Does anybody actually end up with their own 7th round pick? There is a “trade note” tag on almost all of them.
49ers on the clock, let’s see if they take a guy with an injury history, again.
Predicting Martin Parker, DT, Richmond. Let’s see…
Great. No nose tackle. Hope they pick one up in FA… EDIT: On the plus side, Newton is Zierlein’s sleeper for OTs:
The Bears draft is incredibly frustrating. The Bears have needs at OT, OG and C. Not a single position on the line is settled, and any one of those positions could be rated as a top need. So, drafting Carimi is an absolute gold mine. That he can play OG or OT right away makes it even sweeter, since some of the other options on the board are either pure OTs (Sherrod or Franklin) or aren’t ready to play right away (Solder or Smith). Carimi automatically makes this draft no worse than a C.
The Paea pick is probably a good one. I’m down on the guy and think Austin is a better product and Ballard might have been a better value, but most other people considered Paea a late first round value. His strength is impressive, but I didn’t watch enough Beavers games to get an idea of how functional that strength is or if this guy will be another pool jumper. I’m optimistic and if the Bears did their homework properly and Paea can step in immediately as a rotational 3 technique and produce a reliable pass rush he’s even worth the trade up. The Bears had him as the second player on their board behind Carimi when that first round pick happened, so if their scouting report is accurate then it’s a very good choice. These first 2 picks address our top 2 needs, no question about it, and that they were both terrific values makes it really tough to quibble with.
After that it’s been an unmitigated disaster. They still had a major need for another OL and they needed a SLB, WR, CB, and RB in that order. In the 3rd round there were A+ values on the board at OG and they ignored it to take a developmental FS who probably would have been still on the board in the 5th round. FS isn’t a need after they drafted Major Wright in the 3rd round last year and while Chris Harris is getting old he’s under contract for another season. They may be worried about losing Corey Graham and Danieal Manning in free agency, but Manning is a SS and Graham is a CB/Nickel. Conte doesn’t appear to be a clear fit at either position. Terrible pick, not a value and not a need. I think Lovie has it in his contract that he gets to piss away a pick on a DB every year to bolster his rep as a DB guru. After drafting DJ Moore, Joshua Moore, Major Wright, Craig Steltz, Al Afalava, Zach Bowman, Corey Graham, Trumaine McBride and Kevin Payne since 2007 in the middle rounds you’d think he’d have found and/or developed a nice stable if he was so good at coaching the position. Fucking moron. It would have been much much smarter to draft a Clint Boling there and up your efforts to resign Manning and/or Graham. Supposedly Lovie is in love with D.J. Moore at the Nickel and Joshua Moore’s is supposed to press for the starting CB job opposite Tillman this year if Bowman falls short again, so tell me what a guy like Conte is supposed to do for you? He plays the position that last year’s first pick plays at FS and proved he can’t play CB in the Pac-10, so is he supposed to replace Graham on special teams? Needless to say this Conte pick is a fucking mystery, he’d better turn out to be a modern John Lynch.
I’m actually a little optimistic about the Enderle pick, there were reports in the off season that Martz was out scouting lesser known QBs to develop in his system behind Cutler. Not sure what that says about Hanie, who the old regime liked and who played really well in the NFC Championship game and previous preseasons, but who seems to be somewhat disliked by Martz considering he was 2rd string behind Collins last year for no explicable reason. So, if Enderle can develop into a solid backup and maybe future replacement for Cutler if and when he flames out I support the pick, QBs are important and you should always have a stream of them coming in. However, after trading away a 4th rounder and giving a 7th in the supplemental draft and having a lot of holes its a pretty pricey choice. That 5th round pick could have been a potentially starting OG/C or SLB. Enderle has gotten a few write ups and people think he could be a late round steal while the Ken Dorseys’ of the world from Alabama, Iowa and Wisconsin get the pub. So, if there’s a 10% chance he can be a future starter as opposed other guys whose ceiling is trusted backup I am behind the pick. Still, I hope they get something for Hanie if they are moving on because he’s pretty decent.
I don’t know enough about J.T Thomas to say if I like the pick or not, but knowing the Bears and reading his scouting report he sounds like nothing more than a Brian Iwuh/Tim Shaw type. Limited upside and virtually no chance to be a starter but a hard worker and potentially elite special teamer. I’m as big on the importance of special teams as anyone, but this roster is old and not very deep. We can’t afford those type of luxury picks. If I’m wrong and Thomas has elite Tampa-2 type speed and coverage skills and can bulk up into a more durable player that’s great because he could fill a primary need. We had to come out of this draft with another player to compete at SLB and potentially back up the WLB, I’m just not sure Thomas is that guy.
