Talking Draft Prospects - Page 10

Direckshun · 08:24 PM

We've got perhaps the biggest, most consequential draft coming up for this franchise since 2008. The Chiefs have all seven of their picks, and will certainly be picking up an additional four in compensatory picks, one of which is assuredly a 3rd rounder.

As a result, it's important to familiarize ourselves with as much of this draft class as possible. I started a thread last offseason that discussed late rounders that was generally well liked and spurred tons of great conversation on all sorts of draft picks we normally wouldn't talk about, so I'm going to duplicate that idea this year, only discussing all talents, rather than just the mid- and lower-round ones.

The OP will be continually updated to show the talent I'm reviewing by position. Keep in mind as I list these players that I am generally listing their round projections, but it is not a strict big board, as I likely won't have a big board put together until May.

Spoiler!

Direckshun · 10-16-2014, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldSchool

Huh? You seem to have a lot of things backwards on Perryman, lol. Everything that I've read and everything that I've seen on him are:

1. Great fundamental and explosive tackler.
2. Sound in his drops but lacks instincts in coverage.
3. He's only 6'0" tall at best and will likely measure closer to 5'11".

Perryman, to me, is basically Joe Mays with the potential of turning into Navorro Bowman if he develops well and can clean up some things.

You're right on the height -- and I knew that... not sure why I got that wrong.

I agree he's an extremely explosive tackler, he just needs to break down better when in space. It's not a huge complaint.

Direckshun · 10-16-2014, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smith11

he wont win the measurables contest but i think rashad greene from florida state may be the most productive receiver--dude gets open

He's a very interesting prospect.

Direckshun · 10-16-2014, 02:58 PM

OLB Shane Ray, Missouri -- Ray fits to a "T" what the Chiefs love to do with their rushbackers. The Chiefs love to put all three of them on the field on third-and-longs, put Houston's hand in the dirt at the three-tech, and send all three shooting gaps into the backfield. The Chiefs love OLBs who have a really great first step and can turn the corner fast, with lots of enthusiasm and plenty enough athleticism to drop into coverage. In a way, it's almost a shame that the Chiefs drafted Dee Ford in the first last year, because Ray is exactly what they love at the position. The only thing Ray lacks is an elite first step, though because Missouri does put his hand in the dirt about 95% of the time, he has very little experience dropping into coverage. But he'd be a natural successor to Hali's spot -- he's already got a few passrush moves, though they all need work. His motor is excellent; he will track plays down from the backside and keep his passrush on throughout a play, even if he can't seem to wring free of the tackle. Ray plays with pretty good power but a whole lot of finesse, as he is slightly undersized at a maxed-out 6'3", 245 lbs. I don't think he has the power to hold up as a 4-3 DE, but teams asking him to blaze off the edge and move QBs off their spot should seriously consider Ray in the middle- to the late-1st round.

Exoter175 · 10-16-2014, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

That's exactly what I'm saying! If you and I are both targeting players as players the Chiefs are likely to select far in advance of the Chiefs actually selecting them... Then that's very much a clue that we know what Dorsey wants.

That's all I'm saying, really.

I've been incredibly encouraged by Gaines' special teams play. And he didn't look bad in the spotwork he did against New England.

His preseason was so horrendous, I have soured my hopes of him becoming an eventual starter -- which is what you want in a 3rd round corner who's 6'1" with 4.3 speed.

But here's hoping.

Well, remember though, everyone's a rookie once. The fact that he's kicking ass on Special Teams is evidence enough, for me, that's he's willing to work through it and become better. That's a huge plus for any #2/NCB guy.

As for your "theory" of knowing what Dorsey wants, you're missing almost the entirety of the picture here.

Dorsey, doesn't run a Press Man defensive Scheme. He's got basically ZERO input as far as changing schemes from a press man hybrid 3-4 front playing 50% Nickle/Dime, than say, Playing solid Tampa 2.

