NFL 2012-2013 Post-Super Bowl Offseason Thread

So the Texans realize Foster needs a real fullback and signed Greg Jones. They never should have let Leach go. Probably the only FA move they made this season that I agree with.

Greg Jones > Vonta Leach.

Not happy to see him leave Jacksonville, but it's a clear indication that the Jaguars aren't going to be a 2-back team under the new regime.

*Legion* wrote:

Greg Jones > Vonta Leach.

Not happy to see him leave Jacksonville, but it's a clear indication that the Jaguars aren't going to be a 2-back team under the new regime.

Cheer up man we just sent you guys Sen'derrick Marks.....

IMAGE(http://dr1ve.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/laughing.gif?w=430&h=215)

Gumbie wrote:
*Legion* wrote:

Greg Jones > Vonta Leach.

Not happy to see him leave Jacksonville, but it's a clear indication that the Jaguars aren't going to be a 2-back team under the new regime.

Cheer up man we just sent you guys Sen'derrick Marks.....

IMAGE(http://dr1ve.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/laughing.gif?w=430&h=215)

Yeah, I know, WTF?

Why did Jacksonville cut CJ Mosley (15th best DT in PFF's metrics last year) and sign Marks (13th worst DT by the same metrics)?

I don't even... *sigh*... go Niners.

A little better than Sen'Derrick Marks: Jags sign Mohamed Massaquoi.

I like Massaquoi, especially as a (presumably) low-cost #3 WR, as Shorts and Blackmon obviously have the starting WR spots nailed down.

Hope they beef up the offensive line in the draft and maybe in free agency. (They're talking to Tyson Clabo, who I really hope they land).

NFL.com posted an article re-doing the 2011 draft.

I decided to join in on the fun:

1) Carolina Panthers
Pick: Cam Newton, QB
NFL.com Do-over: Same
My Do-over: Colin Kaepernick, QB
Me in March 2011: "I'm having a hard time looking at Cam Newton and coming up with a reason why I would select him over Colin Kaepernick. What does Newton give me over Kaepernick?". While I was possibly underrating Newton where I had him at the time, I was severely underrating Kaepernick, and I was rating him higher than anyone else I saw. Or, more precisely, I overrated the transition time that some of these QBs were going to require at the NFL level. I've warmed up to Newton a bit, but I am fairly convinced Kaepernick is going to be a perennial Pro Bowler.

2) Denver Broncos
Pick: Von Miller, OLB
NFL Do-over: Same
My Do-over: Same
Von Miller gets the nod over J.J. Watt as the top defensive player, mostly for scheme versatility. Easy to argue the other way, though.

3) Buffalo Bills
Pick: Marcell Dareus, DT
NFL.com Do-over: Colin Kaepernick, QB
My Do-over: J.J. Watt, DE
I thought it was cool having Marcus Stroud and John Henderson on the same line when those two guys were at their Pro Bowl peaks. Having J.J. Watt next to Kyle Williams would be obscene. And if the team still went and signed Mario Williams the following offseason, they would be well on their way to making a new Fearsome Foursome.

4) Cincinnati Bengals
Pick: A.J. Green, WR
NFL.com Do-over: Same
My Do-over: Same
The two receivers at the top of this draft have earned every bit of their draft spots.

5) Arizona Cardinals
Pick: Patrick Peterson, CB
NFL.com Do-over: Same
My Do-over: Julio Jones, WR
I think NFL.com is a little too high on Peterson, who is good but not truly special (at least not yet). I kind of thought about Aldon Smith here, but he's more suited for a 4-3. Instead, I take Julio Jones and forget all about drafting Michael Floyd the following year. Granted, I'd still have to solve the disasterous QB situation there, but one talent crisis at a time.

6) Atlanta Falcons
Pick: Julio Jones, WR
NFL.com Do-over: Same
My Do-over: Aldon Smith, DE/OLB
With John Abraham getting old, I groom Aldon Smith to be the team's next premier pass rusher.

7) San Francisco 49ers
Pick: Aldon Smith, OLB
NFL.com Do-over: Same
My Do-over: Richard Sherman, CB
Cam Newton is a consideration here, but I don't think he's the right guy for the younger Harbaugh. And it's Sherman, not Peterson, who is the premier cover corner (so far) in the 2011 draft class. Unfortunately, this draft is not nearly as fruitful as the real one was for the 49ers, getting Aldon Smith here and then Kaepernick in round 2.

8) Tennessee Titans
Pick: Jake Locker, QB
NFL.com Do-over: Andy Dalton, QB
My Do-over: Titus Young, WR
Because f*ck the Titans.

9) Dallas Cowboys
Pick: Tyron Smith, OT
NFL.com Do-over: J.J. Watt, DE
My Do-over: Nate Solder, OT
Seriously, NFL.com, you really slid J.J. Watt down to pick #9? Tyron Smith has been a good tackle for the Cowboys, and still worthy of going in round 1, but Nate Solder has been even better.

10) Jacksonville Jaguars
Pick: Blaine Gabbert, QB
NFL.com Do-over: Richard Sherman, CB
My Do-over: Ryan Mallett, QB
Mallett's "character issues", which have not materialized at all, slid him way down to round 3. NFL.com and I agree that, with hindsight, he belongs back in round 1. Cam Newton would be the more sensible pick, but I want to see Mallett rifling the ball to Blackmon and Shorts.

11) Houston Texans
Pick: J.J. Watt, DE
NFL.com Do-over: Torrey Smith, WR
My Do-over: Patrick Peterson, CB
Here we have the Texans drafting Peterson, which would preclude them from spending big in free agency on Jonathan Joseph, and possibly would use that money to retain Mario Williams. Not as good as having one of the draft's true elite players make it to pick #11, but hey.

12) Minnesota Vikings
Pick: Christian Ponder, QB
NFL.com Do-over: Ryan Mallett, QB
My Do-over: Cam Newton, QB
Part of taking Mallett for Jacksonville is to make this happen. Newton's minor drop-off in performance in 2012 lets me justify sliding him all the way down to the still-high pick of #12. And now we get Newton + AP. I imagine this scenario would have kept Percy Harvin happy, too. (Cam really should have gone to the Titans at #8 but f*ck them.)

13) Detroit Lions
Pick: Nick Fairley, DT
NFL.com Do-over: Marcell Dareus, DT
My Do-over: Marcell Dareus, DT
When Nick Fairley was drafted, I pointed out that he was a 3-technique just like Suh, and that it didn't make sense. To a certain degree, I have been proven right, as Fairley has not started consistently. Rather, he's been in a rotation that has allowed larger tackles like Sammie Lee Hill to get significant playing time. Dareus has mostly played 3-technique in Buffalo, but that's because Kyle Williams is there. He has the size to play the nose next to Suh.

14) St. Louis Rams
Pick: Robert Quinn, DE
NFL.com Do-over: Nate Solder, OT
My Do-over: Tyron Smith, OT
Tyron Smith is an excellent RT who has to play LT in Dallas because they don't have anyone else capable of doing it. Rodger Saffold seemed to be the answer at LT in 2011, though the team has now moved to replace him with Jake Long. With Smith dominating on the right side, the Rams could move Saffold in to guard.

15) Miami Dolphins
Pick: Mike Pouncey, C
NFL.com Do-over: Same
My Do-over: Same
Hard to argue with a rock-solid center that the team will likely employ for a decade or more.

16) Washington Redskins
Pick: Ryan Kerrigan, OLB
NFL.com Do-over: Same
My Do-over: Cecil Shorts, WR
No, NFL.com, the third best WR in the 2011 draft was neither Torrey Smith nor Randall Cobb, the other two WRs you have on this list. It was Cecil Shorts, who outperformed both of those guys in 2012 while catching passes from Gabbert and Henne. It would have been poetic to pair Shorts with the NFL's *other* Mount Union graduate WR, Pierre Garcon. As if RG3's rookie campaign needed more fuel for the fire.

17) New England Patriots
Pick: Nate Solder, OT
NFL.com Do-over: Randall Cobb, WR
My Do-over: Ryan Kerrigan, OLB
Kerrigan is the pass rusher the Patriots have been trying to find.

18) San Diego Chargers
Pick: Corey Liuget, DE
NFL.com Do-over: Jabaal Sheard, DE/OLB
My Do-over: Torrey Smith, WR
It might be tempting fate to put Torrey Smith, who is underachieving a bit, on a team that seems to make every offensive skill position player underachieve. But something has to spark that offense.

19) New York Giants
Pick: Prince Amukamara, CB
NFL.com Do-over: Muhammad Wilkerson, DT
My Do-over: Muhammad Wilkerson, DT
Big defensive tackles have long been part of Coughlin's MO, and Wilkerson would fit the bill to a T. Wilkerson would make it awfully hard to double up on Justin Tuck.

20) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pick: Adrian Clayborn, DE
NFL.com Do-over: Justin Houston, DE
My Do-over: Justin Houston, DE
In a perfect world, the Bucs draft only one DE this draft, and keep Michael Bennett instead of letting him walk in the 2013 offseason. Clayborn had a promising rookie season before injuring his knee in 2012. But Houston has been even better.

21) Cleveland Browns
Pick: Phil Taylor, DT
NFL.com Do-over: Same
My Do-over: Jurrell Casey, DT
Casey was one of the league's most effective run-stuffing defensive tackles in 2012. The Browns still have hope for Taylor, who missed almost all of 2012, but Casey is the pick now.

22) Indianapolis Colts
Pick: Anthony Castonzo, OT
NFL.com Do-over: Tyron Smith, OT
My Do-over: Orlando Franklin, OT
Rather than reaching for a left tackle that doesn't pass block too well, the Colts would get a right tackle that they can count on - one who spent 2012 keeping their 36-year-old former QB upright while their new QB was running away from defenders Castonzo couldn't handle.

23) Philadelphia Eagles
Pick: Danny Watkins, OG
NFL.com Do-over: Jimmy Smith, CB
My Do-over: Kyle Rudolph, TE
Jimmy Smith? What is NFL.com smoking? Let's give the Eagle offense a legitimate pass catching TE threat.

24) New Orleans
Pick: Cameron Jordan, DE
NFL.com Do-over: Same
My Do-over: Adrian Clayborn, DE
Let's put Clayborn back on the board. Losing the 2012 season hurts, but Clayborn showed enough as a rookie to suspect he can be a capable pass rusher.

25) Seattle Seahawks
Pick: James Carpenter, OT
NFL.com Do-over: Kyle Rudolph, TE
My Do-over: Corey Liuget, DE
Liuget could play in a couple of spots in Seattle's unique front. He could potentially play the 5-technique Red Bryant plays, but without having to be replaced on 3rd down.

26) Kansas City Chiefs
Pick: Jonathan Baldwin, WR
NFL.com Do-over: T.J. Yates, QB
My Do-over: Rahim Moore, S
Yates, really? Let's go with Rahim Moore, who (despite his playoff blunder) established himself as a quality starter in 2012. He would be a huge upgrade over Kendrick Lewis.

27) Baltimore Ravens
Pick: Jimmy Smith, CB
NFL.com Do-over: Corey Liuget, DE
My Do-over: Stefen Wisniewski, C
Matt Birk's career was obviously winding down, and Wisniewski can play both center and guard. He could have lined up next to Birk until Birk's retirement, and stepped in as the team's new starting center this season.

28) New Orleans Saints
Pick: Mark Ingram, RB
NFL.com Do-over: DeMarco Murray, RB
My Do-over: DeMarco Murray, RB
Mark Ingram never made a damn bit of sense in New Orleans. Short, stout, and not a pass catcher, he seems like a poor fit for the offense. Murray is more explosive and more of an asset in the passing game.

29) Chicago Bears
Pick: Gabe Carimi, OT
NFL.com Do-over: Nick Fairley, DT
My Do-over: Nick Fairley, DT
Fairley would be a nice score down here, filling the spot that the Bears filled with their second round pick, Stephen Paea. Fairley would fit very comfortably into the Chicago 4-3.

30) New York Jets
Pick: Muhammad Wilkerson, DT
NFL.com Do-over: Robert Quinn, DE/OLB
My Do-over: Stevan Ridley, RB
We could have been spared two years of plodding Shonn Greene runs.

31) Pittsburgh Steelers
Pick: Cameron Heyward, DE
NFL.com Do-over: Stevan Ridley, RB
My Do-over: Brooks Reed, OLB
Pittsburgh likes to get their replacement linebackers ready ahead of time, and Reed could have been the guy to groom while James Harrison finished out his time in the Steel City.

32) Green Bay Packers
Pick: Derek Sherrod, OT
NFL.com Do-over: Brooks Reed, OLB
My Do-over: Jacquizz Rodgers, RB
Running back has been like a wasted position on the Packers offense. Rodgers is the kind of pass catching, pass protecting running back that would fit that offense a lot better than the roster fodder that passed through the depth chart this past season.

Dropping out of the 1st round:
Christian Ponder, QB (early 2nd)
Prince Amukamara, CB (early 2nd)
Jimmy Smith, CB (2nd)
Jake Locker, QB (2nd)
Blaine Gabbert, QB (2nd)
Phil Taylor, DT (2nd)
Jabaal Sheard, DE (2nd)
Cameron Heyward, DE (2nd-3rd)
Anthony Castonzo, OT (2nd-3rd)
Gabe Carimi, OT (3rd)
Mark Ingram, RB (3rd-4th)
Derek Sherrod, OT (3rd-4th)
Danny Watkins, OG (3rd-4th)
Jonathan Baldwin, WR (4th)
James Carpenter, OT (4th)

Even being an Aggie, I would not trade JJ Watt for Von Miller. When I realized that last year mid-season, I knew JJ was the defensive MVP.

While I'm more than willing to pile on the Cam Newton Hate Train, Ryan Mallett over Cam Newton is abjectly silly. Newton's second year was clearly spotty, but he has shown the capacity to be a significant threat, and Mallett has shown so far that he's able to not drop the clipboard at a pretty good clip. Also, Newton effectively had one phenomenal year and Kapernick one phenomenal half-year, and, if there's one thing I have painfully learned (oh, Josh Freeman 2010 season, I'll never forget you), it's "two good years before I really believe".

Also, I'd still take Adrian Clayborn.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Even being an Aggie, I would not trade JJ Watt for Von Miller. When I realized that last year mid-season, I knew JJ was the defensive MVP.

My concern would be that JJ Watt would not be JJ Watt if he's playing in a two-gap system, where he'd be occupying linemen rather than attacking a gap. I worry he'd be wasted playing that role.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

While I'm more than willing to pile on the Cam Newton Hate Train, Ryan Mallett over Cam Newton is abjectly silly. Newton's second year was clearly spotty, but he has shown the capacity to be a significant threat, and Mallett has shown so far that he's able to not drop the clipboard at a pretty good clip. Also, Newton effectively had one phenomenal year and Kapernick one phenomenal half-year, and, if there's one thing I have painfully learned (oh, Josh Freeman 2010 season, I'll never forget you), it's "two good years before I really believe".

Also, I'd still take Adrian Clayborn.

Of course taking Mallett first is silly, but at the same time, the idea is to draft talent. If I have the ability to go back to 2011 and draft, I'd be very keen to take Mallett and have him play those years instead of sitting. Newton has proven he's no bust, but he's still short of proving he's a franchise QB and not just a Rivers tier guy.

I won't apologize in the slightest for taking Kaepernick first though. I'd make that call all day, every day. He still has more to prove, yes, but his abilities are everything I thought they were at the Senior Bowl. He's the QB I woul unquestionably pick to gamble on out of that draft.

Even factoring in Mallett and sticking the Titans with Titus Young, I think my list beats theirs.

*Legion* wrote:
Fedaykin98 wrote:

Even being an Aggie, I would not trade JJ Watt for Von Miller. When I realized that last year mid-season, I knew JJ was the defensive MVP.

My concern would be that JJ Watt would not be JJ Watt if he's playing in a two-gap system, where he'd be occupying linemen rather than attacking a gap. I worry he'd be wasted playing that role.

When you have a JJ Watt, you scheme around him.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

When you have a JJ Watt, you scheme around him.

I don't trust Del Rio to do that as well as Wade.

*Legion* wrote:

Of course taking Mallett first is silly, but at the same time, the idea is to draft talent. If I have the ability to go back to 2011 and draft, I'd be very keen to take Mallett and have him play those years instead of sitting. Newton has proven he's no bust, but he's still short of proving he's a franchise QB and not just a Rivers tier guy.

I won't apologize in the slightest for taking Kaepernick first though. I'd make that call all day, every day. ...

Because I'm curious ... how would you have sold Colin Kaepernick over Cam Newton to Jerry Richardson back in 2011?