We’ve still got major needs at C, OG, WR and CB. Free agency should help those needs. If Carimi moves into the RT spot and locks it down that could end up improving our LT spot by allowing Webb and Williams to fight for that spot and stop the game of musical chairs. There are a few young players on the roster who have been talked about as future replacements to Garza and Kruetz, so I’m willing to give Tice the benefit of the doubt there.
WR is a weird one. Everyone else has been saying that we need a WR with size but no one on the Bears has ever agreed. They like the guys they have, I disagree and think it’s idiotic stubbornness but Martz’s system is a weird one and maybe having a Greg Little type would be a waste. Bennett, Knox and Hester are all quality starters at WR but all should probably be no better than #2/#3 guys and they are smurfs, but in Martz’s system there isn’t a real #1, and there isn’t a traditional progression so maybe that’s OK. Maybe those 3 WRs would be great with Kurt Warner running the system and getting Cutler to conform is the plan. Certainly giving Cutler more time in the pocket would help Martz open his playbook and allow Hester and Knox’s speed to have an impact downfield. Maybe we aren’t missing a WR, maybe we’re just missing some blocking and have a QB who’s fighting the system.
CB is a secondary need. We’ve got Tillman, Bowman, Josh Moore, DJ Moore and Tim Jennings at the position already. Corey Graham is a special teams super star who’s probably leaving in free agency for a starting shot elsewhere on defense. Tillman is aging but still good, Bowman and Moore are young guys with huge upside that are expected to step up. Jennings was a pleasant surprise last year and will provide reliable depth. In no way are we desperate at the position but Tillman is going to have to be moved to Safety at some point and they’ll need an heir, but I have no issue with them ignoring the position in this draft.
Ha.
Anthony Gaitor stays in Florida, gogin from Florida International to Tampa Bay.
Taylor let it be known that he only wants to play quarterback.
I’m not getting why this is such a big deal. Apparently the Bears were on the phone with the Ravens and the Ravens called the trade into the league. The Ravens told the Bears that they needed to confirm with the league to make it official. Angelo told a couple assistants to call the league and confirm, apparently each assistant thought the other guy was doing it. Break down of communication for sure, but it’s not like it’s a huge controversy. Things happen fast when the clock is ticking.
Probably the stupidest think is the reaction from the Ravens who are acting like someone stole their girlfriend. They did THE EXACT SAME THING to the Vikings in 2003. For them to make the comments they have made is probably the most pathetic and pandering thing I have ever heard. The Ravens didn’t even nut up and apologize to the Vikings back then.
Trades fall through and run out of time during the draft all the time. Multiple times every draft. Most of the time teams have contingency plans in place and hand their picks to the commissioner on time anyways. If the Ravens were on the phone with Angelo and the league at the same time and they knew confirmation wasn’t in yet why didn’t they submit the pick? I’ll tell you why, because they knew the Chiefs weren’t interested in their guy and thought they could still get the extra pick from the Bears for nothing. Good politics I suppose, but ultimately bullshit.
Taylor will warm the bench for three years before retiring if he insists on being a QB.
Troy Smith version 2.0 then.
He’s got a bigger arm than Smith. Trent Dilfer made the same comparison and then said he thought Taylor was a better quarterback than Smith in more or less every way.
Personally, I still think Smith could be a good NFL quarterback. Not a Manning, but maybe a Brad Johnson or a David Garrard. Or a Dilfer.
David Garrard is the only guy comparable. Smith and Taylor are 6 feet tall. You can’t be a QB in the NFL at 6 feet unless you have another elite skill. Brees’ accuracy and vision, Vick’s arm and speed. Otherwise you’re nothing more than a clipboard holder, you’re useless if you can’t see over the OL who’s all 6-4 at minimum and on average more like 6-6. Garrard is 6-2 and while somewhat short has a very accurate arm and that’s only ever got him to about average in the NFL.
If Taylor can prove that he’s got elite accuracy and elite athleticism then he might have a shot, but that’s a tall order. I doubt that accuracy holds up in the NFL throwing from a pocket at that height.
Awesome. The 49ers just picked up one of the guys I had listed only because I liked the name: Mike Person, a guard from Montana State.
Nothing will stop me from getting a Kaepernick jersey, but I think “Person” on the back would be freaking hilarious.
I’ll never buy that QB height line. Drew Brees does just fine looking between 6’7" linemen. Aaron Rodgers is 6’2". So is Ryan Fitzpatrick. Mike Vick is 6’0".
Well, there’s a handful of my guys left on the market for the claiming in free agency. Hopefully the Bears get the job done and get a few contributors into camp whenever that is.
Free agency, whenever that is…
Og, I wish they both would pull their heads out of their asses. I hope this draft, and the boos, and the confusion, help to push them together.
