*****OFFICIAL 2009 NFL Draft Thread*****

[RealSNR]

Let's chat up the information as it happens right here.

Less than 24 hours to go.

GO PIOLI! GO CHIEFS!

[ChiefsCountry]

Damn thats a steal for Cleveland.

[Mecca]

Man James Davis is a player I like getting him this late is pretty nice.

[chiefs1111]

Rams take a QB

[warrior]

Lambs take Keith Null

[warrior]

Originally Posted by chiefs1111

Browns take James Davis ,good pick

Yep

[the Talking Can]

Originally Posted by SNR

According to reports he has a DUI with a bad license.

you're right

Scouting Report

GENERAL REPORT: GRADE: 5.8

Body Structure: Ellerbe has a thick, compactly built frame, but lacks ideal size for the position. He has good overall muscle development with a thick lower body and adequate arm length. He has decent width in his chest and shoulders and knotted calves.

Athletic Ability: Ellerbe might lack the tall stature you look for in a linebacker, but he is a well-built athlete with room on his frame to add more bulk. He demonstrates very good closing speed and shows good urgency getting to the ball once he locates it. He might lack great size, but he is an athletic type with the speed to run to the football and the strength to strike on contact. He is a physical tackler with a normal running stride. He shows little arm usage when working in-line and is best when making plays on the move. He flashes above average acceleration to the ball and has the lateral quickness to make plays along the sidelines, thanks to fluid hip flexibility. He lacks ideal size and even though he added 10 pounds of bulk prior to the 2008 season, he can still be stonewalled by an offensive line man's strong hand punch. GRADE: 6.7

Football Sense: Ellerbe does get out of control too often, but he does display good eyes locating blocking schemes and is quick to pick up play-action. He reads hats well, but with his short stature he can lose sight of the ball when working through trash. Even though he has good field smarts, there are times he relies on his athleticism too much and needs to play with better control. GRADE: 6.4

Character: Ellerbe has been compliant the last few years, but he did have quite a bit of legal issues back in 2006 that led to his arrest for driving recklessly and underage driving while under the influence. GRADE: 4.9

Competitiveness: Ellerbe plays as if he is on a search and destroy mission, but there were more than a few whispers that he throttled down in 2008 after suffering his knee injury, concerned more about his draft stock. He does give good effort in pursuit, but whether it was the injury or whatever, he was not the same player in 2008 that he showed as a junior. He is a tough player who has developed confidence in his play. Even when he is a bit late reacting to the ball, once he locates his target he shows great determination to make the play. GRADE: 5.9

Work Habits: Ellerbe is still a work in progress as far as his work ethic goes, but has made marked improvement in his third year in the Georgia program. He works hard in the weight room and does what the coaches ask. He is more outgoing than some teams would like, but he plays at a high emotion level and tries to make his play speak volumes. GRADE: 6.3

ATHLETIC REPORT: GRADE: 6.49

Key and Diagnostic Skills: Ellerbe is a sparkplug on the field. He plays with reckless abandon, but also has a good feel and vision for plays developing in front of him. He is quick reacting to keys and fights hard through trash to make the play. He will get out of control too much, but when he plays within his element he will not be fooled by play-action or misdirection. Because of size issues, he needs to be on the move, as he does not show great ability to locate the ball in a crowd. He is the type that makes quick and decisive reads, sort of reminiscent of the Jets' Bart Scott for his ability to easily flow to the ball (but only when he does not try to out-battle blockers at the Xs). GRADE: 7.3

Playing Strength and Explosion: Ellerbe needs to keep his hands active in order not to get stonewalled by the bigger offensive linemen, but he is stout at the point of attack, staying low in his pads to drive through the lead blocker in attempts to clog the rush lanes. He is better playing on the move, as he can flow to the ball and not have to get into one-on-one battles in the trenches. When he shoots his hands and keeps them inside his frame, he is capable of stunning the interior blocker executing the blitz. He has the speed and explosive burst to close on the play, but despite his weight room strength Ellerbe gets pushed around quite a bit trying to sift through trash. He needs to use his hands better to protect himself from low blocks and when he leaves his chest exposed, a hungry offensive lineman is quick to lock on and control him. He also needs to do a better job of playing off double teams, as the opponents do a good job of attacking his feet. GRADE: 6.2

Lateral Pursuit/Range: Ellerbe compensates for a lack of size and bulk by closing on plays in front of him with good urgency. In a Cover-2 alignment, his speed, change of direction agility and nimble feet could see him shift to weak-side linebacker at the next level. He is sort of like a bull in a china shop though, as he lacks a good concept for taking angles, resulting in him simply over-running plays. He shows good balance and turning motion coming out of his back-pedal and is sort of like a safety with the depth he gets in his pass drops. The reason he could be more productive as a weak-side linebacker is that Ellerbe is at his best playing side to side and flowing to the football. He makes most of his tackles outside the box and shows fluid lateral agility. He has the change of direction agility to clear trash and make plays down the line, but does get in trouble when he attempts to engage and overpower the blocker. GRADE: 6.9

Use of Hands: When he keeps his hands active, Ellerbe has good success shedding blocks, but he is prone to getting reckless in his play, short-arming often, which lets the big linemen get into his body. At the point of attack, he needs to use his hands better, especially in attempts to protect his legs from double teams. He shows good physical presence with his hands to mirror the tight end, but does not appear to have the natural hands needed to look the ball in and grab away from the body's framework on interceptions. GRADE: 5.5

