2009 Falcons Draft Discussion - Page 29

BamaFalcon59 · 01-12-2009, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DraftMichaelHuff

hey guys, its been a while, been real busy over christmas/ new years.

As for the offseason i think we have seen the last of Keith Brooking, Grady Jackson, Jamaal Fudge and Michael Boley to begin with. There is probably a whole lot more

With free agents its really a matter of TD n Co's attitude to the guys on offer. Obviously we arent privy to the personalities of the guys in free agency but if we were going purely on on-feild play id go with Albert Haynesworth and Karlos Dansby. Haynesworth will not come cheap and has a temper but he also has the ability to carry and entire defense on his back. It'd be risky but could bring with it a huge reward turning our biggest weakness (NT) into our greatest strength.

Again im hoping we follow last years proven method in drawing up our need positions, looking the draft vs FA value and making a decision from there. Id like to eliminate 2 big needs in free agency so as to ensure our remaining needs are filled with high draft picks to hopefully have an immeadiate impact on our team. In following this logic Karlos Dansby would be my second free agent signing. Dansby is a guy i have always really liked and can play any LB position in a 4/3. He has great size, 6'4 250lbs, and speed as well as some consistant production. Id look to play him as WLB as he did with the Cardinals giving us the trio Dansby Lofton Nicolas to serve us for the next few years.

From there it would be a matter of filling the remaining needs with draftpiks. Something like

1st - William Moore SS,
Played with injury and a bit heavy in 2008, he should trim down to 220 for the combine and work in on 2nd and 3rd downs as a rookie while learning from Milloy all year

2nd - Chase Coffman TE,
Upgrade of Justin Peele from 2008, great reciever in the Jason Witten mold. Id be training him with the O line at stages and work on his strength. If his blocking gets near his recieving skills we would have one hell of a TE. Would become Ryans best friend.

3rd - Jonathan Luigs C
Great value here, future 12+ year starter at centre for us, as for 2009, it would all be about learning from Mclure and cross training at OG and OT. Solid player

4th Will Davis DE - Pass rushing upgrade over Simon Fraser

5th Feniki Toupu RT RG- At the very least would be depth behind Dahl and Clabo

7th Kaluka Maiava OLB

Not a fan of the draft at all. Moore can't cover and Coffman is not physical enough for us. He would be a glorified slot receiver similar to Dallas Clark. Which isn't bad to have, but I don't think we need to spend a second on what will turn out to be just a fourth wide receiver.

Luigz is decent.

Davis and Fraser are completely different players. Fraser is a guy who lines up at defensive tackle and defensive end. Davis is a pure defensive end who may have a shot at outside linebacker in the 3-4.

Davis did play some defensive tackle for Illinois, but I don't see him doing that in the pros.

Apparently, he also has had a 'chronic ankle injury' and had a bad senior season because of it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DraftMichaelHuff

LeRoy Hill is another guy i really like.

I hear people touting Kevin Burnett. IMO he is too much like Boley...not physical enough for our scheme.

The way our scheme is, our LBers need to be more like Lofton, there is a noticable difference between when the other guys hit and fall backwards/fall off than when Lofton squares up, hits and sticks, driving the ball carrier backward. There is a very clear example of the old and the new philosophy if you watch our linebackers mentalities toward hitting.

Louis Delmas' is eerily similiar to one of my favourite prospects ever ... Reggie Nelson except with far greater intellegence, i can quite easily see myself (and the falcons) becoming enamoured with this guy. especially if he can get up to 200-205 for the combine... at his current weight he worries me abit the way he throws his body around.

The tight ends this year annoy me quite a bit. I wish there was a poor mans Brendan Pettigrew with better character that graded out in the low 2nd...Marcellus Bennett would of been great for us if he was in the draft this year. I like Coffman, Cook and others but their blocking will mean that they wont be able to be every down players for quite some time. Wish there was a guy who could do it all and be around in the 2nd this year

If we have three Lofton type players on the field at once we will get torn up in the passing game.

I think we will look for, on the outside, players who can run and tackle, basically what Tony Dungy does with his linebackers. He gets them late in the draft and lets them get big contracts from other teams when they leave in free agency. Cato Junes are a big no, because he could not tackle when in Indianapolis. But Freddie Keiaho types would be fine.

