Path to the Draft, 4/3

Appearing: Paul Burmeister, Mike Mayock, Charlie Casserly, Charles Davis

* Team news:

Browns at 4/22: lot of buzz in Cleveland this week about Trent Richardson and Ryan Tannehill. Visited this week and the team will attend private workouts. Beat writer is sticking with Justin Blackmon as the pick. David Wilson and Doug Martin will also visit Cleveland this week; definitely in the mix at #22 if the Browns don't draft Richardson.

Steelers at 24: top need appears to be inside linebacker, so their beat writer tabs Don'te Hightower. They should be OK at nose with Casey Hampton coming back. Guard is another need.

Ravens at 29: Ravens are a best-player-available team. Offensive line would be logical: they need a left guard, their center, Matt Birk isn't getting any younger and their left tackle is in his walk year.

Cowboys at 14: They need defensive help at all levels. Mark Barron will be the best player available, and they didn't re-sign their starter from last year, I think Abram Elam. Besides being a good draft/value fit, Barron's also an excellent fit for their scheme. Could look for a corner because they don't think they're going to be able to keep Mike Jenkins after this season, so Dre Kirkpatrick is a possibility, along with Stephon Gilmore or Janoris Jenkins. They could have to go CB if Barron is drafted ahead of them. They addressed their offense in free agency; a high pick on an offensive player would be very surprising. Dontari Poe or Fletcher Cox would help their 3-4 out a lot, and David DeCastro is already better than their current guards.

* Player news:

Head-to-head comparisons start today with a big one: Justin Blackmon vs. Michael Floyd. Very similar college production. Floyd had more receptions and yards; Blackmon more TDs and yards per catch. Blackmon is a 2-time Biletnikoff Award winner. Casserly votes for Blackmon: smoother, separates better on routes, better hands, and has an edge on run after the catch. Davis thinks run after the catch is an edge for Blackmon, who he also considers a much cleaner player. Says the frequent comparison that he's got the same attitude issues as Dez Bryant are unfair. Blackmon easily has a better work ethic. He's been a #1 receiver throughout his college career, with defenses focusing on him, and still puts up elite production and performs well in big games. Floyd's off-the-field issues are another factor that wins the debate for Blackmon and may keep Jacksonville away from him at #7 though they could definitely use him.

Mark Barron vs. Harrison Smith: Smith had a lot more tackles, and more passes defended; Barron had more INTs. Casserly thinks Barron's pretty well ahead, but is concerned that he didn't appear to play very much man coverage. But he's a better athlete and tackler than Smith and has terrific instincts. Says Smith missed too many tackles. Does like Smith at the end of the first round. Not as athletically fluid, but has the speed and size to cover tight ends. Davis thinks Baltimore would like him.

The show addresses Morris Claiborne's rumored Wonderlic score of 4 for the first time. Casserly doesn't see that it's stopped him from learning his position well on the field. If he can grasp a system and understands plays when they're drawn up on the board, he shouldn't have a problem as a player. Casserly assumes he has a reading comprehension problem, hence the low score. Teams have extra tests they'll run to determine that. Casserly finishes by saying that corner isn't a complicated enough position to worry about a player's Wonderlic score; Claiborne will be fine.

We're dodging a couple of big issues here, though, which I suppose are outside the scope of this show. What's the obligation of Louisiana State University to its “student”-athletes, for instance? Don't college students typically have to do just a little bit of reading? I sure did. What happens to Morris Claiborne when he can't play football any more? What good is a diploma to him if he can't even read it?

Some more quick head-to-heads: Dre Kirkpatrick vs. Stephon Gilmore is probably a matter of teams' individual systems. Kirkpatrick, for instance, doesn't have any man coverage to watch on tape. Brock Osweiler vs. Kirk Cousins: both have been inconsistent on the field in making decisions, so teams are really going to want to grill them at the whiteboard, see how well they can pick up their offenses.

Casserly and Davis were asked to predict some first-round sleepers. Casserly picked Andre Branch because good pass-rushers are hard to find. Davis picked David Wilson for his pass-catching and ability to break off big plays, but noted he has fumbling problems. Also picks Peter Konz. My pick is Shea McClellin.

* Pro days:

Notre Dame Excellent workout by Michael Floyd. “Fine” times on the shuttle drills, which he didn't run at the Combine. Position workout is where he stood out. Exceptional explosion off the line, tremendous in and out of breaks, comparable to Justin Blackmon. Mayock still ranks Blackmon ahead, though, and reckons Floyd should be drafted in the 7-16 range, very likely top 10.

Harrison Smith: very smooth, great footwork, great movement skills. Should be second safety off the board, probably top half of second round.

Robert Blanton: corner helped himself with a 4.55 40, big improvement over the Combine. Draftable prospect, will probably be better as a safety in the pros.

Darius Fleming: tweener OLB, under 250 lbs. Ran very well, also in the 4.55 range. Plays all four special teams units and should be a good middle-round pickup for a 3-4 team.

Trevor Robinson: guard did 31 bench presses and can make a NFL team.

-$-