Alan Branch at 22

[superpunk]

I'd take him in a second. Alan Branch is a wet dream at #22. There's no chance he drops that far, though.

 

[Dallas5274]

if branch fell to us that would be great while just last week he has considered a top 10 pick even top 8 so yea if he fe.ll to us it would be the steal of the draft. He could learn behind a good pro in ferguson and eventually replace him

 

[MichaelWinicki]

If Branch lasted until #22 I would consider him... but I think he's going to be long gone.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

He is a monster.....and a huge man.......hard to pass on at #22

 

[theebs]

If Alan Branch falls to #22, has a chip on his shoulder about it, wouldn't it be great to pick him up and enhance his development by working him into the rotation as slowly as he needs??

i dont want us to take him at 22.

Dont laugh.


But in my madden league online I took him at 22, at 45 I took blaylock and at 50 I took Brian leonard.

K. Anyway, I think that is a way too risky pick for us at 22. I really think it will be a corner because they are going to get run off the board fast. If you look at all the drafts before parcells got here, jerry is always taking secondary players, with a very poor track record so I am very nervous.

I hope blaylock, grubbs or sears are there in the second round. Ourlads had them all going before we pick at 2.

and if you need a further laugh, cause I brought up maddens..here are there player cards for the online league I am in..

http://www.pdr.leaguepulse.com/player.php?id=2187&skin=lp alan branch
http://www.pdr.leaguepulse.com/player.php?id=2151&skin=lp justin blalock
http://www.pdr.leaguepulse.com/player.php?id=2104&skin=lp brian leonard

 

[marchetta]

Alan Branch DT Michigan​

STRENGTHS
Alan is the biggest, most talented, purely athletic DT that I have seen in a long time. He controls the line of scrimmage from hash mark to hash mark. He is a big, powerful kid who has nimble feet and knows how to use leverage to get the advantage on his opponent. He swallows up double teams and disrupts a pulling offensive guard with ease. Alan seems to be a team player and does not mind being that worker bee DT that is so important for a successful defense. Alan Branch is the type of player you build your defense around. He shows me good mental strength and leadership qualities in his play on the field to go along with his athletic talent and size.

NEEDS TO IMPROVE
Alan will have to learn to handle the pressures of being an NFL player. He will have to learn the usual technical aspects of his position because up until now, he has been able to overpower his opponents with his natural size and strength. All this kid needs is repetitions and experience; he should be a dominating force at the next level.

TALENT BOARD ROUND: 1
Alan will be a force at the next level that every offensive coordinator will have to account for on every single play. He will most likely require double-teaming on most plays, which will free up other players to commit impact plays. Alan is ready for the next level football-wise, but you always worry about a junior coming out early. Maturity and work ethic will be the only two issues that will stop Alan from being an excellent DT. He can play in any defensive system and although he does not have the quickest burst off the line, this will get better with experience. He can be a good pass rusher in time with a little more technique work and experience; however, his biggest strength will be his ability to control the line of scrimmage from hash mark to hash mark. Alan is a franchise player with the potential to be one of the better DT’s to play at the next level. His worth will not be measured on a stat sheet. It will be measured by how many playoff games, Super Bowl games and Pro Bowl games he plays in. Alan is like that tree in the forest. You know, that tree that everyone is always trying to figure out if when it falls, does it make a sound? He is my answer to that age-old question -– who cares? All I know is that I don’t want to be caught dead under it. That’s how I feel most offensive linemen are going to feel going up against Alan after a game is over. They are going to feel like a tree fell on top of them and they will not care how many tackles or sacks Alan may have or may not have in the game. All they are going to know is that he kept leaning and falling on them all game long and their bodies are going to feel it for the rest of the week.

- Drew Boylhart (thehuddlereport.com)

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

You know, this is really amazing to me. How can anybody say that this guy showed up at the combine over weight? The guy is 6-6 and he checked in at 324 lbs at the combine. Exactly how much is a DT/NT supposed to weigh at 6-6? If he came in at 314, everybody would be saying he's too weak and not strong enough.

I'm sorry, I've watched this young man play since he was a boy in his YAFL days. I have never seen, nor have I heard about him being a lazy player. Heck, I coached against teams that he played on, as a boy, and I never saw any of the lazy BS. I know his HS coach, my little sister was a cheerleader at Cibola HS. I watched this kid play his whole life and I've never seen this lazy stuff that everybody seems to talk about. Unless he's completely changed from the time he left ABQ to now, I don't buy it. He is not a brash guy. He's respectful and soft spoken. If he was anybody else and you meet him face to face, you would say that he is the kind of kid that was raised right by his parents. It's unfortunate that he is receiving this kind of pub he has. If he were there at 22, we would be crazy not to take him but he won't be there. He'll be long gone.

 

[Charles]

If he's as dumb and lazy and John Henderson supposedly was when he fell in the draft, I'll take him in a second.

:laugh2: Can't argue with that

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

If he's as dumb and lazy and John Henderson supposedly was when he fell in the draft, I'll take him in a second.

