Gored49 Top 104 Big Board with notes

gored49 · 2014-05-05T19:04:28-07:00

I'm back for another shot at this thing. Here is my spiel from last year: http://www.49erswebzone.com/forum/nfl-draft/172732-mock-draft-first-130-picks-explanations/ A lot of it still remains true. I think my biggest mistake was dropping Ansah last year thinking it was media hype and he was too raw. Now I'm trying to follow a little bit more of the hype when determining draft position compared to my rankings. Here are my rankings. I definitely give more value to QBs and pass rushers because it has become a passing league. These are all my personal notes so hopefully some of it is new to someone or provides a different perspective. Please share your thoughts... the good or the bad. I can take it and want to hear. I will provide my mock draft shortly. 1 QB Teddy Bridgewater *I have been a believer ever since he whooped Florida in the bowl game. Good reads, pocket presence, accuracy. The small frame is not concerning because he is smart and protects himself. 2 DE Jadeveon Clowney *Top player but more value with QB. Pass rush is 2nd. 3 OLB Khalil Mack *Again, pass rush is king here. He can rush the passer and force fumbles. Great bend and quickness. 4 WR Sammy Watkins *best receiver. Smaller AJ Green. 5 OT Greg Robinson *Best OT. Mauler with speed and quickness. 6 OT Jake Mathews *Tactician. Best pass blocker of top 3 OT. Seems to be less aggressive in the run game out of top 3 OT. 7 WR Mike Evans *Size and speed. Will go up and get the ball. 8 QB Johnny Manziel *His game against Alabama should show you what he can do against a quality defense. He has a stronger arm than given credit for. The word is that you can keep him in the pocket to shut him down but teams weren't able to do that to R. Wilson when they tried. 9 QB Blake Bortles *Andrew Luck lite. Can run the read option. Makes difficult throws into tight windows but makes horrible decisions. He is not ready to start and needs to sit and be coached about when to throw the ball away and take a sack and air the ball out for his receivers to make a play. 10 DT Aaron Donald *In a passing league he should be a premium player. He is stronger against the pass than the run. He will put pressure up the middle. 11 OT Taylor Lewan *Great Aggression. He drives through his run blocks and punishes the defender. I can see him wearing down his mark throughout a game to make them less effective in the last quarter. Not as great of positioning on pass rush moves as Mathews. 12 OLB Anthony Barr *Appears raw but athleticism is evident. Willing to cover passes and tries but slow to react. If he can be coached he can be dominant. Needs to learn new pass rush moves but the ones he has are quick and can dip around the edge. 13 CB Justin Gilbert *He has the size and the speed but doesn't seem like he has the natural instincts to recognize routes. Can that be coached? Will it matter just because all other attributes can compensate? 14 S Haha Clinton-Dix *The best safety at tracking passes over his head and following receivers. He breaks on the ball quickly and fights for the interception or to cause an incomplete pass. 15 S Calvin Pryor *He is a missile and looking to disrupt the receiver while catching the ball. I question his ability to track the deep ball though. 16 LB C.J. Mosley *Sideline to sideline lb. Smart and instinctive. 17 CB Darqueze Dennard *Reminds me of Joe Hayden. He doesn't have the best measurables and timed speed but he just knows how to play and shut people down. 18 WR Odell Beckham *Has speed to run the deep posts and shows quick speed as well to cut horizontally. Will fight for the ball in the air and works back to his qb. 19 WR Brandin Cooks *Reminds me of Steve Smith. He isn't just a straight line deep ball guy with his speed. He works back to the ball, catches underneath routes and fights in traffic. 20 WR Marqise Lee *He just seems to have a natural feel for the game and does not look fast when he runs but always seems to out run his guy. Looks similar to Marvin Harrison in style. 21 WR Cody Latimer *He has speed and great hands. He gets higher marks than the receivers below him for going up and getting the ball. He shows more signs of fighting for the ball and catching at the highest point while also tracking it well. 22 OLB Ryan Shazier *Fast and really good at blitzing up the middle. Is he able to play middle line backer with his sideline to sideline speed? Issue now is that he is thin enough to get swallowed up by bigger blockers. 23 DE Dee Ford *Purely a speed rusher right now but can develop more moves. His hands are quick but do not seem strong to fight off a block when hooked. He is cocky and confident but you want that because he will keep fighting and will play with a chip on his shoulder feeling like he is the best pass rusher in the draft. 