This is my second mock draft. The first was done before the bowl games were complete. http://forums.thephins.com/showthread.php?t=41999 The next will be done after the all star games. 1) ILB Rolondo McClain, Alabama 2) SOLB Greg Hardy, Mississippi 3) WR Danario Alexander, Missouri 4) WOLB George Selvie, South Florida 6) DT Jeff Owens, Tennessee 6) TE Andrew Quarless, Penn State 6) RB LaGarrette Blount, Oregon 7) WR Blair White, Michigan State 7) WR Emanuel Sanders, SMU The philosophy behind this draft is that our linebackers are the biggest need. I have been looking for a reason to not draft ILB and find a reason to draft OLB in the first round. Unfortunately there is simply very little quality ILB prospects this year. If we skip Rolondo McClain in the first, we may end up with someone like Sean Lee. He's a nice prospect but not the impact type we desperately need. Fortunately, someone like Greg Hardy may slip to where we can get him in the 2nd. Yes he comes with baggage and a touch of the bust factor will be a very real possibility but this guy has star potential if he can get his head screwed on right. If we get him we can just let Jason Taylor go or move him to WOLB which is his better psoition anyway. Although I believe linebacker is critical, I am aware that a playmaker WR is a need. Danario Alexander is an excellent prospect as a big red zone possession type receiver. What the front office envisioned Patrick Turner becoming. What makes Alexander the pick here however is there a very real chance that Alexander can become much more. Having suffered three knee injuries and a wrist injury in his college career, he's never been able to truly play to his ability. At 6'4" 215 lbs he has a listed time of 4.58 but thinks he can run a 4.4 at the combine coming up. This is a guy that can play hurt and still be effective and if his bad luck with injuries ever ends, he could be that home run threat this team desires. So at worst we get what we were looking for with Pat Turner at best we get a playmaker Round 4 brings us back to OLB and we go with George Selvie who's game has dropped badly since gaining weight to impress the pro scouts. He has to lose about ten pounds to get back the explosiveness he displayed as a sophmore. Selvie would take over Joey Porter's spot but if Greg Hardy is ready to go at SOLB we could have Jason Taylor man the WOLB spot for his final year with us while Selvie is eased in and put through a Parcells weight training and body sculpting program. Jeff Owens, Andrew Quarless and LeGarrette Blount all address needs. All of them bring a blue collar lunch pail approach and may not be stars but should be solid. Blount may be a bit more of a loose cannon but he's a physical runner that could replace Ricky in 2011 and is solid value here. We finish out the draft returning to WR. Blair White and Emmanuel Sanders offer competition to Camarillo and Bess respectively What wasnt addressed was FS. My feeling here was that the reports Ive read Clemons state that the regime had zero concerns about his physical assets. What held back Clemons was simply play recognition, grasping the system and his responsibilities in that system. Typical for a rookie, I am willing to roll the dice that he's the answer we need at FS and 2010 will be his breakout year. Also I left off OL. I believe we need to continue to try to upgrade this unit but I will leave this area for 2011
I like Greg Hardy the player but the person is a large question mark IMO. It's just tough to spend a pick on a guy who just doesn't know what he wants. He plays football but he's heavily into the graphic designing business (or something along those lines). He's all about the money, he has an interest in marijuana and he's injured quite often. He does produce when he plays, he had something like 8.5 sacks in nine games a couple years ago but if he wouldn't have forgotten his cleats, he wouldn't have re-aggravated his stress fracture. He's just a mess and I don't know if you can invest in that. I know you like George Selvie and while I think his explosiveness is very good, I dislike his struggles with disengaging and shedding blocks. Further, he's not a player in run support. Pure weak side rusher that struggles to shed blocks. That bugs me but maybe he'll develop those skills once he gets bigger, if he does.
Its very true that my picks from rd 2 through 4 are all high risk high reward types of picks. I believe you have to have those types of picks mixed with safe solid types. Hardy is a player that I would have to interview very carefully. If he doesnt pass my physchological profile I dont draft him. If he can convince me that childish ways are behind him and he's ready to be a man then I grab him without hesitation. Selvie is a guy that like Cameron Wake has incredible burst. I think he needs a NFL weight training program along with a NFL nutrition program. His body needs to be resculpted. He gained weight this year and it caused him to play slower. He needs to recapture his burst. If this regime could look at his body in the combine and see a way to reshape his body and recover his burst, I think he would be incredible value at rd 4.
