis.
2 (50)- Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon St. This is a player I wanted on the Bears back in September. Back then, Wheaton was still flying under the radar as a nice WR in a WR loaded PAC-10 conference. After seeing him fly down the field and fly up draft rankings, I wrote him off as an option in Chicago...figuring he would go too high for our tastes. But then I did some homework. And while it isn't the Bears biggest need, the team has stated they want to add some speed to the WR corps to stretch the field for their bigger guys underneath. So why Wheaton this early? GM Phil Emery has drafted his share of WRs in his time as GM and head scout for the Falcons, Chiefs and now the Bears. And what do Roddy White, Harry Douglas, Jonathan Baldwin, and Alshon Jeffery all have in common? All were drafted in the first 3 rounds when Emery had some say so. Wheaton has drawn comparisons to this year's big FA signee, Mike Wallace. The Bears, then under GM Jerry Angelo, were very interested in Wallace, almost pulling the trigger on him before trading down for a guy that could jump out of a pool (don't get me started). The Chiefs, with Emery as head scout, also showed a ton of interest in Wallace coming out of the draft, interviewing him at the combine and Senior Bowl. Wheaton can stretch the field and should be able to work from outside or the slot. He has good hands, runs strong routes, and was a 100m champion at Oregon St.
4 (117)- Allen Bailey, OG, Arkansas. This is later than I'd like to wait for OL help, considering the Bears have 2012 UDFA, James Brown as the only current option to start at LG next year. So, hopefully the Bears can find someone to hold the fort at LG in case Bailey isn't ready from Day 1. But Bailey fits the mold of the Saints OGs that made Kromer (Bears OC, former Saints OL coach) a sought after assistant coach. In fact, Bailey is almost the exact same size as Jahri Evans was when the Saints drafted him in the 5th round in 2006. Bailey quietly had a very strong combine, including running 4.95 in the 40. But he's also from a power blocking scheme and is a 3-year starter, with 38 starts in his career. His strength showed in his 27 bench reps. He's played both LG and RG, including some times on the same series as the Razorbacks put him to the side they were often running to (or pulling from to run to the other side). Needs some work on technique, but he has all the tools to be a solid NFL guard and will be coached by a guy that knows what he's doing when it comes to interior OL. Experienced enough to be a Day 1 starter at LG.
5 (153)- Steve Williams, CB, California. Another guy who quietly had a very strong combine performance. 4.42 in the 40, looked very good in the drills backpedaling and showing ball skills. Continues with the theme of this draft to get faster as a team. If you look at the Bears when they went to the Superbowl, they had a lot of speed. Urlacher, Briggs, and Tillman were all young and hadn't lost a step yet. They had speed on the front 4 also. Williams starts out as the #4 CB, playing special teams and eventually takes over the nickel. Despite being a little undersized, he's also very tough against the run, racking up 80 tackles this season. A defensive tackle is also an option here as depth is very slim...but so are the draft options at the position after the 4th round.
6 (188)- Michael Ford, RB LSU. This may be one of my favorite picks. It is a luxury pick, but if the Bears make this pick, I'd be willing to bet that they would reap huge benefits from it in 2014. Quietly was in the top 10 in the 40 at the combine for his position. Prototype RB size at 5'10", 210 lbs. Former Parade High School All American, and one of the top recruited players in his class 3 years ago. But only 243 career college carries in 3 years due to playing in a loaded backfield for all 3 seasons. Dynamic runner with career 6 yards per carry in the SEC. Shown flashes of being a good receiver out of the backfield. He's the #3 RB for his rookie season while he works on improving pass protection skills. Then in 2014, he allows the Bears to release Matt Forte, clearing 7Mil off the cap for next year, and becomes the #1B to Michael Bush...eventually either becoming "the guy" or the #2 to a 2015 draft pick. Either way, I think Ford will be a steal. He had the potential of being a 2nd round RB if he had gone to a school where he would have been the primary runner.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Losing Sanders to the Patriots mock draft
The recent news of the Pats making Sanders an offer does have a silver lining. Their 3rd round pick. While I feel my recent mock is very strong, making a change to address WR earlier wasnt a mere cut and paste. Originally I thought maybe draft Fuller earlier in the 3rd round then maybe a tight end in the 6th. However I did see that Davis was returning today and we might have interest in bringing back Spaethe. While Id prefer the former (actually Id prefer Sims or Mike Williams to be drafted) the fact that were losing not just 1 but 2 WRs requires us to draft 2 to recoup. There was also some thought of addressing LB at this spot, but due to us quickly signing Foote, as well as the other 2-3 future signings, pretty much shot that down. Now, the 3rd round has been a popular round for Tomlin to find WRs (Wallace and Sanders) though the 6th round got us Brown (the sole survivor). Therefore, taking a WR at both the 3rd and 6th (think 2010 draft), makes perfect sense. So, without further ado...
17 Elam, S(DB) Florida- since my last Mock Tomlin and Colbert attended the Florida pro day. Elam was the focus. The Jags HC and GM also showed up hoping to see Floyd work but was injured. Nevertheless, Elam now only needs to be brought in for the private invitational workout to be 100% our pick at 17. Right now? Im 95% sure its him. He's a defender, junior, position flexible, fast, a Florida Gator, and from the SEC- all Tomlin requirements. His recent grade of 34 overall fits our 2010 draft. Yes, that was MP53's pick.
47 Williams, DT Missouri Southern State- while he did have a minor hammy pull he still completed his pro day with Tomlin and company in attendance. This kid was a force at the Senior Bowl. Those of you who know me know that I am a huge fan of another Williams. Jesse from Bama. Jesse played the tech last year and the 0 tech this year, winning the national championship each time.Funny thing about Brandon. While he doesnt play in the SEC, he did however move thru the dline playing both the 5 tech in his early years and the 0 tech the last 2. There is always a small school player taken early, and Brandon may be him. I also think Hampton may sign a 1 year tender to spell time with this kid, as it appears he is having trouble finding a job, and McLendon hasnt signed his RFA tender yet (greedy?). His recent grade of 74 overall also fits our 2010 draft. That was Worilds. We'll seehow he does this year.
