Final Ghost mocking

Originally posted by tohara3:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
The first 3 are great. I like your draft. I could live with this draft.

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

Originally posted by teeohh:

Originally posted by teeohh:
My next question is where have you heard about Bulaga falling. And I ask because the only scout guy I follow is Daniel Jeremiah and whatever else people post on here. So I'm just curious because I'd like other good sources to read from.

Here's three links to check out...take it for what it's worth.


Former Iowa lineman Bryan Bulaga has been told by NFL scouts that his arms are too short. "I've never really had a problem with my short arms, I guess," he said.

I've spoken to several scouts and frotn office executives throughout the league who adamantly proclaimed that Bulaga, due to his short arms (32.5") and only marginal upside "did not deserve to be in the conversation" as the top OT. One source noted that there were zero offensive line coaches present at Iowa's Pro Day, whereas there were "several" at Oklahoma State and Oklahoma's.

Casserly goes on to say that the "consensus" from folks he's talked to indicate Bulaga is more of a right tackle than a left tackle and, as Casserly points out, taking a right tackle in the top ten generally doesn't happen.

Hmm, I wonder if this actually happens on draft day. I personally hope that it does.

I'm very surprised to see that you didn't pick Spiller. I've said this all along, I just can't see ourselves drafting him.

-9fA

Bulaga would be awesome to get, lets hope his short arms will let him drop to us

Where did you hear/read Earl would be moving to CB? Did you mean he'd be moving in two years or next year in what would have been his RS junior year? I'm just curious because I'd never heard that before. I couldn't see them moving him next year since Curtis Brown and Aaron Williams have those spots nailed down (and there might be one CB in the country that could move Aaron Williams).

If we get Bulaga at no. 13, I would cream my pants.

Ghost, this is the best and most likely mock I've seen, although not sure about Thomas being at 17. I think these picks can happen and would like them, although I would prefer to see another pass rusher. I can see Seattle taking Morgan, and then Brown at OT. I definately think you nailed the top13 with Buffalo being the only real wild card.

Originally posted by mayo63:
If we get Bulaga at no. 13, I would cream my pants.

You can't do that with "short arms"...

I like that you went defense and o-line with most of your picks and really like the mock. The only critique I have is I wish we could've gotten a PR/KR earlier in the draft. I would love to have a game changing return man for once. But other than that I would love this draft.

Charley Casserly said that he saw Bulaga dropping because his arms will make teams view him strictly as a RT. Hopefully that's the case because we could sure use a RT!

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

Originally posted by tjd808185:
Don't like the idea of going safety, safety in Thomas and Jones. Yeah that plan is to convert Thomas to corner but I'm just not high on that idea.

In the NFL these days, it's all about being able to make plays in the secondary...this guy has that ability. Will it take him a year or two to put it all together as a CB, very likely...but that probably goes for any "pure" CB we would draft who would also sit behind Clements and Spencer. The more research you do on Thomas, the more you see what a talent he is, and adding him to your secondary in ANY capacity is simply a smart move.

The problem I have is I don't want him pegged at corner. I'm fine with drafting him and using him in a role similiar to Meriweather but if he's best suited to be a safety then that's where he should go. We lose some of that luxury with the Jones pick.

Personally I would only take one of those two guys.

You plug in Iupati or Ducasse at guard instead and the line is set for years to come.

Originally posted by tjd808185:

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

Originally posted by tjd808185:
Don't like the idea of going safety, safety in Thomas and Jones. Yeah that plan is to convert Thomas to corner but I'm just not high on that idea.

In the NFL these days, it's all about being able to make plays in the secondary...this guy has that ability. Will it take him a year or two to put it all together as a CB, very likely...but that probably goes for any "pure" CB we would draft who would also sit behind Clements and Spencer. The more research you do on Thomas, the more you see what a talent he is, and adding him to your secondary in ANY capacity is simply a smart move.

The problem I have is I don't want him pegged at corner. I'm fine with drafting him and using him in a role similiar to Meriweather but if he's best suited to be a safety then that's where he should go. We lose some of that luxury with the Jones pick.

Personally I would only take one of those two guys.

You plug in Iupati or Ducasse at guard instead and the line is set for years to come.

Yea that's the only thing I don't understand about this mock. Two of your 1st 3 picks will just be sitting and learning. That's not a recipe for success theses days in the NFL. If your secondary is suspect why are you drafting guys who can't come in and play right now. Last time i checked coaches don't have enough job security to wait 2/3 seasons for guys to develop and make an impact. The good teams identify guys who can come in and contribute right away. Then what if Thomas has to move back to safety and you have him and Jones along with Goldson. One of those draft picks becomes a complete waste. I like Thomas and Jones I just don't get drafting them both. I'd take an OG like Jon Jerry over Jones in the 2nd and this would be perfect.


Sidenote I really think Casserly and Kiper talk to each other a lot b/c they say almost the something about the same players specifically Bulaga. Kiper was saying the something on a podcast bout 3 weeks ago that many teams view him as strictly and RT and he lacks athleticism.

Originally posted by lamontb:

Originally posted by tjd808185:

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

Originally posted by tjd808185:
Don't like the idea of going safety, safety in Thomas and Jones. Yeah that plan is to convert Thomas to corner but I'm just not high on that idea.

In the NFL these days, it's all about being able to make plays in the secondary...this guy has that ability. Will it take him a year or two to put it all together as a CB, very likely...but that probably goes for any "pure" CB we would draft who would also sit behind Clements and Spencer. The more research you do on Thomas, the more you see what a talent he is, and adding him to your secondary in ANY capacity is simply a smart move.

The problem I have is I don't want him pegged at corner. I'm fine with drafting him and using him in a role similiar to Meriweather but if he's best suited to be a safety then that's where he should go. We lose some of that luxury with the Jones pick.

Personally I would only take one of those two guys.

You plug in Iupati or Ducasse at guard instead and the line is set for years to come.

Yea that's the only thing I don't understand about this mock. Two of your 1st 3 picks will just be sitting and learning. That's not a recipe for success theses days in the NFL. If your secondary is suspect why are you drafting guys who can't come in and play right now. Last time i checked coaches don't have enough job security to wait 2/3 seasons for guys to develop and make an impact. The good teams identify guys who can come in and contribute right away. Then what if Thomas has to move back to safety and you have him and Jones along with Goldson. One of those draft picks becomes a complete waste. I like Thomas and Jones I just don't get drafting them both. I'd take an OG like Jon Jerry over Jones in the 2nd and this would be perfect.


Sidenote I really think Casserly and Kiper talk to each other a lot b/c they say almost the something about the same players specifically Bulaga. Kiper was saying the something on a podcast bout 3 weeks ago that many teams view him as strictly and RT and he lacks athleticism.

I disagree on a few counts here.

1.) I see 2 out of the 3 top picks being able to contribute heavily right away. Obviously Bulaga, but also Thomas. Now, it's a matter of being realistic. No CB that we draft is going to start over Nate and Spencer and I'm sure you realize this. However, Thomas has the kind of cover/playmaking skills that allow him to immediately contribute as a nickel CB, and given how often teams play nickel, he'll be on the field a lot. We have to remember, just because a guy isn't starting doesn't mean he's not contributing heavily. Now, after a year of playing heavy nickel and maybe even picking up a few starts here and there, Thomas could be ready to take over for Nate in 2011 (as his contract just gets more bloated and his production seems to wane). Should we just grab a pure CB like Kyle Wilson? Sure, I wouldn't have a problem with that...I just prefer Thomas' overall skills and versatility over Wilson's, so it's more a matter of preference for me.

2.) I believe the best teams identify guys who can develop into star players over time. We fans want instant satisfaction, so we want our teams to draft guys that can fill areas of need and get on the field right away. That doesn't always translate into long-term success, though. A guy like Reshad Jones is an ideal combo safety in that he's big enough to be a force against the run, and athletic enough to make plays in pass coverage....however, he's very raw and needs seasoning. You might want to pass on a guy like that for instant impact in 2010 (and I'm not saying you're wrong either), but a smart team will see a guy like Jones and work with him to develop his skills and hopefully turn him into a pro-bowl safety in the years to come.

3.) I always take what Kiper says with a grain of salt. If I remember correctly, he said neither David Carr or Joey Harrington would be a bust.

Pittsburgh uses a similar approach where the majority of drafted players take a year or two of "seasoning" before the get significant playing time.

It's only now after 5 drafts, that we have accumulated enough talent from a Donohue depleted roster to work guys in gradually.

