ESPN: Todd McShay Draft-surprising

[Oldskool]

No chance the Rams pass on Suh.

Rams don't have a QB at all. With no CBA they can finally get rid of Bulger.

Also, Claussen is tailor made to run their WCO.

[TotalRecall]

I just saw 2 updated mock drafts that had us picking Clausen. :puke:

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Right now I'm thinking it goes:

1.) Anthony Davis

2.) Bruce Campbell

3.) Bryan Bulaga

4.) Gabe Carimi

5.) Russell Okung

6.) Nate Solder

7.) Charles Brown

8.) Trent Williams

1. Bruce Campbell

2. Anthony Davis

3. Bryan Bulaga

4. Russell Okung

5. Trent Williams

6. Charles Brown

7. Jason Fox

I love that people see LT, Okung and start screaming their heads off for him, with no idea on how good he actually is or whether he fits the offense this team will be running.

[Going Commando]

Davis isn't a LT in the NFL. If you're drafting and ranking taking into account ZBS and LT > RT it should be:

1. Russell Okung

2. Bruce Campbell

3. Charles Brown

4. Bryan Bulaga

5. Anthony Davis

6. Joseph Barksdale

7. Trent Williams

8. Jason Fox

9. Ciron Black

10. Gabe Carimi

Davis most certainly is a LT in the NFL and he's easily a better fit in the scheme than Okung is. Okung just lacks Davis' footspeed and agility and I think he gives worse effort and gets caught watching too many plays. The guy is just massively overrated right now. I already don't think he's one of the ten best players in the class and not all of the juniors have declared yet.

Also Davis is a faaaaaar better LT and ZBS fit than Bulaga is, I'm not sure why you have them ranked that way given your own criteria. Anthony Davis compares to Ryan Clady when he came out of Boise St. Clady wasn't the cleanest fit for a ZBS but Shanahan's staff still identified him as a good fit and he's become the premier LT under 25. Davis has that same size and physique and that same lateral quickness that Caldy has with the bonus of being stronger than Clady was coming out of school.

Second, Ciron Black sucks, I'd be surprised if he goes before the 5th round. There is no reasonable justificantion for having Carimi ranked lower than him, Jason Fox, Trent Williams, and Joseph Barksdale. Should Carimi stay for his senior season, he Solder, Costanzo and Jarriel King will be the top OTs in 2011 and I think he's the best of that group. Barksdale plays RT and wasn't overly impressive this year, I doubt he even declares and I think Ziemba from Auburn might be a better junior SEC RT prospect any way.

Last, Charles Brown is a second round pick. He might go late first because of the position he plays but he simply lacks the power to become a dominant LT. He projects as a decent starter in a ZBS but he'll never be spectacular. He looks like a less physically gifted version of Winston Justice. Davis, Campbell, Bulaga, Carimi, even Solder could all become dominant players in the NFL.

[Going Commando]

Stevemcqueen1 and VaBeachRedskins - I believe that Bulaga was in a zone blocking scheme at Iowa. Something to consider.

I've seen Iowa run a lot of zone running plays and Bulaga is great run blocking. I think he's probably the best run blocking OT in the class. Not only that, Bulaga is great at getting to the second level and sustaining his blocks which is a skill I haven't seen cultivated in Davis or Okung, and it's something he'll have to do a fair amount of in a Shanahan running game. Bulaga is also probably the smartest linemen in the group and I have no worry that he could pick up complicated protections and assignments fairly well. So I think he can certainly succeed in a ZBS.

BUT, what I worry about is his ability to handle the edge rush and his agility. He's simply not the athlete that Bruce Campbell and Anthony Davis are. I think he looks like a less consistent version of Jake Long coming from college and I think he'll have a really rough time handling the Robert Mathis and DeMarcus Ware style players in the NFL.

I have no such fears with Davis because this year we've seen him crush the elite edge rushers he's faced, as well as the power guys. Davis locks onto rushers and that literally is all she wrote for them. He cannot be disengaged. You cannot get around him. He shuts the opposing player down better than anyone else in the class. If you don't believe me, see if you can watch or find a review of his games against Pitt, Connecticut, South Florida, and Central Florida. He dominated Greg Romeus, George Selvie, Lindsey Witten, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Bruce Miller. All of those guys are great college players and all of them will get drafted and I think each will go in the first three rounds. No other prospect in the class can boast that kind of resume. Even Bulaga struggled some against his elite competition because he had a really rough time with Brandon Graham. Russell Okung got abused by Von Miller this year and he got crushed by Orakpo and Nick Reed last year.

[Warpath11]

I have no such fears with Davis because this year we've seen him crush the elite edge rushers he's faced, as well as the power guys. Davis locks onto rushers and that literally is all she wrote for them. He cannot be disengaged. You cannot get around him. He shuts the opposing player down better than anyone else in the class.

Agreed once Davis gets his hands on you the play is over (tbh kind of reminds me of Flozell Adams with the use of his arms/hands). The only time JP-P beat him was when he got Davis to lean/lunge in the wrong direction (on an outside move) and quickly cut back inside. If you can coach out the tendacny to lean/lunge and taking some plays off Davis could be a primere LT for 10 years or so.