79 Swope, WR Texas A&M- Tom Brady has his wifes panties in a bunch over losing Wes Welker to the Broncos, while I heard Manning is throwing a party inviting all of Bradys wifes fellow models. Ok, ok, the last part is BS, but nevertheless- Brady is pissed. On top of that the Pats quickly replaced Welker with another... yup, white guy. Makes sense. I guess? While Tomlin has never drafted a white WR before, I do think Swope grabbed our attention both at the combine (running a sub 4.4 40) as well as his pro dray (which we attended). Replacing Sanders, being best as a slot WR, with another WR that can best play in the slot but who is also faster, runs tighter routes, better hands and catching radius, and is also an eager blocker- it has to happen. Add to that Swope is 6'0 tall and very very fast. The future WR corps of Brown, Swope and Fuller would be nothing but scary for defenses. Oh, and his recent grade of 87 overall fits our 2012 draft. The jury is still out on Spence.
91 Bell, RB Michigan State- I watched more tape of this kid recently but also heard some interviews on Sirius during the Combine. He seems very well put together above the shoulders, and below kicked ass in the Combine so much that he knew to focus on his pass catching and route running during his pro day. Watching tape I see a combination of a leaner Bettis or a heavier Steven Jackson. Not sure which, and I dont really care. If I recall he had over 700 yards AFTER FIRST CONTACT last year. Holt shit. While he doesnt have blazing speed, and I would think an inside zone scheme would be his best fit, he does have the abilty- and force- to just plow over people in his way. Can he run a stretch play? Yes? Will he outrun a fast OLB or SS? Maybe. Probably not. But I bet you he can knock them on their ass and keep going without losing a step. Or just jump over them (see Boise State game). His recent grade of 126 overall fits our 4th round pick of our 2011 draft. Yes, that was the Cortez Allen pick.
111 (estd) Winters, OL Kent State- He sold me during his Senior Bowl play, but almost lost me when he benched 9 times at the Combine. Turns out he pulled a pec. He is working on benching soon and will make a tape, sending to all teams. Nevertheless, Bicknell was at his pro day. And he worked him out at OG (his best fit), at OT (he started at LT and RT at Kent St) and also at OC. Hmmm. The recent resigning of Foster (yeah!!!) lets Winters learn for a year or 2 then have Foster be the backup. He can also possibly be the backup center, though my UDFA could grab that spot day 1. If youre not aware, the Golden Flashes football team runs a zone blocking scheme. Oh, and his recent grade of 118 overall fits our 2012 draft. As I said in the Swope pick, the jury is still out on Spence.
143 (estd) Maponga, DE/OLB TCU- Its about time we went to TCU. Coach Butler attended the pro day and worked out Maponga personally. Yes, we also went to Auburns pro day and worked out Lemonier but he was said to show as a better 43DE while Maponga had fluid hips when dropping to cover. The reason for this is because TCU ran a base 425 defense, and not only allowed Maponga to rotate from the left to right side, he also had the "DE"s hand in the dirt on true running plays and stood them up on passing ones. He is also the same size as Woodley, and that doesnt hurt. His recent grade of 232 overall fits our 2010 draft. Yes, that was when we had 3 5th round picks, and none of them turned out. Sylvester wasnt given an RFA tender this year. Actually, if you look at our 5th round picks the last 3 years, your stomach will turn. Its been horrible. Its time for a change.
175 (estd) Fuller, WR Virginia Tech- Here is a typical Tomlin pick. A late round WR with speed. This one happens to also have bloodlines in the NFL as well as being over 6 foot, AND a former track athlete. Size and speed. Its a win/win. Fuller played 2nd fiddle at VA Tech, but averaged over 18 YPC and 85% of his catches were on 3rd down, most of the time with him going over the middle. His recent grade of 173 overall fits our 2011 draft. Yes, that was the Keith Williams pick. This pick is generally volatile with us trading it or incredibly reaching (2010 Antonio Brown). Here we get an inside slot or outside deep threat with size and speed.
207 (estd) Stafford, S Nebraska- Coach Lake attended this pro day and worked out both of the Safeties. The other one, Smith, is more of a UDFA, while Stafford has a read an react that stop watches cant even keep up with. He is a very bright kid and while he can and has played both safety spots, he isnt one to line up in the nickel. Does this sound like Ryan Clark to you too? Clark covering the top of the umbrella with Polamalu "roaming" underneath. Stafford doing the same for Elam in the next few years? Hmmm. His recent grade of 207 overall fits our 2012 draft. Yes, that was the Beachum pick, and that seems to have worked out very well.
227 (estd) Lutzenkirchen, TE Auburn- Ive been a fan of his for years. Hell, Cam loved the man. He was Cam's primary target in the redzone more often than not. Lutz can play inline TE or more of an HBack role. While we were at the Auburn pro day, I dont know if Lutz was a target, but finding another backup TE to mold for a year or 2 behind Miller certainly wouldnt hurt (drafting a sure thing TE next year in top 3 rounds would be best). He is similar to Paulson in size and in that he was more of a passing threat, however benching 21 times shows hes no wuss. His recent grade of 427 overall fits our 2011 draft. That was the Batch pick. If we dont bring in another 3rd down RB/Kick returner, this is Batch's time to shine.
UDFAs:
Turnley, OL Pitt- Typical Tomlin. A local kid. See the Legursky UDFA pick a few years ago, add height, weight, strength and more oline flexibility and you have Turnley.
Burdette, LB UAB- Tomlin seems to be interested in making our ILBs smaller. Shorter actually. We attended the UAB pro day and worked him out. This kid looks like Ray Rice playing LB. He hits everything around him, and according to his coaches he feels he should be making every tackle. He's also another OLB convert to ILB. Tomlin loves to do that.
