2012 College Football / 2013 NFL Draft

[BINGO]

This kid is sliding, I would welcome that pick too:

NFL Mock Draft 2013: Beasts, Freaks and Combine Superstars | Bleacher Report

 

[Tubbs1518]

Not true. Do you not see the content of this message board. We follow college football / NFL draft all year round. And I am telling you that most mocks had him going to a 4-3 team. This is what we do all day everyday - this draft topic never gets tiring for us.

2011 NFL Draft's top 50 prospects heading into Scouting Combine - NFL - SI.com

WalterFootball.com: 2011 NFL Draft: 3-4 Rush Linebacker Rankings

2011 NFL Mock Draft | NFL Mock Draft | 2011 NFL Draft

If they had him listed at DE it's because that is what he played in college, not what he was projected to be.

 

[BINGO]

2011 NFL Draft's top 50 prospects heading into Scouting Combine - NFL - SI.com

WalterFootball.com: 2011 NFL Draft: 3-4 Rush Linebacker Rankings

2011 NFL Mock Draft | NFL Mock Draft | 2011 NFL Draft

If they had him listed at DE it's because that is what he played in college, not what he was projected to be.

No, if they list him as DE/OLB it means that he is projected to play those positions based on the scheme that the team that drafts him will employ. It means that he can play DE (4/3) or OLB (3/4).

 

[BINGO]

Josh Norris
Combine: Expect The Unexpected
Tuesday, February 26, 2013

As I stated prior to the Combine, the goal for evaluators is to be as prepared as possible heading into the event. The hope is to avoid surprising results. However, a few prospects each year make this an impossible effort. The question is, why? Why can these prospects show superior (or inferior) athleticism than they put on tape for 12 games, and in many cases multiple seasons?

There are a couple of reasons. First, coaching at the college level isn’t universally great, so prospects might have been put in situations where they couldn’t shine. Also, these future draftees have been training for their workouts for a month, or even longer. In many cases, that is very high level coaching from experts who know how to make the most of the prospect they are given. Now, not every player is receptive to or implements this kind of coaching, so the proverbial leg up does not apply to everyone.

The other conclusion is an obvious... I could have been wrong about the prospect’s athleticism following initial exposures. With this in mind, I will offer three names of prospects that unexpectedly impressed me during workouts and three that left me with a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.

Before we get started, let me re-post something I wrote in my Combine preview about not counting the athletic upside of a prospect twice:

When watching prospects’ game action, an evaluation takes athletic upside into account if it is a noticeable trait. Therefore, any notable times, repetitions, or numbers should be expected, not counted again as an extra positive. It is putting a score to that athletic upside, not adding to the evaluation. It was already there.

Keep this in mind when reviewing workout numbers from the last four days.


Unexpected Success

1. South Carolina DE Devin Taylor - There’s a lot to like about Taylor’s frame. He’s long and lean, which might lead many to believe he can add weight. The Gamecock should be one of the first players off the bus. However, on the field, I considered Taylor a sixth-round prospect due to his lack of aggressiveness, high pad level, stiff hips, and inability to change directions. That is quite the combination for a pass rusher. However, in Indianapolis, Taylor finished in the top two in the short shuttle (4.30) and three cone (6.89) drills, two tests I think project pass rushers’ success better than any other. This is stunning. I haven’t seen how he ran the drill, but I must stress again how stiff Taylor looked in games. Usually, stiff players do poorly in both of these events, so unless Taylor has turned into Gumby, I do not know what to think. If Taylor has learned how to bend and can implement it into his game, that is scary. Perhaps I’m the stiff, after all.

2. Arkansas RB Knile Davis - The Razorbacks running back had his set of struggles the last two years. In 2011, Davis suffered an ankle injury and missed the entire season. It didn’t get much better in 2012 as Davis was benched from his starting role after coughing up eight fumbles and frequently going down on first contact. After running a 4.37 forty, 31 reps on the bench press, 33.5” vertical, and 121” broad jump, Davis is a size and speed freak. I question if he was running at full health this season, since he tended to hesitate when facing contact or a clogged path.

3. Florida LB Jon Bostic - From filmwork, I considered Bostic a hammer between the tackles due to his physical presence on first contact. Then he ran a 4.61 forty with a 1.58 10 yard split. With two inside linebackers ranked ahead of him, Kevin Minter and Manti Te’o, who struggle at times to get to the edge, Bostic showed his sideline and straight-line speed while in Indianapolis. Now the question is if his slowness to the outside in games was due to hesitation or indecisiveness. I think he has locked up a third-round selection.



Rubbed Me The Wrong Way

1. Texas A&M DE Damontre Moore - There are some simple aspects of Moore’s game that I love, namely his motor to chase down plays and his ability to make things happen when asked to loop inside. He can be a good, second pass rusher because of these traits. However, I was hoping for more athleticism that would make an “upside” tag available. Instead Moore posted 12 reps on the bench press and a 4.95 official forty that included a pulled muscle. This tells me Moore will need to maximize his length, hand use, and footwork to naturally work back inside on a counter move, something he has not done in the past.