I wanted John Henderson real bad in 02. He had a history of back problems and that is probably why he feel more then anything but I wanted him bad. Carr and Peppers were the sure 1 and 2 in that draft but I honestly believe that Henderson might have been the best football player in the country that year. When we traded down, and Henderson was still there, I hoped we would take him but I knew we wouldn't. We took Roy instead and Henderson was taken at 9 by Tennessee. Just the way it goes I suppose.

 

[Charles]

You know, this is really amazing to me. How can anybody say that this guy showed up at the combine over weight? The guy is 6-6 and he checked in at 324 lbs at the combine. Exactly how much is a DT/NT supposed to weigh at 6-6? If he came in at 314, everybody would be saying he's too weak and not strong enough.

I'm sorry, I've watched this young man play since he was a boy in his YAFL days. I have never seen, nor have I heard about him being a lazy player. Heck, I coached against teams that he played on, as a boy, and I never saw any of the lazy BS. I know his HS coach, my little sister was a cheerleader at Cibola HS. I watched this kid play his whole life and I've never seen this lazy stuff that everybody seems to talk about. Unless he's completely changed from the time he left ABQ to now, I don't buy it. He is not a brash guy. He's respectful and soft spoken. If he was anybody else and you meet him face to face, you would say that he is the kind of kid that was raised right by his parents. It's unfortunate that he is receiving this kind of pub he has. If he were there at 22, we would be crazy not to take him but he won't be there. He'll be long gone.

Every year there are atleast 2-3 players that have mysterious negative (and sometimes positive) info attached to them leading up to the draft.

It happened to Derrick Johnson in a negative way (taking of blocking issue) and it happened to Aaron Rogers QB (his stock ballooned over night).

I think the same is happening to Alan Branch.

I agree ABQ, in every game I've watched Branch he's been a dominant force and what really stands out is how after his defensive teammates make plays they always seem to gravitate towards or seek out Branch for celebrations.

There is absolutley no way he falls to the 22nd pick, then again I thought the same thing about Marcus Spears.

 

[burmafrd]

I watched him at the combine and he was soft there. Then at his pro day all the comments I have read said he was badly winded and looked very out of shape and soft. Then also the reports that his interviews did not go well either. Sorry guys- but I prize attitude and dedication, drive and motor over a JUST PHYSICAL ABILITY anytime. He fails at looking like someone ready to be a pro; do we want to WASTE a FIRST ROUND PICK on someone who needs to be motivated to stay in shape and be ready to play?

 

[burmafrd]

I remind the Branch lovers that many times when comments about what has been said with branch has been said about others- and THEY WERE BUSTS.
WHY TAKE THAT RISK?

 

[Angus]

But what does Ireland think?

:starspin

 

[Doomsday101]

I watched him at the combine and he was soft there. Then at his pro day all the comments I have read said he was badly winded and looked very out of shape and soft. Then also the reports that his interviews did not go well either. Sorry guys- but I prize attitude and dedication, drive and motor over a JUST PHYSICAL ABILITY anytime. He fails at looking like someone ready to be a pro; do we want to WASTE a FIRST ROUND PICK on someone who needs to be motivated to stay in shape and be ready to play?

I judge a player by how plays the game not how he ansewers question. All this combine stuff is nothing more than tools but should never take the place of performace. He will be a 1st rd pick because he is 1st rd talent regardless of how he runs 3 stupid cones or how he interviews.

 

[Kalyan]

How did he do against Ohio St and USC?

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I remind the Branch lovers that many times when comments about what has been said with branch has been said about others- and THEY WERE BUSTS.
WHY TAKE THAT RISK?

The reverse is also true. There have been many times that this kind of thing has been said about players and they go on to have great careers. Case in point would be Warren Sapp, just as an example. It was said that he was a lazy pot smoking DT that would be hard to motivate in the NFL. Tampa Bay started that rumor. 100 sacks later, he turned out to be one of the best 3 Technique DTs I've ever seen play and one of the most dominating defensive players of his era, if not the most dominating.

 

[tunahelper]

He has an attitude problem and is dumber than a box of rocks

Didnt stop Dexter Manley from dominating when he played.

The guy couldnt read Dr. Suess!

 

[DCBoysfan]

I have to agree.

I may be the only person here who watched every single Michigan game this past season and Branch did not wear down during the course of a game.

1 or 2 so-called "experts" say he looked out of shape and everyone all of a sudden questions his work ethic?

The man has been described as the biggest and most athletic NT in the college football... sure he might bust, but so can Calvin Johnson.

I love analysis about potential drafts picks from people who have actually watch some of these kids play.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

How did he do against Ohio St and USC?

He had a good game against OSU. Pittman ran for 85 yards but Branch had a pretty decent game. 4 solo tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 forced recovery of a Fumble. I actually thought he dominated the interior of the Ohio State OL.

He played very well against USC. SC threw for a lot of yards on Michigan but Branch anchored a run defense that only gave up 48 yards rushing the entire game.

 

[Kalyan]

Thansk. Looks like solid games against better competetion instead of piling up stats against bad teams. I doubt if he would be there though

He had a good game against OSU. Pittman ran for 85 yards but Branch had a pretty decent game. 4 solo tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 forced recovery of a Fumble. I actually thought he dominated the interior of the Ohio State OL.

He played very well against USC. SC threw for a lot of yards on Michigan but Branch anchored a run defense that only gave up 48 yards rushing the entire game.