truduffaholic
Practice Squad
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2004
- Messages
- 23
- Reaction score
- 0
This Mock is without any trades... and all the expert's takes are from espn insiders! dont bash me too hard on this but give me your opinion and a grade on this!
1st - #2 Braylon Edwards WR Michigan (Ronnie Brown, Aaron Rodgers)
Strengths: Is close to the complete package physically and he continues to get better with more experience and maturity. He is a big receiver with good height, bulk and strength. Is at his best vs. man-to-man coverage. His route running skills have improved. When he works at it, he shows good crispness and fluidity in his routes. He shows separating skills as a route runner and good burst out of his breaks. He doesn't need to get down in and out of his breaks. He has the speed to consistently challenge vertically. His hands are big and he does an excellent job of snatching the ball away from his frame. His leaping ability and body control are outstanding. He shows a rare ability to adjust to the ball and to track it down in the vertical passing game. He does a great job of catching the ball over his head. He will consistently make the first defender miss with subtle but quick moves, and he also shows a second gear when he gets into the open field. He is a tough runner after the catch, who will lower his shoulder and run over some DB's. Is tough to press because of his size, speed and strength.
Weaknesses: Route running skills have improved, but he still needs to work on a few aspects, including consistency in and out of his breaks and feel for zone coverage. His focus was inconsistent early in collegiate career but really improved in final two seasons. He must maintain that focus at the next level in order to reach his full potential. He is not the most elusive receiver after the catch. Has the size and strength to be efficient when he wants to be but gives an inconsistent effort as a blocker. Technique (feet, leverage and hand-placement) must also improve.
Overall: Edwards' father, Stanley, played at Michigan and in the NFL with the Oilers and Lions. Braylon played in just six games as a freshman but had a breakout season as a sophomore in 2002 with 67 receptions for 1,035 yards and 10 touchdowns. He improved on those numbers as a junior in '03 (85-1,138-14), made a surprising decision to return to school for his senior season, and led the Big Ten with 87 receptions for 1,221 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2004. Edwards has always possessed rare physical tools and had flashed elite potential prior to 2004, but he finally took his game to the next level as a senior. In doing so, Edwards has solidified a spot early in the first round. In our opinion, Edwards is the best receiver in this year's draft class and is worth selecting in the top-five picks if not No. 1 overall.
3rd - #70 Donta Nicholson S Oklahoma (JJ Arrington, Vernand Morency)
Strengths: Has above average size and is powerful. Has adequate straight-line speed for a SS-type. Fills hard and is aggressive in run support. Is an extremely physical player. Does a good job of getting through traffic. Is a punishing tackler with explosive short-area power. Does a great job as a blitzer; shows good initial quickness, burst and instincts in that capacity. Is intimidating over the middle of the field in coverage. Has better than average athletic ability for a SS type. Is at his best in zone coverage. Will time his hits well and makes receivers think twice about laying out for a ball in his zone. Has good straight-line speed in coverage and can make up some time when the ball is in the air because of his good closing burst. He has decent ball skills.
Weaknesses: Instincts, technique and recognition skills in coverage are poor. He plays somewhat out of control at times and will be over-aggressive versus the play-action. He takes too many false steps still and will get himself in bad position as a result. His angles are not always great in pursuit. He needs to learn to read his keys quicker while showing better discipline. He has adequate-to-good speed and athletic ability for a SS but is not fluid enough to match up versus most slot WR's in the NFL. Is a bit stiff in the hips. Is at his best in coverage when allowed to "spy" closer to the LOS. Has adequate range in the deep-half but will get in trouble if he takes a false step and if forced to catch up from behind. Has trouble redirecting without losing too much in transition.
Overall: Nicholson transferred to Oklahoma from Mt. San Antonio Junior College prior to the 2003 season. He was supposed to be overshadowed by Brandon Everage as a junior in '03 but he quickly became the best safety on the Sooner defense and wound up with 90 total tackles, 10 TFL, six sacks, two INT's and four PBU. He started all 13 games as a senior in 2004, finishing with 72 total tackles, three TFL, two sacks, one INT and five PBU. Nicholson is a late Day 1 prospect with the size, toughness, tackling skills, aggressiveness and enough speed to develop into a starting strong safety in the NFL. Nicholson will never have great range in zone coverage or be able to match up against most slot cover corners in the NFL, but if he can improve his recognition skills and become more technically sound and disciplined in coverage, he can become adequate in the passing game. In the meantime, Nicholson has the physical tools and mentality to contribute on special teams.
