Round 1 Pick 18: Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State Cooks is ridiculously fast and can do anything with the ball in his hands. Idzik seemed to be high on Tavon Austin last year and he is similar to Austin in his size and explosiveness. Everyone says he's a slot receiver but just because he's small doesn't mean he plays small because he doesn't. Beckham still on the board but I rank Cooks higher Round 2 Pick 49: Deone Bucannon, FS, Washington St Bucannon can come in and learn from Ed Reed (if he is still on team). He doesn't need to start yar 1 but could over Landry. I think Allen and Bucannon could be a pretty good safety tandem for the future. Allen is our run stuffer and Bucannon would be our ballhawk. He has a nose for the ball and all the guys on NFL.com had him as a guy that teams would be mad the skipped in a few years. Round 3 Pick 80: Troy Niklas, TE, Notre Dame Good all around TE and will hopefully be around at this point of the draft. He can catch and can block and will be a good reliable receiver in the red zone and anywhere on the field. Geno will have no excuses after this season with a brand new toy in Cooks and Niklas. Our receiving core will be good with Decker (TD machine), Cooks and Kerley (explosive with ball and can catch about anything), Cumberland (who can strecth the field as a big guy) and Niklas (who can do everything a TE is supposed to do) Round 4 Pick 104: Brandon Thomas, OG, Clemson Falls to us later than h would if he was healthy. Big guy and a good all around lineman. Can take over for Colon when he gets healthy and we can start making our OLine back to where it was. Round 4 Pick 115: Trade Pick and Stephen Hill for Morris Claiborne He is a good CB in the wrong system and Rex can get the best out of CB so he would work well. A tandem of two young CB with him and Milliner would give us a very young secondary all around and fix our problem with pass defense Round 4 Pick 137: Shayne Skov, ILB, Stanford He can take over for Harris after this year. Has the speed and is a hard worker who will rack up tackles next to Demario. Round 5 Pick 154: Josh Huff, WR, Oregon Huff has some major speed. He went to Oregon of course he has speed. He can be a good slot receiver but will take some development. He could also be a solid return man because of his speed. Round 6 Pick 195: Aaron Colvin, CB, Oklahoma Colvin is another player that falls to the later rounds due to injury. He can come in when he is healthy and give us a ridiculously young CB core with Colvin, Milliner and Claiborne. He could come in and work his way in because Walls and Wilson are still on the roster so he wouldn't be a factor until next year but he can be a very solid pick late. Round 6 Pick 209: A.C. Leonard, TE, Tennessee State A great athlete. Really impressive at combine. Worth a late round pick and let him develop. Round 6 Pick 210: Michael Sam, LB, Missouri He comes into a organization who has his old roomate in Sheldon and he can be comfortable. I do think that no matter where he goes he will be accepted because I don't think it is a big deal that he is gay. A lot of people don't give a crap about that. If he can perform on the field he will be a fan favorite. He was the DPOY in the SEC he can play. Round 6 Pick 213: Prince Shembo, OLB, Notre Dame A late developmental pick. OLB is a position of need and he can try to develope under and amazing defensive mind in Rex Round 7 Pick 233: Tom Hornsey, P, Memphis We haven't had a good punter in years and its time we use a late round pick on a punter. Don't wait for him to be a UDFA just take him. You normally don't find a star in the 7th round so take the unattractive pick in the punter. This draft fills a lot of holes while also getting the best player's available. I did hear something about possibly trading up to get Mike Evans but I do not know about that so I didn't put it in. My philosophy is to draft BPA with a influence from needs and then late in draft get players who are athletic freaks or injured during process and see what they can do
- Will take a lot more than Hill and a 4th for Claiborne. Jerry Jones will be looking for a high pick if he's even interested in trading him away. - Thomas can be had a round later because of the injury.......Niklas probably won't get out of round 2, let alone the top 50. Colvin might go a round higher despite the injury. - Not sure Woody Johnson would be ok with Sam because he's so republican and had in's and out's with his daughter. Not sure if he has the comparable that Rex would want but I don't mind the pick. Besides this stuff though, I really like this draft.
I like this draft a lot. Bucannon may be a reach, and I'd be shocked if Niklas makes it to the 3rd round. I'd rather flip the two picks and hope Bucannon was still there in the 3rd. I like the Thomas, Skov, Huff, and Colvin picks a lot. The trade won't happen. Someone posted that the 'Boys would take a huge cap hit and dead money charge, so Jones isn't gonna give up Claiborne for a 4th round pick and Hill. Leonard, I don't know that much, but like that you added a TE, Jensen and/or Lynch might be better at that spot, however. I like Sam, but actually have more concerns over his lack of speed than his sexual orientation and Woody. I don't know about Shembo lasting that late, and would probably be a decent backup and STs player, but I don't know if he would ever develop into a starter.
