2004 Draft main discussion

5'11' sounds like a brian bosworth in the making. the pros are simply gonna break him.

 

Steve Smith is 5'9.

I dunno if his the best fit for us, he's strong and fast despite the height.

 

But it does bring up a good point. You don't need Burress, but you do need a bigger guy. Not Walter Young big, necessarily, but enough that you can use him deep the way we tend to use our big guys. I'd like to have a wideout larger than Smith and a corner bigger than Manning, certainly. Doesn't mean 6'6 and 6'2 respectively, but guys where you don't have to talk about their height first.



Right now, my wants:
keep or FA:
*LG, RG - honestly, I would keep both. Donnalley at the vet min is a bargain and isn't out of line from what he's been receiving; James stays long term and Nelson waits in line. Brzezinski goes.

*OT - I'd bring back Willig, and draft a RT, after switching Gross and Steussie. Four tackles active, with one able to play guard, your starting interior three, and Nelson is a decent 8 to keep active.

*DE - Wallace should be retained. Pittman, unless price is right, may not be affordable if we're putting a first round tender into AL and have $65 mil in our starters.

*FS - Grant, IMO, can stay. He's been very good in man coverage, and has played better there than in cover 2 IMO. Besides getting Player of the Week, he's also just been much better than last year. Not enough turnovers, but that stands for the entire team.
Also has 8 defended passes, almost as much as last year, without as many targets, and has made big plays at big points.

If not, find an upgrade in FA. Branch shouldn't enter into it, and if we don't renew with Cooper, I'd like to see Branch at SS for the long term.

*CB - Howard should not return.
Immediate FA need here, IMO, though I could certainly see them locking onto a corner in the first. Would that be terrible? Probably not, as long as Hall or Robinson fall, but it's an immediate need.
Either way, I'd at least attempt to get from amongst the second tier of FAs and make sure you have a player.

As of right now, I'd almost consider not bringing another corner in - Wesley as a 4th rarely sees the field anyway. However, if we brought in a FA and a decent draft pick, I would certainly consider pushing Wesley back to safety.

*WR - I disagree with the likely team situation. I don't mind bringing back Muhsin or Proehl, but it's very possible we bring both back another year. And to be honest, they're adequate for what we want. I feel like we need some youth here, and I'd put Smith on RFA.

*Special Teams - I'd find it imperative to bring back our motive power. Kasay, Kyle need to return as Sauerbrun have.


Draft:
*WR is likely a big need to most, and I'd enjoy that as well. However the team, IMO, won't be looking for a ton of production and will likely not look before the 2nd. A name that came up in Watts would be a great fit, though probably a long term 3rd WR.

*CB - if not filled in FA, a 1st or 2nd is needed. Hopefully we fill that need early, either way. Preferably someone who can make plays.

*LB - depth/part time initial starting should be expected. Active but instinctive, I could honestly care less what exactly we come up with in measurables, though we really lack height in our LBs to match up. Hopefully, a pedigreed linebacker with speed and smarts doesn't exclude being, say, 6'4.
The athletic players in the first and second could all fit. In the second, which is where I'd more likely start targeting players, you can find good I/O prospects like Vilma who have athleticism and attitude, or larger I/O players with the natural charisma of the game and toughness like Rod Davis.

*OT - as noted a RT prospect would be wanted, and I'd prefer a guy like Starks or Wharton, or similar, who has toughness and the mean streak but needs to improve at run blocking. I feel like, with this unit we have, a player who can be taught how to runblock (considering our OL/TE coaches) will be a lot easier than finding a big, strong runblocker with quick enough feet and experience passblocking.

*DE - a project here would be nice. I've mentioned a couple names from small schools who have the right tools, so I'll default to those names as initial mentions.

Past that, I find no exceptional "need". I hope, above all, we can find a playmaker, whether it be on O or D, and that includes at linebacker. Our defense doesn't make plays and that's the ultimate difference between ours and the other good defenses with secondary deficiencies.

 

Which is what I meant here, and have said elsewhere for those in the class paying attention.

 

What about Tuten? he was decent at RT last season... I'd keep him over Willig.

 

Willig's a better tackle and came at half the price. Tuten behind Steussie doesn't develop anyone, and since that fourth tackle won't see much time initially, why put $1 mil into him? A rookie costs a fifth of that and gives us a future.

 

magnus/anyone -
Thoughts on possible FA O-linemen?

Piper/anyone -
Even though OL isn't as big a possible draft concern as CB or even LB how ‘bout an early ranking on some big boys.

OTs-
Andrews
Gallery
Carey
Dorsey
Pape
Munoz
Rogers
Willis
Starks
Wharton

Interior guys who might eventually replace Donnelly and either backup C or backup RT (since Fox reveres versatile O-linemen) -
Snee
Baas
Peterman
Leckey
Grove
Clarke

 

I haven't done much anything on tackles to tell you the truth. I only know about Starks and Wharton from last years draft and being in the SEC.

Carey was getting raves as a tackle last year, and they moved him to guard to get their best 5 in. He'll be a top 50 player though.


Munoz is a Junior and hasn't progressed to the point where he'd come out early.

 

>>Thoughts on possible FA O-linemen?

I'll preface by saying that I want someone who can start - meaning I want a FA if we release Steussie. None of this "oh, Steussie's overpaid so we'll just save all that money and burrow it away for next year's (enter overinflated need here)". We need a starter and if you want to see how well the average rookie starter possibility works out, look at Nelson, not Gross.

OTs-

Andrews - he's a Hog, implied pun. RT prospect only, huge, strong. I don't honestly like junior linemen that much, on both sides of the ball, unless they're mentally mature; I don't know if that's the case here but the end result is that he's a great run blocker and somewhat poor pass protector. How big do you need your hole, compared to how quick do you need your QB to release? Personally I'd rather have someone who can pass block and learn run blocking.

Gallery - Great stuff here. My #1. Rates very similar to Gross, in that he's grown to large size from 100 lb below where he is, plays nasty, gets called a throwback, does everything efficiently and dirty. Probably will be a little better than Gross, but comparing the two is very accurate.

Carey - More than likely will be drafted as a guard. MOre than likely ends up as a tackle. Some say he can't handle being 350 the way some of the other big linemen have, but once he gets into a spot, that shouldn't be a concern. He's also a guy who, IMO, doesn't use his hands particularly well and doesn't get the leverage in his push. He's more push than anything, and you gotta control that in the pros. Which is why he starts out at G.


Dorsey - Of the group, probably the best fit for value/need at RT. Currently a LT, he's a good protector, his highlight being that he shut down Peppers as a freshman. Has the right balance and feet for the position, but should have enough power in the pros to be able to root out a lineman in the running game. Could be a little more nasty.

Pape - good technician, like a lot of Michigan linemen, and like the past there, the thing about him might be keeping him in closer quarters. But has it hurt Backus a lot? Not really. Your typical long-standing college lineman with pedigree and long arms, smarts, and no specific excellent attribute. Just solid.

Munoz - defer to Piper

Rogers - biggest problem is being hurt. Has the experience, the intangibles, etc, blah...

Baas - excellent guard. Does pretty much everything right, few holes in his game over time. Might eclipse Carey, but most people seem dead set on Grove as the first interior lineman to go.


Grove - excellent in all playing areas, but what I've read (haven't bothered to scout) is that he's not terribly smart or instinctive and doesn't have the athletic skills of a first round lineman.

 

How can you guys be so into the draft with the season the Panthers are having?

Here's how it's going to play out anyway

Best Available Athlete
32
64
96
...and so on

unless of course, we trade up