Dorsey's job isn't to scheme, it isn't to call plays, its none of that. His job is to keep us under the cap with deals as team friendly as possible, while bringing in "THE BEST" talent we can possibly afford, all the while keeping a future eye on talent and delivering a list of names to Reid for him to put his input on, prior to the draft. Then its Dorsey's job to take this slimmed down list of guys, and put it next to his "BPA" list, and if the moment suits him, draft one or two of those guys, or trade up/down and wheel and deal.

He doesn't draft guys of a specific mold, indefinitely, thats not how good GM's work (Pioli). Good GM's, the truly magnificent kind, merely "assist" in the personnel management of talent discovery, and let their Coaches do most of the final evaluations prior to drafting, because its THEIR schemes that these players need to fit.

Flowers, in Green Bay, would have been a solid fit under Dorsey, or even now. Flowers here, however, was a very, very bad fit. Don't get me wrong, he could play it above average, but he's not suited for the scheme, and we let him go.

Simple shit like that amazes me with how many people overthink the "Dorsey" string pulling.

Exoter175 · 10-16-2014, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Two things to add to this:

1. Dorsey has effectively replaced Belcher with Akeem Jordan who was very solid last year, and now Joe Mays, who looked great when he was healthy. We'll see how he plays when he returns. Even Mauga looks alright -- it's honestly the least important position on the defense, since the Chiefs player nickel and dime so much.

2. As a result, the Chiefs need to worry about replacing DJ more than they do Belcher/Jordan/Mays at the SILB position (Mays is under contract for next year anyway). The WILB is very important, and we had one of the game's best manning it for the past five years. And there's some pretty good talent to be had on the 2nd day of the draft.

1. I don't believe for a moment that Dorsey has effectively replaced Belcher. While belcher was a liability in pass coverage, he was a rock solid two down thumper, and we've got all of ZERO of those on this team since his tragic departure. I thought MAYBE Nico would fill that role, but I appear to be very, very wrong about that.

2. There's no day 1 or day 2 talent to compare to DJ, even as a rookie, especially not the Pro Bowler that he turned into. You had Mosley last year, and that's about it until you go back to 2010/2011 or so IIRC. Your only true "chance" at a day 2 talent that comes close to filling those shoes is going to be Eric Kendricks, and that'll take some time.

kccrow · 10-16-2014, 10:46 PM

Every year there is a Pro Bowl type linebacker that comes from the first few rounds

2013 - Kiko Alonso
2012 - Luke Kuechly
2011 - Mason Foster is pretty good, so is KJ Wright
2010 - Navorrow Bowman, Daryl Washington (until full idiot), Sean Lee (when healthy)
2009 - James Laurinaitis
etc...

Direckshun · 10-17-2014, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exoter175

As for your "theory" of knowing what Dorsey wants, you're missing almost the entirety of the picture here.

Dorsey, doesn't run a Press Man defensive Scheme. He's got basically ZERO input as far as changing schemes from a press man hybrid 3-4 front playing 50% Nickle/Dime, than say, Playing solid Tampa 2.

Dorsey's job isn't to scheme, it isn't to call plays, its none of that. His job is to keep us under the cap with deals as team friendly as possible, while bringing in "THE BEST" talent we can possibly afford, all the while keeping a future eye on talent and delivering a list of names to Reid for him to put his input on, prior to the draft. Then its Dorsey's job to take this slimmed down list of guys, and put it next to his "BPA" list, and if the moment suits him, draft one or two of those guys, or trade up/down and wheel and deal.

He doesn't draft guys of a specific mold, indefinitely, thats not how good GM's work (Pioli). Good GM's, the truly magnificent kind, merely "assist" in the personnel management of talent discovery, and let their Coaches do most of the final evaluations prior to drafting, because its THEIR schemes that these players need to fit.

Flowers, in Green Bay, would have been a solid fit under Dorsey, or even now. Flowers here, however, was a very, very bad fit. Don't get me wrong, he could play it above average, but he's not suited for the scheme, and we let him go.

Simple shit like that amazes me with how many people overthink the "Dorsey" string pulling.

This is plenty of good information, but we're disagreeing on the fundamental issue, here. And I've got Reid's own words to back up my side.