4th - #104 Michael Munoz OT Tennessee (Adrian McPherson, Lance Mitchell)
Strengths: Has very good overall size and frame. Is technically sound. Takes very good angles and consistently will get in position as a run blocker. Has adequate mobility. Does a better job as a downfield blocker than his recorded speed would indicate. He takes good angles, has good initial quickness and is fluid. Will get out and cut linebackers in space. Is a savvy player. Plays with leverage, uses his hands well and does a good job of locking on, driving his legs and working to finish. He has a quick set in pass pro. Has long arms, great hand placement, and does a very good job of stonewalling edge rushers. Is a good athlete for his size, as well. He plays with balance and leverage. Is able to get set versus top edge rushers and also has the athletic ability to re-direct back inside versus the double move.
Weaknesses: Has recovered fully from 2001 knee injury but durability is still a major factor. He also has been nicked a lot throughout his career and has had to play through some ankle and shoulder problems. He has good size and is tough, but lacks explosive power. Does not jar defenders back with his hand punch. Works to finish in the running game but will not engulf or "pancake" many defenders. He is not massive or overpowering in the running game. Is a bit too much of a "finesse" player.
Overall: Munoz started all 12 games as a true freshman in 2000 but wound up missing his entire sophomore season in 2001 with a knee injury. He returned as an 11-game starter as a redshirt sophomore in 2002 and started every game in 2003 as a team captain in his junior season. Munoz finally began to live up to expectations as a senior in 2004. For the first time in his career at Tennessee, Munoz did not have to undergo surgery in the offseason leading up to 2004, which allowed him to fully participate in workouts and training sessions that he had missed in previous offseason. The extra work in the spring and summer paid off. Munoz is bigger and stronger, and he looked quicker as a senior than ever before. He is not the most physically dominating tackle in this year's class and his history of injuries will surely cost him on draft day. But Munoz has good size, quickness and technique. He will fit well in a scheme such as the Patriots, which emphasizes efficiency over dominating size and strength. Regardless, his strong play as a senior helped his draft value tremendously and we expect Munoz to come off the draft board somewhere in the late-Day 1 range.
5th - #138 Dan Orlavosky QB Connecticut (Darren Sproles, Travis Daniels)
Strengths: Has ideal height and adequate bulk. Shows good timing and touch. Has above average accuracy and touch in the short-to-intermediate zones. Does a good job of throwing on the run and making things happen after the initial play has broken down. Has elite intangibles. Is competitive and tough. He makes thing happen and really does a good job of making plays when he needs to. Has decent lateral movement to sidestep the rush on occasion. Is a very good leader and competitor. Seems to fear nothing and he is a tough overall player.
Weaknesses: Is inconsistent. Overrated arm strength. It is decent but not good. He lacks ideal zip on the deep out. His deep ball will sail on occasion and he seems to lose some accuracy when he's attempting to drop ball in over coverage in the vertical passing game. Has somewhat of a wind-up delivery. Ball takes a bit too long to get out of his hands once he's made a decision where he's going with the ball. : Is too erratic on the deep ball. Doesn't always get good RPM's on the ball. It will flutter on occasion, which is a byproduct of inconsistent release mechanics. He doesn't always do a great job of checking off his primary target. He will probably need more time than other top QB prospects to adjust to the speed and the complex coverage reads in the NFL that he didn't face enough of in college. Has decent quickness but lacks speed and COD skills. Is not a threat to run and takes a lot of hits inside the pocket.
Overall: Orlovsky rewrote the record books while transitioning Connecticut from DI-AA to DI-A during his collegiate career. He started six games as a freshman in 2001 and was Connecticut's fulltime starting quarterback from that point on. He led his team to nine wins as a junior in 2003 and eight wins, including its first bowl appearance (Motor City Bowl), in 2004. Completing 288 of his 457 passes in 2004 (63-percent), Orlovsky threw for 3,354 yards with 234 touchdowns and 15 interceptions for a 134.71 passing efficiency rating. He also was named MVP of the Motor City Bowl. Orlovsky has played well in games against top competition; he is a proven winner and a tough competitor. He has the size, and intangibles to compete for a starting job in the NFL, but he will need more time than other quarterback prospects in this class to develop and he also has enough physical limitations that he'll need to be in the right system in order to succeed at the next level. Orlovsky is a scrappy player with the potential to develop into a Jake Delhomme type, but he's not ever going to be able to carry a team. He needs to become much more consistent as a passer in order to make up for what he lacks in terms of arm strength. In our opinion, Orlovsky is a good value early on Day 2 but he is an overrated player that will struggle to be anything more than a backup in the NFL.
