My Pre-Combine Mock Off-Season

[FinaticalOne]

dude, why the need for an RB? why not Mason Crosby or Marcus Thomas instead of Lorenzo Booker.:confused:

They are very good players too, and may be worth a look if there are there in the fourth, but I think they are both gone in the third round.

I really like Booker in the fourth. We need a completely different RB in the mix to make our offense more versatile. Booker is the scat back we need to change up the pace of the game when we need it.


Yes, we have Ricky coming back (maybe), but he probably won't be here more than a year IF he does come back. Too bad Ricky is unstable; but Mueller will inevitably trade Ricky AGAIN the first chance he gets.

For example, look at some of the teams that followed this strategy that now have the most potent backfields in the NFL. Pittsburgh (who started this recent trend) had Jerome Bettis and Willie Parker. Jacksonville has Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, New Orleans has Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush, Chicago has Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson, Indy had Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai, New England has Lawrence Maroney and Corey Dillon, Dallas has Julius Jones and Marion Barber, and Cincy has Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry. What do all these teams have in common...they are all playoff teams, or just missed the playoffs by a game.

 

[Stitches]

They are very good players too, and may be worth a look if there are there in the fourth, but I think they are both gone in the third round.

I really like Booker in the fourth. We need a completely different RB in the mix to make our offense more versatile. Booker is the scat back we need to change up the pace of the game when we need it.


Yes, we have Ricky coming back (maybe), but he probably won't be here more than a year IF he does come back. Too bad Ricky is unstable; but Mueller will inevitably trade Ricky AGAIN the first chance he gets.

For example, look at some of the teams that followed this strategy that now have the most potent backfields in the NFL. Pittsburgh (who started this recent trend) had Jerome Bettis and Willie Parker. Jacksonville has Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, New Orleans has Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush, Chicago has Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson, Indy had Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai, New England has Lawrence Maroney and Corey Dillon, Dallas has Julius Jones and Marion Barber, and Cincy has Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry. What do all these teams have in common...they are all playoff teams, or just missed the playoffs by a game.

I like Booker as a 3rd down back, but I'd rather try and get Justin Vincent in the 7th or as a UDFA.

 

[Motion]

I like Booker as a 3rd down back, but I'd rather try and get Justin Vincent in the 7th or as a UDFA.

:yeahthat:

 

[FinaticalOne]

I like Booker as a 3rd down back, but I'd rather try and get Justin Vincent in the 7th or as a UDFA.

Great post!

I completely forgot about him. He would be an excellent late round pick up. I remember him playing when he was a freshman, he was really good. Grabbing him could free up our 4th round pick if we did get him.

Why not pick him with the 6th pick to be safe, is there a reason why you would draft him with the 7th, or sign him as a UDA? What happen to him besides that injury against Miami in the Bowl game?

Another guy who might be a steal in the 6th or 7th round could be Cal's DB Tim Mixon. He is projected this late because he is rehabbing from an injury, before his injury he was projected by some as a better DB than Damieon Hughes. Any thoughts?

 

[Stitches]

Great post!

I completely forgot about him. He would be an excellent late round pick up. I remember him playing when he was a freshman, he was really good. Grabbing him could free up our 4th round pick if we did get him.

Why not pick him with the 6th pick to be safe, is there a reason why you would draft him with the 7th, or sign him as a UDA? What happen to him besides that injury against Miami in the Bowl game?

Another guy who might be a steal in the 6th or 7th round could be Cal's DB Tim Mixon. He is projected this late because he is rehabbing from an injury, before his injury he was projected by some as a better DB than Damieon Hughes. Any thoughts?

The only thing with Vincent is his injuries from what I can tell. I think he's had more than just the Miami bowl game. Though most were little ones here and there. The fact that he played in such a committee system really drops him too IMO.

I don't get to see many pacific coast games, so I don't know a lot about Mixon. I know I never thought Hughes was 1st round material, even though he had all those picks. Hughes in the 2nd sure, but I just never thought he was fast enough. I mean if Mixon is at the combine, and shows good hands, hip movement, and relatively good speed why not. But the only thing is, this team needs a number 1 corner more than a dime or quarter back. And I doubt Mixon fills that slot.

 

[Geforce]

Great post!

I completely forgot about him. He would be an excellent late round pick up. I remember him playing when he was a freshman, he was really good. Grabbing him could free up our 4th round pick if we did get him.

Why not pick him with the 6th pick to be safe, is there a reason why you would draft him with the 7th, or sign him as a UDA? What happen to him besides that injury against Miami in the Bowl game?

Another guy who might be a steal in the 6th or 7th round could be Cal's DB Tim Mixon. He is projected this late because he is rehabbing from an injury, before his injury he was projected by some as a better DB than Damieon Hughes. Any thoughts?

Vincent best game of he season came against Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. He lost his starting job at mid season. Maybe he wasn't fully recovered from his injury.

Mixon better than Hughes? I don't know if he's that good but I doubt he'll get drafted because it's the second knee injury he has had in four years. One to the left and now to his right knee.

 

[FinaticalOne]

The only thing with Vincent is his injuries from what I can tell. I think he's had more than just the Miami bowl game. Though most were little ones here and there. The fact that he played in such a committee system really drops him too IMO.

