Path to the Draft, 3/16

What's the only thing better than three-week-old draft buzz? How about draft news reported out of order? But I got my March 16th DVD to work, so I'm recapping it:

Appearing: Paul Burmeister, Brian Baldinger, Michael Lombardi, Charles Davis. Mike Mayock has apparently gone into seclusion.

* Team news:

Tennessee at #20: The Titans' needs were discussed in the context of potentially signing Peyton Manning, but shouldn't be all that different without him. Michael Floyd was mentioned because of Kenny Britt's injury history (not to mention his off-field history). The quest for Manning screwed up the Titans' free agency strategy. They missed out on John Abraham while they were preoccupied with Peyton, so they still need a pass rusher. Nick Perry's name is tossed out there yet again. Having also lost Cortland Finnegan and Jason Jones, the Titans also need a corner, or a defensive tackle such as Fletcher Cox.

49ers at #30: again, needs were discussed in the event they signed Manning but I doubt are a lot different with Alex Smith back behind center. Baldinger's bold pick for the 49ers at #30 is David DeCastro. Whoa, don't make such bold projections! Seriously, why not just say the 49ers should take Andrew Luck? DeCastro has almost as little chance of falling to #30. Lombardi followed by charitably saying the 49ers would send their card up right away if DeCastro were available. They have a hole at RG and need to improve their athleticism there and at center.

Panthers at #9: Should be a mostly defensive draft in Carolina. Michael Brockers has already made a pre-draft visit; he would be the kind of big man they need in the middle of the line.

Atlanta at #55: The Falcons' correspondent focused on picking up a successor to Tony Gonzalez, for instance if Coby Fleener lasted to their first pick, which is in the second round. He also rather questionably mentioned Orson Charles. Falcons also need help at corner and defensive line.

Saints: Their first pick is now their third-rounder. They'll be looking for Steve Spagnuolo-type pass-rusher/DEs.

Dolphins at #8: Miami pretty much needs an entire passing game. They don't have Manning, Matt Flynn, Chad Henne or Brandon Marshall. Right now, they have Matt Moore throwing to Davone Bess and Brian Hartline. Almost makes the Rams' passing game look dynamic. They need a QB and an outside receiver, also corners, and a DE to replace Jason Taylor. They probably also need a guy at TE faster than who Lombardi said is playing there - Anthony "Soprano". Whaddya gonna do? They'll need to take hard looks at Ryan Tannehill and Michael Floyd.



 
* Player news. Hey, Tony Softli is on! For vital talk about who's better between Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. Is there really a crying need to continue to debate this? For posterity's sake, Softli would take Luck because he's a little more pro-ready. The topic changes to Ryan Tannehill, who Softli says he wouldn't draft in the top 10. Former Broncos GM Ted Sundquist even says he likes Brandon Weeden better than Tannehill. Softli said Weeden's age isn't as big a deterrent as it once might have been because teams have a more win-now mindset. Davis closes the show saying it's not as clear-cut who the #1 QB in the draft is, but also votes for Luck.

Watching the "First Draft" feature on Morris Claiborne, I see a guy who looks and sounds too bright to have actually scored a 4 on his Wonderlich exam. My theory is he fell asleep during the test. Not the best tackler in the world, but has the "length" and speed to go and get the ball. As physically gifted as any wide receiver he'll cover.

Mayock's top five safeties: Mark Barron, Harrison Smith, Brandon Taylor, DaQuan Menzie, Phillip Thomas. Barron's value is increased because he's a physical player who can handle tight ends.

Top five RBs: Trent Richardson, Doug Martin, David Wilson, Lamar Miller, LaMichael James. I get the impression that Martin has been upgraded.

Top five CBs: Claiborne, Stephon Gilmore, Dre Kirkpatrick, Janoris Jenkins, Josh Robinson. I'm still trying to figure out where the heck Gilmore even came from. Robinson drew attention for running the fastest 40 at this year's Combine (4.33), but he's also a physical player. He's tough, tackles well and was a big playmaker on special teams. Has the arm length to make plays on the ball and obviously the speed to run with receivers.



Mayock's top five WRs: Justin Blackmon, Floyd, Kendall Wright, Stephen Hill, Alshon Jeffery. They interview Floyd in-studio. You note right away that Floyd is bigger, taller and faster than Blackmon. Key issues are his past off-field problems and his hands. Floyd writes the former off as youthful mistakes he won't repeat. He says he's improved as a pass-catcher, only dropping five or six passes all season.

Going back to Lombardi's discussion of the Dolphins, if they really did have Tony Soprano playing tight end, that's definitely a team that should be investigated for running a bounty system.

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