Bosanac01 · 01-12-2009, 10:52 PM

We need fast OLBer that can cover. They need to be able to get from sideline to sideline, that was our problem last year. Lofton runs a 4.8 and verts a 24, he needs fast players athletic LBers surrounding him.

dunagan15 · 01-14-2009, 02:31 AM

Well Taylor Mays is staying at school. So I guess that at least gives us a chance to get a very good safety in 2010 if we decide to wait.

2010 most likely... 1)Eric Berry 2) Taylor Mays 3) Major Wright 4) Myron Rolle

Thats definintly worth waiting for.

The bad news is thats 1 less guy that falls to us at 24. Right now im hoping for Raji, Gresham, Mack

Bosanac01 · 01-19-2009, 07:14 PM

Gresham is one less guy too cuzz he's coming back to school.

Hey can someone link me a roster of the senior bowl?

Bosanac01 · 01-19-2009, 10:48 PM

http://www.walterfootball.com/draft2009.php

This walter guy give us an amazing 3 round draft.

1. Raji
2. Coffman
3. Hamlin

I would just love this!!

dunagan15 · 01-19-2009, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bosanac01

http://www.walterfootball.com/draft2009.php

This walter guy give us an amazing 3 round draft.

1. Raji
2. Coffman
3. Hamlin

I would just love this!!

Ya I always look at his mocks as well. Pretty good site to see all the players.

DraftMichaelHuff · 01-21-2009, 04:45 AM

Some guys i have really liked for a while are having good weeks so far.

Louis Delamas- plays a bit like Bob Sanders- throws his body around. Great character
Shawn Nelson- Great reciever but is blocking great this week too

d34ng3l021 · 01-21-2009, 10:19 AM

Alex Mack just moved to my number 2. He seems to be doing a good job at the Sr. Bowl where he is getting the better of BJ Raji. Check out his scouting report:

Quote:

Strengths:
Ideal size and bulk...Extremely smart...Decent athlete with good agility and quickness...Physical and aggressive...Nasty with a killer instinct and always finishes plays...Great technician who understands angles and leverage...Outstanding awareness...Very strong and powerful and is a monster in the weight room...Above average mobility...Hard worker...Tough and durable... Has a lot of experience.

Weaknesses:
Does not have great balance and spends too much time on the ground...A little stiff in the hips...Not real light on his feet...Shorter arms than you'd prefer...Can be too aggressive at times (this is bad, why?)...Will get out of control (fits our mold well...) ... Susceptible to being overwhelmed by massive defenders (who doesnt?).

Notes:
Recipient of the prestigious Draddy Trophy as a senior, which is also known as the "Academic Heisman", and is given to college football's top scholar-athlete...Redshirted as a true freshman, backed up Marvin Philip in 2005 then started the next three years...Went to the state wrestling tournament as a heavyweight in high school...Four-time Academic All-Pac-10...Graduated with a 3.61 GPA and a bachelor's degree in legal studies (a 3.61 at Berkley, one of, if not, the top public academic university)...Three-time first-team All-Pac-10...Won the Morris Trophy as the best offensive lineman in the Pac-10, as voted by the conferences defensive lineman, two years in a row...The total package who has everything you look for in terms of both physical tools and intangibles...Rare pivot who is a legitimate first round talent.

He seems to be a great C prospect. He could be the anchor for our offensive line and be our Jeff Saturday for the next 10 years.

georgiafan · 01-21-2009, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DraftMichaelHuff

Shawn Nelson- Great reciever but is blocking great this week too

He had great practice, if he keeps it up then I really want him in round 3.

ATLDirtyBirds · 01-21-2009, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by georgiafan

He had great practice, if he keeps it up then I really want him in round 3.

If he keeps this up, he won't be around for our 3rd.

dunagan15 · 01-22-2009, 03:06 AM

Well so far the Senior Bowl has been very interesting and what I am most happy with are the guys stepping up.

It seems all our positions of need have players that are shining.

DT- As we know, Raji is dominating and might be right out of our range. Jerry (who Ive liked for a while) may be more of a UT type guy but he also has been drawing double teams and been playing great as well.

