Draft buzz, week 2

RamView tends to believe the Carolina Panthers should use the #1 pick in the draft on Mizzou QB Blaine Gabbert, and he'll be atop my 2011 mock draft if I ever put one out. Funny thing this year: all the screaming that the team drafting first HAS to take a quarterback has subsided. Hey, it definitely worked for the Rams. I'm just wondering why there hasn't been the same insistence for Carolina. Like the Rams last year, the Panthers are pretty much terrible at every position; where's the same insistence from the football world that they start their rebuild at QB?

I'm not saying Gabbert's Sam Bradford, even though hype machine Mike Mayock practically did on NFL Network. C'mon, he completed 44 of 49 at his pro day; wasn't Sam something like 59-for-60? But Gabbert's still who the Panthers ought to pick. The most realistic “compares to” I heard on NFL Network for him was Joe Flacco. He's got the arm strength to throw every route, showed good timing, footwork and accuracy, and he's the one of the top-tier QBs who passes the 26-27-60 test. That means he surpasses those numbers in career starts, Wonderlic score and career completion %. Laugh if you want, but that's been a pretty reliable way of determining whether or not a college QB will succeed in the NFL. If you're going to take a QB #1, you have to take a guy who passes all of those measures, and Gabbert does.

Enough about the Panthers; what about names the Rams could be tossing around in their war room? Position by position:

* Wide receiver. Though the Combine seemed to move him out of the Rams' reach, Julio Jones is still projected to #14 often enough in mock drafts that experts are starting to insist the Rams need to be concerned about getting jumped over for the Alabama WR. Maybe they should talk to the Redskins, who have the #10 pick but would rather drop down in the first-round and maybe pick up a third-rounder, something they don't currently have.

Maryland WR Torrey Smith is having a surge I really don't understand, getting a lot of talk now as the #3 WR and as a late first-rounder. He gets good reviews for being able to blow the top off a zone defense, and as a CRISP route-runner. That blows me away, because at the Combine, all the talk was that he couldn't run anything besides deep straightline routes. He's also supposed to be a dangerous kick returner. Other that that I’m not sure what he’d bring to the Rams that Danario Alexander doesn't already.

Jonathan Baldwin of Pitt is another candidate for #3 WR in the class. He’s definitely got the size at 6’4”, and has great speed and hands. Baldwin is still a very raw receiver, though; he still has to be refined a lot as a route-runner. There are also (unspecified) character flags around him.

* Defensive line. RamView’s current mental mock draft has Missouri DE Aldon Smith as the Rams’ first-round pick. He’s considered top-ten material by Mike Lombardi, who called him as good in space as Lamarr Woodley. A great athlete with suddenness, quickness and pursuit ability. Explosive pass rusher off the edge, though a bit tight in the hips, and he could stand to add 15 pounds. Would be a great addition to the Ram defense if they can't get one of the top two wideouts.

Temple DT Muhammed Wilkerson's name pops up in the picture at #14, but his pro day workout was said to be just average, and he got gassed by the end. He had 9.5 sacks last year and can play 3-technique in a 4-3. He's physically a stud, has a good motor, can cover a lot of ground. Main questions: poor level of competition may inflate his performance, and whether or not he can be a 3-down player. Corey Liuget looks a lot safer should the Rams want to go DT at 14. He had an impressive workout at Illinois’ pro day, and his play on tape backs it up.

DaQuan Bowers and Nick Fairley are anticipated top ten picks, but the nagging thing about them is that last season was the first time either of them made much of an impact at the college level. Robert Quinn, of course, didn't play at all last season. As a result, these three have the bust factor looming over them. Injury-wise, Bowers isn't supposed to have any issues besides the knee he had scoped. The knee kept him out of the Combine, but more because it caused him to fall behind on his overall conditioning. Quinn has a benign brain tumor but has been playing football with it since high school.

A NFL Network interview with Cameron Jordan revealed he’s confident he can play in the 4-3 or the 3-4, but little else. He tries to pattern his game after former teammates of his father’s such as John Randle and Chris Doleman. Brooks Reed’s 4.62 at the Combine has gotten him plenty of interest as a 3-4 OLB or 4-3 LDE. Already having Chris Long, I don't expect the Rams are taking a lot of interest.

* Offensive line. Mike Pouncey could be a consideration for the Rams’ first round pick. He may not be as good a player as his brother Maurkice, but he can play center or guard, and pull blocks from either spot well, which is versatility that separates him from the other interior linemen in the draft. He’s a great competitor, understands the game well and can’t wait to come off the line and smack you in the mouth. He’d still be considered a slight reach at 14.