At this point it’s got more to do with power hungry, meddling judges and blood sucking lawyers.
Well the draft is done, time for a recap.
I briefly went over the first three picks. I have to say I’m very confident in Watkins, and I’m drunk on the koolaid for Jaiquawn Jarrett. I’m convinced now he’s the next Brian Dawkins. Curtis Marsh is hit or miss. Maybe he develops into a starter, maybe he can’t. I think he’s a perfect fit, so if he does, he’ll be great in Philly. Onto the other picks…
Casey Matthews (Interestingly enough, Todd McShay had the exact spot that Matthews would be taken in his latest mock, just to the wrong team)
-So I have to admit, I’m really excited about this pick. Bandwagon fans and casual fans are going crazy over Matthews, but I know he isn’t going to be his brother. Then again, he doesn’t have to be. He can be exactly what he is - incredibly instinctive and smart on the field - and still make a big impact. I’ve always wanted a guy like Matthews to root for. Maybe not athletically gifted, and he isn’t; maybe not a perennial Pro Bowler, and he probably won’t be… but there’s no doubt he knows how to play. You can’t lose having a lot of guys like Matthews on your team who just play the game really well. I think of him a lot like Zach Thomas, and I’m not alone. Both undersized with terrific instincts, both undervalued, both drafted in the mid rounds. I’d be thrilled if Matthews did half what Thomas did in his career.
I think he’s a perfect value in the 4th, and I do think he will eventually be a starter and a leader. I absolutely believe he’ll exceed expectations. For once I’m just glad the Eagles took a LB who I had heard of before.
Alex Henery K
-It’s always funny when a team reaches to draft a kicker in fantasy and in the real NFL. I’m at the same time thrilled, because apparently Alex Henery is the greatest kicker of all time, or soon will be, but also it likely means the end of the line for David Akers (the longest tenured Eagle by far). Akers being one of the best kickers of all time, and probably the only kicker in the league who is worthy of having his jersey worn because he’s a black belt in jujitsu and will kick your ass. Then again, he was one of the goats when the Eagles narrowly lost to the Packers, and Henery has every single thing in a kicker you could ever want.
It’s strange to gush about a kicker, I mean, he is a kicker… but Alex Henery is incredible. He holds the NCAA record for FG% and PAT%. He holds the NCAA record for FG% inside and outside of 40 yards. Accurate, powerful (five kicks over 50 yards in his college career), and he was also one of the best punters in college too. I think I officially have a fancrush on a kicker and my entire world is collapsing around me. Black is white, day is night, I don’t know who I am anymore.
-In the fifth the Eagles got Pitt RB Dion Lewis. This means the Eagles now have two Pitt RBs on the roster in McCoy and Lewis. I love what I’m reading about Lewis, he’s the perfect Eagles back. Undersized, but so was Brian Westbrook, and Lewis won’t be asked to carry a full load in Philly. He’s a solid receiver, and he has elite agility. From what I read of him, he isn’t the fastest back, but he’s very, very good at the line of scrimmage. He was also extremely productive at Pitt and I’m giddy with excitement to see what McCoy and Lewis could do together. If only this team ran more than 12 times a game… I really like this pick as a solid depth/rotation guy, and I think he’s a Sproles kind of guy.
The Eagles also took Iowa OG Julian Vandervelde in the fifth. He’s a solid depth pick who has the smarts (apparently too smart, for some scouts) and the work ethic to develop into a starter. And he’s had the coaching, and will have the coaching, to get every opportunity to become a starter. He needs to bulk up, but I’m actually pretty confident that he’s going to end up a starting guard for the Eagles. He’s also an opera singer, and he sang the national anthem in front of Barack Obama.
-In the sixth the Eagles went with C Jason Kelce, a converted linebacker who apparently has exceptional footwork and quickness. He’s a project, and he still has to get bigger, but this is definitely a Howard Mudd pick. Among C prospects, Kelce had the best 40 time, best 3 cone, best shuttle, and best broad jump times. He’s an exceptional athlete at the position. I think the Eagles are going to have a hell of an O-Line and enough depth to storm the seasonal 2-3 injuries along the line too. Excited for this pick too.
An Eagles blogger is calling this the “bloodlines” draft because the Eagles took three players who are related to current or former NFL All Pros. Casey Matthews, obviously, but also sixth round pick Brian Rolle, who is Antrelle Rolle’s cousin. He’s very, very small, but he is unanimously considered to play with “reckless abandon” and energy. He also thinks he’s every bit as good as Von Miller. Glad to hear it. The Eagles are picking a lot of smart, intangibles guys and guys who have a serious chip on their shoulder. Fine by me.