Amos, WR Middle Tennessee State- Ahhh the Senior Bowl. This kid did nothing but make the QBs look good both in practice and especially in the game. He came back for the ball on at least 2 or 3 occasions making catches that some pros would just let fly outta reach. Not to mention his route running. Very crisp. Hes another small school, small build, but fast, WR that Tomlin has a tendency to find.
I am efforting to find a UDFA CB. Ill post it whenever I uncover that rock.
17 Elam, S(DB) Florida- since my last Mock Tomlin and Colbert attended the Florida pro day. Elam was the focus. The Jags HC and GM also showed up hoping to see Floyd work but was injured. Nevertheless, Elam now only needs to be brought in for the private invitational workout to be 100% our pick at 17. Right now? Im 95% sure its him. He's a defender, junior, position flexible, fast, a Florida Gator, and from the SEC- all Tomlin requirements. His recent grade of 34 overall fits our 2010 draft. Yes, that was MP53's pick.
47 Williams, DT Missouri Southern State- while he did have a minor hammy pull he still completed his pro day with Tomlin and company in attendance. This kid was a force at the Senior Bowl. Those of you who know me know that I am a huge fan of another Williams. Jesse from Bama. Jesse played the tech last year and the 0 tech this year, winning the national championship each time.Funny thing about Brandon. While he doesnt play in the SEC, he did however move thru the dline playing both the 5 tech in his early years and the 0 tech the last 2. There is always a small school player taken early, and Brandon may be him. I also think Hampton may sign a 1 year tender to spell time with this kid, as it appears he is having trouble finding a job, and McLendon hasnt signed his RFA tender yet (greedy?). His recent grade of 74 overall also fits our 2010 draft. That was Worilds. We'll seehow he does this year.
79 Swope, WR Texas A&M- Tom Brady has his wifes panties in a bunch over losing Wes Welker to the Broncos, while I heard Manning is throwing a party inviting all of Bradys wifes fellow models. Ok, ok, the last part is BS, but nevertheless- Brady is pissed. On top of that the Pats quickly replaced Welker with another... yup, white guy. Makes sense. I guess? While Tomlin has never drafted a white WR before, I do think Swope grabbed our attention both at the combine (running a sub 4.4 40) as well as his pro dray (which we attended). Replacing Sanders, being best as a slot WR, with another WR that can best play in the slot but who is also faster, runs tighter routes, better hands and catching radius, and is also an eager blocker- it has to happen. Add to that Swope is 6'0 tall and very very fast. The future WR corps of Brown, Swope and Fuller would be nothing but scary for defenses. Oh, and his recent grade of 87 overall fits our 2012 draft. The jury is still out on Spence.
91 Bell, RB Michigan State- I watched more tape of this kid recently but also heard some interviews on Sirius during the Combine. He seems very well put together above the shoulders, and below kicked ass in the Combine so much that he knew to focus on his pass catching and route running during his pro day. Watching tape I see a combination of a leaner Bettis or a heavier Steven Jackson. Not sure which, and I dont really care. If I recall he had over 700 yards AFTER FIRST CONTACT last year. Holt shit. While he doesnt have blazing speed, and I would think an inside zone scheme would be his best fit, he does have the abilty- and force- to just plow over people in his way. Can he run a stretch play? Yes? Will he outrun a fast OLB or SS? Maybe. Probably not. But I bet you he can knock them on their ass and keep going without losing a step. Or just jump over them (see Boise State game). His recent grade of 126 overall fits our 4th round pick of our 2011 draft. Yes, that was the Cortez Allen pick.
111 (estd) Winters, OL Kent State- He sold me during his Senior Bowl play, but almost lost me when he benched 9 times at the Combine. Turns out he pulled a pec. He is working on benching soon and will make a tape, sending to all teams. Nevertheless, Bicknell was at his pro day. And he worked him out at OG (his best fit), at OT (he started at LT and RT at Kent St) and also at OC. Hmmm. The recent resigning of Foster (yeah!!!) lets Winters learn for a year or 2 then have Foster be the backup. He can also possibly be the backup center, though my UDFA could grab that spot day 1. If youre not aware, the Golden Flashes football team runs a zone blocking scheme. Oh, and his recent grade of 118 overall fits our 2012 draft. As I said in the Swope pick, the jury is still out on Spence.
143 (estd) Maponga, DE/OLB TCU- Its about time we went to TCU. Coach Butler attended the pro day and worked out Maponga personally. Yes, we also went to Auburns pro day and worked out Lemonier but he was said to show as a better 43DE while Maponga had fluid hips when dropping to cover. The reason for this is because TCU ran a base 425 defense, and not only allowed Maponga to rotate from the left to right side, he also had the "DE"s hand in the dirt on true running plays and stood them up on passing ones. He is also the same size as Woodley, and that doesnt hurt. His recent grade of 232 overall fits our 2010 draft. Yes, that was when we had 3 5th round picks, and none of them turned out. Sylvester wasnt given an RFA tender this year. Actually, if you look at our 5th round picks the last 3 years, your stomach will turn. Its been horrible. Its time for a change.
175 (estd) Fuller, WR Virginia Tech- Here is a typical Tomlin pick. A late round WR with speed. This one happens to also have bloodlines in the NFL as well as being over 6 foot, AND a former track athlete. Size and speed. Its a win/win. Fuller played 2nd fiddle at VA Tech, but averaged over 18 YPC and 85% of his catches were on 3rd down, most of the time with him going over the middle. His recent grade of 173 overall fits our 2011 draft. Yes, that was the Keith Williams pick. This pick is generally volatile with us trading it or incredibly reaching (2010 Antonio Brown). Here we get an inside slot or outside deep threat with size and speed.
207 (estd) Stafford, S Nebraska- Coach Lake attended this pro day and worked out both of the Safeties. The other one, Smith, is more of a UDFA, while Stafford has a read an react that stop watches cant even keep up with. He is a very bright kid and while he can and has played both safety spots, he isnt one to line up in the nickel. Does this sound like Ryan Clark to you too? Clark covering the top of the umbrella with Polamalu "roaming" underneath. Stafford doing the same for Elam in the next few years? Hmmm. His recent grade of 207 overall fits our 2012 draft. Yes, that was the Beachum pick, and that seems to have worked out very well.
