2014 NFL Combine

[cdumler7]

Fuller was impressive. His top end speed was his biggest question mark so he definitely put himself in the conversation for 1st round pick. Man this draft looks loaded with talent.

 

[Yadahell]

Fuller looks like our guy (if he's still on the board) at this point.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

Deone Bucannon
Darqueze Dennard
Pierre Desir
Ahmad Dixon
Brandon Dixon
Antone Exum
Kyle Fuller
Justin Gilbert
Lamarcus Joyner
Craig Loston
Keith McGill
Bradley Roby

Bucannon, Fuller, McGill and Roby I'm interested in as a 49ers fan and don't have much more work or talking around to do with them to be dead set on wanting to see them as 49ers.

I wrestle around with the idea of Gilbert because I like him but he's one of the biggest idiots at his position and he's a bit tough to get on board with right now from a character perspective. Antone Exum is a bit like that, too, but not quite as bad.

Nice to see someone else on board with Fuller and Bucannon. We just got hosed though and would need to trade up to get these guys now. Depressing.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

Fuller looks like our guy (if he's still on the board) at this point.

I don't see why he would be. He's got the size, game tape, and speed, dude should be long gone by #30.

 

[ChrisPozz]

Nice to see someone else on board with Fuller and Bucannon. We just got hosed though and would need to trade up to get these guys now. Depressing.

Right now if somebody said I'm locking you in a room for a week and you can ONLY watch games of (insert name here) from this draft, Bucannon would be one of the first names I'd request to watch just because he's so much fun to watch. I've seen way more of him than many others at his position so maybe I should say another name, but he's just so much darn fun to watch.

McGill's standout stretches are like that, too.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

What position do you like McGill at?

 

[ChrisPozz]

Joe Haden (yes, that Joe Haden) is at the combine with NFL Network and he just said something that I could talk about for an hour. It's a really interesting topic and something that a draft nut should think about when you get into all this draft talk.

He said coaches are now expecting players to know the proper techniques coming into the NFL and are focusing more on scheme concepts. Somebody might ask. "Well, might that just be a Browns thing?" Not a bad question. I've heard it from other players, too, that with the new CBA stating that teams are unable to work with players as much now, coaches have less time to focus on techniques and are forced to stick more to what they want from a schematic standpoint.

Obviously there's a balance there and obviously some teams will focus on technique more than others, but I would be pretty comfortable saying that most coaches feel like they don't have as much time working on a lot of the smaller things in season that they used to be able to work on as much.

 

[ChrisPozz]

What position do you like McGill at?

I want him at corner first for more teams than safety. For the 49ers specifically? I want him to exhaust himself at corner and do that with the 49ers until he can no longer remain on the team as a corner.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

OK, he is obviously raw at the position and we have the perfect guy to help with that in Donatell. His tackling needs to improve by a mile. I'm not sure how much his shoulder issue played a part in that if at all.

Where would you feel comfortable drafting him?

 

[Rvnight18]

Deone Bucannon
Darqueze Dennard
Pierre Desir
Ahmad Dixon
Brandon Dixon
Antone Exum
Kyle Fuller
Justin Gilbert
Lamarcus Joyner
Craig Loston
Keith McGill
Bradley Roby

Bucannon, Fuller, McGill and Roby I'm interested in as a 49ers fan and don't have much more work or talking around to do with them to be dead set on wanting to see them as 49ers.

I wrestle around with the idea of Gilbert because I like him but he's one of the biggest idiots at his position and he's a bit tough to get on board with right now from a character perspective. Antone Exum is a bit like that, too, but not quite as bad.

Thank Chris I appreciate it. Trying to further my knowledge of this game, so I am going to pick you, bingo, ray, sickness, Clyde, and others along the way. I'm glad I recorded it, so I can go back and watch them in their drills and compare them. I'm already driving my wife nuts with all this, so I must be doing something right.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

It will be interesting to see Desir's official times. He was very impressive during Senior Bowl week.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

Jesus!
@MoveTheSticks: Jason Verrett 39 inch vertical jump

 

[ChrisPozz]

OK, he is obviously raw at the position and we have the perfect guy to help with that in Donatell. His tackling needs to improve by a mile. I'm not sure how much his shoulder issue played a part in that if at all.

Where would you feel comfortable drafting him?

Ideally and realistically, I wish he'd be there late 2nd/early 3rd. However, if they took him in the 30s-40s, I could be OK with that depending on what's available. I love his ceiling and I want them to swing for the fences at corner even if that's taking on high risk. Taking a high risk on character is another story.

 

[ChrisPozz]

I absolutely love this W-drill they do year in, year out. There usually aren't a lot of surprises when watching it if you know a bit about the player. Very hard to practice and get really good at (cheating the test) unless you're actually that kind of a player on the real field.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

@MoveTheSticks: Lamarcus Joyner vertical jump- 37.5

 

[Ray_Dogg]

Ideally and realistically, I wish he'd be there late 2nd/early 3rd. However, if they took him in the 30s-40s, I could be OK with that depending on what's available. I love his ceiling and I want them to swing for the fences at corner even if that's taking on high risk. Taking a high risk on character is another story.

Nice, thanks Pozz.

 

[ChrisPozz]

Quite a few HUGE shouldered/framed DBs at the combine this year.

 

[ChrisPozz]

Also, I've seen a number of previews for that Kevin Costner "Draft Day" movie they made and I have to say that it looks a BIT corny at times.

 

[sjballer03]

Joe Haden (yes, that Joe Haden) is at the combine with NFL Network and he just said something that I could talk about for an hour. It's a really interesting topic and something that a draft nut should think about when you get into all this draft talk.

He said coaches are now expecting players to know the proper techniques coming into the NFL and are focusing more on scheme concepts. Somebody might ask. "Well, might that just be a Browns thing?" Not a bad question. I've heard it from other players, too, that with the new CBA stating that teams are unable to work with players as much now, coaches have less time to focus on techniques and are forced to stick more to what they want from a schematic standpoint.

Obviously there's a balance there and obviously some teams will focus on technique more than others, but I would be pretty comfortable saying that most coaches feel like they don't have as much time working on a lot of the smaller things in season that they used to be able to work on as much.

Thanks for the insight. The lessened focus on training technique plus all the new "safety" rules that penalize contact have got to be making it hard for DBs to succeed/develop in the NFL.

 

[cdumler7]

Joe Haden (yes, that Joe Haden) is at the combine with NFL Network and he just said something that I could talk about for an hour. It's a really interesting topic and something that a draft nut should think about when you get into all this draft talk.

He said coaches are now expecting players to know the proper techniques coming into the NFL and are focusing more on scheme concepts. Somebody might ask. "Well, might that just be a Browns thing?" Not a bad question. I've heard it from other players, too, that with the new CBA stating that teams are unable to work with players as much now, coaches have less time to focus on techniques and are forced to stick more to what they want from a schematic standpoint.

Obviously there's a balance there and obviously some teams will focus on technique more than others, but I would be pretty comfortable saying that most coaches feel like they don't have as much time working on a lot of the smaller things in season that they used to be able to work on as much.

I really liked the comments about the untapped market for trainers to come in especially during the off season and work with these guys on technique as there just isn't much available to them. Hopefully some of these veteran players can step up in this area and get something going kind of like Fitzgerald has done for receivers.