24 OT/OG Zach Martin *Seems to get out of his stance quicker than most people are talking about. He will stand people up and not give ground but didn't see him consistently running over people. 25 TE Eric Ebron *Not the specimen like a Vernon Davis but can run the same routes, hurdle players and drop the random should-be caught balls like VD. 26 CB Kyle Fuller *Sound in technique. He has fluid hips to turn his man out of the play but then aggressive to make plays on the ball. 27 S Jimmie Ward *Looks like he covers like a corner. Plays like a Seattle db and makes a play on the ball right on time or just early enough not to get called. 28 DE Kony Ealy *His potential shows up but is inconsistent. In one play he will be locked up by a blocker and push him back and keep fighting towards the qb to disrupt a play and then another his first move will be blocked and he is washed out of the play. He at least has the talent to disrupt the pocket even if he doesn't finish the play. 29 DT Timmy Jernigan *Has the talent to be the best DT of the group but gets tired and takes plays off. 30 CB Bradley Roby *Very athletic. Uses his athleticism to make up for coverage where he is not directly on his man. A smart receiver, even a slow one, would be able to use technique to get an advantage on him. 31 OG Xavier Su'a-Filo *Played tackle but will be better inside. He seems mature and coachable. Reads the rush well and passes he man off when needed. Will fight through to open rush lanes but it seems like he will be stronger early on with his pass blocking. 32 QB Derek Carr *In the mold of Cutler and Stafford. Will make a great deep ball passes and then some bone headed ints and his foot work is not like your prototypical passer just like the two mentioned pro QBs. He still can make the most difficult passes with ease and worth the investment. I would not throw him to the fire because odds are his confidence will get shot like a Gabbert and start seeing ghost rushers everywhere. 33 DE Demarcus Lawrence *Very active player. Always needed to be accounted for and kept working even when double-teamed. 34 WR Allen Robinson *Looks like Keenan Allen to me. His size and ability to get open outweighs his lack of straight line speed. 35 QB Zach Mettenberger *I will get a lot of flack for this but I see some Tom Brady lite in his throws and pocket presence. 36 OT Morgan Moses *Great size and moves his feet well enough. Has strong hands to grab onto players but may have trouble with smaller speed rushers because he can get too high in his stance. 37 TE Jace Amaro *strength to develop as a blocker and seems like he will be a good intermediate receiver. Will dominate small safeties in the slot. 38 CB Stanley Jean-Babtiste *Displays surprising quickness for his frame. Saw times where smaller receivers tried to juke him but flipped his hips and shadowed the receiver step for step. 39 TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins *Raw route running ability - mostly out patterns and comebacks in the middle of the field. Has the athleticism to become an asset in the passing game but needs the coaching. Similar to a Martellus Bennett. 40 DT Ra'Shede Hageman *quick off the ball with power but looks like he plans his move regardless of the play called. Sometimes he beats his man but have no idea where the ball is. 41 CB Jason Verrett *small size weighs against production. Great instincts and quick reactions to make a break on the ball. 42 OT Antonio Richardson *A massive tackle. Shows quickness for his size but he seems better suited for RT in a run based offense like the Chiefs. He drops compared to other tackles because I don't feel like he will shine in a pass first offense. 43 RB Tre Mason *My favorite RB. Always seems to fall forward and makes decisive cuts. I see a small Marshawn Lynch. He always seems to get that extra inch or yard. 44 RB Carlos Hyde *A load as a runner similar to Lagarette Blount. His massive thighs are like MJD. He will be able to use that leg power to push piles back and get the extra hard fought yards. 45 OT Cyrus Kouandijio *Has the experience and talent to be a quality OT. He does not have the fastest feet as displayed in the combine but his combine tape looks like he is trying to adhere to a script instead of trusting his instincts like he does on the field. He gets out of his stance quick enough and has a good first strike to disrupt the rusher. He can get beat by speed and if his first punch does not connect. 46 G Gabe Jackson *Powerful and smart blocker. His strength will be run blocking early on. Shows good awareness to read what man to block in his zone but not very fast if he needs to run out quickly for a block. 