Official 2007 Live Draft Thread

[TennesseePackerBacker]

Late day 1? I didn't think anyone had him rated that high.

Didn't say he was great value, this is pretty much where people expected him, maybe rd. 4 or 5 at most.

[BallHawk]

Vikes get Rufus Alexander. Very solid pick.

[mraynrand]

Wow, Ravens take Troy Smith.....

I'm certain that offensive genius coaching the Ravens will be able to wave his magic wand and make a star out of Smith, just like he did with, uh, with .... well, I uh ... oh hell, nevermind.

[Rastak]

Damn, I was just about to say Rufus Alexander would also work......I wish I typed faster....not a bad pick.


Rufus Alexander
OLB | (6'0", 228, 4.69) | OKLAHOMA

Scouts Grade: 66

Flags: (B: BULK/SIZE) Lacks size/bulk for position
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Strengths: A playmaking WLB prospect with good quickness. A ball-hawk with natural instincts. At his best in space and makes plays from sideline-to-sideline as a run defender. Plays the game hard and is a reliable wrap-up tackler. He diagnoses plays quickly and does a great job of working up the field. He makes a lot of plays in the backfield. Shows adequate upfield burst vs. the run and when turned loose a pass rusher.

Weaknesses: Is undersized with marginal strength. Also lacks adequate top-end speed for his size and position. Has room on his frame to add bulk, but must do so without losing quickness. He looks to avoid contact too frequently. At times he will take some poor angles and leave his defense vulnerable. He gets engulfed by bigger blockers in the phone booth. Needs to do a better job of using his hands to get off blocks. Displays decent range in coverage and knocks down a lot of passes, but he does not possess good ball skills.

Overall: Alexander was redshirted in 2002 and had off-season knee surgery. He then appeared in one game in 2003 and made two total tackles and forced one fumble. In 2004, Alexander started 10 of 12 games, finishing the year with 74 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. He started all 12 games in 2005 and earned consensus first team All-Big 12 honors after making 102 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, five sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and nine pass breakups. Alexander again started all 14 games in 2006, earning a first team All-American (coaches) selection, his second straight first team All-Big 12 honor, and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award, after recording 118 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one interception, and four forced fumbles.
Alexander is one of the toughest prospects in the 2007 class to evaluate. He was a playmaking WLB at the highest collegiate level, which makes him appear to be more athletic and physical than he really is. After studying him closer, though, Alexander is undersized with marginal strength and below-average foot-speed. In our opinion, Alexander is worth nothing more than a late first-day pick and could easily slip to the second-day of the draft.



* Player biographies are provided by Scouts Inc.

[Bretsky]

James Campen really liked that OLman.

This kid is a little smallish but they said he could easily get up to 315 without even noticing it.

The nice thing is that we're drafting him 2 years before we really need him so that when one of our Tackles leaves we'll acctually have an NFL ready replacement and we won't have to spend 50 million dollars to move on.

Who would have thought that drafting for BPA could ever pay off. I mean, it makes no sense right?

Your sarcasm with all this BPA stuff is funny. TT is doing what he should do now; trying to find depth and hopefully pluck one or two starters down the road. The picks could be great or they could turn out to be shit.

Your rosy assumption is just as off base as the one screaming for TT's head
We won't know for a couple years. Hopefully TT is right more than he is wrong and adding extra picks gives him a bigger room for error in general

[TennesseePackerBacker]

This has to be one of the deepest LB drafts in awhile and we haven't picked one yet.

[Rastak]

Coowboys take a Kicker....





Nick Folk
PK | (6'1", 225, 4.95) | ARIZONA

Scouts Grade: 36
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Strengths: Has a strong leg, can connect on long-range field goal attempts and gets good distance on kickoffs. Confident and shown the ability to come through in high-pressure situations. Has experience punting and is versatile.

Weaknesses: Though has improved in this area misses some field goal attempts inside 40 yards and accuracy is somewhat inconsistent. Kicks the ball too low at times and is vulnerable to getting blocked.

Overall: Folk arrived at Arizona in 2002 and was redshirted. In 2003, he played in 10 games, taking over as the fulltime place-kicker for the final four contests, made eight of eight extra point attempts, and missed all three field goal attempts. Folk won the starting job in 2004 for all 11 games, made 18 of 18 extra point attempts and eight of 13 field goal attempts (long; 53 yards). In 2005, he became an honorable mention All-Pac 10 performer after converting 31 of 33 extra point attempts and seven of 11 field goal attempts (long; 51 yards) in 11 contests. Folk made all 22 extra point attempts and 15 of 20 field goal attempts (long; 52 yards) in 2006 to earn first team All-Pac 10 accolades while playing in 12 games. For his career, Folk has also punted 96 times for 4,242 yards (44.2 average), with a long of 78 yards, and 36 punts downed inside the 20-yardline. Additionally, he kicked off 140 times with 83 touchbacks during the 2004, 2005, and 2006 seasons.
There is some concern about Folk's accuracy but he missed just one field goal attempt inside 40 yards his senior year. He has excellent range and he is versatile. Folk projects as a late-round pick or rookie free agent.



* Player biographies are provided by Scouts Inc.

[RashanGary]

I have a big problem with the depth on this team after Sherman left. I have a big problem with giving up picks to take junk and having 4 starters out of 4 years of drafting.

I have a big problem because when you strip your dpeth you have to pay big bucks for average players and then you can't afford the ones you really want to keep.

I understand those who want the holes patched imediately but I'm giving examples of why I htink Thompson might not have to deal with that in the future because he didn't burn his picks and depth trying to win at all future costs NOW.

[DarienPackFan]

Just watched the Clowney clip on Youtube. It looks like he had to wait for the ball on every deep route shown......either he's that fast or their QB didn't have much of a gun. Either way, if he get off the line he can at least take a DB depp and open up the shorter routes.

DarienPackFan

[GoPackGo]

Kiper likes the Clowney pick

[Lurker64]

Coowboys take a Kicker....

Nick Folk

Wait, they take a kicker not Mason Crosby? Wow.

[BallHawk]

Negatives: Has a slight frame with a small bubble, smooth skin, marginal chest thickness and little room for additional growth … Capable of retaining plays, but needs several reps to do so … Lacks the bulk to face up to defenders when blocking in-line, as he will generally be pushed back or run over … Needs to get a clean release off the line, as his lack of bulk and power can see him get rerouted by the more physical cornerbacks … Can get in and out of his break point, but then starts to coast too often, which lets the defensive back recover … Can outrun most defenders, but once the opponent latches on to him, the battle is over.

WHAT THE F!!

What scouting report was that off?

[green_bowl_packer]

Kiper was just giving clowney big compliments!!!

[GoPackGo]

10 picks to go until we add 3 more players
I hope 2 of them are TE Patrick and RB Walker

[Lurker64]

Why are the ESPN folks lobbying for NFL GMs to pick players?

1) Is that ethical?
2) Do they think that they have ESPN on in the draft room?