Well we are now past Miami, and the win makes the rest of the season look a little more promising, but this team seems to take one step forward and 1 & 1/2 back every game. The Dline is starting to play Bullman more at DE, and the Dline is also doing more stunts. Demps and harrison are doing OK at safety, but the CB situation is still pretty bad. If the Draft were now, I would make DE, LB, and CB my main objective.

This is a list of players that i currently like.


DE Clay Mathews DE USC #47 4th or 5th round

Javon Ringer, Michigan State - 5-9, 205, (RB) 3rd or 4th

Terrence ’Mount’ Cody DT Alabama junior (#62, 6-4, 365), 2nd round

Ryan Stanchek, West Virginia - 6-4, 300, SR (LT) later rounds

Greg Isdaner, West Virginia - 6-4, 322, JR ...(G) Later rounds

George Selvie DE 6-4, 255 South Florida middle first

Michael Johnson DE 6-6, 250 Georgia Tech middle first

Rey Maualaga LB 6-2, 250 USC between pick 10 and 15 first

Alex Mack OC 6-4, 315 California late first

Duke Robinson OG 6-5, 335 Oklahoma top 15 pick

Nic Harris SS 6-2, 230 Oklahoma 2nd round

Pat White QB 6-1, 192 West Virginia later rounds

Marlon Lucky, RB 5-11, 210, Nebraska late round

Vontae Davis, CB 6-0, 200, Illinois top 10 pick

Chase Coffman (TE) Missouri middle first

Keep youre eye on this guy. Donald Brown Running back Connecticut Huskies Height: 5-10 Weight: 208 3rd or 4th round


Xavier Fulton, Illinois
Height: 6-6. Weight: 298.
Projected 40 Time: 4.90.
Projected Round (2009): 2-3.
5/24/08: For a guy coming off a season-ending knee injury, Xavier Fulton played pretty well in 2007. A former defensive lineman, Fulton's athleticism will make him a good fit in a zone-blocking scheme. 3rd round

Outside linebacker Aaron Curry (Wake Forest) late first

Brian Orakpo DE (Texas) This guy is moving up fast. At this pace he will be a top ten pick.

right now i think i might pull the trigger on robinson or mack in the first, maybe a OLB 2nd, DE 3rd, RB 4th.

complete the o'line, for once.

I dunno, I would like to get the permanent solution to that RDE. I would be tempted to use number one for that. However, perceptions change over time, that is if Bullman continues to do well. Other than that I still see CB as a perrenial need.

i fully understand the want for a DE to complete the d'line, so i'd say either get a big name OG/OC in free agency and draft the DE 1st or get a big name DL guy in free agency and draft the OL 1st. either way gives strength to both lines so i would be fine either. personally i feel like waiting on a drafted DE to develop would suck a little more than waiting on the OL guy (i think our o'line is ahead of the d'line).

Of course it depends more on what our Draft position will be, and who is available at that moment in time. I have been on record, going back to the hpf days, of not trading up in the Draft. However, for the first time, I believe if the MLB/OLB I like (James Laurnaitis, or one of the better DE's) is there, say at #10, I think I would trade up. Again depends on the situation when we get there which is still a long way off.

yea, this is basically the worst time of the year for draft speculation. we've seen just enough to know what sucks enough to address but not enough to really speculate with accuracy of the situation that inevitably gets set up around the end of the season.

still fun though. :D

a linebacker would be huge, especially of the laurnaitis/mauluga calibre. i'm just not sure i would pass a chance to really solidify either line for it...this year anyway.

I look at it like this, the offense is playing well. The Oline is doing OK, not great but not a huge need anymore like it used to be. But the defense, with the exception of Mario, Okoye, Demeco, Dunta, with maybe Bullman now the way he is playing, the defense really needs help in this next Draft, hence I would go almost entirely defense, if things work out where we can.

i gotta say i really believe half of the problem with this defense is scheme, or lackthereof. a real DC, suggs, a 2nd round safety/3rd round OLB probably turns this defense into everything we want it to be. i agree though, defense is getting favored in the next draft.

I completely agree with you. Either Richard Smith needs to go, or Kubiak needs to get off his neck and let him run the defense the way it is supposed to be run.

As we start into the month of November (where has this year gone?), my opinion is still a big strong quick MLB and a DE, would be my first two picks in the draft, barring something happening in FA in the meantime.

I agree with this right now. While I know we are young and need to mature in front 7, we need to get stronger there for sure.

After the game today (Minninsota) Im starting to think maybe we should be beefing up the middle of the OL. A Duke Robinson in the 1st and a Alex Mac in the 2nd would solidify our OL for years. We really need ot establish a dominating running game. It would keep our QB's from getting killed and keep our defense fresh.