Under normal circumstances, you'd be correct. But everything we've read and Reid himself has said says that Reid (a.) really wanted Alex Smith, and (b.) otherwise has completely divorced himself from personnel. He came to KC and got the GM he wanted so that Reid could totally commit himself to coaching. In other words, Dorsey has final say in personnel, and takes the personnel that he wants. The roster is full of Dorsey acquisitions, not Reid acquisitions.

That said, you're dead right that Dorsey's not the one determining scheme, but he gets to determine what kind of players he wants fleshing out the scheme. Sutton may vouch for Mike DeVito, and Dorsey may act on that, but Dorsey's the top of the personnel food chain.

But it ultimately sounds like we're agreeing. It ultimately sounds like we're both saying the Chiefs want certain types of players (big-bodied TEs that can block, tall, fast corners, players with phenomenal measurables) and we're just disagreeing who determines that these players become Chiefs. I say Dorsey's pulling the strings, you say Dorsey's mostly following orders. That's fine, but we're ultimately both agreeing that there are "types" that the Chiefs like.

And I'm willing to disagree with you on another point -- most GMs do have "types" of players that they like. The Giants have certain things they like in DL, Patriots in QBs, Steelers in LBs, and so on. That's pretty uncontroversial to say.

Saccopoo · 10-17-2014, 01:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

ILB Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State -- A high tide raises all boats, as they say, and it's natural to assume that the recent groundswell of love for Benardrick McKinney is due to the Bulldogs' ascent to the #1 spot. The problem is, however, I can't remember being less enthused about a player supposedly projected to go somewhere in the top three rounds of the Draft. There's no question he's a very large LB even by NFL standards: 6'5" (!!!), 250 lbs, a truly imposing presence on the field. But I can't pinpoint anything he does that screams "draft me." As you'd probably expect for a guy this size, he's horrid in coverage. The Bulldogs play primarily zone coverage with their 'backers, and McKinney is utterly lost in it, either out of position or (far more frequently) in no man's land. He doesn't eat up space well at all -- he looks like he runs a 4.8 at best -- and he's not remotely a sideline-to-sideline player. Truth be told, he's built to ransack the line of scrimmage, but he's not particularly great there, either. He has good gap integrity, but he frequently gets washed out and struggles to shed blocks. His passrushing is nonexistent, as can be expected for a guy who drops into coverage close to 100% of passing downs, and his tackling is woeful as well. There might be a team somewhere that loves his measurables and think they can turn him into a quality thumper. (It is curious to me that Mississippi State puts a guy his size constantly deep into coverage.) As of now, I'd consider passing on him until deep into the draft.

Direckshun · 10-17-2014, 01:17 AM

RB Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska -- I watch Abdullah play and I'm not sure where he fits on my roster if I were a GM. The first thing that jumps out about him is his size at 5'9", 190 lbs, which is diminutive by NFL standards, and he doesn't seem to back it up with great speed or elite athleticism or change-of-direction. That doesn't change the fact that Abdullah has great fundamentals as a runner: he's patient in setting up a block, eats up the space his blocking gives him very quickly. He drives through tackles, not frequently breaking them, but always managing to fall forward or even get an additional spring of a couple yards while he goes down. He hits the hole really hard when he's asked to run downhill, but he's obviously not built for it at the next level. He runs decent routes (Nebraska doesn't ask to do much there except for standard wheel routes) and I like him in the role as a third down back in a west coast offense. But that's about his roof in the NFL: he's a change-of-pace guy who can excel as a bit player in an effective offense that doesn't ask him to carry the load. I think he'd be decent value in the midrounds, which is far lower than most other sites have him, but I don't see great value in a small RB who lacks elite athleticism.

Edit (11/18): Watching a ton of film on Abdullah throughout the year, and he is extremely easy to love as a RB. As I mentioned in this analysis, he is an excellent runner in terms of fundamentals, and it'll be great to see how he times and lifts at the Combine. He's not an every-down back, but he can be great in a rotation. I'd put a 3rd round grade on him.

