MadDog49er Notes Tuesday March 10 | Page 6

MadDog49er · 2015-03-10T03:05:06-07:00

Greetings, all! Had the chance to watch a ton of games this week, and a number of things jump out at me while Pro-Days are blowing up across the US. For those looking for a quick bite, this thread is NOT for you. Edge Rushers: I am starting to shift some of the edge rushers to the very top of my best board. Here is why: I saw eight Shane Ray games this week, and he is simply an impact player in each game. Sacks, pressures, attention, and the ability to drop into coverage. I like that he lines up against the LT in most games, as does Beasley. Fowler is all over the place, but plays a lot over the right tackle, as does Gregory. In nearly every game I saw, Ray causes a fumble, forces an interception, and more. Beasley is similar in this way. So fast and disruptive. Both Ray and Beasley have deadly first steps, and burn the edge. I believe Ray is going to post a sub 4.5 at his Pro Day. Pure based on productivity, these guys are stronger than Fowler and Gregory. Fowler holds one edge as being larger than the pack, at about 15 pounds. All can drop into coverage. And, to me, all three (Ray, Beasley, Fowler) are top five graded players.The big challenge is ranking Gregory and Eli Harold of Virginia, who is a really good player as well. Overlooked to this point, but a guy super young (20) and moving up for sure. His ten yard split of 1.56 is elite. Probably an early-mid second rounder. Since all these guys will be gone before the Niners pick, a value player the team might want to examine is Trey Flowers of Arkansas. Not nearly as nimble as the big three, and has question marks dropping into coverage, this dude is a football player. On a stud Arkansas defense (those of you who love defenses need to watch some of their games), he was the best of the group. At 6'2", 266, with 34" arms, he fits the mold for long edge rushers in Baalke's system. Another note: I think the Niners take a long look at Preston Smith of Mississippi State in the second round, but to me, he is a better fit as a bulked up 34 DE than 34 OLB. Doesn't have the initial burst to play off the edge, even though his combine numbers were better than expected. Studying offensive tackles, it is obvious to me that Brandon Scherff has to move inside or to RT at the next level. Simply not nimble enough on the outside to hold up. I think his punch is remarkable, and I do see comparisons to Zach Martin, who I graded as a top 8 player last year on his way to the Pro Bowl. DJ Humphries is my number one graded OT because he is ready to play LT in the NFL. Struggled against Ray, but other than that, clean sheet. Really smooth. I think he ends up the first tackle taken in the draft. TJ Clemmings may be the best blocker at RT in the draft. Just mauls people. His pass protection at the Senior Bowl was scary to me, though. I think Collins can play the tackle and play it well. He is my number two OT in this draft, and someone to watch if he is on the board at 15, because he can kick inside and play at a high level. Interior backers: I was freaked out by how poorly Paul Dawson performed at the combine, but then went back to watch his games. Concerns alleviated. He, along with Ray, were the two best defensive players in college football last year. Best instincts of any defensive player. Uncanny he is involved in nearly every play. I think he will perform much better at his Pro Day, but it doesn't matter to me. This guy is a beast on the field. A lot of hype for Stephone Anthony this season, and for good reason. He is a three down backer, has good instincts, can attack the QB, and performed well at the Senior Bowl and Combine. Below Dawson, but solid player. Not nearly as high on Benardrick McKinney of Mississippi State. Long and lean and upright, I think some team is going to move him to DE or Sam at the next level. Strong, but does not have the instincts to be a stud ILB. As for possible draftees at ILB with