O.K. Here is the idea. Alan Branch has slid in the draft. Many Mocks now have him going to the Bengals at 18. He is the perfect fit for our D and I really like the player. How about we trade our 2nd #2 and #25 for #17? I'm pretty sure I would pull the trigger on this one if it was available. The Jags main need is safety and their should be a few good ones left over at 25. Just something to think about.
Branch has a tendency to take plays off sometimes and be somewhat lazy. Not really a Mangini type guy (I know that phrase is overused)
Yeah I was just about to say... Branch has slipped because he's been labeled as lazy and not very dedicated to working out. Sooooo... pass.
I'll play. Here's mine The Denver Broncos trade the 21st overall pick, the 56th overall pick, and the next year's third round pick to the Washington Redskins for the 6th overall pick ROUND 1 1. Oakland Raiders - Jamarcus Russell QB LSU 2. Detroit Lions - Gaines Adams DE Clemson 3. Cleveland Browns - Adrian Peterson RB Oklahoma 4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech 5. Arizona Cardinals - Joe Thomas OT Wisconsin 6. Denver Broncos - Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas 7. Minnesota Vikings - Laron Landry S L.S.U 8. Atlanta Falcons - Amobi Okoye DT Louisville 9. Miami Dolphins - Brady Quinn QB Notre Dame 10. Houston Texans - Alan Branch DT Michigan 11. San Francisco 49ers - Patrick Willis ILB Ole Miss 12. Buffalo Bills - Levi Brown OT Penn State 13. St. Louis Rams - Adam Carriker DE Nebraska 14. Carolina Panthers - Greg Olsen TE Miami 15. Pittsburgh Steelers - Darrelle Revis CB Pitt 16. Green Bay Packers - Marshawn Lynch RB Cal 17. Jacksonville Jaguars - Reggie Nelson S Florida 18. Cincinnati Bengals - Leon Hall CB Michigan 19. Tennessee Titans - Robert Meachem WR Tennessee 20. New York Giants - Jon Beason OLB Miami 21. Washington Redskins - Justin Harrell DT Tennessee 22. Dallas Cowboys - Ben Grubbs G Auburn 23. Kansas City Chiefs - Brandon Merriweather S Miami 24. New England Patriots - Paul Posluzny OLB Penn State 25. New York Jets - Lawrence Timmons OLB Florida State 26. Philadelphia Eagles - Dwayne Bowe WR L.S.U 27. New Orleans Saints - Aaron Ross CB Texas 28. New England Patriots - Michael Griffin S Texas 29. Baltimore Ravens - Justin Blalock G Texas 30. San Diego Chargers - Dwayne Jarrett WR U.S.C 31. Chicago Bears - Ted Ginn Jr. WR Ohio State 32. Indianapolis Colts - David Harris ILB Michigan ROUND 2 33. Oakland Raiders - Joe Staley T Central Michigan 34. Detroit Lions - Ryan Kalil C U.S.C 35. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Jarvis Moss DE Florida 36. Cleveland Brown Tony Ugoh OT Arkansas 37. Chicago Bears - Cris Houston CB Arkansas 38. Arizona Cardinals - Anthony Spencer DE Purdue 39. Atlanta Falcons - Steve Smith WR U.S.C 40. Miami Dolphins - Marcus McCauley CB Fresno St. 41. Minnesota Vikings - Anthony Gonzalez WR Ohio State 42. San Francisco 49er's - Sidney Rice WR Southern Cal 43. Buffalo Bills - Antonio Pittman RB Ohio State 44. Atlanta Falcons - Lamarr Woodley OLB Michigan 45. Carolina Panthers - Tanard Jackson CB Syracuse 46. Pittsburgh Steelers - Aaron Sears G Tennessee 47. Green Bay Packers - Tim Crowder DE Texas 48. Jacksonville Jaguars - Quentin Moses DE Georgia 49. Cincinnati Bengals - Turk McBride DT Tennessee 50. Tennessee Titans - Josh Wilson CB Maryland 51. New York Giants - Stewart Bradley OLB Nebraska 52. St. Louis Rams - Eric Weddle S Utah 53. Dallas Cowboys - Eric Wright CB UNLV 54. Kansas City Chiefs - DeMarcus Tyler North Carolina State 55. Seattle Seahawks - Ben Patrick TE Delaware 56. Washington Redskins - Charles Johnson DE Georgia 57. Philadelphia Eagles - Ikaika- Alama Francis DE Hawaii 58. New Orleans Saints - Ray McDonald DT Florida 59. New York Jets - Brian Leonard FB Rutgers 60. Miami Dolphins - Justin Durant OLB Hampton 61. Baltimore Ravens - Fred Bennett CB Southern Cal 62. San Diego Chargers - Jonathan Wade CB Tennessee 63. New York Jets - Daymeion Hughes CB Cal 64. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - James Marten OT Boston College
Particularly when they play 85% of the downs on defense as Branch did the last two years at Michigan.
No matter what his stock is right now, the fact remains that Branch would be the perfect fit for the 3-4 NT position. He may not have put up the stats in college, but he wasn't asked to be a disruptive backfield force, and he won't be asked to do that on a professional level. He will be drafted as space eating, run clogging behemoth in the middle of the defense, and no-one in the draft is better at that than Branch. If Branch were to somehow fall into the Jets laps, the difference between last years defense and next year's defense will be night and day.
I feel like that's the knock on 98% of big NTs coming out of college... Doesn't bother me at all.... Alan Branch would be ideal to play on this DL and keep OL off of Vilma. Even if Branch did not produce numbers wise for the Jets, Vilma's production would increase exponentially with Branch doing what he does best, taking up blockers. I would be thrilled to have him here
i would move up to get him if he somehow makes it past 13...nothing more than packaging a 2nd w/ our 1st though
I've heard Branch interviewed a bunch of times. He is a smart kid who doesn't make excuses. He was the centerpiece of that D and outplayed the best in the country week in and week out. He wouldn't have to be on the field as much and I heard the same BS about laziness and taking plays off about Wilfork, how did he pan out. HE is a HUGE guy, not a 5'10 corner.
I wouldn't trade up to get him (Branch) but if he falls to 25...Oh hell ya you take this guy without a doubt!
He really is perfect for the 3-4. To play NT in a 3-4 defense, you need a guy that can stand his ground and force two blockers to stay on him. The guy's huge and strong so he's definitely not going to be moved easily. I always felt like DeWayne Robertson was better suited for 3-4 end anyway a la Seymour. The key, I think is his play against the pass. Michigan normally rushed just the 4 down linemen last year and he normally still got a double-team, allowing others to get in for the sack. Personally, I'd be thrilled to get him with a 1 & a 2. The thing is, there's no way he'll get past the Pats and fall to us. Heck, there's no way he'll even fall past Dallas. He's just too good a value.
He's not perfect for nose tackle. Most 3-4 NT's are on the shorter side under 6 3. That way they can create leverage. Branch is big but that doesn't mean he would make a good nose tackle. The best nose tackles are 6 2 340-350, wide, quick and extremely strong. I think he makes more sense as a 3-4 end of a 4-3 tackle.
I was just going to say the same thing, if anything he plays end for us. I'd also be a bit concerned about the reported stress fractures in his shins....