Direckshun · 10-17-2014, 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

Direckshun · 10-17-2014, 02:39 AM

WR Kevin White, West Virginia -- Wow, is this guy fun to watch. There's not a lot of WRs that boast a combination of sophisticated route-running, top-notch athleticism, and ultra-competitiveness that White brings to the table, and it is downright magnetic to watch. I just absolutely love the way he plays, and his total commitment on the football field gives me the feeling that White has the most upside of anybody in this draft. What's going to happen after his rookie season, and he discovers that he's struggling to break free of CBs on button hook routes? That guy's going to kill himself over the spring mastering button hook routes, that's what. White is a very long 6'3", 210 lbs, and possesses what looks like 4.3 speed coming out of his breaks. His route-running is full of all those subtle moves you need to separate and beat a corner to the pylon. He can be absolutely lethal on crossing routes, something WVU actually employs similarly to how the Chiefs use them. And his runblocking -- oh, his runblocking. He plays pissed off, and that runblocking is a direct extension of that. The one knock I have on White is minor, and it's that he doesn't always play as big as he could, but part of that is because the Mountaineers never really launch that many jump balls for him. And besides, you know he's got the on-field drive to work on any and all weaknesses. The Chiefs need to take an extremely hard look at this kid in the 1st.

Direckshun · 10-17-2014, 10:09 AM

RB Mike Davis, South Carolina -- There is something that is so enjoyable about a thick, squatty (5'9", 215 lbs) RB who can leverage his short frame into consistent 5- and 6-yard bursts every down. Not only is it a critical contribution to the offense, it's also just a sterling example of one player doing the small things well so that the teammates around him can flourish. That's one of the reason Maurice Jones-Drew was so lethal for so many years, and while Davis lacks MJD's pure power and pull-away speed, he does boast that same ability to make himself small, work through the cracks in the line, and refuse to let a stray arm or a poorly-squared hit knock him off his feet. Really, Davis' balance is extraordinary, and is why I think he's going to be a solid lunchpail three-down back in the NFL. His change of direction is excellent, and I think he would really flourish in a one-cut zone blocking system that asks him to pick his own hole and go. Not only that, but he's got really good hands in the open field, and is a reliable safety valve for QBs. With some fine-tuning, I think he has 20-carry potential in the NFL, and can possibly have a very underrated career keeping the offense on the field by reliably gaining good yardage.

Post-Combine (2/24): Just not athletic enough to be a true 20-carry back. He's got the body for the workload, so I think he could be valuable in a committee, but he doesn't have the chops to be a franchise-back. Feel like he's a midrounder at this point.

Exoter175 · 10-17-2014, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kccrow

Every year there is a Pro Bowl type linebacker that comes from the first few rounds

2013 - Kiko Alonso
2012 - Luke Kuechly
2011 - Mason Foster is pretty good, so is KJ Wright
2010 - Navorrow Bowman, Daryl Washington (until full idiot), Sean Lee (when healthy)
2009 - James Laurinaitis
etc...

Kiko, James, KJ, Foster, and Sean, not pro bowlers. NaVorro, Daryl, and Luke, sure. NaVorro and Daryl are more thumpers though, Luke is a god damned GEM. And we lost a gem this season, and possibly for the future. Which is exactly why we need to FIND that gem instead of signing "stop gap" free agents like Mays and Mauga. Signing Free Agents NEVER adds value to the future of this organization when you use them as stop gaps.

OldSchool · 10-17-2014, 06:33 PM

Luke is vastly overrated. He absolutely sucks this year and is a big part of the reason why the Panthers' run defense is looking like shit this year, ranked 27th in the league.

Exoter175 · 10-17-2014, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Direckshun

This is plenty of good information, but we're disagreeing on the fundamental issue, here. And I've got Reid's own words to back up my side.

Under normal circumstances, you'd be correct. But everything we've read and Reid himself has said says that Reid (a.) really wanted Alex Smith, and (b.) otherwise has completely divorced himself from personnel. He came to KC and got the GM he wanted so that Reid could totally commit himself to coaching. In other words, Dorsey has final say in personnel, and takes the personnel that he wants. The roster is full of Dorsey acquisitions, not Reid acquisitions.