2. Notre Dame ILB Manti Te’o - I am somewhat surprised to read how comfortable teams are with Te’o, not because I think his off-field fiasco is a big issue, but it is unique. Teams have dealt with prospects that have DUI or drug issues, but Te’o’s situation is an odd one. His forty of 4.82 was expected, and I know the linebacker is dealing with a shoulder injury, but I wonder if Te’o adds the 15 pounds he lost prior to the Combine to boost his strength numbers at the school’s Pro Day. I found it interesting ESPN’s CHris Mortensen said team’s consider Te’o undersized for the inside linebacker position because there isn’t a better positional fit. FInally, the Irish linebacker said he ran in the 4.6s during workouts, but blamed the long days in Indianapolis for the slower time. Right, because he was the only one having to deal with the Combine grind.

3. LSU DE Sam Montgomery - The Tiger defensive end delivered the quote of the week, for the wrong reasons: "Some weeks when we didn’t have to play the harder teams, there were some times when effort was not needed. But when we had the big boys coming in, the ‘Bamas or the South Carolinas, I grabbed close to those guys and went all out." I’ve heard about taking plays off, but Montgomery alluded to taking full weeks off. Add on the fact that LSU coaches reportedly slammed Montgomery during interviews with NFL teams, and his evaluation is looking worse and worse.



Josh Norris is an NFL Draft Analyst for Rotoworld.

 

[BINGO]

Scouts unsure about Austin, Goodwin

NFL.com's Albert Breer writes that scouts are concerned over how to use West Virginia WR Tavon Austin and Texas WR Marquise Goodwin.

"You need a plan, and you have to know going in," an anonymous Big 12 scout told Breer. "Some guys, you can say, 'This one's an X' or 'This one's a Y' or 'This one's a slot and we're gonna use him in the return game.' You can categorize most guys as possession or speed receivers, because they have the dimensions, the height, weight and speed in a range. With these guys, you don't meet those guidelines, so you have to do extra. Otherwise, you're potentially gonna waste a pick."
Source: NFL.com

Feb 25 - 5:27 PM

 

[NinerSickness]

David Amerson runs unofficial 4.38 in Indy

NC State CB David Amerson ran an unofficial 4.38 forty at the NFL Combine

His top 10 yard split clocked in at 1.52 seconds. This is a lot more straight-line speed than was expected for Amerson, but his slow hips and feet in transition is where the Wolfpack corner struggle. A second day pick could be in Amerson's future.

Feb 26 - 10:55 AM

Well that was unexpected. 1.52? Wow.

Looks like he won't be available for the Niners' 2nd round pick.

 

[bvanthielriceyoung]

 

[NinerSickness]

lol That's a good one.

 

[NinerSickness]

Now that all the numbers are in, here are the strategies I could get behind in order of what I'd want. I'm doing this with the assumption (guess) that Warmack will go top 7, Cooper will go top 16 (please don't go to St. Louis), Jarvis Jones will go somewhere around 15-25 adnd Hankins will go in the 20's, Eifert will go around 20-30. Here's what I'd want to see happen:

Plan A - Trade up for Jarvis Jones. You add Jarvis Jones and one more good 5-tech' guy to this defense, and it's even better than the last 2 years.
Plan B - Trade up for Hankins.
Plan C - Trade up (slightly) for Eifert.
Plan D - Trade down for Eric Reid. Maybe mid 40's? Pick up another 3rd rounder.
Plan E - Stay put & draft John Jenkins
Plan F - Trade down for Zach Ertz. A little lower than where Reid would go.

Wildcard scenarios:

*If Justin Junter is there at 31, I'd love to take him. It breaks the rule of drafting 2 WRs in a row in the 1st round, but Hunter would be too good to pass up.

*I'm reading that teams are not extremely enamoured of Demontre Moore. If he's there past teh teens, it would be irresponsible to not draft him. he seems like a numbskull, but he's 21.

*If Tavon Austin is drops out of the first, I'd be open to taking him.

 

[NinerSickness]

Ideal Mock (which I'm sure will need some tweeking):

1 - Jarvis Jones
2 - traded to get Jones
3a - Tyler Bray / Margus Hunt
3b - Tyler Bray / Margus Hunt
3c - Barrett Jones
3d - Cornelius Washington (to mostly play the 5 tech' despite his speed)
4 - DJ Swearinger
5a - Denard Robinson (KR)
5b - Sean Porter
6a - Kwame Geathers

6b & later: BVA.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

Right now I vote stay put and see if Hunter or Hopkins makes it to us.
or
Sign a CB in free agency. Trade down and get Reid, Da'Rick, and Washington. Trade for Odrick and sign Desmond Bryant.

 

[NinerSickness]

Right now I vote stay put and see if Hunter or Hopkins makes it to us.
or
Sign a CB in free agency. Trade down and get Reid, Da'Rick, and Washington. Trade for Odrick and sign Desmond Bryant.