Danny Watkins has the great balance you’d expect from someone who’s played a lot of hockey. He’s still learning the game, but doesn’t have many bad habits, either. He has shorter arms, the main reason he’s likely to be kicked to the inside in the pros. Big, physical, mature (ahem), athletic and smart about picking up twists and stunts.

Rodney Hudson’s got his weight up to 299. His lighter weight at the Senior Bowl had been a concern but was a factor of Florida State’s preference for lighter lineman. He’s aggressive, moves well, has quick feet and quick as hell reaction time. Mostly a guard at FSU but has worked a lot at center for scouts. No, I still don’t think you can go wrong with this guy.

Tackles may not start coming off the board until the teens, but Derek Sherrod’s stock is on the way up. He’s attracted interest from a lot of teams.

Wouldn’t be a complete week on NFL Network without Brian Baldinger getting to rip Anthony Costanzo. Now he’s basically calling him a heavy-legged waist-bender. Too much trouble with speed. Poor footwork that doesn’t “marry” with his hands. Feet stop when he’s run-blocking. He has 54 career starts and these problems are going to be difficult to reverse. Baldinger has no idea why ANYONE would spend a first round pick on Costanzo. Meanwhile, while Baldy’s talking, NFL-N plays Senior Bowl and Combine footage of Costanzo that shows none of the flaws he’s been banging on for two weeks. Charles Davis agreed Costanzo’s trouble with speed is a problem, but likes his punch, likes his effort to get to the 2nd level, and thinks he’ll be easy to coach up.

* Back seven. Aaron Williams and Marcus Gilchrist were CBs in college but can fit in well at safety now in the NFL, Mayock says. Safeties these days have to have corner cover skills, tackle well and be able to drop into the slot. Actually, that sounds a ton like qualities the Rams really need to add to their secondary now with O.J. Atogwe gone. Let's see how they play their second-round pick if a promising safety, or a CB who'll convert fairly easily, is still around.

Another possible safety for the Rams to look at: Rahim Moore, UCLA. Nothing like last year’s top 3 safeties, but still a good football player. He played “centerfield”, dropped into the box against the run, blitzed off the edge and tackled well in the open field. Good range, good ball skills, ran 4.62 at the Combine and had excellent times in the short shuttle.

Patrick Peterson and Prince Amukamara are considered the only real shutdown corners in this year's draft. Both will very likely be off the board by pick #14, even though Amukamara had only 5 career INTs in college.

Jimmy Smith of Colorado would be worth pick #14 based on his physical ability, but he's been inconsistent on the field and would also put the “Four Pillars” to an interesting test. He hasn't been in any trouble off the field, but there are reportedly plenty of red flags among his family and acquaintances. Does Steve Spagnuolo have a policy regarding “support pillars?”

Ahmad Black of Florida FAILED to get his 40 time under 4.7 at pro day, and Florida has a notoriously FAST track. However the guy looks on tape, whatever he did in the BCS “championship” game against Oklahoma, I'll raise an eyebrow if he goes in the first four rounds. Or to the Rams at all.

Kevin Rutland helped his draft chances a lot at Mizzou’s pro day by clocking a 4.44.

Von Miller’s inclusion on the list of players filing an antitrust suit against the NFL isn’t expected to hurt his draft status, though I certainly wouldn’t mind a dent of 9 picks or so. He’s expected to play a lot like Clay Matthews has for the Packers, with similar impact. Seems like a kid with a good head on his shoulders, too, and dammit if the Big Dead aren’t going to strike gold in their draft again. If Bidwill still had them in St. Louis, George Boone would be drafting Ahmad Black at #5.

Justin Houston of Georgia has all the measurables and is one of about 100 guys Mayock has slated to be drafted in the first round. 6’3”, 270, 34.5” arms, 4.65 40 time. Explosive off the edge and a natural pass rusher. So why is he falling far down RamView’s list? Scouting reports that say he takes plays off, doesn’t hustle every snap and isn’t a great run tackler. The Rams don’t need to reach at 14 for Vernon Gholston (see below), and I don’t really want a player with a slacker reputation in the 2nd round, either.

* Around the league. NFL Network appears to be analyzing team draft needs on a random basis, leaving yours truly to once again fill in gaps due to their laziness:

- The Patriots have two picks in the first round: #28 (theirs) and #17 (Oakland's), and could do a whole lot of different things with them. Tom Curran of Comcast Sportsnet New England believes they could package picks (they also have #33, first pick in the second round) to trade up and get an impact player. He called Ryan Kerrigan a Willie McGinest-type and the best DE in the draft at harassing the QB. They could target Kerrigan or Cameron Jordan at 17, then add offensive line depth at 28. Their biggest problem this draft is that they may HAVE to trade away some picks because they won't have room for so much young talent on their roster.

