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Opinions from around the league on the hottest draft-related topics
By Nolan Nawrocki
April 15, 2009
The following quotes are from NFL scouts, coaches and front-office personnel, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Look for Audibles in each print edition of Pro Football Weekly and online at ProFootballWeekly.com.
“(Georgia Tech DE) Michael Johnson is almost nonexistent against the run. He was never a full-time player until his senior year. He’d be a rotational, third-down, situational pass rusher for us. You can’t consider taking guys like that until the third round; we couldn’t, anyway. Someone will take him sooner.”
“(Cowboys OLB) DeMarcus Ware is a fluid athlete who can bend to leverage the corner. Brian Orakpo is tight and not as natural of a pass-rush guy. Neither are great zone-dropping, but you don’t need to be as a 3-4 rush ’backer. The primary job is playing with your hand in the ground, and that’s what Orakpo does best. He’s got that explosive first step. And he is much stronger than Ware, not that Ware cannot play strong — he knows how to use his hands.”
“(Oklahoma WR Juaquin) Iglesias would be a good fit for Dallas. He’s tough and physical. He ran a lot of West Coast drags at OU like (Cowboys offensive coordinator) Jason Garrett likes to run. He will block. (The Cowboys) lost T.O. They do not have a physical receiver.”
“The Steelers have figured out Justin Hartwig is not the answer. He’s just a guy. He needs to be upgraded. I think they’ll look hard at a center in the first (round).”
“If you want a physical center, (Louisville’s) Eric Wood is your guy. Flip a coin between Wood or (California's Alex) Mack, but we like Wood better. He could be the first center drafted. (Oregon’s) Max Unger is more versatile, but he won’t match up as well against power.”
“If you watched (USC LB Brian) Cushing at his pro day, he opened up the wrong way twice in drills. He did the same thing once at the Combine. He’s a meathead. Rey Maualuga is going to need some reps, too. It won’t be instant for him. The safest linebacker of that group is Clay Matthews.”
“You can give a monkey a banana and a beer and throw on some highlights and could get better evaluations than some teams make. I sit in amazement every year on Draft Day at some of the decisions that are made. It floors me. But that’s the beauty of our business. We can watch the same tape together — you can have an opinion, and I can see it completely differently — and in three years, one of us will be right.”
“Penn State OT Gerald Cadogan is going to get drafted way too high for how he plays on tape. He’s too soft. We've got him in the fifth round. He’ll go in the third, maybe the second after the run on tackles. That’s why there are so many mistakes in the draft — guys get pushed up because of needs. We had Sam Baker in the fourth round last year. He went in the first. He played well in the preseason, but once he had to go against regulars and veteran war daddies, I think we saw what he was. He was hurt most of the year, so you have to give it time to play out, but I will be surprised if he plays up to where he was drafted."
“(South Carolina LB) Jasper Brinkley will be overdrafted on measurables. Go back to the tape.”
“We’ve done all the research on the quarterbacks. The one that really stands out from everything we have gathered is (Kansas State’s) Josh Freeman. His character is top-notch.”
“The league is moving toward four-receiver offenses. It’s so difficult to defend. Look at what the Patriots do with Tom Brady and the Colts with Peyton Manning. … (Arizona WR) Mike Thomas ran fast. Denver and New England worked him out. He would fit well as a slot guy in that offense.”
“There is a real talent involved with figuring out when players are about to run their course. (Former Chargers GM) John Butler was one of the best at it. He was a very futuristic-thinking GM. If you look at how many franchise players were cut loose at the end of their careers, I think you’ll see the answer. Butler had a knack for it. I can almost assure you if he had still been (alive), LaDainian Tomlinson would not be in San Diego right now. Michael Turner would have been the (work)horse last year. Look at it the other way and show me how many washed-up veterans have ever done anything for Oakland or Washington. (Bill) Belichick has some success with those guys because he keeps it simple and only asks them to do what they can still do well — but there are not many coaches that know the game like Bill does.”
By Nolan Nawrocki
April 15, 2009
The following quotes are from NFL scouts, coaches and front-office personnel, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Look for Audibles in each print edition of Pro Football Weekly and online at ProFootballWeekly.com.
Texas OLB Brian Orakpo
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