Yes, Memphis really had no idea how to use Poe.

[Direckshun]

Fascinating...

http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2012/0...ogle_news_blog

A Guide to NFL Draft Sleepers
April 27, 2012, 2:18 PM

Any seasoned NFL fan knows the deal with the draft by now: Your team makes a selection and management calls the fact that he was available a miracle. “We never thought he’d drop so far,” team executives say.

It’s become such a cliché that it’s a surprise Colts G.M. Ryan Grigson didn’t say it last night when selecting Andrew Luck with perhaps the most telegraphed first overall pick in draft history. But sometimes a player does fall for reasons other teams may come to regret. For those liable to think every player their team drafted was an absolute steal, we put together a handy guide to let you know if you have a sleeper on your hands:

THE OUT-OF-POSITION SLEEPER

If you look at steals in the draft over the past decade, you’ll find a handful of players who simply moved around too much to show NFL talent. Pro Bowl DT Jay Ratliff dabbled at tight end at Auburn, while star receiver Anquan Boldin had a rocky stint as Florida State’s quarterback. Aaron Kampman, a fifth-rounder out of Iowa who has made two Pro Bowls, switched between linebacker and defensive end – and not in the way teams do that regularly in the NFL. Heck, even Pro Bowl selection Cortland Finnegan was overlooked until the seventh round at cornerback at Samford because he was playing free safety the whole time.

So when examining your steal, see if he can play anywhere else on the field. Or just assume he can and you’ll be much happier. Take Michael Robinson, the former Penn State quarterback who didn’t entertain the idea of playing anywhere but running back in the pros. Still, most switcheroo candidates will take people by surprise. Perhaps a player like LSU’s average quarterback, Jordan Jefferson, who at 6 feet 3 ran a decent 4.6-second 40-yard dash and could be a receiving threat with the right development. Or maybe just a bad quarterback.

THE BAD-SCHEME SLEEPER

There are all sorts of stories about run-first high school offenses keeping future star QBs a secret – Brett Favre and Ben Roethlisberger are the most notable. But it’s rarer in college, where players often go to fit a specific scheme. Still, sometimes a player gets the wrong coach and looks undervalued. One example this year is Dontari Poe, the hulking defensive lineman who raced up draft boards after being ignored during a career at the college-football backwater of Memphis. He had just eight tackles-for-loss last season. On Thursday night, after the Kansas City Chiefs took him 11th overall, Chiefs G.M. Scott Pioli noted that in 49% of his plays, the design of the defensive scheme made it literally impossible for him to record any sort of statistic.

But as we go on in the draft, these players will pop up more and more. In a stunning first-round coincidence, Ryan Tannehill could be considered one of these sleepers, since he was burdened with Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman’s molasses poorly-designed offense. Of course, Tannehill was drafted by the Dolphins last night, where he’ll get a new start with a new … whoops, nevermind, Sherman is the offensive coordinator there after getting fired from his Aggies job.

THE WRONG-SPORT SLEEPER

From Bo Jackson to Brian Jordan, it’s hard to know where to draft a multi-sport athlete, but one thing is clear: They are normally drafted lower than they should be. Last year, the league saw former Miami hoops player Jimmy Graham destroy secondaries. This after another former basketball-star-turned-tight-end, Antonio Gates, has haunted defensive backs for years. The Cowboys used to have a suite at the Final Four for assistants to interview basketball coaches to see which of their players might make the leap. It’s hard to get a read on a player who doesn’t devote himself full time to one sport. (And it doesn’t always work out. For more information, please read up on Drew Henson.)

Whatever the case, this year brings Russell Wilson, the Wisconsin quarterback who was second in the country with 10.3 yards per attempts on his passes. That’s not the only thing to recommend him. He also has a minor-league baseball career that’s taken up most of his summers, so much so that it got him run out of N.C. State’s program. Maybe a team can take a flier on him and he’ll produce if he focuses on football. At the very least, you’re looking at an upgrade on the company softball team.

THE NOT-HIS-FAULT SLEEPER

I’m telling anyone who will listen that Tommy Streeter, Miami’s 6-foot-5 wide receiver, is my big sleeper this year. Streeter is fast, can catch and played for some awful quarterbacks. LSU’s Rueben Randle, who had to deal with his own QB nightmare in Baton Rogue, is another one.

There’s Mohamed Sanu from Rutgers, who didn’t exactly get Johnny Unitas’s passes coming his way. In contrast there are players like Kendall Wright, the Baylor wide receiver who went in the first round to Tennessee and got the benefit of Robert Griffin III throwing to him. There’s always a blurry line there. After all, some great wide receivers, like Michael Irvin, had elite quarterbacks in college. But many (Jerry Rice, Terrell Owens, Isaac Bruce, Calvin Johnson) did not. So please disregard the “lack of production” disclaimer on the draft broadcast in these situations.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Nightfyre

After hearing Pioli talk about him, I feel a lot better about the pick than I did.

Drink up!

[L.A. Chieffan]

Originally Posted by Satanic Goat

Drink up!

Go be a broncos fan. It would fit your penchant for flip flopping anyway.

[Hammock Parties]

Nightfyre just loved Scott Pioli's treatise on The Right 53. He ate that shit up.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Satanic Goat

Except that the Chiefs have ALREADY SAID they expect Poe to be a three down player and a pass rusher.

They also said they're going to stick him at NT and leave him there.

The 2 ideas are mutually exclusive.

[veist]

Originally Posted by Satanic Goat

Except that the Chiefs have ALREADY SAID they expect Poe to be a three down player and a pass rusher.

Good thing he isn't playing OLB then. I mean seriously this is a ****ing asinine talking point, his change of direction has nothing to do with rushing the passer from the inside.

[Titty Meat]

So how bout the other 50% where he was in position to make a play and only registered 12 tackles?

[BossChief]

Where are you getting this 12 tackles stat from?

The sites I've seen credit him anywhere from 30 to 36 tackles last year.

[BigMeatballDave]

The more I read and hear about this kid, the more I like him and we are going to be pleasantly surprised.

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by Dave

The more I read and hear about this kid, the more I like him and we are going to be pleasantly surprised.

Like I've said - get some legit NFL talent around him and see what he can do.

[BigMeatballDave]

Originally Posted by Bo's Pelini

only registered 12 tackles?

Link?

[BigMeatballDave]

I cant believe he ran a sub-5 40.

345lbs coming at you that fast? ****.

[L.A. Chieffan]

I'm pretty sure Poe didn't even play last year. It's all a myth.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

They also said they're going to stick him at NT and leave him there.

The 2 ideas are mutually exclusive.

No they're not.

He's going to play in the sub package as a pass rusher.

There is no NT in that package.

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by Bowser

Like I've said - get some legit NFL talent around him and see what he can do.

That's what's so intriguing about Poe.

All he has to do in our defense is force the offense to redirect.

He does that, he is sending the sheep to the wolves with the talent we have on this defense.

I'm expecting him to look below average-bad for most of his first year, but for him to flash towards the end of the year.

I fully expect this place to have numerous Ryan Simms threads by week 2.

He WILL be thinking too much for most of the first year, at minimum.

By year two, he should be making strides and making believers of most of us by mid season.

[RealSNR]

Too bad there isn't a combine drill that measures explosion and/or acceleration.

The problem is the dude isn't going to get much of a chance to use that speed and power he has. BOTH linemen (including the center) will always have the first step on him. He's hella slow off the snap.