Bored? How about a 2010 offseason preview?

[theboomking]

Hey Steve McQueen, you seem to have put a lot of thought and effort into this. I did notice that you left Suggs and Peppers off your DE/OLB list. How do you think that Suggs or Merriman would it into our scheme here? I was thinking Suggs would be a better fit at DE, Merriman at OLB.

My fantasy scenario was actually that Peppers negotiates the same clause into his franchise tender that Haynesworth did and is available next year. He would be a stud at LDE, with Haynesworth, and Orakpo at RDE.

If you were to go all in on defense and try and make it one of the all time greats in 2010, who would you think about signing and drafting?

[MrJL]

We need more than one defensive tackle. Griffin will be 33 and Monty and Golston are both UFAs after this season. We'll probably need another one next offseason. Next year could be a very deep LB class in both the draft and free agency. There are also a lot of great offensive tackle prospects next draft, we can get one in either the first or second.

I chose Austin in the 1st because he is a phenomenally gifted athlete for playing the 3 technique next to Haynesworth. He'd give us great value wherever we picked.

actually I believe Golston and Montgomery will remain RFAs due to uncapped year rules. Also there's a limit on how much salary can be increased, though that may not apply to resigning your own FAs.

[theboomking]

I'm disappointed that this thread didn't take off a bit more. I don't watch as much college football and was hoping to hear from others who watch more about some of the prospects we might look at for 2010.

Looking at the Noel Devine highlights, he has superlative balance and quickness, but does not seem to have the elite top end speed like Moss/Hester/Ginn/Chris Johndon. He never seems to run away from the pursuit, but seems to be at top speed almost all of the time, which is much more important in a RB. I would love it if we picked up Devine in Rd #2 or 3.

Rd#1, I'd either like to go D-line, Taylor Mays, or O-line. If we could fortify both lines through FA or trades, I would love to see Taylor Mays in the backfield with Laron Landry.

I haven't had the chance to watch much of Sergio Kindle. Which NFL player do you guys think he compares to in playing style/physique?

[Est.1974]

I've never heard that before. What is the rule? Is it the same one where Rogers will be a RFA in an uncapped year?

I just posted this link in another thread

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80864e15&template=with-video&confirm=true

It suggests to me that Campbell would be a RFA as he signed a 5 yr deal when drafted in 2005. It also suggests Rocky McIntosh would be a RFA as he signed a 4 yr deal when drafted in 2006.

Carlos may not be a RFA as he seems to have a 7 yr deal from being drafted in 2005 with 2010 & 2011 being voidable. The linked article mentions contracts with voidable years and implies to me that those players would be become unrestricted FA as normal.

[theboomking]

I just watched a bit more film on Devine. I really like this clip, and the more I see of him, the more I think that there is potential for him to be a Brian Westbrook type back for, ahem, a west coast offense.

[Laron Burgundy]

Cody's a great prospect. He'll probably get taken fairly early especially since he can be that incredibly valuable 2 gap 3-4 nose tackle that teams are trying to get just like Raji. Sure the weight's a concern but it always is for every player his size. It'd be worth it to pick him and keep him away from teams like the Cowboys.

But if you think about it, we already have two pretty big space-eating guys in Haynesworth and Monty. If we keep Monty over Golston, we'll need a natural 3 tech tackle since Griffin is getting up there in age. And there are some unrivaled 3 tech prospects that could come out next year. Marvin Austin is my favorite but Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy are two elite prospects. Overall, I'm blown away by the number of great 300 pounders that will be available this year and next.

Devine will have to make his living in the NFL in atleast a two back system. I don't know how well he catches the ball, but he's that Darren Sproles type back only an even more phenomenally gifted athlete. If he was a rock solid 5'11" 210 lbs. he'd be one of the best RB prospects ever.

I think Suh and McCoy are both more talented than Austin. Austin, imo, is more like his sophomore year than his freshman year. He was surrounded by a really good UNC d line his freshman year and benefited from it.

Devine, as others have said, would be amazing. He's smaller than Reggie Bush but he runs tougher and is way more agile.

