The official 2009 DRAFT thread

[retailguy]

Andre Smith would be a great RT. I have no problem taking him. Just watch the tape. DOMINATION!

He is all about production.

and sandwiches.

[gbpackfan]

A. Smith to Cin? He is all smiles on ESPN!

[Partial]

I bet Andre Smith's family yells at the movie theater screen.

They look like the stereotypical family from a movie that does that.

[gbpackfan]

Oakland has to go Crabtree. That pick is locked in!

[Brando19]

Bengals select ANDRE SMITH

[Bretsky]

Which of our already decent WRs gets traded if Crabman is our guy?

Hasta la vista Ruvell

We don't have to trade anybody

If we did it might be Jones; he's decent but that's about it

[Fosco33]

speaking of pro athlete 3somes.

Was in Vegas for conference - gambled next to the Big HURT for a few hours - then he left w/ 2 ladies of the night.

Later we were hanging with Floyd Merriweather Jr. Dude is real - salt of the earth.

I'll call myself dummy here.......but who is the big HURT ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_E._Thomas

future HOFer

[TheCheese]

Fuck yeah !

[gbpackfan]

YES! Raji is going to be ours!

[cpk1994]

Bengals take Manboobs!

[red]

there he goes

best tackle in the draft IMO

i think he'll be a great pro

[wist43]

PHEWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


The big tittied pile of goo is off the board

[Packnut]

Raiders

Oakland has to go Crabtree. That pick is locked in!

I hope, but I think they are going Maclin.

[Partial]

Just goes to show that I bet teams place more emphasis on game tape and interviews than measurables. I think this is a very good pick.

[Rastak]

Andre Smith to the Bengals....



Overall Football Traits

Production 1 Started every game (49) of his three-year career at Alabama (2006-'08) prior to his suspension for the 2009 Sugar Bowl. A consensus All-American and Outland Trophy winner as a junior in 2008.
Height-Weight-Speed 2 Adequate height for a tackle. Massive wide-body who could stand to lose a few pounds in the interest of improving his agility.

Durability 2 Some concern regarding potential weight issues. However, he never missed a game due to injury during three seasons as fulltime starter for the Crimson Tide.

Character 4 Had no off the field issues during vast majority of his playing career at Alabama and coaches/teammates speak highly of him as a person. But no player has come under more scrutiny than Smith during the pre-draft process. First, he has suspended for 2009 Sugar Bowl vs. Utah for improper dealings with an agent. Second, he showed up to the combine out of shape and unsure if he was to workout. Third, he chose not to workout and left the combine early while failing to announce it to his group leader.

Offensive Tackle specific Traits

Strength/Toughness 2 Massive OT prospect. Thickly built. Good upper-body strength and elite lower-body strength. Can create a new line of scrimmage in the run game and can anchor versus powerful bull rushers when set in pass pro. Rarely loses a battle at the point of attack. Plays with a mean streak at times but is a bit inconsistent with his motor.

Agility 3 Displays good initial quickness and agility for his size. Shuffles well laterally when coming out of his stance and when working in one direction (either right or left). But he struggles when asked to change directions. He will occasionally be a step late getting into position as a second-level blocker. He lunges a lot when moving forward and struggles to recover.

Awareness 2 Shows adequate-to-good awareness. Understands assignments and picks up the blitz consistently (from an awareness standpoint). If he misses an assignment it's almost always due to physical, not mental. He knows the angles and where he's supposed to be almost always. He will stick with a play and find someone to hit if the ball carrier changes direction back his way.

Pass Protection 3 Can anchor versus top bull rushers when he's set with leverage. Shows adequate quickness in his pass pro set. Usually gets in position to protect the edge initially, but doesn't show ideal mirror-and-slide skills. Struggles to adjust to quick second-move (See: first series versus Kentucky when working against #51). Falls off far too many blocks. Doesn't jar DE's with his hand punch as effectively as he should.

Run Blocking 1 Motor runs hot and cold but he can be overpowering at the point of attack when he wants to be. Takes solid angles and is almost always in position if the block is at the line of scrimmage. Shows good upper-body power and even stronger in the lower body. Drives defenders off the line of scrimmage. A small concern here is that he sometimes is a bit slow getting into position as a second-level run blocker.