Originally posted by Jd925:
Now that the draft is officially over, what are your grades by round? I have grades for rounds 1-4, just finishing the rest of the rounds.
1. Aldon Smith - A
2. Colin Kaepernick - B
3. Curtis Culliver - D
4. Kendall Hunter - A+
5. Daniel Kilgore - C-
6. Ronald Johnson - C+
7. Colin Jones - C-
8. Mike Person - C+
9. Bruce Miller - A
10. Curtis Holcomb - A-
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1. Aldon Smith - A
This guy has the potential to be a superstar. I was hoping for Von Miller or Dareus, but I knew they would be off the boards. (I think Patrick Peterson is a bit overrated although I only saw one game film and highlights.) I was hoping the Niners could trade down to get Kerrigan and an extra 2nd round pick and get someone like OL Rodney Hudson, but I'm happy we got Smith. Smith seems to have much more upside at 3-4 OLB than Kerrigan. I think Aldon will make an immediate impact and has as high a ceiling as anyone in the draft. He's only 20 and was always extremely productive. He may not be considered proven because he's played only a limited number of games, but he ranks #1 in active career sacks per game and #1 in active career tackles for loss per game . That's really impressive.
Active Career Leaders in Tackles For Loss Per Game
Rank Player Pos Cl Games Solo Assist Yards Total Per Game
1 Aldon Smith, Missouri SO DL 16 21 4 144 23.0 1.4
2 J.J. Watt, Wisconsin JR DL 26 33 7 144 36.5 1.4
3 Josh McNary, Army SR DL 36 40 14 274 47.0 1.3
4 Ryan Kerrigan, PurdueSR DL 48 50 14 289 57.0 1.2
5 Nate Irving, NC St. SR LB 34 33 14 147 40.0 1.2
6 Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson JR DL 38 40 9 214 44.5 1.2
7 Dontay Moch, Nevada SR DL 54 55 16 307 63.0 1.2
8 Bruce Miller, UCF SR DL 53 45 25 309 57.5 1.1
9 Von Miller, Texas A&M SR DL 47 46 9 269 50.5 1.1
10 Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma SR DL 55 49 19 292 58.5 1.1
11 Navorro Bowman, Penn St. SR LB 34 31 10 120 36.0 1.1
12 Justin Houston, Georgia JR LB 36 30 16 168 38.0 1.1
13 Mychal Sisson, ColSt. JR LB 37 34 9 144 38.5 1.0
14 Robert Quinn, NC JR DL 25 23 5 139 25.5 1.0
15 Nick Fairley, Auburn JR DL 27 23 9 126 27.5 1.0
Active Career Leaders in Sacks Per Game
Rank Player Pos Cl Games Solo Assist Yards Total Per Game
1 Aldon Smith, Missouri SO DL 16 14 1 114 14.5 0.9
2 Josh McNary, Army SR DL 36 24 6 230 27 0.8
3 Von Miller, Texas A&M SR DL 47 31 4 224 33 0.7
4 Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue SR DL 48 32 3 229 33.5 0.7
5 Bruce Miller, UCF SR DL 53 33 5 258 35.5 0.7
6 Justin Houston, Georgia JR LB 36 16 8 134 20 0.6
6 Dontay Moch, Nevada SR DL 54 27 6 213 30 0.6
8 Jamari Lattimore, Middle Tenn. SR DL 38 20 2 129 21 0.6
9 Julian Miller, West Virginia JR DL 39 19 5 129 21.5 0.6
10 Jared Crick, Nebraska JR DL 35 16 6 144 19 0.5
11 Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma SR DL 55 25 8 217 29 0.5
12 Robert Quinn, North Carolina JR DL 25 13 0 105 13 0.5
13 Brandon Jenkins, Florida St. SO DL 26 12 3 74 13.5 0.5
14 Brandon Lindsey, Pittsburgh JR DL 27 14 0 94 14 0.5
15 Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson JR DL 38 19 1 140 19.5 0.5
15 Tom Keiser, Stanford JR DL 38 17 5 144 19.5 0.5
17 Ricky Elmore, Arizona SR DL 51 24 3 163 25.5 0.5
18 Greg Romeus, Pittsburgh SR DL 40 16 7 129 19.5 0.5
19 Vinny Curry, Marshall JR DL 32 14 3 97 15.5 0.5
20 Nick Fairley, Auburn JR DL 27 11 4 89 13 0.5
I like also that 49ers didn't seem to be influenced by other people's rankings and got the best guy on their board.
It's an A grade from me. Great job on their first round pick...
2. Colin Kaepernick - B
I'm neutral on this pick....
Pros: One of the most productive QB's in college history in total offense... runs like a gazelle... kind of like Randy Moss when in the open field... is similar in talent to Cam Newton. Strong arm and extremely athletic. Fairly accurate and improved completion % from mid 50's to 64% in senior year. Good pocket presence and escapability. Intangibles: extremely competitive, winner.
Cons: Slow windup delivery. Pistol/shotgun offense. Doesn't have the repetition of taking 3/5/7 drops and throwing. Footwork. Weak conference. Not sure he can take command the offense cerebrally like a Brady/Manning/Rodgers.
