2011 Comprehensive NFL Draft Database

[Laron Burgundy]

Wow, anyone watch Jake Locker? 4/20 for 71 yards, 1 td 2 ints? I didn't see the game, but I gotta believe this game alone will knock him from the top 5, if not the top 10. A great qb should NEVER put up such a pathetic game. Didn't get to watch it but from the highlights it looks like the weather was not an issue. Nebraska defense is good but this is just sad. On the other side, however, Taylor Martinez has been an absolute beast so far. Going to have to start watching his games, he is looking like the next michael vick. Redshirt freshman, 65% completion rate, 9.1 ypa, 10.5 ypc, 8 rushing tds in 3 games, and supposedly 4.4 speed.

[Conn]

Looks like Ponder and Locker both had horrid games to hurt their draft stock in the last two weeks. Its early, though.

[Going Commando]

Yeah Locker's game was awful. theboomking and I look prescient now in calling out Locker earlier this week. I was more optimistic about Locker's draft stock before, but I questioned his value as a top 10 pick. Now I think he'll go in a more natural second half of the first round range. Whether this game happened or not, he's probably always been a 20's pick and we just hadn't figured that out yet. I think the same is probably true for Luck if he comes out this season. If Mallett's intangibles check out, he seems like the only authentic top ten talent in the group.

I definitely don't think Gabbert has done enough to solidify himself as a top ten talent and he had a bit of a shaky day today too. His numbers look alright but he tried to give the game away to San Diego St, throwing two interceptions in the last five minutes. He got lucky his receiver made a brilliant catch and run for 60 something yards to score the game winning TD in the final minute. The Missouri defense also didn't help much as they gave up 250 rushing yards. But Gabbert showed very poor decision making in crucial moments. His last four passes of the game went interception, incomplete, interception, touchdown. Credit Gabbert, his receivers, and his defense for staying mentally tough and not giving up after the second, backbreaking interception. But I'd say usually that game ends in a loss. Gabbert really slumped going into the fourth quarter and could barely get anything going. Without a consistent running game and a bad run defense, Missouri isn't good enough to win when Gabbert goes cold. Things are only going to get harder for him and what turns out is a fairly untalented Missouri team once conference play picks up. Nebraska and Oklahoma both look very good this year and Kansas State and Texas Tech aren't slouches. Kansas is unpredictable, and Texas A&M is more talented than Mizzou. If Gabbert finished the year with 9 wins or more, that's a great season.

[Going Commando]

It was a similar story for my other favorite prospect Nick Foles. Damn what a game. It ended up being way more interesting than it should have been, because Foles tried to hand Iowa the stirring comeback win too with that interception. But that was a nice game-winning drive he orchestrated. Also D&S, I thought Ricky Elmore looked really good, as did that freshman tackle Justin Washington. Don't sleep on Arizona's defense, they looked sharp.

[Gregpeck99]

Steve ... what's your take on Colin Kaepernick?

System QB or wave of the future?

[Dukes and Skins]

It was a similar story for my other favorite prospect Nick Foles. Damn what a game. It ended up being way more interesting than it should have been, because Foles tried to hand Iowa the stirring comeback win too with that interception. But that was a nice game-winning drive he orchestrated. Also D&S, I thought Ricky Elmore looked really good, as did that freshman tackle Justin Washington. Don't sleep on Arizona's defense, they looked sharp.

I told ya steve Elmore looks to be a monster this year he had a nice sack I saw last night and looked to get consistent pressure

[Gregpeck99]

Here is another: Brandon Weeden, OSU

http://www.okstate.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/weeden_brandon00.html

[Going Commando]

How about Landry and Rocky today? Goddamn if they aren't having brilliant seasons so far. Priotity #2 this offseason (#1 is getting an extension for McNabb) should be getting McIntosh and extension. The guy is a cornerstone to build a defense around and he looks completely in his element in this scheme. He's got everything--range in coverage and pursuit, strength for controlling blockers, nice blitzing skills, and physicality to come up and stick his hat in a man when he hits. He had a really nice pop on Schaub today and was in on 14 tackles. Landry looked nearly as good as he did last week until he got hurt. I think he might have given himself a small concussion hitting Schaub because he looked a little punch drunk afterwards. Then he came back and hit him again on the next play. Let's hope he's alright because he's extremely important for our defensive success as he's one of our only impact players.