227 (estd) Lutzenkirchen, TE Auburn- Ive been a fan of his for years. Hell, Cam loved the man. He was Cam's primary target in the redzone more often than not. Lutz can play inline TE or more of an HBack role. While we were at the Auburn pro day, I dont know if Lutz was a target, but finding another backup TE to mold for a year or 2 behind Miller certainly wouldnt hurt (drafting a sure thing TE next year in top 3 rounds would be best). He is similar to Paulson in size and in that he was more of a passing threat, however benching 21 times shows hes no wuss. His recent grade of 427 overall fits our 2011 draft. That was the Batch pick. If we dont bring in another 3rd down RB/Kick returner, this is Batch's time to shine.
UDFAs:
Turnley, OL Pitt- Typical Tomlin. A local kid. See the Legursky UDFA pick a few years ago, add height, weight, strength and more oline flexibility and you have Turnley.
Burdette, LB UAB- Tomlin seems to be interested in making our ILBs smaller. Shorter actually. We attended the UAB pro day and worked him out. This kid looks like Ray Rice playing LB. He hits everything around him, and according to his coaches he feels he should be making every tackle. He's also another OLB convert to ILB. Tomlin loves to do that.
Amos, WR Middle Tennessee State- Ahhh the Senior Bowl. This kid did nothing but make the QBs look good both in practice and especially in the game. He came back for the ball on at least 2 or 3 occasions making catches that some pros would just let fly outta reach. Not to mention his route running. Very crisp. Hes another small school, small build, but fast, WR that Tomlin has a tendency to find.
I am efforting to find a UDFA CB. Ill post it whenever I uncover that rock.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Half way thru Pro Days, Steelers mock draft 3/14/13
Tomlin and company have been busy. Just today he took Sims and Bell out to dinner. The one thing Ive noticed is Tomlin seems to have shown his hand regarding whichever RB we draft. They must be over 5'10 and over 220 pounds. Both Michael and Bell are just that. RBs that are familiar with the zone blocking scheme is also showing itself, which only makes sense as thats what Bicknell Jr generally coaches, as well as what OC Haley is most comfortable with. So that said I looked at a recent mock I have been toying with and tweaked it to see how Bell would fit. Sure enough, spot on.
17 Elam, S(DB) Florida- since my last Mock Tomlin and Colbert attended the Florida pro day. Elam was the focus. The Jags HC and GM also showed up hoping to see Floyd work but was injured. Nevertheless, Elam now only needs to be brought in for the private invitational workout to be 100% our pick at 17. Right now? Im 95% sure its him. He's a defender, junior, position flexible, fast, a Florida Gator, and from the SEC- all Tomlin requirements. His recent grade of 34 overall fits our 2010 draft. Yes, that was MP53's pick.
47 Williams, DT Missouri Southern State- while he did have a minor hammy pull he still completed his pro day with Tomlin and company in attendance. This kid was a force at the Senior Bowl. Those of you who know me know that I am a huge fan of another Williams. Jesse from Bama. Jesse played the tech last year and the 0 tech this year, winning the national championship each time.Funny thing about Brandon. While he doesnt play in the SEC, he did however move thru the dline playing both the 5 tech in his early years and the 0 tech the last 2. There is always a small school player taken early, and Brandon may be him. I also think Hampton may sign a 1 year tender to spell time with this kid, as it appears he is having trouble finding a job, and McLendon hasnt signed his RFA tender yet (greedy?). His recent grade of 74 overall also fits our 2010 draft. That was Worilds. We'll seehow he does this year.
79 Bell, RB Michigan State- I watched more tape of this kid recently but also heard some interviews on Sirius during the Combine. He seems very well put together above the shoulders, and below kicked ass in the Combine so much that he knew to focus on his pass catching and route running during his pro day. Watching tape I see a combination of a leaner Bettis or a heavier Steven Jackson. Not sure which, and I dont really care. If I recall he had over 700 yards AFTER FIRST CONTACT last year. Holt shit. While he doesnt have blazing speed, and I would think an inside zone scheme would be his best fit, he does have the abilty- and force- to just plow over people in his way. Can he run a stretch play? Yes? Will he outrun a fast OLB or SS? Maybe. Probably not. But I bet you he can knock them on their ass and keep going without losing a step. Or just jump over them (see Boise State game). His recent grade of 126 overall fits our 4th round pick of our 2011 draft. Yes, that was the Cortez Allen pick.
111 (estd) Winters, OL Kent State- He sold me during his Senior Bowl play, but almost lost me when he benched 9 times at the Combine. Turns out he pulled a pec. He is working on benching soon and will make a tape, sending to all teams. Nevertheless, Bicknell was at his pro day. And he worked him out at OG (his best fit), at OT (he started at LT and RT at Kent St) and also at OC. Hmmm. The recent resigning of Foster (yeah!!!) lets Winters learn for a year or 2 then have Foster be the backup. He can also possibly be the backup center, though my UDFA could grab that spot day 1. If youre not aware, the Golden Flashes football team runs a zone blocking scheme. Oh, and his recent grade of 118 overall fits our 2012 draft. The jury is still out on Spence.
143 (estd) Maponga, DE/OLB TCU- Its about time we went to TCU. Coach Butler attended the pro day and worked out Maponga personally. Yes, we also went to Auburns pro day and worked out Lemonier but he was said to show as a better 43DE while Maponga had fluid hips when dropping to cover. The reason for this is because TCU ran a base 425 defense, and not only allowed Maponga to rotate from the left to right side, he also had the "DE"s hand in the dirt on true running plays and stood them up on passing ones. He is also the same size as Woodley, and that doesnt hurt. His recent grade of 232 overall fits our 2010 draft. Yes, that was when we had 3 5th round picks, and none of them turned out. Sylvester wasnt given an RFA tender this year. Actually, if you look at our 5th round picks the last 3 years, your stomach will turn. Its been horrible. Its time for a change.
