Three really good mid-rounders, and three I hate.

[Direckshun]

Just because. Midrounders are anything from low-3rds to 5th round.

I LIKE:

OT/G Joel Bitonio, Nevada -- At this point, he's looking more like a guard, since he played there all of the Senior Bowl. However, Bitonio played extremely well at the Senior Bowl, ending up one of my Top 10 players from that week. Bitonio (6'4", 307 lbs) is a very, very athletic tackle who could crawl into the 2nd round if that athleticism translates to a sub-5.0 40 time, which I honestly think it will. He looks like a great zone blocker at guard, but I honestly think he can play tackle -- he played Anthony Barr to a standstill. Blocked for the NCAA's 2nd most rush yards, and held excellent protection at left tackle for the Wolf Pack.

DE/DT Dominique Easley, Florida -- I absolutely adore Easley. Extremely high effort, high-athleticism guy who absolutely never quits. He can push back against bigger OLs, and penetrate, penetrate, penetrate. The big question is -- where do you put him. He played everywhere in Florida's 4-3, but 280 lbs is pretty light for defensive tackle in the NFL, even at undertackle. He's a little on the short side (6'2") but powerful enough for DE in the 4-3, but he played primarily at DT for the Gators, so he's a project there. As for the 3-4... I hate him on the edge in a two-point stance. His first step is far too valuable to take him out of the three-point. So he'd have to play DE in our system, making him purely a passrush specialist. I don't know if that'd be worth the 3rd we'd have to spend to get him, but I really want him on our roster. He's 1st round talent, coming off a terrible ACL tear.

TE Xavier Grimble, USC -- I think Grimble is going to pleasantly surprise everybody. His numbers in college were hampered by the great talent he played with and the injuries he suffered, but here's what we do know: Grimble is a fast, athletic, big (6'5", 255) tight end with good hands. His performance at the Combine could endear him to a lot of people, if he holds his own in blocking drills and looks sharp getting in and out of the cuts in his routes.

I DON'T LIKE:

S Ahmad Dixon, Baylor -- Bernard Pollard 2.0. If you want big hits, he's an option. But even with those big hits, Dixon (6'0", 205) isn't that great in the run game, and he's disasterous in the passing game. He doesn't break down for tackles at all, and will throw his shoulder instead of wrapping up. His coverage will be passable on backs out of the flat, but he will struggle keeping up with NFL caliber TEs and god help him against WRs. More of a strong safety. No discipline. Had an assault charge on him over the offseason.

ILB/OLB Lamin Borrow, LSU -- Can somebody tell me why anybody thinks anything of this guy? He's consistently rated as a mid-rounder but aside from his rangey speed, I don't see why. He's not good in coverage. He can't shed blocks. He doesn't make plays behind the line of scrimmage. He's fast but not especially so. He's not especially big (6'2", 232). He's just a guy. He's not a difference maker, wasn't in college, and won't be in the NFL. Blah.

OLB Demarcus Lawrence, Boise State -- A great athlete with a good motor, but undersized. He has some experience standing up, but he really struggled against the scant NFL talent he went up against. The best player he played all year was Bitonio, and he avoided him most of the game. The few meetings these players had was soundly won by Bitonio. He's just too undersized to play in a three-point stance in a 4-3, so he'd have to occupy some Von Miller role as an OLB in that setup, but he has almost no experience in coverage. I think Lawrence will be a valuable special teamer, nothing more.

[Buehler445]

What do you think of James Sims from KU?

I thought he looked really good on a really ****ing terrible offense. I mean really terrible. Probably comes down to his speed, but I wouldn't mind a late flier on the guy.

[Direckshun]

Sims is going to have to make a roster as an UDFA.

[Sandy Vagina]

You seem like the one to ask here... sorry if I missed it, but how about Syracuse DL Jay Bromley as a 3-4 DE?

Here's a November article of him, but it was solid. 9 sacks this past season... hmm...

http://www.optimumscouting.com/draft...the-radar.html

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by Sandy Cheeks

You seem like the one to ask here... sorry if I missed it, but how about Syracuse DL Jay Bromley as a 3-4 DE?

