Here it is :beer: 1a) DE Mario Williams Not much needs to be said. Only question is WILL HE BE AVAILABLE? I believe so. Saints already have allpros in Will Smith and Charles Grant, why would they rid themselves of one of them just to draft Super Mario, when they can have a player with a similar draft grade in AJ Hawk or DBrick, and actually FILL A HOLE, instead of ignoring it. 1b) LB Bobby Carpenter Right now we are one LB short of running a 3-4, the SAM back, unless you like Chatham out there. The way I see it Thomas will play WILL, Barton the MAC, Vilma the MIKE. With Carpenter at SAM we grab ourselves a big, physical, athletic guy who is adept at blitzing, coverage, and run support. The perfect pick and IMO plays very similar to Roosevelt Colvin 2) OG Max Jean-Gilles Its really a toss up btwn Gilles and Mangold at this point. I chose Gilles because I believe theres less talent at guard than center, but I have us addressing center a little later (Eslinger). I just feel more comfortable with Gilles/Teague than I do Kendall/Mangold. I guess Im a bit weary of Mangold getting thrown into th fire and having to adjust to the pro game and making all his calls, adjustments, and basically being a rookie leading our line. 3a) OT Andrew Whitworth We hear player comparisons thrown around all the time ( I did it myself two picks above) but this is a guy I liken to Kareem McKenzie. Both are physical mauling run blockers but I would say Whitworth has the edge in pass blocking coming out of college, and is a bit more agile. An immediate starter. 3b) C Greg Eslinger People call him "undersized" even though he weighed in a whole 8 pounds less than Mangold (note the sarcasm). I dont see him as a different type of blocker than Gilles either, I see them as compatible. Dont know why his stock has fallen this much, but hey, I dont mind a steal. A Mawae clone IMO (there I go again with my player comparisons!) 4a) RB Maurice Drew Will he be here? Could be a day 1 prospect but with all his size concerns he could very well drop like Darren Sproles did last year. Could be our "lightning" to Cedric Houston's "thunder" and give us quite the well rounded backfield. 4a) TE Joe Klopfenstein A fantastic receiver with some speed that would complement Baker's blocking ability nicely. No Vernon Davis but make no mistake he will without a doubt upgrade our passing offense. Can be a threat in both the short passing game and going deep 5) FB Garrett Mills Ready for another player comparison? Ive never seen him play myself but Im hearing Chris Cooley left and right. Mills and Klopfenstein would be some nice options underneath for Pennington. 7a) 3-4 LB Mike Kudla Backup 34 rusher to Bryan Thomas at WILL. Might not last this late in which case USC's Frostee Rucker would be the alternative. 7b) 3-4 DE Melvin Oliver Versatile end for the 43 or 34. Comments and criticism appreciated :up:
I Love your though process 1028. But isn't 35 too high for Max Jean-Gilles???? Or let's say he it isn't, would rather take him or one of the two Tackles that will drop to our pick???? Maybe Winston or McNeil and Scott.
I dont believe its too high for Gilles. Indeed, his stock has been all over the place as of late, but I think the 2nd rd is where he deserves to go. Now why a guard instead of tackle, when tackle is arguably our biggest need along te line? Tackle is one of the deeper positions in this years draft...unfortunately you cant say the same for guard OR center. The talent dropoff btwn tackles in the 2nd and 3rd is minimal, but its pretty significant for guards. I dont believe theres a huge difference btwn McNeill and Whitworth. McNeill is probably the better tackle, but by chosing a tackle in the 2nd you limit yourself in that it will be unlikely one of the premier guard prospects falls to the 3rd round
I read you and I really hope that Drew is there Day two. He has first down draw play written all over him.
You certainly could make that point. I see our depth chart at WR being 1- Coles, 2-McCareins, 3-Cotchery, 4-Dwight. But I do not see anything so clear cut at TE...Bakers the only decent TE on the roster, and hes more of a blocker now IMO. I think Klopfenstein actually has a chance to start, and flourish, in Schottenheimer's system
Wholl be where? If we went with McNeill I doubt we could get Gilles. The best available OG in the 3rd would probably be Spencer or Lutui, and I dont know that either would be able to start immediately. Id rather have Gilles and Whitworth (both immediate starters), than McNeill and Spencer. Plus Im not the biggest McNeill fan, but thats another story
Great draft... but you're hoping Klopfenstein falls. He will likely be a first day pick (along the 2nd/3rd border). I also would prefer an OT earlier because we're likely going to have to start whoever we draft... and Whitworth with his injury history scares me.
I see many TEs falling this year, just because of the glut of talent at the position. I see Davis as a top 10 pick, Pope and Lewis as 2nd rounders, Byrd as a 3rd, and Fasano and Klopfenstein as borderline day 1s. With all the talent at TE, I would not be surprised to see some players like Klopfenstein fall, like Dreessen did last year. As far as OT Im a bit confused. Whitworth has been a very VERY durable player. I think you might have him confused with O'Callaghan with his injury history. And yes, even though hes a 3rd rounder, IMO he has first round talent, and will definitely be able to start from day 1. In your mock, I noticed you also have us waiting to the 3rd round to pick up a starting tackle...just the same as a 3rd rounder can start in your mock, he can start in mine
I loved it until after the Drew pick.... Now I'm no Jolley fan but I am satisfied with Baker. Unless it was Vernon Davis I'd rather not even look at TE util round 6 at the earliest. Hey maybe we sign Ed Nelson as an UDFA. Cooley is a nice player but I don't really know how an H-Back type player fits into the system that Schott will run. I like your alternative pick in round 7 and your last pick I'm hoping we go BPA. I like your first 5 picks but I am extremely disapointed that in the best draft I have seen to date you neglect the need for a deep threat WR.
Agreed--this is the first mock I've seen that I would call a "dream draft" that also might actually happen. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Deep threat at WR...well, to be honest, I dont see why wed need one. Its the whole basis behind the Coles for Moss trade. We traded for the player that better fit our system. Id like a deep threat, but I dont think Penny has the arm to get the ball out there. Which is why I decided Klopfenstein might be a better fit for the intermediate passing game. We also signed Dwight, some might say he IS our deep threat. Im hard at work on my final mock and will post it a few days before the draft...last year I got nearly 3/4 of my mock right by position and round, and predicted 3 or 4 players that we actually drafted, which is pretty damn good IMO