Tackling Ability: Ellerbe is a strong, physical tackler, but leaves his feet too much, resulting in quite a few missed tackles. He needs to play with better control, as he will try to deliver the knockout blow so much that he will forget about his other responsibilities. He has the hand strength to make arm tackles, but does do a nice job of wrapping up when he has time to get in front of the play to gain position. He is not effective playing in space and must improve his ability to take angles. On the move, he makes physical tackles, as he stays low in his pads, drives hard with his legs and extends his arms to wrap and secure. He is better when working on the run, as he has the motor and quickness to get to the football. He is an effective blow-up type when tackling along the corners, but tends to be a drag-down type who will occasionally overrun the play to avoid blocks when working near the line of scrimmage. GRADE: 6.5

Run Defense: Ellerbe is very good at plugging the holes. He is quick to clog the rush lanes and with his low center of gravity, he has good success taking on the lead blocker. He needs to be more in control with his hands when trying to shed, but he will hit with a thud. His reckless style will see him either get high or leave his feet trying to make the sensational hit, but that has led to a lot of missed tackles in 2008. Against the run, he is best when chasing plays down rather than planting and driving vs. plays in front of him (makes too many arm tackles at the line of scrimmage). He struggles to stack when he fails to generate hand activity and despite his strength, his lack of size could see him lose control and fail to hold ground at the point of attack. Still, he has the ability to flow to the ball and make the cut-off on the corner. He certainly has the speed to reach the outside and that is another reason he's likely to be a better producer on the weak side than in the middle. GRADE: 6.7

Pass Defense: Ellerbe is very good at dropping back in pass coverage, as he has the nimble feet to come out cleanly from his breaks. He is not the type that will get fooled out of his backpedal too early by a receiver trying to sell and con on the route. Unlike most linebackers, he appears better in the zone or in deep coverage, as he tends to leave too much cushion, which lets tight ends and backs have good success catching the ball underneath. He has the foot speed to ride on the hip of the receiver in the second level, but you would like to see him step up to the line and use his hands to jam or reroute, as he does leave too much cushion. GRADE: 6.5

Zone Defense: Ellerbe is like a safety in zone coverage. He drops back quickly and is very smooth in his turning motion. He shows good intent tracking the ball in flight, but does lack natural hands to make the interception. When in the open field, he does a great job of seeing the ball and reacting to it. He is effective handling the switch-off, and his instincts make him appear get a good jump on the ball. GRADE: 6.4

Pass Rush and Blitz: Ellerbe has the speed to impact the backfield coming off the edge, but will get lost and lose sight of the quarterback, as he struggles to shed and leaves his body too exposed for reach blocks. He is more effective as a bull rusher, taking the shorter route to the passer by racing through the "A & B" gaps. He has the closing speed to take a bead on the quarterback better when operating inside than when coming off the corners. He seems to generate more power behind his hits when he gets a free lane coming off the edge. He has a good initial burst and the ability to adjust on the move. When he sets sights on the quarterback, he has the power to punish. GRADE: 6.4

Compares To: BART SCOTT, New York Jets -- Scott is a little bigger and more patient, but both are impact tacklers who do quite an effective job in stuffing the inside running game. Ellerbe has the same ability of Scott when it comes to defending vs. the pass, as he gets good depth in his drops. He shows better production when playing on the move. That, combined with his speed, means a move to weak-side linebacker could be beneficial to his pro aspirations. Inside the box, when he leaves his chest too exposed it lets the blockers stand him up and wash him out. When given a lane, he is quick to slip blocks and create havoc in the backfield. If a team gets the 2007 version of his bull in a china shop approach, rather than the tentative one who struggled with knee problems in 2008, they will get good value early in the second day of the draft.

OVERALL GRADE: 6.42

[Tits McGee]

rember when donnie edwards got DUI a UCLA.

[warrior]

Cowgirls take Steph Hodge S

[chiefs1111]

Cowboys take Stephen Hodge

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

So Pioli has 3 rings as Oz in New England, but is considered a first year guy when possibly taking and trading Sanchez.

And you wonder why I was calling out duplicitous bullshit.

its the truth, he HAS 3 rings in NE, deserves a little leeway before slamming him for picks, yet taking a guy, when you just traded for the guy who you obviously think in your mind IS "the guy", to hold "ramsom" is VERY much gambling and if hadnt worked would have been a failure. its about HIM not taking that bid of a risk due to being a first year guy. if he had been here a couple of years and was a little more entrenched then maybe HE would feel differently.


MY VIEW: if he would have taken sanchez i would have trusted that he thought it was the right move. i will trust him because of the rings until it shows ON THE FIELD what he has chosen is an epic failure. and one year isnt enough to show that. if after 2010 we are still willing 2-6 games a year i will be pissed and know that pioli didnt work out. right now it's too early to tell, try to be positive

[warrior]

Pats get Jake Ingram LS HAW

[chiefs1111]

Pats take a center from Hawaii

[ChiefsCountry]

Pats take a long snapper.

[Reaper16]

Keith Null, lol. Ryan Leaf coached him at West Texas A&M.

I remember two years ago when Northwest Missouri State sacked him like six times and took him out of the game.

Good on him for getting drafted by STL, but I don't see an NFL player in Null.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by Reaper16

Keith Null, lol. Ryan Leaf coached him at West Texas A&M.

I remember two years ago when Northwest Missouri State sacked him like six times and took him out of the game.

If I was going to interview for the draft I'm not sure I'd want to put down that Ryan Leaf coached me.