I coudl live with that. DRC is tops on my FA CB list.

 

[NinerSickness]

So who else see a little bit of Cliff Avril in Trevardo Williams? Avril was probably the better prospect & he's bigger, but Williams has a burst a Cliff Avril kind of burst to him IMO.

I remember Pozz liked Avril a lot.

 

[NinerSickness]

So who else see a little bit of Cliff Avril in Trevardo Williams? Avril was probably the better prospect & he's bigger, but Williams has a burst a Cliff Avril kind of burst to him IMO.

I remember Pozz liked Avril a lot.

On 2nd thought, maybe Donte Moch is a better comparison (minus a little speed).

Williams seems like he's somewhere between Avril & Moch. Not as big as Avril, not as fast as Moch.

 

[bvanthielriceyoung]

lol That's a good one.

Ha yeah, this was one of my instant favorites when I first saw it. Had to try to make it work for some thread

 

[dredinis21]

1. CB Banks
2. (trade for Harvin)
3a. DE Hunt
3b. NT B Williams
3c. (trade for Odrick)
3d. FS DJ Swearinger
4a. RB Lattimore
4b. OLB Carradine
5a. OLB T Williams
5b. KR/WR/RB D Robinson
6a. TE M Williams
6b. K Hopkins
7a. OT Armstead
7b. CB Brown

Honestly, I don't like how many picks we have, even with the hypothetical trades I made. I would love to see us target players in the first 3 rounds and use our mid and late rd picks to move up to grab our targets. But I'm pretty ok with this draft if we actually pick this many.

 

[BINGO]

1. CB Banks
2. (trade for Harvin)
3a. DE Hunt
3b. NT B Williams
3c. (trade for Odrick)
3d. FS DJ Swearinger
4a. RB Lattimore
4b. OLB Carradine
5a. OLB T Williams
5b. KR/WR/RB D Robinson
6a. TE M Williams
6b. K Hopkins
7a. OT Armstead
7b. CB Brown

Honestly, I don't like how many picks we have, even with the hypothetical trades I made. I would love to see us target players in the first 3 rounds and use our mid and late rd picks to move up to grab our targets. But I'm pretty ok with this draft if we actually pick this many.

If we can get Greg Reid in the 6th round that would make this mock complete for me. Reid would instantly make our special teams unit twice better than it is now.

 

[deep9er]

1. CB Banks
2. (trade for Harvin)
3a. DE Hunt
3b. NT B Williams
3c. (trade for Odrick)
3d. FS DJ Swearinger
4a. RB Lattimore
4b. OLB Carradine
5a. OLB T Williams
5b. KR/WR/RB D Robinson
6a. TE M Williams
6b. K Hopkins
7a. OT Armstead
7b. CB Brown

Honestly, I don't like how many picks we have, even with the hypothetical trades I made. I would love to see us target players in the first 3 rounds and use our mid and late rd picks to move up to grab our targets. But I'm pretty ok with this draft if we actually pick this many.

agree, think we'll try to trade up - not necessarily the 1st rounder - and if not, deal mids into 2014? don't think Baalke plans to draft 11 plus comp picks?

don't know individual players (a LITTLE on Hunt) but like the idea of a defensive class. wouldn't trade for Harvin but do like 4 of first 5 being for D.

 

[BINGO]

Adam Schefter Blog

Adam Schefter answers reader questions in his mailbag once a week during the NFL season. Got a query of your own? Submit it here.


Q: Adam, Damontre Moore did not have a good combine. How much did he hurt his stock? Which other players saw their stocks drop?

-- Hubert (Kansas)​

A: Let's just say this, Hubert: He didn't help himself much at the combine. He did only 12 reps on the bench -- three fewer than West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin -- and then he came up lame in his second 40-yard dash attempt. The interesting part was, before Moore even worked out for teams, I had somebody tell me to watch out for him, that they were not as impressed as some of the other scouts. So his performance there only validated some of the whispers.

--Adam Schefter​

Q: What is the latest on Star Lotulelei's heart condition? Is it something that can be taken care of or could he drop out of the first round all together?

-- Kevin (Texas)​

A: That ties us to the first question, Kevin. What's going to happen is, he will undergo more testing this or next week. Teams will want to see those results and they're not going to make any decisions until they see those tests. This is potentially a serious deal and teams are going to be very careful, and Lotulelei needs to be very careful here.

Everyone can only hope that Lotulelei is OK as a person first, and as a football player second. But no matter how he tests out, this is going to affect his status. It's hard to envision him being the top defensive player picked in this draft now, the way it once appeared he might have been.

Now, Moore will have a chance to work out at his pro day and interview with teams to prove he is worthy of being a first-round pick. But this was not the start that he wanted. As for others and their stock dropping, the biggest would be Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei. He would have been the top defensive player picked in this draft were it not for his heart condition.

--Adam Schefter​

 

[CalamityX11]

Mock

2013 NFL Mock Draft - WalterFootball.com