7th - #216 Maurice Clarett RB Ohio State (TA McClendon, Jason White, BPA)
Strengths: Has good size and power as an inside runner. He lowers his shoulder, creates his own running room and pushes the pile in short-yardage situations. He has impressive vision and patience, allowing him to find backside creases and exploit defenses for over-pursuing him. Most impressive asset is his burst through the hole. He does an excellent job of getting through small creases in the line. Once through the hole, his ability to bounce outside and accelerate is uncanny. He is a smooth route runner with very good awareness in the short-passing game. Shows soft hands and the ability to adjust to the poorly thrown ball. Will snatch on the run and does a nice job of getting upfield right away. Is technically sound, aware and physical as a blocker. Is surprisingly efficient in this area for such an inexperienced player. Shows lateral movement skills to pick up the blitz. Shows good leverage at the point of attack and has good initial pop.
Weaknesses: Character and maturity are major concerns. Runs better than 40-time indicates but still has below average speed. Is a better inside runner than outside runner. Is not overly elusive in space and won't make a lot of defenders miss. Is not a huge matchup threat as a receiver. He has not taken a lot of shots to his body but durability is still very much a concern. He really struggled to stay healthy in his only full season at OSU. Missed three games and most of two others with knee and shoulder ailments as a freshman in 2002. Has not proven capable of handling the full load as a premier back.
Overall: Clarett rushed for 1,237 yards and 18 touchdowns in his lone collegiate season in 2002. His talent is tough to deny. He has a very good combination of size, quickness vision, change of direction skills and patience as a runner. He can't create passing-game matchup problems like the Rams' Marshall Faulk and the Chiefs' Priest Holmes can, but he has potential as a receiver. Clarett is similar to the Colts' Edgerrin James in the sense that he catches the ball smoothly and is tough to bring down in the open field because of his size and running skills. He also can be an outstanding blocker on blitz-pickup situations. However, while Clarett has the talent and potential to develop into a starting running back in the NFL, his road will be an extremely tough one to hoe between now and then. He is inexperienced after playing just that one season (2002) for the Buckeyes and it will be more than two full years since he has played football when he signs with his first NFL team. He has major off-the-field issues as well as character and durability concerns. Running in the high 4.7's at the combine only made matters a lot worse. In our opinion, at one point early in his career he flashed the talent and potential to develop into a late-first or second round talent but as it stands right now, Clarett isn't likely to come off the board any earlier than the fifth round.
1st - #2 Braylon Edwards WR Michigan (Ronnie Brown, Aaron Rodgers)
Strengths: Is close to the complete package physically and he continues to get better with more experience and maturity. He is a big receiver with good height, bulk and strength. Is at his best vs. man-to-man coverage. His route running skills have improved. When he works at it, he shows good crispness and fluidity in his routes. He shows separating skills as a route runner and good burst out of his breaks. He doesn't need to get down in and out of his breaks. He has the speed to consistently challenge vertically. His hands are big and he does an excellent job of snatching the ball away from his frame. His leaping ability and body control are outstanding. He shows a rare ability to adjust to the ball and to track it down in the vertical passing game. He does a great job of catching the ball over his head. He will consistently make the first defender miss with subtle but quick moves, and he also shows a second gear when he gets into the open field. He is a tough runner after the catch, who will lower his shoulder and run over some DB's. Is tough to press because of his size, speed and strength.
Weaknesses: Route running skills have improved, but he still needs to work on a few aspects, including consistency in and out of his breaks and feel for zone coverage. His focus was inconsistent early in collegiate career but really improved in final two seasons. He must maintain that focus at the next level in order to reach his full potential. He is not the most elusive receiver after the catch. Has the size and strength to be efficient when he wants to be but gives an inconsistent effort as a blocker. Technique (feet, leverage and hand-placement) must also improve.
Overall: Edwards' father, Stanley, played at Michigan and in the NFL with the Oilers and Lions. Braylon played in just six games as a freshman but had a breakout season as a sophomore in 2002 with 67 receptions for 1,035 yards and 10 touchdowns. He improved on those numbers as a junior in '03 (85-1,138-14), made a surprising decision to return to school for his senior season, and led the Big Ten with 87 receptions for 1,221 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2004. Edwards has always possessed rare physical tools and had flashed elite potential prior to 2004, but he finally took his game to the next level as a senior. In doing so, Edwards has solidified a spot early in the first round. In our opinion, Edwards is the best receiver in this year's draft class and is worth selecting in the top-five picks if not No. 1 overall.