Originally posted by mebemused:
Pittsburgh uses a similar approach where the majority of drafted players take a year or two of "seasoning" before the get significant playing time.

It's only now after 5 drafts, that we have accumulated enough talent from a Donohue depleted roster to work guys in gradually.

Not to mention, the Saints got nothing from their entire draft this past year with the only exception being their 1st rounder (Jenkins). They didn't even have picks in rounds 2 and 3, and managed to win it all.

Building a winning team starts with having a difference-maker at QB, then surrounding him with talent over time. Teams needing/expecting immediate impact from more than one rookie in rounds 1-3 are generally in for a rude awakening.

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

Originally posted by lamontb:

Originally posted by tjd808185:

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

Originally posted by tjd808185:
Don't like the idea of going safety, safety in Thomas and Jones. Yeah that plan is to convert Thomas to corner but I'm just not high on that idea.

In the NFL these days, it's all about being able to make plays in the secondary...this guy has that ability. Will it take him a year or two to put it all together as a CB, very likely...but that probably goes for any "pure" CB we would draft who would also sit behind Clements and Spencer. The more research you do on Thomas, the more you see what a talent he is, and adding him to your secondary in ANY capacity is simply a smart move.

The problem I have is I don't want him pegged at corner. I'm fine with drafting him and using him in a role similiar to Meriweather but if he's best suited to be a safety then that's where he should go. We lose some of that luxury with the Jones pick.

Personally I would only take one of those two guys.

You plug in Iupati or Ducasse at guard instead and the line is set for years to come.

Yea that's the only thing I don't understand about this mock. Two of your 1st 3 picks will just be sitting and learning. That's not a recipe for success theses days in the NFL. If your secondary is suspect why are you drafting guys who can't come in and play right now. Last time i checked coaches don't have enough job security to wait 2/3 seasons for guys to develop and make an impact. The good teams identify guys who can come in and contribute right away. Then what if Thomas has to move back to safety and you have him and Jones along with Goldson. One of those draft picks becomes a complete waste. I like Thomas and Jones I just don't get drafting them both. I'd take an OG like Jon Jerry over Jones in the 2nd and this would be perfect.


Sidenote I really think Casserly and Kiper talk to each other a lot b/c they say almost the something about the same players specifically Bulaga. Kiper was saying the something on a podcast bout 3 weeks ago that many teams view him as strictly and RT and he lacks athleticism.

I disagree on a few counts here.

1.) I see 2 out of the 3 top picks being able to contribute heavily right away. Obviously Bulaga, but also Thomas. Now, it's a matter of being realistic. No CB that we draft is going to start over Nate and Spencer and I'm sure you realize this. However, Thomas has the kind of cover/playmaking skills that allow him to immediately contribute as a nickel CB, and given how often teams play nickel, he'll be on the field a lot. We have to remember, just because a guy isn't starting doesn't mean he's not contributing heavily. Now, after a year of playing heavy nickel and maybe even picking up a few starts here and there, Thomas could be ready to take over for Nate in 2011 (as his contract just gets more bloated and his production seems to wane). Should we just grab a pure CB like Kyle Wilson? Sure, I wouldn't have a problem with that...I just prefer Thomas' overall skills and versatility over Wilson's, so it's more a matter of preference for me.

2.) I believe the best teams identify guys who can develop into star players over time. We fans want instant satisfaction, so we want our teams to draft guys that can fill areas of need and get on the field right away. That doesn't always translate into long-term success, though. A guy like Reshad Jones is an ideal combo safety in that he's big enough to be a force against the run, and athletic enough to make plays in pass coverage....however, he's very raw and needs seasoning. You might want to pass on a guy like that for instant impact in 2010 (and I'm not saying you're wrong either), but a smart team will see a guy like Jones and work with him to develop his skills and hopefully turn him into a pro-bowl safety in the years to come.

I don't have a problem selecting Thomas or Jones. But by selecting Thomas AND Jones, aren't you basically removing the option of moving Thomas back to S if things don't work out at CB? I mean, if you're projecting Goldson & Jones to start at S... Where would he fit?

That's my only problem with your mock. It seems like your gambling too much on Thomas making the transition to CB. Maybe he can do it, so it wouldn't matter in the end, but it still likes like a bit of a gamble to me.