47 OT Jawaun James *Has more potential than running mate Richardson but needs more experience in pass heavy offense. Gets high marks for potential to be a really good pass blocker in the pros. 48 WR Davante Adams *I see Crabtree in him. When he catches the ball he is making a move and fighting to pick up as many extra yards as possible. 49 DT Daquan Jones *I prefer Jones over Nix if I was going to take a player to plug the middle and stop the run. He has more energy and lateral quickness. Occasionally shows quick hands and constantly moving feet to provide a pass rush. 50 DT Louis Nix *He has some games with good film and others where he disappears with the national title game film being very concerning. He disappeared and Alabama had their way in the run game. That is hard to forget because Alabama is the closest to a pro line. I also don't buy the Wilfork comparisons because he does not dominate and collapse the pocket consistently like Wilfork. I also think DT players are consistently devalued and found later in the draft. 51 DE Stephon Tuitt *great measurables but too often washed out of a play or not even visible. He will probably only be in certain pass rush packages as a rookie. Does not seem violent in any of his actions. 52 S Lamarcus Joyner *small size weighs against production 53 CB Marcus Roberson *best technique of fla cbs. Good body control to block out receivers along the sideline. 54 WR Jordan Matthews *Looks like he has the potential to be a solid #2 or 1B at best. He has everything but the wow factor when you watch his games. He can make plays but doesn't seem like teams had to specifically game plan to keep him from taking over. 55 TE Troy Niklas *Long frame and good hands. I see a less athletic Vance McDonald but better hands. 56 DT Dominique Easley *Difference maker on the field. When he was on the field he would be impacting every play or be in on every tackle. Injury history is just too much to ignore. 57 OT/OG/C Joel Bitonio *Athletic for his size. Shows good movement and feet while having adequate strength. 58 WR Paul Richardson *Reminds me of Desean Jackson. Plenty of receivers have speed but can't get open. He is able to take the top off. When compared to Cooks he uses his speed and quickness to get open and less fighting for the ball. Yes, he won't be a blocker but put him in the right package and he will be a weapon. 59 DE Kareem Martin *I like his length and I think his change of direction and hips are better than given credit for. I see him being pretty successful as a rookie in the right packages. 60 OLB Jeremiah Attaochu *Raw product with athleticism. Not impressed with his repertoire of pass rush moves but showed tenacity in fighting to the ball. 61 S Deone Bucannon *His strength is his athleticism but questionable cutting ability and ability to dissect plays. Can that be coached? 62 DE/OLB Scott Crichton *Speed and power. Has a good bull rush and use of hands. Will need to develop more moves in the pros but seems like he follows the play with his eyes well even when pushing in the pocket to collapse plays. 63 DE/OLB Marcus Smith *I like his speed and use of hands. Violent movements. He may need to bulk up or be used strictly as speed rusher early on. 64 OLB Telvin Smith *A similar prospect to Jamie Collins that NE drafted last year. His athleticism and fast reaction speed will help him make up for his slight stature. Would not move him to safety because it would be unnatural to him and pass coverage was not his strength. 65 RB Jeremy Hill *Looks like Anthony Dixon with more talent. He finds what is blocked and then accelerates quickly. Looks like he will dance some waiting for that opening. 66 CB Philip Gaines *Long arms and looks a little lean - room to put on weight. Great 40 speed. Does not seem like he knows where the ball is at all times and often used his speed and length to get his arms in at last moment to break up passes instead of using his body to shield out defenders and take the easy interception. 67 QB Tom Savage *Play style looks like a smaller Ben Roethlisberger. He has the arm to make all of the throws and did well to escape pressure and keep plays alive. Seems to have play hot and cold though. In one drive he will make several easy throws to setup a very difficult throw but then another drive he will be missing easy throws or not leading crossing receivers or throwing high to tight ends in the middle of the field. 