I dunno but maybe he's planning on playing Thomas more as a corner than a safety ? This is one of Thomas's big selling points you know, his versitility.

1. S Earl Thomas
2. OG Jon Asamoah
3. RB Ben Tate
4. RB Jonathan Dwyer
5. DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim
6. CB Kevin Thomas
6. LB Simoni Lawrence
7. CB Crezdon Butler

I don't think that the draft is meant to be used to fill needs in a corresponding manner. In other words, if you have a priority of 1 at CB then you HAVE to draft a CB in the 1st round and if your second priority is at RB then the 2nd round draft pick has to be a RB, etc. The draft is meant to get the most talented players on your team with an eye towards needs. Earl Thomas should be a top 12 pick and since we need a FS, we would be crazy to pass on him. The interior OL needs upgrading or it won't matter who our RB is and Asamoah is the ONLY OG in this draft that has the athleticism to play in our ZBS and the TALENT to start. So, we could wait on Shawn Lauvao, but he won't make an impact. The team has no credible run threat, so defenses will be pinning their ears back and kill Schaub unless we make them respect the possibility of a running game. So, I went after Tate, mainly because I was afraid there would be no legitimate RBs later in the draft.

Now, to the main reason I waited until the 6th round to draft a CB. I have no faith in this CB class to be able to produce an all-around CB. I'd love to spend #20 and get Revis to shut down one side of the field. Unfortunately, this class doesn't have that type of CB in it. Either the guy is slow, or not physical, or can't play man coverage, or gets lost in Zone coverage, or can't tackle, has no ball skills for interceptions, or bites on play action. All of the CBs have weaknesses. So, I figure why not get a late round CB where I can choose which strengths I want. Kevin Thomas is a complete CB and the reason he's under the radar is because of a history of injuries. He held up pretty well as a Senior and tested well at the Combine, so I may have spent a 6th on him, but I think he'll plays as well as the 2nd round pick I would have spent on Kareem Jackson or Dominique Franks. Crezdon Butler has good awareness and ball skills. He's not as fast as I'd prefer, but he has good quickness and would be great in the slot. He'd be better than Brice McCain in my opinion. I also feel as if I've upgraded the Secondary immensely by putting Earl Thomas in the middle of the field, so my CBs can be of lesser talent. If I had known I could get Dwyer in the 4th round, I would have drafted Geno Atkins in the 3rd round to go along with Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, to improve the pass-rush, thus improving the secondary. You live and learn.

Disagree. The interior of the line needs upgrading, but the RB does matter. A guy that hits a hole as it is opening is going to do much better than one that waits till the hole is opened. Even if all the RB does is force the defense to stop him, he can keep DEs from pinning their ears back.

The problem I saw was the DT tackling the RB as Schaub was handing off, or the OG being pushed into the backfield so that there was NO hole being opened.

That happens, but no where near every play. It happened a lot the first two to three weeks. I saw a lot more times that the RB stops in the backfield or stutters trying to find a hole. If there is no hole, you get as far as you can and force the defense to make the tackle instead of waiting for defense to tackle you behind line of scrimmage. Doing this helps the RB fall forward.

Slaton was very slow to the line last season. Yes, the RB will be limited to get tackled behind the line of scrimmage a lot, but that doesn't change that the RB can do a lot in the plays that he is able to get quickly to the line.

The Texans' DC shows Brice McCain starting at one corner with some dude signed off of the NOLA practice squad named Mark Parson as his immediate backup ? Therefor I'm for moving in the Draft much before the 6th round to get what will be a very beleaguered twosome this Fall some help, even if the value falls short in earlier rounds.

OK, for you chicken littles out there, here you go...

