Malcolm Jenkins spoke to ESPN today about what happened at the combine and his preperation for the draft. Jenkins is a likeable guy and a good football player, but you have to feel his recovery speed will restrict his ability to be an elite corner back in the NFL. Aaron Curry (LB, Wake Forest) did one of these for ESPN earlier this week but it was awful. If you want to check it out click here.
4 comments:
Wow, Curry's interview really was terrible.
Some guys shine in front of the camera (Knowshon Moreno, Malcolm Jenkins, Mark Sanchez)... others... not so much.
Hey Rob, this doesn't necessarily apply to the article, but I think I have come up with the most realistic scenario of what happens with the first 3 picks.
Lions: QB Matthew Stafford. There's no way around it. The Lions have arguably the most gifted WR in the NFL who is an insane deep threat. Stafford has a huge arm. Most importantly, the Lions can get a very good LT at 20 (Britton) and I think they would better like Stafford/Britton combo over a Freeman/Smith combo. I don't think they can afford to wait until next year to grab a QB. The new leadership will be given a bigger leash knowing they struggled with a young QB.
Rams: OT Jason Smith. I honestly do not see the Rams taking Crabs especially considering how well Avery developed last year. He is their big play guy. They will grab a possession type WR in round 2 or 3, think Robiskie because they can't afford to neglect OT considering Pace's status/performance/age.
Chiefs: OT Eugene Monroe. They will pass on Curry because he does not fit their system. He is a not a gifted pass rusher, yet. They have a unique opportunity to protect their Cassel investment by pairing up old teammates to take care of the line.
Which leaves the Hawks with Curry, Crabtree, and Sanchez. Those are the only 4 guys that really present the proper value at #4. Jenkins is no longer worthy of a top 5 pick and Orakpo doesn't fit our scheme. This is quite the dilemma/god send because we are stuck with the 2 best players in the draft, and a gifted/savvy future QB. The only bad thing in this scenario is that all these guys either play a position with a lot of invested money, or in the case of Sanchez, you are paying a lot of money to a bench player for the next 2-3 years.
Sorry for the long post, I just think that this is the most realistic scenario of what happens come April.
Hi annonymous,
No need for an apology, I love to hear different opinions on what could happen in the draft. Always feel free to leave some thoughts in the comments section whenever you like. You make some very interesting points.
The Stafford pick I completely agree with. As you say, they are better going Stafford/Britton than Smith/Freeman. Picking 20th they have flexibility to potentially move up a few spots should someone like Michael Oher or Andre Smith drop a bit. They won't however find a quarter back like Matt Stafford with the 20th pick. I think it's almost considered a shoe in Stafford goes first overall.
The consensus has fallen that the Rams will go with one of Jason Smith or Euegene Monroe. I agree with that opinion, but I think they will also seriously consider Michael Crabtree and Aaron Curry. Smith has risen to 'best OT' in this class and he has definitely got the most upside. They could however take a long look at Monroe, who doesn't have as high ceiling as Smith but is more polished and 'game ready' If they want an instant fit at LT, it could be Monroe.
If Stafford & Smith are the first two picks, Kansas City could be an interesting choice. If they take Monroe as you suggest, I would personally see it as something of a surprise - but still possible. They drafted Brendan Albert to play LT last year - but that was a different GM, different head coach. If they want to move him to guard, it'd be expensive but if they want Monroe bad enough, it's possible. It will all come down to how much of Monroe is 'can't miss' and how highly they rate Albert. The other choices are Aaron Curry and Crabtree. Curry can 'set the tone' for KC on defense - offering leadership at ILB as they switch to a 3-4. Crabtree offers Cassel another weapon. That is perhaps more likely than some seem to think. If they want to make Cassel's transition to KC as easy as possible what better way than to give him an arsenal of Crabtree, Bowe and Gonzalez? I'm beginning to wonder if they will pick Crabtree...
And that leaves Seattle...
Post a Comment