Path to the Draft: 3/22 - 3/26

(Posted 4/8/10) Notes from Path to the Draft for the week of March 22-26:

* WR talk. This is particularly timely talk because it feels more and more to me like the Rams' 2nd round pick is going to be a receiver. At this point Dez Bryant was still the #1 guy, but this was before he had a poor private workout. Two years ago he looked like the best young WR in years, then Deion Sanders got him suspended this season and he put on 15 pounds. Demaryius Thomas still hasn't worked out due to foot injury and won't be likely to work out before the draft. Big, physical, great runner after the catch but not great running routes. (In other words, a bigger Donnie Avery.) 46 catches last year in an option offense at Georgia Tech, 9 longer than 50 yards, 4 longer than 70 yards. Definitely a big play WR. But I do not see how the Rams can afford to draft such a risky pick at WR in the 2nd round after already taking a major risk on Sam Bradford in the 1st round. Pick #33 better be a safe one. Mike Mayock calls Golden Tate from Notre Dame a solid 2nd round pick, reminiscent of Carolina's Steve Smith. Excellent playmaker, excellent after the catch, dynamic in space. (I'm not saying he's the safe pick, though. I did not like his Combine workout.) The panel also lists a couple of their favorite sleeper WRs: Carlton Mitchell of South Florida and Eric Decker of Minnesota. They frequently compare the 6'3" 215 Mitchell to Vincent Jackson. 4.48 40, 40 catches last year, 8 over 25 yards, 4 over 50.

* TE talk. Rams could easily be looking to take a TE at #33 as well. Jermaine Gresham is still the top prospect. Explosive, smooth, major red zone threat. May not get past Bengals at 21, though. Rod Gronkowski of Arizona is a first-round talent for side, speed and hands but may have serious back issues. Mayock mentions rumors he has spinal stenosis. Bucky Brooks adds there's questions about his dedication to the game. Jimmy Graham, Miami, will likely get drafted higher than he should because of his athletic ability. Second round likely. Doren Dickerson, Pitt, is too big to put a corner on but too fast to put a safety on. Charles Davis mostly wastes our time by making fun of the Illinois TE's last names and giving a scouting report on Penn State's Andrew Quarles that makes him look so bad he shouldn't be drafted. Mayock lists Brody Eldridge and Naye Byham as the top blocking TEs, and they can catch a little to boot. 5th-6th rounders.

* RB talk. Injuries could affect where teams draft RBs. Ryan Mathews missed half of 2008 due to a knee injury. Jahvid Best has had a ton of injuries besides this year's neck/concussion issue. Guy was never healthy enough to attend Cal spring practice! Toby Gerhart - knee surgery in 08. Joe McKnight - finger, toe, elbow issues. Dexter McCluster - history of shoulder injuries. Montario Hardesty - knee problems and microsurgery.

C.J. Spiller could fall outside the top 10 because there aren't teams that will commit to getting him the ball in space. They should, though. 5 career special teams TDs in 31 touches, 52, career TDs, 21 of them over 50 yards. Mathews may be more of an every-down back than Spiller. Ben Tate got a lot of carries even though Auburn ran a spread offense. Has a chip on his shoulder because he's not getting enough love from draft pundits. Gerhart can run between the tackles and break tackles. McCluster did run a couple of sub-4.5s at his pro day and caught everything. A durable battler who had impressive numbers in the SEC. Like Spiller, he should be used as a 3-phase RB (special teams/runner/receiver). Hardesty is big and physical, runs and catches well, potentially a potent weapon.

* DT talk. Lack of quality NTs in this year's draft is improving some players' prospects. Cam Thomas of UNC looks like a 2nd-rounder now. Great physical attributes, but they don't show in his play on the field. Oddly, this panel praises Cam Thomas for that and criticizes Carlos Dunlap for it. Sleeper: Torell Troup, Central Florida. 6'3" 314, long arms, stout at point of attack, takes on double-teams and gets big in the hole.

* Team needs. Packers at 23: Beat writer says Atari Bigby hasn't played to his potential, a surprise to me, and says he's intrigued with Taylor Mays. Despite his issues, Anthony Davis could also be a consideration here. To replace Aaron Kampmann, Mayock nominates Sergio Kindle. Kyle Wilson also comes up because of GB's age at corner. And of course, it wouldn't be a day of Path to the Draft if they didn't recommend EVERY team draft Jared Odrick or Patrick Robinson.

Patriots at 22: Team magazine editor says #1 priority is to improve their pass rush and Sergio Kindle would be ideal. Also Brandon Graham, who I'm first learning has had back-to-back 10-sack seasons. Mayock argues later that Graham and Jerry Hughes are not the type of DE Belichick likes. So guess who gets recommended again. ODRICK, because the Pats have a history of taking 5-techniques early. With their THREE 2nd-round picks, expect them to look at TEs and WRs.

Bengals at 21: They don't even ask a Cincinnati insider for the Bengals' needs; Brooks and Mayock pretty much just say they should take Gresham. This is a team that has Chase Coffman and barely ever throws to its TEs, btw. And since Mayock is apparently Earl Thomas' agent, he gets mentioned like he does FOR EVERY TEAM.

