He's like Greene/Powell...a big bowling ball back. We need a gamebreaker like a Lattimore or Taylor. Perfectly fine with Lattimore. I think he can be a Stephen Jackson esque type of a back in the NFL. We would need to be picking in the middle of the draft to warrant taking him though, I am hesistant on him being a top 10-12 pick based off injuries and that he's just not as physically strong as a Richardson or Peterson to make people take the risk despite injuries.
MLB/ILB do not go high enough....Te'O may fight to be a top 10 pick but that might be about it. Of the teams drafting before us possibly, not many teams will be looking for a ILB/MLB. Maybe pending on where they are, the Giants maybe trade up for him but that's against what Reese does. Maybe the Lions if they finish before us and do not love any CB in the draft may entertain taking him but I can't see who else.
Manti Te'o vs Stepfan Taylor at South Bend....3:30 EST NBC on Saturday. Get your butts in front of your TV, its going to be a showdown! Taylor will face a real, real good test in a fast, smart, athletic Irish defense that shut Bell down in East Lansing.
Jawan Jamison would be a steal if he was acquired in the 2nd-3rd rounds. This guy has extremely good vision and has a knack for producing yards out of shitty O-Line blocks
As much as this team needs to find replacements for LB's and wideouts along with safety(at this rate I would resign Landry and Bell). I would still go with Marcus Lattimore or Geno Smith in round 1. If Mark is still the QB we are screwed so it doesnt matter if Clay Matthews and Demarcus Ware were our OLB's. If Greene and Bilal are our starting rb's we are screwed so we need to upgrade that position big time. The way Lattimore runs he has power, speed, and can actually catch the freakin ball out of the backfield.
Did anyone hear the postgame and midgame interview with Geno? Kid seems smart, and by all accounts he's real passionate about football. The more I hear about him the more I like him.
Well if Te'o falls that much then I definitely see the Jets just getting him in round 1. Remember, Jets have a relatively weak to schedule this year and the Chiefs/Bills are worse teams that need to address the QB position as well. Besides, I think Tannebaum is in denial that Sanchez sucks and doesn't want to draft a QB yet, or at least in the first round.
We need a playmaker on offense who has no attitude problems that the locker room can get behind. Then use the rest of the draft to take offensive line picks who can play in Sparano's system a la man blocking style. We will most likely have to replace Moore and Slauson in order to do this.
Whether we get a new QB or not, we need to rebuild our O-Line to establish a dominant running game. This will make it easier on Sanchez/whoever takes over. I would spend 1st and 3rd round picks on Oline this next draft with the 2nd pick on LB.
it all depends on where we are. if we end up being top 5, you go after Mingo or Jones. if we end up 7-15, you go after Lattimore or maybe even Te'o.
The Oline seems like the smartest thing to me, but can't right tackle just be addressed on Day 2? I usually read Walterfootball's mocks since he is usually pretty good, but he has going WR and then QB in his newest. Tenn. seems a dumb place to start.
The guys from Walters are ok (they each post thier own mocks) but there are more indepth sites out there. Check out NFL draft scout for starters. As for RT jsut being addressed on day two? Sure, if you want below average talent. We can address any position on day two, but the longer you wait the less your chances of getting a NFL talent are. They key to drafting is to take the best player avaiable that fits a need. Many over look the second part or only go with that part. You can not draft just for talent, or just for need. You have to use some system that incorperates both. The quicker you need a starter the higher the need. So if we come up on a pick with our players looking like CB, RT, and OLB as similar talents the top tier of our board we better be taking the OLB as currently that is were we need a starter that most. Don't get caught up in thinking that players are slotted 1-250. After the first few picks its more like sets of players that have similar talent levels. Need drops off a bit in the later rounds. I'd say past 4 you quit looking at your needs as much as try to find guys that may have NFL talent no matter the position. The talent pool has dropped off so much by then your hoping to find guys with raw talent that need coaching and time, or the mind set to become a special teams ace while trying to imporve another craft. Developmental picks, Kickers, and punters fit in these rounds as well. The big thing is to keep an open mind and never say you can fill need X in round Y.
Not attacking you GH, just in general, but "who" exactly is a game breaker?? Reggie Bush was suppose to be the next great game breaker in the NFL, a once in a generation player, that didn't exactly happen. IMO, there is only 1 RB in the NFL that is a game breaker, or I like to call a "game changer" is Ray Rice. They're a lot of solid #1 RBs , but most aren't the top threat on their team. The big "game breakers" are elite WRs.....like, Fitz & Megatron. Elite WRs are game changers, today's NFL has very few, elite RBs.
I think LeSean McCoy, Adrian Peterson, Jamal Charles and even to a certain extent now CJ Spiller can be classified as "game changers" on their respective teams. They are a threat to take it to the house or take over a game at anytime. I would definitely classify AP, McCoy and Rice as elite... Foster also, although he's not as dynamic (personally I think he is the best RB in the league now or at least even with Rice). I see a little bit of Ray Rice in Gio Bernard (similar body type, can break off big runs, catch out of the backfield, very good vision, great agility, ect). He can do everything you want in a back. If he declares this year I can definitely see him as the #2 back in the draft. He's growing on me (as did Doug Martin last year) and would love him on this team. If he's there in the 2nd round, I take him and never look back.
I just don't see it, the way the passing game has evolved. While the backs you mentioned are clearly very good, IMO, they aren't elite. Ray Rice is the most versatile, productive RB in the NFL. It isn't about all stats , it's the total picture of the player. My standards are very high and the terms "Elite or Game changer" I don't throw around very often. Gio would be a great addition in Rd 2.
I think as far as game chaning backs go, I would add in MJD and Charles. Both have the ability to change feild position or the score in a flash. Jones-Drew may be the most complete back in football. Arian Foster can get put in a game change type catagory. Make no mistake about it, the offense in Houston run through him. Spiller is on his way to becoming a top end talent as well. He's by no means a 20 carry a game all season guy, but he can make a no gain play into a huge play with one quick shift.
Yes I understand that "Elite" isnt a term that should be easily thrown around... Ray Rice's style of play may fit the NFL's transition the best out of any back, but Adrian Peterson is elite in every sense. One of the best RBs from this decade/pat 10 years. Both Arian Foster and McCoy are the center pieces for their offenses and capable of catching 50-60 passes a year. Its just my opinion, but I group those 4 together in the highest of categories for RBs. And to add onto Bernard, one of the most impressive things about him is his instincts as a runner. Talk about vision, patience, ability to read blockers... Complete opposite of Shonn Greene and what everybody is frustrated about with him. Bernard doesnt have elite athleticism but he has the most important quality I want in a back.
I don't think there is any right or wrong answer, it all depends on a person's opinion what elite means to them. I have a difficult time claiming RBs, in today's NFL are elite. The NFL is a passing league and very few RBs have the opportunity to be " game changers" and a top player in the league. My opinion is supported by the lack of RBs drafted at the top of the draft. There are only about 10 elite players in the league in my opinion and Ray Rice is a borderline elite player. My short list of some Elite players: P Willis D Revis D Brees A Rogers T Brady J P Paul MegaTron L Fitz
