Off the R.Nelson bandwagon

[PonyExpress]

I was originally a supporter of drafting Nelson, but now believe Nelson is a one year wonder who lacks the physical strength to hold up vs. the run in the NFL and projects as a one dimensional safety. His best pro position may be cb, and that is guess-work. In his post-juco "sophomore" season he did next to nothing and tore a knee ligament in the '06 bowl game, so he has a minor flag for durability and experience, which go hand in hand. I believe Nelson can become a solid pro player, but I would not risk taking him in the 1st rd. Based purely on athleticism and production, my top 3 safeties are Gattis, Griffin and Landry, in that order, which may seem surprising. I believe if Gattis had been wearing a Florida State or LSU uniform instead of a Wake Forest uniform the last 4 years he would be a lock top 20 pick. If Landry had been playing for a less prominent college program he would probably have a late 1st early 2nd rd grade, similar to where Griffin currently sits. Assuming there are no off-field issues to muddy the waters, they all seem much safer picks than Nelson, not to mention more well-rounded players. Before picking Griffin I would have to make sure he is clear of the alleged off field issues which have plagued fellow Texas' dbs Brown and Ross.

[patchick]

Originally Posted by PonyExpress

Based purely on athleticism and production, my top 3 safeties are Gattis, Griffin and Landry, in that order, which may seem surprising. I believe if Gattis had been wearing a Florida State or LSU uniform instead of a Wake Forest uniform the last 4 years he would be a lock top 20 pick.

Wow! I'd still take Landry in a minute, but I'm happy to see such enthusiasm for my adoptee Gattis:
Adopt a Player: Josh Gattis, S, Wake Forest

What I like about Gattis and Griffin is that there's very little not to like about them. Going through my mental checklist on Gattis:

Size? Check.
Athleticism? Check.
Smooth coverage skills? Check.
Strong in run support? Check.
Ball skills? Check.
Field awareness and reaction skills? Check.
Experience and production? Check.
Intelligence? Check.
Character and leadership? Check.

That's a tough combination to find, especially outside of round 1.

[dryheat44]

Griffin is #1 on my SS board (would be #2 on my FS board)
Gattis is #1 on my FS board
Nelson has never been on either of them.

I guess I'm in agreement with everything here.

[Clonamery]

Originally Posted by PonyExpress

.....I would not risk taking him in the 1st rd.

I can't disagree with that assessment given your reasons why....

[patchick]

Originally Posted by dryheat44

Griffin is #1 on my SS board (would be #2 on my FS board)
Gattis is #1 on my FS board

Interesting...I'm curious, what's the basis for those position choices? One thing I like about both players is that they're on the border between FS and SS and could go either way, which seems like a good fit for the Pats defense which tends to blur the two roles.

[zippo59]

I'm torn on Nelson. On hand he seems like the kind of players who just makes plays, and is all over the field, the way a safety is supposed to be. But on the other hand he has not been a top producer for very long, has intelligence questions, and doesn't seem like he is the best in run support. This is a somewhat strong draft for safeties, so it might be wise to go to other safer prospects as oppossed to gambling on Nelson.

[dryheat44]

Originally Posted by patchick

Interesting...I'm curious, what's the basis for those position choices? One thing I like about both players is that they're on the border between FS and SS and could go either way, which seems like a good fit for the Pats defense which tends to blur the two roles.

Honestly, I don't remember. When setting up my boards, I chose a primary position. I don't recall what led me to put one in basket A and the other in basket B. Probably agility, if I had to take a stab at it.

[mcbee]

Knocks listed against Gattis are that he's not very 'instinctual' and not good in man coverage. Those are bad as far as the pats go.

[patchick]

Originally Posted by mcbee

Knocks listed against Gattis are that he's not very 'instinctual' and not good in man coverage. Those are bad as far as the pats go.

mcbee, did you by any chance get that impression from nfldraftcountdown.com? For some reason their impression of Gattis is wildly different from most others!

FWIW, some excepts from the nfl.com profile:

Reads and reacts with quickness to pre-snap movements and looks instinctive in deep coverage assignments …
Has the short-area foot quickness to shadow a receiver in man coverage and the burst to run down tailbacks and slot receivers...
Makes good body adjustments in both deep and shallow assignments and shows the awareness skills to not get fooled by play-action and misdirection …

[harveyw]

Originally Posted by dryheat44

Griffin is #1 on my SS board (would be #2 on my FS board)
Gattis is #1 on my FS board
Nelson has never been on either of them.

I guess I'm in agreement with everything here.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL At what store did you purchase your Xtra Strength Kool-aid? Funny to see guys adopt their ranking in accordance with who may fall to the Pats. Landry is by FAR AND AWAY the best Safety prospect and you might want to watch some Gattis film (i.e. against BC).