ESPN Todd McShay 02/21 Draft Chat Wrap

[WoodysGirl]

Chat with Scouts Inc.'s Todd McShay

Welcome to The Show! On Thursday, Scouts Inc.'s Todd McShay will stop by to talk about the NFL combine as well as the upcoming NFL draft.
Send in your questions and comments now and join Todd in The Show on Thursday at noon ET!
McShay Archive: Chats | Columns

Todd McShay: What's good, SN? I'm in Indy, where the combine is kicking off today. What's on your mind?

Paul (Denver): Flacco, Woodson, or Henne to the Bears? And why?

Todd McShay: A good battle is brewing between these three QBs in Round 2. The more film I study of Woodson the more concerned I become regarding his slower delivery. He's much better than people saw at the Senior Bowl but would put Woodson behind Henne and Flacco -- in that order.

tc (toronto): Hi Todd, who do you see (if anyone) dropping out of the top 5? and who do you see moving up?

Todd McShay: I think McFadden is in danger, but it has nothing to do with anything McFadden has done or not done. I still have McFadden ranked No. 1 overall but there isn't much separating him from the other five "elite" prospects in this year's class -- QB Ryan, OT Long, DE Long, and DT's Dorsey and Ellis. If you look at the team needs of the five teams drafting at the top you'll understand why McFadden could slip to the Jets at No. 6

Todd McShay: Just so I'm clear, McFadden is still -- without question -- the best RB in the '08 class. I've received a lot of emails recently with people asking if I'm wavering on McFadden... I'm not.

Nick (Boston): Todd - any chance Matt Ryan slips out of the top three with a poor performance? Or is he definitely not going to slip past Atlanta, no matter what.

Todd McShay: Well, it depends on the coin flip. But if Ryan is on the board when the Falcons pick I think they would be crazy not to draft him.

Ahmed (Queens, NY): Hey Todd, how would you rank your top 5 safeties in this draft? do you think Kenny Phillips would be there for the giants at 32?

Todd McShay: Phillips could be available. He has very good natural physical tools but I'm not sold on him in terms of his recognition skills and all around game right now. To be honest, this is an extremely weak safety crop -- probably the weakest position in this year's draft. Here's my top-five: Phillips, NC State's Dejuan Morgan, Cal's Thomas DeCoud, Texas' Marcus Griffin and Ark. State's Tyrell Johnson. Phillips and Morgan are the only two I think will come off the board in the first two rounds.

Dante (CT): Todd, what do you think the Dolphins will do with the #1 pick? Who do you think they will select? How could they pass on Ryan?

Todd McShay: I think it comes down to the following three players: QB Ryan, DE Long and OT Long -- assuming, of course, there's no trade. They need to decide on Beck first. If they think he can be a franchise QB moving forward, then it's one of the two Longs in my opinion.

Todd McShay: The only reason I wouldn't include Dorsey/Ellis in that mix is because neither is an ideal fit in a 3-4, which I suspect they will use as their base defense. And you don't want to spend No. 1 overall money on a DL that will spend most his time occupying blockers.

Todd McShay: FYI... Michigan OT Jake Long is the buzz in Indy right now. None of the groups has worked out yet, but Long measured in at 6-foot-7, 317 pounds with 11" hands and -- most importantly -- 35 3/4" arms... that's huge because it shows he has the reach to play LOT in the NFL.

Jake (charlotte, nc): Do you think the Raven's will use their first round pick on a CB or QB?

Todd McShay: If they stay at No. 8 I don't see them drafting a QB. Ryan will be gone and it's too early for Brohm (or any other QB for that matter). In all reality, I think the Ravens are in a tough spot at No. 8. They have to hope one of those six elite prospects (I listed earlier) falls to them, but that's an unlikely scenario at this point. CB is the biggest need otherwise. Problem is no CB in this class jumps out as top-10 worthy in my opinion. There are a lot of good ones (like Troy's McKelvin, Kansas' Talib and S. Fla's Jenkins), but I would try like hell to trade out before I used the eighth overall pick on one of those guys.

