patsfaninpa

Clayborn looks more like a 4-3 defensive end to me. May not fit our system. Don't think he's quick enough to play olb like a Willie McGinest. I would draft Clayborn if we change to a 4-3. But, if we stick to a 3-4. I'd rather have Odrick. B.Graham and J.Hughes aren't too tall. We heard BB say that he likes his pass-rushers a little taller. Harrison and Woodley's success in Pittsburgh wouldn't have me worried about their height. Not a great draft for rb's. If Gresham from OU is ok physically. Wouldn't shock me a bit if we draft him in Round 1. Of course, if he is ok physically. He won't last until 32. Or, 27-30.

1. Jerry Hughes - OLB - We can't get to the qb. Most glaring need by far.

2a. Jared Odrick - DE - Big, 2-gap de who can be a run stuffer. Physically reminds me
of Seymour. Just not Seymour's burst off of the ball.

2b traded for 1st rounder next year. I can hear whole board groan draft day.

2c OL - Haven't seen the kid from Idaho. But, sounds good to me.

kas

Things I tried to keep in mind - BB loves big school players with experience in the early rounds. We have a lot of youth at LB (Mayo, Guyton, McKenzie, Ninkovich, Crable). Although some are still big question marks, I think we address the position in FA if BB wants to add depth.

Here's mine:
1) TE Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma
- Call it a hunch. We all know BB loves his TE's. Only Baker is under contract for next year. Gresham is the best TE prospect in years. Very good speed, incredibly athletic, great hands/production. Has a big frame and is a good blocker too. He only falls this far cuz he misses the year with knee surgery (scope-no torn ligaments). IMO he could be a great complement to LB's trying to crash down on Welker.

2a) DE Brandon Graham, Michigan
- Graham IMO is the most polished DE in this draft. Although not as tall as many would prefer (6'2), he has long arms, plays physical, and is a beast at setting the edge. Has multiple pass rush moves, and has continued to produce on a very average Michigan defense. He has showed well against some top OT's. Could be a replacement for Burgess.

2b) DT Jared Odrick, Penn st
- A Seymour/Warren type body (6'5, 300). Very athletic for a big man and should provide some nice depth along the DL. Will probably play 4-3 SDE and 3-4 end. This may seem like a little bit of overkill for the dline, but this is one position BB loves to draft and seems to have great success here. It's also possible that we look to trade this pick, but with all the juniors probably coming out, there appears to be a ton of value in round 2.

2c) OT Zane Beadles, Utah
- I can't believe how many people keep giving the Pats 6'5 330 road graders...they just don't fit the system. Beadles imo is a Mankins clone, although slightly less athletic. He's good not great size (6'4, 305), experienced LT for a spread offense, can play in space, and would block his mother if the coach told him to. He'd project inside for us, and I could see a guy like him quickly making a mark in the starting lineup.

4) RB Michael Smith, Arkansas
- Something about this guy screams Kevin Faulk. Super quick although not a burner. He's tough and can run inside but probably can't handle the load full time. Great hands and a very effective pass protector. Not flashy but just solid consistent and reliable - just the way BB wants it. I fully expect Faulk back next year, but he's ancient for a RB and Smith seems like a nice understudy to add to our stable of backs.

mayoclinic

Two comments.

First, it's not clear that we are staying with a zone blocking scheme, and we've had very limited success running the football with it. A more power-based approach would not be amiss.

Second, Mike Iupati may be 6'6" 330# but he is not a classic road grader. He has minimal body fat and moves like a much smaller guy, with surprisingly good agility and footwork for a guard. The fact that he's big and strong enough to overpower people is just a plus.

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kas

Even before the ZBS, BB has always tended to favor lighter quicker linemen. In fact, the only "road grader" he ever got was O'Callaghan who he took late and never really panned out. From Andruzzi, Mike Compton, Adrian Klemm, Kenyatta Jones, Greg Robinson-Randall early on to now Volmer, Orhnberger, Levoir, the trend seems pretty apparent no matter how nimble any road grader type might appear to be. Not saying it's right or wrong, it's just what it is.

On another note, BB has taken very few small school players at all, especially early on. Even guys like Kaczur who went to Toledo competed against the top schools. Not even sure who Idaho has ever played.

Truthfully, however, we don't know what will happen and we might have to agree and disagree...

Marqui

I took a quick look at his stats this year and they don't seem amazing. I'm not familiar with Pierre-Paul, so just wondering why you rate him so highly.

mayoclinic

Because of his length (6'6"), speed (4.60), wingspan (81") and athleticism.

Pierre-Paul is raw. No doubt about it. I sort of threw him out there deliberately to get people's attention. I would probably take Greg Hardy, Derrick Morgan and Everson Griffen over Pierre-Paul right now as more complete products who have played thougher competition, even though Pierre-Paul may have the highest upside. But those guys could all go 1st round, and Pierre-Paul will like go somewhere in the 2nd round if he comes out because he is more raw.

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Ochmed Jones

He has him listed because he is an athletic freak with huge trianlge numbers (length/weight/speed) and an incredible 81 inch wing span.

He is a high risk/high reward type player and someone will overdraft this kid based on numbers alone.

I think OLB remains the single hardest position for us to follow how BB thinks. BB says he wants to draft big guys that can run fast. But there is so much more to it than that:

They have to be strong enough to stack the edge on running plays.

They have to be quick twitch enough to cover.

They have to be explosive enough to rush the passer.

And most importantly I think they have to show on film that they can do all three.

When you consider how many names BB passed on in last year's draft alone, it makes you wonder what morey he is really looking for in draft eligible players for this position.

I have heard people say he prefers veterans at OLB and safety as these are critical points in his defense.

I would hope that with the success of Merriweather (and one day Chung), maybe he is now ready to tackle the task of drafting and developing his own OLB.

mayoclinic

Exactly. I was being somewhat deliberately provocative with the Pierre-Paul pick, based on his upside and potential. Realistically I would see BB preferring a more experienced player that high in the draft. But I think that Greg Hardy and Derrick Morgan will likely go top 20 as things stand right now.

My "ideal" first day draft as of right now would be something like:

1(32). Rolando McClain, ILB. Should go top 20, but ILBs tend to slip.
2(36). Greg Hardy, DE/OLB. Pass rusher to play 4-3 DE and 3-4 elephant.
2(42). Mike Iupati, OG. Already discussed.
2(64). Ryan Mathews, RB. I've posted some film of him on the draft prospects sticky. Outstanding. Very reminiscent of Rashard Mendenhall.

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mayoclinic

I have a hard time thinking of 6'8" 315# Sebastian Vollmer as a "lighter, quicker" lineman. Ditto 6'7" 310# Mark Levoir. And while Mankins isn't a "road grader" he's pretty solid.

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mayoclinic

There's a lot of very talented guys out there who are flying under the radar. Some even play for major teams.

Another guy to keep an eye on is junior DE/OLB Jeremy Beal from Oklahoma. 6'3", 260#. Came to Oklahoma as a linebacker, has played mostly DE for the Sooners but can play in space. Was banged up his first 2 years, has broken out this year. Had 3 sacks in a couple of games, currently has 7 sacks on the year. Had 11 tackles in the Texas game and was all over the field. He's not getting the publicity that Sergio Kindle or Jerry Hughes are getting, but he's a player.

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