TE- What more can you say about Shawn Nelson. Possibly the perfect fit for the Falcons. Great receiving TE whol ran great routes and caught the ball well. The better part is this guy can block. He battled all day and was very impressive. Looks like we will be able to land a TE at come point. Pettigrew (monster blocker and an upgrade over Peele in the recieving category) Coffman is there as well.

S- Eh. BamaFalcon, I gotta give you props on calling the William Moore sucks asss. He has been terrible and im no longer a fan. On the other Hand, Delmas has been great. Big hitter and aggressive. What is even more impressive is his leadership. Reminds me a lot like Bob Sanders out there.

C- Caldwell has been a monster (told ya Bos). Still a little behind Mack but has been very good. Other solid guys were Eric Wood and Luigs, though not on the level w/ Mack and Caldwell.

OLB- not too many guys shining here for our scheme. Clay Matthews is def. more of a 3-4 guy and Cushing has been ok but not a guy I want in the first. A guy I have been impressed w/ that could be a steal in round 3 would be Marcus Freeman of Ohio State. Guy has been all over the field and blowing up backs on blitzes. one of my darkhorses.

DraftMichaelHuff · 01-22-2009, 03:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunagan15

Well so far the Senior Bowl has been very interesting and what I am most happy with are the guys stepping up.

It seems all our positions of need have players that are shining.

DT- As we know, Raji is dominating and might be right out of our range. Jerry (who Ive liked for a while) may be more of a UT type guy but he also has been drawing double teams and been playing great as well.

TE- What more can you say about Shawn Nelson. Possibly the perfect fit for the Falcons. Great receiving TE whol ran great routes and caught the ball well. The better part is this guy can block. He battled all day and was very impressive. Looks like we will be able to land a TE at come point. Pettigrew (monster blocker and an upgrade over Peele in the recieving category) Coffman is there as well.

S- Eh. BamaFalcon, I gotta give you props on calling the William Moore sucks asss. He has been terrible and im no longer a fan. On the other Hand, Delmas has been great. Big hitter and aggressive. What is even more impressive is his leadership. Reminds me a lot like Bob Sanders out there.

C- Caldwell has been a monster (told ya Bos). Still a little behind Mack but has been very good. Other solid guys were Eric Wood and Luigs, though not on the level w/ Mack and Caldwell.

OLB- not too many guys shining here for our scheme. Clay Matthews is def. more of a 3-4 guy and Cushing has been ok but not a guy I want in the first. A guy I have been impressed w/ that could be a steal in round 3 would be Marcus Freeman of Ohio State. Guy has been all over the field and blowing up backs on blitzes. one of my darkhorses.

Yeah props to Bama on William Moore I had only seen him on highlights really and 1 game

Few weeks ago you'd call me crazy by right now (with a NT)

1st Louis Delmas

2nd Shawn Nelson

3rd DE

4th Eric Wood

5th LB

Would be a very acceptable and decent value

ATLDirtyBirds · 01-22-2009, 05:04 AM

I like Delmas a lot, but I'm not sure if he's first round value yet.

DraftMichaelHuff · 01-22-2009, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATLDirtyBirds

I like Delmas a lot, but I'm not sure if he's first round value yet.

Is he half way between Reggie Nelson and Bob Sanders as a comparison? I cant work him out

D-Rod · 01-22-2009, 09:48 AM

I think he's much more Sanders than Nelson. Delmas is more active, will come up and hit, and have a more varied role. Nelson pretty much sits back in the coverage role, not entirely dissimilar to Mays.

I like Delmas, and I'd definitely draft him in the 2nd. But as I said before, I'd rather not start a rookie safety. I'd rather pick up a S in free agency; as discussed elsewhere, Atogwe and Jones are possibilities.

In other news, I guess we're not getting Raji now - damn Senior Bowl - while Jerry doesn't seem to be suited to the role we want. Are we possibly being forced by this draft class into taking a massive run (and risk) on Fat Albert? Brace has been ok, but nothing more, and playing next to Raji gives me serious doubts about him.

Starting to quite like Cushing at LB, even at the first...

Not sure that Nelson has been THAT great at blocking, but he's definitely becoming more of a possibility. I do like me some Pettigrew though, if we can ignore possible character concerns.

