Path to the draft, 3/9

* Pro days.

Oklahoma State: Justin Blackmon came in at 6'1”, 215. He put eight pounds back on since the Combine. Ran the 40 twice, consensus was he was in the 4.48 – 4.51 range both times. 35” vertical. Wasn't as good in the shuttle or the three-cone, but bigger WRs aren't expected to do well there. Had two drops in drills. Mayock didn't see anything to downgrade Blackmon as either the top WR in the draft or a top ten pick. Strong, fast, physical, compares to Terrell Owens or Anquan Boldin, according to Bucky Brooks. Will win at the line of scrimmage with his strength vs. his speed. Should be an instant-impact player in the NFL. Also comes across favorably in interviews.

Brandon Weeden ran a 4.9 40 and looked more athletic than expected in the rest of the non-position drills. Made every throw he'd be expected to make in the pros. Showed he can really drive the ball downfield. Took almost all of his snaps from under center. Main concern, of course, is that he's 28.

Safety Markelle Martin did not work out due to a knee injury that also kept him out of the Combine. Will have to work out in another 3-4 weeks.

Georgia Tech. Huge crowd to see Stephen Hill. Didn't hurt his stock at all. Great feet for his 6'4” 215 size. Works hard. Mayock doesn't see him slipping out of the first round. P.S. If Hill is available at 33 and the Rams already have Blackmon, I'm still taking Hill.

Wisconsin. Russell Wilson had an average-at-best pro day. Mayock still endorses him as a mid- to late-round pick despite that, and his 5'11” height, because he's a winner.

* Team news.

Browns at 4. Cleveland needs playmakers, needs a face of the franchise. Absent the possibility of getting Robert Griffin III, Bucky Brooks sets up a scenario where they take Trent Richardson 4^th and a wide receiver (Michael Floyd, Kendall Wright) 22^nd. Or a less likely scenario, Justin Blackmon 4^th and Lamar Miller or David Wilson 22^nd. First time I've heard either of those names anywhere close to that point of the draft. Heath Evans advises to take Blackmon at 4 and use that #22 to trade up for Ryan Tannehill. (The panel's primary advise was to trade up for Griffin. Have I mentioned I'm way behind on these recaps?)

Chiefs at 11. Need help at a number of positions. Tackle was biggest weakness (before they signed Eric Winston.) Need to get better on the right side, and they could lose Brendan Albert after this season.

Chargers at 18. They've been trying for a while to get a pass rusher but haven't been getting it right, so it's still a top need. They like Courtney Upshaw and Nick Perry.

Broncos at 25. They talked about Peyton Manning instead of the team's draft needs. Thanks. I think the prevailing wisdom is that they'll look to get Peyton weapons, i.e. receivers.

* Player news. Michael Lombardi's mock draft got the Rams-Redskins trade right before it ever happened, but he went pretty cuckoo after that. With Justin Blackmon going to Cleveland, he had Tampa taking Dontari Poe and the Rams taking....... Melvin Ingram. He dropped Morris Claiborne to #9, and Trent Richardson wasn't in the top ten. Lombardi claims Jeff Fisher loves offensive and defensive linemen and builds his teams around the lines. (We've certainly seen that borne out in free agency. The Rams have signed five linemen and a corner.) Ingram is a versatile player who will be effective on the edges and his speed will be a good match to the Rams' artificial turf. Heath Evans follows by saying he loves the idea of Ingram at #6, compares him to John Randle. Same active feet and hands, quick burst, tenacity, will to finish, though Ingram is well short of Randle weight-wise right now. Finishes every drill, does everything the right way. Lombardi also called Richardson as good a RB as he's seen in a long time and figures he will really be drafted in the top ten.

Orson Charles was arrested in Athens, Georgia for DUI charges. His pro day was average at best. Lotsa luck getting drafted before the third day now. Dummy.

Whitney Mercilus and Andre Branch are both liked by teams whether or not they run 3-4 or 4-3 schemes. Mercilus is thought to be big enough to hold up well at DE, but is also thought to be quick enough to account for himself well dropping back in coverage. Mayock projects Mercilus to be drafted in the 20s and Branch to go in the Mayock Zone.

The main criticism of Quinton Coples is that he takes plays off. He blames that perception on double-teams and triple-teams. He blames his senior year dropoff on switching from left side to right side. I didn't see that elite a player from Senior Bowl or Combine coverage. Bucky Brooks calls him a solid base DE but not an elite pass rusher. That's not the kind of player he is. Well, the elite pass rushers are supposed to be the DEs who go high in the draft, gang. RamView heartily does not endorse drafting Quinton Coples at #6. Expectations have been he'll go to Buffalo at 10, but that was before they signed Mario Williams.

Brooks sees Janoris Jenkins being drafted in the 15-22 range. Compared him favorably to Assante Samuel and says his Combine interviews improved his status with teams concerned about his off-field issues (marijuana, multiple children out of wedlock).

I missed the March 12-14 PTTD's while on vacation, and because somehow it benefits NFL Network to lie about when exactly they're going to air the program, so I'll jump to the 15th when I pick this back up.

-$-