All the QB's are Gone

[datruth55]

Part of me thinks that if we're missing out on Mallett at #15...then you have to explore trade down possibilities, and then let the Draft unfold from there. Explore that trade down, and if it materializes, and Christian Ponder is still there when you're selecting...I think you can go after him.

But if he doesn't make it there...cut your losses. Do the best you can with what you've got. And to me that means the following.

Late 1st Round: RB Mark Ingram, Alabama
Late 2nd Round: WR Edmond Gates, Abilene-Christian
Mid 3rd Round: TE Julius Thomas, Portland State
Mid 4th Round: QB T.J. Yates, North Carolina
Mid 5th Round: G/C Brandon Fusco, Slippery Rock
Mid 6th Round: OG Justin Boren, Ohio State
Early 7th Round: OLB Keith Darbut, Baldwin-Wallace
Mid 7th Round: RB Brandon Saine, Ohio State
Late 7th Round: FB Anthony Sherman, Connecticut

I could be talked into a draft like that.

I'd be alright with that. I would even take one of those 7th round picks and use it on Pat Devlin to add another arm into the mix.

 

[j-off-her-doll]

I wouldn't take Robert Quinn or Aldon Smith, or any OLB propsect at #15. It doesn't make sense to me. First off I can't sign off on Quinn because he didn't play football in 2010 and the last time we did see him play football he was terribly inconsistent. I mean I just recently watched him get shut down by junior ECU tackle Willie Smith not too long ago, and Willie's a late round prospect. Aldon Smith is an exceptional prospect, but the fit isn't right. I'm not convinced he belongs as an outside linebacker (nor Robert Quinn for that matter). And what role is Aldon going to play in this defense? If you're thinking of replacing Cam Wake that's one thing, but I'd have a hard time figuring out why you want to do that. In Mike Nolan's defense he needs one of his OLBs to be a guy that can legitimately cover and play the run, be a 50% cover guy. That's Koa Misi. Don't screw with that. Screw with that and you HANDCUFF Mike Nolan's defense, making it predictable, less adaptable. So many people don't understand this. So then you're left with Aldon Smith being a nickel rusher, while Koa Misi is a 1st and 2nd down guy. That really minimizes the value of BOTH players...and is that what you really want to do? I dunno about that. Maybe. Maybe it'd be awesome. But it seems like a gold plated television remote control...a luxury.

As for other "best players available" you have I think Anthony Castonzo and Gabe Carimi. I love both players. I think Castonzo is a fixture at Left Tackle for a decade or more. But, we have one of those. Why do we need another? I doubt he plays in at Guard, and we have Vernon Carey at Right Tackle. I have a tough time believing that 7 years into Vernon Carey's career, only 6 of which he actually played, he's just done. I doubt that. I think getting rid of him is totally unnecessary. And Right Tackle might not be Castonzo's best position anyway, so if you take him you're really just destroying a lot of value...destroying the value of Vernon Carey, making him move to a Guard position where he's both overpriced and out of position (and that's if you don't just cut him), and also destroying Castonzo's potential value as a Left Tackle by making him a Right Tackle where I don't know if he's as suited to it. As for Gabe Carimi, he might play Left Guard. MIGHT. It's a projection, never played there before. But to take him at #15 as a Left Guard you damn well better be sure he's the next Steve Hutchinson and I'm not sure how the heck you can be sure of that as he's not played there. He's played Left Tackle his whole Wisconsin career. Why move him? Why ruin a good thing? He moves to the right side now, where he's never played before? I wouldn't assume that either, some guys are not very versatile moving left to right and vice versa. Awful big projections if you take either Carimi or Castonzo at #15.

Prince Amukamara is a special player. I have a lot of confidence in him. If he's there at #15 that's a tough decision for me, because I have so much faith in him. But you do have both Vontae Davis and Sean Smith, and Nolan Carroll, and Will Allen, and Benny Sapp...you can always get better but damn. Can Sean Smith move to safety? If so what happens to Chris Clemons? Does Sean Smith have the tackling skills to move there? What if Smith is just better than Vontae, you comfortable leaving Vontae on the bench while Prince and Smith play? Nolan Carroll never sees the field even though he showed what I feel is a LOT of promise in 2010? Difficult questions.

So then you're left with some other positions that haven't been considered much...like wide receiver where I fully believe Leonard Hankerson is a worthy get at #15. Or inside linebacker where I like Martez Wilson for the same. Or Mike Pouncey even though I'd probably vomit if we took him. Or Mark Ingram.

And if you don't like any of those four names at that spot...then you're pointing yourself RIGHT back at the quarterback position.

I really like M. Wilson. In the mock we're doing, the guy representing the Lions drafted him at #13, and I agreed with the pick. Wilson would also give us a lot of versatility.

I see Wilson as a bigger version of L. Timmons.

 

[datruth55]

Trade down for sure...Id 100% take a 1st this year and a 2nd in next years draft.

The likelihood of getting draft picks for next years draft is slim at best. With no CBA in place and not knowing what next year will bring, teams are going to be very reluctant to part with picks for next year.

 

[philguim44]

Hey CK

Lets keep the assumption our players aren't available

Could JJ Watt play OLB for us ?
It might be me stretching my thinking but I have this gut feeling he is going to be one hell of a player in Bellichick's defensive scheme

 

[j-off-her-doll]

Hey CK

Lets keep the assumption our players aren't available

Could JJ Watt play OLB for us ?
It might be me stretching my thinking but I have this gut feeling he is going to be one hell of a player in Bellichick's defensive scheme

Not meaning to speak out of turn, but: NO.

