Draft Discussion... why did you make that pick ?

First topic message reminder :

Let us know why you made that pick, post here a few lines to explain that all important 1st pick.

tbh i don't follow college football, so can only go by the various mocks and rankings

both were tipped late 1st, early 2nd, just went with Cox as he appears more flexible (DE43 or OLB34)

Pretty sure Fletcher Cox is a DT in a 4-3 or a 3-4 DE !

Yeh bambam's right he's a DT/DE who is more of a penetration, collapse the pocket guy than a plug the holes, stop the run guy

fair enough, as long as he's big and angry i'm happy..!!

Derbyblue wrote:WR and RB holes filled for the Browns, I admit Claiborne was a bit of a luxury pick and could easily be seen as a waste and it is probably the pick I would change if I could and either trade down for Floyd or take Blackmon. Peyton Hillis leaves in FA, Chris Polk steps in as head RB, Montario Hardesty is back-up, Brandon Jackson/Chris Ogbonnaya ready for Hardesty's injury.

It seems very much like you panicked in the 1st round. If a WR and a RB were priorities why swap from Blackmon and then ignore Trent Richardson?

mikeygnfl wrote:It is not surprising to see 6 offensive players in the past six picks after only seven went in the first 35 picks.

There were 15 offensive players selected in the first 35 picks from what I can see.

mikeygnfl wrote:It seems very much like you panicked in the 1st round. If a WR and a RB were priorities why swap from Blackmon and then ignore Trent Richardson?

Value/BPA I expect.

mikeygnfl wrote:

Derbyblue wrote:WR and RB holes filled for the Browns, I admit Claiborne was a bit of a luxury pick and could easily be seen as a waste and it is probably the pick I would change if I could and either trade down for Floyd or take Blackmon. Peyton Hillis leaves in FA, Chris Polk steps in as head RB, Montario Hardesty is back-up, Brandon Jackson/Chris Ogbonnaya ready for Hardesty's injury.

It seems very much like you panicked in the 1st round. If a WR and a RB were priorities why swap from Blackmon and then ignore Trent Richardson?

I see the thinking there but I'm not a fan of the fourth pick overall for a running back with the way the league is, I believe Polk is a more than capable back and can go straight in as the lead back in Cleveland. If I could control this draft I would trade back take Floyd, then Zach Brown at 22 and Polk still in the second.

There were 15 offensive players selected in the first 35 picks from what I can see.

I was just counting the 'creative' players, QB, WR, RB etc rather than 'tackle' though I take your point.

It seems people in this draft are rather more defence/ tackle minded. I could definitely see more wide receivers and running backs being drafted in the real thing. With passing being more prominent I can see atleast 4 maybe 5 WR going in the 1st round and it will be interesting to see in Ryan Tannehill goes at 6th?

I think its more a reflection of the ability to pick up decent WR's all over the board, whereas linemen tend to have a more significant drop off as the draft progresses. Not to mention that fact that there's a really deep WR FA group this year. RBs are 2nd rounders at best these days unless you're something really really special due to the diminished role of the running game in the modern era.

mikeygnfl wrote:It seems people in this draft are rather more defence/ tackle minded. I could definitely see more wide receivers and running backs being drafted in the real thing. With passing being more prominent I can see atleast 4 maybe 5 WR going in the 1st round and it will be interesting to see in Ryan Tannehill goes at 6th?

The draft is pretty strong when it comes to front 7 players so it's probably just a reflection of that. I agree with you on the WRs, which is a position of depth in this draft. In this mock we've had blackmon, Floyd, Wright and Sanu go in round 1, in the real thing I think we could see a similar number or possibly more depending on how guys run at the combine. If, for example, Jeffery or Hill blow people away at the Combine and a team already likes what they see on film they might rise up boards. WR is a difficult position to evaluate IMO. Prospects like Hill and Randle are tough to get a value on due to things like scheme and QB deficiencies.

mikeygnfl wrote:

There were 15 offensive players selected in the first 35 picks from what I can see.

I was just counting the 'creative' players, QB, WR, RB etc rather than 'tackle' though I take your point.