I'm not disagreeing with your talent evaluation. Newton is very much in that Phillip Rivers tier (good enough to win you some games and put up big numbers, not good enough (yet, but maybe never) to take you to the playoffs every year), and Kaepernick might well end up being the best QB of his generation.

That said, I'm not sure how you pass up the guy who dominated college football for a season over a WAC guy who tore up the Humanitarian Bowl in 2008. For better or worse, that's not how the NFL or the draft works.

Enix wrote:

Because I'm curious ... how would you have sold Colin Kaepernick over Cam Newton to Jerry Richardson back in 2011?

I'm not disagreeing with your talent evaluation. Newton is very much in that Phillip Rivers tier (good enough to win you some games and put up big numbers, not good enough (yet, but maybe never) to take you to the playoffs every year), and Kaepernick might well end up being the best QB of his generation.

That said, I'm not sure how you pass up the guy who dominated college football for a season over a WAC guy who tore up the Humanitarian Bowl in 2008. For better or worse, that's not how the NFL or the draft works.

It's not an easy argument to make when you talk purely in terms of college football. But lots of great college football players get passed over for lower conference guys that have better NFL tools. You have to assess players by looking at their physical abilities and projecting how those abilities will play in the NFL, rather than just how they worked in college ball.

When I watched Kaepernick before the draft, it was painfully obvious to me that he had special tools. When he threw the ball, my brain kept saying, "John Elway, John Elway". Elway's not really the closest comparison to Kaepernick, obviously, but that was the immediate gut reaction when I watched him throw the ball with velocity. He had an Elway arm, attached to a body that could run like a gazelle.

As much as I might have been right on Kaepernick, though, I was underrating Cam Newton. I had him down with a 2nd round grade, and he's done better than that. I obviously wouldn't rate him below Christian Ponder anymore. (And it's no great failure to "only" be in the Rivers tier after 2 years. I'm far from convinced that Newton has peaked already. It's a credit to him how he rebounded after a bad first half of 2012.)

Taking Kaepernick #1 in the hindsight draft requires the fact that we saw how well he adjusted to the NFL game. With both Kaepernick and Newton, I thought the guys would require a transition time. Both guys transitioned faster than expected. Newton had a sensational rookie year, and he's clearly at bare minimum a capable NFL starter going forward. Kaepernick needed that rookie year on the bench, but it only took the one.

In 2011, I was so enamored by Kaepernick that I thought he should be a first round pick even though he was going to be a "project". It's only with hindsight that we know that the transition time was brief. I would have a hard time arguing Kaepernick as the top overall pick without that knowledge. I think teams in 2011 should have known better than to rate him down in the 2nd round where they did, but I don't think I could have argued him to the top of the draft without hindsight.

Heck everything I heard about Kaep (and some of it probably from you, Legion) had me convinced he should start the year before over Alex. Of course I had seen enough from Alex that I never thought he would lead this team back to glory. Have to give some credit to Harbaugh, (and Greg Roman) for improving Alex's game so much to give us a chance. And maybe you give them some credit for making Kaep so good so quickly too?

Either way, Kaep has been pretty amazing and can still get better. Future is bright.

Stele wrote:

HAnd maybe you give them some credit for making Kaep so good so quickly too?

It is definitely valid to ask if Kaepernick would have adjusted as well as he has if he were under any other coaching staff.

Roman tailored the offense to Kaepernick unbelievably well. He successfully fused some of Chris Ault's Nevada Wolfpack offensive concepts with some West Coast concepts (and I mean reaching back into the old Bill Walsh WCO, bringing the trap play back into the NFL), and made something both retro and new. It's one of the best offensive coaching jobs we've seen in a while.

You would hope that any other coach that got their hands on Kaepernick would have adjusted their offense at least to some degree to capitalize on Kaepernick's talent. I think Carolina deserves credit for how they adjusted their offense for Newton as a rookie, and the Redskins did a fabulous job updating the Shanahan offense for RG3.

*Legion* wrote:

It is definitely valid to ask if Kaepernick would have adjusted as well as he has if he were under any other coaching staff. ...

Which is why he came off the bench for the Niners after a season and a half and didn't start for Carolina on Week 1 in 2011. He soaked up a lot from the sidelines and took full advantage of the opportunity he had.