I gotta say, I know we need OL upgrades desperately but I hope we draft defense next year. Any combination of Selvie, McClain, Weatherspoon, Burnett, or Oghobaase would be awesome. Those players should be available in the late 1st to late 2nd round. Of course, I wouldn't disagree with getting other premier talent if we end up doing poorly this year and drafting higher than that.

Eric Berry would be amazing. He looks like the next Ed Reed. It would allow us to shift Landry back to his more natural position, SS, and that would improve our defense. I think Horton did fine at SS and Berry would, of course, be a luxury pick, but Landry is too talented a blitzer at safety to not get a guy who can play in the cover 1 so Landry can move forward at the snap. Chances are, though, if we end up drafting high enough to get him we'll have a lot more needs than safety.

[theboomking]

I think Suh and McCoy are both more talented than Austin. Austin, imo, is more like his sophomore year than his freshman year. He was surrounded by a really good UNC d line his freshman year and benefited from it.

Devine, as others have said, would be amazing. He's smaller than Reggie Bush but he runs tougher and is way more agile.

I gotta say, I know we need OL upgrades desperately but I hope we draft defense next year. Any combination of Selvie, McClain, Weatherspoon, Burnett, or Oghobaase would be awesome. Those players should be available in the late 1st to late 2nd round. Of course, I wouldn't disagree with getting other premier talent if we end up doing poorly this year and drafting higher than that.

Eric Berry would be amazing. He looks like the next Ed Reed. It would allow us to shift Landry back to his more natural position, SS, and that would improve our defense. I think Horton did fine at SS and Berry would, of course, be a luxury pick, but Landry is too talented a blitzer at safety to not get a guy who can play in the cover 1 so Landry can move forward at the snap. Chances are, though, if we end up drafting high enough to get him we'll have a lot more needs than safety.

I also would like to see us go defense next year. We can hope for probably 3 years of elite play from Haynesworth before he is 30. Orakpo will probably be better in 2010 than 2009. I would love to see the stars align and have us steal Peppers to play at LDE.

I agree that we could use another DT, but I would really rather have a large space eating DT to play next to Haynesworth, who, despite his size, plays like a penetrating 3 technique. I'd like to see us emulating the big bodies in the middle of the 2000 ravens. Shaun Rogers could probably be had on the cheap in a trade, wants out, and has been very productive. If we could get him for a 4th rounder or combination of picks no higher than a #4, I would jump on it. There have been a good number of giant space eating DT's productive into their mid 30's, and Rogers will be 31 in 2010. A defensive line of Peppers, Haynesworth, Rogers, Orakpo, would be sick.

I really like Berry after watching his highlight tapes, and he obviously has great speed/balance/hands. I think he has run more of a cover 2 though, and his picks didn't really seem to be great coverage picks. Mays is not the ballhawk that Berry is, but I think would be a better fit for our scheme. He has been very successful running a cover 1 at USC. He could step right in here and give us great flexibility, as both he and Landry could interchangeably be use as the FS in a cover 1, or as a SS in the box. He would also add another intimidator on D, which we could use. We don't tend to have the intimidation factor now that the other great D's do, like the Ravens and Steelers.

My 2010 uncapped offseason would look like this:

FA: Peppers, trade for Shaun Rogers

1st round: Taylor Mays

2nd round: Best offensive lineman or DT or OLB

3rd round: Noel Devine

If there is a cap, I wouldn't sign or trade for any older players like Peppers or Rogers. You just can't take up cap space with older players who could drop off. If we have a cap, I would probably go best available DL or OLB in the 1st.

[cphil006]

Daniels and Wynn - gone

Sellers - gone

re-sign:

Monty, Golston.

[Laron Burgundy]

I also would like to see us go defense next year. We can hope for probably 3 years of elite play from Haynesworth before he is 30. Orakpo will probably be better in 2010 than 2009. I would love to see the stars align and have us steal Peppers to play at LDE.

I agree that we could use another DT, but I would really rather have a large space eating DT to play next to Haynesworth, who, despite his size, plays like a penetrating 3 technique. I'd like to see us emulating the big bodies in the middle of the 2000 ravens. Shaun Rogers could probably be had on the cheap in a trade, wants out, and has been very productive. If we could get him for a 4th rounder or combination of picks no higher than a #4, I would jump on it. There have been a good number of giant space eating DT's productive into their mid 30's, and Rogers will be 31 in 2010. A defensive line of Peppers, Haynesworth, Rogers, Orakpo, would be sick.