Todd McShay: From a big picture standpoint, all the teams drafting in that 7-15 range are in a similar situation. Some things can change between now and April, but I think after the top six prospects there's a dip in talent. The good news for teams drafting in the bottom half of the first round is that they'll get a similar value for less money than the teams drafting in that 7-15 range.

Brent (Indianapolis, IN): Do you anticipate any of the top 10 receivers stock dropping with a slow 40 or cone drill time?

Todd McShay: I think Early Doucet could fall victim. But in reality, I don't see much deep speed when I watch him on film. I think the perception is not quite the reality when it comes to Doucet's vertical potential. I'm interested to see if that plays out in the drills this weekend.

Dan, Vancouver BC: Brandon Albert seems to be climbing rapidly. How does he compare to the other elite OL?

Todd McShay: I think Albert is clearly the best OG in the class. Others seem to like USC's Chilo more, but Albert is bigger and more physical with very similar type feet. Albert still needs some work but I was surprised by his level of toughness when I studied him more closely on film last month (after Jan 15 declaration date). He's not your typical UVA finesse type lineman.

Todd McShay: I think Albert would be a good fit for a team like the Steelers, who need OL help, later in the first round.

JD (buffalo,NY): What do you think the Bills will do in the 1st rd? WR or NT or?

Todd McShay: I think they need a bigger WR. While they'd ideally like to trade back and still get a good value later in the first (while adding a pick or two), you can't assume they'll find a quality deal to move back. With that in mind, I think they can stay at No. 11 and draft the top WR on their board. Oklahoma's Malcolm Kelly and Texas' Limas Sweed (if his wrist checks out) are the best 2 "Big WR's".

Sean (NY): What are the chances McFadden drops to the Jets? If he does do you think it's a sure thing they draft him? Or do you think they'll draft Gholston?

Rob (New Brunswick, NJ): Hi Todd, if McFadden falls into the Jets' lap, where do they go in round 2?

Todd McShay: Jets fans are chiming in... I love it. I don't think it's a lock they take McFadden at No. 6 if available, but I'll say this... I would take him in a heartbeat. It would be very similar to the Vikings' situation with Peterson at No. 7 a year ago -- and that's turning out pretty well, right?

Todd McShay: If it's McFadden in Round 1, the Jets would probably target a WR like James Hardy, an edge rusher like Quentin Groves, or a DT like Pat Sims in Round 2.

Todd McShay: Great stuff today, SN. Thanks for all the questions. I'm headed back over to the RCA Dome. We will break the whole thing down a week from now. Until then, be well...

 

[big dog cowboy]

Thanks WG!

 

[CrazyCowboy]

Thanks for putting this out here WG....

 

[masomenos]

Todd McShay: I think Early Doucet could fall victim. But in reality, I don't see much deep speed when I watch him on film. I think the perception is not quite the reality when it comes to Doucet's vertical potential. I'm interested to see if that plays out in the drills this weekend.

This is exactly what worries me about Doucet and is why I said he reminded me more of Patrick Crayton than Marvin Harrison or Reggie Wayne like others were suggesting.

 

[Nexx]

This is exactly what worries me about Doucet and is why I said he reminded me more of Patrick Crayton than Marvin Harrison or Reggie Wayne like others were suggesting.

crayton? doucet is already a more polished receiver than crayton will ever be...

 

[masomenos]

crayton? doucet is already a more polished receiver than crayton will ever be...

I know no one agrees with me lol. They both have good hands, they're both strong runners after the catch, they're both good blockers, neither is a great deep threat, neither is overly fast, neither is overly sharp in their route cuts, both are more "possession" type guys, and both have a knack for finding holes in zone coverage.

I think that Doucet will be better than Crayton, but I don't think he's going to light it up in the NFL. I suppose after a few years I could see him being productive opposite of a true #1 receiver, but I think he'd struggle in that role himself.