DaBruinz

The cost for TBC has nothing to do with the cost for Graham. TBC had something come up just before the draft that dropped his stock.

Seneschal2

Correct. TBC was the official sleeper pick of mine at his position. I had him projected as a R 2-3 prospect. I waited and waited (and wondered) why he was passed over. He slid for some reason...and will always be just one example of how scouts, coaches, and GMs know the real inside scoop.

For this reason, I'm very leery of projections. They're necessary for draftniks -- but hardly reliable.

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"What we want to try to do is maximize each spot on the roster; we want to be stronger at No. 1 than the opponent, stronger at No. 25 than they are, and stronger at No. 53 than they are, we're always looking to upgrade the talent level on the team, and play together to be functional."
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Charles Barwin

So MayoClinic, you think Dunlap could step right in as a strong side OLB in our current scheme?

It seems like the coverage concerns about Graham would also apply to Dunlap. Is that not the case?

Is Dunlap a bit better in coverage to your eye?

mayoclinic

Like Graham, I think Dunlap would be used at both DE and OLB. But I've been impressed with Dunlap's change of direction, and what I've seen of Graham he's mostly been moving forward. I suspect Dunlap would have better hips and would be more adept at playing standing up (he already plays higher than Dunlap) and dropping back into coverage.

But we'll see how they look at the combine. I hope they do some LB drills as well as DE drills.

Looking at the Senior Bowl North team DE drills and comparing Brandon Graham and Austen Lane, Graham looks like a much better DE prospect. He gets down lower, explodes out of his stance, uses his pads well, and has great hand technique. Lane, on the other hand, looks like a much better OLB prospect. He has much better lateral mobility, better change of direction, much quicker feet, and looks more comfortable standing up.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

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Charles Barwin

I'm very curious to know what other NFL teams' 3-4 schemes look like that allow one OLB to mostly just rush the passer/defend the run.

Mayo, Guyton, and McKenzie all seem to cover a lot of ground well.

If Dunlap or Graham were drafted, it seems like we could let them focus on a "sick 'em" mentality while our other rangy 'backers pick up the coverage slack.

Snake Eyes

Wasn't John Randle (137.5 sacks) only 6 feet tall?

Far too much is made over measurements as opposed to what players can actually do on the field.

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mgteich

Last year there was a player that supposedly had top 10 talent. As late as a couple of weeks before the draft, some of us were wondering whether we would trade up to him at 12 or 14 if he dropped that far.

Everette Brown was arguably a 10 pick other than for the fact that he was only 6' 2" and had relatively short arms. We needed a DE and an OLB. We passed on Brown at 34, at 40 and again at 41.

So, does being relaively short matter is considering a DE or tweener? You be the judge. However, it did seem to matter in last year's draft.

Sciz

Height can be dealt with, but his arms are tiny! That's my major concern right now. Sure, Dumervil is short, but he has 32 3/4'' arms. Woodley, who everybody compares Graham to, has 32 7/8'' arms. If you wanna look at 4-3 DEs, Dwight Freeney has 33'' arms. Sure, you can't write him off because of this, but when you look at the short guys that manage to excel in the NFL, they all have above average arm length for their height.

mayoclinic

He was 6'1". Warren Sapp was 6'2". Both were quick penetrating DTs. Sedrick Ellis and Glenn Dorsey are both 6'1" as well. It's a common height for that position. Different situation altogether.

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"OVER Loading at ANY position can create a Fatal Advantage. THAT is what interests ME. Attacking With Concentrated Force. THAT is what WINS. In the words ~ more or less ~ of General Patton: 'I'm fighting a WAR, here. Let the B*****ES worry about their FLANKS.' " - Off the Grid

"The key to any successful organization is to anticipate things, not react to them." - Michael Lombardi

alvinnf

I want football players. First and foremost....
Brandon Graham= Dessert Swarm Tedy Bruschi
Relentless, non stop motor football players!