Posts Tagged ‘James Laurinaitis’

29. New York Giants

-Clay Matthews Jr. (OLB/USC)

Clay Matthews (NFL.com)

Historically, the New York Giants have selected a defensive player with 6 of their last 8 first round picks. Stocking that side of the ball is a perpetual focal point for the organization. They have done a fantastic job at ensuring a high level of competition at every defensive position, especially at the defensive line. However, they have relied on veterans to carry the linebacking corps for a bit too long.

5 years from now,  I have a feeling that Clay Matthews Jr. will be one of the steals of the 2009 NFL draft. He is a self-made football player who has the NFL bloodlines that franchises love to see. There is little doubt that he only scratched the surface of his potential at USC, where he was a walk-on LB that bulked up from about 165 to 240 lbs.

His pro day and combine performances did nothing but reassure teams that he is a gifted athlete who can drop into coverage and can rush the passer.

The Giants will love him because he can do exactly what Kiwanuka was unable to do: effectively drop into coverage. Matthews can be a 3-down player in the NFL.

-James Laurinaitis (MLB/Ohio St)

James Laurinaitis (NFL.com)

The other possibility for New York is James Laurinaitis. Antonio Pierce’s performance tailed off last season, so MLB is an area of moderate need. Laurinaitis has performed too well for so long that teams are nitpicking his performances. There is no question in my mind that he is still just as worthy of 1st round status as last season.

-WR is a need now that Plaxico Burress was cut. However, the Giants say they like their options, and may try for a player after round 1. If not, Kenny Britt of Rutgers will be considered.

Next on the clock: Tennessee Titans

See entire Hybrid Mock Draft here

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23. New England Patriots

-Trade Down

With around $15 million total cap space to work, and the ensuing contracts of Tom Brady, Vince Wilfork, and Richard Seymour, New England wants to be especially frugal with their cap this season. Furthermore, when they include compensatory picks, the Patriots have 6 of of the top 100 draft picks (12 total). Given how few holes there are in the roster, NEpatriotsdraft.com speculates that Belichick will try to move some of those selections to next year. I have to agree with this assesment since it seems that every year Belichick, the master of the salary cap, swings a trade to maximize value for his picks.

Sitting at the 23rd pick, Belichick might like the players available at the 35th spot enough to try trading the 1st rounder for either a later 1st rounder or a future draft pick. I know many people think Belichick will draft another LB because it is a “big” need, but his defensive schemes are very complex, and they demand a huge amount out of the OLB’s. Consequently, I don’t think any of the OLB’s selected in the first round would break the starting roster in their rookie season. Plus, I think that Belichick likes Pierre Woods and Shawn Crable as potential starters in place of Mike Vrabel.

This all makes sense if you see LB as the Pats greatest need, especially if you consider how the Pats haven’t selected an OLB prior to the 3rd round ever. I’m telling you, Belichick loves veterans.

-Connor Barwin (OLB-DE/Cincinnati)

Connor Barwin (NFL.com)

If I am wrong about trading down, the next most likely scenario is that New England selects the Connor Barwin from Cincinnati. After having a monster combine and pro day, he doesn’t seem to be such a reach here. Just like his predecessor Mike Vrabel, Barwin is extraordinarily versatile. At Cincinnati, he played TE, DE, and OLB. He is quite raw, considering how he had only 1 year of defensive experience. But with that 1 year, he was able to record 11 sacks on the season. Plus, Patriot OLB’s are usually very big (between 260-275 lbs), and Barwin has a large enough frame to add a few pounds to fit that mold (6’4 256 lbs).

NFLdraftscout says this about Barwin:

“Very coachable because of his intelligence, work ethic and motor.”

Sounds very much like a Belichick guy to me.

The Patriots may wait to see if he falls to them at the 35th pick, but Belichick has demonstrated he is willing to reach a little bit for a guy who fits his system.

-James Laurinaitis (ILB/Ohio St)

James Laurinaitis (NFL.com)

Generally speaking, the Patriots don’t use 1st round picks on positions where there currently is a starter in place, with two of the exceptions being Ben Watson and Ty Warren. So, I fail to see Belichick selecting James Laurinaitis here with Tedy Bruschi still on the roster. Besides, Laurinaitis didn’t have to take on and shed blocks as frequently as he would be required in a 3-4 alignment. Nevertheless, he is exactly the type of high character, high football IQ player that Belichick seeks. Honestly, he seems a more likely candidate for the 35th selection instead of this one here. But hey, I’ve been wrong before….

-Alphonso Smith of Wake Forest is a long shot here, but is another Belichick system player and the secondary would benefit from his ball-hawking skills. Still, he might become a serious option with the 35th pick.

-Clay Matthews also is a player that fits the Patriot system well. He has a big upside, but he isn’t one of my prime candidates for lack of size. Belichick seems to have an affinity for really big OLB’s, and Matthews is rather small at 240 lbs.

Next on the clock: Atlanta Falcons

See entire Hybrid Mock Draft here

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This was the group of guys that I most wanted to see: linebackers and defensive linemen. A few guys dominated in every drill they competed in, while others succeeded in a single drill and were quite average in others. Unfortunately, Brian Orakpo and Rey Maualuga injured their hamstrings during drills (I was really bummed about that).

But I want to note that Aaron Curry looked fantastic today. He was calm, composed, and he definitely impressed in every drill.

Here are the NFL Combine results for february 23:

1) Brian Orakpo –Texas/DE

Aaron Curry photo provided by NFL.com

Bench press-31 reps

40 yard dash-4.70 sec

vertical leap- 39.5 in

2) Aaron Maybin–Penn St/DE

40 yard dash-4.89 sec

3) )Larry English–Northern Illinois/DE

Bench press-24 reps

40 yard dash-4.90 sec

4) Everette Brown–Florida St/DE

Bench press-26 reps

40 yard dash- 4.73 sec

5) Michael Johnson–Georgia Tech/DE

40 yard dash- 4.75 sec

6) B.J Raji–Boston College/DT

Bench press-33 reps

40 yard dash-5.13 sec

7) Terrance Taylor–Michigan/DT

Bench press-37 reps

40 yard dash-5.24 sec

8 ) Ron Brace–Boston College/DT

Bench press- 32 reps

40 yard dash- 5.47 sec

9) Evander Hood–Missouri/DT

Bench press- 34 reps

40 yard dash-4.91 sec

10) Jarron Gilbert–San Jose St/DT

40 yard dash- 4.87 sec

vertical leap-35.5 in

11) Rey Maualuga–USC/MLB

Bench press-23 reps

40 yard dash-4.83 (unofficial)

12) Aaron Curry–Wake Forest/OLB

Bench press 25 reps

40 yard dash- 4.56 sec

13) James Laurinaitis–Ohio St/MLB

Bench press- 22 reps

40 yard dash- 4.82 sec

14) Brian Cushing–USC/OLB

Bench press- 30 reps

40 yard dash- 4.74 sec

15) Scott McKillop–Pittsburgh/MLB

Bench press- 27 reps

40 yard dash- 4.77 sec

16) Clay Matthews–USC/OLB

40 yard dash- 4.67 sec

17) Clint Sintim–Virginia/OLB

40 yard dash- 4.78 sec

*Surprise Performer:*

18) Connor Barwin–Cincinnati/DE

Bench press-22 reps

40 yard dash-4.66 sec

vertical leap- 40.5 in

(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