Mock Drafts

[Packnut]

Jackson

The classic mistake many make when it comes to stats and the draft is that they don't take the time to dig a little deeper.

For example, when you look at a college player the first thing you should look at is his ability to stay healthy. Why? Justin Harrell-nuff said. If the guy can't stayon thefield, he's useless no matter how much talent he has.

Then you wanna see some consistency in his junior and senior year. Why? The league is filled with one season wonders who eventually fade away.

Next is look at how this guy preforms in big games. I don't give a rat's ass what you do against Appalachian ST and Troy. I wanna know how you do against Bama, Florida, South Carolina ect.

Bench press stats? Give me a freakin break. Plenty of NFL back-ups with outstanding reps in the gym. Means nothing.

The last thing you look for is character. How do you determine character? You talk to the coaches and team mates. If you find a guy that is a leader, chances are your gonna have a guy to go to war with.

Let's take a look at Tyson Jackson and apply the above. The man does'nt miss games period. Now we all know you cannot play this game without getting hurt some how some way. Jackson plays through it. It means the guy has heart.

His junior and senior year were mirror images of each other. Jackson has shown consistency.

Against Florida which was a HUGE HUGE game. I mean in college ball, LSU/Florida is a MONSTER. 3 solo tackles and 2 sacks. 2 sacks against South Carolina. 3 assists against Bama and the list goes on. Hell, how many games did we have where our DE opposite Kampman had NOTHING? In every big game this guy has at least had a tackle or an assist. He does'nt get shut out and he's going against good players.

Character? His coaches and fellow players rave about him. He was the undisputed leader of the Tiger D.

Now I hear those who claim he's a reach at 9. This is one of those NFL BS ideas that really piss me off. If the guy you pick fills a need and you think he's talented, what difference does it make if you take him at 9 or 16? If your right on him, it won't matter.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Todd McShay of ESPN has the Viking taking Darrius Heyward-Bey with their first round pick. I thought that was funny because NFL Draft Countdown gives Heyward-Bey this comparison:

Darrius Heyward-Bey - Troy Williamson

http://www.draftcountdown.com/features/Prospect-Comparisons.php

BTW, McShay now has us taking these guys:

1 OT Andre Smith
2 LB Connor Barwin
3 CB Jairus Byrd
3 TE James Casey
4 DE Kyle Moore
5 SS David Bruton
6 LB Worrell Williams
6 OT Ramon Foster
7 CB Brandon Hughes

[HarveyWallbangers]

McShay has us taking two shorter corners and a big OT whose weakness is said to be his agility and lateral movement.


Barwin and Casey seem like good fits though.

[digitaldean]

Though I do like the first 2 to 3 rounds being mocked, the 7 round mock draft is an exercise in futility.

It's hard enough figuring out the first, let alone 6 others where there are trades galore, which affect which player you may get.

I can handle just about anybody in the first round mocks except:
Andre Smith (too much baggage)
Malcolm Jenkins (lack of speed)

[Joemailman]

Figures this would be a good place to post this...

National Football Post has issued their Draft Value Chart. They place players in ten tiers, ranging from Elite to Intriguing Late round Prospects.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/2009/04/nfp-draft-value-chart-2/

Tier One (Elite Talents)



WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech (6-2, 215)

OT Eugene Monroe, Virginia (6-5, 309)

OT Jason Smith, Baylor (6-5, 309)

DT B.J. Raji, Boston College (6-2, 337)



Tier Two (High First-Round Talents)



QB Mark Sanchez, USC (6-2, 227)

RB Knowshon Moreno, Georgia (5-11, 217)

WR Jeremy Maclin, Missouri (6-0, 198)

OT Andre Smith, Alabama (6-4, 332)

OT Michael Oher, Mississippi (6-5, 309)

OLB Aaron Curry, Wake Forest (6-2, 254)

DE/OLB Aaron Maybin, Penn State (6-4, 249)

DE Robert Ayers, Tennessee (6-3, 272)



Tier Three (First-Round Talents)



QB Matthew Stafford, Georgia (6-2, 225)

RB Chris Wells, Ohio State (6-1, 235)

WR Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina (6-1, 212)

TE Shawn Nelson, Southern Miss (6-5, 240)