 

[Kdawg954]

Not meaning to speak out of turn, but: NO.

Speaking of JJ, I am putting him on my Dark Horse selection as the pick at 15.

He definitely is athletic enough to where if you were to think about tinkering with him at OLB in the 3-4, I don't think he would look foolish. I think he belongs up front, in any scheme really.

 

[ckparrothead]

Hey CK

Lets keep the assumption our players aren't available

Could JJ Watt play OLB for us ?
It might be me stretching my thinking but I have this gut feeling he is going to be one hell of a player in Bellichick's defensive scheme

No. That's not the kind of player he is. And Miami doesn't have a need for it to where you could justify taking Watt that much out of his element.

 

[Mr. Magoo]

Have we worked out or otherwise shown any interest in TJ Yates or Johnny White? CK's done a good job making their names known, and I've become particularly fond of White as a prospect, but if there's anything out there about us liking either of those two players I haven't seen it.

 

[ckparrothead]

Have we worked out or otherwise shown any interest in TJ Yates or Johnny White? CK's done a good job making their names known, and I've become particularly fond of White as a prospect, but if there's anything out there about us liking either of those two players I haven't seen it.

White possibly, Yates I'm not sure. Pretty sure we were at the North Carolina pro day (everyone was) and also of course we were at the Combine where both players performed. Yates' pro day is where he put on a clinic, let the scouts run the show and they ended up having him throw like 112 passes, he completed 110 of them, threw with power and confidence.

 

[Vaark]

Whatever happened to Devlin from Delaware?? Bad Combine? He fell off the radar it seems once the season ended after earning his share of props.

 

[Pachyderm_Wave]

Whatever happened to Devlin from Delaware?? Bad Combine? He fell off the radar it seems once the season ended after earning his share of props.

Devlin has had as miserable of a post season evaluation process as any quarterback I can remember recently... if it could go wrong, it did.

His lack of upper echelon physical tools that are required to stand out in this class of quarterbacks was exposed to a degree. Once he no longer had the "system" for a shield and was taken out of his comfort zone for the first time, he simply didn't help himself. Not even from the standpoint of being able to take the snap from under center.

That's the reality of Pat Devlin's off season. However, I still like the kid... I think there's a few things he has that could potentially translate to the NFL and help offset some of the issues that he's uncomfortable with right now. Specifically if you let him operate from the shotgun 60% of the time or so, which all the top quarterbacks in the NFL do.

 

[Mr. Magoo]

White possibly, Yates I'm not sure. Pretty sure we were at the North Carolina pro day (everyone was) and also of course we were at the Combine where both players performed. Yates' pro day is where he put on a clinic, let the scouts run the show and they ended up having him throw like 112 passes, he completed 110 of them, threw with power and confidence.

There are so many talented players at UNC it's hard to imagine we haven't been studying their tape pretty thoroughly and talking to their coaches and all of that. So I gather we've had the opportunity to scout him, I just haven't heard of it if we've taken it anywhere beyond that. IIRC we've even had private workouts with the likes of Josh Portis and Tyrod Taylor. Yet, nothing about Yates.

As interesting as he is as a sleeper I just find it hard to believe they like him very much. Just about everyone they've drafted over the last few years there's been at least some word of interest about it.

 

[ckparrothead]

Devlin has had as miserable of a post season evaluation process as any quarterback I can remember recently... if it could go wrong, it did.

His lack of upper echelon physical tools that are required to stand out in this class of quarterbacks was exposed to a degree. Once he no longer had the "system" for a shield and was taken out of his comfort zone for the first time, he simply didn't help himself. Not even from the standpoint of being able to take the snap from under center.

That's the reality of Pat Devlin's off season. However, I still like the kid... I think there's a few things he has that could potentially translate to the NFL and help offset some of the issues that he's uncomfortable with right now. Specifically if you let him operate from the shotgun 60% of the time or so, which all the top quarterbacks in the NFL do.

Showing up late to his own Pro Day didn't help.

 

[damanref10]

While admittedly both RBs have been injured a great deal, both incurred most of their injuries when asked to carry the bulk of the rushing load. A 50/50 split with (hopefully) an improved offensive line would go a long way towards keeping both healthy and productive. Furthermore, it would slightly amp up the speed at the position, which I know they are interested in doing.

Again, ultimately I think they will wind up going with a drafted RB, but at the very least this direction would keep the defense honest at the line of scrimmage. If I am the only one that feels this way, I'll be happy on my island :)

Both guys have spent the majority of their careers in a near 50-50 time split......
they just both happen to be brittle even without needing to carry the full load.

 

[DKphin]

Trade down-definitely. Take Ponder at the bottom of the 1st. I think that is about what his value is. We will have a multitude of backs to choose from in the 2nd.

With Mallet being gone, here is my draft:
1. Christian Ponder
2. Daniel Thomas
3. Jerrell Jernigan
4. Steve Schilling
5. Derrick Locke
6. T.J.Yates
7(a). Mario Addison
7(b). Chris Prosinski
7(c). Chase Reynolds

Priority UDFA:
OLB Darian Barnes
WR Josue Paul
OG Ricky Henry
NT Chris Neild
DE/OLB Marc Schiechl
SS Ron Parker