Appearing: Paul
Burmeister, Michael Lombardi, Charles Davis, Charlie Casserly, Mike
Mayock
* Team news:
New England at
27/31: Patriots have made 19
draft-day trades the last five years, so there's a good chance one of
these picks gets traded, possibly to a team wanting to trade up for
Brandon Weeden. They might try to turn a pick into picks after the
fourth round; oddly enough, they have none this year. Saying Patriots
fans have been complaining about their pass rush for a couple of
years, the beat writer calls that their #1 need without even
mentioning that 20 of their 40 sacks from last season went out the
door in free agency. She intriguingly mentions Vinny Curry as the
first prospective pick before also bringing up Whitney Mercilus and
Shea McClellin. They will probably draft mostly defense; their main
offensive need is a guard, and they can find good ones later.
Casserly has them going after Harrison Smith if they keep the #31
pick. Chandler Jones and Andre Branch are also mentioned as pass
rusher candidates, Peter Konz, Kevin Zeitler and Amini Silatolu as
interior line candidates.
Cleveland at 4:
Mayock discusses how teams
often draft with their divisional opponents in mind, and says that's
a primary reason the Browns should draft Trent Richardson. They go up
against three of the top ten defenses in their own division and need
to control the game on the ground and be able to shorten games.
Mayock remarks that they might not be able to get Justin Blackmon the
ball in the fourth quarter on a windy day in Cleveland. (Well, if
that's the case, maybe who they should draft is Ryan Tannehill.)
Mayock
also says that the 49ers' success in the NFC West dictates that the
other teams look for ways to get tougher, but only applies that to
the Big Dead and Seattle. Both teams may be tempted by offensive
skill players but should really beef up their lines with tough guys.
* Player news:
Talk today focuses on the top linebacking prospects:
Luke Kuechly vs. Melvin Ingram – Kuechly should be an immediate
starter. Instinctive player who finds his way through traffic well.
Runs well and has enough speed to get outside. Very good instincts in
pass defense, had seven career interceptions. Reacts to the pass like
a safety, incredible feel for routes. Can run with tight ends. Better
than Rolando McClain coming out, compared by Casserly to Jonathan
Vilma for the fifteen-thousandth time. Needs to go to a team that
will let him flow freely to the ball. Kuechly's skills translate
directly to what the NFL wants linebackers to be able to do today.
Davis says Ingram will be the bigger-impact LB because he sacks the
QB. Says it's like James Laurinaitis and Aldon Smith. Laurinaitis is
an excellent MLB but is not the impact player Smith is because he
doesn't get many sacks. Mayock says skepticism is starting to build
around the league on Ingram because of his short arms and because
teams aren't sure where to put him. He now sees Ingram sliding in the
first round, and it may work to Quinton Coples' benefit.
And though Ingram has always been projected in the top 10 on this
program, and Kuechly hasn't, a week before the draft, Davis calls
Kuechly the safer pick and Mayock calls him the better player. The
hell. Kuechly wins despite everything this program has said in the
last month.
Shea McClellin – Lombardi breaks out the Karl Mecklenburg reference
again, because McClellin can play all over the field, inside,
outside, or line up on the LOS with his hand in the dirt. Excellent
athlete who played well in big games. Should fit any scheme. Best
skill is his pass rushing – good quickness off the edge, explosion,
punch and inside moves. Needs to improve his counter moves. Casserly
calls him a more athletic Brooks Reed, and a lot like Clay Matthews,
though not as athletic. Casserly also brings up the concussion issue
again. Meanwhile, RamView's wondering if there is any non-Caucasian
linebacker anywhere to compare Shea McClellin to. Seconds after I
write that, Mayock compares McClellin to... Mike Vrabel.
Whitney Mercilus vs. Andre Branch – Branch is definitely a 3-4 OLB.
Mercilus may or may not end up there. Davis thinks the team that
takes Mercilus needs to have a plan for using him like the 49ers did
for Aldon Smith, and says Mercilus and Smith are somewhat similar
players. Lombardi says Mercilus will be better at setting the edge
than Branch. Branch also doesn't play with enough power. As a pass
rusher he gets washed behind the QB too often. Doesn't turn his speed
into power. Mayock also questions Mercilus' power. Thinks Mercilus
plays like Aldon Smith, but isn't big enough to realize that kind of
potential. Both players are concerns at the point of attack. Mercilus
wins the matchup here, but didn't come away with much of a ringing
endorsement from anyone, either.
Don'ta Hightower – probably going in the 20s, not that many teams
looking for a 3-4 inside linebacker. Casserly thinks Hightower's best
attribute is his instincts, which serve him well against the run and
the pass. Thumper who plays downhill and can attack the pocket.
Versatile enough to stay on the field on nickel downs. Has good range
but isn't a very good pass rusher because he doesn't have enough
burst. Does have the speed and instincts to play 4-3 OLB. Mayock says
opinion around the league is split on whether Hightower can be a
3-down linebacker; says he can.
Brandon Taylor – competitive, physical player who loves to tackle.
Has good speed and hits hard. Overaggression leads to him sometimes
missing tackles. Some stiffness in his movement, so may not be a
great man-to-man defender, but is fast enough to run with tight ends.
Sideline-to-sideline range and good field vision. Needs to work on
ball skills and reading route combinations. Similar player to Craig
Steltz. Third-round grade.
The Most Interesting Ex-Coach in the World (Women hold the door open
for him) is on! He doesn't always talk about Brandon Weeden, but when
he does, he prefers to repeat the same old stuff about him being old
and a second-day pick. You can do that, though, when you're the Most
Interesting Ex-Coach in the World (the Pope considers him
infallible). Stay draft-y, my friends.
After minutes of careful consideration, I have finally figured out
who I think Weeden looks like, though.
-$-
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