I really like Berry after watching his highlight tapes, and he obviously has great speed/balance/hands. I think he has run more of a cover 2 though, and his picks didn't really seem to be great coverage picks. Mays is not the ballhawk that Berry is, but I think would be a better fit for our scheme. He has been very successful running a cover 1 at USC. He could step right in here and give us great flexibility, as both he and Landry could interchangeably be use as the FS in a cover 1, or as a SS in the box. He would also add another intimidator on D, which we could use. We don't tend to have the intimidation factor now that the other great D's do, like the Ravens and Steelers.

My 2010 uncapped offseason would look like this:

FA: Peppers, trade for Shaun Rogers

1st round: Taylor Mays

2nd round: Best offensive lineman or DT or OLB

3rd round: Noel Devine

If there is a cap, I wouldn't sign or trade for any older players like Peppers or Rogers. You just can't take up cap space with older players who could drop off. If we have a cap, I would probably go best available DL or OLB in the 1st.

And to mention, Fletcher will be 35 next year. Now, Blades might be the answer at MLB, he was very good in college, a borderline 2nd rounder until he measured in at the combine. He's short like Fletcher, but not nearly as fast. I wonder if we pass on elite ILB talent and hope Blades is respectable, or do we draft Fletcher's replacement. If we're drafting late in the first I can see us going for an ILB, both McClain and Spikes should be better than any ILB who came out this year and neither will be drafted in the top 10.

Without a doubt LDE must be answered next year. We can't have a 37 year old starter. I hope Heyer works out because then our o-line should be able to survive one more year without upgrades.

[theboomking]

And to mention, Fletcher will be 35 next year. Now, Blades might be the answer at MLB, he was very good in college, a borderline 2nd rounder until he measured in at the combine. He's short like Fletcher, but not nearly as fast. I wonder if we pass on elite ILB talent and hope Blades is respectable, or do we draft Fletcher's replacement. If we're drafting late in the first I can see us going for an ILB, both McClain and Spikes should be better than any ILB who came out this year and neither will be drafted in the top 10.

Without a doubt LDE must be answered next year. We can't have a 37 year old starter. I hope Heyer works out because then our o-line should be able to survive one more year without upgrades.

I think Fletcher has a chance to last through 2010 if we can protect him behind our DT's. Blades should be okay but not great as his backup. I was really hoping we would trade back into the second to take Maualuga, but now I'm glad we didn't. I'm not sure how much I like Blades. I think he might excel behind our D-line if we reinforce at DT next to Haynesworth. I keep harping on this, but I bet we could get Shaun Rogers for a #4 in 2010 and 2011, and we would be getting way more than our moneys worth. We should be able to rotate our DT's to keep them fresh, and nooone would be getting blockers to the second level on us.

I REALLY don't like our 2010 options at SAM and LDE. I think the current plan is probably to play orakpo at one DE and Carter at the other, which is not my favorite. I'd like to see us fill LDE through trade or FA.

I know this is a little out there, but I do really like the chronological order of our draft picks. I think it's smart to get your WR's early because they typically take 3 years to peak, meaning in Thomas et all should peak in 2010. DE's usually are better in their second year, again 2010 for Orakpo. Haynesworth will be 28 in 2010. We should be surrounding him by players that can be good in 2010, not DE's that may take until 2012 to develop. I generally think LB's can be very productive coming right out of college. DE's and DT's take more time. I guess another strategy, which is probably just as valid, would be to continue to draft line so we don't have an abrupt dropoff as Haynesworth, etc age. I'm just really curious as to how high we could peak if we spend one more year investing heavily on D. For this reason, I'm hoping the offense is better than expected this year.