68 RB Bishop Sankey *Out of the top backs it looks like he finds the holes better and accelerates through them quicker. If he gets through the first line of defense he finds the next hole and accelerates quickly past the defender. Shows flashes of power to break arm tackles but his game is not built off that. 69 C Marcus Martin *Can be nasty. Relying mostly on upside here. Shows the lateral quickness to cover a lot of space for a center. Good hand use. Needs coaching because he is not consistent and can miss easy blocks by not relying on his technique. 70 C Weston Richburg *I see similarities to Jeff Saturday. He has the potential to develop into a really good starter if he is placed with a pass first offense. He can lock his guy up but does not drive him back often enough. 71 QB AJ McCarron *He is a winner. He seems smart like Chad Pennington but a stronger arm. I could see him being like Alex Smith - winning while everyone calls home a game manager. He has good pocket presence and shows flashes of being able to improvise and create extra time for his receivers to find open space for him to drop the ball in. Great character - check out some of the videos to see the type of person he is. 72 DT Will Sutton *His decrease in production this year is noticeable but I still saw a guy playing physically and moving the pocket or requiring double or triple teams. 73 DE/OLB/MLB Kyle Van Noy *I have no idea where this guy will play in the pros but looks like he has the talent to succeed with the right coach. He doesn't seem like he has the explosion and moves to be an outside rusher in a 3/4. 74 CB Keith McGill *Has the physical talent to be good but seems to make mental mistakes. He seems to watch the QB too much instead of anticipating a receivers route. He is able to make up for it with surprising closing speed and long frame. In the pros he can get abused unless he starts off early strictly watching the sidelines or being coached up well. Tends to hold too much which probably goes along with his lack of anticipation. 75 WR Donte Moncrief *I am not as high on him as others. I see his ceiling being a #2 receiver but I personally see him playing like Robert Meachem - have him run some deep patterns and hope he doesn't drop too many while trying to catch with his body. 76 WR Kelvin Benjamin *Will need a season to get up to speed of the pro game but has all the natural talent. I see no more than 300 yds in rookie season and probably 3tds. His ability to adapt to a pro game is a HUGE question mark. 77 DE/DT Will Clarke *Great size and length. Strength and quickness to wrap up runners around him. His strength will be the run early and may provide 4 to 5 sacks a season with more moves and stronger bull rush. 78 MLB Chris Borland *A smaller James Laurinitas. If a lineman gets a hold of him he can be washed out on size alone. His instincts and aggression should help him get a step on players much larger. 79 WR Martavis Bryant *Good deep speed and Randy Moss like body type. The problem is that I did not see much of him fighting for the ball in traffic or going up at the highest point to catch a ball. Maybe he did not need to do that in college but he will need to do that in the pros to be successful. Also, why did he have so few catches with Watkins being double teamed often. 80 QB Aaron Murray *Good pocket awareness and poise. Made the difficult throws and several times able to run a hurry up offense efficiently. Oddly though, never seemed to win the big game when the pressure was on - always "just that close." 81 QB Jimmy Garoppolo *Has a quick release (almost like a Philip Rivers sidearm toss) and keeps his eyes downfield when pressured. He looks like he will pick up an offense quickly and command the huddle but gets knocked down significantly due to seeing too many balls fall short of his receivers when they seem to have a step deep on the defender. Too much potential for those types of passes to be picked in the NFL. 82 DE/MLB Carl Bradford *His size makes him look more like a middle linebacker than edge rusher. Looks like Vontaze Burfict to me. I see the instincts but not natural athleticism to play outside. 83 CB Pierre Desir *A very hard player to judge. He looks like he completely blankets his receiver - speed to crossing routes, athletic and lean enough to eliminate jump balls in the endzone even when beat. The problem is this was against lower quality receivers minus the Senior Bowl. He has the potential but would be nervous how he does against pro offenses based on timing and rhythm. 84 FS/SS Dion Bailey *Has a long arms and a frame that seems more suited for a FS. Doesn't seem to be a punisher in the run game but makes up for it with instincts in pass coverage. 85 CB Jaylen Watkins *Better off coverage and not a press corner. He closes quickly. 