20. CB Devin McCourty 5'11" 186 4.48 Rutgers
51. CB/S Chris Cook 6'2" 210 4.46 Virginia
81. S Darrell Stuckey 5'11" 205 4.49 Kansas
118. CB Alterraun Verner 5'10" 185 4.52 UCLA
150. RB Joique Bell 5'11" 220 4.68 Wayne St
187. DT Earl Mitchell 6'2" 296 4.75 Arizona
197. OG Shelley Smith 6'3" 300 5.03 Colorado State
227. OC Joe Hawley 6'3" 297 5.21 UNLV
UDFA. RB Pat Paschall 6'0" 209 4.65 N.Dakota State

Ok, updated my board and ran it against the draftsite.com mock tonight.

20. DT Dan Williams 6'3" 327 5.17 Tennessee
51. CB Patrick Robinson 5'11" 194 4.46 Florida St
82. CB/FS Brandon Ghee 6'0" 191 4.45 Wake Forest
119. RB Ben Tate 5'11" 218 4.43 Auburn
151. DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim 6'4" 263 4.73 Washington
188. CB Alterraun Verner 5'10" 185 4.52 UCLA
198. CB Trevard Lindley 5'11" 180 4.53 Kentucky
228. RB Lonyae Miller 5'11" 220 4.52 Fresno St.

I will have to say that I'm pretty pleased with this draft. I'd have liked some OL prospects but this draft is kind of bare of talent in my opinion after the 2nd round. I got 1 very talented 1st rounder, followed by what I have as 3 2nd round talents (Robinson, Ghee, Tate), and 2 4th round talents (Te'o-Nesheim & Verner), and 2 5th round picks in Lindley and Miller. All of that without a single trade :) I wonder if the teams come out feeling that way after they draft. Scratching their heads wondering how they made out like bandits with all this talent. No wonder they all say how the draft was so wonderful. Your treasure is everyone else's trash.

I know we need some defensive backs but to draft 4 seems excessive. I believe I would rather see some offensive line people take the place of the late round picks. We can't add 4 DB's without cutting 3 of our own. They would have to be substantially better than what we have to make it not a waste of picks. I know simulators are hard to work with but did you get the outcome you wanted?

Pay no attention, he's just being sarcastic about a comment from another poster.

LCB - Quinn, Reeves, Bennett
RCB - McCain, Parson
SS - Pollard, Ferguson
FS - Busing, Russell

After the draft....

LCB - Quinn, Reeves, Verner
RCB - Robinson, McCain, Lindley
SS - Pollard, Fuguson
FS - Ghee, Russell

Perhaps Lindley goes to the practice squad or perhaps he takes Bryan Pittman's spot on the roster and we let Joel Dreesen become the Long Snapper.

Strengths:
Outstanding athlete --- Excellent speed and acceleration --- Quick and agile --- Super fluid hips and transitions well --- Terrific feet --- Closes in a hurry and has a burst to recover --- Good height and bulk --- Strong with a chiseled physique --- Great leaping ability --- Good hands and ball skills --- Is effective in both man and zone coverage --- Tough, physical and feisty --- Gets a good jam at the line of scrimmage --- A decent tackler --- Still has lots of upside --- Fantastic program pedigree.

Weaknesses:
Inconsistent --- Concentration will wane --- Questionable instincts and awareness --- Is too aggressive at times --- Not a violent hitter --- Just an average run defender --- Some off-the-field issues --- Durability may be a concern --- Doesn't make enough impact plays --- Underachiever ?
http://www.draftcountdown.com/Scouti...k-Robinson.php
I've seen this same kind of ratings about Robinson on other Draft sites, which is he's arguably the most talented, certainly the best pure athlete of all the CBs but not at all instinctive, prone to be inconsistant.
But for all we know the Texans may rate him the best corner in the Draft ?

If they are like me, he's the 3rd best. Right behind Eric Berry & Earl Thomas. :D

I know DC is posted, but there are other safeties already on the roster, signed for another couple years, Eugene Wilson, Dominic Barber and Troy Nolan who were injured at end of 2009, but should be back. But who knows how draft and where upgrades will be, following BP when they do draft. 15 more days.

OK the huddlerreport.com has updated their list.

