Ohiophinphan
Practice Squad
There are only three NT rated by most services who would have a chance of contributing thsi year. Presently the only pure NT we have is Keith Traylor and he is 36. With Roth, Wright, and Vickerson able to play either a 3-4 DE or off the nose in a 4-3 (Wright and Vickerson as the "other" DT, Roth as LDE) I think Saban will look to go NT somewhere in the draft.
The highest rated NT is Broderick Bunkley of FSU. He is listed around 6-2 &1/2 inches/305 lbs./and runs a remarkable 4.95 40 yard dash! Kiper, PFW, Frank Coyle (Draft Insider's Digest), and Draft Digest all have him going in the top thirteen picks. ESPN has him at the end of the first round and TSN has him early in the second. My opinion is if he falls to 16 Saban will grab him irregardless of whoever else is on the board. I doubt he drops that low but we can hope. He could control the middle ala Timbo for ten years to come!
Generally the second rated NT is Gabe Watson of Michigan. Bigger at 6-3 & 1/2/335 but slower with a 5.25 40 time. He is rated as anything from the second best DT to 8th. Only Kiper doesn't like him calling him "overrated" and a third round talent. Even Kiper, however, thinks he will go early in the second round. All the other services listed above have him going from 19th to 42nd. While he has some work ethic issues, he had a great senior bowl and #1C prospect Nick Mangold of Ohio State said he was the best NT he has played against. If we trade down to the late first round or pick up an early second round pick you might see us call his name.
The third guy, who before this research was unknown to me, is Babatunde Oshinowo of Stanford. 6-2/308/5.29 He is listed as high as the 5th best DT with an early 2nd round grade by Coyle to 13th with a 4th round grade by TSN, though they rate him as their "sleeper" among the DT's. If neither of the first two fall to us, I would not be surprised to see us pull the string on him with our third round pick. I believe he would be a serious value pick at that point. If not then and he falls to round four, definately. In fact I could see us packing our fourth and one seventh to move higher in the fourth round to grab him.
Your thoughts?????
The highest rated NT is Broderick Bunkley of FSU. He is listed around 6-2 &1/2 inches/305 lbs./and runs a remarkable 4.95 40 yard dash! Kiper, PFW, Frank Coyle (Draft Insider's Digest), and Draft Digest all have him going in the top thirteen picks. ESPN has him at the end of the first round and TSN has him early in the second. My opinion is if he falls to 16 Saban will grab him irregardless of whoever else is on the board. I doubt he drops that low but we can hope. He could control the middle ala Timbo for ten years to come!
Generally the second rated NT is Gabe Watson of Michigan. Bigger at 6-3 & 1/2/335 but slower with a 5.25 40 time. He is rated as anything from the second best DT to 8th. Only Kiper doesn't like him calling him "overrated" and a third round talent. Even Kiper, however, thinks he will go early in the second round. All the other services listed above have him going from 19th to 42nd. While he has some work ethic issues, he had a great senior bowl and #1C prospect Nick Mangold of Ohio State said he was the best NT he has played against. If we trade down to the late first round or pick up an early second round pick you might see us call his name.
The third guy, who before this research was unknown to me, is Babatunde Oshinowo of Stanford. 6-2/308/5.29 He is listed as high as the 5th best DT with an early 2nd round grade by Coyle to 13th with a 4th round grade by TSN, though they rate him as their "sleeper" among the DT's. If neither of the first two fall to us, I would not be surprised to see us pull the string on him with our third round pick. I believe he would be a serious value pick at that point. If not then and he falls to round four, definately. In fact I could see us packing our fourth and one seventh to move higher in the fourth round to grab him.
Your thoughts?????