That said, you're dead right that Dorsey's not the one determining scheme, but he gets to determine what kind of players he wants fleshing out the scheme. Sutton may vouch for Mike DeVito, and Dorsey may act on that, but Dorsey's the top of the personnel food chain.

But it ultimately sounds like we're agreeing. It ultimately sounds like we're both saying the Chiefs want certain types of players (big-bodied TEs that can block, tall, fast corners, players with phenomenal measurables) and we're just disagreeing who determines that these players become Chiefs. I say Dorsey's pulling the strings, you say Dorsey's mostly following orders. That's fine, but we're ultimately both agreeing that there are "types" that the Chiefs like.

And I'm willing to disagree with you on another point -- most GMs do have "types" of players that they like. The Giants have certain things they like in DL, Patriots in QBs, Steelers in LBs, and so on. That's pretty uncontroversial to say.

No, we certainly are not agreeing because you can't comprehend what I'm saying.

You're assuming that I'm saying Reid is calling the shots, I'm not. You're also assuming that because of the prior assumption, that Dorsey is taking orders, he's not.

It works from the ground up, and someone as intellectual, at least in your penchant for overthinking everything, SHOULD be able to use your powers of deduction to discern the difference between the fine lines of "orders" and "logic".

If Reid and Sutton come in here saying we want to run a West Coast offense and a hybrid between the base 3-4 and the Nickel/Dime defenses, A "smart" GM uses logic to dictate his player selection. You're not going to draft pass rushing Defensive Tackles with slight frames and longer arms. You're not going to draft smaller corners with average speed but with zero strength. Why? Because they just don't FIT the defensive scheme here.

You need big body physical monsters at the DT position to occupy space and eat up double teams so you can get your Outside Linebackers into beatable matchups off the edge, and your inside guys a clear lane to fill when the runner comes up. You want solid tacklers on the edge who play more of a "hybrid" DE role here as they both need to have a quick first step, as well as enough body to leverage the tackles for run support.

This whole defensive "base" scheme we have, is designed in part, to do two things. Give DJ, Berry, +MLB2 open lanes to blow up on running downs, and give Houston/Hali 1 on 1 matchups on the edge on Passing Downs. To do this, you need Poe. He's a ****ing manbeast of a DT and EMBODIES every single bit of the position that Reid needs here. If there's ONE guy on this entire defense that truly Anchors the Defense in the mindset that Reid and Sutton want it done, its Poe and Poe above all others. Berry is a FINE piece to have, but any warm body can take his place in the 3-4, they just lack what Berry brings to the table, playmaking ability. Which is sad, because that makes Berry somewhat expendable in Suttons defense, though the mere mentioning of that word "seems" laughable because Berry is ALL WORLD good.

The second part of that, the Nickel/Dime packages that we have, require us to have absolutely stellar physical corners on the outside because the whole goal here is to take away the outside/quick release throws, and force the ball into the center of the defense. We want this to be done because of a few reaons. 1.) It puts the ball carrier right in the middle of the defense where our most prominent tacklers and playmakers are, DJ and Berry. 2.) It keeps the clock moving, ideologically, this is what we want as our plan is to play with a lead and use a very minimal, yet effective pass rush while locking down the secondary. 3.) There are, in all honesty, only 3 passing lanes to work with in the Nickel or Dime with a minimal rush using press-man coverage on the outside. With a disruptive Poe, he's going to neutralize 1 lane about 35-40% of the time, and with Hali, Houston, and Bailey on the edges with only 2 lanes to throw, this makes for "easy pickings" on negative yardage plays as the timing required to "often" make a succesful pass in those two lanes requires our outside corners to lose their receiver to the inside, where we technically want the ball. If they are succesful with their jams, delaying the release of the ball even .5 of a second, the QB will likely see pressure and hurry the throw or step up into the pocket, into Poe. What happens here is a lot of check downs and quick TE outs/screens, limiting the downfield routes. This is literally an ideal scenario for this sytem, the only downfall is that Cooper hasn't yet made the next step in his career and his confidence is shaky. When he's "on" he's honestly probably our best corner. When he's off, he's sabby piscateli bad. Unfortunately, he receives a lot of bad credit for busted plays where he's out of position, because our makeshift safeties aren't communicating well enough and they themselves have been out of position many times. I believe it was New England or Denver game where people blamed Cooper on miscue which turned into a touchdown, when in fact it was the Safety who was out of place and ended up 15 yards on the other side of his zone.

