2009: Year of the 3-4 Prospects?

[Shinywalrus]

Not knocking the Roy11 trade, because it very well may end up paying dividends far beyond the cost, but the more I look at some of the players coming out, the more it seems so unfortunate that we won't have a number 1 this year. Oh well, hindsight and all that.

Consider that FIVE (half!) surefire members of almost any list of the top 10 players that are almost certain to come out (in terms of talent and production) are almost pigeon-holed to a 34 role.

Curry and Maualuga are all almost ready made 34 ILBs.

Orakpo has 34 edge rusher written all over him, and would be really out of position, if still passable, at end in the pros. Tyson Jackson is, quite frankly, a 34 DE or nothing. BJ Raji (who, in another thread, was a topic of discussion as to whether he would even be a Round 1 pick...which seems baffling to me, having watched several BC games) is a prototype 2-gap NT waiting to happen. Even outside of the very elite, Clay Matthews, Larry English, Brian Cushing, Cody Brown...all 34 guys.

Really, of people you'd tag with a first round grade, other than Sintim out of Virginia or Laurinaitis at linebacker, and Michael Johnson and MAYBE Michael Bennett at end, the front seven opportunities this year really seem to favor the 3-4, and with the distribution of teams using each scheme, seems like a good year to have the number 1 pick in hand.

[csourk]

Orakpo on the Cowboys would just be too good.

Ware and O-sack-po on the edge.

Wow. I would kill to mkae this happen.

[DaBoys4Life]

Originally Posted by Shinywalrus

Not knocking the Roy11 trade, because it very well may end up paying dividends far beyond the cost, but the more I look at some of the players coming out, the more it seems so unfortunate that we won't have a number 1 this year. Oh well, hindsight and all that.

Consider that FIVE (half!) surefire members of almost any list of the top 10 players that are almost certain to come out (in terms of talent and production) are almost pigeon-holed to a 34 role.

Curry and Maualuga are all almost ready made 34 ILBs.

[View Full Quote]Orakpo has 34 edge rusher written all over him, and would be really out of position, if still passable, at end in the pros. Tyson Jackson is, quite frankly, a 34 DE or nothing. BJ Raji (who, in another thread, was a topic of discussion as to whether he would even be a Round 1 pick...which seems baffling to me, having watched several BC games) is a prototype 2-gap NT waiting to happen. Even outside of the very elite, Clay Matthews, Larry English, Brian Cushing, Cody Brown...all 34 guys.

Really, of people you'd tag with a first round grade, other than Sintim out of Virginia or Laurinaitis at linebacker, and Michael Johnson and MAYBE Michael Bennett at end, the front seven opportunities this year really seem to favor the 3-4, and with the distribution of teams using each scheme, seems like a good year to have the number 1 pick in hand.

Even if we have a 1st round pick some of those guys wouldn't be there by the time we picked....we would need a top 10 pick for some of those guys.

[Shinywalrus]

Originally Posted by DaBoys4Life

Even if we have a 1st round pick some of those guys wouldn't be there by the time we picked....we would need a top 10 pick for some of those guys.

Clearly, but when you have a few teams chasing after a disproportionately large number of players appropriate to a particular scheme, the opportunities for huge value are there.

Spears was an example of this, although it certainly didn't pan out. Add 25 pounds of bulk and he's a prototype DT that wouldn't have made it out of the top 10.

[VACowboy]

I agree that there will be a lot of players in the '09 draft that fit the 34 defensive scheme, but they aren't limited to the first round. I've never seen so many great NT prospects.

BJ Raji, Ron Brace, Terrance Cody, Vince Oghobaase, Dorell Scott, Antoine Dixon.

Scott McKillop, Daniel Holtzclaw and Worrell Williams are all three great ILB prospects who will go in rounds 3+.

[Bob Sacamano]

with some underclassmen expected to declare, guys such as Florida State DE Everette Brown and Penn State DE Aaron Maybin (will probably get a top-10 draft grade, in fact Mike Mayock has him in his top-5), that will push some 3-4 prospects down to us, OLB types like Larry English, Cody Brown, Connor Barwin etc.

[Bob Sacamano]

Originally Posted by VACowboy

I agree that there will be a lot of players in the '09 draft that fit the 34 defensive scheme, but they aren't limited to the first round. I've never seen so many great NT prospects.

BJ Raji, Ron Brace, Terrance Cody, Vince Oghobaase, Dorell Scott, Antoine Dixon.

Scott McKillop, Daniel Holtzclaw and Worrell Williams are all three great ILB prospects who will go in rounds 3+.

there are alot of great ILB prospects that are going to be around in rounds 2 and thereafter