I love Bucannon, nice pick there. He's the best safety in the draft. I'm not sure if he'll still be there at 49 but if he is I'd be ecstatic. He fits better as a SS so that's what's dropping him but I think he would still play FS better than anyone else. No way Bucannon is there in the third. He should be a first round pick. He's the type of DB that puts fear into the other team. Niklas on the other hand is nothing special, good hands, RZ target, decent blocking, thats about it.
Solid job! If a team doesn't jump ahead of the Jets to grab Cooks, he will be a strong consideration. Bucannon would be a great pick, a well rounded safety that isn't afraid to hit, excellent in run support. Have to agree with Mangolden Showers, Bucannon is a solid rd 2 prospect, almost borderline rd 1. I doubt Niklas will last to mid rd 3, maybe if we still had our Buc's pick at the top of rd 3. I won't comment on the trade.....difficult to predict. Skov was in my Mock, I think he will be a 3rd round selection. Colvin & Thomas as red shirts is a smart move, both were 2nd rd prospects. Since we have 12 picks we can afford to use a pick on a red shirt injured player.
Nice post, nice analysis, especially like your defending Sam's "sexual orientation and Woody" hehe. For a minute there, I thought you were referring to Woody J. the owner.......omg this draft better start already!
Nice job. A few comments…. - #80 Nicklas, TE-ND: probably gone before #80. If so, Fiedorowicz? - #104 Thomas, OG-Clemson: the ACL's going to set him back time-wise. Imho, I'd look at Trai Turner, OG-LSU. - #115 Hill/Pick for Claiborne, CB-Cowboys: I understand this, but part of me says give Hill one last chance. #137 Skov, LB-Stanford: would really like this pick. And if he's gone, maybe Max Bullough (Mich. St.) in the 5th? - #209 A.C. Leonard: Great athlete, though short for a TE (6'2") would be a ST asset. Character issues (got tossed from U-Fla. for domestic battery incident). Value pick talent alone-wise. - #233 Hornsey, P-Memphis: like the idea of getting some ST value with a 7th in the form of a punting upgrade. Jmho, but my wariness of Aussie Rules "end-over-end" punters aside, I think Cody Mandell (Alabama) would be a tried and true safe pick. Solid, consistent, and has performed well year after year on the big stage in big games. Again, nice job.
We obviously disagree about the two and that's fine. I'm certainly no expert. It will be interesting to see what happens.
I love this draft from round two on down. Especially the Huff pick. Finally would be nice to have a ballhawking safety. People are slipping on sam that guy can play and can rush the passer.
I would be very excited for this draft. The trade scenario is unlikely, so give me EJ Gaines, CB, Mizzou at #115 instead.
2 problems with Bucannon - Project as a coverage safety which is why he's strictly a SS I feel in the pro level. - Open field tackling is an adventure....takes bad routes and goes for the big hit rather than wrapping the tackle up. These are coachable and the explanation here is he isn't a starter day 1 but I think in round 2, you gotta get an immediate contributor in some capacity. I agree with you on Niklas that right now he's an ideal no.2 TE but he is really raw as a TE(Converted from a defender not too long ago), and didn't really get to shine at all at Notre Dame. Rees is not a good QB and Niklas only had 1 full time starter year as the team's TE. Niklas will need to prove people wrong about getting separation as that hurt him at Notre Dame. I think he's more of a 3rd rounder but I just can't see him slip anywhere near round 3.
Just watched an interview Eric Allen did with Dennis Thurman and he was talking about how he likes his safeties to be able to play both safety position and I really thin Bucannon can do that well
Thing with Bucannon also is as Goldson of TB is now learning is that even if you pull a clean hit that looks hurtful, you earn a reputation of being a head hunter and thus draw 15 yard penalties on any close play like that. He's going to have to limit himself with how he delivers those big hits in the NFL today since its an instant 15 yard flag and fine for any shot above the neck.
Love the Brandon Thomas pick...I know he tore his acl training a few weeks ago. If he is our future LG I would be ecstatic! By far one of the best lineman in Clemson history (clemson alum).
Taking sam would be just ANOTHER spectacle, NO EFFIN WAY!!! This 2nd tier organization WILL continue its typical circus ways.