175 (estd) Fuller, WR Virginia Tech- Here is a typical Tomlin pick. A late round WR with speed. This one happens to also have bloodlines in the NFL as well as being over 6 foot, AND a former track athlete. Size and speed. Its a win/win. Fuller played 2nd fiddle at VA Tech, but averaged over 18 YPC and 85% of his catches were on 3rd down, most of the time with him going over the middle. His recent grade of 173 overall fits our 2011 draft. Yes, that was the Keith Williams pick. This pick is generally volatile with us trading it or incredibly reaching (2010 Antonio Brown). Here we get an inside slot or outside deep threat with size and speed.
207 (estd) Stafford, S Nebraska- Coach Lake attended this pro day and worked out both of the Safeties. The other one, Smith, is more of a UDFA, while Stafford has a read an react that stop watches cant even keep up with. He is a very bright kid and while he can and has played both safety spots, he isnt one to line up in the nickel. Does this sound like Ryan Clark to you too? Clark covering the top of the umbrella with Polamalu "roaming" underneath. Stafford doing the same for Elam in the next few years? Hmmm. His recent grade of 207 overall fits our 2012 draft. Yes, that was the Beachum pick, and that seems to have worked out very well.
227 (estd) Lutzenkirchen, TE Auburn- Ive been a fan of his for years. Hell, Cam loved the man. He was Cam's primary target in the redzone more often than not. Lutz can play inline TE or more of an HBack role. While we were at the Auburn pro day, I dont know if Lutz was a target, but finding another backup TE to mold for a year or 2 behind Miller certainly wouldnt hurt (drafting a sure thing TE next year in top 3 rounds would be best). He is similar to Paulson in size and in that he was more of a passing threat, however benching 21 times shows hes no wuss. His recent grade of 427 overall fits our 2011 draft. That was the Batch pick. If we dont bring in another 3rd down RB/Kick returner, this is Batch's time to shine.
UDFAs:
Turnley, OL Pitt- Typical Tomlin. A local kid. See the Legursky UDFA pick a few years ago, add height, weight, strength and more oline flexibility and you have Turnley.
Burdette, LB UAB- Tomlin seems to be interested in making our ILBs smaller. Shorter actually. We attended the UAB pro day and worked him out. This kid looks like Ray Rice playing LB. He hits everything around him, and according to his coaches he feels he should be making every tackle. He's also another OLB convert to ILB. Tomlin loves to do that.
Amos, WR Middle Tennessee State- Ahhh the Senior Bowl. This kid did nothing but make the QBs look good both in practice and especially in the game. He came back for the ball on at least 2 or 3 occasions making catches that some pros would just let fly outta reach. Not to mention his route running. Very crisp. Hes another small school, small build, but fast, WR that Tomlin has a tendency to find.
17 Elam, S(DB) Florida- since my last Mock Tomlin and Colbert attended the Florida pro day. Elam was the focus. The Jags HC and GM also showed up hoping to see Floyd work but was injured. Nevertheless, Elam now only needs to be brought in for the private invitational workout to be 100% our pick at 17. Right now? Im 95% sure its him. He's a defender, junior, position flexible, fast, a Florida Gator, and from the SEC- all Tomlin requirements. His recent grade of 34 overall fits our 2010 draft. Yes, that was MP53's pick.
47 Williams, DT Missouri Southern State- while he did have a minor hammy pull he still completed his pro day with Tomlin and company in attendance. This kid was a force at the Senior Bowl. Those of you who know me know that I am a huge fan of another Williams. Jesse from Bama. Jesse played the tech last year and the 0 tech this year, winning the national championship each time.Funny thing about Brandon. While he doesnt play in the SEC, he did however move thru the dline playing both the 5 tech in his early years and the 0 tech the last 2. There is always a small school player taken early, and Brandon may be him. I also think Hampton may sign a 1 year tender to spell time with this kid, as it appears he is having trouble finding a job, and McLendon hasnt signed his RFA tender yet (greedy?). His recent grade of 74 overall also fits our 2010 draft. That was Worilds. We'll seehow he does this year.
79 Bell, RB Michigan State- I watched more tape of this kid recently but also heard some interviews on Sirius during the Combine. He seems very well put together above the shoulders, and below kicked ass in the Combine so much that he knew to focus on his pass catching and route running during his pro day. Watching tape I see a combination of a leaner Bettis or a heavier Steven Jackson. Not sure which, and I dont really care. If I recall he had over 700 yards AFTER FIRST CONTACT last year. Holt shit. While he doesnt have blazing speed, and I would think an inside zone scheme would be his best fit, he does have the abilty- and force- to just plow over people in his way. Can he run a stretch play? Yes? Will he outrun a fast OLB or SS? Maybe. Probably not. But I bet you he can knock them on their ass and keep going without losing a step. Or just jump over them (see Boise State game). His recent grade of 126 overall fits our 4th round pick of our 2011 draft. Yes, that was the Cortez Allen pick.
111 (estd) Winters, OL Kent State- He sold me during his Senior Bowl play, but almost lost me when he benched 9 times at the Combine. Turns out he pulled a pec. He is working on benching soon and will make a tape, sending to all teams. Nevertheless, Bicknell was at his pro day. And he worked him out at OG (his best fit), at OT (he started at LT and RT at Kent St) and also at OC. Hmmm. The recent resigning of Foster (yeah!!!) lets Winters learn for a year or 2 then have Foster be the backup. He can also possibly be the backup center, though my UDFA could grab that spot day 1. If youre not aware, the Golden Flashes football team runs a zone blocking scheme. Oh, and his recent grade of 118 overall fits our 2012 draft. The jury is still out on Spence.
