Saturday, April 21, 2012

Path to the Draft, 4/18


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. 
 


-$-
 

No comments: