****The REAL OFFICIAL 2008 NFL Draft Thread****

[Mr. Kotter]

NFL DRAFT Coverage this Weekend:
Coverage available for the entire weekend on ESPN/ESPN2 Television, and also on ESPN Radio Network.

*** If you want to follow the draft on the 'net, the two best free and easy access sites are ESPN and the NFL official site....though for access to "insider" info at ESPN, you have to be a "member:"

ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft?...2=stateChanged

NFL: http://www.nfl.com/draft

If you are interested in another free "scouting" report site:
NFLdraftcountdown: http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/


Saturday April 26: Rounds 1-2 ***Format Revised this year
(1st Round, Teams get 10 minutes; 2nd Round, Teams get 7 minutes)

-- ESPN beginning at 2pm until 6pm (Central Standard Time)
-- ESPN2 beginning at 6pm until 9pm

Sunday April 27: Rounds 3-7
(Rounds 3-7, Teams get 5 minutes)
-- ESPN beginning at 9am until 5pm (Central Standard Time)

"My" Rounds 1-3 picks....
05. Chris Long (DE), or Vernon Gholston (DE)...will be available, IMHO. If not, Sedrick Ellis (DT).
17. Brandon Albert (OG-OT), or Chris Williams (OT).
35. Aqib Talib (CB), Kentwan Balmer (DT) or Brandon Flowers (CB).
66. Jordy Nelson (WR), Patrick Lee (CB), or Lawrence Jackson (DE).
73. Carl Nicks (OT), Xavier Adibi (LB), or Andre Caldwell (WR).
82. Mike Pollak (C), Jeremy Zuttah (C, OG) or Red Bryant (DT).

Nice job in attempt to save your ass, Carl.... time will tell if you succeeded....heh.

[BigRock]

F**K YOU, CARL

Sorry, I just wanted to be the first person in this thread to say it.

[Dinny Bossa Nova]

Originally Posted by UteChief

How can you have an official draft thread when it's still a few days away. I feel and maybe I'm crazy but official threads should happen when something starts. It's bugged me since the official gameday threads that start on Friday or Thursday (unless the game is Thursday).

Who is with me???

Anything worth waiting for is worth having now.

[Mr. Kotter]

Originally Posted by Dinny Blues

Anything worth waiting for is worth having now.

[Mr. Kotter]

In perusing a variety of sites and scouting evals, this should be the order of priority....if the Chief's stay at number five:

1. Chris Long
2. Glenn Dorsey
3. Sedrick Ellis
4. Vern Gholston

I don't think we can really lose with anyone of those picks....I've moved Ellis in front of Gholston, mainly due to Ellis's "non-stop motor" versus Gholston's "inconsistency" that seems pretty much a consensus among scouts...

Am I wrong?

Defensive Tackle | Senior |
USC Sedrick Ellis
Height: 6-01/2 | Weight: 309 | 40-Time: 5.23

Official Bio

Strengths:
Very quick with a great first step...Very strong and powerful...A terrific pass rusher with the burst to close...Athletic with good speed...Instinctive...Sheds blocks well and is able to beat the double team...Is technically sound when it comes to using his hands and understanding leverage...Has a non-stop motor...Tough and a very hard worker with top-notch intangibles...Has experience at both tackle positions.

Weaknesses:
Doesn't have the ideal height or bulk that you look for...Has some minor durability issues...Might have some trouble holding his ground at the point against massive blockers...Limited schematically and probably won't be a perfect fit for every team.

Notes:
Could be a prototypical three-technique at the pro level...Redshirted in 2003 after breaking his left ankle and missed some time in '06 with a knee injury..Productive, disruptive force in the middle..A better prospect than Mike Patterson was in 2005.