The other guy that really impressed me this game was Adam Carriker, who had a big day. He got a few sweet pressures and a nice sack, but he also made a fantastic TFL playing picture perfect containment. He's a good player and I can see why he was drafted where he was. Playing like he did today, he certainly deserves to start for us and I can see him becoming a fixture on our line. Major Kudos to Shanahan and Allen for unearthing him. Let's hope he has several more games like today over the course of the season.

I wasn't as impressed with Rogers today although he held onto that interception after making a really nice break on the ball. He looked a step slow in coverage and got beat a couple of times for long plays. I was however very impressed with him in run support. He's a disciplined tackler who stays home and drags down ball carriers for a minimal gain. Ditto for Deangelo, who has been shockingly good in run support so far this year. He's a physical hitter who enjoys contact although he's just not very strong. But he makes a lot of stops on hustle and determination and he's always around the ball. He turned in another nice game today too. Orakpo and Andre both seemed to struggle in coverage, breaking coverage on short passes on roll-outs to come up and contain Schaub which ended up going for long gains. Orakpo is as dangerous a pass rusher as ever, but I still think he's got a long way to go as a run defender. The more he improves, the better we'll be.

Anyway those are my impressions on defense. Right now, I see our major need areas as being on the defensive line. We could definitely use a better coverage safety and another cornerback. But most of all, our defense will improve once we add some impact talent to the line. Vonnie Holliday had a good day but he's too old to have a future here. Our NTs were better today, but they still aren't very good. Man, I really want us to draft Adrian Clayborn. As aggressive as our defense is, Clayborn would collapse the pocket so much more consistently and open up clean shots on the QB for our blitzers. I think drafting Rahim Moore or Patrick Peterson could also be crucial for our defensive success. Throw one of them in single coverage on Andre Johnson in the endzone on a 40 yard jump ball and I bet that play ends differently.

[Going Commando]

As for the offense, I see more flaws, believe it or not. First off, we have GOT to get the running game going or else our defense is going to continue getting ripped apart by QBs throwing 50+ times a game. Jammal Brown's false start was awful. It came at the worst possible moment and it was an incredibly stupid penalty. I question Brown's mental ability. There have been concerns about how smart a player he is since college, and it doesn't look like a ton has changed. Larry Johnson was worse. He should be buried on the depth chart. Let Portis and Williams handle the carries this year and then lets go out and find another back in this class or the next.

Galloway shocked the hell out of me and I'll eat my plate of crow on him. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why he was still on the team but now I see why. He must have shown this in practice for the coaches. In general I was very pleased with how the receivers and TEs played. Santana Moss made all kinds of plays and really seems to thrive in this offense. I loved the way he ran on that screen and I wonder why we didn't dial that up a bit more. We really need to find a way to get Devin Thomas involved in the passing game. He is a physical monstrosity. Did anyone see the way he got up from his kick return at the end of the game? He looked like a super hero flinging off a dog-pile of henchman (like in the first few seconds of this video: http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/scottpilgrimvstheworld/video/6273434). Thomas is, pound for pound, one of our strongest and fastest players on the team. It would be an utter shame if we let him bust on our watch because he's a talent.

Cooley's blocking could be an issue. It's not good but he makes enough plays in the passing game to offset his mistakes. Fred Davis probably made the crucial mistake on the blocked field goal too although it was a great play by Pollard.

McNabb played brilliantly. He's efficient and strong-armed, very good on the move and good when he needs to stay in the pocket and move. He could stand to play with better touch on short throws, but I love how well he takes care of the ball. I imagine we'll get him a long term extension some time during the season after Peyton Manning signs his new contract.

I was fairly pleased with our offensive line considering how much they've improved since last year. For the most part, the pass protection was fantastic. McNabb had all day on some of his throws and he made the most of them. They looked good on the move and our offense looks really good executing those play fakes and rollouts, getting the defense to overflow. Jammal Brown struggled when he matched up with Mario Williams, but that's understandable.

Then there was Trent Williams. He had a phenomenal day until that horrific sequence of events at the end of the fourth. Has their ever been a more disastrous failure to stop the clock? First the refs make the awful call to not stop the clock after Williams CLEARLY got out of bounds. Caught off guard, the Redskins staff hesitates on whether or not to call a play or a timeout. They rush to get a play in and everyone looks completely disoriented, particularly a greenhorn rookie Williams who gets to face a monstrous All-Pro caliber defensive end. He looked completely unprepared for what happened next. Mario Williams just destroys him on a bullrush as Williams is slow to set his anchor and deliver his punch. McNabb takes a big sack in a critical moment and worst of all, Williams sprains his knee. Fan-****ing-tastic. That was the worst moment of the game by far. If Williams tore a ligament and is done for the year, then that's the ****ing season. If it's really bad, he will never be the same dominant athlete he once was. All because some stupid ****ing ref ****ed up the call to stop the clock. ****!