86 CB Bashaud Breeland *A good candidate to be a longtime #2 corner but does not posses the speed to be a top flight #1. He is aggressive and reads routes well. Tends to grab when receiver gets a step on him. If he does not start early on he looks like he will be a really good special teams player early on - often first person down on punt coverage. 87 RB Andre Williams *He will find the first open hole (displaying patience) and accelerate through it while looking to drop a hit on the first defender in his way. Does not have much lateral quickness in the open field or displays much of a move set to beat his man after he beats the first wall of defenders. Reminds me a little of Le'Veon Bell. Seems like he has the energy and wit to pick up pass blocking schemes but offers very little if zero ability to catch out of the backfield. 88 WR Bruce Ellington *Will start off on special teams. 89 TE CJ Fiedorowicz *Looks like he has the potential to be a Heath Miller type. His straight line speed and route running speed are limited but he can body people out for those safety valve passes. Will probably have a bigger impact blocking early on. 90 FS Terrence Brooks *Smart player. Made the plays when necessary but never the splashy or special play. Would be a good 3rd safety eventually learning and becoming the field general. Seems to recognize plays which makes up for not being as quick as the other safeties. 91 WR Jarvis Landry *Everyone wants to compare him to Anquan Boldin because of his slow 40 but I do not see the power or suddenness of a Boldin. I believe he has really good hands and works to the ball but he is going to struggle early on in the NFL. His ceiling is Mahummad Sanu. 92 DE/OLB Jackson Jeffcoat *Play style looks like a shorter Manny Lawson. Has good but not great speed and power rushes. His lean frame allows him to get around defenders quickly and dip but also makes it easier for him to be pushed past the qb. Will start off as a #3 or #4 rush 3-4 LB. 93 NT Justin Ellis *Moves better than expected for his frame. Will be a quality rotational run stuffer early on. Appears to have a strong motor and keeps fighting throughout the game even with all the weight. That will help him transition to higher quality play from his smaller school. 94 NT Daniel McCullers *Will need to go to a team where is only asked to shut down certain rush lanes or hold off line man to allow others to rush - sometimes needing two or three defenders to try and move him out of run lanes. He is massive and gets lower than expected but has almost no lateral quickness. Even the slowest QBs will be able to side step him if they can get away from his long arms. 95 G Cyril Richardson *Powerful and massive body. His strength is in run blocking and power schemes. His quickness is very questionable for a zone scheme or looping blocks. 96 DE/OLB Trent Murphy *Where is this guy going to play in the NFL? His size says 3-4 OLB but he looked stiff at the combine and not sure it would be a smooth transition. He reminds me of Bjoern Werner and will probably have the same lack of success his first year. 97 OLB Adrian Hubbard *Able to cover the TE across the field and RB coming from the back. He has speed to develop into a pass rusher but lacks moves and does not have the strength to bull rush. May be able to develop into a Danny Travaithan type of 4-3 OLB. 98 OT Jack Mewhort *Strong and aggressive. A little stiff but could be a quality mauler on the right side. 99 CB Louchiez Purifoy *Aggressive around the ball. Always tries to get a hand on the ball. 100 SS Craig Loston *He is probably the hardest hitting safety of the top eligible safeties but he is not a ballhawk in the air and nothing seems to imply he can develop to be one. He will make receivers regret running through the middle. 101 SS Ed Reynolds *He needs the play to be in front of him. He is good at diagnosing the run and breaking on a ball in front of him. He often made clean tackles so there is less worry of him causing several personal foul penalties. He seems stiff in deep coverage and faster receivers will be able to blow by him for the deep catch. 102 DT Ego Ferguson *Better against the run but provides some pass rush if he gets the leverage. Can easily be single blocked if he is stood up which seemed to happen too often in college. 103 WR Jared Abbredaris *I question his ability to transition to the pros but not his production in college. He has a knack for getting open and finding the opening in zone coverage. Looks small and skinny and will be non-existent against tougher defenses that can get their hands on him and rough him up. 104 WR/RB Dri Archer *Speed. Long strider for short height. His size limits what he can do but I see a creative team like the Saints being able to create offensive formations for him to get him in space to use that speed and quickness to get large chunks of yardage.