What would I do with the guys in their order?
20 CB Kyle Wilson
51 RB Toby Gerhart
82 RB Ben Tate
119 DT Linval Joseph
151 OG Marshall Newhouse
188 OG/OC Jeff Byers
198 CB Joshua Moore
228 DT Jay Ross

They have a computer 6 round mock

20 LB Sean Weatherspoon Missouri
51 CB Patrick Robinson Florida St
81 RB Anthony Dixon Mississippi St
118 QB Jarrett Brown West Virginia
150 S Myron Rolle Florida St
187 OG Jeff Byers USC
197 WR *Freddie Barnes Bowling Green

My cherry of the mock

20 LB Sean Weatherspoon Missouri
51 DT Lamarr Houston Texas
81 CB Syd'Quan Thompson California
118 RB James Starks Buffalo
150 OG Marshall Newhouse TCU
187 OC Jeff Byers USC
197 CB Brian Jackson Oklahoma

I could not sleep so I thought about a big change of pace.

Trade down with the Jets at 29, get Jets 2010 2nd (61), and give our 2011 4th

29 Maurkice Pouncey* OC Florida
51 Jon Asamoah OG Illinois
61 Major Wright* S Florida
81 Montario Hardesty RB Tennessee
118 Jerome Murphy CB South Florida
135 Torrell Troup DT Central Florida
187 Lonyae Miller RB Fresno State
197 Donovan Warren* CB Michigan
227 Fendi Onobun TE Houston

The OL is fixed. You got one of the 3 best RB for your system. Wright and Murphy are big hitters. Troup could be the NT we have been looking for.

Alot of these picks come from here

29 RB Ryan Matthews
51 FS Brandon Ghee
61 OG Jon Asamoah
81 DT Geno Atkins
118 DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim
135 CB Kevin Thomas
187 RB Andre Anderson
197 CB Crezdon Butler
227 WR Stephen Williams

I didn't want to draft a RB 1st, but after the trade down, he was the BPA. It was nice though, I was able to get Asamoah, Atkins, and Te'o-Nesheim to go along with Ghee. Since I was able to also get Thomas and Butler, it allows me to move Ghee to FS.

1. Maurkice Pouncey, OC
2. Morgan Burnett, FS
3. Lamarr Houston, DT
4. Perrish Cox, CB
5. Charles Scott, RB
6a. Walter McFadden, CB
6b. Dexter McCluster, RB/WR
7. Kavell Conner, OLB

I went with REAL help on the offensive line in the 1st, no more 3-4 NT's tossing aside our C and blowing up plays. I chose Burnett because of his versatility, he can play any position in the backfield, but he'll most likely start at FS. I address the DT's next, Okoye now becomes a backup. I take a flyer on Cox in the 4th since he's still on the board. After addressing our O-line issue, I picked up the best downhill/goal line runner still available, Charles Scott, to complement Slaton and Foster in the 5th. In the 6th, I get some insurance at our two positions of biggest needs in case of injury OR any unforeseen knucklehead behavior. In the 7th round I find a new WILL to challenge our current 7th round WILL.

A another site I like Great Blue North Draft Report has a ranking of the top 250 players, it title top 100 but has been expanded.

Using their ranking I would take:
20 Maurkice Pouncey C Florida BPA available with no trade down available, Smith Pouncey Caldwell would be the middle starters
51 Nate Allen FS South Florida
81 Jerome Murphy CB South Florida
119 Mike Johnson OG Alabama Makes Smith a backup at some point
151 Zane Beadles OG Utah more versatile depth, never to much depth
187 Andre Anderson RB Tulane
197 Reji Karim RB Southern Illinois
227 Vince Oghobaase DT Duke

Boy I want some more picks in the late 2nd to 5th rounds.

I don't think that I like this mock draft very much since I came away with 3 OL, a QB, and no RBs? :( I suppose at some point I should have came off the board and reached, but the RB's & CB's kept coming off right before I picked.