- Atlanta's on the clock at 27, and radio play-by-play man Wes Durham indicates the Falcons looked a lot at Sam Acho at the Combine. SAM ACHO? Thomas Dimitroff drafts for need, and they need to add explosiveness. Either an explosive WR to run with Roddy White, or an explosive edge pass rusher. Like Acho? Durham also mentioned Titus Young and Torrey Smith, and I'm starting to think Smith is going to get significantly overdrafted a couple of weeks from now.

- Baltimore at 26, and Seattle at 25, are all mine because NFL Network is lazy. The Ravens have a lot of options. Their veteran WRs came up craps in the playoffs, and the defense isn't quite what it used to be. Teams are less and less afraid to run on them, and they could use at least depth in the secondary. I'd say DBs like Brandon Harris, Jimmy Smith or Aaron Williams are in the mix here. Ray Rice is about all the offensive speed they have; I think a WR like Titus Young would open up their offense, and he's got the swagger to fit in well there.

- Seattle's pretty simple at 25. If Jake Locker's available, he's a Seahawk, or Pete Carroll will have to enter the witness protection program, which I doubt will work very well for him. Otherwise, the top of their many needs is offensive line, outside and in, and they’ll take the best grunt left.

- At 24, in between Stacey Dales hitting on him, New Orleans Times-Picayune beat writer Mike Triplett said the Saints will go first and foremost after a DE, with Cameron Jordan, Cameron Heyward, Ryan Kerrigan and Adrian Clayborn on their radar, with Mark Ingram a very remote possibility. The Saints tend to draft best player available. About half the Saints seem to be free agents this season, so they're one team that could use a labor resolution in a hurry.

- The Eagles pick 23rd, though they've had a habit recently of trading up to get the player they really want, which I'd be happy to have happen again this year at #14. Inquirer columnist Ashley Fox says since Andy Reid believes in building through the draft from the inside out, o-line is the place to look, and Gabe Carimi would work well there at RT. She also mentioned Miami CB Demarcus Van Dyke, which I can only guess was a projection for a possible 2nd round pick. He's not even the top Miami CB in the draft. Kevin Kolb wants to be traded, but the labor impasse has him and the Eagles really screwed right now.

- And now for ColtView, since Path to the Draft apparently doesn't know the NFL has 32 teams. I'll just say that if Gabe Carimi hasn't been picked by #22, I doubt the Colts would let him by. Their offensive line isn't up to its past standards, and Bill Polian tends to draft Big Ten or Eleven or Twelve guys.

- Ending the week, the NFL Network crew took it upon themselves to analyze what the Chiefs would do at #21, and wait a minute. If lack of local insiders to interview didn't keep you from analyzing the Chiefs, what the hell's with the FOUR teams you've skipped already? Torrey Smith's name pops up again as a field-stretching complement to Dwayne Bowe. Brian Baldinger believes they could use another OLB such as Akeem Ayers, or even Mike Pouncey at center, where Casey Wiegmann's got some mileage.

* Various nonsense. NFL Net analyst Steve Wyche, racking his brain really hard coming up with an NFL player to compare to Ryan Kerrigan, came up with… Patrick Kerney! At least he came up with a Caucasian DE I forgot to mention last week. Kerrigan doesn’t compare at all to fellow Purdue alums Shaun Phillips, Cliff Avril or Anthony Spencer, huh, not a bit. Ryan Kerrigan can only be compared to other white guys. Just checking. Or Brooks Reed, who Michael Lombardi compared to... Clay Matthews!

The Jets cut the 2008 #6 pick overall, DE Vernon Gholston. Gholston managed five starts and ZERO sacks in his pro career. One thing you can see happening in recent drafts is guys getting dinged pretty heavy for taking plays off and not always having the motor running, one of the main criticisms I see about Gholston from his Ohio State days. Otherwise, I don’t know how to avoid a bust pick like Gholston; everybody had him as a top 5 or 10 pick.

West Virginia RB Noel Devine didn’t run at the Combine but put up a 4.43 at his pro day. Still, Stacey Dales reported the 5’7” RB is considered just a draftable player, and she should know, since she’s about a foot taller. Devine’s ankles also need to pass inspection before you go too far with him.

Florida State QB Christian Ponder was already having a great offseason. His Senior Bowl and Combine were excellent. Injuries affected his senior season but he's got a clean bill of health now. And at the Seminoles' pro day, he got to throw passes to ISAAC BRUCE, who was helping out because the lockout keeps current pros from helping out at pro day workouts. Heck of a good spring for Ponder, who’s in the mix for third QB off the board.

We all know NFL GMs do a lot of lying this time of year, but come on, Mike Humgrum, at least tell remotely believable ones. Humgrum claims the Browns have interest in Cam Newton. No way. Faults and all, Newton is still too far exciting a football player for Pat Shurmur to have any idea what to do with him.

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