-Eagles’ seventh rounder Greg Lloyd (LB, UConn) is another bloodlines guy (son of Steelers’ former LB Greg Lloyd). He’s got talent and upside, but he’s a major injury risk since he’s coming off torn ACL and MCL in 2009 and was limited in 2010. High risk, high reward, good idea for a seventh rounder.
Finally the Eagles took USC FB Stanley Havili. He’s apparently a lazy, unmotivated, poor blocker who is a terrific running and receiving FB, possibly the best receiving RB in the country in college. The Eagles don’t ask their FB to block too often, and when they have someone who can actually make a play with the ball (Leonard Weaver in 2009), they really take advantage. And Havili is a good enough receiver that he was sometimes used in deep routes in college. But he’s a punk who wants nothing to do with half of his job and he punches his teammates. High risk, high reward, again, great for a seventh round guy.
That’s the recap, so what’s the big picture? I really love this draft, I really, really do. I can honestly see every single guy making the roster and contributing, and every single one does what the Eagles need for that position to do. And I’m excited for almost every single one because they all do something I really want to see my NFL team do, and I think each guy can potentially do it really, really well. Not all of them will make it, of course, but I’m filled with hope. I can’t ever remember an Eagles draft (always a lot of players taken each year) where every single guy makes sense and every single one is interesting.
Of course it happens the year there won’t be an offseason. It couldn’t happen to the Eagles any other way.
[QUOTE=Jules Andre]
Joe Lefeged, the 20th ranked S or so according to ESPN, looked awful. Horrible footwork, obvious to even a layman like myself. Now I’m interested to see where he ends up going.
[/QUOTE]
Turns out ESPN had him ranked as the 4th Safety and 94th prospect overall… and yet in ten seconds I figured out what apparently every single other GM/coach/scout discovered because he went completely undrafted. According to ESPN’s rankings, he was the highest rated player to go undrafted.
I’m going to make it a point to watch the Combine next season.
So who are our winners and losers?
I thought the Bengals, Lions, Broncos, Bills, Jaguars, Bucs, and Saints had nice drafts. I thought the Browns netted a nice haul of picks, courtesy of the Falcons.
On the flipside…
-The Falcons’ trade was questionable, though I did like them picking up Jacquizz Rodgers in the 5th.
-I thought the Vikings totally reached on Ponder, and I don’t think they needed to burn their second pick on a TE.
-The Patriots certainly needed an O-lineman, and I liked the Mallett pick, but I think it was foolish of them to pass on a D-lineman in this draft.
-I thought the Raiders reached for Wisniewski, then compounded that by using a 3rd round pick on a 175 lb defensive back because he was fast (I liked Chimdi Chekwa and Taiwan Jones in the 4th, though).
-I thought Seattle should have found a way to move up in the 3rd to grab Mallett.
The D-linemen got all the hype, but I found it interesting that 33 CBs were selected.
Mel Kiper’s draft grades are out, and the Lions get the best draft according to him:
Detroit Lions
Top needs: CB, OLB, OT, DE
Summary: Detroit hit home runs all over in terms of value, but the question is whether the Lions did enough to help the talent level in a way that can further conceal weaknesses. For example, Fairley at No. 13 is perhaps the steal of the draft – imagine what the Lions can do up front now – but will the pass rush now be so good that it can mask the personnel issues that dot the secondary? Leshoure adds more potency at running back, but can this offensive line open enough holes? The Lions should be concerned about how well they can block in both the run and passing games, and didn’t get an offensive lineman until No. 209 overall. Matthew Stafford’s health is such a huge concern. But even after those questions, the value was oustanding. Fairley, Young, Leshoure and even Hogue could have gone earlier. Is it possible to love a Detroit draft when the Lions didn’t add major help at cornerback or offensive tackle? Ask me after free agency, I guess.
NEEDS: C+ VALUE: A+ OVERALL: A-
The worst? The Seahawks:
Seattle Seahawks
Top needs: QB, OT, WR, DL
Summary: By passing on Andy Dalton, the clear impression is that Seattle has other plans (or hopes to) at quarterback. Could it be Carson Palmer or Kevin Kolb? I hope the Seahawks have better plans for quarterback than they appeared to in terms of adding value here. Carpenter fits a need, but was a reach with better tackle available. Moffitt can help this offensive line, but I didn’t see guard as a top need. Wright was a reach on my board, as was Durham, a wideout out of Georgia who may have been around much, much later. The Seahawks then made some sensible picks in the secondary, but at what impact that late? They did nothing really to help the defensive line and their sense of value was questionable. The positive might be that this is a very young team, and you suspect Pete Carroll expects improvement. I just don’t know if he added much this weekend.
NEEDS: C VALUE: D OVERALL: D+