Another thing with Hardy. He missed some time this year after reaggravating his foot injury because he and another TSUN player had a wreck on HWY 6 between Tupelo and Oxford. TSUN would never report the cause of the wreck, but the talk around here was that Hardy was drunk, high, or both when having the wreck.
Wow, we will have to bring a prison warden on board as a coordinator of some type I like the first pick......the middle 6th and the first 7th......
1) McClain would be great, I think we go NT there though. 2) I'm one of the few who likes Greg Hardy...not at #43, too risky for that slot, we need another starter, a sure fire starter. 3)Knee issues, but I do like him 4) Not sure about Selvie, if he is a WOLB, we already would have that in Hardy, but neither could also play ILB. 5) Of the last 4 the only one I've seen play is Quarles and he is a good all around te. I would love to have John Fletcher from WY to work on the strongside if his measurables are good enough.
Just for fun, if I've got to venture one right now: 1. Rolando McClain - ILB - Alabama 2. Morgan Burnett - FS - Georgia Tech 3. Dezmon Briscoe - WR - Kansas 4. Brandon Lang - SOLB - Troy 6. Jeff Cumberland - TE - Illinois 6. Adrian Tracy - WOLB - William & Mary 6. Lorenzo Washignton - DE - Alabama 7. Rafael Priest - CB - TCU 7. Casey Bender - G/T - South Dakota State All this is under the assumption we target at least another OLB (Scott Fujita type) and/or WR (Jason Avant type) in free agency. It also wouldn't hurt to retain Fasano or target a receiving TE like Leonard Pope, though I'm not sure what his contract is now since he finished out the year with the Chiefs.
I like how you attacked the line backer position. Others options at olb to consider are Jason Worilds, Antonio Coleman, Ricky Sapp, Dextar Davis, Koa Misi. I like the Alexander pick I think he's a good pick 3rd round down. The rest is ok.
Hardy is definitely risky. But physically he's a first round talent. My philosophy is always to get a first round talent physically in the 2nd round. They tend to slip due to character issues or injuries but if you read the guy's character correctly you get a steal. If he comes off as a head case in the interview then forget him. Selvie is a bit of a question mark pick. We would have to feel confident that we could get him at a weight where he could stand up to the run and regain the burst he showed his sophmore season. I see him as an insurance pick if Wake cant get the run support part of his job down. Its kind of doubling up on the same type of player hoping one pans out. I havent had a chance to catch John Fletcher. Who does he remind you of?
I was hoping the Clemons would get a chance last year but when he was in there he was invisible. I don't know if I would go into next year without having someone to at the very minimum push him for the starting job.
And that is one of the dirty secrets of this draft Adamp...we have 5 legit holes on defense, and some on offense, we have 9 picks, over half are in the back half of the draft. There is no way, and I mean no way, we will see 5 rookies starting on defense, some of those players will be back in 2010.
Good call on Emmanuel Sanders, BTW. This staff really seems to like these run and shoot wide receivers. Sanders was very impressive in SMU's bowl game.
Agreed , but re the draft picks .... There are always players that fly under the radar , late releases etc. Darren Sharper , Chad Pennington , I think Miami will have have at least two signings of this nature ( not sure who though ) So combined with conventional Free Agency , the spots of need may not need all be filled by draft choices.
I think there's an ILB in Daryl Washington from TCU in the second round though. I like Washington A LOT. He has incredible instincts, speed, range and quickness. He needs to add 10-15 pounds between now and the combine but I think he is going to be a very good ILB in the NFL.
i like daryl washington too. if we traded down and got jeryy hughes and added daryl washington i would be cool with that. go horned frogs!
Way too risky. Greg Hardy, Danario Alexander, George Selvie, LaGarrette Blount, and Emanuel Sanders all have off-the-field issues. I could see taking a chance on one of them but not all five. Blount or Sanders are worth a 7th round flyer. Not a fan of Owens, Quarless, or White.