20 LB Sean Weatherspoon - BPA
51 OG Jon Asamoah - Can paly C or RG
81 DT Geno Atkins - pass rush from the middle
118 OC JD Walton - severely underrated on this board.
150 QB Dan LeFevour - I know, but I just couldn't pass at this point.
187 S Robert Johnson - A ballhawk to get INTs
197 OC Eric Olsen - BPA at this point
227 CB Crezdon Butler - I got one CB.

I had to go way down his list to grab the DBs I wanted, and I still ended up with way to many OL guys. I am not impressed with the signing of Smith, and my mock makes him a one year and drop guy, but 3 rookies at any position is alot. A couple of the OL guys I drafted could play OT in a pinch.

I thought about taking Skelton, but had bigger needs yet to fill. I also wanted to take Gerhart but he was rated a low 2nd rounder and I did not see him as a 51st pick, at least not for us. A trade down in the 1st would gather another 2nd or 3rd pick and could be a big help.

I don't mean this as a criticism Roy but, you seem to be in love with Geno Atkins. He has been prominent in every draft you have mocked for the last 2 weeks or so. It could be skewing your whole draft a bit to be so bent on that one person. Might be why you are having trouble pulling off the draft you want to make or maybe he is good enough to make the draft!

Here is what John Harris said about Atkins

I just did a reshuffling of my draftboard and ran it against DraftTek simulator. This was my loot.

20 OG Trent Williams http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-icEPTOeKhk
51 FS Brandon Ghee http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caoFY...ext=1&index=12
81 RB Toby Gerhart http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjLh_yO41jw
118 DT Torrell Troup
150 CB Kevin Thomas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TltqT7D8D_I&NR=1
187 DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wLGeSdHgO0
197 RB Andre Anderson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtUuseJjmCE
227 WR Stephen Williams http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehMxI_i61xE

I will admit that I think Geno Atkins is awesome as a 3-Tech in our system. He gets penetration and he is not 'tiny' by any stretch of the imagination. He was 6'2" 293lbs at the Combine and still ran a 4.75, 4.43 - Shuttle, 7.33 - Cone. Rahim Alem would qualify as 'tiny' at 6'3" 251lbs and he put up 4.75, 4.80 - shuttle, 7.54 - Cone. Oh by the way, Amobi Okoye is 6'2" 296lbs, I'm sure those extra 3lbs are the difference.

Right now, Gerhart's average mock draft "value" is about 59th pick overall. Of course, there's flucuations from 33 - 104.

I just see a lot of meat on the bone from the 2nd to the top of the 4th round. Perhaps trading down in the 1st, trading down in the 2nd, and trading up in the 4th with next year's 3rd round pick could be accomplished. The DB, RB, OL, and DL talent is right there in the 30's - 120's.

Just going by my draft board, these are the guys I'm targeting in rounds 2 - 4

FS Brandon Ghee
RB Ben Tate
RB Toby Gerhart
DT Geno Atkins
RB Montario Hardesty
DT Tyson Alualu
DT Lamarr Houston
OG Rodger Saffold
OG Jon Asamoah
OG John Jerry
RB Jonathan Dwyer
DT Linval Joseph
S Darrell Stuckey
FS Major Wright
CB Akwasi Owusu-Ansah
DT Torrell Troup
FS Chris Cook
QB Dan LeFevour
RB Anthony Dixon
LB Dekoda Watson
CB Kevin Thomas
DT Mike Neal
CB Alterraun Verner
OC JD Walton

Using that trade, and I truly feel we will trade down in the first, I came up with:

29. Kareem Jackson CB
51. Ben Tate RB
61. Lamarr Houston DT
81. Myron Lewis FS/CB
118. Eric Olsen OC/LG
135. Torrell Troup DT
187. Chris Scott OT
197. Simoni Lawrence OLB
227. Lindsey Witten DE


This is probably my most satisfying draft to date.

I should have been clearer, pick #59 is late 2nd IMO. Not a huge reach at all, IMO, but I wanted to grab one of the better DBs in one of the 1st two rounds, and Pouncey was my 1st rounder, so....

