Let me preface by saying I'm not the biggest draft guy on the board. I read a lot in this forum as opposed to posting in it and you guys do an incredible job keeping tabs on all these guys but it's pretty clear to me that our OL is a glaring weakness on the team. I have two guys in particular that interest me and wonder what A) your thoughts are on them as pros and B) what chance if any we have at getting one of them. Jonathan Martin -Stanford, seems like a good pass protector but he plays the left side which we don't need. Could he move over and transition to the right side ? He's also a pretty good run blocker from what I've seen. I always have questions about Pac guys as being a little softer then say Big 10 or SEC guys and maybe it's not justified but I don't see them as being seasoned enough against elite competition. Barret Jones - Alabama, he's the leader of that OL and can play both Guard and Tackle. He's good in run blocking and he did a good job in the LSU protecting against the pass. I've read he seems like a mid 1st round guy and I'd feel fairly safe in drafting an Alabama guy that high.
That Khalid kid out of USC plays Tackle as well and he seems really solid but I don't think were going to have a high enough pick to get an NFL ready tackle. Hopefully we can get a steal or maybe trade up a bit and pick up one of those guys.
Do you mean Matt Kalil? Probably... well he is probably going to be a top 3 pick, I could see Minn or STL taking him, which means he will be no where near us. Teams dont pick a RT in the top ten, unless you have a left handed QB then maybe, so we shouldnt say that we wont be able to draft a RT that can play day 1 because we may be in the late teens/early 20's. I hope the front office does its homework and is able to find a procaliber RT in the early rounds, which isnt asking a ton.
Yeah Kalil is his name, great tackle but like you said I doubt were going to get him. They better do their homework because this is a glaring issue atm and the line is getting older.
I think they should draft one high and then see what the prognosis is on Vlad, if still no improvment send him packing. You still have Hunter/Turner as backups and maybe look to get a guy who gets cut in the preason or a cap casualty.
Turner is a FA. Really really hope they re-sign him though. I wonder what the CS thinks of this Schlauderaff kid we kept around.
I think somebody ahead of us will make Jon Martin their franchise left tackle. I think he'll be a little overvalued just because he blocks for the best prospect since Peyton Manning, and the guy right next to him looks exactly like Alan Faneca to me, but he'll be a good pro. Maybe this is naive of me, but I'm counting on the FO to sign a right tackle before the draft- I just can't imagine Tannenbaum would leave a glaring hole like that to the luck of the war room. Maybe he blows my mind and pays Carl Nicks enough to lose weight and switch positions, but it's probably much more likely we sign an effective vet like MacKenzie. If we do that, I'm not sure we can afford to draft a tackle-only. Somebody like Barrett Jones would make sense because of his versatility, but I don't know that Jones would instantly improve our guard situation the way a guy like DeCastro would.
Unless you want to surrender picks both Martin and Kalil will be gone before we pick. I see some people have us taking Riley Reiff, though he could be off the board as well.
Your an SEC guy, what do you think of Jones? He can play both tackle and guard so he's flexible. He's a better run blocker then a pass blocker. What are your thoughts on him? I assumed Kalil will be gone in the top 5 so that's never an option.
I'm intrigued with drafting DeCastro. I know we have more pressing needs but imo drafting him and moving Slauson at RG (where he played in college) wouldn't be a bad idea. Of course that would mean bye bye Moore but I'm not his biggest fan (at least not this year).
I think getting DeCastro would be a steal. This guy is legit. He is a future pro bowler. I wouldn't even care that we ignored other needs. He is a guy that is worth ignoring other needs. Getting back to the Tackle's discussion, I think Reiff is off the board before Martin. Reiff projects as a good LT and Martin projects as a good RT, IMO.
Here's my OT rankings: 1) Matt Kalil- going probably 2 overall 2) Jonathan Martin- top 12 picks probably 3) Riley Reiff- top 15-20 picks probably 4) Barrett Jones- (Alabama)- This kid is steller if the Jets go tackle in the 1st round I hope it's Jones, they can stay where they are and still get an NFL ready player 5) Mike Adams (Ohio State)- Some consider Adams the best senior tackle solid pass blocker and a better run blocker. He got in trouble with the Ohio State scandal which could drop him so he could probably be grabbed if we trade up to the early-middle second round 6) Ricky Wagner (Wisconsin)- I have personally watched this guy several times and I think he's a great player. I'd love him however I feel as though he won't enter the draft. 7) Zebrie Sanders (Florida State)- Filled in for Datko when he went down and did a great job a better pass blocker then run blocker. Could fall to the Jets in the second.
Eh maybe, I think he is technically sound but I dont think he has the athleticism to play play right tackle. He's a big dude but, Hunter is a big dude as well but it takes more than size to play in the pros. Jones also has short arms, which inst good for a tackle
If DeCastro falls to us you draft him and don't look back. Moore is slipping and oft injured. A guy that can step in day one and be just as if not more productive would be wonderful
It would be VERY intriguing to see DeCastro available for our 1st round and a guy like Kelechi Osemele, G/T, Iowa State be available when our 2nd round clock is ticking. He'd have to drop pretty far, but stranger things have happened at the NFL draft.
I agree, I mentioned in another thread if the Titans are ahead of us on Draft Day, DeCastro is a goner. I would love to get DeCastro!! My current mock has another option(s) for O-line.