I don't get to see many pacific coast games, so I don't know a lot about Mixon. I know I never thought Hughes was 1st round material, even though he had all those picks. Hughes in the 2nd sure, but I just never thought he was fast enough. I mean if Mixon is at the combine, and shows good hands, hip movement, and relatively good speed why not. But the only thing is, this team needs a number 1 corner more than a dime or quarter back. And I doubt Mixon fills that slot.

I didn't know he had an extensive injury history. He probably won't get drafted, but he would be worth signing as an UDA.

Good point on Mixon, but I think if this guy is healthy could be a Randall Gay type of find. That's who he reminds me of. But you are right, we do need a #1 corner and not a nickel or dime back.

 

[FinaticalOne]

Vincent best game of he season came against Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. He lost his starting job at mid season. Maybe he wasn't fully recovered from his injury.

Mixon better than Hughes? I don't know if he's that good but I doubt he'll get drafted because it's the second knee injury he has had in four years. One to the left and now to his right knee.

I didn't know he had injuries to both knees. Seeing what he can do at the combine is going to be important for him. Thanks for the insight.

 

[Geforce]

I didn't know he had injuries to both knees. Seeing what he can do at the combine is going to be important for him. Thanks for the insight.

Mixon wasn't invited to the combine. I'm not sure if he's fully recovered from that ACL injury but if he is, we'll see on March 6th when Cal have their Pro Day workout.

 

[Stitches]

I didn't know he had an extensive injury history. He probably won't get drafted, but he would be worth signing as an UDA.

Good point on Mixon, but I think if this guy is healthy could be a Randall Gay type of find. That's who he reminds me of. But you are right, we do need a #1 corner and not a nickel or dime back.

I wouldn't call Vincent's injury history extensive. And I'm not positive either. I think he has had minor injuries here and there, outside of the game you referred to. I'll check into it though, to see if he had more than one injury for sure or not.

 

[Stitches]

Yea, wikipedia says he's had more than one injury. Only the one that was serious it seems though. And Scott Wright has Vincent ranked as his 25th RB.

"
While LSU made its stretch run to the national championship, Vincent became the offensive leader. In LSU's final four games, he ran for 100 or more yards. This included a 201-yard, two touchdown performance in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia. His performance included an 87-yard touchdown run (the longest run in SEC Championship Game history) and a 62-yard run. Then, in the 2004 Sugar Bowl against Oklahoma, he ran for 117 yards and a touchdown. It included a 64-yard run from the first play from scrimmage, which helped set the tone for the game. Vincent was named the MVP of both the 2003 SEC Championship Game and the 2004 Sugar Bowl, and LSU won the 2003 BCS National Championship. He finished the 2003 season with 1,001 yards on 154 carries, and scored 10 touchdowns.
Vincent's next three years at LSU were marked with inconsistency, fumbles and injury. He began 2004 as the starter, but eventually fell behind Joseph Addai and Alley Broussard on the depth chart. He finished third on the team in rushing with 322 yards.
In 2005, he moved back up to second string behind Joseph Addai after Alley Broussard injured his knee before the season. He finished the season with 488 yards rushing. However, Vincent suffered a serious knee injury at the end of the season in LSU's Peach Bowl victory over Miami.
Vincent was the starting tailback for 5 games in the 2006 season, after recovering from his knee injury. However, his senior season was the least productive of his four years at LSU. He was part of a five-man running back rotation (which also included Jacob Hester, Alley Broussard, Keiland Williams and Charles Scott), and he finished 6th on the team in rushing at the end of the regular season with 139 yards. He averaged 3.1 yards per carry, lowest among the five running backs. However, in the 2007 Sugar Bowl, he had his best game of the season, gaining 71 yards on 12 carries." -Wikipedia

 

[Regan21286]

I figured I put a mock in before and after the combine to see how things might change later. I have a two option mock off-season. Option A = Brady Quinn or Option B = w/out Quinn.

Option A
1. QB Brady Quinn - Best player available at #9.
2. C Ryan Kalil - best center in the draft bar none.
3. LB Earl Everett - should fill the void at OLB
4. RB Lorenzo Booker - perfect compliment to spell Brown for the future years.
6. Best DB available
7. BPA

Option B
1. LT Levi Brown - with Brady off the board before we pick, this is our best choice.
2. C Ryan Kalil
3. QB Troy Smith/Drew Stanton - it will be close, but I think one these guys will fall here.
4. RB Lorenzo Booker
6. LB Brian Smith - Only if we draft Smith/Stanton in the third. If we don't, than QBs Jared Zabransky/or Jeff Rowe should be picked here.
7. BPA

Offseason Moves
1. Sign WR Donte' Stallworth, if we can't sign him then Sidney Rice could be an option with our second round pick over Kalil.
2. Sign OG/T Steinbach or OG Dielman - it's a must we get one of these guys.
3. Sign Ken Hamlin - young guy, very big hitter and emotional player. He had a serious head injury two years ago, but didn't miss a game last year (I think). If that injury is no longer a concern, he can help bolster our young secondary.

Now this is only the pre-combine mock. I'm sure after all the results come in from the combine, I will have some changes to make. :cooldude:

What do you guys think?

I like it. Especially Option A. You can add Justin Hickman, swap Booker for Soliai, and maybe Ryan Smith with a 7th rounder. And Brandon Myles as a UDFA. That guy menaced McCauley in the Senior Bowl.