What about doing this: Trade down with Jets get 29 and 61
Trade 81 down with the Chargers get 91 and 126
Trade 2011 2nd to Eagles for #70

29 Devin McCourty CB Rutgers
51 Nate Allen FS South Florida
61 Lamarr Houston DT Texas
70 *Linval Joseph NT East Carolina
91 Jerome Murphy CB South Florida
118 Mike Johnson OG Alabama
126 J.D. Walton C Baylor
151 Zane Beadles OG Utah more versatile depth, never to much depth
187 Andre Anderson RB Tulane
197 Reji Karim RB Southern Illinois
227 Mike McLaughlin LB/LS Boston College


We get a CB that can start Day1, a FS that should push Eugene Wilson for playing time, and is a huge hitter. Houston and Joseph add two solid pieces to our DL. Murphy is a steal at 91 and should see the field and is another huge hitter. Johnson, Walton, Beadles all push the veteran in front of them. Anderson and Karim add to the RB depth, and McLaughlin is still recovering from a achilles injury and can long snap, adds depth to LS position.

11 guys that all have a shot at the roster.

I love adding draftpicks and trading down. However, I think you went a little overboard. Thinking about a 53 man roster, you are creating too much inexperienced competition on the back end of it.

For example:

CB: Reeves, Quin are the starters. add McCourty to that and you have three keeper CBs for sure. Then, the final two roster spots go to: Fred Bennett, Molden, B.McCain, and Jerome Murphy (3rd)..... Good riddance to Bennett, probably, but after that, you are either forcing out your 3rd round pick, Molden, or McCain and I'm not ready to that with any of those three yet.

Interior OLine: You are adding 3 mid round picks to this group: Briesel, White, Myers, Caldwell, Studdard, W. Smith... we won't keep more than 6 in total, but more likely only 5: so, if CWhite gets cut, and one of those rookies can clear waiver to the P.S., you are still in a position to have to cut 1 or two from the rest of that group.

It's an interesting situation we are in... being so young. With that in mind, I do have trading down in the 1st and maybe 2nd, but I think accumulating picks in the 5th and 6th rounds, for instance, is likely to be counter-productive... particularly at the expense of 2011 draft picks.

First off, this is a mock to see what is possible and who is there at what locations. Smith and Kubiak will never go with this. One of these moves is about all they might do. But on the OL last year we kept 10 players, 3 were OTs so that is 7 guys. I have not heard anything yet on Briesel is he practicing? His Lisfranc injury is not a slam dunk to come back from. Also losing Studdard and White is not a huge deal IMO.

Of the DBs I agree we still do not know where some of the young guys stand.

Ok, some how I didn't draft any OL, but I'm still fine with this draft using my board....

29 CB Patrick Robinson - Depends on the day which I like more.
51 FS Brandon Ghee - Willing to put him deep.
61 RB Ben Tate - My favorite RB
70 RB Toby Gerhart - My favorite short-yardage RB
91 DT Geno Atkins - I like him and so will you.
118 DT Torrell Troup - Linval Joseph seems to be too high.
126 LB Dekoda Watson - WILL competition/Special Teams
151 CB Kevin Thomas - CB steal of the draft.
187 DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim - Pass rusher to rotate
197 WR Stephen Williams - RedZone specialist
227 LB Simoni Lawrence - WILL competition/Special Teams.

The one above was vs. DraftTek and this one is vs. Draftsite and there isn't much change....

29 LB Sean Weatherspoon
51 CB Devin McCourty
61 RB Ben Tate
70 RB Toby Gerhart
91 DT Geno Atkins
118 DT Torrell Troup
126 CB Kevin Thomas
151 CB Alterraun Verner
187 DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim
197 S Robert Johnson
227 WR Stephen Williams

I got 3 CBs and a FS. I actually like all of my DB's and think they could all beat out players we have on the roster. Once again, no OL to put in the middle to block for Tate and Gerhart. Makes me wonder if we will 'reach' in real life just to fill that need.