[Laron Burgundy]

I agree to a lot of this. I don't think we can go drafting a new qb because that will pretty much guarantee Samuels, Fletcher, Portis, Griffin, Thomas, and Rabach should be thrown out too. Those guys have 2 years tops left in them. If we don't make a run this year or next we'll be replacing a ton of starters. Maybe draft a qb in 2011, but Campbell should, at the very worst, be given a two year deal after this year. One year to try to make a serious run in 2010 and a year to start ahead of the rookie qb we draft in 2011. That's assuming he fails. If he plays well we give him a big contract and consider ourselves set at the position.

[terrifNick21]

Sellers - gone

God I hope not!

[JMSSMJ7]

Whatever team picks up Jahvid Best is gonna be real lucky. Boy that kid can play.

[Annonymous Source]

Some Enticing Potential Draft Prospects:

Qualifiers: I don’t know where we’ll be drafting (hopefully 32nd) so I’ll include prospects that I like from all over the board. I’m going to stick with guys graded in rounds 1-3 because more would take forever and lower round guys aren’t expected to contribute as early anyway. I’ll also include underclassmen because plenty always come out early. I’ll give the name, college, and an (admittedly early) round projection (I’m getting this mostly from www.walterfootball.com and www.nfldraftscout.com).

RB:

C.J. Spiller, Clemson, 1st

Chris Brown, OU, 1st

LeGarrette Blount, Oregon, 2nd-3rd

Jonathan Dwyer (underclassman), GT, 1st

Jahvid Best (underclassman), Cal, 1st

Evan Royster (underclassman), Penn State, 1-2nd

Joe McKnight (underclassman), USC, 1-2nd

Demarco Murray (underclassman), OU, 2nd

Noel Devine (underclassman), WVU, 2-3rd

OT:

Russel Okung, Oklahoma State, 1st

Trent Williams, OU, 1st

Ciron Black, LSU, 1st

Adam Ulatoski, Texas, 1-2nd

Sam Young, ND, 2nd

Zane Beadles, Utah, 2-3rd

Charles Brown, USC, 2-3rd

Jim Cordle, Ohio State, 3rd

Bryan Bulaga (underclassman), Iowa, 1st

Anthony Davis (underclassman), Rutgers, 1st

Lee Ziemba (underclassman), Auburn, 1st

Matt Reynolds (underclassman) BYU, 1-2nd

Gabe Carimi (underclassman), Wisconsin, 2nd

Kyle Hix, (underclassman), Texas, 2nd

Depending on who goes early, there could be a ton of great tackles to choose from in the first two rounds. This is definitely a position we can fix next season.

OG:

Sergio Render, VT, 2nd

Mike Johnson, Alabama, 2nd

Thomas Austin, Clemson, 2-3rd

Brandon Carter, Texas Tech, 3rd

Rodney Hudson (underclassman), FSU, 2nd

Mike Pouncey (underclassman), Florida, 2nd

OC:

Jon Estes, Hawaii, 2nd

Josh McNeill, Tennessee, 3rd

Kristofer O’Dowd (underclassman), USC, 1st

Stefen Wisniewski (underclassman), Penn State, 1-2nd

Dan Wenger (underclassman), ND, 2nd-3rd

DE:

Greg Hardy, Ole Miss, 1-2nd

George Selvie, South Florida, 1-2nd

Brandon Lang, Troy, 2nd

Brandon Graham, Michigan, 2nd

CJ Wilson, East Carolina, 2nd

Jermaine Cunningham, Florida, 2-3rd

Corey Wootton, Northwestern, 2-3rd

Carlos Dunlap (underclassman), Florida, 1st

Everson Griffen (underclassman), USC, 1st

Greg Romeus (underclassman), Pitt, 1st

Derrick Morgan (underclassman), GT, 1-2nd

Ugo Chinasa (underclassman), Oklahoma State, 1-2nd

Cameron Heyward (underclassman), Ohio State, 1-2nd

Jason Worilds (underclassman), VT, 2nd

Kevin Basped (underclassman), Nevada, 2nd

DT:

Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska, 1st

Terrence Cody, Alabama, 1st

Geno Atkins, Georgia, 1st

Arthur Jones, Syracuse, 2nd

Vince Oghobaase, Duke, 2nd

DeMarcus Granger, Oklahoma, 2-3rd

Jared Odrick, Penn State, 3rd

Dan Williams, Tennessee, 3rd

Gerald McCoy (underclassman), Oklahoma, 1st

Marvin Austin (underclassman), UNC, 1st

Lawrence Marsh (underclassman), Florida, 1-2nd

Brian Price (underclassman), UCLA, 2nd

Stephen Paea (underclassman), Oregon State, 2-3rd

Wow. There are a ton of great defensive linemen that could potentially come out. Next year’s draft could go down as one of the deepest and most exciting defensive line classes in a really long time.

