I have come to the conclusion that this draft isn't one of my favorites in terms of matching needs with players. I can't say that I have any great Offensive Linemen that I feel comfortable can come in and play at a high level to establish our running game. Trying to find a "mauler" that can also pass protect and be agile enough to fit into a ZBS is harder than it looks. The guys who are potential LT prospects are the OL that I'm considering. However, Shawn Andrews of the Eagles is the last guy I can think of who was a LT in college that was drafted to play RG. I'd like
Bryan Bulaga but I'm not sure he's available when we pick nor am I sure that I want to spend a 1st round pick to go that direction. His college teammate,
Kyle Calloway is intriguing in terms of his talent and when he's likely to be drafted. I'm interested in how he tests at the Combine because, I think he might not be "athletic" enough for this coaching staff. Probably the best fit of talent and when he'll be selected is
Jon Asamoah from Illinois, again I am not sure if I want to spend a 2nd rounder, but I suppose I'll have to bite the bullet. That's IF he's still around at pick #50, since I've seen him off the board at #37.
The Secondary is no different really. We can forget about being able to take Eric Berry in the first round, the word is out that he's pretty good. Joe Haden is also most likely gone before we make a pick. There is going to be some sentiment to select Longhorn
Earl Thomas to be our ballhawk. The question is can we afford to take a player who isn't very good at tackling and is small for the position that could lead to injury? If all we want is a player to sit back in Zone and make Interceptions, might we take a CB like
Syd'Quan Thompson in the 2nd round and tell him to help out when he can against the run without getting himself killed? Ah, there's that 2nd round pick again that I was going to spend on Asamoah. Wait a minute, the CB's in this draft are not very good in all phases of the game either. I have my eye on
Kyle Wilson, but he's probably a 2nd round pick too just like
Donovan Warren. If I were able to luck out and have
Brandon Ghee available at pick #83 in the 3rd round, I'd be pretty happy.
We'd like a RB too in this draft, and the best chance to get one that will be a difference maker is in the 3rd round. That's assuming
Toby Gerhart or
Ben Tate are still on the board. Perhaps we get another Tennessee RB
Montario Hardesty. I know he absolutely killed the University of Kentucky when I watched that game.
I personally would like a LB to take the place of Diles. We have Freeman on the roster and it will be interesting to see if Adibi continues to draw a check. I have a long history of projecting LBs higher than when they are actually drafted. A perfect example is Brandon Siler of the Florida Gators, now Chargers. I'm hopeful that short Bulldog LB
Rennie Curran falls into this category. It would great if he "fell" to the 5th round.
The 6th and 7th round is going to go towards players who may "grow" into their position. I wouldn't mind drafting a big, slow CB who could project into the FS position.
Brian Jackson of Oklahoma or
Chris Cook are who I'm thinking of specifically. Then there is the idea of Caldwell being a guard, in which case we could draft a OC late like
Eric Olsen - Notre Dame,
John Estes - Hawaii, or
Jeff Byers - USC.
So, in my perfect scenario we trade out of the first round with KC Chiefs and get picks: #36, #68, #138, #163. Then the draft would look like this...
#36 - OG Jon Asamoah 6'4" 308 5.08 Illinois
#50 - CB Donovan Warren 6'0" 185 4.42 Michigan
#68 - FS Brandon Ghee 6'0" 191 4.45 Wake Forest
#83 - RB Toby Gerhart 6'1" 235 4.55 Stanford
#115 - LB Rennie Curran 5'11" 225 4.56 Georgia
#138 - DT Mike Neal 6'3" 300 4.96 Purdue
#146 - OC Ted Larsen 6'2" 300 5.24 North Carolina St
#163 - QB John Skelton 6'5" 245 4.88 Fordham
#177 - DT Corey Peters 6'3" 295 4.95 Kentucky
#187 - OC Jeff Byers 6'3" 299 5.22 USC
#210 - Given to KC in trade