Harbaugh seems to like more athletic QB's rather than cerebral QB's. I think he can mold Kaepernick into a solid star in the same path as Michael Vick. It may take time, especially because Kap has to learn a pro-style offense and get the repetitions. There seems to be a trend of exceptional talent that are effective both passing and running (Vick, Vince Young, Tim Tebow, Cam Newton, and Kap). There may be successes with those players, but I tend to favor having a great pure pocket passer. All past Superbowl QB's that I can think of were pure pocket passers. I didn't finish my QB evaluation, but I favored pure pocket passers such as Stanzi and Mallet. It seems the style of offense with Kap will be much different than the WCO past... it may be just as well not to be stuck in the past.
Overall, Harbaugh can probably make it work with Kap. I have my concerns and it will be project just like Vick was. (Vick excelled under Mornhinweg/Reid, but he had years of experience at Atlanta. Vick also had more reps in college under center.) At least it'll be fun to watch.
3. Chris Culliver - D
It's a bad pick IMO. We got a 3rd round kick returner.
On the table:
Davon House: Career 11 ints, 36 passes defended
(WAC)
(fair number of good corners have come from small schools - tramon williams (on my sleeper list years ago), rodgers cromartie, grimes, eric wright, kyle wilson)
Johnny Patrick: Career 9 ints, 22 passes defended
(Big East)
Chimdi Chekwa: Career 6 ints, 29 passes defended
(Big-10)
Curtis Brown: Career 2 ints, 32 passes defended
(Big-12)
I would even have taken Richard Sherman (although projected much lower)
Richard Sherman: Career 4 ints, 9 passes defended
(Pac-10)
(1 yr after conversion from WR)
I wish I had more detailed statistics on CB's, but # career pass breakups is a very good indicator... just look at Darrelle Revis, Tramon Williams, Leon Hall, Brandon Flowers, Aqib Tali, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.. they all had good college numbers on pass break-ups..
Oh wells.... we got a kick returner and an unproven CB project.
4. Kendall Hunter - A+
Steal at round 4. Should have been picked higher. My favorite running back in the draft. He'll be among the top fantasy running backs among a few others in this draft who have different styles. Hunter reminds me of MJD, Ray Rice, Barry Sanders because of his compact, tough running style and shiftiness.
One of the most productive runners in college. Third behind Nevada's Vai Taua and Noel Devine with 4,181 career yds with a very impressive 5.91 yds/carry. Only concern was a lot of run plays were off delays/draws
Good hands and blocking according to the Senior Bowl.
5. Daniel Kilgore - C-
http://www.goasu.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=21500&ATCLID=1546212
2009: Was slated to be ASU’s starting right tackle but suffered an ankle
;he assumed a “utility player” role on the offensive line after injury
graded out at 75 percent or higher in 10-of-11 graded performances ... received five grades of 80 percent or higher, good for second on the team behind all-American Mario Acitelli (eight)
2008: graded out at 80 percent or better in 6-of-13 graded performances
2007: graded at 70 percent or higher in all seven graded performances.
How I evaluate OL. I start with 4yr starters (45-50+ game starts) to establish experience and durability.
Sacks allowed, penalties, run blocks (pancakes/knockdowns) - I don't have detailed stats, but OL game ratings are a good start. I like the idea of picking OL late, but there
are plenty of underappreciated durable, productive lineman to coach up as opposed to coaching up a small school project.
Pros: "is also regarded as perhaps the most physical and intense player across ASU’s offensive front", can play multiple positions
Cons: small school. average grade performances. had one injury and durability is questionable.
Seems like a pet project to me.
[Compare to Lee Ziemba OT, Auburn national champs (SEC - best division in college).. I haven't researched OL, but I'm sure there were more underappreciated like Ziemba]
Round 7, Pick 41, Carolina
2010 SEC JACOBS BLOCKING TROPHY WINNER
51 consecutive starts
2010: Coaches’ First-Team All-SEC
2009: Coaches' Second-Team All-SEC
2007:Coaches’ All- SEC Freshman Team
Finished with 47 cockroach blocks, 19 pancake blocks and 72 rodeo blocks.
I think this guy as more potential than Anthony Davis despite not being athletic.]
6. Ronald Johnson - C+
Very good kick returner. Good division (Pac-10) and 2nd leading receiver on USC. Would have like to see more production. Not a lot of receivers were on the board, but I like Jeff Maehl and Armond Binns as late rounders.
Could be good in special teams. Not a whole lot of receivers available, but at least he's coming from a big school and faced good competition. I would rather coach up fairly productve players than non-productive players with
only measurables.