ILB:

Brandon Spikes, Florida, 1st

Sean Lee, Penn State, 2nd

Joe Pawelek, Baylor, 3rd

Micah Johnson, Kentucky, 3rd

Rolando McCLain (underclassman), Alabama, 1st

Quan Sturdivant (underclassman), UNC, 1-2nd

Josh Bynes (underclassman), Auburn, 2-3rd

OLB:

Sergio Kindle, Texas, 1st

Mark Herzlich, BC, 1st

Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri, 1st

Antonio Coleman, Auburn, 1-2nd

Jerry Hughes, TCU, 2nd

Rico McCoy, Tennessee, 2nd

Stevenson Sylvester, Utah, 2-3rd

Dexter Davis, Arizona St., 2-3rd

Michael Morgan (underclassman), USC, 1st

Greg Jones (underclassman), Michigan St., 1st

Rennie Curran (underclassman), Georgia, 1-2nd

Nate Irving (underclassman), NC St., 1-2nd

Malcolm Smith (underclassman), USC, 2nd

Bruce Carter (underclassman), UNC, 2nd

Navorro Bowman (underclassman), Penn St., 1-3rd

Martez Wilson (underclassman), Illinois, 2-3rd

--------

Of course we’ll have to wait and see who declares, but those are some early round potential prospects at the positions of need I identified earlier. The list doesn’t include some of the other great prospects at less pressing positions (Eric Berry and Taylor Mays?) and there is always a chance we could go in that direction too.

And obviously, if Jason Campbell doesn’t work out, then we’ll be looking for quarterbacks. But that’s a beast that needs to be tackled in it’s own thread (Or one of the million already out there).

there are 78 people projected as possible in the first two rounds, but 64 is the max. All of the college speculation is truly way too soon because these are players that have not yet even fully grown into their bodies, so what shows up next year will probably be very different from this projection.

With that said you obviously put a lot of legwork into this thread. The current assesment of where the team stands is probably spot on, but the real question is can we make decisions next year that wont punish us when the salary cap comes back.:evilg:

[kuraitengai]

Round 3.) Noel Devine, HB, WVU

He’s probably the most exciting player I’ve ever watched. He’s small (darren sproles size) so he’ll probably never be able to handle much more than 15 touches a game, but that should be all you need him for. He’s also a bit of a knucklehead but he’s the most gifted and fluid athlete I’ve ever seen, even more so than Reggie Bush.

i guess you havent watched cj spiller play then? spiller was recruited by usc to be reggie bush's replacement, but came to clemson instead to form the thunder and lightning duo with james davis.

first two years, was spent being very similar to bush, lining up all over the field, doing all the return duties, basically being a threat to score every time he touched the ball. the big knock on him was the same as bush, he wasnt tough enough to run between the tackles. but this past season, i started noticing cj running inside and actually having the leg strength to push the entire pile to pick up an extra three yards. so combine that with his ability to stop on a dime then accelerate to full speed in a second. he does have a highlight reel similar to bush, but with the ability to pound inside. also, not a knucklehead.

[theboomking]

If we are going to take a back who may or may not be able to pound it inside, I'd rather take a chance on Devine than Spiller, partially due to the fact that we could probably get Devine later. I have a sneaking suspicion though that he may be gone before we choose in the 3rd. Do you guys have any better sense of where Devine may go?

Also, does anybody here know whether Devine can return punts? I have seen him on kick returns, but he seems like he has ideal skills for the job if he can catch in traffic.

[CPAllTheWay012]

If we are going to take a back who may or may not be able to pound it inside, I'd rather take a chance on Devine than Spiller, partially due to the fact that we could probably get Devine later. I have a sneaking suspicion though that he may be gone before we choose in the 3rd. Do you guys have any better sense of where Devine may go?

