5mics;1434945 said:
As it stands, this is my new mock w/ a trade w/ New Orleans. We trade #22 overall to N.O. for their #27 overall and get two 4ths (#122 & #123). Although I hope we don't trade down, I think w/ the strong FA class JJ brought in, he'll want to trade down, get a couple more picks, and further fortify our roster:
1. (27th) Anthony Spencer, DE/OLB, Purdue (6-3, 265) - just makes our front seven more dangerous, Carp moves to ILB, James & Ayodele battle to start
I like Spencer, but think the Boys could do well for themselves if they looked to another position here, then target a Dan Bazuin or Brian Robison in the 2nd or 3rd round range...
I'd go with a Justin Blalock here (after you've traded down, he'd be a good value), or one of the WRs-- Meachem or Bowe, whichever is still around... I could even live with Ginn...
2. (53rd) Eric Wright, CB, UNLV (5-11, 190) - to me, the BEST cover corner out there
I'm not as sold on him as you are, if only because I'm leery of a guy who apparently had 136 hits of Ecstasy in his apartment, and has been accused of rape... but this would be around the range in which he'll likely be drafted... as I said, I might look to get my pass rusher here, or since DB is a bit of a need, perhaps hope that Aaron Ross falls this far... or if the Boys did go for Spencer in the first, then they might want to look at the OL here-- Manny Ramirez, Samson Satele, Arron Sears, Tony Ugoh, Doug Free, all of them would be good value at this point...
3. (88th) Paul Soliai, NT/DT, Utah (6-4, 335) - back-up NT is a priority, he's a beast waiting to be unleashed
No arguments at all here... he'd be a terrific choice, fits a team need, and the way his stock is rising, this is probably right around where he'll be drafted...
4. (119th) Kevin Kolb, QB, Houston (6-3, 220) - excellent potential as developmental QB, hope we never need him and can trade off like Schaub later on
Good thinking, but from what I've read Kolb has probably raised his draft stock to that of a first day prospect... you might find a nice safety like John Wendling or Sabby Piscitelli looking for work at this point, though... or if your heart's set on a QB at this point, Jordan Palmer or John Beck would be fair value...
4. (122nd) Mike Walker, WR, Central Florida (6-2, 210) - 1-2 year project but has the abilities to be a starter
4. (123rd) Ryan Harris, OT, Notre Dame (6-5, 305) - could be our future LT, excellent value here
I'm not too worked up about either of these guys...
In the 4th round, the Boys could go in a number of directions... there's RB Lorenzo Booker, a Warrick Dunn-type... if WRs Johnnie Lee Higgins or Chansi Stuckey fall this far, they'd be terrific values... there are a slew of OLBs who ought to be on the board here-- Quincy Black and Antwan Barnes are quite fast, Stewart Bradley (who might slip this far down) and Tim Shaw would look good too... at ILB, I really like Steve DeOssie's son Zak... finally, I'd look at S Josh Gattis...
In this scenario you've offered, with multiple 4th round picks, I'd be tickled to come away with S John Wendling, OLB Quincy Black and ILB Zak DeOssie... that's a lot of defensive picks in this round, but the Boys could compensate by leaning more toward offensive picks the rest of the way...
5. (150th) Anthony Arline, CB, Baylor (6-1, 200) - bye-bye N. Jones & J. Reeves, need to upgrade our CBs
If the Boys went cornerback early, drafting another here would be overkill... I'm leery of Arline anyway, apparently he needs a LOT of work on his technique...
Instead, I'd suggest QB John Beck here, or WR David Clowney (who the Boys have apparently shown some interest in),... there are a number of nice offensive linemen who should be available, you've got OG Kasey Studdard, OG Uche Nwaneri (another player the Boys are reportedly bringing in for a private workout before the draft), or C/OG Dustin Fry...
6. (186th) Tala Esera, OG, Hawaii (6-3, 315) - should battle Berger for a spot
That wouldn't be a bad pick at this point... other possibilities would include CB Courtney Brown, S Kevin Payne (who's like the defensive equivalent of Patrick Crayton coming out of college, he's played RB and KR and even punted for his team), or S Daren Stone... the Boys also have some interest in OT Herbert Taylor, this would be the range that I expect to hear his name called by somebody...
But I have a REAL sleeper that I'd look at here, kid by the name of Chad Nkang, from tiny Elon College... he's listed as a linebacker, but he weighs just 216 pounds... at the same time, he runs his 40s in just barely over 4.4 seconds (4.41 and 4.42 at his Pro Day workout)... these numbers are quite similar to that of a linebacker the Boys drafted some years back, and converted to safety, you might have heard of him-- Darren Woodson...
7. (194th) Lyle Sendlein, OC, Texas (6-5, 305) - found our back-up center
7. (216th) Jackie Battle, RB/FB, Houston (6-2, 240) - can play TB, FB, and H-Back (good pass receiver)
7. (219th) Justin Medlock, PK, UCLA (6-0, 200) - let him compete w/ Gramatica
I reluctantly had to remove Sendlein from my master list after the Texas Pro Day workouts... he tipped the scales at 284 pounds that day... that ain't near big enough to play center in the NFL, IMO...
I really like Battle and Medlock in the 7th, though... I'd suggest that DE/OLB Jacob Ford would be worth a look in this range too, and perhaps RB Germane Race...
And at some point late in the draft, I'd want the Boys to spend a pick on a pure blocking FB... you've got Le'Ron McClain, Cory Anderson and Jason Snelling who should still be on the boards at that point of the draft...
We'll probably go for O-line depth later in the draft and hope Proctor & McQ will be ready this season. Also, no activity so far in FA to shore up our secondary so that position will be addressed w/ our early picks. This mock will definitely change since the FA period is not over yet and JJ could still pick-up more players, but for the moment, here's my 1st mock:
