More Draft possibilities

[crizpynutz]

Jeff Faine
Center - Notre Dame

Run blocking: Is a scrappy blocker with a strong upper body. Plays with good leverage. Shuffles well laterally, takes solid angles to blocks and does an excellent job of getting in position. Is at his best when uncovered by a nose tackle. Shows the quickness to help guards, the mobility to reach linebackers and the balance to hit moving targets. Was efficient against nose tackles in college because of good leverage and tough attitude. Will have some trouble with massive NFL nose tackles. Grade: 8.4

Pass blocking: Is extremely efficient in this area. Doesn't have great mobility, but is quick and rarely takes a false step. Gets set quickly, and moves well laterally. Maintains balance, and mirrors and slides well with pass rushers. Shows excellent blitz- and stunt-recognition skills. Has a great feel for the passing game. Might struggle to combat some bull-rush moves, but plays with enough leverage and is strong enough in the upper body to hold his ground. Grade: 8.2

Initial quickness: This is what separates him from other center prospects. Shows a quick burst after the snap while maintaining good leverage in the running game. Also gets set quickly in pass protection, which helps him to get in position to help guards or pick up the blitz. Rarely gets beat by quick nose tackles. Grade: 8.3

Strength: Has a strong upper body. Shows good power with "punch" and uses hands to maintain separation. Has good initial pop. Shows good technique, and plays with leverage. Lacks ideal lower-body strength, however, and cannot afford to get caught off balance or playing too high. Grade: 7.7

Mobility: Has more quickness than pure athleticism. Shuffles well laterally, can mirror and slide with pass rushers, shows good initial quickness and stays balanced in the open field and when picking up blitzes. Lacks great speed and is not an elite athlete. Will struggle to recover from a false step when going out to chip a linebacker. Grade: 7.8

Bottom line: Faine was a durable college player who started 36 consecutive games at center for Notre Dame. He has good intelligence, size, attitude and leadership ability. Faine isn't a great athlete and lacks ideal lower-body strength, but he is efficient because of his upper-body strength, consistent positioning and leverage. He is the top center on this year’s draft board and should be selected somewhere between the late first and early second round. He should be a solid NFL starter for many years.

Bryant Johnson
Wide Reciever - Penn State

Hands: Has improved here, as has his concentration and focus. Has long arms and is athletic enough to adjust to poorly thrown balls. Has good leaping ability and can make spectacular catches. Pulls down the ball well over his head and on the run. Grade: 8.2

Patterns: Has great size. Is mostly a possession receiver. Is strong and drives defenders off the line well. Is fearless in going over the middle. Has learned to use size to his advantage. Is fluid in running routes and shows good recognition. Is a big, physical target. Has adequate speed; won't run past many NFL cornerbacks. Isn't much of a deep threat. Has some trouble gaining separation. Grade: 8.0

Run after catch: A tough runner who gains speed as he goes. Plucks well on the run and immediately gets upfield. Shows good body control and flashes some change-of-direction skills. Gets what is available, but not much more. Lacks great burst and elusiveness. Doesn't make many defenders miss in the open field. Takes a while to reach top-end speed. Grade: 7.4

Release: Must win with size and strength, because he lacks great suddenness and initial quickness. Will have more trouble here in the NFL. Won't beat cornerbacks deep if he breaks press, so more of them will challenge him at the line. Grade: 7.5

Blocking: This is a real strength. Shows initial pop at the point of attack. Is competitive and works to get downfield. Takes pride in this facet. Grade: 8.0

Bottom line: Johnson lacks great speed and won’t be much of a vertical threat, but he has the size, leaping ability and hands to create matchup problems in the red zone. Johnson isn’t explosive enough to draft in the first round, but he is a good second-round value because he should develop into a solid No. 2 receiver.

Kyle Boller
Quarterback - California

Arm strength: Has great natural physical tools. Gets good zip on deep outs and throws downfield well. Ball explodes off his arm and a quicker release has only helped. Grade: 8.1

Accuracy/delivery: With some good coaching, made the biggest stride with his release. Has compacted it and become more consistent and accurate as a result. Can also throw accurately on the run. Grade: 8.0

Field vision: Game has started to slow down for him. Made more consistent, sound decisions as a senior. Can make progression reads and find the backside receiver. Has cut down on mental mistakes. Still, however, must improve pre-snap reads and ability to consistently find hot receivers vs. the blitz. Grade: 8.0

Running ability: Has ideal size and adequate speed. Shows a quick set and the footwork to buy second chances in the pocket. Is very impressive with his pocket presence, initial quickness and ability to throw on the run. Grade: 8.2