Here's a November article of him, but it was solid. 9 sacks this past season... hmm...

http://www.optimumscouting.com/draft...the-radar.html

I'm not the one to ask. I'm just the one who talks the most. But that counts for something, right?

Bromley doesn't really have any passrushing moves. His sacks come from great effort. It's not clear to me how strong he is, and he looks slower than molasses.

However, his size is perfect for 3-4 DE, even though his speed is not. He has great work ethic and does a great job in pursuit -- never, ever slowing down. And I love his personal story.

I think he's a fascinating guy to take late in the draft, or sell your soul to bring in if he's UDFA. I really like him a lot, limitations and all.

[Sandy Vagina]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

I'm not the one to ask. I'm just the one who talks the most. But that counts for something, right?

Bromley doesn't really have any passrushing moves. His sacks come from great effort. It's not clear to me how strong he is, and he looks slower than molasses.

However, his size is perfect for 3-4 DE, even though his speed is not. He has great work ethic and does a great job in pursuit -- never, ever slowing down. And I love his personal story.

I think he's a fascinating guy to take late in the draft, or sell your soul to bring in if he's UDFA. I really like him a lot, limitations and all.

The more I read and watch of him, the 5th round doesn't really seem too soon to me.

[Direckshun]

RB Bishop Sankey, Washington -- In a draft that has no clear cut RB atop the positional rankings, many different RBs have been floated as "the guy." One of them has been Sankey, but I see Sankey as a potential star in a "running backs by committee" approach, where he is expected to carry a good percentage of the load, but not expected to be the guy running the show. Sankey's primary characteristic is his vision. He has outstanding patience, knows where the holes in the OL are going to be before they open, and can accelerate in a heartbeat. He doesn't seem to have elite speed, but it's still pretty great, and as I mentioned he can turn it on very quickly. But he doesn't seem to be particularly elusive, and he can't break tackles. There's not a lot of yardage after contact in a Sankey highlight package. I'd say he's a 2nd day pick.

[Direckshun]

CB Keith McGill, Utah -- McGill is going to be a colossal bust in the NFL. I absolutely know it. McGill, in case you didn't know, is the guy rocketing up big boards this offseason because (a.) he's very big (6'3", 215), and (b.) it's widely expected that the value of big corners is going to shoot up this offseason following the success of the Seahawks. However, McGill does not deserve to be taken on the 2nd day. He may not deserve to be taken at all. Because while he has good tools (good speed, great length), I just do not see the effort on the field. He is lousy on special teams, and he offers jack and shit in run support. He honestly reminds me of another lanky CB from the Utes -- Sean Smith. I need to see way more from McGill besides a lackadaisical approach on the field.

[Direckshun]

CB Shaquille Richardson, Arizona -- Richardson doesn't quite blow the doors off you when you watch him on the tape, but he does what he's ask to very well. Richardson is a longer corner (6'1", 196) who played almost exclusively in zone for the Wildcats. He has made tremendous progress in his game since 2012, when he got benched for terrible tackling. His tackling has vastly improved, but still needs some progress. He's an enthusiastic run defender, but it's hard to really have a good read on his man coverage, since he so rarely dropped into it. Instead, he looks like a good fit as a possible eventual starter in the Cover 2.

[Direckshun]

S Ty Zimmerman, Kansas State -- The NFL prefers bigger and faster. Taller and stronger. There's a reason why football purists have been upset with the lack of tackling, sharp route-running, defense-reading, and passrush moves that so much of the league exhibits; because instead of bringing in people who know how to play football well, they bring in people with ridiculous measurable who can then be coached into having passable technique. And that leaves the Zimmerman's of the world out to dry. Zimmerman is an energetic fireball of smart safety play and locker room leadership. But he's barely 6'0, and he's probably going to run a 4.7. Therefore, he drops like a rock -- some suggest they might not even get drafted. He's too slow to play free, they say, and he's too small to play strong. Well that's the same criticism they had of Kurt Coleman for the Eagles, who's turned out to be a pretty damn good safety because he know how the game is played. Zimmerman is midround value who will end up being a league-average starter, at least. You can quote me.