Moving on, the offensive line is still a work in progress. Brown is good, not great, and we could probably do better at the position. This time share at LG isn't working. Lichtensteiger isn't very good and Dockery is a poor fit in this offense even though he has been such a rock. Upgrading him isn't a top priority, but it should probably happen eventually. Hicks is a bit pedestrian although he's shown reliability so far. Same for Rabach. He really struggles with physical interior players and has a low upside. The best I can figure it is that Rabach stays on the team because he's so good at making line calls that we'd rather cover for his problems as a player by swinging help his way than replacing him with a green but more talented center. That strategy would probably work a lot better if we had more talented guards. But we're not overly talented on the interior line. A Logan Mankins acquisition is actually starting to look a lot better. We should just cherry pick the best New England players that make it to UFA.

Lastly, I thought our RBs didn't a fantastic job in blitz pickup today. Keiland Williams continues to impress. We definitely need a more dynamic space runner in the fold, there should be guys like that out there in the middle rounds this year. DeMarco Murray? Noel Devine? Hell Ryan Williams could be an option in the second or later should he come out this year (doubtful).

[Laron Burgundy]

Galloway played well this game but I don't think you can say our receivers did that well still. The texans, generally, were all over our receivers and their secondary is rather poor. Very little separation, but McNabb made some excellent throws. I don't think we can sit on this unit, Galloway is 38, Moss is 31. Our other receivers just simply aren't that talented. If devin was, I'm sure Shanahan would be playing him. Devin has great athleticism, but I don't think he has the skills to ever be a starting receiver. He's buried DEEP on our depth chart, and as far as I know it's not like he's in Shanahan's doghouse. Watching Andre Johnson work was a thing of beauty though. Our pass rush and secondary is quite a bit more talented than the texans and yet Johnson produced and routinely came up with big time catches.

And as far as our running game goes... oh boy. We might not be able to run the ball at all this year. Texans had issues running the ball for years though, maybe that's just a problem with Kyle's system.

[Going Commando]

Galloway played well this game but I don't think you can say our receivers did that well still. The texans, generally, were all over our receivers and their secondary is rather poor. Very little separation, but McNabb made some excellent throws. I don't think we can sit on this unit, Galloway is 38, Moss is 31. Our other receivers just simply aren't that talented. If devin was, I'm sure Shanahan would be playing him. Devin has great athleticism, but I don't think he has the skills to ever be a starting receiver. He's buried DEEP on our depth chart, and as far as I know it's not like he's in Shanahan's doghouse. Watching Andre Johnson work was a thing of beauty though. Our pass rush and secondary is quite a bit more talented than the texans and yet Johnson produced and routinely came up with big time catches.

I don't know, Davis, Armstrong, Moss, Cooley, and Galloway all got open several times for some big plays. I thought they played very well. I wouldn't be so sure about the Devin Thomas situation. He is in Shanahan's doghouse after a poor training camp. Apparently Shanahan didn't like his work ethic and punished him for it. Shanahan's style is ironfisted, and he's run off plenty of talented players before for what boils down to non-football reasons. He's buried Albert Haynesworth on the depth chart after all and he's the most talented player on our team. I think what Thomas needs more than anything else is opportunity. Look at the way other teams have successfully developed their young receivers--the Eagles, the Vikings, the Cowboys, and the Giants. They haven't held anything back from them. They've accepted that mistakes are inevitable and they've dialed them up anyway. For the most part, Jackson, Maclin, Bryant, Harvin, and Nicks are thriving. We've NEVER done the same with either Thomas or Kelly. Even Zorn yanked them around constantly. It'll be a complete shame if we let both Thomas and Kelly bust from keeping them in the cupboard. I still think they were the two of the three best receiver prospects from what turned out to be a pretty good class.

If we can't develop a prospect as good as Thomas, what makes people think we'll have any luck developing a guy like Michael Floyd, Jon Baldwin, or Julio Jones? Safer to go out and spend for a Randy Moss.

Also, I want to say that I don't think the coaches are as down on our group of receivers as the fans generally are. They produced plenty of offense today with the group we have. I definitely don't think they are done with Thomas and Kelly yet. In fact, once the roster gets sorted a bit more by the end of this season, I think Kelly will come back from IR and find a home somewhere on our roster because the coaches seemed to like him. If they didn't, they wouldn't have IRed him and they wouldn't have let him keep his roster spot through a competitive training camp despite not practicing.