Intangibles: Had a rocky college career. Separated his shoulder in 2000 and then had a back injury in ’01. But he stayed healthy as a senior, proving he can be a winner. Adjusted quickly to a new system. A tough player, he has also become a vocal leader. Grade: 7.9

Bottom line: Boller started for almost four years in college. He has had some ups and downs, but much of his struggles can be attributed to injuries early in his career, three different offensive coordinators and a lack of talent around him. Boller has always had much potential, but he only put it all together as a senior. He has ideal NFL size, a strong arm and above-average mobility. Under coach Jeff Tedford, who mentored Joey Harrington at Oregon, Boller responded so well that his draft stock shot up as much or more than Carson Palmer. The light finally came on for Boller, who followed up his strong senior season with an impressive week of practice at the Senior Bowl. He has emerged as a top prospect and will likely be drafted late in the first round.

Mike Doss
Safety - Ohio St.

Coverage skills: Is much more effective in zone than man-to-man. Is an above-average athlete with good quickness and speed. Has above-average range because of instincts and speed. Gets to the sideline quickly. Is a presence in the middle of the field, and is a playmaker. Shows marginal footwork and technique in man-to-man coverage. Lacks ideal height, and must be protected from certain one-on-one matchups. Grade: 7.7.

Run/pass recognition: Shows outstanding instincts against the run. Gets a great jump on the ball, and covers a lot of ground because of quick reads and burst out of backpedal. Is "football smart" and prepares hard in the film room, but still makes some mistakes and gives up big plays. Grade: 7.8.

Closing speed: Has good speed. Shows great closing burst against the run. Shows decent catchup speed in coverage. Lacks elite speed and cannot afford to take false steps or gamble. Grade: 8.2.

Ball skills: Is a playmaker. Knows when to when to go for the tackle and when to go for the interception. Shows excellent hands. Plays taller than listed height because of great leaping ability and timing. Grade: 8.0.

Run support: Is a powerful, aggressive strong safety. Is a sideline-to-sideline defender. Lacks ideal size, but can hold his own inside. Acts as an extra linebacker at times. Uses hands well to sift through traffic. Takes great angles to the ball. Has explosive short-area power. Is able to take on and shed blocks. Is a tough, powerful tackler in the open field. Grade: 8.4.

Bottom line: Doss is the best all-around safety prospect. He clearly is better against the run. Doss will struggle in some man-to-man coverage situations -- especially against NFL slot receivers. But he has outstanding instincts and good range in zone coverage. He doesn't have great size but is athletic, physical and aggressive. Doss isn't in the class of Roy Williams, the first safety selected in '02 (No. 8 overall), but has a similar makeup and should start in the NFL right away.

[Bleed]

Are any of them going to be around when we pick. Saw an aritcle at nfl.com, saying it was a bumper crop year for D lineman, see any of them coming our way? Luv to read your posting dude cause i don't know this stuff.

[Towner13]

Whats up Criz,

Saw your post on that other board. Thought I would jump over here and make the switch... Thanx for the heads up! You should post that to a couple of the other guys still looming around that other one.

As for this draft???

Dream pick for me would be Boss Bailey. for that we would have to move up into the top 15 or so, and that doesn't even take into account the big money he will most likely be askng for.
So my revised wants are:
Doss!!! We could get him with our late picks in the first.
Also, if Wheat is gone... MUSA SMITH -RB @ GEORGIA. He would be second round or so.

Your pick with Faine, would be nice too, he's Raideresque all the way, plus we got the new arrival of the B-Rob saga.
One Minute we have the one of the best Centers in the league and the next.... No more comment needed.

Glad to be here. Talk with ya soon

[SoCalRaider]

Defense, Defense, and McGahee.

That Ohio State safety looks like he's got the goods, but if he's the best safety wouldn't we have to move up to get him?

[RaiderBlitz]

Im betting we take Faine in the first. There is a good chance he will still be there in the first.

[crizpynutz]

The thought of getting Jeff Faine and Boss Bailey has me practically wetting myself, which means it can't happen with the picks we have right now, or could it? Stranger things have happened. I wouldn't bet on that though. Faine is the more likely of the two and I would be more than happy to land him.

My bet is that we don't get either of them and we take to different players.

[daraydaz]

My dream is that we grab Petersen (not very likely) and Bailey in rd 1 and then grab Redding and make a move up to grab Hamlin or Rashin Mathis in the second. Or somehow pick up Mcgahee in the second.


Kenny Peterson said the team he is getting the best vibes from is the [b]Oakland Raiders, who pick 31st and 32nd in the first round.
Stay tuned ladies and germs!