Now, bringing this back into perspective, I bring this up for one main reason. If Dorsey "had" a mold for guys he likes to draft, and he really doesn't as evidenced by his GB and KC drafts, this wouldn't bode well for ANY Coach/Coordinator as they'd be receiving talent not fit for their system, and he'd likely get ran out of town within the first two years, because he's simply not doing his job. You don't just draft talent and plug away, Pioli did that horribly. You (the GM) draft the BEST talent for the SYSTEM you play in. This is exactly why there's the old "talk" about how a New GM brings a new HC, brings a new QB when franchises turnover their staff, and it doesn't happen "just because" or because of "their guy". It happens because something as simple as a new coordinator, brings in a whole different "need' for skillsets.

This team needs BIG physical corners because of the schemes we run. This team needs MONSTER athletes at DT because of the schemes we run. This team needs Sideline to Sideline ILB's because of the schemes we run. This team needs "all around" TE's because of the schemes we run. This team needs physical "big body" receivers because of the schemes we run.

Obviously though, there's room for some exceptions, like Nickel/Dime Corners, and 1 Deep threat/Slot/Burner receiver, and 1 dynamite "3rd down" receiver TE option. Just like this offensive line doesn't need "maulers" for the ideal role Reid wants this scheme working with, though with JC, we kind of need hybrid maulers just because you "work with what you've got" and having JC means we HAVE to run the ball to be effective. If the defense knows JC is only getting a pitch count every game, we're going to lose every stinking time.

Whole point here, to reiterate again, is that Dorsey drafts to the scheme, rather well. He waiver claims/signs to the scheme pretty well too, though in all honesty, he's pretty bad at "stop gap" talent when he has a hole that needs filling via FA.

So seriously, get off this "Dorsey type" bullshit, and start thinking "Scheme type".

