DeAndre Hopkins declared. I like him as wr in the 1-2 round area. But like all guys I like he'll get injured his rookie year and won't make an impact. sigh.
He did. No, I don't think so. I think he has potential but there are concerns with him. He lacks control, lacks flexibility around the edge but has violent hands. Needs to get bigger, stronger.
You think his lack of flexibility around the edge has more to do with his technique? The guy does a great job of getting off blocks and making plays across the face of his blocker in the running game. I can't figure out why he cannot counter and finish as a pass rusher though. I've been thinking of him as a rush backer in a 4-3 like Von Miller or a 3-4 outside linebacker.
Regarding technique, no I don't think so. I just don't think he has the flexibility. What he has going for him is his ability (or flashes, I should say) to convert speed to power. He does a good job of rolling his hips into the bulrush, that is when it is effective -- and that's when he sinks his almost always high pad level. He's got heavy hands with pop to go with it. Problem is that his pad level kills most of the moves he wants to do and he either has no discipline or has no idea what he's doing out there because sometimes you see him rush and then drop off into the flats when LSU is playing Cover 2, which makes no sense. He moves well but I worry about his discipline in space. He's too much of a ball watcher IMO. That could change with coaching, of course.
January 15 (4:15 PM): Deadline passes; only one new name … The deadline for underclassmen to have applied to the NFL for entry to the 2013 draft has passed. However, with almost all of the prime juniors and redshirt sophomores known to be seriously considering turning pro having already indicated their intentions, there isn’t much to report. In fact, the only new name on the list appears to be TCU junior DE Stansly Maponga, who actually twittered last night about his decision to throw his hat into the 2013 draft ring despite the fact that he missed two games with a foot injury this year that required post-season surgery. The 6-2, 265-pound Maponga led TCU with 9 sacks and 5 forced fumbles in 2011, but had only four sacks this past season. http://www.gbnreport.com/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o61Zc2egAr0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCKzaaS2BRg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywnc3chpPh0
Ace Sanders has made the list an even 75 players. In 2011 that number was 55. An increase of over 36% in only two years is to me a troubling trend. I'm sure a steady state will be reached, but where? We're talking about kids who are naturally competitive and prone to wanting to think themselves better than everyone else, often still young and very impressionable, easily swayed by agents. I wouldn't assume that the steady state number settles in where it should settle in.
And to think Lewan, Matthews, and Barr could have gone top 15 if they came out. Logan Thomas may still come out. Could be 80.
We're locked in at 75 I think, which is a high number. Of the 65 that came out a year ago, 21 went undrafted. Ouch.
Remember this chat back in December in this thread? Looks like we ended up going this unpredictable route after all. Now hopefully we'll see the results on the field.
I started to get a sense that this was a real possibility based on what they did in free agency with Karlos Dansby and Kevin Burnett being shoved off for Phil Wheeler and Dannell Ellerbe. That was the point I started to seriously consider Jarvis Jones a real possibility at 12 overall. I guess I should have considered Dion Jordan but I just knew he'd go higher and didn't think the Dolphins would be bothered to move up for him. To me, this approach only would work with Jarvis Jones or Dion Jordan. There wasn't another guy in the draft I trusted to do it. Not Barkevious Mingo. Not Damontre Moore. Both players could be put in that position, but I just don't think they've got what it takes to run it well. I believe we discussed like a Chase Thomas, apparently we also discussed C.J. Mosely. I didn't like either for that role.
Hey I completely omitted Dion Jordan from talks as well for the same reasons. B/c of what we did with Ellerbe & Wheeler, I was just about convinced we were trading up for a pass rusher, but I was thinking Mingo at 6. Glad we went up 3 spots higher for Jordan for just about the same cost. I wonder if we would've still taken Jamar Taylor at 2a had we traded up 2b instead (with Cleve). Remember the predraft rumors involving Oakland? Do you think there's a chance the subsequent Branden Albert interest and failed deal was a ruse on our part to throw teams off the track of those rumors and facilitate their guard to drop? I mean, with us having 2b tied up in a potential Albert trade it makes us a less likely candidate to trade up our 1st with only one 2nd remaining. Philly certainly didn't see that haymaker coming. Wonder if they would've attempted a trade up to 2 had they had a suspicion about this in advance.
I think they might have done the Albert deal if they got the price they wanted. You know Ireland, he's a stickler for his valuations.