Preo32 · 01-22-2009, 11:35 AM

yeah Mel Kiper Jr. has Raji going 12th to Denver, and they do need a NT. So if he is available our pick, take him. No matter what.

Since he will probably not be there now, unless things change in the near future. A good thing about this draft is really there is no clear #1 best player, so teams picking in the top 10 will try and get somebody that they need more than who is the best player since really its a deep draft, but not front-strong like some of the past drafts have been.

At this point, i dont know who is our best bet for our first round pick. Id like to see a TE and safety picked in the top 3 rounds, but maybe another DT will be projected around our spot come draft time and we could take him

thefalconer · 01-22-2009, 01:56 PM

it seems more and more likely that laurinitis will be the pick simply because they guys we really need and fit well will be gone by then. i would love for TD to pull off a trade down.

ATLDirtyBirds · 01-22-2009, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DraftMichaelHuff

Is he half way between Reggie Nelson and Bob Sanders as a comparison? I cant work him out

Definitely more like Bob. Although, I'm not sure that he has that quick burst like Sanders does.

dunagan15 · 01-22-2009, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATLDirtyBirds

I like Delmas a lot, but I'm not sure if he's first round value yet.

I agree. If Raji isnt there in round 1 I would love a trade down to acquire Delmas round 2 and possibly get an extra pick for next year or this year.

Like a lot of you said there is really no clear cut player to fall to us. Right now Raji is the guy I want in round 1 but that is looking very doubtful.

Cushing is eh, so is Pettigrew and Delmas would be a reach in round 1. I just cant lock in on a guy other than Raji for us at 24.

What do you guys think about a trade up to land Raji???

ATLDirtyBirds · 01-22-2009, 03:27 PM

Pettigrew is most certainly not a reach or an "eh".

dunagan15 · 01-22-2009, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATLDirtyBirds

Pettigrew is most certainly not a reach or an "eh".

I didnt mean it like that. I meant I am still not sold on him (character wise). I would love him at 24 but that is my only concern so thats why the "eh"

Preo32 · 01-22-2009, 03:40 PM

I dont think his character issue is a real issue anymore. Maybe thats just me, but I feel like if Raji is gone, and Pettigrew is still there, which i doubt as well, i say we seiously consider taking him. Though I am not as sold on Pettigrew as I am on Raji. Plus, there are a lot of TEs in this draft, and other than the Jets TE last year that got picked in the first, i think the last one before him was Vernon Davis, and so far, he hasnt produced to his ability. I dont want us to pick a TE in the 1st. 2nd round earliest for a TE at least in this years draft

Ill be ok with the pick, but if he doesnt produce while 2nd and 3rd rd TEs play the same or better, its not a good pick. Id like defense in the first over TE. Lets hope we can get a trade if the chips dont fall right for us

georgiafan · 01-22-2009, 03:44 PM

It's looking more like are needs aren't going to fit with the talent thats going to be there. B.J Raji and Pettigrew will be off the board and Moore isn't worth a 1st round pick. We might be forced to go BPA

thefalconer · 01-22-2009, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by georgiafan

It's looking more like are needs aren't going to fit with the talent thats going to be there. B.J Raji and Pettigrew will be off the board and no Moore is off the board. We might be forced to go BPA

yeah i think it's headed that way too. hopefully some of the guys we like will drop after the combine. TD said last year that his drafting ideology is strictly to draft on need and draft system-specific players.

georgiafan · 01-22-2009, 04:03 PM

So let's pretend i'm right and all there is no DT, S or TE worth a first round pick. What are some names that nobody is talking about that we could pick if we go BPA. Agian I'm not saying we should draft these guys just throwing some diffrent names out.

WR - Maclin/Harvin/Heyward-Bey - I don't see us going 1st round WR with Douglas,Jenkins and White. But all do offer bonuses in the return game and you can never have enough weapons for a young QB.

OT - Loadholt, William Beatty - We still don't know what we have in Sam Baker and RT is a question mark.

OG - Duke Robinson - If Dahl leaves as a free agent and would also be a good fit in our system
DE Tyson Jackson, Michael Jackson - If Jamaal is moved to DT

OLB Brian Cushing & Clint Sintim - We could lose both starting OLB's