[Renegade7]

If Okung is on the board and we don't take him I will officially start the fire Bruce Allen Club...

Agreed. People are saying Okung is the most complete o-linemen in this draft. This would be like drafting Chris Sameuls, a pick we won't regret who will be a cornerstone of the franchise for damn near a decade at least.

[TotalRecall]

Agreed. People are saying Okung is the most complete o-linemen in this draft. This would be like drafting Chris Sameuls, a pick we won't regret who will be a cornerstone of the franchise for damn near a decade at least.

That's not what I've read. I've read he's overrated. I haven't seen him play so I don't know for sure.

I keep reading that "he's best as a run blocker". Which usually translates that he stinks in pass protection.

[Going Commando]

That's not what I've read. I've read he's overrated. I haven't seen him play so I don't know for sure.

I keep reading that "he's best as a run blocker". Which usually translates that he stinks in pass protection.

I think it's more the opposite with him. I think he's pretty good in pass pro and a little above average as a run blocker. It's enough to solidify him as a first rounder, but he dominates at neither. He's pretty polished in his technique and his footwork in pass pro so he compensates for a lack of footspeed and agility that way. Mainly I think he just gets a ton of mileage off of the remarkable durability he's had in his college career. He's still going to get his ass whipped by fast guys like Orakpo and Von Miller though which makes him a substantial reach at 4th overall where you've got to get a dominant player. Maybe we could trade down and take him in the teens which is a more natural range. Remember, Okung would have been the 5th tackle in last year's class which put him at the end of round 1 or early 2nd. I really don't think he's improved that much this season. The rest of the OT class has just really sucked aside from the juniors.

Did anyone watch Bryan Bulaga tonight? That game was just chock full of great prospects: Adrian Clayborn, A.J. Edds, Pat Angerer, Derrick Morgan, Jonathan Dwyer, Morgan Burnett, Kyle Calloway. Bulaga stood out though. He was impressive and I think he can play LT for the right team. The guy is just so powerful. He's a dominant run blocker and they run it to his side a lot and he excels at getting to the second level and picking up blocks down field. He'll be ready to start pretty soon in a ZBS in that regard and he looked pretty good in pass pro too. He got away with a few holds I noticed but it wasn't anything outrageous and he did a good job of containing Morgan who is an elite prospect. He plays with really good technique and he gives great effort and you can tell he is a smart player who anticipates what the defender is trying to do and won't be beat easily. He's also a better short area athlete than I expected. I knew he had good straight line speed for the position but he really moves well for his size and he's got that mauler's frame and mentality. I think he's a better overall prospect than Andre Smith was last year. If he comes into the league as a RT then I think he'll be the best one in the NFL after a season or two.

I think Bulaga is probably the #2 OT in the class behind Anthony Davis. I've got to move him ahead of Bruce Campbell because Campbell's injuries are so serious. I like that nasty streak Bulaga's already got and the maturity of his game and his work ethic which is something Davis hasn't developed quite yet. Bulaga is a rough neck and he's a lot of fun to watch. Davis is still better on account of his athleticism and I think he's got the potential to develop into a very special NFL player. Damn what I wouldn't give if we were somehow able to draft both. Draft Davis at four and then find a way to trade back into the first for Bulaga?

[Timmy Smith]

Agreed. People are saying Okung is the most complete o-linemen in this draft. This would be like drafting Chris Sameuls, a pick we won't regret who will be a cornerstone of the franchise for damn near a decade at least.

Totally agree. We have to try and replace Samuels somehow (who was a #2 overall pick), and we have a can't miss lineman who may well still be on the board at #4.

My gut tells me that Shanahan will pick a QB though, and draft lighter, more agile, cut-blocking, WCO o-linemen with our 2nd and 4th round picks. Maybe we won't draft a RB, since Shanahan may be able to coach up our existing stable of backs.

If I could script the draft somehow, we'd luck into some great opportunities to trade down, stockpile 3 more picks, and spend nearly the whole draft rebuilding the offensive line.

[JSheets]

If Okung is on the board and we don't take him I will officially start the fire Bruce Allen Club...

NolaSF, while I don't always agree with you, I like Okung too. Can't wait until draft day....

[Going Commando]

Here's another interesting fact: Both Bryan Bulaga and Anthony Davis are only 20 years old. They aren't even finished growing yet. Anthony Davis seems his age in the way he interviews and in the relative inconsistency of his season--starting slow, ending on a meteoric path towards dominance. But Bulaga comes off as a seasoned and mature player who looks and talks like a grizzled NFL veteran.

You have to wonder just how good these guys are going to be.

On a side note, is anyone else a little bummed that Cameron Heyward decided to go back to school? He was a top 15 pick and is the second major junior prospect to turn down early entry after Jake Locker. The difference is, I don't think he needed to go back to school to get ready for the NFL like Locker did. If the ruminations about us trying to transition to the 3-4 have any truth to them, then I think this is a pretty big set back because the guy looked like a dominant future 5 technique. Even if we stay in the 4-3, his early entry just meant that someone else at a position of need would have fallen one slot further to us in a trade down scenario or in the second round. It's never good for a class when it's potential top 10 picks decide to stay in school. Now I'm worried guys like Derrick Morgan and Bulaga might go back as well.