3rd - #70 Donta Nicholson S Oklahoma (JJ Arrington, Vernand Morency)
Strengths: Has above average size and is powerful. Has adequate straight-line speed for a SS-type. Fills hard and is aggressive in run support. Is an extremely physical player. Does a good job of getting through traffic. Is a punishing tackler with explosive short-area power. Does a great job as a blitzer; shows good initial quickness, burst and instincts in that capacity. Is intimidating over the middle of the field in coverage. Has better than average athletic ability for a SS type. Is at his best in zone coverage. Will time his hits well and makes receivers think twice about laying out for a ball in his zone. Has good straight-line speed in coverage and can make up some time when the ball is in the air because of his good closing burst. He has decent ball skills.
Weaknesses: Instincts, technique and recognition skills in coverage are poor. He plays somewhat out of control at times and will be over-aggressive versus the play-action. He takes too many false steps still and will get himself in bad position as a result. His angles are not always great in pursuit. He needs to learn to read his keys quicker while showing better discipline. He has adequate-to-good speed and athletic ability for a SS but is not fluid enough to match up versus most slot WR's in the NFL. Is a bit stiff in the hips. Is at his best in coverage when allowed to "spy" closer to the LOS. Has adequate range in the deep-half but will get in trouble if he takes a false step and if forced to catch up from behind. Has trouble redirecting without losing too much in transition.
Overall: Nicholson transferred to Oklahoma from Mt. San Antonio Junior College prior to the 2003 season. He was supposed to be overshadowed by Brandon Everage as a junior in '03 but he quickly became the best safety on the Sooner defense and wound up with 90 total tackles, 10 TFL, six sacks, two INT's and four PBU. He started all 13 games as a senior in 2004, finishing with 72 total tackles, three TFL, two sacks, one INT and five PBU. Nicholson is a late Day 1 prospect with the size, toughness, tackling skills, aggressiveness and enough speed to develop into a starting strong safety in the NFL. Nicholson will never have great range in zone coverage or be able to match up against most slot cover corners in the NFL, but if he can improve his recognition skills and become more technically sound and disciplined in coverage, he can become adequate in the passing game. In the meantime, Nicholson has the physical tools and mentality to contribute on special teams.
4th - #104 Michael Munoz OT Tennessee (Adrian McPherson, Lance Mitchell)
Strengths: Has very good overall size and frame. Is technically sound. Takes very good angles and consistently will get in position as a run blocker. Has adequate mobility. Does a better job as a downfield blocker than his recorded speed would indicate. He takes good angles, has good initial quickness and is fluid. Will get out and cut linebackers in space. Is a savvy player. Plays with leverage, uses his hands well and does a good job of locking on, driving his legs and working to finish. He has a quick set in pass pro. Has long arms, great hand placement, and does a very good job of stonewalling edge rushers. Is a good athlete for his size, as well. He plays with balance and leverage. Is able to get set versus top edge rushers and also has the athletic ability to re-direct back inside versus the double move.
Weaknesses: Has recovered fully from 2001 knee injury but durability is still a major factor. He also has been nicked a lot throughout his career and has had to play through some ankle and shoulder problems. He has good size and is tough, but lacks explosive power. Does not jar defenders back with his hand punch. Works to finish in the running game but will not engulf or "pancake" many defenders. He is not massive or overpowering in the running game. Is a bit too much of a "finesse" player.
Overall: Munoz started all 12 games as a true freshman in 2000 but wound up missing his entire sophomore season in 2001 with a knee injury. He returned as an 11-game starter as a redshirt sophomore in 2002 and started every game in 2003 as a team captain in his junior season. Munoz finally began to live up to expectations as a senior in 2004. For the first time in his career at Tennessee, Munoz did not have to undergo surgery in the offseason leading up to 2004, which allowed him to fully participate in workouts and training sessions that he had missed in previous offseason. The extra work in the spring and summer paid off. Munoz is bigger and stronger, and he looked quicker as a senior than ever before. He is not the most physically dominating tackle in this year's class and his history of injuries will surely cost him on draft day. But Munoz has good size, quickness and technique. He will fit well in a scheme such as the Patriots, which emphasizes efficiency over dominating size and strength. Regardless, his strong play as a senior helped his draft value tremendously and we expect Munoz to come off the draft board somewhere in the late-Day 1 range.
5th - #138 Dan Orlavosky QB Connecticut (Darren Sproles, Travis Daniels)
Strengths: Has ideal height and adequate bulk. Shows good timing and touch. Has above average accuracy and touch in the short-to-intermediate zones. Does a good job of throwing on the run and making things happen after the initial play has broken down. Has elite intangibles. Is competitive and tough. He makes thing happen and really does a good job of making plays when he needs to. Has decent lateral movement to sidestep the rush on occasion. Is a very good leader and competitor. Seems to fear nothing and he is a tough overall player.
