Friday, April 24, 2009
MATTHEW STAFFORD: He has all the physical tools you look for in quarterback, and I’ve heard a million times that he “can make all the throws.” But so could Kyle Boller. I think Stafford is a great prospect, but I don’t think he is worth the first overall pick.
My main argument against Stafford is that to me, in a quarterback, you need a leader and a winner. Georgia is loaded with talent year in and year out. They were the preseason number one last year. If Stafford was a great leader and a winner, they would have done much more last year. At quarterback, you need a winner. Someone to lead the team to victory in crunch time. Stafford has not shown he is that guy.
JEREMY MACLIN: He was very productive in Missouri’s wide-open offense, but I don’t think he projects well to the NFL. I agree with Rudy’s assessment. He’s an explosive guy, but he’s not an NFL #1. He won’t be anything more than a deep threat in the NFL.
JOSH FREEMAN: The only reason he is even being mentioned as a first rounder is because of how big the drop-off is after him. But this guy is not going to be an NFL starting quarterback in my opinion. His mechanics are not even close to where they need to be. I don’t see him being successful in the NFL, and if a team takes him in the top two rounds, they are making a mistake.
DERRICK WILLIAMS: See my write-up in earlier post.
MICHAEL OHER: Too inconsistent to be a top 10 pick.
AARON MAYBIN: See write-up in earlier post. Not proven enough to warrant a top 15 pick.
So it's been a while since I last wrote anything of substance on here, but I have been busy. Strangely enough I have two finals and a project due in the next 3 days so why I am choosing now to write...I don't know. But the draft is this weekend and so is the Blue/White game. I will talk about the draft now, maybe the BW game later...
DRAFT:
Pete I like your analysis. I feel like Maybin may be one of those guys a team won't want to pass on. I think that he will be the most sought after DE in the draft over Orakpo simply because of his desire (they are very similar athletically and physically). Maybin will go in the top ten despite most experts saying he will go 11th to Buffalo. Plus its hard enough to have my Patriots play against Poz...I dont need another PSU guy hunting down Tom Brady. Bad for business.
Williams will go in the second round. He has decent hands and he is a physical receiver and a strong runner with the football (not a flopper like Randy Moss/Marvin Harrison/etc). The receivers this year are very underwhelming with the exception of Crabtree, who when healthy will be a playmaker. Great hands and great motor and fight in him. Calvin Johnson was a similar guy at GT, but his NFL career has yet to take off, part of which may be due to his lack of determination. Other than Crabtree though...no one else is a great WR. Many have Maclin going in the top 10, and in my opinion he is NOT a very good WR. Certainly extremely fast and a great returnman, but undersized, not very strong, and will never be a go to receiver, just a big play guy. As for a guy that Pete likes a lot, Nicks from UNC...very good numbers, but he is not very fluid. He sort of clamps down on the ball when he catches it rather than accepting it. This was very evident to me last night when, upon Pete's request, I watched the ESPN skills competition, where Jordan Norwood was able to showcase his hands. Butler and Norwood will both be drafted. Butler could go in the 3rd or 4th because his speed is very elite. Norwood is a reliable guy that teams will be able to count of for catching. Receivers are tough to draft because many times teams will get guys who are fast, strong, tall, whatever...but they dont have great hands and they think that at some point they'll learn to catch better. Not the case. Patriots in 2006 drafted Chad Jackson from Florida with the 36th pick of the draft. Total waste, the guy cant catch. Reliable hands are not a commodity, and I expect teams to be salivating if Norwood is still available in the 7th round.
Shipley is another under the radar guy. One of the highest wonderlic scores at the combine, great athleticism, but again people point to things like short arms, small hands, no height...whatever people, this guy is a great football player who transitioned from DL to center and became the Remington Trophy winner. He will have a successful NFL career. Cadogan should perform well in the NFL as well. He made huge strides from his junior to senior season. Finally, Dan Lawlor. He won't get drafted, but he'll make a team and will be an asset. This guy is a great blocker and has decent speed as well.
Others: At quarterback I feel the best guy out there is Sanchez. It's tough not to think that after he torched Penn State with precise passes that simply could not be defended by the 3-deep coverage of Penn State. He has a strong arm, kind of a long motion, but great accuracy and mobility. I feel he is a much better quarterback than Leinart ever was (total bust). As for Stafford, I think he's trash. I also have a newly discovered hatred for the University of Georgia, but I've never liked this guy. Overhyped like the rest of the team. Ranked #1 at the beginning of the year!? Give me a break. Moreno is another guy who is overrated and simply a youtube allstar. Look at me, I hurdle people! Too bad that's one of the first things a football coach will tell you not to do. One day he'll find out the consequences of leaving your feet in the NFL.
Some quick hitters:
BJ Raji (BC) - total freak
Michael Johnson (GT) - total freak but also total pussy
Vontae Davis (ILL) and Malcom Jenkins (OSU) - nasty corners that will play immediately
Laurenitis (OSU) - people say that he is very overrated, but I feel like he will have a solid career
Donald Brown (UConn) - Best RB in the draft. NFL ready (people get so excited over these guys in college that have 90 yard runs...that doesnt happen in the NFL...you gotta be able to pound)
USC LB's - Cushing is the only one worth drafting in the 1st round, but he's on steroids anyway. Maualuga is slower than my dog if you chopped her two right legs off (love you Sadie).
Sleepers:
Nate Davis (Ball State) - Saw this guy play on ESPN one time and he's a great passer and will be a starting QB in the next few years
Travis Beckum (Wisc) - Last year this time people would have had him going in the first two rounds, but some injuries and a down year for Wisconsin have hurt his stock, but this guy could be a Dallas Clark kind of guy. Great hands, pretty fast and good strength (not a great blocker but that's something easily improved).
Shonn Greene (Iowa) - Can't believe no one is talking about him. Another NFL ready kind of guy that will be more durable than Beanie Wells who is injury prone (also a freak if he's healthy).