It seems people in this draft are rather more defence/ tackle minded. I could definitely see more wide receivers and running backs being drafted in the real thing. With passing being more prominent I can see atleast 4 maybe 5 WR going in the 1st round and it will be interesting to see in Ryan Tannehill goes at 6th?

Yeah, the passing game rules in the NFL just now which conversely, may go some way to explaining why people are shoring up their defense. If you want to disrupt a team's ability to pass the ball then you're going to have to get yourself some good pass rushers and some good DBs. I haven't counted, but there's more than a few D-linemen and CBs been taken so far. Read a good article on NFL.com about how CB was going to be a big position to fill for a lot of teams in this draft.

BTW, if Tannehill goes at 6 I'll be gutted.

Niner, what's holding up the Chiefs pick? I'm getting impatient here...
(Might I suggest a long snapper? )

Jeffery and Randle are two WR that if drafted in the first round would surprise me.

I have seem Tannehill go at 6th to the Redskins and 11th to the Seahawks on a few drafts and if the Redskins don't trade up for RG3 I can definitely see them panicking that the latter will happen and draft him early. In this draft I was pretty confident he wouldn't go that early.

I can only really see RG3, Blackmon and Richardson as players that teams would trade up for in the 1st round.

sorry, didn't realise i was on the clock

He was the reason I was trying to trade up niner. I like the look of Allen.

I'm surprised at the jones pick because Brewster was still available

Missing out on Kuechly has thrown my draft board a bit, still happy with my first 3 picks but maybe would have liked to have a linebacker by now, can't really see the value so going with a player who is probably a bit underrated but is one of the BPA at a position of need. Hopefully with a strong secondary and D line the LB weakness can be covered, but I really think it will be addressed in FA

Im surprised by the eagles selecting another safety after taking allen 2 years ago and jarrett last year

I'm slightly surprised at the Harrison Smith pick. On my overall rankings sheet compiled between draftek and walterfootball I have Smith down in the late third round.

That said I have even seen him creep up into the 1st round in some mocks and would probably have moved him up to a late 2nd, early 3rd grade if I had had a chance to "hand smooth" my rankings.

Linebacker is definitely a need for the Eagles but I dont see anyone for the inside who would be any better value...
Smith is still the next best remaining strong side safety.

From what I saw of the Eagles, safety was a weakness. Allen looked ok at times his rookie year, but have not been impressed at all by Coleman at all, he misses so many tackles.

My thinking is if I can't find a top tier LB through the draft I can at least surround the ones there with enough talent to mask their deficiencies. Smith looks a really good athlete and strong tackler, I also drafted Brockers to beef up the D Line. The other position I was looking at with this pick was on the O Line, but just not sure whether any of the prospects I looked at were better picks than Smith.

As crazy_dave says, he has been put in as a late first rounder in some mocks, I can't see him going there but a mid to late 2nd round pick is where I have him slotted

The Bears have a horrible O line, you only need to see how many times Cutler has been sacked or knocked down in the last 2 season, due to Mike Martz and his insistence on a 7-step drop. they lost their Center before the start of the 2011 season who went to the Saints and then was cut. Jones is a top 5 OC and will plug the hole at center for the long term, with last years 1st round pick Gabe Carimi at OT the Bears are upgrading their O line for the future.

Jets added Weedon in the 2nd

Sanchez can either step up or clear off..!!

TM Moot wrote:Jets added Weedon in the 2nd

Sanchez can either step up or clear off..!!

Interesting pick... was wondering when another QB would come off the board.
Still have my concerns over Weeden, not least because he is 28 but he is a tidy QB, its about the right range and had much more experience at the position compared with someone like Tannehill (admittedly younger with all the right physical stuff).
Jets sort of feels like a good place for him to land. Not sure why I think that!

crazy_dave23 wrote:Interesting pick... was wondering when another QB would come off the board.
Still have my concerns over Weeden, not least because he is 28 but he is a tidy QB, its about the right range and had much more experience at the position compared with someone like Tannehill (admittedly younger with all the right physical stuff).
Jets sort of feels like a good place for him to land. Not sure why I think that!

I was looking at Weeden (especially after drafting Blackmon at 6th) along with Tannehill and Foles for the Redskins but the age was one of the things that put me off. It is questionable whether any of them are ready to step straight into a starting place. From the videos, reports I have seen on the trio Weeden was probably the weaker of the three.

