What do the rest of you think about the idea of drafting Charlie's players?

#21 - OLB Victor Abiamiri
#32 - WR Jeff Smardzija

Both fit needs. Both look good on paper. Both have played in big games and been productive, impact players that should fit in our scheme.

Weis at ND, Hill at Fresno and Meyer at Florida-- history has shown that players from those schools, at all levels of talent, have a way of making it to Foxboro.

__________________
"We want to build a big, strong, tough, smart, fast, disciplined football team that will consistently compete for a championship."
-- Scott Pioli, from the Patriots scouting manual

I'm warming up to it... but I like McKNight better than Simardzija. McKight showed great commitment and work ethic coming back from that knee injury, and will probably be even quicker next year. He strikes me as tougher. Simardzija also has some divided loyalties with baseball and i wonder if football is "more important", as BB likes to say, to Rhema. You could probably "steal" McKnight later on, and still get a top flight safety (although James Sanders, despite getting trucked by Cedric Benson, seems to be filling the bill at SS, so maybe we should keep an open mind at that position until the season's over). Something like this would be appealing...
21) Willis
32) Abiamiri (depending on workouts- if he's under 4.8 and agile that would be a good sign)
2nd rd: Zbikowski
3rd rd: McKnight

ZBIKOWSKI BLOWS. he cannot cover for life..he can hit hard but he misses a lot and he can return punts but he muffs a lot. kid is not as good as u think trust me!. i dont want Shark..ive never liked him. he might do better than the other ND recevier who came out last year but hes not dedicated and thats a bad start to a scouting report

McKnight drops a lot of balls but i still kinda like him..3rd-4th if he can get there would be fine with me

id rather go with the Meyer or Hill route..

get Nelson/Siler/Baker/Caldwell. i really want Nelson .. Baker is a strong guy..but idk if possesion WR is what we really need since we seem kinda slow and bad at getting open.

if we go Hill..McCauley had a decent-poor senior year but was great junior year and has the measurables..athletic/fast and alll the good stuff. Paul Williams can be a good 4th round pick maybe..speed..returner..height. has potential.

Nelson would be great, but he'll probably be gone before #20. He may be the 1st DB off the board. Don't judge McKnight on that one USC game. If you watch him consistently he is a very solid receiver, very tough. Coming back from that injury so quickly shows you his commitment and character. Weis has drilled "route-running" into him, and he's got good size and speed. I bet he runs well (4.50) for his size and will get even faster as the knee gets healthier. As for Zbikowski, he's definitely not a cover safety-- I see him as Donovan Darius type, an extra LBer who can lay the wood, is fearless and gives the secondary a hard hitting, heat seeking missile attitude. It's true the ND secondary has been burned consistently, but the Cbs have been marginal, and Ndukwe has been lost.

That was the book on Rodney Harrison, coming out of San Diego.

Fact is, we have plenty of S who can play in coverage. Hawkins, Wilson, Scott... these guys are all CBs playing FS.

What we really need is a knock-em out SS, who can play on the LOS, who can drop a TE on his *****.

Funny, a draft class headlined by...

1 - OLB Abiamiri
1 - WR Samardzija
2 - SS Zbikowski
3 - WR McKnight

... totally works for me.

__________________
"We want to build a big, strong, tough, smart, fast, disciplined football team that will consistently compete for a championship."
-- Scott Pioli, from the Patriots scouting manual

you can get a hard hitter who can also cover..

im fine with Abiamiri and McKnight but not the other 2

i dont believe we take any of them but th2 i mentioned possibly depending if Victor can be seen as an OLB by scouts

last year we passed on Stovall..what ND guy did we draft? 1 in the late rounds in Stevenson.."the next Andruzzi" or something along those lines..hes gone..and we picked up Mays from UDFA but hes a ST player..

from the 3 coaches that we have ties with..we took 3...1 was early and the 2 others were way back.

i dont think it matters much that they played for Weiss..college ball is different than NFL ball..and im not sure Weiss is doing the same over there as a HC as he was here as an OC

Griffin hits hard..Nelson hits hard..Meriweather hits hard..Gattis hits hard..

last year Dwayne Slay or w.e his name was ... he dominated opponents with his hits..he didnt get drafted so hmm

reason tommy is rated high is because hes a big school kid but he'll fall come draft day

I'd puke if we got 4 Domers. Their team isn't really that good. You are over-rating their players. They have the best offensive mind in the country.
And, are walloping the cupcakes of the world. Everytime they stepped up and played a good time. Lights out. One big win in Charlies tenure. Last year a 7pt win against 7-5 Michigan. With a Henne fumble at the goal line. Give me some USC/Ohio St players. They are the top programs in the country not
ND. For some reason ND doesn't put many def. players in the pros. I think they get a lot of recruits who go there for the glory. Not the hard word/
discipline it takes to be a good defensive player.


Rodney was a 5th rounder. If you want your guy there fine. 2nd round no way. Just a hunch. But, I think we trade our 2nd rounder for a wr. Like we
did in 04 for C.Dillon. Veteran to complete the puzzle.

I'm hoping some of the jr. qb's come out. They usually get drafted higher than they should and allow other players to slide. J.Russell-LSU,B.Brohm-Louisville and that kid from Hawaii. Helped us get Wilfork in 04. Hard to get a feel for what needs will be based on free agency/trades. I don't see Asante staying. So, cb really moves up as a need. I think we might find our ilb/wr thru free agency/trades.

Zbit looks like a late rounder to me. He can "hit like a linebacker"? He's 6'0" 200 pounds, what's so special about him again?

Why is there this idea that we can only draft from 3 schools out of 117 NCAA or whatever and however many other divisions? It's a little crazy. Actually a lot crazy.

McNight? Maybe a later round pick, definitely not 3rd or 4th. I know he came back from a knee injury, but there are a ton of good WRs out there. Dime a dozen. I could see trying to draft two of Patrick Willis / Darelle REvis/ Laron Landry in the 1st. If only one then trade the second #1 pick down.

The defenses are so difficult that it's hard to predict who will do well and who won't. Alot of it is intelligence.

Just wanted to gloat a little. Geaux Tigers!! Have to draft the best player. ND's mediocre defense exposed again. Not a Domer because CW coaches them. Also, I think B.Quinn will eventually be a good qb. He's no sure thing like an Aikman or P.Manning. I'd be leery of using the top pick on him because it ties up a helluva lot of money and it might take him a couple years to be productive.

with Saban back @ Alabama..we can get some players starting next year from him. him and BB are friends.

Jarvis Green, Randall Gay, Alexander, Hill.

We've had a good share of LSU players..kind of like Florida now

So now Saban is still part of our "tie" since hes back to NCAA

Notre Dame - Weis
Fresno State - Hill
Alabama - Saban
Florida - Meyer

Georgia kind of helped..Seymour-Watson

Texas A&M got us Warren..Yates....Bethel

a lot of southern schools getting us guys