Sac's Final 2011 NFL Draft Wish List

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

1st - Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin
2nd - Sam Acho, DE/OLB, Texas
3rd - Jerrell Powe, NT, Ole. Miss
4th - Edmund Gates, WR, Abilene Christian
5th - Austin Pettis, WR, Boise State
5th - Brandon Fusco, C, Slippery Rock
6th - T.J. Yates, QB, North Carolina
7th - Robert Hughes, RB, Notre Dame

I'm not sold on Carimi as anything other than a RT at the next level. The guy is a major force in the run, but the games I've seen, he can be beaten around the edge by the better speed rushers. (Watch the Iowa/Wisconsin games - he absolutely abuses Clayborn on the running plays but there are a number of times where Clayborn simply blows by him on pass plays and gets into the backfield.) And while he's athletic for a guy his size, he's not the same type of athlete as Costanzo or Sherrod. At least to me, Sherrod presents the best of all possibilities in terms of plugging a guy into either spot and getting substantially better production than what we have in both the run and pass.

There is no way Pettis last until the fifth round. Hell, if he's there in the fourth, I'd rather have him over the guy I picked in Vincent Brown. (Other than AJ Green, I think Pettis is the best receiver in this draft.) I can't see him lasting beyond the third round, but given the choice between Jerrell Powe and Pettis, I had to go with Powe as you can find quality possession receivers in the draft in any round if you know what you are looking for.

Not a chance that I take a guy from Slippery Rock over Zane Taylor, who's called the line for two BCS bowl games, is a four year first team conference all-academic and a two time all-conference player including a first team all conference selection last year. I think Fusco is more a product of very good coaching than anything else, considering that five Slippery Rock centers have earned first team DII All-American honors since 1997. That's more than just a coincidence at that point.

If Taylor isn't available, I'd take Jake Kirkpatrick or Colin Baxter. Kirkpatrick should be very effective in a zone scheme like Haley runs. However, neither have Taylor's strength (41 reps at 225 at the Utah pro day) and leverage, which will help him be more productive from the get go.

Yates' college career could be defined as "lackluster." Going into his senior season, he was not even guaranteed the starting position even though he was the three year starter. His senior season was good, but nothing insane. More a product of being a four year starter than anything else. Doesn't have very good arm strength and was really supported by an All-Star level defense.

I think if the Chiefs are picking up a QB in the later rounds, they need to look for a guy who is solid starting material that has some potential beyond that. Stanzi, Tolzien of Wisconsin and McElroy of Alabama would be the guys that should be available around there that would fit that profile. Solid QB's that didn't put up huge numbers because of a reliance on a run based offense that do have solid prep pedigrees and did what was asked of them within the confines of their college programs. If they want to go with an athlete and try to groom them into a NFL level guy, Adam Weber of Minnesota or Tyrod Taylor of Virginia Tech wouldn't be a bad way to go. (Taylor might be the next Brad Smith, but Weber, with some good coaching, has a chance to be a real QB at the next level. He's shown he can light guys up through the air and has really good athleticism to boot.) Josh Portis might have been the next Cam Newton if he had one more year of eligibility, but he might be worth a look as well.

However, I think that Stanzi and Tolzien are the best of the "true" QB's that will be available at that point in the draft. Both had successful careers and a lot of wins in a solid conference and worked out of pro style sets. I guess it just depends on where you think they go with Cassel, what you think of Croyle as the #2 and if one of these guys has the chance to be that proverbial diamond in the rough like Hasselbeck or Brady.