Kaepernick might end up being better than Cam Newton in the long run. He's already more accomplished. But no one was going to throw No. 1 overall pick money at a guy from the WAC that not too many people had actually seen play. That's just the reality of the NFL draft.

Weird, I know.

As a sort of what-if footnote ... what if Newton and the read-option not come along when it did? When Cam showed up in 2011, the only other running QBs are noodle-armed Tim Tebow and parolee and shell-of-himself Michael Vick. I just wonder if Harbaugh would have pulled the trigger on a QB switch if there weren't other realistic run/pass options in the league already.

*Legion* wrote:

I think Carolina deserves credit for how they adjusted their offense for Newton as a rookie ...

The Panthers were pretty cautious in Year 1. Then Chud opened up the playbook last season and Cam's brain froze up. It's no accident the Panthers rolled through the second half of the season -- they went back to basics and had Cam think less. He's still learning how to play QB. I'm not sure what a new OC will mean for him. Mike Shula's just as eager as Cam to prove that he's not a dolt.

Enix wrote:

But no one was going to throw No. 1 overall pick money at a guy from the WAC that not too many people had actually seen play. That's just the reality of the NFL draft.

IMAGE(http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/002/149/624/635574_display_image.jpg)

But, yes, the idea of the hindsight draft is that we're re-drafting with the benefit of these past 2 years of hindsight. I think things might have been different in 2011 if Kaepernick had played in an NFL-style offense the way Carr did in Fresno. What nobody realized was that the NFL was going to start looking more like the Nevada Wolfpack offense, not the other way around.

As a sort of what-if footnote ... what if Newton and the read-option not come along when it did? When Cam showed up in 2011, the only other running QBs are noodle-armed Tim Tebow and parolee and shell-of-himself Michael Vick. I just wonder if Harbaugh would have pulled the trigger on a QB switch if there weren't other realistic run/pass options in the league already.

I think a bit too much is made of Kaepernick's running. I would put Kaepernick as a stand-in-the-pocket passer right up next to the best of the rest of the young passer crop. Not that the running ability isn't a significant factor, but I think Kaepernick could execute and thrive in an offense along the lines of what Aaron Rodgers runs in Green Bay.

I think the model for Kaepernick is someone well before Newton, though. I think the model is Steve Young. The read option has made the position more run-happy than before, but I think the Steve Young blueprint is one Harbaugh could have easily applied to Kaepernick.

The Panthers were pretty cautious in Year 1. Then Chud opened up the playbook last season and Cam's brain froze up. It's no accident the Panthers rolled through the second half of the season -- they went back to basics and had Cam think less. He's still learning how to play QB. I'm not sure what a new OC will mean for him. Mike Shula's just as eager as Cam to prove that he's not a dolt.

That's an interesting assessment, and if accurate, that would explain what we saw. It makes sense to keep things fairly simple for Newton. I don't think he's dumb, but I think scheme complexity is going to be a limiting factor for him. I think a smaller scheme with room for improvisation will align with Newton more than a rigid scheme-heavy system.

Ravens sign Rolando McClain for ... $700,000. Wow. Sure, he's under performed but that's one hell of a deal for someone who has potential and experience.

That's cold, Legion. Cold.

I'm still winning by chronicling your horrific honeymoon gaffe for so many years, though.

My primary concern is who is going to get the best name in the draft, Barkevious Mingo.

Also, this is my favorite mock draft so far.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

That's cold, Legion. Cold.

I'm still winning by chronicling your horrific honeymoon gaffe for so many years, though.

Let me see if I can even the score a little further:

IMAGE(http://cbshouston.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/tony-boselli-01a_ronald-martinez.jpg)

Prederick wrote:

... this is my favorite mock draft so far.

Emphasis on mock.

In the small world category, the guy going No. 2 to Jax in this draft has been one of the guys the Panthers might actually take at No. 14.

Carolina also apparently are kicking the tires on some WRs. The Panthers were in town earlier this week to check out Cal's Keenan Allen, who still hasn't gotten his step back from his injury this season.