TE Brandon Pettigrew, Oklahoma State (6-6, 263)

OT William Beatty, Connecticut (6-6, 307)

OT Eben Britton, Arizona (6-6, 309)

DE/OLB Everette Brown, Florida State (6-2, 274)

DE/OLB Clay Matthews, USC (6-3, 240)

DE/OLB Connor Barwin, Cincinnati (6-4, 256)

DE/OLB Brian Orakpo, Texas (6-3, 263)

DE Tyson Jackson, LSU (6-4, 296)

DE Michael Johnson, Georgia Tech (6-7, 266)

DT Jarron Gilbert, San Jose State (6-5, 288)

DT Peria Jerry, Mississippi (6-2, 299)

DT Evander Hood, Missouri (6-3, 300)

CB Sean Smith, Utah (6-3, 214)

CB Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State (6-0, 204)

CB D.J. Moore, Vanderbilt (5-10, 192)

CB Darius Butler, Connecticut (5-11, 183)



Tier Four (First/Second-Round Talents)



RB Shonn Greene, Iowa (5-11, 227)

WR Percy Harvin, Florida (5-11, 192)

WR Kenny Britt, Rutgers (6-3, 218)

WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, Maryland (6-2, 210)

C Alex Mack, California (6-4, 307)

C Max Unger, Oregon (6-5, 309)

DE/OLB Larry English, Northern Illinois (6-2, 274)

ILB Rey Maualuga, USC (6-2, 249)

ILB James Laurinaitis, Ohio State (6-2, 244)

ILB/OLB Brian Cushing, USC (6-3, 243)

CB Alphonso Smith, Wake Forest (5-9, 193)

FS/CB Sherrod Martin, Troy (6-1, 198)



Tier Five (Second-Round Talents)



QB Pat White, West Virginia (6-0, 197)

RB Andre Brown, N.C. State (6-0, 224)

RB Donald Brown, Connecticut (5-10, 210)

RB LeSean McCoy, Pittsburgh (5-11, 204)

WR Juaquin Iglesias, Oklahoma (6-1, 210)

TE Jared Cook, South Carolina (6-5, 246)

OT Phil Loadholt, Oklahoma (6-8, 332)

OT Fenuki Tupou, Oregon (6-6, 314)

OT Jamon Meredith, South Carolina (6-5, 304)

OG Duke Robinson, Oklahoma (6-5, 329)

C Eric Wood, Louisville (6-4, 310)

DE/OLB Lawrence Sidbury Jr., Richmond (6-3, 266)

DT Sen’Derrick Marks, Auburn (6-1, 301)

CB Vontae Davis, Illinois (5-11, 203)

CB Kevin Barnes, Maryland (6-0, 187)

FS Darcel McBath, Texas Tech (6-0, 198)

FS Louis Delmas, Western Michigan (6-0, 202)

SS William Moore, Missouri (6-0, 221)

SS Chip Vaughn, Wake Forest (6-2, 221)



Tier Six (Second/Third-Round Talents)



WR Brian Robiskie, Ohio State (6-3, 209)

WR Mike Thomas, Arizona (5-8, 195)

WR Derrick Williams, Penn State (6-0, 194)

WR Brandon Tate, North Carolina (6-0, 193)

OT Joel Bell, Furman (6-7, 315)

OG Herman Johnson, LSU (6-7, 356)

OG Andy Levitre, Oregon State (6-3, 305)

OG T.J. Lang, Eastern Michigan (6-4, 316)

C Antoine Caldwell, Alabama (6-3, 309)

DE/OLB David Veikune, Hawaii (6-3, 257)

OLB/ILB Clint Sintim, Virginia (6-3, 256)

DE Kyle Moore, USC (6-5, 272)

DT Dorell Scott, Clemson (6-3, 312)

DT Ron Brace, Boston College (6-3, 330)

OLB Marcus Freeman, Ohio State (6-1, 239)

OLB Kaluka Maiava, USC (6-0, 229)

ILB Frantz Joseph, Florida Atlantic (6-1, 242)

ILB Jasper Brinkley, South Carolina (6-2, 252)

CB Jairus Byrd, Oregon (5-10, 207)

CB Asher Allen, Georgia (5-10, 194)

