Archive for January, 2009
(part 4)
Safeties
Since Taylor Mays (USC) decided to return for his final year at school, there is an underwhelming number of high profile safeties this year. This kid is far and away the best player at his position and would have probably been a top 5 pick. Therefore, the top safety in the draft is William Moore (Missouri). He is very good at stopping the run, and he has good size and athleticism. Yet, he hasn’t really been playing at his best because of injuries. He certainly is not the next coming of Ed Reed, but he can be a solid starter for a team that values run stopping safeties.
Behind Moore, I have to say that Louis Delmas (Western Michigan) and Rashad Johnson (Alabama) are the next best players at safety. They will fall in around the third round. Both guys, especially Johnson are very hard workers. In fact, Johnson was a walk-on at one of the best universities in the country. I don’t know about you, but that tells me he is a smart guy who works harder than most. Both guys are instictive players who manage to make big plays despite their smaller size.
Patrick Chung (Oregon) and David Bruton (Notre Dame) are liabilities in pass coverage, but are solid against the run.
Next time: Defensive Tackles
(Part 3)
Cornerbacks
Hey guys, today I want to talk about cornerbacks. The cream of this year’s cornerback crop is, in my opinion, Alphonso Smith (Wake Forest), and Malcolm Jenkins (Ohio State). Vontae Davis (Illinois) physically is better, but is not quite as complete a football player as Smith or Jenkins.
I can’t shake this feeling in my gut tells me Jenkins may be a better safety in the pros. He has the speed and size to play either position, but he seems to get beat more than one would hope for. I think it ultimately comes down to what the team that drafts him needs.
His colleague, Smith, could be a better version of Ellis Hobbs on the New England Patriots. In fact, if not for his height, he would easily be the best prospect at his position. I understand that height is important when you are covering tall receivers, but it doesn’t seem to be justifiable to devalue Smith because he is ONE inch smaller than some of the top corners in the NFL. Ronde Barber and Asante Samuel are both 5’10 and are two of the best in the league. This boy can really play football, and I believe he is every bit as good as Jenkins.
As for Vontae Davis, some team like the Patriots will take a gamble on him because of his incredible physical tools and his huge upside. But he comes with a caveat emptor, as he was sometimes uncoachable. Under the right circumstances, like under the wing of Belichik, he could blossom into an excellent cornerback.
D.J. Moore (Vanderbilt) is another intriguing prospect because of his versatility and great athleticism. He doesn’t have the resume on defense like Smith or Jenkins, but with corners you can never pay too much attention to stats. The reason that a shutdown corner may have NO stats is because the opposing quarterback won’t throw to his side of the field. This may be the case for Moore.
I consider players like Macho Harris (Virginia) and Coye Francis (San Jose State) to be the second tier players who would be worth gambling on a bit in the 3rd round.
Next time: Safeties
(part 2)
Linebackers
Okay, before I delve into the details of linebackers in this draft, let’s rewind to last off-season for a moment…
Ohio State’s James Laurinaitis and USC’s Rey Maualuga just declared that they will return to their respective Universities for one final year of seasoning. Can you believe this? Both these guys just came off great seasons. Their stocks can’t rise any higher. As it turns out, that statement was quite true.
Now, fast forward back to the present situation. As talented as these guys are, their performances didn’t do much to solidify themselves as the top two linebackers in this 2009 draft. Although Maualuga had a very good season, he just couldn’t quite match last year’s performance at the Rose Bowl against Illinois. Despite three incredible years, Laurinaitis is being scrutinized for not possessing that killer instinct that scouts look for.
But in my book, these guys are smart, gifted athletes who will both have successful careers in the NFL, and should fall into the first or early second rounds.
Even so, there is a new linebacker who entered the picture this season. He isn’t the household name that Maualuga is, but this year’s Butkus award winner, Wake Forest’s Aaron Curry is the real deal. You will be hard pressed to find a more complete football player in this draft than Curry. He is a truly intense leader on defense, always seems to make impact plays, and he is extremely versatile because he has the speed, size, and athleticism to play outside or inside in either 3-4 and 4-3 defensive scheme.
Now, I think Curry (Wake Forest) is the top linebacker in this draft, with James Laurinaitis (OSU) and Rey Maualuga (USC) closely following him. After those three, I like Clint Sintim (Virginia) and Brian Cushing (USC). Although not flashy, they are both solid football players who can pressure the quarterback well. Behind those 5 players, I consider Scott Mckillop (Pitt), Clay Matthews (USC), and Marcus Freeman (OSU) quality mid-round picks.
If you add in the defensive ends like Brian Orakpo, Aaron Maybin, Larry English, and Everette Brown, who may become 3-4 rush linebackers, this very well could be the best crop of linebackers in years!
Next up: Defensive backs
(part 1)
Defensive Ends
No player in this year’s draft has solidified himself as the clear-cut number 1 pick thus far. And frankly, I am not sure anyone WILL run away from the competition like you so often see elite players do this time of year. I can’t say there are any of Mario Williams or Peyton Manning’s caliber who are franchise players. Nevertheless, don’t judge this year’s class on just its top 5 or 10 players, but more so by its depth from pick 1 down to pick 200.
With that said, let me start by discussing the defensive ends.
Like I said before, there may be no Mario Williams types, but a handful of ends will be chosen in the first round alone. This class of ends is mainly suited for defensive schemes where speed and athleticism are emphasized, namely the 4-3 end or 3-4 rush linebacker spots. Brian Orakpo (Texas), Everette Brown (Florida State), Larry English (Northern Illinois), Tyson Jackson (LSU), and Michael Johnson (Georgia Tech) could all go in the first or second round. In fact, depending on who drafts them, English, Orakpo, and Brown are all possibilities to bounce to outside linebacker in the 3-4 schemes.
My favorite player in this group is Brian Orakpo. If it weren’t for frequent injury concerns and some inconsistent technique, I would seriously consider him to be a top 5 pick. Keep an eye on him during the combine (benches 515 lbs. and runs the 40 yard dash in 4.6 seconds). I had a class with “Rack daddy,” and he is a monster in person! To give you a comparison from last year, think Vernon Gholston type of build. Orakpo will probably do as well at the combine or even better!
Unfortunately, Michael Johnson will also shine at the combine, which may coax teams to grade him higher than he should be. In my opinion, he just disappears on film at times, and seems to be a major underperformer. He is a serious boom or bust type of player who I wouldn’t use a first round pick on.
Next installation will be looking at the linebackers. So check back soon!