I've decided my dream scenario is thus:

Tampa tells the Jets to piss off. Revis forces his release, as he's clearly never playing for them again, and Tampa just plain signs him and keeps their picks (or simply waits an tosses them something like a third, and we all cackle maniacally). In the draft, Tampa trades with Minnesota, gaining both their first-rounders; they take Tavon Austin and Tampa's two picks in the 20s are a one is a corner like Rhodes or Trufant, the other being maybe Eifert for the TE need or somebody for d-line depth. Finally, whoever the Saints drafts actually catches on fire spontaneously, injuring Brees' throwing arm.

Enix wrote:

In the small world category, the guy going No. 2 to Jax in this draft has been one of the guys the Panthers might actually take at No. 14.

If Lotulelei is still on the board at 14, the Panthers sure as heck better take him. I think it will be a mistake on everyone's part if he falls out of the top 10.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

I've decided my dream scenario is thus:

Tampa tells the Jets to piss off. Revis forces his release, as he's clearly never playing for them again, and Tampa just plain signs him and keeps their picks (or simply waits an tosses them something like a third, and we all cackle maniacally). In the draft, Tampa trades with Minnesota, gaining both their first-rounders; they take Tavon Austin and Tampa's two picks in the 20s are a one is a corner like Rhodes or Trufant, the other being maybe Eifert for the TE need or somebody for d-line depth. Finally, whoever the Saints drafts actually catches on fire spontaneously, injuring Brees' throwing arm.

As someone who roots for another NFC South team, I'm with you on the Brees thing.

But the Panthers don't need a Revis-to-the-Bucs scenario. And I think the Bucs are good on WRs for the moment.

@ Legion, because you follow this stuff a lot more closely than I do:

What's up with all the DT/DEs atop the mock drafts this year?

Last year the first five players taken were on offense. The first D-line guy didn't go till No. 11, though teams ended up taking 8 of them in the first round.

This year, depending on which mock draft you believe (and, boy, they're all over the place after the No. 1 pick), I'm seeing 4-6 DE/DLs in the first 10 picks.

Is that because there's a glut of good D-linemen this year? Or is D-line this year's hot flavor?

No, no, the Vikings take Tavon Austin, we get their picks. All these mock drafts keep forecasting Austin to the Bucs, and it's safe to say there are plenty of other needs.

I think this year it's generally considered to be a good D-line draft, or at least better for that than most other slots (it's not like last year, where there were a bunch of clear guys at the top). I think in off years, it's probably more likely that linemen go early because it's a lot easier to draft based on potential if people are big and fast, as opposed to things like route running or QB play.

There just isn't a Cam, RGIII, Megatron, or "fiil in the blank" prospect in this draft, so I'm presuming people are just going to grab some big guys.

F*!%ing Tony Boselli. Damn you, Legion, that wound still hasn't healed!

bighoppa wrote:

F*!%ing Tony Boselli. Damn you, Legion, that wound still hasn't healed!

Look, you're just giving him what he wants, hoppa. You've got to pretend it doesn't hurt, while you go off to suck your thumb and cry in the corner.

Enix wrote:

@ Legion, because you follow this stuff a lot more closely than I do:

What's up with all the DT/DEs atop the mock drafts this year?

Last year the first five players taken were on offense. The first D-line guy didn't go till No. 11, though teams ended up taking 8 of them in the first round.

This year, depending on which mock draft you believe (and, boy, they're all over the place after the No. 1 pick), I'm seeing 4-6 DE/DLs in the first 10 picks.

Is that because there's a glut of good D-linemen this year? Or is D-line this year's hot flavor?

It's a really good crop this year. And if you think this is crazy, imagine if Jadeveon Clowney had been allowed to enter the draft.

Also, more defenses are shifting to hybrid fronts, which allow more teams to use some of these 240-250 pound pass rushers. The label "tweener" is starting to fade. Now that guy is a "rush end" or "Leo end" for a hybrid front team, not just limited to 3-4 teams where he'd have to stand up and be able to drop into coverage, or 4-3 teams where he'd have to bulk up to try and hold up in the run game.

But mostly, it's a more talented class. Let's put it this way: both Lotulelei and Floyd would easily rank ahead of the top DTs in last year's draft, and last year's top drafted DEs, Irvin and Coples, would be in the mix somewhere in the pack of about 5 or 6 pass rushers in this class that will go early. (And Shea McClellin, who went with pick 19 last year, probably would disappear somewhere into round 2).