Texans at 20: They forgo an insider again and ask Solly Wilcots who Houston should take. With Dunta Robinson gone, he proposes Kyle Wilson and Devin McCourty, with the edge going to Wilson. Says both will be starters week 1 in the NFL. Wilson's pro day went very well, with mid-4.4 40s and 25 benches. Scott Kennedy makes sure the daily mandatory mention of Earl Thomas gets in and also proposes Taylor Mays. Mayock thinks they should go RB in the 2nd-3rd round, Gerhart or Tate, who he thinks will still be on the board at pick #81, which I find ludicrous. Did you not see his Combine? Tate is top 60, minimum.

Falcons at 19: Their beat writer says Sean Weatherspoon would be a natural fit. Also cites Brandon Graham. Expects the pick to be defense. They could go with Pouncey if there's no defensive player they like. Mayock seconds the Graham motion and also nominates Demaryius Thomas. Brooks suggests Jason Pierre-Paul could fall to them. Good team analysis by the show for a change.

* Upgrades/downgrades. Mayock moved Toby Gerhart into his top 5 RBs and now has Odrick as #4 at defensive -end-. Thinks he'll go late first as a 3-4 DE. Carlos Dunlap dropped out of his top 5 because he doesn't have a consistent motor. (Wonder if the Rams have interest in Dunlap at 33.) Nate Allen and Major Wright now crack the top 5 at safety. Mount Cody now up to #4 DT. Sleeper: MTSU OLB/DE Chris McCoy. 6'3" 251, 7 sacks last season. Had good workout at his pro day in front of 22 teams. Thumbs down for Chris Cook, who did not follow up his good Senior Bowl and Combine performances at his pro day. Reportedly he was getting winded during workouts. At Central Michigan's pro day, Dan LeFevour was just kind of average and looked like a 4th-5th round pick. Average arm and accuracy, passes wobbled, he doesn't throw a tight spiral.

* Position changes, aka situations the Rams better avoid. Eric Berry is the top safety but has the physical skillset for corner. Zane Beadles was an extremely durable LT for Utah but his arm length dictates moving him to guard or center. QB Armani Edwards threw well at the Combine, says Mayock (who apparently wasn't WATCHING, the guy looked awful), but will be drafted as a Wildcat or a WR. Mayock also says UAB QB-now-WR prospect Joe Webb should have been invited to the Combine (even though he dropped practically everything thrown to him Senior Bowl week). Mike Iupati may be kicked outside to tackle but is best-suited for guard. Rodger Safford played tackle at Indiana, was being considered as a guard, but now is being evaluated as a tackle again.

* Assorted wisdom / idiocy. Relevant to the Rams was the panel's discussion of players who will be late first round values. Relevant since some of these guys can drop to the top of the 2nd round. But it's a pretty familiar list. Gresham, Maurkice Pouncey, Demaryius Thomas, Jerry Hughes, Earl Thomas. Then, like a complete idiot, Mayock says he'd rather draft 20th-30th this year instead of in the top 10. If that's true, then why aren't you recommending the Rams or Lions draft one of these guys first? I really do NOT get Mike Mayock this year, something I really did not expect to happen. Later in the week, Mayock ruled the Rams out of the Donovan McNabb trade chase because they didn't have a line good enough to put him behind. McNabb would never extend his contract to stay there. And he criticized the Rams for it.

YET THAT LINE YOU JUST CRITICIZED THE RAMS FOR IS GOOD ENOUGH TO PUT SAM BRADFORD BEHIND?!?!? YET YOU CAN CRITICIZE THE LINE AND ALSO CRITICIZE THE RAMS FOR NOT DRAFTING A QB HIGH THE PREVIOUS TWO YEARS? WHEN YOU NEVER RECOMMENDED IT ANYWAY? I really, really, really don't know why I'm recapping this show any more.

Later in the week they ran down players who would be good 2nd-round value picks: Tyson Alualu, Sean Lee, Daryl Washington.

Pete Carroll says Tim Tebow is a first-round pick. The panel says that's him trying to talk a random team into drafting Tebow and leaving Seattle a better player with one of their picks. Or maybe Carroll is just a poor judge of QBs? They did just pay a pretty price for Charlie Freaking Whitehurst.

Charles Davis has a great gig. He doesn't even have to show up in the studio this week. He sits at home wearing a sweater vest, answers a couple of questions from Paul Burmeister and clocks out. Hell, he doesn't even have to make sense half the time. Great gig if you can get it.

* Reason #1 I could crap my pants on draft day. In his mock draft, Bucky Brooks has the Seahawks taking, with the sixth pick overall....

Ndamukong Suh.

Part of that is because he's not a hypocrite and says the Lions should take Russell Okung instead of Suh. Unlike Mayock, who says Suh is WAY too good for the Lions to pass up at #2.

THEN WHY ISN'T SUH TOO GOOD FOR THE RAMS TO PASS UP AT #1?!??!??!

My God, I don't like Mike Mayock this year.

Burmeister pronounces there's now momentum in Detroit for drafting Okung, based on two NFL Network analysts mock drafting that now.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry after hearing that. I do feel like the more of Path to the Draft I watch, I actually learn less.