09-24-2014, 02:22 AM
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $2033447	Talking Draft Prospects We've got perhaps the biggest, most consequential draft coming up for this franchise since 2008. The Chiefs have all seven of their picks, and will certainly be picking up an additional four in compensatory picks, one of which is assuredly a 3rd rounder. As a result, it's important to familiarize ourselves with as much of this draft class as possible. I started a thread last offseason that discussed late rounders that was generally well liked and spurred tons of great conversation on all sorts of draft picks we normally wouldn't talk about, so I'm going to duplicate that idea this year, only discussing all talents, rather than just the mid- and lower-round ones. The OP will be continually updated to show the talent I'm reviewing by position. Keep in mind as I list these players that I am generally listing their round projections, but it is not a strict big board, as I likely won't have a big board put together until May. Spoiler! QB Marcus Mariota, Oregon Jameis Winston, Florida State Brett Hundley, UCLA Connor Cook, Michigan State RB Todd Gurley, Georgia Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska Mike Davis, South Carolina T.J. Yeldon, Alabama Tevin Coleman, Indiana Duke Johnson, Miami Jay Ajayi, Boise State FB WR Sammie Coates, Auburn Amari Cooper, Alabama Dorial Green-Beckham, Oklahoma Ty Montgomery, Stanford Kevin White, West Virginia DeVante Parker, Louisville Jaelen Strong, Arizona State Josh Harper, Fresno State Breshad Perriman, Central Florida Devin Smith, Ohio State Rashad Greene, Florida State TE Devin Funchess, Michigan Maxx Williams, Minnesota OT Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M Brandon Schwerff, Iowa Andrus Peat, Stanford La'el Collins, LSU Spencer Drango, Baylor Ereck Flowers, Miami Cameron Erving, Florida State T.J. Clemmings, Pittsburgh Ronnie Stanley, Notre Dame Ty Sambrailo, Colorado State Jake Fisher, Oregon OG La'el Collins, LSU A.J. McCann, South Carolina Cameron Erving, Florida State Ty Sambrailo, Colorado State Josue Matias, Florida State Laken Tomlinson, Duke C Cameron Erving, Florida State Reese Dismukes, Auburn NT Danny Shelton, Washington Eddie Goldman, Florida State Malcom Brown, Texas Jordan Phillips, Oklahoma 4-3 DT and/or 3-4 DE Leonard Williams, USC Michael Bennett, Ohio State Mario Edwards, Jr., Florida State Malcom Brown, Texas Arik Armstead, Oregon Carl Davis, Iowa 4-3 DE Randy Gregory, Nebraska Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State Dante Fowler, Jr., Florida Shawn Oakman, Baylor Bronson Kaufusi, BYU Alvin Dupree, Kentucky Nate Orchard, Utah Owamagbe Odighizuwa, UCLA Danielle Hunter, LSU 3-4 OLB Randy Gregory, Nebraska Vic Beasley, Clemson Dante Fowler, Jr., Florida Shayne Ray, Missouri Bronson Kaufusi, BYU Lorenzo Maudlin, Louisville Alvin Dupree, Kentucky Nate Orchard, Utah Hau'oli Kikaha, Washington Eli Harold, Virginia Danielle Hunter, LSU 4-3 OLB/WILB Vic Beasley, Clemson Shaq Thompson, Washington Paul Dawson, TCU MLB/SILB Bernardrick McKinney, Mississippi State Denzel Perryman, Miami Eric Kendricks, UCLA CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomo, Oregon P.J. Williams, Florida State Marcus Peters, Washington Trae Waynes, Michigan State Jalen Collins, LSU Alex Carter, Stanford Quentin Rollins, Miami (OH) Kevin Johnson, Wake Forest SS Landon Collins, Alabama Anthony Harris, Virginia FS Gerod Holliman, Louisville K P Last edited by Direckshun; 03-04-2015 at 08:24 PM..
Posts: 59,693

10-16-2014, 02:58 PM	#138
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $2033447	OLB Shane Ray, Missouri -- Ray fits to a "T" what the Chiefs love to do with their rushbackers. The Chiefs love to put all three of them on the field on third-and-longs, put Houston's hand in the dirt at the three-tech, and send all three shooting gaps into the backfield. The Chiefs love OLBs who have a really great first step and can turn the corner fast, with lots of enthusiasm and plenty enough athleticism to drop into coverage. In a way, it's almost a shame that the Chiefs drafted Dee Ford in the first last year, because Ray is exactly what they love at the position. The only thing Ray lacks is an elite first step, though because Missouri does put his hand in the dirt about 95% of the time, he has very little experience dropping into coverage. But he'd be a natural successor to Hali's spot -- he's already got a few passrush moves, though they all need work. His motor is excellent; he will track plays down from the backside and keep his passrush on throughout a play, even if he can't seem to wring free of the tackle. Ray plays with pretty good power but a whole lot of finesse, as he is slightly undersized at a maxed-out 6'3", 245 lbs. I don't think he has the power to hold up as a 4-3 DE, but teams asking him to blaze off the edge and move QBs off their spot should seriously consider Ray in the middle- to the late-1st round.
Posts: 59,693

10-16-2014, 10:46 PM	#141
kccrow MVP Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Michigan Casino cash: $-1220000	Every year there is a Pro Bowl type linebacker that comes from the first few rounds 2013 - Kiko Alonso 2012 - Luke Kuechly 2011 - Mason Foster is pretty good, so is KJ Wright 2010 - Navorrow Bowman, Daryl Washington (until full idiot), Sean Lee (when healthy) 2009 - James Laurinaitis etc...
Posts: 14,097