7. Colin Jones - C-
Small strong safety in college in a 4-2-5 defense. Only one int and 5 pass defenses as a senior and played only 1.5 years. (Small school ball-hawk Mark Legree who Carroll/Seahawks took is a potential star I think was taken late 5th so you can find gems)
Colin Jones plays with a SS/linebacker mentality and has a lot of tackles for losses, but it'll be more difficult to do at his size (200lbs) in the NFL. I hate looking at measurables and usually don't pay much attention, but this is one of those cases that a small tackling machine with a linebacker mentality can be productive in a small division and 4-2-5 defense. Another project that probably jumped because of a fast 40. Can he cover? I'm highly skeptical. If he can't, it's a waste.
Will probably be a productive special teamer, but I wouldn't draft for special teams.
http://gofrogs.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2010-2011/teamcume.html
A grade above D because he might stay on the team as a special teamer and if he can cover he may be able to play in the NFL. (played WR/RB in HS so there is a tiny bit of potential)
8. Mike Person - C+
http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=88914&draftyear=2011&genpos=OG
Pros:
two-time All-Big Sky choice
graded out at 90% in 2010, and didn’t allow a sack
Cons:
Had an injury that took him out after 8 games in 2007. Started three years. Durability is a question.
Unfortunately this guy is from Div 2 so his effectiveness in the NFL is questionable. If you're a D2 OL I figure you would have to totally dominate/crush/engulf your opponents and didn't read any notes like that.
Again I would look for different characteristics in an OL.. 45-50+ game starters, good production, preferably in a major conference,
underappreciated because of a lack of athleticism, but a lunch pail bringing blue-collar worker. There is uncertainty in this pick, but he has
upside doing well against small school competition.
9. Bruce Miller - A
It's a great pick if he gets a shot at OLB... he was one of the most productive sack masters in college.
I'm happy and I think he impresses at OLB. I guess he can play two-way. He had more active career tackes for loss per game than Von Miller, Robert Quinn, Justin Houston and more active career sacks per game than Dontay Moch, Houstin, Quinn, and Da'Quan Bowers! Sure he's not in a strong conference, but his production is impressive!
1 Aldon Smith, Missouri SO DL 16 21 4 144 23.0 1.4
2 J.J. Watt, Wisconsin JR DL 26 33 7 144 36.5 1.4
3 Josh McNary, Army SR DL 36 40 14 274 47.0 1.3
4 Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue SR DL 48 50 14 289 57.0 1.2
5 Nate Irving, North Carolina St. SR LB 34 33 14 147 40.0 1.2
6 Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson JR DL 38 40 9 214 44.5 1.2
7 Dontay Moch, Nevada SR DL 54 55 16 307 63.0 1.2
8 Bruce Miller, UCF SR DL 53 45 25 309 57.5 1.1
9 Von Miller, Texas A&M SR DL 47 46 9 269 50.5 1.1
10 Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma SR DL 55 49 19 292 58.5 1.1
11 Navorro Bowman, Penn St. SR LB 34 31 10 120 36.0 1.1
12 Justin Houston, Georgia JR LB 36 30 16 168 38.0 1.1
13 Mychal Sisson, Colorado St. JR LB 37 34 9 144 38.5 1.0
14 Robert Quinn, North Carolina JR DL 25 23 5 139 25.5 1.0
15 Nick Fairley, Auburn JR DL 27 23 9 126 27.5 1.0
1 Aldon Smith, Missouri SO DL 16 14 1 114 14.5 0.9
2 Josh McNary, Army SR DL 36 24 6 230 27 0.8
3 Von Miller, Texas A&M SR DL 47 31 4 224 33 0.7
4 Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue SR DL 48 32 3 229 33.5 0.7
5 Bruce Miller, UCF SR DL 53 33 5 258 35.5 0.7
6 Justin Houston, Georgia JR LB 36 16 8 134 20 0.6
6 Dontay Moch, Nevada SR DL 54 27 6 213 30 0.6
8 Jamari Lattimore, Middle Tenn. SR DL 38 20 2 129 21 0.6
9 Julian Miller, West Virginia JR DL 39 19 5 129 21.5 0.6
10 Jared Crick, Nebraska JR DL 35 16 6 144 19 0.5
11 Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma SR DL 55 25 8 217 29 0.5
12 Robert Quinn, North Carolina JR DL 25 13 0 105 13 0.5
13 Brandon Jenkins, Florida St. SO DL 26 12 3 74 13.5 0.5
14 Brandon Lindsey, Pittsburgh JR DL 27 14 0 94 14 0.5
15 Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson JR DL 38 19 1 140 19.5 0.5
I give this pick an A grade, but not because he can play full back.
10.Curtis Holcomb - A-
Noted as a shutdown corner, but it's hard to verify. That's the kind of description I look for. He's from a really small school so he is untested, and the production #'s are average, but (20 pbu's and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vuswKAx258
Watch 1:06
Heck at this late in the draft, the potential is there. Fairly productive in a small school, but if teams were not passing on his side and he was covering the best receivers that's a good sign.
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Overall an average draft: B-
Fairly good start with Aldon Smith and Kaepernick. Bad 3rd round pick. Did poorly in middle rounds which is critical, but got a couple late picks with potential. (B grade for the first 4, C grade for the next 4 and A/A- in the last two)
And there are OLB pass rushers his size. At least try him there first for goodness sake...