Right now we are just getting overpowered by teams that are stout up the middle. Briesal and Myers are just not strong enough at the point of attack. It has been proven time and time again that stopping the run and being able to run consistantly is a winning formula. There is no better way!

There's no way I draft OL over defense considering their comparative performances this season.

Our top 3 needs are DE, DT, and OLB in no particular order. I would also take a S, RB, and QB before an OL.

qb is really starting to enter my frame of mind when i look at the draft. nothing stupid, but a 4th/5th...maybe a 3rd on a guy we can work on for a year or two until we get this two headed turnover monster out.

post vikings my draft order probably turns out like so:
1. S
2. DE
3. OLB
4. OL
5. QB
6. RB
7. CB

I like your positions, however I would reverse the order of the top 3 as follows: MLB (to stop rb's like AP), RDE to bolster the passrush, and S/CB to help with our pitiful secondary. While these are my priorities, I am really dissatisfied with a coaching staff who spends all week preparing for AD, then gives up 3 TDs passing to a predominantly run oriented team, and in the 4th quarter gives up 81 yds rushing to AD, giving him 139 for the afternoon. A complete team failure in my estimation.

you know, honestly, i think we have our SS and ballhawk FS on the roster already. SS-adibi, FS- d-rob. bennett and molden on the corners, reeves the nickel. that would open it up wide for (1st) laurinitis in the middle, diles and ryans outside, mario/amobi/tj/okam/free agent/mid round pick on the line. i see that as a defense, while still having ample room for improvement, with no glaring holes. but who am i to question this defensive staff?

with that i would go
obviously 1 MLB
2 OL
3 DE/DT
4-7 any position involving the word "back"

Adibi is a puzzle to me. Seems he can't get on the field. I hadn't thought of him at SS, but you know you may have hit it right on the head there. I don't know about Dunta at FS, I'll have to do some more thinking on that. And it depends on how well Bennet and Molden pan out at the corners. I do like your out of the box thinking though KJ.

Harrison may grow on ya, the more he has a chance to get the feel of the way Kubiak likes his safeties to play. And we haven't even seen Barber play yet. Demps and Ferguson are kinda like fill-ins till we really have our secondary set.

I think he's had some injuries that are holding him back. I think he was sick for a few weeks too.

I kinda made myself a promise to check on this thread, and the tone of it, as the season progressed. Well, we blew it big time against Baltimore at home. We were outcoached and outplayed embarrasingly in front of the home folks..........then on to Indy, where we had our best chance ever to beat them in their own stadium. Same old dreary result. It was close but no cigar. Now we are on the road to Cleveland. My bet is it will be yet another could have won, loss!

10 games down the commode and the only rookie who is playing well is our 3rd round gift, RB Slaton. Our 1st rnd pick OLT is suffering from second half tiredness, and is giving up way too many sacks. Adibi finally played at WOLB but got hurt. Looked good though. What the heck is wrong with our game planning and game management?

Sunday made me think that CB might be the #1 need on this team, we need to have 3 top cover guys with Indy in the division, plus someone to cover the TE, Adibi did look solid at that in his first start, but he is way undersized to play OLB in the NFL, he was projected by many to be a SS in the NFL.

The kid from Ohio St Malcolm Jenkins might be moving to the top of my board right now. Molden can change this pick.

In the 2nd I am looking at Shonn Greene RB from Iowa.

I think Slaton and Green would make a wonderful 1 2 punch.

I don't like that approach... It's soft and reactive. Build from the trenches, get physical and aggressive and start controlling some damn games!

I like the kid from Iowa though. He's a little older but he reminds me of Michael Turner.

Malcolm Jenkins didn't do much for Ohio State's cause this past weekend, although they did bury Michigan.

Although it pains me to say this, we still need help on the offensive and defensive line. A bigger center, and a mammoth NT would do it for me.

A stout high motor run stopping DT, a stud RB to share carries, A QB for the future, and a pass rushing sack machine. Plus a HC that liked the aggressive defense we have played the last few weeks, and a DC that can draw up a game plan that can be aggressive.

I would love for us to look hard at Mount Cody from the Tide. I hope he has a rather wide mean streak to go with his size and athleticism. This guy will be our Haynesworth.

As far as QB goes the future is NOW !

I am not feeling the love for Mount Cody, IMO, he is a huge guy that is out of shape and not on the field enough. The way Franklin plays them I do not see Cody making it out of training camp.