CB Coye Francies, San Jose State (6-1, 185)



Tier Seven (Third-Round Talents)



QB Josh Freeman, Kansas State (6-6, 248)

QB Stephen McGee, Texas A&M (6-3, 225)

RB Rashad Jennings, Liberty (6-1, 231)

WR Mike Wallace, Mississippi (6-1, 199)

WR Mohamed Massaquoi, Georgia (6-2, 210)

TE James Casey, Rice (6-3, 246)

TE Chase Coffman, Missouri (6-6, 244)

OT Xavier Fulton, Illinois (6-4, 302)

OT Gerald Cadogan, Penn State (6-5, 309)

OG Tyronne Green, Auburn (6-2, 309)

C Jonathan Luigs, Arkansas (6-4, 301)

DE Paul Kruger, Utah (6-4, 263)

DT Mitch King, Iowa (6-2, 280)

DT Fili Moala, USC (6-4, 305)

DT Alex Magee, Purdue (6-3, 298)

OLB Jason Williams, Western Illinois (6-1, 241)

CB Joe Burnett, Central Florida (5-10, 182)

CB Victor Harris, Virginia Tech (5-11, 198)

CB Gregory Toler, St Paul’s (5-11, 191)

CB Christopher Owens, San Jose State (5-10, 181)

FS Rashad Johnson, Alabama (5-11, 203)

SS Patrick Chung, Oregon (5-11, 212)



Tier Eight (Third/Fourth-Round Talents)



RB Glen Coffee, Alabama (6-0, 209)

RB Mike Goodson, Texas A&M (6-0, 208)

WR Kenny McKinley, South Carolina (6-1, 180)

TE Travis Beckum, Wisconsin (6-3, 239)

TE Cornelius Ingram, Florida (6-4, 245)

TE Richard Quinn, North Carolina (6-4, 264)

OT Andrew Gardner, Georgia Tech (6-7, 304)

OT Augustus Parrish, Kent State (6-4, 303)

OG Trevor Canfield, Cincinnati (6-5, 307)

OG Cornelius Lewis, Tennessee State (6-4, 332)

OG Kraig Urbik, Wisconsin (6-5 328)

DT Chris Baker, Hampton (6-2, 326)

DT Roy Miller, Texas (6-1, 310)

OLB Tyrone McKenzie, South Florida (6-2, 243)

OLB Lee Robinson, Alcorn State (6-2, 249)

ILB Darry Beckwith, LSU (6-1, 234)

ILB Scott McKillop, Pittsburgh (6-1, 244)

ILB Dannell Ellerbe, Georgia (6-1, 236)

CB Keenan Lewis, Oregon State (6-1, 195)

CB Bradley Fletcher, Iowa (6-1, 196)

CB Mike Mickens, Cincinnati (6-0, 186)

FS Chris Clemons, Clemson (6-0, 208)



Tier Nine (Fourth-Round Talents)



QB Graham Harrell, Texas Tech (6-2, 223)

QB Rhett Bomar, Sam Houston State (6-2, 213)

QB John Parker Wilson, Alabama (6-2, 219)

RB Javon Ringer, Michigan State (5-9, 205)

RB Jeremiah Johnson, Oregon (5-9, 209)

RB Cedric Peerman, Virginia (5-10, 216)

WR Patrick Turner, USC (6-5, 223)

TE Cameron Morrah, California (6-4, 244)

OT Lydon Murtha, Nebraska (6-7, 306)

OG Brandon Walker, Oklahoma (6-3, 306)

OG Seth Olsen, Iowa (6-5, 306)

OG Jaimie Thomas, Maryland (6-4, 323)

C A.Q. Shipley, Penn State (6-1, 304)

C Cecil Newton, Tennessee State (6-2, 300)

C Edwin Williams, Maryland (6-2, 308)

DE/OLB Cody Brown, Connecticut (6-2, 244)

DE Zach Potter, Nebraska (6-7, 279)

DE Everette Pedescleaux, Northern Iowa (6-6, 305)

OLB Zack Follett, California (6-2, 236)

OLB Kevin Ellison, USC (6-1, 227)

ILB Antonio Appleby, Virginia (6-4, 243)

ILB Gerald McRath, Southern Miss (6-3, 231)