Also, does anybody here know whether Devine can return punts? I have seen him on kick returns, but he seems like he has ideal skills for the job if he can catch in traffic.

I'm just throwing this out there, but keep an eye on Maryland running back Da'Rel Scott. 5'11, 4.3 speed (so he can run outside), but he's big enough to pound it inside.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zV3UeqqHT4

If he has a big year in Maryland's pro-styled offense, I think he'll declare for the NFL draft.

[theboomking]

I'm just throwing this out there, but keep an eye on Maryland running back Da'Rel Scott. 5'11, 4.3 speed (so he can run outside), but he's big enough to pound it inside.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zV3UeqqHT4

If he has a big year in Maryland's pro-styled offense, I think he'll declare for the NFL draft.

Seems like a good zone blocking/Denver Bronco's type back - one cut, then up the field. How much does he weigh? Anybody know where he might be picked in the draft. He might be a good 2010 replacement for Betts.

[Aireskoi]

What is the rule? Is it the same one where Rogers will be a RFA in an uncapped year?

I did some reading the other day on NFL.com about this. Pat Kirwan covered it pretty well with some player examples, but here's what I got from it.

Without a cap, players become free agents after 6 years. With the current CBA in place players become free after 4 years. That's why if a rookie signs a 3 year deal he becomes "restricted" after his 3rd year. So any player who has less than 6 years of service, but who's contract is expiring at the end of the 2009 season, will be a restricted free agent (RFA) if no new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is reached.

Keep in mind, without a cap there will be few players for teams to spend money on. Not only will players who would have been UFA become RFA, but there will also be more "tags" teams can use to lock up players. Teams will have use of 1 franchise tag (average of the top 5 salaries at his position) and 2 transition tags (average of the top 10 salaries at his position). That's 3 guys they can keep off the market. While under the cap, teams can only use 1 franchise tag or 1 transitional tag.

I was just reading a Pat Kirwan article to check my facts, and I found this:

"If the league gets to the point of an uncapped year, people are afraid that deep-pocket owners such as Jerry Jones and Daniel Snyder will come in and buy a championship. If the aggressive owners already have playoff teams, there will be restrictions on how much money they can spend."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80864e15&template=with-video&confirm=true

[theboomking]

I did some reading the other day on NFL.com about this. Pat Kirwan covered it pretty well with some player examples, but here's what I got from it.

Without a cap, players become free agents after 6 years. With the current CBA in place players become free after 4 years. That's why if a rookie signs a 3 year deal he becomes "restricted" after his 3rd year. So any player who has less than 6 years of service, but who's contract is expiring at the end of the 2009 season, will be a restricted free agent (RFA) if no new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is reached.

Keep in mind, without a cap there will be few players for teams to spend money on. Not only will players who would have been UFA become RFA, but there will also be more "tags" teams can use to lock up players. Teams will have use of 1 franchise tag (average of the top 5 salaries at his position) and 2 transition tags (average of the top 10 salaries at his position). That's 3 guys they can keep off the market. While under the cap, teams can only use 1 franchise tag or 1 transitional tag.

I was just reading a Pat Kirwan article to check my facts, and I found this:

"If the league gets to the point of an uncapped year, people are afraid that deep-pocket owners such as Jerry Jones and Daniel Snyder will come in and buy a championship. If the aggressive owners already have playoff teams, there will be restrictions on how much money they can spend."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80864e15&template=with-video&confirm=true

This is all true. We will not be the Yankees of the NFL, because the rules are set up to maintain competitive balance. Teams will have 3 tags to use in order to hold onto their best players. I'm not 100% sure, but I think that the rule is that playoff teams can only sign their own free agents. Of course that would still allow us to trade picks for players. The elite only players to hit the market then, would be players, like Haynesworth, that refuse to sign their franchise tender without an agreement that they cannot be tagged. The only way the uncapped year really benefits us is in years where we are lucky enough to miss the playoffs, AND multiple good FA's hit the market. Hopefully the former will be rare, and I expect the latter usually will be.