Sure, but we had Pitts last year, who could play the tackle position if needed. Perhaps they feel that way about Wade Smith, but I'm not sure. Anyway, the point is that our youth and depth are actually very good in almost every position (other than safety, RB)... we need to upgrade the front end of the roster in a couple places: RB, CB, DT, C/G... so, trading down in order to accumulate picks after round 3 seems unlikely to me simply because drafting 6+ players on the final day will likely result in most of those players not making the team, or displacing quality youth and depth already in place.

drafttec has a new mock

20 Devin McCourty Rutgers CB
51 John Jerry Mississippi OG
81 Ben Tate Auburn RB
118 Dorin Dickerson Pittsburgh TE
150 Daniel Te'o-nesheim Washington DE
187 Robert Johnson Utah FS
197 Corey Peters Kentucky DT
227 Freddie Barnes Bowling Green WR

Again starts well enough

20 Maurkice Pouncey Florida OC
51 Dominique Franks Oklahoma CB
81 Toby Gerhart Stanford RB
118 Linval Joseph East Carolina DT
150 Donovan Warren Michigan CB
187 Robert Johnson Utah FS
197 Jeff Byers USC OG/OC
227 Jameson Konz Kent State FB/TE/WR/Hback

Pouncey is considered one of the best OC to come out in years by the experts, gives us the guy that can handle the better NTs in the league. Franks has been in for a workout and is suppose to be on the radar. Gerhart is a Riggins clone, a 4th quarter type guy to eat up the clock. Joseph is a run stopper with excellent upper body strength. Warren is young and raw with a large up side. Johnson has been on a visit to Houston, on the radar. Byers is a hard nose type. Konz is raw with measurable off the chart

If he is still there at #81 I say Toby Gerheart would be perfect for Kubiak's offense. Gets the tough yards when they are needed.

Wow, these guys must have been using my draft board. This is what I came out with...

20 CB Devin McCourty
51 FS Brandon Ghee
81 RB Ben Tate
118 DT Linval Joseph
150 DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim
187 S Robert Johnson
197 RB Andre Anderson
227 WR Stephen Williams

I'm wondering if perhaps I should put Jerry higher up on my draft board. I could get a FS like Robert Johnson and a CB like Crezdon Butler late in the draft. There just aren't any OL like John Jerry in the draft after the 2nd round.

new 7 round mock from draftsite.com

20 Dan Williams DT Tennessee
51 Devin McCourty CB Rutgers
81 Dexter McCluster RB Mississippi
118 Mitch Petrus OG Arkansas
150 Andre Roberts WR Citadel
187 Kam Chancellor S Virginia Tech
197 Trevard Lindley CB Kentucky
227 Zac Robinson QB Oklahoma State

Not a bad one, but no real RB, I like McCluster for his mismatches but he is not a every down back. Petrus is off my list, Thanks Roy.

My Cherry Pick

20 Dan Williams DT Tennessee
51 Devin McCourty CB Rutgers
81 Montario Hardesty RB Tennessee
118 Ben Tate RB Auburn
150 Jeff Owens DT Georgia
187 Kam Chancellor S Virginia Tech
197 Adam Ulatoski OT Texas
227 Kevin Matthews OC Texas A&M

PK - I really liked your cherry pick until 6b and maybe 7. Adam Ulatoski can be picked up for camp fodder as a UDFA more likely and IDK if Matthews wants to play for his dad, but if he does then go for him. We can do better in the 6th IMO.

Anytime we can get Dan Williams and Devin McCourty without any trades, I'm a little skeptical. Sort of like when we were drafting Williams and Weatherspoon. However, I'll play along and see what my draft board yields...

20. DT Dan Williams
51. CB Devin McCourty
81. OG John Jerry
118. RB Ben Tate

At this point, I could care less what happens. I'm so freakin' happy I must be dreaming.

150. DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim
187. CB Alterraun Verner
197. S Robert Johnson
227. RB Andre Anderson

Who knew that the way to improve the running game included adding Ben & Jerry :)

I can see it now! We'll call it the ice cream offense and our new cheer will be "You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream!!!"