Sedrick Ellis
DT | (6'0", 309, 5.32) | USC
Scouts Grade: 97

Flags: (D: DURABILITY) Player that can't stay healthy
View by: Round | Player | NCAA School | Position | NFL Team | Flag | All Ranked Players | NFL Draft History
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Strengths: A disruptive, penetrating interior defensive lineman. At his best in a one-gap scheme but has some versatility due to experience as a nose tackle and three-technique. He is extremely disruptive versus the run. Displays outstanding initial burst and wins most of his battles with first-step quickness. Shows outstanding body control and stays on his feet. Uses long arms to keep separation and does an excellent job of disengaging from blocks and keeping on the move. Exceptional technique; uses his hands effectively and his feet never stop moving. Recognition skills are very good and he's athletic enough to change directions and pursue once he penetrates the backfield. He consistently generates pressure as a pass rusher. Shows upper-echelon closing burst for his position and also does a good job of batting down passes once he realizes he's not getting to the QB. Plays with a great motor and works very hard on and off the field. Never gives up on a play and his effort is infectious.

Weaknesses: Undersized; lacks ideal height. Not an ideal fit for two-gap schemes. Durability has been of an issue; redshirted in 2003 due to injury that required surgery and missed three games in 2006 (Nebraska, Arizona and Washington State) due to right knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery.

Overall: Ellis arrived at USC in 2003 but took a medical redshirt year after suffering a midseason left ankle fracture that required surgery. In his first three active seasons (2004-'06), he appeared in 34 games and made 86 tackles (16 for losses) and nine sacks. As a senior in 2007, he started all 13 games at nose guard and collected 58 tackles (12.5 for losses), 8.5 sacks and seven pass breakups on his way to first team All-America honors. Ellis missed three games in '06 after tearing cartilage in his right knee, which required arthroscopic surgery. He also had fluid drained from the knee in '07 and missed several practices but no games. Ellis did not time out well at the combine but he is a great football player, nonetheless. He has bulked up to 309 pounds and can play NT and/or DT at the next level. Thanks to an outstanding combination of quickness, power, technique and effort, Ellis proved in college to be nearly unblockable one-on-one  even versus top talent at the Senior Bowl. Ellis will be valued as a top-10 pick by teams in search of a playmaking one-gap interior lineman.

[Hammock Parties]

I wrote this yesterday about Ellis.

http://kan.scout.com/2/749188.html


Last week we looked at the potential pros and cons of Matt Ryan or Darren McFadden playing for the Chiefs this season. In the third part of our four-part Choose Your Destiny series, we look at USC defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis. How would he fit in Kansas City?

Note – due to the early signing of offensive tackle Jake Long by the Miami Dolphins, his segment in our Choose Your Destiny series will not appear. Hence, it becomes a four-part exercise.

Part III: DT Sedrick Ellis, USC

2007 stats – 58 tackles, 8.5 sacks

Career stats – 144 tackles, 17.5 sacks

Ellis gets the nod over LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey in this edition simply because he’s more likely to be available when the Chiefs are on the clock at #5 this Saturday. The St. Louis Rams and Atlanta Falcons both need interior defensive line help, and pick before Kansas City.

How could Ellis help the Chiefs? When you consider KC’s defense ranked 28th against the run and garnered only 5.5 sacks from the defensive tackle position last season, Ellis might be just what Kansas City is looking for.

The Cover 2 defensive scheme employed by the Chiefs works best when a three-technique defensive tackle is penetrating up the field and putting pressure on the quarterback. Ellis has all the skills – lateral quickness, agility, acceleration, strength - to be that player. Some compare him to Warren Sapp or LaRoi Glover.

With the trade of Jared Allen, drafting a player like Ellis would help maximize the production of KC’s defensive ends. It’s tough for any quarterback to step up in the pocket and avoid outside rushers when a tackle is screaming right in your face.

Some of you are thinking of Ryan Sims right now, the last defensive tackle taken in the first round by the Chiefs, and a colossal bust. Don’t compare Sims to Ellis, however.

At North Carolina, Sims was overrated as a prospect because he played next to Julius Peppers on the defensive line. Peppers was the dominant force on that defense, not Sims (regardless of his production).

At USC, there was no such case of mistaken identity with Ellis. Yes, end Lawrence Jackson led the Trojans in sacks last season and is coming out in the draft this year. But Jackson is rated as a second or third-round pick by most experts, and isn’t nearly as athletic or polished a player as Peppers was. There’s no question – Ellis was the engine driving USC’s defensive line.

Finally, consider Ellis’ total college production. Not just the sacks, but the complete package. He racked up a whopping 12.5 tackles for loss last season and even batted down seven passes. And then there’s his experience. Ellis played in 48 games at USC, with 36 starts. That’s a ton of playing time against top-notch competition in the PAC 10.