Weaknesses: Is inconsistent. Overrated arm strength. It is decent but not good. He lacks ideal zip on the deep out. His deep ball will sail on occasion and he seems to lose some accuracy when he's attempting to drop ball in over coverage in the vertical passing game. Has somewhat of a wind-up delivery. Ball takes a bit too long to get out of his hands once he's made a decision where he's going with the ball. : Is too erratic on the deep ball. Doesn't always get good RPM's on the ball. It will flutter on occasion, which is a byproduct of inconsistent release mechanics. He doesn't always do a great job of checking off his primary target. He will probably need more time than other top QB prospects to adjust to the speed and the complex coverage reads in the NFL that he didn't face enough of in college. Has decent quickness but lacks speed and COD skills. Is not a threat to run and takes a lot of hits inside the pocket.
Overall: Orlovsky rewrote the record books while transitioning Connecticut from DI-AA to DI-A during his collegiate career. He started six games as a freshman in 2001 and was Connecticut's fulltime starting quarterback from that point on. He led his team to nine wins as a junior in 2003 and eight wins, including its first bowl appearance (Motor City Bowl), in 2004. Completing 288 of his 457 passes in 2004 (63-percent), Orlovsky threw for 3,354 yards with 234 touchdowns and 15 interceptions for a 134.71 passing efficiency rating. He also was named MVP of the Motor City Bowl. Orlovsky has played well in games against top competition; he is a proven winner and a tough competitor. He has the size, and intangibles to compete for a starting job in the NFL, but he will need more time than other quarterback prospects in this class to develop and he also has enough physical limitations that he'll need to be in the right system in order to succeed at the next level. Orlovsky is a scrappy player with the potential to develop into a Jake Delhomme type, but he's not ever going to be able to carry a team. He needs to become much more consistent as a passer in order to make up for what he lacks in terms of arm strength. In our opinion, Orlovsky is a good value early on Day 2 but he is an overrated player that will struggle to be anything more than a backup in the NFL.
7th - #216 Maurice Clarett RB Ohio State (TA McClendon, Jason White, BPA)
Strengths: Has good size and power as an inside runner. He lowers his shoulder, creates his own running room and pushes the pile in short-yardage situations. He has impressive vision and patience, allowing him to find backside creases and exploit defenses for over-pursuing him. Most impressive asset is his burst through the hole. He does an excellent job of getting through small creases in the line. Once through the hole, his ability to bounce outside and accelerate is uncanny. He is a smooth route runner with very good awareness in the short-passing game. Shows soft hands and the ability to adjust to the poorly thrown ball. Will snatch on the run and does a nice job of getting upfield right away. Is technically sound, aware and physical as a blocker. Is surprisingly efficient in this area for such an inexperienced player. Shows lateral movement skills to pick up the blitz. Shows good leverage at the point of attack and has good initial pop.
Weaknesses: Character and maturity are major concerns. Runs better than 40-time indicates but still has below average speed. Is a better inside runner than outside runner. Is not overly elusive in space and won't make a lot of defenders miss. Is not a huge matchup threat as a receiver. He has not taken a lot of shots to his body but durability is still very much a concern. He really struggled to stay healthy in his only full season at OSU. Missed three games and most of two others with knee and shoulder ailments as a freshman in 2002. Has not proven capable of handling the full load as a premier back.
Overall: Clarett rushed for 1,237 yards and 18 touchdowns in his lone collegiate season in 2002. His talent is tough to deny. He has a very good combination of size, quickness vision, change of direction skills and patience as a runner. He can't create passing-game matchup problems like the Rams' Marshall Faulk and the Chiefs' Priest Holmes can, but he has potential as a receiver. Clarett is similar to the Colts' Edgerrin James in the sense that he catches the ball smoothly and is tough to bring down in the open field because of his size and running skills. He also can be an outstanding blocker on blitz-pickup situations. However, while Clarett has the talent and potential to develop into a starting running back in the NFL, his road will be an extremely tough one to hoe between now and then. He is inexperienced after playing just that one season (2002) for the Buckeyes and it will be more than two full years since he has played football when he signs with his first NFL team. He has major off-the-field issues as well as character and durability concerns. Running in the high 4.7's at the combine only made matters a lot worse. In our opinion, at one point early in his career he flashed the talent and potential to develop into a late-first or second round talent but as it stands right now, Clarett isn't likely to come off the board any earlier than the fifth round.
