If the Skins stay at 6 and go D line, who would you pick?

[mistertim]

I know this has been debated here ad nauseam but I have not seen an actual poll on it so I was curious what the response would be. Obviously my sig tells my side of things, but I still respect the opinions of my fellow Skins fans.

[Hooper]

Who does Vinny want?

I'll take the other guy.

[Larry]

Admitting I'm far from an expert. Based on my extensive research (I visited nfl.com this morning.) I'd go with Branch. Best reasons (OK, excuses) I can come up with:

1) You can't teach big.

2) My favorite Skin from The Glory Years was Dave Butz.

[terpfan]

Not Branch. Something about that guy just screams fat and lazy. And I think we need a DE over a DT. SO I would lean toward Adams or Anderson.

[Rufus T Firefly]

Admitting I'm far from an expert. Based on my extensive research (I visited nfl.com this morning.) I'd go with Branch. Best reasons (OK, excuses) I can come up with:

1) You can't teach big.

2) My favorite Skin from The Glory Years was Dave Butz.

Basically I agree with that.

I think it's toss-up with Okoye.I think it's early for Carriker, would absolutely not want Adams (not because he isn't good, but because of the size of he and Carter).

I also really like some of the DEs that will go much later, and have hope we can make a deal for one or more of them. Probably won't happen, but if you're asking what I would do, that's what I'd look at.

[Hooper]

Branch wasn't dominant in college. That scares me.

[buenosdiaz]

calvin johnson

haha

[fdarugar]

I am kinda torn between Anderson and Okoye but still would be happy with Adams...I went with Anderson because of his dominant performance in the SEC.

[mistertim]

I am kinda torn between Anderson and Okoye but still would be happy with Adams...I went with Anderson because of his dominant performance in the SEC.

I think that is a good analysis. Dominating in the SEC is pretty impressive.

[thinker]

1) You can't teach big.

You can't teach big means you can't make someone taller than they are.

You certainly can eat yourself into being a lot bigger without even being taught. :laugh:

[Sonny Joe Hog]

I'd like Deacon Jones, but I'd take Anderson. Which one is the meanest (on the field)? If I knew that, I might change my mind.

[Larry]

You can't teach big means you can't make someone taller than they are.

You certainly can eat yourself into being a lot bigger without even being taught. :laugh:

Yeah, I know NFL players can intentionally gain weight. (Although I get the impression that it's tough.)

OTOH, Branch is listed as 6' 5" 1/2, and is described as having very long arms.

(I'll agree with the folks who've pointed out, though, that if he didn't dominate in college, then it's possible that he's one of those players who's made it this far just on what he was born with.)

[mistertim]

I'd like Deacon Jones, but I'd take Anderson. Which one is the meanest (on the field)? If I knew that, I might change my mind.

I dunno, but Anderson was obviously mean enough to be the best DE in the toughest college football conference.

[HitStickTaylor21]

I've changed my mind on this so many times, but I'm starting to reach a solid conclusion. Branch is definitely out in my book because he takes plays off and appears to me as the Randy Moss of DTs. He has all the talent in the world but he's lazy, showed up to the combine out of shape and was in even worse shape at his pro day earlier in the week. I liked Adams and I think he will be a good pro, but we don't need an Andre Carter clone on the other side of the line, too weak. I like Anderson because I think he is equally strong against the pass and the run, but we'd be drafting him on strictly potential. He had a monster year in the SEC, but he just made the move from WR to DE because he's so big and has to learn a lot of technique before he will be dominant in the NFL. I like Carriker because he's 6-6 290 and quicker than Adams (based on the drills at the combine), but I have doubts about going DE in this draft because of recent history. How cised were experts on Mario Williams last year and how big of an impact did he have? I don't think we should take the risk on a DE. So...to stop rambling on...

I'd take Amobi Okoye because he has a non-stop motor which is vital at DT, he hasn't reached his full size yet, he's about 305 and will put on weight. But more importantly, he's only 19 years old. If this kid pans out for us, I could see him in the league for the next 15-16 years and that's a scary thought if a team passes on this kid and he starts on someone else's D-line for the next decade and a half. Definitely going with OKOYE!!

[ImmortalDragon]

Without question Alan Branch, this defense works when we can stop the run.

[wildbill1952]

Having listened to this all off-season (no complaints, just an observation) with CJ left out of the mix, I switch back and forth between Branch and Andersen.

Branch- I'm afraid he'll be Dan Wilkerson all over again and after the way Ohio State got mauled end-of-season, I wonder how tough the conference really was, except in the minds of the sportswriters.

Okoye - I have a 19 year old. I worry about his mental attitude more than anything. (Okoye, not my son.) Physically, he'll hold up for 16 games. Does he have the maturity to get back up after he's knocked down a few dozen times?

Adams - like someone already said we have a small end in Carter and running games go at the smaller ends. We have someone behind Carter this year, but I worry there's not enough beef against the run if we have another smallish end.

Carriker - I'm not a big Nebraska fan but if we traded down he'd be a better pick for us. I don't know why he is rated so low in everyone's mock drafts and that worries me. What do they know we don't?

