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By Yoshinator · Posted
Yes. Facing tough competition is always a positive. It's not the be-all-end-all to succeeding in the NFL, but it's a very important factor. I'll give credit to @John Hammonds for mentioning that in his article! -
By Scott Pennock · Posted
Okay, I'll bite and give my $0.02 opinion...........lol OLine: Bortolini - (RAS: 9.77 - so high-level athlete AND productive) Played everything but LT in College but grades out as a quality Center. Ryan Kelly on the last year of his contract and we have a younger, cheaper replacement in house for him that COULD likely step in this year if he misses any time. That is a win on three levels imho. Quality depth, long term replacement and lowers the payroll for a few years. Goncalves - (RAS: 7.70 - not as athletic as some but a FOOTBALL player) Has the lowest RAS in the Tackle room at the moment but I think is destined to be a Guard at the NFL level and Will Fries replacement next off-season. So while they are replacing one rookie contract with another, they still have a year to develop him prior to taking over and letting Fries seek a larger contract elsewhere. Tucker - (UDFA with a 7.94 RAS) Another guy who played all line spots at Marshall and offers a tremendous amount of versatility in the future. I think he will be on the Practice squad and only be called up if there is an injury, but will eventually be a solid depth piece. Again, not a high RAS but definitely a football player. I have to say I am intrigued by the UDFA Trent Pennix. He is currently listed as a TE but he played RB/FB/TE at N.C. State and is by far our smallest TE which does not match up with the rest of the room. He is listed at 6'1" and 234lbs with a 4.59 40. Makes me wonder if SS has something up his sleeve for a FB/HB role? The dude is also an athlete with a 9.41 RAS. WR Room: AD Mitchell immediately slots into the number 2 spot alongside Pittman and with Downs in the slot. Keep his meds right and that is scary good! Loaved the Anthony Gould pick as well.........slides into that gadget guy role with his 4.39 speed AND the added benefit of being one of the most productive kick returners in college the past few years. That is a win win on many levels because we don't have to use a projected 'starter' to return kicks, he automatically becomes Downs backup and SS can use him like he wanted to use that dude who got himself cut that we had last year that didn't pan out! Ha! Secondary: Simpson, while not a RAS warrior (Only a 7.40) was uber productive and was rated out as one of the best CFer types in the draft at Free Safety. I think we can all agree that Thomas took a step back last year and Cross, though taking a step forward was still not up to par. It's not out of the realm of possibilities that Simpson could end up the starter at some point early to mid-season? Abraham, again not a RAS warrior at a 3.70.............he was all over the place making tackles, PBU's and INT's for Marshall. At Kenny Moore's size he could be a viable back-up (instead of Lammons) and a future replacement after Moore's contract expires. Has the family bloodlines (Donnie Abraham is his father - Bucs Tampa-2 hey days) so has probably been well coached his whole life and his dad was successful at that same size. Linebackers: I am REALLY excited about the draft pick (Carlies) but also the UDFA (Young) we signed. 6'3" - 227 - 34.25" arms - 4.53 40 - 8.26 RAS for the Draftee 6'3" - 226 - 33" arms - 4.56 40 - 7.04 RAS for the UDFA Pretty similar athletic profiles and also pretty similar to the athletic blueprint used in drafting Leonard/Okereke/Speed. Carlies started in college at CB, then Safety and now will be called upon to play LB for us. Young went to Ohio State and then transferred to Kansas and had some decent production and can see him supplanting one of McGrone, Olubi or Stuard pretty easily with a solid camp. Defensive Line Latu - I don't care about his injury history as EVERY NFL Player is one play away from not playing again. He is a stud and I think a day one starter at the LEO for us (Sorry Samson Ebukam fans). Laulu - Has the athletic profile (with development) to be a 3-Technique and be a solid option with Raekwon Davis as depth behind Big Grove and Buck. Likely not this year unless he shows out in camp but a stint on the PS should get him some seasoning. The UDFA DT out of Oklahoma (Coe) could be an improvement over Eric Johnson as well since his primary role was Big Groves backup and obviously did not perform well when thrust into action as a run stopper. Coe benched 225 for 34 reps so he has some strength/endurance to him, and he is two inches shorter and weighs 12 pounds more so may come with better leverage???? The thing that stands out to me is that this draft they didn't draft all RAS Warriors - they drafted football players. They average RAS this year came out to 8.30. They drafted players that in spite of their physical 'floor' that produced on the field. That may be an important level of growth we've not see from CB in the past but could be a boon for the roster construction of the team moving forward. PFF graded this draft as an A+, hard to argue with folks who evaluate players for a living, but, I am going to temper my excitement a bit. LOL What I liked about this off-season is that all 25 starters from last year are still with the team. 11 on offense, 11 on defense and all 3 specialists. This draft was about two things - finding a stud WR (Check) and providing depth and competition on the OLine, the DLine, the LB room, and the DB room. So while I only see one sure-fire starter I think 1-53 just got a heckuva lot better this weekend! My Grade: B+ with the ability to become an A if one other player (Simpson perhaps?) turns into a quality starter this year. A+ if Bortolini and Gonclaves turn into starters next year. Sidenote - Zaire Franklin, not unlike Laulu were 7th Round flyers that had high RAS scores and Franklin does not fit the mold of CB's preferred measurements on linebackers. Not saying he will get supplanted but don't be surprised if he is not on the field on third and long as much anymore. Just food for thought..... -
By 2006Coltsbestever · Posted
I like the fact he played in the SEC as well. Tough conference. -
By Yoshinator · Posted
Simpson is a favorite of mine. He can cover TE's and has nice playmaking skills. I had him as an early 5th rounder and I've seen some publications who ranked him as a 4th rounder. He has potential to start one day at FS. -
By Yoshinator · Posted
Agreed. The old Ballard would have never taken Latu or Mitchell. We got two elite players because Ballard went outside his comfort zone. There is hope for this team.
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