Also if the Redskins go for Peyton Manning for a year or two then Weeden would have been 30 by the time a possible start came around.

I like the Ben Jones Bears pick. He was one player I had noted for a possible 2nd/ 3rd round pick.

My possibles for the the 1st three rounds were (from my 11th Feb notes):- Blackmon, Claiborne, Reiff, Tannehill, Jeffery, Martin, Wright, Sanu, Polk, Weeden, Foles, Broyles and Jones.

thunder and lightning wrote:I think its more a reflection of the ability to pick up decent WR's all over the board, whereas linemen tend to have a more significant drop off as the draft progresses. Not to mention that fact that there's a really deep WR FA group this year. RBs are 2nd rounders at best these days unless you're something really really special due to the diminished role of the running game in the modern era.

Hey thunder I sent you a trade offer via pm a few days ago but you don't seem to have read it, you probably haven't noticed it so I just wanted to let you know on here

I would have considered LSU WR Rueben Randle with this pick if he hadn’t just been selected, he’s been moving up my board as I’ve been doing more work on the underclassmen. As it is I didn’t have to make the decision as to whether his possible upside trumps the risk at this point in the draft.

Kevin Zeitler is the kind of player who could start early on, well coached, fundamentally sound, probably doesn’t have elite upside but should be a very solid player. He’s a real mauler in the run game and has the athleticism to get out and block on the second level and has demonstrated his mobility on pulls, which is something he did a lot at Wisconsin and is similar to NE.

There's one guy in particular i'm a little surprised is still on the board.

TheBrownTown wrote:

thunder and lightning wrote:I think its more a reflection of the ability to pick up decent WR's all over the board, whereas linemen tend to have a more significant drop off as the draft progresses. Not to mention that fact that there's a really deep WR FA group this year. RBs are 2nd rounders at best these days unless you're something really really special due to the diminished role of the running game in the modern era.

Hey thunder I sent you a trade offer via pm a few days ago but you don't seem to have read it, you probably haven't noticed it so I just wanted to let you know on here

Just replied to your inbox, sorry didn't see it before

thunder and lightning wrote:

TheBrownTown wrote:

thunder and lightning wrote:I think its more a reflection of the ability to pick up decent WR's all over the board, whereas linemen tend to have a more significant drop off as the draft progresses. Not to mention that fact that there's a really deep WR FA group this year. RBs are 2nd rounders at best these days unless you're something really really special due to the diminished role of the running game in the modern era.

Hey thunder I sent you a trade offer via pm a few days ago but you don't seem to have read it, you probably haven't noticed it so I just wanted to let you know on here

Just replied to your inbox, sorry didn't see it before

No worries, I've responded

I smell a trade seeing as I think Thunder & Lightning is on the clock with San Diego

I've just picked Alfonzo Dennard for the Panthers in the second round (51st pick overall). I'll be honest, I don't watch college football so have never clapped eyes on the guy but I've gotta say, I like what I read about him. He sounds very solid and very smart. The only knock on him that I can see is that he's rasonably short at 5'10" which makes him "unfashionable" just now because there's an obsession developing with having CBs over 6'0". However, Dennard sounds tough and strong and as a result is able to match up with the big physical WRs that are so prevalent just now in everything except jump balls. From what I read, he is more than capable of jamming these guys and knocking them out of their routes which will limit the number of jump balls he'll end up facing. It sounds to me though that good football teams are based on the core assets that he seems to possess - toughness, intelligence, versatility and discipline.

I'm quite pleased with my first two picks - Coples in the 1st round and now Dennard. In New Orleans and Atlanta, Carolina face two of the most potent passing teams in the league twice a season so if they want to get serious about competing in the division then they better be able to defend the pass. Grabbing the best pass rusher and a smart, tough CB in the draft will help with that.

Good pick for the Panthers and yes its been a good draft for them so far.

I'll be honest you just got the best "value" based off my board so far. I have Denard down as the 32nd best prospect based off an amalgamation of 5 online draftboards with my tweaks. SO to get him at 51 is a massive bonus.

That said there is one person above him who is still available!