Willis' upcoming retirement, the pickins are slim after the top four or five are gone. I have my best five as Dawson, Anthony, Kendricks, Perryman, and McKinney (who I think is shifting to OLB or DE in the NFL). The most mentioned guys after this group are Hayes Pullard of USC, Bryce Hager of Baylor, and Ben Heeney of Kansas. Not super high on any of these guys, to be honest. One off the chart guy to think about: Martrell Spaight of Arkansas. He played OLB in their 43 scheme, but was a tackling machine. Super active, productive, with excellent instincts. Probably a fourth or fifth round prospect, but a guy who is going to play in the NFL. On the defensive line, I continue to be impressed with Carl Davis. He has a solid combine, a fantastic Senior Bowl week and game, and his game play down the stretch of the year was outstanding. Bowl game, check mark, Senior Bowl Check mark, Combine check mark. Solid prospect. Someone the team will need to consider in the mid-second round is Marcus Hardison of Arizona St. Really a remarkable athlete for a projected DT. At 6'3", 307, with long arms, he played the 43DE role in college, which is almost unheard of. Super fast feet for a 300+ pound guy. Active, productive. Limited major college football experience, but this kid is going to surprise a lot of people in the NFL. I think he is perfect as a 34 DE.Watched about a half dozen Oklahoma games this past week, and Jordan Phillips is an enigma to me. About half the games, he plays at a high level, fighting through blockers, disrupting the backfield. And then, there is TCU and Kansas State, where is largely invisible throughout the whole game. Kansas State has a good center prospect in BJ Finney, and he controlled him throughout. However, the TCU center is not a pro prospect, was tiny compared to him, and dominated. Frustrating player to analyze. On the flip side, Malcom Brown of Texas is a consistent performer, a disruptive mess for an offense to game plan, and a guy who plays hard on every snap. My stacked DT top rankings are: Williams, Shelton, Davis, Brown, Goldman, Hardison, Armstead. Bennett, Jarrett, Phillips, Cooper, Anderson. This is a deep, deep group, just like the WR group last year. Going to be a lot of productive starters from this core. One value space eating 34 NT: Joey Mbu of Houston. Watched a number of games this year, and Mbu plays at a consistently high level. Pretty much your two-down toilet clogger in the middle of the line, but does have some good movement skills from sideline to sideline for a 6'3", 313 NT, and 35" arms that he uses really well. Probably a fourth rounder, and probable starter as a 34NT or 43 nose guard. I like him a lot. At corner, feeling good about some of the young pups in this draft. To me, it is a horse race between three first round CB's: Waynes, Kevin Johnson (not the mayor of Sacramento), and Jalen Collins. All have excellent pro potential, and are tighter on my best board than many have them. I really like Johnson's all-around game, and Collins runs like his hair is on fire. Fun trio. PJ Williams number four on my list, followed by Peters and Jones (the combine hero) of UConn. As for the QB class, couple notes. Higher on Mariota over Winston. He's very smart, so I believe he will learn how to do a 3,5,7 step drop, good leader like Winston, and hard worker. Two differences between the two QBs. One- off the field. Huge plus for Mariota. Model citizen. I don't trust Winston. Statistically, he probably raped that girl- most rape claims end up being true. Second, Mariota makes better on the field decisions. Winston turns over the ball far too often. In his last seven games, he only had one game with more TDs than INTs. Scary, because NFL defenses will be so much more complicated and fast. Having fun watching games this offseason. Tomorrow is probably the busiest Pro-Day day on the schedule. News should be fast and furious after a slow Monday. If there is a player you would like me to watch, please let me know.