May 5, 2014 at 7:44 PM

Travisty13
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Posts: 5,269

While I think the bashing of Teddy B is unwarranted, there's no way he goes #1. Just cause he best Florida in a Bowl Game doesn't warrant him being the top pick.

On a side note, I don't trust any of the top QBs (Bortles, Manziel, Carr, or Bridgewater) to be franchise QBs. All have huge negatives to warrant a 1st round grade. I'd hate to have to gamble with one of them in the 1st. Smartest move, for a QB needy team, would be to wait til the 2nd or 3rd to find a QB.

May 5, 2014 at 8:13 PM

eastcoast49ersfan
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Posts: 4,112

Not sure what reminds you of Haden with Dennard other than the slow timed speed. Haden has elite quickness and hips and great length while Dennard is more physical but lacks length and change of direction skills.

I don't think your rankings of Cooks and Ellington are consistent - they are basically the same size and very similar athletes. Cooks is more polished, but if you're giving him the benefit of the doubt with his size and ranking him 19th, Ellington should be higher than 88th in my opinion. He was the team's leading receiver in the SEC - 775 yards isn't amazing, but South Carolina didn't throw the ball as much as some of the teams the top receivers played for.

Bridgewater is about 25 positions too high imo and I wouldn't rank any of the QB's in the top 12 in a big board even if 1-2 may be taken by QB needy teams.

May 5, 2014 at 8:40 PM

gored49
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Posts: 957

Travisty - Teddy B is not my top qb because of that. From all the reports and his crappy pro day I do not expect him to go number 1 either. These are just my rankings and I will post my mock as soon as I finish cleaning up the formatting. I can't figure out how to transfer the Excel document into a readable format automatically. I think Teddy B because he is the top qb and I can see him being the face of a franchise. He is a quiet leader but a determined winner. His strengths are his pocket awareness, his accuracy in a game (I don't know what was wrong about his pro day... nerves maybe) and he can read defenses and make the appropriate adjustments like no other qb this year.

Eastcoast49ersfan - I agree Haden and Dennard are not clones. I know Dennard's cone drill is giving a lot people pause but watching him he is quick and acts quickly while the ball is in the air. I haven't seen much tape of him looking like he will be easily beaten or lacking serious quickness. If you can name games or links I would like to see and I will adjust appropriately.

I like Cooks more than Ellington because he seems like a more all around receiver. His size says slot receiver but he works back but his skills and ability says he has the potential to be like Smith and become a #1 receiver. I don't think Ellington will ever be a #1. He is more of a slot and package receiver but I could be wrong. I take it you are a fan of Ellington and not Cooks?

May 5, 2014 at 9:59 PM

gored49
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Posts: 957

Travisty - how do you rank the 2nd or 3rd round QBs?

May 6, 2014 at 4:54 AM

eastcoast49ersfan
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Posts: 4,112

Originally posted by gored49:
Eastcoast49ersfan - I agree Haden and Dennard are not clones. I know Dennard's cone drill is giving a lot people pause but watching him he is quick and acts quickly while the ball is in the air. I haven't seen much tape of him looking like he will be easily beaten or lacking serious quickness. If you can name games or links I would like to see and I will adjust appropriately.

I'm more concerned with the position drills for Dennard than the 3 cone and he doesn't look nearly as quick as Haden on tape either. He had success in college being very physical with receivers, but he didn't play many future #1 and #2 NFL receivers this season. He seems like a reasonably smart and polished player but I'm not sure that will translate into being able to cover better receivers in the pros. I'm also not as big of a fan of the burn rate and completion rate statistics for corners because they are don't predict that well to NFL production and they are highly based on scheme, opponents, pass rush, etc. Michigan St. had a very strong defense which Dennard was a part of, but he definitely benefited from it statistically.

I wasn't a fan of Ellington until I started researching him and noticed he was a similar player to Cooks (less polished for sure though) who will he available much later. I see him as a good value where he's projected (early 3rd) compared to Cooks.

May 6, 2014 at 9:44 AM

gored49
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Posts: 957

Originally posted by eastcoast49ersfan:
I'm more concerned with the position drills for Dennard than the 3 cone and he doesn't look nearly as quick as Haden on tape either. He had success in college being very physical with receivers, but he didn't play many future #1 and #2 NFL receivers this season. He seems like a reasonably smart and polished player but I'm not sure that will translate into being able to cover better receivers in the pros. I'm also not as big of a fan of the burn rate and completion rate statistics for corners because they are don't predict that well to NFL production and they are highly based on scheme, opponents, pass rush, etc. Michigan St. had a very strong defense which Dennard was a part of, but he definitely benefited from it statistically.

I wasn't a fan of Ellington until I started researching him and noticed he was a similar player to Cooks (less polished for sure though) who will he available much later. I see him as a good value where he's projected (early 3rd) compared to Cooks.