143 (estd) Maponga, DE/OLB TCU- Its about time we went to TCU. Coach Butler attended the pro day and worked out Maponga personally. Yes, we also went to Auburns pro day and worked out Lemonier but he was said to show as a better 43DE while Maponga had fluid hips when dropping to cover. The reason for this is because TCU ran a base 425 defense, and not only allowed Maponga to rotate from the left to right side, he also had the "DE"s hand in the dirt on true running plays and stood them up on passing ones. He is also the same size as Woodley, and that doesnt hurt. His recent grade of 232 overall fits our 2010 draft. Yes, that was when we had 3 5th round picks, and none of them turned out. Sylvester wasnt given an RFA tender this year. Actually, if you look at our 5th round picks the last 3 years, your stomach will turn. Its been horrible. Its time for a change.
175 (estd) Fuller, WR Virginia Tech- Here is a typical Tomlin pick. A late round WR with speed. This one happens to also have bloodlines in the NFL as well as being over 6 foot, AND a former track athlete. Size and speed. Its a win/win. Fuller played 2nd fiddle at VA Tech, but averaged over 18 YPC and 85% of his catches were on 3rd down, most of the time with him going over the middle. His recent grade of 173 overall fits our 2011 draft. Yes, that was the Keith Williams pick. This pick is generally volatile with us trading it or incredibly reaching (2010 Antonio Brown). Here we get an inside slot or outside deep threat with size and speed.
207 (estd) Stafford, S Nebraska- Coach Lake attended this pro day and worked out both of the Safeties. The other one, Smith, is more of a UDFA, while Stafford has a read an react that stop watches cant even keep up with. He is a very bright kid and while he can and has played both safety spots, he isnt one to line up in the nickel. Does this sound like Ryan Clark to you too? Clark covering the top of the umbrella with Polamalu "roaming" underneath. Stafford doing the same for Elam in the next few years? Hmmm. His recent grade of 207 overall fits our 2012 draft. Yes, that was the Beachum pick, and that seems to have worked out very well.
227 (estd) Lutzenkirchen, TE Auburn- Ive been a fan of his for years. Hell, Cam loved the man. He was Cam's primary target in the redzone more often than not. Lutz can play inline TE or more of an HBack role. While we were at the Auburn pro day, I dont know if Lutz was a target, but finding another backup TE to mold for a year or 2 behind Miller certainly wouldnt hurt (drafting a sure thing TE next year in top 3 rounds would be best). He is similar to Paulson in size and in that he was more of a passing threat, however benching 21 times shows hes no wuss. His recent grade of 427 overall fits our 2011 draft. That was the Batch pick. If we dont bring in another 3rd down RB/Kick returner, this is Batch's time to shine.
UDFAs:
Turnley, OL Pitt- Typical Tomlin. A local kid. See the Legursky UDFA pick a few years ago, add height, weight, strength and more oline flexibility and you have Turnley.
Burdette, LB UAB- Tomlin seems to be interested in making our ILBs smaller. Shorter actually. We attended the UAB pro day and worked him out. This kid looks like Ray Rice playing LB. He hits everything around him, and according to his coaches he feels he should be making every tackle. He's also another OLB convert to ILB. Tomlin loves to do that.
Amos, WR Middle Tennessee State- Ahhh the Senior Bowl. This kid did nothing but make the QBs look good both in practice and especially in the game. He came back for the ball on at least 2 or 3 occasions making catches that some pros would just let fly outta reach. Not to mention his route running. Very crisp. Hes another small school, small build, but fast, WR that Tomlin has a tendency to find.
Monday, March 11, 2013
My Bears offseason plan, Part I
With free agency just hours away, I figured it was time to give the world my thoughts on how the Bears should approach this offseason. This is not a fantasy scenario. I'm not trading for Revis or moving up to the #1 overall pick to take Luke Joeckel. This is a realistic approach to free agency and the draft based on my point of view.
According to Sean Jensen's Twitter, sources say the Bears actually have about 7Mil in cap space after franchising Henry Melton. But the Bears can and should clear more room. Before making any major moves this is what the Bears can/should do to clear space.
- Cut Kellen Davis- approx. 2.5M savings
- Cut Devin Hester- approx. 2.1M savings
- Cut Matt Spaeth- 1.625M savings
- Cut Matt Toeina- 1.25M savings
- Charles Tillman- restructure to 4-year/32Mil deal, little more than Carlos Rogers deal w/ 49ers last year. Due 8Mil this year, make that a signing bonus. Only 2 Mil of that will count toward the cap this year. Give him 3Mil base salary this year and guarantee his salary in full for a 2nd year. Tillman pockets 11M this year, only counts 5 Mil toward the cap, Bears save 3Mil.
Contract looks like: 2013- 5Mil, 2014- 8Mil, 2015- 9Mil, 2016- 9.5Mil able to be cut with minimal cap hit after 2 years at 35 years old.
- Henry Melton- Red Bryant got 5/35M last year, sign Melton to 5/36.5M. Due 8.65 this year, give him a 10M signing bonus. Again only 2Mil toward the cap. 3.5 base this year. Guarantee his salary for 2014 and 2015. Pockets 13.5 this year, only 5.5 against the cap, Bears save 3Mil.
Contract looks like: 2013-5.5Mil, 2014- 6.5Mil, 2015- 8Mil, 2016- 7.5Mil, 2017- 9Mil
- Tim Jennings- similar to other 2. 5.1 due this year, make that a signing bonus, low base, can save a 1.5-2.5 Million in cap hit.
- Robbie Gould- Due about 2.4Mil, spread that out as a bonus over 3-4 years, saves about 1.5Mil.
While this is not the exact way NFL contracts and salary cap works, it's reasonably accurate for someone not involved in an NFL front office. This would give the Bears an additional 15Mil or so in cap space. Some of that has to go to sign draft picks, but combined with the 7Mil already in space...that's money to do whatever you want in free agency. However, I don't think the Bears will go crazy in free agency.