Cheers Dave! Yeah I was pleased to get Dennard at this point. Had tagged a CB as a key need for Carolina and would've taken Kirkpatrick in round 1 if he had still been there but as it's turned out I'm kinda pleased he was gone cos I do think Dennard is really good value at this point of the 2nd round. Although not a total standout it sounds like he will always make opponents work hard to beat him.

Am intrigued to find out who you've got above him!! Was hoping I had found the guy that you were surprised was still there!!

No there is one guy and I'm probably not planning to take him even if he drops to me because he doesn't fit Green Bay's system and so I'd rate him lower when considering the Pack alone.
He's at number 30 on my board.

Also both the receivers that have just been taken are in the 70s for me, though there were no higher wideouts available

I'd forgotten Vinny Curry was still available, had been considering him instead of Polk but thought I can only afford so many picks that don't fill a need and although Jayme Mitchell isn't a great DE he's workable. Though I'm quite high on him as I watched a few Marshall games I doubt he's #30 on Dave's board.

Virgil what's your opinion on the running back situation in Cincy? I traded ahead of you to get Doug Martin but David Wilson was still on the board, do you see running back as not much of a need or do you just prefer Curry to Wilson?

I'm not a fan of having rookies carry the load really, i would have taken Martin if he was available but i'm not keen on Wilson as he fumbled a lot in college.

Running back along with corner are our two biggest needs but personally i'd liked to see them addressed in FA.

Went for Curry as i feel he's good value and you can never have too many many pass rushers.

Virgil_Caine wrote:I'm not a fan of having rookies carry the load really, i would have taken Martin if he was available but i'm not keen on Wilson as he fumbled a lot in college.

Running back along with corner are our two biggest needs but personally i'd liked to see them addressed in FA.

Went for Curry as i feel he's good value and you can never have too many many pass rushers.

Right ok, can't disagree with you there, I'm glad I traded up then because I'm not too high on Wilson either.

Derbyblue wrote:I'd forgotten Vinny Curry was still available, had been considering him instead of Polk but thought I can only afford so many picks that don't fill a need and although Jayme Mitchell isn't a great DE he's workable. Though I'm quite high on him as I watched a few Marshall games I doubt he's #30 on Dave's board.

He was not my #30...

Did want to pick Zeitler at this spot, but he went way earlier so decided to go for Reyes. He impressed at the combine, and could be a real force as a defensive end in the 3-4. Would give the Texans a nice DE rotation with Antonio Smith, JJ Watt and Reyes

How the hell is Jayron Hosley still available

I'm glad I chose Burflict in the 1st round

ollyrules wrote:I'm glad I chose Burflict in the 1st round

Would anyone (else) have changed their early/ 1st round picks based on last weekend's Combine?

bambamwillis wrote:Did want to pick Zeitler at this spot, but he went way earlier so decided to go for Reyes. He impressed at the combine, and could be a real force as a defensive end in the 3-4. Would give the Texans a nice DE rotation with Antonio Smith, JJ Watt and Reyes

Reyes could be an excellent fit in the Texans defense, good pick IMO.

mikeygnfl wrote:

ollyrules wrote:I'm glad I chose Burflict in the 1st round

Would anyone (else) have changed their early/ 1st round picks based on last weekend's Combine?

Not based on the Combine but after looking over the Miss. State games again I might have taken Fletcher Cox at #31. I'm still not 100% convinced about him but he's versatile and at the very least could play in sub getting after the QB.

twelve283 wrote:

bambamwillis wrote:Did want to pick Zeitler at this spot, but he went way earlier so decided to go for Reyes. He impressed at the combine, and could be a real force as a defensive end in the 3-4. Would give the Texans a nice DE rotation with Antonio Smith, JJ Watt and Reyes

Reyes could be an excellent fit in the Texans defense, good pick IMO.

Thanks, I liked what I have seen of him and posted a good workout too. Mel Kiper and Todd McShay have him as a possible late first/early second pick, but others have him as a 3rd rounder. Any views on whether I have slightly reached or got a steal?

My draft board had him at number 63, although so far there is only one set of post combine ratings (Gil Brandt) going into constructing it.