How could the Chiefs possibly pass on such a player? Well, it’s not such a stretch.

Just last year, Kansas City spent second and third-round picks on two interior linemen – Turk McBride and Tank Tyler. Neither had a huge impact as rookies, but given the praise heaped upon them by defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham this offseason, you’d have to think the Chiefs want to see what they have in two players they’ve invested high picks in.

Drafting Ellis with McBride, Tyler, Alfonso Boone and Ron Edwards already on the roster might lead to something of a logjam at the defensive tackle position (though if McBride and Tyler pan out with Ellis, you’d have a hell of a rotation).

There’s also the question of Ellis’ frame. At 6-foot-1 and 305 pounds, he has a compact build, with relatively short arms. There’s not much room for Ellis to get bigger as a player without losing speed and quickness.

Lastly, there are some minor injury concerns. As a freshman in 2003, Ellis suffered a left ankle fracture, and in 2006 there were issues with torn cartilage in his knee.

The final word:

Scout.com’s Tom Marino rates Ellis as the second-best defensive tackle in this year’s draft. Below is his evaluation.

"Ellis has outstanding quickness, body control, range and balance. Plays with good leverage, has extremely quick strong hands and overall explosiveness. Can stack, but was more effective playing in the gap. Far better at nose then at a three-technique. Has short arms and does not appear to have long speed. Very disruptive player in a limited area but is not second coming of Tommie Harris. A top 10 selection in this year's player draft. Solid starter potential."

Last week:

Boston College QB Matt Ryan

Arkansas RB Darren McFadden

Tomorrow: Virginia DE Chris Long

[Mr. Kotter]

Originally Posted by GOATSE

I wrote this yesterday about Ellis...

Very nice, article Clayton.

Really.

[Danush]

As long as our first round offensive lineman is not the second-coming of....Trazelle

[NY CHIEF]

How about another LB to convert to fullback

[Mr. Kotter]

Originally Posted by NY CHIEF

How about another LB to convert to fullback

Or how about a conveting a projected safety to an NFL corner? Those experiments usually go well....

[eazyb81]

For the Ellis fans:

Does his size and short arms not concern you? I love what I see on tape from him, but that was against college guards and centers - not exactly the best competition.

How many great three-technique DTs are 6'1" or shorter and weigh less than 300 at their best playing weight?

I just am a bit concerned that he will get pushed around at the line of scrimmage and his arms are so short that he will never make first contact.

Thoughts?

[Mr. Kotter]

Originally Posted by eazyb81

For the Ellis fans:

Does his size and short arms not concern you? I love what I see on tape from him, but that was against college guards and centers - not exactly the best competition.

How many great three-technique DTs are 6'1" or shorter and weigh less than 300 at their best playing weight?

I just am a bit concerned that he will get pushed around at the line of scrimmage and his arms are so short that he will never make first contact.

Thoughts?

Whenever I've seen him, he reminds me of a young Warren Sapp....

If he didn't have the motor he has, I'd be more concerned I guess.

For me too, the tendency of scouts to over-analyze physical characteristics (eg, his arms are short--what 1-2" is gonna really make THAT much difference? I don't think so....)....and underestimate on field play. A player's heart and desire and drive and tenacity come across on film, and are much more important than his "arms are 1 inch shorter than Dorsey" sort of assessments.

Bottom-line is that he played at USC and faced very tough competition throughout his career....and shined. That says much more to me, than some comment like "his arms are shorter than ideal".....

JMHO

[Delano]

Is it possible to put the television schedule in the OP please?

[Sanka]

I'm really torn between Ellis and Gholston. If we take either I think I would be happy. For some reason I am not to high on Dorsey or C. Long, and Matt Ryan is out of the question. If we draft Matt Ryan some one is going to have to restrain me from body slamming every TV in my house.

[eazyb81]

Here is a cool piece from NFLN on Ellis that breaks down his strengths and weaknesses during Senior Bowl practices. It starts with a brief interview with Ellis, and he really comes across as a bright and articulate young man.


http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80712617

[Mr. Kotter]

Originally Posted by Delano

Is it possible to put the television schedule in the OP please?

Done.