Mar 16, 2015 at 2:50 AM

#76

Mr.Mcgibblets
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Adrian Amos. Dude really has impressed me over these recent months. Any thoughts on his best fit and draft projection in the pros?

Mar 16, 2015 at 3:40 AM

#77

xcfan
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Id be wary of varga; his physique screams juicer.

Mar 16, 2015 at 5:39 AM

#78

Jesu80ncleats
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Great write up bro!

I would love it if we were able to get Ray

[ Edited by Jesu80ncleats on Mar 16, 2015 at 5:45 AM ]

Mar 16, 2015 at 11:43 AM

#79

stonecold590
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Posts: 2,382

Keep an Eye on Montana's DE Zach Wagenmann. He has been projected from mid 4th-6th RDS. I've watched him for 3 years. He's a bit light but stash him awsy for a year to bulk up. He is smart and a high motor guy.

Mar 16, 2015 at 1:04 PM

#80

MadDog49er
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Originally posted by stonecold590:
Keep an Eye on Montana's DE Zach Wagenmann. He has been projected from mid 4th-6th RDS. I've watched him for 3 years. He's a bit light but stash him awsy for a year to bulk up. He is smart and a high motor guy.

Productive and smart. Probably needs that year.

Mar 16, 2015 at 1:04 PM

#81

MadDog49er
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Originally posted by xcfan:
Id be wary of varga; his physique screams juicer.

He is rocked up. Great jeans. Both parents stud athletes.

Mar 16, 2015 at 1:06 PM

#82

MadDog49er
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Originally posted by Mr.Mcgibblets:
Adrian Amos. Dude really has impressed me over these recent months. Any thoughts on his best fit and draft projection in the pros?

Terrific offseason. High on my list of guys to spend some serious time analyzing. Penn St. player (James, Smith, Barnes, and Amos all on deck).

Mar 16, 2015 at 1:11 PM

#83

MadDog49er
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Originally posted by fortyninerglory:
MadDog, besides Leonard Williams, is there anyone in the draft capable of replacing Justin Smith for us? Or is he already on the team possibly, Tank?

Replacing Smith will be nearly impossible. He was the best 34 DE for years before JJ Watt showed up to play. That being said, a ton of solid prospects this year that are starter quality (Davis, Hardison, Anderson, Edwards, and maybe even Indiana's Richardson).

Mar 16, 2015 at 1:17 PM

#84

MadDog49er
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Originally posted by ESWYoung08:
Maddog, what are your thoughts on Daryl Williams out of Oklahoma he's got size, strength, and toughness and can probably be had in the 3rd round. My thoughts are that he can be groomed as a replacement for Boone and backup Anthony Davis if he continues to be injury prone, based off of what you've seen would he be suitable for this purpose? Would Ogbuehi be better for this role? At what point would Ogbuehi be better value?

I'd take Ogbuehi over Williams at RT and G, but Williams did pretty well during Senior Bowl week, which should boost his draft stock. One guy to keep an eye on is Jamil Douglas of Arizona St. A LT in college, but probably best as a guard or RT. A lot to like from this kid. However, if we are sticking to guard only, John Miller is the man, and will probably be a third rounder. Have seen him play in about eight full games, every snap, and he is terrific. My number one value player in the draft, since I grade him as a first round talent.

Mar 16, 2015 at 3:51 PM

#85

Willisfn4life
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Who is your top 3 players maddog that you'd like to see the niners take at 15 after watching all this film?

[ Edited by Willisfn4life on Mar 16, 2015 at 3:51 PM ]

Mar 16, 2015 at 8:19 PM

#86

bors
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Maddog what do we do about are linebacker situation?

Mar 19, 2015 at 1:31 PM

#87

communist
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thanks for answering my first post

would you mind to tell us/me something about ILB Hayes Pullard, USC, in particular something about his coverage ability? would appreciate that.

Mar 20, 2015 at 2:48 AM

#88

MadDog49er
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Originally posted by Willisfn4life:
Who is your top 3 players maddog that you'd like to see the niners take at 15 after watching all this film?

Whoever is on top of my board. My best board is: White, Beasley, Ray, Williams, Fowler, Cooper, Scherff, etc.. It just depends who is there when we pick.

Mar 20, 2015 at 2:51 AM

#89

MadDog49er
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Originally posted by bors:
Maddog what do we do about are linebacker situation?

Depends on Bowman's health. I don't think the Niners have to select an ILB early if they feel Bowman is good to go. They have guys in-house to play alongside him. Is it a long-term situation? Probably not. But, I don't think it would be wise to panic and go off-board to select for need. My best ILB is Dawson, then Anthony and Kendricks side by side.

In the end, I'd probably rather have them wait until the fourth round and see if Martrell Spraight is on the board. The guy is a baller, and would be a great value pick.

Mar 20, 2015 at 2:58 AM

#90

MadDog49er
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Originally posted by communist:
thanks for answering my first post

would you mind to tell us/me something about ILB Hayes Pullard, USC, in particular something about his coverage ability? would appreciate that.

He's ok. Doesn't excite me that much, to be honest. I have him graded as the eighth best ILB in this draft. To me,late fifth round value. I wouldn't be pulling the trigger until the 6th at best, depending who is on the board.

As for coverage skills, I see him as a two down backer. Just not enough quickness or instincts to play at a high enough level.