ILB Jason Phillips, TCU (6-1, 239)

CB Brice McCain, Utah (5-9, 185)

CB Bruce Johnson, Miami (5-10, 170)

FS Derek Pegues, Mississippi State (5-10, 199)

SS Emanuel Cook, South Carolina (5-10, 197)



Tier Ten (Intriguing Later-Round Talents)



QB Curtis Painter, Purdue (6-3, 225)

QB David Johnson, Tulsa (6-2 219)

RB James Davis, Clemson (5-11, 218)

RB Kory Sheets, Purdue (5-11, 208)

FB Quinn Johnson, LSU (6-1, 246)

FB Conredge Collins, Pittsburgh (5-11, 224)

TE Anthony Hill, N.C. State (6-5, 262)

C Rob Bruggeman, Iowa (6-4, 293)

C Alex Fletcher, Stanford (6-2, 297)

C Blake Schlueter, TCU (6-3, 290)

DT Sammie Lee Hill, Stillman (6-4, 329)

OLB Stephen Hodge, TCU (6-0, 234)

ILB Mortty Ivy, West Virginia (6-2, 248)

CB Ladarius Webb, Nicholls State (5-10, 179)

FS Brandon Underwood, Cincinnati (6-1, 198)

[Partial]

Wow, surprised to see Maybin that high (without Rack up there), and also Sanchez ahead of Stafford (though I'm hearing on Fox sports radio that some teams like him more, including Seattle and Washington).

[Lurker64]

Round 1-2 talent is way, way overvaluing Shonn Greene. He's a steal in the fourth, and should probably go around round 3 IMO.

[packrulz]

Re: Jackson

The classic mistake many make when it comes to stats and the draft is that they don't take the time to dig a little deeper.

For example, when you look at a college player the first thing you should look at is his ability to stay healthy. Why? Justin Harrell-nuff said. If the guy can't stayon thefield, he's useless no matter how much talent he has.

Then you wanna see some consistency in his junior and senior year. Why? The league is filled with one season wonders who eventually fade away.

Next is look at how this guy preforms in big games. I don't give a rat's ass what you do against Appalachian ST and Troy. I wanna know how you do against Bama, Florida, South Carolina ect.

Bench press stats? Give me a freakin break. Plenty of NFL back-ups with outstanding reps in the gym. Means nothing.

The last thing you look for is character. How do you determine character? You talk to the coaches and team mates. If you find a guy that is a leader, chances are your gonna have a guy to go to war with.

Let's take a look at Tyson Jackson and apply the above. The man does'nt miss games period. Now we all know you cannot play this game without getting hurt some how some way. Jackson plays through it. It means the guy has heart.

His junior and senior year were mirror images of each other. Jackson has shown consistency.

Against Florida which was a HUGE HUGE game. I mean in college ball, LSU/Florida is a MONSTER. 3 solo tackles and 2 sacks. 2 sacks against South Carolina. 3 assists against Bama and the list goes on. Hell, how many games did we have where our DE opposite Kampman had NOTHING? In every big game this guy has at least had a tackle or an assist. He does'nt get shut out and he's going against good players.

Character? His coaches and fellow players rave about him. He was the undisputed leader of the Tiger D.

Now I hear those who claim he's a reach at 9. This is one of those NFL BS ideas that really piss me off. If the guy you pick fills a need and you think he's talented, what difference does it make if you take him at 9 or 16? If your right on him, it won't matter.

Jackson is ok, I just don't think he's top 10 material. I look at a guy's college career and I see Tyson only had 4.5 sacks his senior year, and the only year he had more sacks he was playing next to Glenn Dorsey. Then I look at height, weight, speed, strength, (combine results), and I see he can only bench press 225lbs 20 times. If it means nothing then why do they spend all that money to conduct the combines? We're talking about a Top 10 pick here. Tyson would have Jenkins, Jolly, Harrell, & Malone ahead of him at DE, is he better than them?

[Packnut]

Re: Jackson

The classic mistake many make when it comes to stats and the draft is that they don't take the time to dig a little deeper.

For example, when you look at a college player the first thing you should look at is his ability to stay healthy. Why? Justin Harrell-nuff said. If the guy can't stayon thefield, he's useless no matter how much talent he has.