Greg Hardy is playing in the East West Shrine game this Saturday. If invited due to injuries suffered by some player he may even play in the Senior Bowl the week after. That shows me the man is all business now. I like that. I know he's had some run ins in the past but he seems like he understands what he needs to do going forward from some interviews Ive read with him. To me the major concern with him and Alexander are injuries. If he passes a medical evaluation to me he's great value at rd 2. I'm not aware of what character issues Selvie, Blount and Sanders have. The only concern I know of Blount is he punched that guy. To me thats not a concern
Hardy is a head case. Just because he's trying to get paid now doesn't mean those issues have gone away. Also I should clarify that I consider anything that makes a player a risky pick an off-the-field issue. That includes injuries as well as bad attitudes, poor work ethics, and trouble with the law. So I agree that the major concern with Alexander is his injury history. As Boomer has mentioned in another thread when a player has that many injuries it can mess with your head and affect the way you play. Selvie's issue is the severe drop off in production. Something is going on there. Blount has anger management issues. Maybe he can overcome them but it was enough of a concern that he got suspended for the 2009 season. Emanuel Sanders was suspended at the end of the 2008 season under coach June Jones' "three strikes" rule. A player can pick up a strike for missing or being late to practice, team meetings and study halls, among other violations.
I like the idea of blount in the sixth. He's a between the tackles runner with a physical element to his game that not many in this draft have. exactly the type of player this regime loves. The only adjustments I would make: austen lane over selvie in round four with the idea that lane can play strongside. That frees up round two for a wr like golden Tate or a Free safety like Morgan Burnett.
If I was the Dolphins GM it would be Rolando McClain all the way in the first round. He will drastically improve our defense and have an immediate impact. If the Jags win the coin flip and pick 10th I would offer them our 4th and a 6th to move up and get McClain. Then it becomes impossible to predict who we take next because you just don't know who will be on the board. In the 2nd round I would draft the best WR, NT, Safety, or OLB available. The best wideout could be Arrelious Benn, Brandon LaFell, Jeremy Williams, or Damian Williams. The best NT could be Terrence Cody, Tyson Alualu, or Lamarr Houston. The best safety could be Morgan Burnett or TJ Ward. The best OLB could be Sergio Kindle or Brandon Lang. Or a guy like Mike Iupati or Jermaine Gresham might slide. In the 3rd round I would draft the best WR or NT available. The best wideout could be Danario Alexander or Dezmon Briscoe. The best NT could be Torrell Troup. Or a guy like Demaryius Thomas, D'Anthony Smith, Reshad Jones, AJ Edds, or Jermaine Cunningham might slide. In the 4th round I would start looking at offensive guards. Guys like John Jerry, Sergio Render, or Reggie Stephens. At ILB I would consider Daryl Washington and Perry Riley. At wideout I would consider Freddie Barnes or Antonio Brown. At NT I would consider Corey Peters. At RB I would consider Ben Tate. In the 6th and 7th round I like a bunch of guys. ILB Josh Hull ILB Joe Pawelek ILB Boris Lee WR Emmanuel Sanders WR Seyi Ajirotutu WR Trindon Holliday WR Mike Williams NT Ekom Udofia NT Al Woods OLB George Johnson OLB John Fletcher OT Chris Marinelli OT Drew Davis OG Cord Howard OG Alonzo Durham C Eric Cook C Kevin Matthews (Bruce Matthews' son) RB Keith Toston RB LeGarrette Blount QB Joe Webb Crezdon Butler is probably my favorite late round prospect. He played cornerback at Clemson but isn't considered one of the top corners coming out. However this kid is a big time hitter. Loves contact. Move him to free safety and you might find yourself an enforcer who can play centerfield. Its a bit of a risk but well worth a 7th round flyer.
i usually need the east west shrine and senior bowl before i have opinions on small school guys. i havent had a chance to check out lane yet. as you can see my draft is loaded with big name schools at this stage. after the all star games i may add a few smaller school guys i'm a value guy which often means looking for players that slip due to injury or character or some other reason. I agree that Blount fits our style and since Ricky is leaving I was looking for a value pick that might fit that criteria. Blount seems to have it. And after OJ Anderson's legendary uppercut I'm not sure Paarcells is averse to players who display their pugilistic skills
lane is still a bit raw in his technique from what I can tell but I think his measureables will test to what the regime is looking for. He fits the planet theory very well. I think he's stronger against the run then a cam wake type and stronger specifically at the point of attack. He's one of my favorite mid round prospects. I could see him going anyehere from the mid second to mid fourth depending on how things shake out and depending on how he tests.
