- Joined
- May 1, 2008
- Messages
- 16,682
- Reaction score
- 3,686
This out today from Nolan Nawrocki:
NFL Draft - NFL draft preview and analysis from Pro Football Weekly
Eric Wood is listed among the risers as possibly going late 1st round. Mel Kiper had Wood listed as possibly going #32 to the Steelers in his podcast discussion with Todd McShay, and no later than #38 to Cincinnati. I think it is unlikely that he will last long enough to be an option for the Pats.
Larry English, Everette Brown, Eben Britton and Sean Smith are listed among the fallers:
- English: "Once also in the discussion as a 3-4 rush linebacker, English did not show the athletic ability or explosiveness in positional drills at his pro-day workout to convince evaluators he could easily project to the position and is more likely to be drafted as a 4-3 end." I've always felt English projected better to 4-3 DE than to 3-4 OLB.
- Brown: "With nearly half of the league moving to at least some variation of a 3-4 front, Brown’s value has begun to diminish, as he was not asked to drop much in college and showed too much stiffness in reverse at his pro-day workout to project as a rush linebacker. With limited strength to stop the run, he fits best as an up-the-field, fly-at-the-snap, open-side edge rusher for a one-gap, attacking 4-3 defense. The 'one-dimensional' label some evaluators have affixed to him has pushed him down as far as the fourth round for some teams. He could still easily be drafted in the first, considering the premium placed on being able to the passer, but he may fall to the second." That would be quite a fall for Brown, once considered a top 10 player. I can't see how a 6'1" 256# DE who doesn't have the speed or unreal 1st step of a Dwight Freeney could be that much of an impact player. I've always had questions about his ability to be a 3-4 OLB based on his stiffness, lack of coverage experience, lack of height, and poor 3-cone and short shuttle times.
- Britton: "Much like Sam Baker a year ago, Britton has short arms and is not viewed by teams as an elite athlete who will be able to handle the left side. A run on tackles could still potentially bring Britton off the board in the first round in the Nos. 18-25 range where Baker and Jeff Backus both were drafted. However, the team that drafts him will likely be reaching for a huge position of need, not drafting for value, which some evaluators say is somewhere in the third or fourth round for Britton, in the same area where Eric Winston and Jon Runyan were drafted." I don't see Britton as having anywhere near the upside of a William Beatty.
- Smith: "Quickly, name a cornerback in the NFL who has been successful and who stood taller than 6-foot-3? Some may have been able to get away with it in a different era, but in the modern age where cornerbacks are often forced to match up with the elite quickness of a Steve Smith, Wes Welker or Greg Jennings, leggy cornerbacks do not possess enough transitional quickness to be effective. Questions about Smith’s maturity have also concerned teams. A number of teams have already eliminated Smith from consideration because he does not fit their schemes, with limited ability in man-off coverage. Many others have him positioned in the fourth round, with an expectation of him potentially competing for a backup job." This one gives me more pause than the others because I think Smith could be a spectacular FS. I could see him going late 1st, or falling to the late 2nd round. Lower than that seems unlikely to me. Gosselin was quite high on him, and gave no indication that he was falling.
NFL Draft - NFL draft preview and analysis from Pro Football Weekly
Eric Wood is listed among the risers as possibly going late 1st round. Mel Kiper had Wood listed as possibly going #32 to the Steelers in his podcast discussion with Todd McShay, and no later than #38 to Cincinnati. I think it is unlikely that he will last long enough to be an option for the Pats.
Larry English, Everette Brown, Eben Britton and Sean Smith are listed among the fallers:
- English: "Once also in the discussion as a 3-4 rush linebacker, English did not show the athletic ability or explosiveness in positional drills at his pro-day workout to convince evaluators he could easily project to the position and is more likely to be drafted as a 4-3 end." I've always felt English projected better to 4-3 DE than to 3-4 OLB.
- Brown: "With nearly half of the league moving to at least some variation of a 3-4 front, Brown’s value has begun to diminish, as he was not asked to drop much in college and showed too much stiffness in reverse at his pro-day workout to project as a rush linebacker. With limited strength to stop the run, he fits best as an up-the-field, fly-at-the-snap, open-side edge rusher for a one-gap, attacking 4-3 defense. The 'one-dimensional' label some evaluators have affixed to him has pushed him down as far as the fourth round for some teams. He could still easily be drafted in the first, considering the premium placed on being able to the passer, but he may fall to the second." That would be quite a fall for Brown, once considered a top 10 player. I can't see how a 6'1" 256# DE who doesn't have the speed or unreal 1st step of a Dwight Freeney could be that much of an impact player. I've always had questions about his ability to be a 3-4 OLB based on his stiffness, lack of coverage experience, lack of height, and poor 3-cone and short shuttle times.
- Britton: "Much like Sam Baker a year ago, Britton has short arms and is not viewed by teams as an elite athlete who will be able to handle the left side. A run on tackles could still potentially bring Britton off the board in the first round in the Nos. 18-25 range where Baker and Jeff Backus both were drafted. However, the team that drafts him will likely be reaching for a huge position of need, not drafting for value, which some evaluators say is somewhere in the third or fourth round for Britton, in the same area where Eric Winston and Jon Runyan were drafted." I don't see Britton as having anywhere near the upside of a William Beatty.
- Smith: "Quickly, name a cornerback in the NFL who has been successful and who stood taller than 6-foot-3? Some may have been able to get away with it in a different era, but in the modern age where cornerbacks are often forced to match up with the elite quickness of a Steve Smith, Wes Welker or Greg Jennings, leggy cornerbacks do not possess enough transitional quickness to be effective. Questions about Smith’s maturity have also concerned teams. A number of teams have already eliminated Smith from consideration because he does not fit their schemes, with limited ability in man-off coverage. Many others have him positioned in the fourth round, with an expectation of him potentially competing for a backup job." This one gives me more pause than the others because I think Smith could be a spectacular FS. I could see him going late 1st, or falling to the late 2nd round. Lower than that seems unlikely to me. Gosselin was quite high on him, and gave no indication that he was falling.