Then you wanna see some consistency in his junior and senior year. Why? The league is filled with one season wonders who eventually fade away.

Next is look at how this guy preforms in big games. I don't give a rat's ass what you do against Appalachian ST and Troy. I wanna know how you do against Bama, Florida, South Carolina ect.

Bench press stats? Give me a freakin break. Plenty of NFL back-ups with outstanding reps in the gym. Means nothing.

The last thing you look for is character. How do you determine character? You talk to the coaches and team mates. If you find a guy that is a leader, chances are your gonna have a guy to go to war with.

Let's take a look at Tyson Jackson and apply the above. The man does'nt miss games period. Now we all know you cannot play this game without getting hurt some how some way. Jackson plays through it. It means the guy has heart.

His junior and senior year were mirror images of each other. Jackson has shown consistency.

Against Florida which was a HUGE HUGE game. I mean in college ball, LSU/Florida is a MONSTER. 3 solo tackles and 2 sacks. 2 sacks against South Carolina. 3 assists against Bama and the list goes on. Hell, how many games did we have where our DE opposite Kampman had NOTHING? In every big game this guy has at least had a tackle or an assist. He does'nt get shut out and he's going against good players.

Character? His coaches and fellow players rave about him. He was the undisputed leader of the Tiger D.

Now I hear those who claim he's a reach at 9. This is one of those NFL BS ideas that really piss me off. If the guy you pick fills a need and you think he's talented, what difference does it make if you take him at 9 or 16? If your right on him, it won't matter.

Jackson is ok, I just don't think he's top 10 material. I look at a guy's college career and I see Tyson only had 4.5 sacks his senior year, and the only year he had more sacks he was playing next to Glenn Dorsey. Then I look at height, weight, speed, strength, (combine results), and I see he can only bench press 225lbs 20 times. If it means nothing then why do they spend all that money to conduct the combines? We're talking about a Top 10 pick here. Tyson would have Jenkins, Jolly, Harrell, & Malone ahead of him at DE, is he better than them?

This is a perfect example of the need to dig deeper. Jackson is NOT a rushing DE. The whole theory behind the 3-4 is for the DE to take on blockers so that your LB can rush the QB.

Jackson can do that. It's what he's good at. This is an example of a player fitting the scheme.

[PlantPage55]

Re: Jackson

Jackson is ok, I just don't think he's top 10 material. I look at a guy's college career and I see Tyson only had 4.5 sacks his senior year, and the only year he had more sacks he was playing next to Glenn Dorsey.

I just posted this exact response to a different statement, but:

Why are you not looking at this from the position of a 3-4 defense?

[sheepshead]

Personally, I think if Orakpo and Raji are not there at 9, TT is going to want to move down a few spots for very little compensation and take Wells or Moreno. If he cant move he'll take Wells at 9 if those two guys are gone. (and if Wells is there obviously)My 2 cents.

[Packnut]

Smith

ESPN just did their mock and they have us taking Smith. No doubt the guy is talented but he has MAJOR maturity issues. He's a high risk/high reward type guy.

I still believe Jackson is a need pick that could contribute now, but I have to admit, the potential of one Mr Smith does peak my interest........

[sheepshead]

Re: Smith

...

[packrulz]

Re: Jackson

Jackson is ok, I just don't think he's top 10 material. I look at a guy's college career and I see Tyson only had 4.5 sacks his senior year, and the only year he had more sacks he was playing next to Glenn Dorsey.

I just posted this exact response to a different statement, but:

Why are you not looking at this from the position of a 3-4 defense?

Because Tyson played on a 4-3 defense, he was supposed to get sacks too. I want a player who is exceptional at #9 overall, not just a guy who "fills a need", I want the best player available regardless of "need". For the record, I don't want Raji at #9 either, he's short, his arms are short, he's fat, and slow, there's going to be better options at #9.

[Lurker64]

Re: Jackson

Because Tyson played on a 4-3 defense, he was supposed to get sacks too.

Wait, so you're saying that a player should be discounted as a potential impact player in the 3-4, if he was mediocre in the 4-3? I don't see how that makes sense. There are quite a few defensive ends and outside linebackers in the 3-4 who would be poor in the 4-3 but do very well in their system.