With only 5 draft picks, the Bears are going to have to address a few positions in free agency. First of all, I'd bring back Brian Urlacher. I think he has a lot to prove and honestly, it would make guys like Briggs, Peppers, and Tillman happy going into the season (and possibly more apt to restructure their deals). I'd look to bring back Israel Idonije, but I think he gets MUCH more than the 2.5Mil the Bears paid him last year, and I don't know how much higher the Bears will go. I'd also bring back Kelvin Hayden, and I do feel he will be affordable and like to stay at home in Chicago. I'd also look to re-sign Lance Louis. Not sure how ready he'll be to start the season after an ACL tear, but he was the Bears best lineman last year and was just coming into his own before Jared Allen's dirty hit. I'd hate to see his upside get fulfilled in another uniform.
As for going outside the organization, I think the Bears will go with the value approach for the most part. I don't see them making the Jake Long move due to money and injury concerns, though I probably would take that gamble at this point, because the Bears OL has been so bad for so long. Plus, Bears OC Kromer made a living off of serviceable OTs while developing really good guards. I'd really like Sam Baker from Atlanta. Not an elite LT by any means, but was scouted by Bears GM Phil Emery when he was head scout for the Falcons. He should be able to be had for something a little cheaper than Will Beatty's 5 year/38.75M deal from the Giants earlier this offseason. Baker would allow J'Marcus Webb to move to the right side, where I'd think he'd be a top 15 RT instead of bottom 5 on the left side.
I'd also look at Glenn Dorsey from Kansas City. If my cuts come true, that leaves the Bears with just Melton and Stephen Paea under contract at DT. Nate Collins was non-tendered, but I think they can work out a deal to bring him back. Dorsey would be a nice 4th piece to that rotation. Coming off an injury, but the Bears have a history of going after former top picks on the DL who haven't quite lived up to expectations. Worked out well with Amobi Okoye, not so much for Brian Price and the late Gaines Adams. GM Phil Emery was around just joining the Chiefs when they made Dorsey their 1st round pick.
If the Bears do make a big splash in free agency, I think it will be at the TE position. Jared Cook would be a dynamic pass catching option, but that would also probably means Spaeth stays on as someone has to be able to block at TE on the roster. Martellus Bennett would probably be a more affordable option and would also provide a guy that can block. I'd personally gamble that the rival Packers cut Jermichael Finley and if not look to the draft to fill the position.
Lastly, I think the Bears sign a backup QB. Chase Daniel is interesting as he has ties with Kromer from NO, but not sure of his price tag and if he might be given a chance to compete for a starting spot somewhere. Maybe the Bears can lure him by letting him know Cutler is in his contract year and if he gets hurt again and Daniel performs, it could be his job in the future.
Baker and one of those TEs would take up about 13Mil of the 22Mil cap figure. I think Dorsey would take a cheap 1-2 year deal to show he's healthy and can play in a 4-3. If Daniel gets no hits, you can pay him a couple Mil to backup. Hayden and Louis should be very cheap. Then you squeeze in Urlacher with an incentive based deal for the remainder of the cap space, possibly restructuring Briggs or even cutting Garza to make it happen.
According to Sean Jensen's Twitter, sources say the Bears actually have about 7Mil in cap space after franchising Henry Melton. But the Bears can and should clear more room. Before making any major moves this is what the Bears can/should do to clear space.
- Cut Kellen Davis- approx. 2.5M savings
- Cut Devin Hester- approx. 2.1M savings
- Cut Matt Spaeth- 1.625M savings
- Cut Matt Toeina- 1.25M savings
- Charles Tillman- restructure to 4-year/32Mil deal, little more than Carlos Rogers deal w/ 49ers last year. Due 8Mil this year, make that a signing bonus. Only 2 Mil of that will count toward the cap this year. Give him 3Mil base salary this year and guarantee his salary in full for a 2nd year. Tillman pockets 11M this year, only counts 5 Mil toward the cap, Bears save 3Mil.
Contract looks like: 2013- 5Mil, 2014- 8Mil, 2015- 9Mil, 2016- 9.5Mil able to be cut with minimal cap hit after 2 years at 35 years old.
- Henry Melton- Red Bryant got 5/35M last year, sign Melton to 5/36.5M. Due 8.65 this year, give him a 10M signing bonus. Again only 2Mil toward the cap. 3.5 base this year. Guarantee his salary for 2014 and 2015. Pockets 13.5 this year, only 5.5 against the cap, Bears save 3Mil.
Contract looks like: 2013-5.5Mil, 2014- 6.5Mil, 2015- 8Mil, 2016- 7.5Mil, 2017- 9Mil
- Tim Jennings- similar to other 2. 5.1 due this year, make that a signing bonus, low base, can save a 1.5-2.5 Million in cap hit.
- Robbie Gould- Due about 2.4Mil, spread that out as a bonus over 3-4 years, saves about 1.5Mil.
While this is not the exact way NFL contracts and salary cap works, it's reasonably accurate for someone not involved in an NFL front office. This would give the Bears an additional 15Mil or so in cap space. Some of that has to go to sign draft picks, but combined with the 7Mil already in space...that's money to do whatever you want in free agency. However, I don't think the Bears will go crazy in free agency.
With only 5 draft picks, the Bears are going to have to address a few positions in free agency. First of all, I'd bring back Brian Urlacher. I think he has a lot to prove and honestly, it would make guys like Briggs, Peppers, and Tillman happy going into the season (and possibly more apt to restructure their deals). I'd look to bring back Israel Idonije, but I think he gets MUCH more than the 2.5Mil the Bears paid him last year, and I don't know how much higher the Bears will go. I'd also bring back Kelvin Hayden, and I do feel he will be affordable and like to stay at home in Chicago. I'd also look to re-sign Lance Louis. Not sure how ready he'll be to start the season after an ACL tear, but he was the Bears best lineman last year and was just coming into his own before Jared Allen's dirty hit. I'd hate to see his upside get fulfilled in another uniform.
