1. If Beck were in this draft, he would not carry as high a grade as Matt Ryan. I know there aren't too many people that like to hear that, but it's true. In the end, Matt Ryan is taller and younger. They both have functionally the same arm and around the same accuracy. They're both capable of throwing fast balls but their accuracy tends to come down when they're focusing on putting the mustard on their passes. The turnover issue for Matt Ryan has been vastly overblown. People act like interceptions per game is more important than interceptions per pass. It isn't. When you account for the sheer volume of passes he threw in 2007, his interception percentage is like a 2.9% or something like that. A little high, to be sure, but not outrageous. Anything below 4% is pro caliber. Tony Romo in college was in the high 3's I believe. He turned out ok. You can rein in a guy that has a knack for taking chances successfully but also takes a few too many (Favre). You usually can't teach a guy that is ultra-safe to take more chances and become a more effective quarterback (ahem, Harrington). If anything bothers me about Matt Ryan, it is more how his yards per completion and yards per attempt have been very ranged with his accuracy percentage. I'd have maybe liked to see him in 2007 take a step up both in accuracy AND in yards per completion, rather than ranging between sacrificing one in favor of the other. The thing with Matt Ryan is...his draft stock has gone too high. Is a taller, younger John Beck worth the #1 overall? I don't think so. Not in my book. It's worth more than the #40 overall that Beck went at, but not as high as #1 overall. Also, people way too conveniently disregard height and size in a QB around here...usually in support of Beck. It is important and it definitely has its place in the valuation of a quarterback. Height can make things a lot easier for a QB. For every 6'2" quarterback people bring up that has been successful despite his height (such as Favre), there is probably a 6'5" or 6'6" quarterback that would probably not have been successful had it not been for his height (such as Derek Anderson). In Beck's case, I'm mostly concerned about ball security.
2. I would say from Jake Long to Sam Baker is a significant drop. I use to be a lot more down on Jake Long than I am now. The bottom line is he's got the body, he's got the tools, the strength in spades, the quick feet and the resume and I may have just been overthinking this one. Some people overthought Tony Ugoh and Joe Thomas and paid for it (myself included). Sam Baker doesn't have Jake Long in any of those areas. He doesn't have as quick feet, doesn't have nearly as good a body, doesn't have the same resume, or the same strength...nor the balance in his game. One thing I am starting to think in the wake of the D'Brickashaw Ferguson disaster is that if a guy is a one-dimensional player in college, he doesn't even have much of a chance of being a one-dimensional player in the pros. It's something I have to re-evaluate. Sort of like how they say there are no shut-down corners in the NFL anymore, there may be no shut-down pass protectors at left tackle in the NFL anymore. The old guard names like Orlando Pace, Walter Jones, Jon Ogden and Tony Boselli...well, Boselli's been out of football for years, Ogden has told the Ravens to assume he's retiring, Pace went through a significant injury and both he and Jones are getting older now...it's very possible that the premium LTs in the NFL are undergoing a change. They look more like Joe Thomas than D'Brickashaw Ferguson. The "island" left tackle nowadays might be more of a myth, with the complex blitz packages defenses are sending on a regular basis nowadays. Anyway, where I'm going with all of this is...I thought Baker was a bit one-dimensional in college...and that makes me more uncomfortable about his pro prospects right now, than it would have a year ago.
3. Right now our ILBs are scheduled to be Channing Crowder and Reggie Torbor...and yes, that is a bit scary. But in this Parcells-style jumbo 3-4, the ILBs are taking on 300+ pound bodies on a regular basis and mixing it up. I think there's a little less opportunity for the ILBs to really shine anyway. The OLBs have to be stellar...and that's why they tossed big money at Calvin Pace, and will probably draft Chris Long.
list in order the top 3 needs of the Fins! Thanks!