[Direckshun]

S Craig Loston, LSU -- Scouting reports frequently tout Loston as "great in run support, but has issues in coverage." That is a dramatic, super-wrong misstatement. I do not disagree that Loston is effective in run support. He is a really good tackler, and plays with an incredibly aggressive attitude. He is the reason concussions are frequent in football, as he loves nothing more than to inflict punishment on ball carriers. I love his nasty attitude on the field. However, Loston is a total liability in coverage. He gets easily confused and never seems to be in the right place, ever. Because he's more comfortable charging the LOS, teams sucker him into it before chucking the ball deep over his head. Loston's a fiery competitor, but he looks like a pure run-support strong safety at the next level, and I don't think he's even starter quality at that.

[Direckshun]

RB James Wilder, Jr., Florida State -- Wilder is this year's Knile Davis. In 2013, Knile Davis came out of Arkansas as a flawed running back. He had tremendous issues staying healthy, and he featured gigantic running issues. It had been a long, long time since he had looked good on a football field. But he showed up at the Combine chiseled at 220 lbs, ran a 4.3 and dominated the drills. Even with those faults, the Chiefs drafted Davis in the third round believing that those measurables were all they needed, and they could coach everything else into him. I think Wilder surprises everybody and goes in the 2nd or 3rd round this year, for the same reason. Sure, his running style is way too upright, and sure he carries the ball horribly. But he's 220 lbs, his speed and balance at that size are unbelievable, and his father was a Pro Bowl RB. A team will draft Wilder on the 2nd day.

[Direckshun]

TE Crockett Gillmore, Colorado State -- Though he's from a not-so-renowned football program, I really like Gillmore as a sleeper prospect. I've seen nothing of Colorado State other than Gillmore tape, but I keep coming back to how many tools he has to work with. Gillmore is more of a receiving TE than anything -- he lines up as an H-back a few times for the Rams, but his blocking merely decent against CSU's lesser competition. It will definitely need work at the next level, especially against DL, who seem to eat him up. However, his talents as a receiver cannot be understated. He runs clean routes with really good speed, and he has perhaps the softest hands in this draft class. He tracks the ball extremely well and and at 6'6", 260 lbs, has the size to be both a mismatch problem and difficult to bring down. If you trust your coaching staff to improve his blocking game, you've got some really good tools here for a 4th round pick.

[Direckshun]

OT Cornelius Lucas, Kansas State -- In a league full of gigantic men, Lucas will be amongst the biggest. Cornelius "Luke" Lucas is a gigantic 6'9", 325 lbs, and looks every bit of it on tape. I actually went to Manhattan this year to watch the Wildcats in person and even from way up in the bleachers you notice exactly how big this man is. It is not very common guys like this elect to go with football instead of basketball, but you can see why Lucas made the commitment he did: he is not athletic, like, at all. He's huge, but he lumbers like a brontosaurus. He won't be able to match anybody of any speed in the NFL. And, while Lucas does a good job of anchoring against bull rushes, he plays shockingly soft in the run game, infrequently getting any push at all. He looks like Phil Loadholt, but runblocks like a receiving tight end. Pass.

[Gino-Bartali]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Agreed.

Considering he's dominating in the short and intermediate routes, that's like 90% of the routes he'll run as a slot guy.

I just like him a whole lot as a midrounds guy.

BTW, NFL.COM scouting report on TJ:

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS Fluid movement with good balance and body control. Releases cleanly and accelerates off the line. Excellent route runner. Sinks his hips and gets in and out of cuts cleanly to create separation. Adjusts to throws and has soft, reliable hands. Exhibits field awareness and is quarterback friendly. Quick and slippery after the catch. Comes from football family. Durable and experienced. Mature, likeable, intelligent team captain.

WEAKNESSES Could stand to add some body armor and improve functional strength. Average physicality. Lacks elite top-end speed. Not exceptionally explosive, nor is he a go-up-and-get-it guy. Limited kick-return experience.

BOTTOM LINE Athletic, smooth-moving, polished receiver who runs crisp routes, has terrific hands and boasts NFL bloodlines. Balanced skill set, dependability and versatility will be valued at the next level, where he could be a productive No. 2 or No. 3 receiver in a sophisticated passing system. Arrow pointing up.

[Direckshun]

Nobody's arguing that he's a go-up-and-get-it guy at his height, but fair point on the elite speed thing.

He just looks fast as **** on tape. Dunno.