I think the fact the his combine went well should mean he moves up my board once I update with post combine rankings from around the web. Thus he becomes decent value for the Texans at number 58.

bambamwillis wrote:

twelve283 wrote:

bambamwillis wrote:Did want to pick Zeitler at this spot, but he went way earlier so decided to go for Reyes. He impressed at the combine, and could be a real force as a defensive end in the 3-4. Would give the Texans a nice DE rotation with Antonio Smith, JJ Watt and Reyes

Reyes could be an excellent fit in the Texans defense, good pick IMO.

Thanks, I liked what I have seen of him and posted a good workout too. Mel Kiper and Todd McShay have him as a possible late first/early second pick, but others have him as a 3rd rounder. Any views on whether I have slightly reached or got a steal?

In terms of value I would say you've got it about right. 6'4, 299lbs, 34 inch arms are close to perfect measurements for a 34 DE but I think the Texans more attacking 34 is a better fit for him than a 2 gap scheme, more of a shoot the gaps type. Uses his athleticism, which he demonstrated with his combine workout, well and you see him in the backfield often. Hes got the versatility to possibly play inside in a 40 front as well. I like the idea of a rotation on the Texans DL and playing to his strengths. I wouldn't take him in the 1st round.

Not a Saints need, but he's ranked #33 on Draft Tek's big board and Pr4wn asked for BPA.

Packers select David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech.

I have being going back and forth on the pick for a while.
As my board stands I still had the number 31 (previously the guy at 30), 33, 42, 47 and 48th ranked players available. For a pick at number 60 anyone of those is top value.

Narrowed it down to the top 3 in the end.
1) David Wilson, RB, Virginia Tech (33)
2) Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa State (42)
3) Brandon Thompson, DT/DE, Clemson (31)

Packers generally go best player available rather than drafting directly for need unless the guy that fits a need is rated on a few places below the BPA.

Thompson therefore is the BPA, however he is more of a 4-3 guy and the main reason i'm chasing D-Lineman is generate more pressure on the opposing QB since Cullen Jenkins left and Pickett is getting older - Thompson doesn't generate that many sacks. Also I have partly addressed this need by taking Nick Perry in rd1 who is more athletic and suited to chasing the QB. I reckon someone must have forgotten his existence as he crops up in the late first round in some mocks even after the combine.

Osemele is a solid guard who started plenty of games at college. Strongest point is run blocking which would assist the Packers ground game. Would have slotted in at LG in all probability but could have played RT if Bulaga shifted sides. We need O-Line depth for sure but have been taking high picks in this area for a couple of years and Marshall Newhouse came on well last year. I'm also assuming Scott Wells will be back so i'm not going to frantically overdraft a center in rd2.

So I have stumped for Wilson who is 33 on my board (risen since I added a post combine top-100 list to my combination) and the second best back. He had a good combine and is just ridiculous value at this point of the draft. Grant will be gone and so this fills a need for Green Bay. I know he fumbles which is a problem, but he would be sharing with Starks and so hopefully the reduction in workload would lessen the pressure to be "the guy" and some good coaching could help him out. I like the speed element, it's something recent Packers backs haven't seemed to have too much of. Frequently a member of experts first round mocks... what could possibly go wrong

Now just 58 picks until I make another selection.

crazy_dave23 wrote:So I have stumped for Wilson who is 33 on my board (risen since I added a post combine top-100 list to my combination) and the second best back. He had a good combine and is just ridiculous value at this point of the draft. Grant will be gone and so this fills a need for Green Bay. I know he fumbles which is a problem, but he would be sharing with Starks and so hopefully the reduction in workload would lessen the pressure to be "the guy" and some good coaching could help him out. I like the speed element, it's something recent Packers backs haven't seemed to have too much of. Frequently a member of experts first round mocks... what could possibly go wrong

Now just 58 picks until I make another selection.

I saw that Wilson had be rising recently probably helped by the combine, but I think Wilson has the issues with fumbles which means he can't start as a lead back and as much as he has the ability to run 20 yards backwards then 50 forwards he has the ability to run 20 yards backwards and get tackled effectively ending the drive.

Went for Thompson because I felt he was the best player available. He could also benefit from playing alongside Ngata which would open up some holes for him.