With that said, I see Raji and his teammate Ron Brace as two high motor guys that bring it on every play they are on the field. Brace is currently a 3rd-5th rounder, and I do not see much of a difference between him and Raji.

Watch them this Saturday against V-Tech. BTW, I would like to take both of them and let them push each other.

A draft of

1 B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College
2 Shonn Greene, RB, Iowa
3 Max Unger, C, Oregon
4 Clay Matthews, DE/OLB Southern California
5 Ron Brace, DT, Boston College
6 Ryan Purvis, TE, Boston College
7 John Wilson Parker, QB, Alabama


DL would be Mario, Raji, Okoye, Cochrin, backed up by Bulman, Nading, Okam, DelJuan Robinson and Brace. Matthews plays OLB and DE pass rusher.

Unger can play OC, OG and some OT. Greene is a stud who can take half the carries from Slaton. Last two picks are why not's, PS type picks, would be happy if they took another RB with one of those picks. Now let the team start to mature.

Would not upset me.

You really think John Wilson Parker will last to the 7th round? I mean I do like him but............?

PK, I am not an expert by any means, but Walter has Cody rated as the No. 1 DT prospect and a Top 15 prospect while they rate B J Raji a second rounder. That would be a wider gap than I would be comfortable with. Mount Cody is a run stuffer which is our biggest weakness and one reason why we can't turn loose Mario and Amobi completely.

BTW, I think there might be a good chance that Jethro is leaving along with R. Smith. He has not shown much for the 3 high number one pick's that he has to work with.

And Walters doesn't even have Greene ranked.

We see this every year, some national lists rank the guys based on preseason hype, they start to raise the players and lower the players a little bit during the season. But most of the draft orders we see do not get worked out until after the bowls and combine number are in.

I can see guys like Raji and Cody dropping, and if I know I can get Raji in the second then I wait on him. Until the Combines and I have a better grasp on every players numbers, I think he is a 1st rounder. Come on Senior Bowl.

Had to put some senior QB from a big time program that no one is talking about being a pro guy. I want to see the deep out, and the pocket awareness.

Is Parker one of my guys, no, would I complain about him, no. I was just using a named QB.

If the draft where today the Texans would be picking #12, if we win next week that could jump all the way to #16.

At #12 I would target DE George Selvie South Florida
I think you might be correct that Raji might drop, the list I like to use has him as #49, so I take B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College round two.

Shonne Green is hard to get an early grip on, he is going to be 25 years old entering the draft so he might drop, if he is available in round 3 jump, other wise a few targets might be Jonathan Luigs OC Ark, or Marcus Freeman OLB Ohio St.

A draft of Selvie, Raji, Greene would be huge.

QBs I am going to track as possible picks:
Mark Sanchez USC
Hunter Cantwell Louisville
Chase Daniel Missouri
David Johnson Tulsa
Graham Harrell Tech, needs to add bulk
Colt McCoy Texas.
Bradford Ok.

Daniels is the one I hope drops and catches Gary's eye. He reminds me of Flutie, he does nothing but win.

Courtesy of:

http://www.walterfootball.com/draft2009RB.php

11. Shonn Greene*, Iowa
Height: 5-11. Weight: 235
Projected 40 Time: 4.54 10/26/08: Shonn Greene has been an absolute beast this year.
Through eight games, Greene has tallied at least 100 yards in every
single game, including a 217-yard, four-touchdown performance
against Wisconsin.


Sounds like Walterfootball.com might agree with you if he is our type of runner ( cut and up field ). He would be a nice combo with Slayton.

Really sad, into our 7th season, and we haven't solidified the Dline. I know we are still playing Casserly's pick in DT Travis Johnson, but B.J. Raji would look better there IMO. IF he could come right in and assume the DT/NT job. Major job would be to stuff the run and occupy blockers so the DE's could make the pass rush. I am really dissappointed that Okam didn't do better.

Thanks for the link, reading the list another RB jumps out at me as a late round pick, Keiland Williams. He has looked impressive to me in the games I have seen, just not enough carries. He is a large back with some speed.

5th rounder?

The fact that Charles Scott was gettig all the touches at LSU says something was wrong with Keiland Williams, don't know what, but it was there.

In the Alabama Florida game, Cody looked like he had a really severe beer belly. I would much rather B.J.Raji.

You don't find many OL's and DL's with a 6-pack in the NFL. But, I might be interested in Duke Robinson (6-5: 330) in the 1st if he is around or maybe Herman Johnson (6-7: 349) since our rushing game is rounding into shape one of those guys maybe be just the ticket next to Winston.

However; I still like Cody as our NT. All thru college he has been double and triple teamed so Amobi and Mario should be turned loose (no more read and react).