As for going outside the organization, I think the Bears will go with the value approach for the most part. I don't see them making the Jake Long move due to money and injury concerns, though I probably would take that gamble at this point, because the Bears OL has been so bad for so long. Plus, Bears OC Kromer made a living off of serviceable OTs while developing really good guards. I'd really like Sam Baker from Atlanta. Not an elite LT by any means, but was scouted by Bears GM Phil Emery when he was head scout for the Falcons. He should be able to be had for something a little cheaper than Will Beatty's 5 year/38.75M deal from the Giants earlier this offseason. Baker would allow J'Marcus Webb to move to the right side, where I'd think he'd be a top 15 RT instead of bottom 5 on the left side.
I'd also look at Glenn Dorsey from Kansas City. If my cuts come true, that leaves the Bears with just Melton and Stephen Paea under contract at DT. Nate Collins was non-tendered, but I think they can work out a deal to bring him back. Dorsey would be a nice 4th piece to that rotation. Coming off an injury, but the Bears have a history of going after former top picks on the DL who haven't quite lived up to expectations. Worked out well with Amobi Okoye, not so much for Brian Price and the late Gaines Adams. GM Phil Emery was around just joining the Chiefs when they made Dorsey their 1st round pick.
If the Bears do make a big splash in free agency, I think it will be at the TE position. Jared Cook would be a dynamic pass catching option, but that would also probably means Spaeth stays on as someone has to be able to block at TE on the roster. Martellus Bennett would probably be a more affordable option and would also provide a guy that can block. I'd personally gamble that the rival Packers cut Jermichael Finley and if not look to the draft to fill the position.
Lastly, I think the Bears sign a backup QB. Chase Daniel is interesting as he has ties with Kromer from NO, but not sure of his price tag and if he might be given a chance to compete for a starting spot somewhere. Maybe the Bears can lure him by letting him know Cutler is in his contract year and if he gets hurt again and Daniel performs, it could be his job in the future.
Baker and one of those TEs would take up about 13Mil of the 22Mil cap figure. I think Dorsey would take a cheap 1-2 year deal to show he's healthy and can play in a 4-3. If Daniel gets no hits, you can pay him a couple Mil to backup. Hayden and Louis should be very cheap. Then you squeeze in Urlacher with an incentive based deal for the remainder of the cap space, possibly restructuring Briggs or even cutting Garza to make it happen.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Steelers Post Combine Mock Draft
This mock was actually built about a week ago. It fits in both everything the Steelers have done draft-wise since Tomlin's arrival. I hate William Gay. It gives us a defender in the 1st round, who is also a junior, a "OLB" in the 2nd round, a WR with speed and blood lines in the mid round, (I hate William Gay) a NT in the later round, QB in the later round, and finally a OL in the later round. Each pick fits in with my draft template that I have build since Tomlins best draft in 2010. (I hate William Gay) That said, with the 17th pick in the 2013 NFL draft the Pittsburgh Steelers select...
17 Elam, S(DB) Florida- Junior, defender, total position flex, speed, Florida, SEC. Nuff said.
47 Moore, LB UConn- ok, so if you look at the DE/OLBs that fit our "type" they are heavily graded from 126 to 232 in Lemonier, Washington and Maponga (love all 3). That would let us wait and focus on greater needs in the 2nd round. Right? However, something was brought to my attention the other day that concerned me. Timmons redid his deal to help open cap space this year. Thats nice. However, his 2014 cap hit is now over $11 million. NO WAY IN HELL WE CAN HANDLE THAT. So, what to do, what to do. I say we be Typical Tomlin and go "OLB" in the 2nd (OLB and OT are his favs) and this time draft one that can play either OLB or ILB. Moore played both at UConn and rocked the EW game as well as the combine. Essentially hes a smarter Timmons (educated guess) with more play time experience. We can play him this year at OLB if needed- (Harrison, Worilds, Carter, Robinson are still in line) or maybe spell Foote at ILB on passing downs if needed- (Spence... Spence? Hey, wake up dude. You are alive right? Hi Brian Rolle I hope you and Kion Wilson like Special Teams. And the coaches seem to like the UDFA ILB McFadden). He has total position flexibility with experience at both spots. Cant pass it up.
79 Franklin, RB UCLA- speed, power, pass catching, pass blocking, all in a zone blocking schemed offense. Check them all off. The Tweet or email (cant recall which) during the combine from Mora Jr really put this one over the top for me.
111 Fuller, WR Va Tech- Typical Tomlin, speed, mid rounder and bloodlines. Add to that his first "tall" WR. Yer welcome Ben.
143 Williams, TE Alabama- all the other "TEs" from the 4th, err 3rd, err 2nd round on are pretty much HBacks. Most anyway. I like Sims but he was brought up on felony charges. Thats a bit too much for me. I also like Kelce (more blood lines) but his recent injury wont let him fall 2 rounds. However, my draft template puts the pick right on Williams. Imagine 2 years from now we have Williams and Paulson. Add to that Pianalto (loved him in the 2011 draft). Paulson the passing threat, and Williams the extra lineman with a threat to catch and Zach playing TE, HBack and FB.
175 Geathers, DL Georgia- Typical Tomlin picking a NT late. This one played in the SEC and also play the 5 tech.
207 Renfree, QB Duke- a good friend of mine says if I want him I gotta draft him. This is a guy I listen to. Plus, if we suck in 2013 then we can draft Tajh Boyd in the 1st round next year. Yup. Man crush. Until then Haleys offense requires short passing with leading the WR thru the catch for additional YAC. Thats Renfree's game. His deep ball is SHARP too.
227 Bond, OL UNC- we struck gold with Beachum. Ok, ok, a nice shiny silver Could we do it again? And we might lose both Foster (God I hope not) and Bruno (God I hope so). So how about another flex OL that has started at OG and OT in a pure zone blocking scheme? And what if we lose Bruno? Dont worry, I got that solved...
UDFA- Ryan Turnley, OL Pitt- Typical Tomlin, another local kid that takes the exact spot left open by Bruno leaving, but takes it a step further as he can play any of the OL spots. Or at least from the LG moving to the right. Bigger and stronger too boot.
PS, I still hate William Gay.
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