I noticed most mock drafts have us taking him, so I'm looking at other mock drafts to see who they think we will pick. DE Victor Abiamiri-Notre Dame 6 ft 4, 270 DT Quinn Pitcock-OSU 6 ft 3, 295 DT Alan Branch-Mich 6 ft 6, 330 CB Marcus McCauley-Fresno St 6 ft 1, 205 QB Troy Smith-OSU 6 ft 1, 215 RB Kenny Irons-AUB 5 ft 11, 200 DT Frank Okam-Tex 6 ft 5, 315 just some names. not that i agree with all of them. I find the Branch pick laughable, since he'll most likely be a top 10 pick. Kenny Irons is taller than Washington and weighs less. I dont think Okam has declared yet. Pitcock would have to play DE. and Abiamiri would have to play OLB. and Troy Smith should be taken before us after I believe he'll win the Nat'l Championship. He reminds me of Drew Brees. If Smith falls to the 2nd, whoever gets him got a steal. what do you guys think? anyone interested in taking Carriker with out 1st rd pick? or will he last till the 2nd? I know the favorite is Woodley but I'd be surprised if hes available.
I love the McCauley pick as I think we could use a big CB , I forget our CBs heights but they are smallish. Frank Okam is the other pick I like , and would think hes on the cusp of deciding to declare or not. IMO he will not
I think Carriker would be a fine pick for our 1st rounder. Not that I think Mel Kiper is always right, but Carriker is currently 12th on his big board. Taking him with a pick in the 20-32(ha!) range would definitely be acceptable to me. He seems to be a smart, tough, hard worker (read: Mangini-type-player), who is used to taking on (and beating) double teams and will add another flexible person to our front 7 because he can play both 3-4 DE and 4-3 DT. One name you didn't mention is PSU's RT Levi Brown. I know some people would hate it because we focused on the OL in last year's first round, but last time I checked it worked out pretty well for us. It is not like Clement is a long term answer, and if Brown is the BPA, I think we should snatch him up. BTW, I also do not think we need to go for a RB in the 1st round. If Lynch is the BPA, then I think we should take him, but I think there will be someone there rated similarly at more of a need position (IMO DL, OL, OLB, and CB, in no particular order). However, should Bush drop into the 2nd round, I'd love to get him with the Redskins pick.
I'm surprised Carriker has performed that well in the position rankings, considering he had a very up and down season. I was looking at him as our first second round pick. Levi Brown needs too much work for a first round right tackle, that would need to start for us right away. I think Justin Blalock, whether at guard or tackle, would be our pick, regardless of where we put him. Right now, I want Frank Okam. I think a corner would be a waste, as we have five capable players on the roster right now, and all a corner needs to do in a Mangini system is be able to play in a zone. Corners in Belicheck/Mangini's system are really moreso roleplayers with specific capabilities.
I agree Blalock may be a better OL than Brown, and missed that he was not included on the original list. Either one would be a beast on the right side of the line. I agree that Okam would be a good fit in our 3-4. If he is the BPA, then I think we should take him. I do have to disagree with you on CB though. I do think that even though CB's are less important in Mangini's defense than front 7 players, if a CB is the BPA, and all of these other guys we are talking about are gone, we should take a CB. Notice a pattern in my thinking?
Yes, best player available. I understand that. The only problem is, that corners are so hit and miss, that a corner really will never be the best player available. My thinking is that drafting a pure cover corner like McCauley is a waste of talent in this scheme.
