Rob Rang lists his risers and fallers. He believes Stephen McGee has done the most to improve his stock since the combine after putting in an impressive display at the Texas A&M pro day. Interestingly, Rang also says it's almost 'assured' Michael Crabtree falls passed the fourth pick now the Seahawks have Houshmandzadeh.
Walter Cherepinsky disagrees. He still has Seattle taking Crabtree in his latest mock draft. "Though Michael Crabtree going in this spot isn't as much of a lock as it once was, I still feel as though Seattle will take him. A common belief is that the Seahawks have fixed their receiving corps with Houshmandzadeh. That's factually incorrect." - Walter Cherepinsky.
Steve Wyche posts an updated mock draft with the Seahawks taking Eugene Monroe. He states that Monroe will help the Seahawks running game and that he has moderate experience in the zone blocking scheme. I would disagree - I think run blocking is one of Monroe's big question marks and I don't think he's an ideal fit for a ZBS.
Andre Smith speaks to the NFL Network in the aftermath of his disastrous combine. The Alabama offensive tackle comes across very laid back and I'm not sure that's such a good thing. There were already concerns about why he hadn't been working out for the combine.
Knowshon Moreno also records this piece for NFL.com. There aren't many prospects with a more vibrant personality than Knowshon Moreno in this years draft. He's not got elite speed but Moreno will have an impact on the NFL, even as a rookie.
Football Diner has prospect reviews published daily, with Brian Robiskie (WR, Ohio State) and Sen'Derrick Marks (DT, Auburn) currently available. They've also published my latest mock draft.
3 comments:
Walter does have a good point on Crabtree, and I agree with him that he is still an option for us. We are just not "bound" to him now, which is good. Branch is going to be 30, Housh will be 32, Nate has never shown he can be great as a Hawk, so it is not like we are set at WR for the next decade. If they watch Crabtree tapes and finish thinking "if we draft him, he will be the best player available and will do the most to help this team win", then barring a trade offer he will be a Hawk. If they finish watching film and think "Brian Orakpo is the player who would help this team the most" then Housh allows them to go that route and not add "but we have a dire need at reciver" to the end of that thought.
Ruskell and his staff will spend way more time thinking about his pick then we do, as well as have more information available (they can actually talk to the players), so no matter how they go I will be happy.
You make a very valid point germpod. By signing Houshmandzadeh, rather than rule out Crabtree it simply doesn't handcuff the team into drafting him. He could be off the board, as my latest mock draft suggests. That would be a disaster for Seattle - no obvious upgrade at receiver. They have the security of getting Houshmandzadeh on board, but could still take Crabtree.
I really think Monroe is a mistake. Not one that hurts us, but one that is really a cop out.
To me, picking Monroe is like paying a ton of money to a top closer to become your set-up man. Does it help your team? Sure it does, but it doesn't make the most sense. It's a stupid baseball analogy, but Monroe just doesn't translate well to the ZBS. Then you consider that Jamon Meredith will be available at #37, who fits ZBS extremely well and is super versatile and I think the value of Monroe at #4 diminishes even more. In no way am I saying that Meredith is better than Monroe, I am arguing that his value at #37 is much better than Monroe at #4 when you consider the benefits of transitioning to ZBS. Meredith would be much higher rated if he was a "lifer" at LT in college. He has proven to be versatile in game experience (not speculation) in the toughest conference in CFB.
I just honestly have a tough time passing on Crabtree or Sanchez at #4. Hass is not done, but there is no reason not to pick up a future QB who looks like he was made for WCO. Sanchez' intangibles, intelligence, and overall savvy make me think at worst we are getting a quality starter. Mike Mayock had a great comment on Sanchez saying that Freeman and Stafford have a higher ceiling, but Sanchez has a higher floor meaning at worst, you are getting a good starter out of Sanchez.
Jason Smith, contrary to Monroe, looks like a perfect fit in ZBS. To me, Jason Smith, Mark Sanchez, and Michael Crabtree all look like excellent fits in our current system. I don't think we can go wrong with any of these guys.
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