10-17-2014, 01:17 AM	#144
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $2033447	RB Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska -- I watch Abdullah play and I'm not sure where he fits on my roster if I were a GM. The first thing that jumps out about him is his size at 5'9", 190 lbs, which is diminutive by NFL standards, and he doesn't seem to back it up with great speed or elite athleticism or change-of-direction. That doesn't change the fact that Abdullah has great fundamentals as a runner: he's patient in setting up a block, eats up the space his blocking gives him very quickly. He drives through tackles, not frequently breaking them, but always managing to fall forward or even get an additional spring of a couple yards while he goes down. He hits the hole really hard when he's asked to run downhill, but he's obviously not built for it at the next level. He runs decent routes (Nebraska doesn't ask to do much there except for standard wheel routes) and I like him in the role as a third down back in a west coast offense. But that's about his roof in the NFL: he's a change-of-pace guy who can excel as a bit player in an effective offense that doesn't ask him to carry the load. I think he'd be decent value in the midrounds, which is far lower than most other sites have him, but I don't see great value in a small RB who lacks elite athleticism. Edit (11/18): Watching a ton of film on Abdullah throughout the year, and he is extremely easy to love as a RB. As I mentioned in this analysis, he is an excellent runner in terms of fundamentals, and it'll be great to see how he times and lifts at the Combine. He's not an every-down back, but he can be great in a rotation. I'd put a 3rd round grade on him. Last edited by Direckshun; 11-18-2014 at 01:24 PM..
Posts: 59,693

10-17-2014, 02:39 AM	#146
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $2033447	WR Kevin White, West Virginia -- Wow, is this guy fun to watch. There's not a lot of WRs that boast a combination of sophisticated route-running, top-notch athleticism, and ultra-competitiveness that White brings to the table, and it is downright magnetic to watch. I just absolutely love the way he plays, and his total commitment on the football field gives me the feeling that White has the most upside of anybody in this draft. What's going to happen after his rookie season, and he discovers that he's struggling to break free of CBs on button hook routes? That guy's going to kill himself over the spring mastering button hook routes, that's what. White is a very long 6'3", 210 lbs, and possesses what looks like 4.3 speed coming out of his breaks. His route-running is full of all those subtle moves you need to separate and beat a corner to the pylon. He can be absolutely lethal on crossing routes, something WVU actually employs similarly to how the Chiefs use them. And his runblocking -- oh, his runblocking. He plays pissed off, and that runblocking is a direct extension of that. The one knock I have on White is minor, and it's that he doesn't always play as big as he could, but part of that is because the Mountaineers never really launch that many jump balls for him. And besides, you know he's got the on-field drive to work on any and all weaknesses. The Chiefs need to take an extremely hard look at this kid in the 1st.
Posts: 59,693

10-17-2014, 10:09 AM	#147
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $2033447	RB Mike Davis, South Carolina -- There is something that is so enjoyable about a thick, squatty (5'9", 215 lbs) RB who can leverage his short frame into consistent 5- and 6-yard bursts every down. Not only is it a critical contribution to the offense, it's also just a sterling example of one player doing the small things well so that the teammates around him can flourish. That's one of the reason Maurice Jones-Drew was so lethal for so many years, and while Davis lacks MJD's pure power and pull-away speed, he does boast that same ability to make himself small, work through the cracks in the line, and refuse to let a stray arm or a poorly-squared hit knock him off his feet. Really, Davis' balance is extraordinary, and is why I think he's going to be a solid lunchpail three-down back in the NFL. His change of direction is excellent, and I think he would really flourish in a one-cut zone blocking system that asks him to pick his own hole and go. Not only that, but he's got really good hands in the open field, and is a reliable safety valve for QBs. With some fine-tuning, I think he has 20-carry potential in the NFL, and can possibly have a very underrated career keeping the offense on the field by reliably gaining good yardage. Post-Combine (2/24): Just not athletic enough to be a true 20-carry back. He's got the body for the workload, so I think he could be valuable in a committee, but he doesn't have the chops to be a franchise-back. Feel like he's a midrounder at this point. Last edited by Direckshun; 02-24-2015 at 11:28 PM..
Posts: 59,693

10-17-2014, 06:33 PM	#149
OldSchool MVP Join Date: Sep 2013 Casino cash: $10035212	Luke is vastly overrated. He absolutely sucks this year and is a big part of the reason why the Panthers' run defense is looking like shit this year, ranked 27th in the league.
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