I'll have to see how Dennard does his rookie year. I feel like he will be a quality number 2 on the outside. If he fails I will take your suggestion and factor those other elements more in my decision. Who is your top cb and why out of curiosity.

May 6, 2014 at 2:13 PM

gored49
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Posts: 957

Anyone have thoughts on Brent Urban? I'm intrigued with moving him up my draft board due to measurables and potential - his lack of prolonged success and ankle injury are big concerns but seems like a worthwhile risk as a 3-4 de.

May 6, 2014 at 2:39 PM

eastcoast49ersfan
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Posts: 4,112

Originally posted by gored49:
I'll have to see how Dennard does his rookie year. I feel like he will be a quality number 2 on the outside. If he fails I will take your suggestion and factor those other elements more in my decision. Who is your top cb and why out of curiosity.

Gilbert and has been since before the combine mainly for his physical gifts and potential but he's a pretty good man to man corner already and looks the part of a press corner. He's not Patrick Peterson or Richard Sherman, but he has the tools to develop into a solid #1 CB. He also looked much more fluid than Dennard in the position drills. Fuller has been growing on me - Fuller, Dennard, Verrett, and Roby have been close in my eyes for awhile but Fuller may have moved in front. He is a little over-aggressive at times, but he sticks on receivers and has good length.

Dennard just has so many factors that make me question the burn rate and catch rate. He played on a defense that could rush the passer and stop the run. Getting pressure means he had to cover receivers for shorter periods which is obviously beneficial, especially in press coverage which you can see in Seattle. Stopping the run means opposing offenses are more predictable and get in more 3rd and long situations - this should help Dennard's catch rates against deep passes and his deflections because in more situations teams are forced to throw the ball down the field against their defense. Being able to stop the run also allowed Michigan State to play with safeties back which gives Dennard more freedom to play aggressively. The most concerning thing is that a Dennard was targeted a lot compared to some of the other top corners and safeties. This suggests to me that teams weren't afraid of him and that a lot of the time, his teammates were in as good of position or better when opposing QB's had to get rid of the ball. Those additional targets where his teammates were blanketing receivers should inflate his burn rate and catch rate stats as well. With a worse supporting cast, Dennard would not have had the ball thrown his way as much when he is in position to make a play.

I don't think Dennard will completely be a bust - he could be a quality #2 CB on the outside, but I could see Fuller and Roby being better outside corners (Roby may be able to play both) and I think Verrett can be a really good slot corner.

May 6, 2014 at 2:45 PM

SofaKing
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Posts: 27,442

Interesting Big Board. I won't go as far as saying Bridgewater is the best player in the draft, but I do believe he is the best QB. Bortles has the size, Manziel has the flash, but Bridgewater is far more advanced as a passer IMO.

May 6, 2014 at 8:17 PM

#10

gored49
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Posts: 957

I don't think Dennard will completely be a bust - he could be a quality #2 CB on the outside, but I could see Fuller and Roby being better outside corners (Roby may be able to play both) and I think Verrett can be a really good slot corner.

I would agree with you on this. If the Niners stayed at pick 30 and Roby, Fuller and Dennard were available I would take Roby or Fuller for the potential to develop into a better pro. I think Dennard is better right now but with a little coaching in training campy Roby and Fuller could surpass him. Plus, if Dennard falls that far it would seem the entire league would have a poor opinion of his ceiling.

May 6, 2014 at 9:19 PM

#11

Travisty13
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Posts: 5,269

Originally posted by gored49:
Travisty - how do you rank the 2nd or 3rd round QBs?

Not much separates them from the 1st round QBs in my opinion. To be honest, I don't see a "wow" QB in this draft. Garoppolo would be tops in the "2nd tier" of QBs, to me, but he even has his question marks.

Garoppolo, Murray, Brett Smith, and Mettenberger are guys I like past the 1st round.

It shows how questionable this year's stock of QBs is, when a guy like Tom Savage has gone from a 7TH-UDFA to now possibly a 2nd-3rd (I'm not a Savage fan).

Boyd, Fales, Wenning, and Gilbert all seem like guys that would make very good backups late in the draft. I'm so-so on Logan Thomas, physically he's amazing, but he never seemed to improve and he underachieved big time at VT.