Great thread! Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers Cam Thomas and Tyson Alualu were close seconds. I make this pick, hoping one of these two, or maybe Linval Joseph is available in the 2nd. Also, I think we'll have shipped LW off by then for probably a 3rd to grab a safety prospect.
I'm gonna go with Linval Joseph. May be a slight reach but since trading down isn't an option I feel like between picks 33-44 there will be a small run of DE/DT/NT taken based on team needs. I would rather reach 5-8 picks in advance then miss out on my guy and watch him be selected somewhere during that run.
Everson Griffen's not a fast riser. Athletically and physically he's a top ten talent. His production is holding him back...that's a huge concern, but in the right system, he'll thrive.
+1 Exactly right, Griffen has been as high as a top 10 borderline player in my Top 50, his production has made him slip. Griffen may never become a pro-bowl player, but a solid defender in the NFL for 10+ years.
I think he can be much better overall player than Thomas. Thomas was originally selected by the Jets to be a 4-3 DE to get to the QB....the project failed. Thomas has adjusted to the 3-4 OLB position but is average at best. I like Griffen's potential and athletic ability better than BT.
Bryan Thomas was drafted by Herm Edwards. HE played the 4-3 exclusively. I think it is a good comparison. Thomas was a great athlete coming out of UAB running in the high 4.4's low 4.5's at 6-4 265.
I added a poll just so we can get a better feel for the consensus in this scenario PLEASE CAST A VOTE Thanks
I just stated that!! I never said Thomas wasn't athletic, but IMO, Griffen is even better. Byran Thomas was drafted to be our next great pass rusher, not a 3-4 OLB. J Abe got sick in the Oakland playoff game the previous season and the Jets couldn't get to Gannon. A pick that was done by panic....just like Nugent's pick.
Thanks WW Following the acquisition of Holmes and with the earlier addition of LT, and with all of our starters on the O-line pretty much locked in, I'm 95% certain we are drafting defense with this pick (OL being the possible exception should Pouncey or Iupati slide), so I went with all defense in this poll by design. I also purposely posted two players at each position (NT, DE, DE/OLB, S & CB), this way each positional choice has the same one alternative to contend with. I'm sure some people will take issue with certain omissions (Brian Price, etc.), but there are only ten spots in these polls so I had to choose based on my own positional value board while also considering 3-4 defensive fits. (i.e. Price is not a 34 DL) I also made a spot for guys like Cody who is not this high on my value board, but I know he is on others.
three four, schmee four, I think Brian Price fits our style just fine, thank you very much. We're a one-gapping, slantin, backfield-disruptin, disguised 4-3 as much as a 3-4. Still, I voted for Joseph, since Best was not an option.
good job adding the poll, Jabba. I thought about changing my pick....but...i'll stick to my guns...and select Dunlap. Let's fortify the DLine
I personally would have listed Price instead of Cody simply because he's so much better in my view, so even if he's not an ideal fit for the 3-4 as Cody apparently is, I would still replace Cody with Price on this list if I had my druthers ... but I know that's a minority viewpoint so I tried to be mindful of the general consensus. Its not easy when you are limited in your options .. I wish I had a few more.
Changed my pick from Cody to McCourty. I think we're more in a win now mode, so while Cody may be a great pick for the future, I think McCourty fills a bigger need in this upcoming season. We'll most likely need to take on some elite passing teams if we want to go all the way, and McCourty would be a great nickle corner this year. The only running team I'm worried about is Baltimore. A run stopper would help against Miami as well, but I'm confident we can handle them either way this year.
I just don't think it's possible to bring in another corner this high. We have to pay Revis a huge contract soon. Cromartie will also probably re-sign. That's a lot of money invested into that position. I know Ryan loves using a lot of different defensive backs, but we can't afford another high paid corner. We should look at getting a defensive back like Quan Thompson or Javy Arenas in the mid-rounds. They are nickel corners that also have special teams value. Joseph makes the most sense to me because our offensive line is so old and we need bodies, but Everson Griffen is far too talented to pass up.
I don't think contracts are too big of an issue when picking this low in the 1st. Last year Miami signed CB Vontae Davis to a 5 year, $10.25 million contract... and they took him with the 25th pick overall. I don't see us having to pay someone like McCourty any more than that. Paying your 3rd corner (possibly 2nd depending what happens with Cro next year) $2 million a year is not a bad investment, especially on someone like McCourty who is also a special teams dynamo (6 blocked punts in the past 2 seasons). He also was second in tackles for Rutgers last year, so I'm confident he could earn his paycheck no problem. I don't believe a team and coach who value the CB position so highly would stress over the financial implications of drafting a corner late in the 1st.
