Now, let's look at our 17 draft picks.
1.2 - WR Colton Bradford. 40/65.
- What we liked: Great combine numbers with a good looking RR bar and BP bar. While his future 65 is low for a 1.2 pick, if his bars hold he does everything we want a WR to do.
- What we didn't like: We tried to trade down because of his high volatility (85). That scares us. We also had some fears about his below average Courage compared to his 15 Bench reps...
Barring a volatility hit, we expect him to be a top notch player for our offense for a long time.
1.21 - FS Matthew Wilkins. 26/63. Move from SS to FS because we need a starting FS.
- What we liked: Mainly we want Zone and INT in a FS... they are mostly sitting back in a deep zone in our defense. He is very strong in both bars, adds some other things, and has the combines to back it up.
- What we didn't like: 15 Bench and zero Punishing Hitter static bar is worrisome. Also average endurance... would be nice to see more there.
We don't care too much about his overall, as long as he does his job well (sit in the zone, be a ball hawk, and make plays) we'll be happy with this pick.
1.31 - LT Henry Anderson. 29/63. They say you can't move from RT to LT, but that's what we did.
- What we liked: Solid combine, solid blocking bars, all the bars match up to the combines. That's what we like in offensive linemen.
- What we didn't like: Terrible Broad Jump and commensurate endurance. Blocking strength bar didn't live up to the 34 bench reps.
We like to remain positive, and believe he will be a good tackle for us for a long time, helping keep Brewer's blind side safe.
2.1 - RG Winston Croyle. 41/64.
- What we liked: Like Anderson, solid bars and good combine. When things match up, we feel more confident.
- What we didn't like: Not much, really. He's not a superstar, but he's not a dud either.
We have 3 good guards before Croyle. Unfortunately, as much as we LOVE Rutulante's run blocking, we have a QB that needs assistance, so we picked up a guy with a better pass blocking and gave up a little in the run game.
2.8 - TE Clarence Edwards. 28/46.
- What we liked: His combines. He had far and away the best combine of the TE group. Should be a solid run blocker, have decent RR (45ish), and help us out on 3rd downs and special teams.
- What we didn't like: We are depending on combines, really. Run blocking, Route Running, Big Play, Getting Downfield... all average looking bars. We are hoping he lives up to his combines.
We are really hoping he lives up to his combines and can take over for Giangrave when the time is right. If not, should become a decent #2 TE for us.
2.12 - SLB Brent Greer. 19/67.
- What we liked: We loved his run stopping potential. We also loved the way his Zone looks. He should also be a pretty good ST player with a good ST bar and high Punishing Hitter bar. VU by our scout.
- What we didn't like: His combine. Enough agility to hope his run stopping is strong, but average combines that don't quite match his high bars.
Simply, if he can hold his bars, he's a steal at 2.12 for us. We need the run stopping ability with Sellars in our division.
2.31 - DE Norbert Miller. 37/70. Was very surprised to see him at 2.31. Was thinking about him at 1.31 and again at 2.1. I had just made some trades for DEs so I didn't need him and didn't want to waste an early pick. But when he was still hanging in there at 2.31... I couldn't pass him up.
- What we liked: Pass Rusher. 3rd best 40 and 2nd best bench among DEs, and good looking PRT and PRS bars.
- What we didn't like: bad Agility to go with a solid looking run stopping bar. We hope he holds the run defense, but we don't expect that to happen.
We love this guy. We'll bring him along slowly and see what happens with Buning and Nance. He could start to see more playing time if they slip up.
3.1 - QB Shaun Giles. 14/28.
What we liked: He's a good kick holder? Good PD combine should help keep Timing high, and he's good at short and screen passes.
What we didn't like: Not much of a Sole combine and so SR can't really be expected to jump... 9 bench is not usually indicative of a good QB...
What was I thinking at 3.1? I honestly don't know. I think there were better QBs available. We HOPE something is there, but we are pretty sure this was a wasted pick. I wonder if this pick was well after my bedtime... LOL
3.28 - C Joe Morton. 18/49.
Why make this pick? We needed a backup because Zordich wouldn't resign with us. Looks like he has decent blocking bars and his combine wasn't too bad, so we'll hope we got ourselves a serviceable, long term backup.
3.31 - P Casey Londerville. 33/54.
Why make this pick? We needed a Punter. We felt he was the best available after the Jets surprised us by taking Boyette with the 6th pick of the 3rd round. We expected to get him late in the 3rd, hoping to surprise others at the early punter pick. But we got beaten to the punch. Anyway, he has the best bench press of all punters and I think top 5 in 40... which are the two combines we really look at. We are hoping Londerville is here for the long term, but he'll obviously need to improve his punting distance a little more than he currently looks.
3.32 - FB Peyton Randle. 21/36.
Why make this pick? Looking for someone to take over from Hellestrae who can block. Randle has good blocking bars. Only Carruth had a better overall combine among the FBs. If he can do anything else besides block, that will be a bonus.
4.9 - SLB Ken Amberg. 27/45.
Why make this pick? As with Greer, I was looking for a run stopper with some zone. Thinking too much about Sellars, I guess. Briggs is our pass rusher and Spry is a very good cover guy. We just need run defenders, so here's Ken! I actually had him and Greer rated close together, with Greer having the edge due to his SLIGHTLY better combine.
5.31 - OLB Ruben Alexander. 22/38.
Why make this pick? At this point, I'm thinking about depth, chemistry, and special teams. Alexander has special teams and punishing hitter, two desirable qualities in a special teamer. And good run defense bar in case he ever has to actually play defense.
6.3 - TE Tony Porter. 10/39.
Why make this pick? Porter has some good looking pass catching bars (at first glance) and good run blocking. Plus he adds a possible chemistry match. Let's try him out and see what happens...
6.31 - K Casey Fikarski. 30/35.
Why make this pick? Another flyer, basically. Boggs is not bad but not great. HOPING to find a better kicker and took a flyer because he had the best Solecismic and bench combines of all kickers, 2nd best broad jump, and his 40 was not terrible. In other words, he had the best combine of all kickers, so we'll see if he has some upward movement to him.
7.2 - WR Wayne Humphrey. 21/42.
Why make this pick? I wanted Houston's Weston Wagner. When I missed out on him, I found Humphrey. Good special teamer... I hope. Good ST bar, KR, and some PR. Good Broad Jump should hold the return bars. Don't expect to see him play on the offensive side of the ball much IF he makes the team.
7.31 - RB Paul Strong. 35/42.
Why make this pick? Not because of the terrible combine. His Hole Recognition looks super high. That's all. Yep, that's the only reason. I was looking for special teamers, and had a few in my draft list, and then I found him. Couldn't pass up the opportunity to find someone good. Plus I like guys with very very high volatility at the end of the draft (94 volatility). Good luck to us
This wasn't a terrible draft. Certainly couldn't be the worst draft in the league. But I made SEVERAL mistakes, as I wasn't fully prepared (my own fault). Next draft, I'll have a better feel of the team and should be better prepared to improve my team. I think I've improved the team, but I think there were several places I could have done something different. Great learning experience. Looking forward to more in the future.