Anderson - seemed to show he was not only a pass rusher but he helped stop runs to his side, several in the backfield, by blowing away his man. I don't know if he'll have the same success in the NFL, but I'd like to see it.

All I know is I don't want to ever see a New York Giant RB go for more than 100 yards ever again. As a man, Tiki Barber is great and I wish him nothing but the best. As a Giant playing the Skins, I wish someone had hit him so hard every time he got the ball that his teeth hurt.

Just my :2cents:

[thinker]

Yeah, I know NFL players can intentionally gain weight. (Although I get the impression that it's tough.)

OTOH, Branch is listed as 6' 5" 1/2, and is described as having very long arms.

(I'll agree with the folks who've pointed out, though, that if he didn't dominate in college, then it's possible that he's one of those players who's made it this far just on what he was born with.)

I think very few NFL players play at the weight they'd be at if they weren't playing. Most gain a lot or lose a lot after retiring (proportionally of course).

Branch does have good size. My concern about him is all of the reports of how he has basically phoned in his combine and pro day workouts where he was said to not be in very good condition and was breathing heavily after about 5 minutes of his workout.

[Walking Deadman]

Carriker- if we trade down only then

Branch- worries me from what I've heard at interviews and that he looked "soft" at the combine. If I knew he'd be a hard worker and not an ego, he'd be my pick.......

Adams and Anderson- I've heard both good things and bad things about both. Funny thing is that they are the same arguments (good and bad) about both players. I guess we couldn't go wrong with either and we could move Wynn inside to mix time with Griff, Big Joe, Golston and Montgomery.

Okoye- this guy impresses me. 19. Already got his Bachelors. Smart. And the word I hear about him is poise. I heard an interview with him or about him on Jim Rome and was really impressed by him. Only thing is that he may be another smaller DT and that could be a problem.

I guess my choice would probably be either Adams or Anderson based on the the emphasis that both will probably be talents wherever they go. But I really like Okoye as well.

[HitStickTaylor21]

Okoye - I have a 19 year old. I worry about his mental attitude more than anything. (Okoye, not my son.) Physically, he'll hold up for 16 games. Does he have the maturity to get back up after he's knocked down a few dozen times?

Did your son graduate from college at 19? I think this kid has a pretty good mental capacity, not to mention he was starting for Louisville when he was 16.

[mistertim]

Adams and Anderson- I've heard both good things and bad things about both. Funny thing is that they are the same arguments (good and bad) about both players.

Which arguments have you heard against both that are the same? Not trying to be a ****, I'm honestly curious.

[[[ghost]]]

Jamaal Anderson.

I don't want Bust-to-be Branch. Adams wouldn't be bad for later rounds (maybe I'm crazy, and I really do think that I am, but does he kinda sound like DeMarcus Ware?).

I can't see why Okoye would go that early. Did he have marvelous College stats? Does he have that prototypical build? Him being 19 doesn't mean anything. If he can only take 10 years of beating at the DT spot, he'll just retire at 29 instead of 34.

[Larry]

Okoye- this guy impresses me. 19. Already got his Bachelors. Smart. And the word I hear about him is poise. I heard an interview with him or about him on Jim Rome and was really impressed by him. Only thing is that he may be another smaller DT and that could be a problem.

The more I hear about Okoye the better he sounds.

Thanks for pointing out the degree to us uninformed. I'd been suspecting that, at 19, he was some hotshot kid who thought he was so cool he knew everything after one year of college ball. But your post puts him in a completely different light.

Keep Smoot away from him 'till he's 21.

[TWINSKINS]

I'm influenced by what shawn Springs said on a comcast radioshow a couple of days ago;

a)the skins are looking to trade down

b)no mention of d.e.adams or d.t. branch or landry for that matter.

d.e.anderson was a "maybe"

c)d.e. carricker and d.t. okoye are the ones they like, so if they can't trade down okoye would be the better selection at 6 i.m.o.

[fdarugar]

]']Jamaal Anderson.

I don't want Bust-to-be Branch. Adams wouldn't be bad for later rounds (maybe I'm crazy' date=' and I really do think that I am, but does he kinda sound like DeMarcus Ware?).

I can't see why Okoye would go that early. Did he have marvelous College stats? Does he have that prototypical build? Him being 19 doesn't mean anything. If he can only take 10 years of beating at the DT spot, he'll just retire at 29 instead of 34.[/quote']

Okoye had 15 TFL and 8 sacks...pretty damn impressive.

[mistertim]

Okoye had 15 TFL and 8 sacks...pretty damn impressive.

I certainly won't argue that. But I'd argue that the 13.5 sacks and 20 TFL that Anderson had is at least just as impressive, especially since 1) it was in, arguably, the toughest conference in college football, 2) almost all of his sacks came against the best teams they played (Tennessee, Auburn, LSU, Wisconsin) and 3) he took it to Joe Thomas on more than one occasion during the Capital One Bowl (yes I know he usually plays LDE, but he played both LDE and RDE during that game...and yes I watched it personally), which is impressive to say the least.