And as far as our running game goes... oh boy. We might not be able to run the ball at all this year. Texans had issues running the ball for years though, maybe that's just a problem with Kyle's system.

It is imbalanced, but not horribly so. Our backs and our offensive line are just not that talented outside Trent Williams. It'll take time to acquire the pieces to get this thing to work. There are an ass ton of good college backs right now. Temple, Oregon, Cal, Oklahoma, West Vriginia, Alabama, Pitt, Kansas St., and VT all have a bunch of good backs worth looking into. And I think we can have good luck in the draft picking some interior linemen this year if we go that route. The offense is still a work in progress, but it's showing some terrific signs of improvement.

[DarrellsMyHero28]

It is imbalanced, but not horribly so. Our backs and our offensive line are just not that talented outside Trent Williams. It'll take time to acquire the pieces to get this thing to work. There are an ass ton of good college backs right now. Temple, Oregon, Cal, Oklahoma, West Vriginia, Alabama, Pitt, Kansas St., and VT all have a bunch of good backs worth looking into. And I think we can have good luck in the draft picking some interior linemen this year if we go that route. The offense is still a work in progress, but it's showing some terrific signs of improvement.

Ryan Williams pulled a hammy this weekend, and will likely be out for a bit. Darren Evans and David Wilson will get to showcase their talents. The way that we've **** the bed so far I don't see RW going to the NFL after this year, as I doubt we'll turn it around and have a positive enough year for him to get drafted where he really belongs.

Darren Evans isn't a Shanny type back, and I'm not even sure how well he'll do in the NFL because he's a bruising type back but probably not big enough to do that at the next level. David Wilson on the other hand, could be phenomenal. Very quick and great speed and he's got the strength to break tackles. Should be fun seeing what he can do.

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

Question for mcqueen and d&s: Any big-time safety's in the 2011 draft? Who should I be watching? I doubt we take one in the 1st again, so any with 2nd-round grades that are worth looking at?

[seantaylor=god]

My thoughts on the draft based on what Ive seen so far.

Interior Oline has to be a priority (2nd round pick most likely spent on best C/G available). If we pick a center, stick him at guard for another year or so. Rabach is very average, but Dock is bad. Our running game has looked very,very suspect and its because of poor interior line play (in addition to Cooley/Sellers average blocking).

1st round pick clearly needs to be BPA, but I think OLB, DL, CB, or FS would all be in the discussion. Running back should be addressed later in the draft, but if Ingram or another top notch back is available in the late first (where we will draft, or after a trade down)

The good news is it seems like a pretty solid draft for defensive players (CB, S, DL).

[Tuff]

Awesome breakdown man. Really do appreciate it. Sounds like there's no chance we get a shot at him though

Oh there is still a good chance we get a high draft pick. Lot of NFL left, but who knows about the lockout net year.

[Going Commando]

Question for mcqueen and d&s: Any big-time safety's in the 2011 draft? Who should I be watching? I doubt we take one in the 1st again, so any with 2nd-round grades that are worth looking at?

I think the four best safety prospects in college are all underclassmen: Rahim Moore (UCLA), Mark Barron (Bama), Ray Ray Armstrong (Miami), and Robert Sands (WVU). Armstrong isn't eligible for the draft this year as a true sophomore. He's the next in a line of great Miami safeties, he's definitely one to watch for the future--brilliant striker, natural feet in coverage, good instincts, and tremendous closing speed.

Mark Barron plays as more of a strong safety at Alabama although he's got the athleticism and range to play FS. He flashes first round potential but played with a lot of inconsistency last year and his surrounding talent on defense was phenomenally good since it had about 6 other first and second round picks starting in it (Arenas, Hightower, Cody, Dareus, McClain, Jackson). I believe he's a more natural FS prospect in the NFL. He looks a bit spotty playing downhill and he misses far too many tackles to play in the box with regularity. He looks like he has nice balance in coverage and he reads his keys very well. His ball skills look good. He's got good size for the position too at around 6'2.

Robert Sands is an enormous FS prospect and he's tremendously fast. He matches up well against any receiver in the league at 6'4" 220 pounds. He's not a big hitter, but he's a good and tenacious tackler and takes great angles in pursuit. He's also the incredibly active energizer bunny type, just like LaRon. His closing speed is impressive and he has great ball skills. He demonstrates great leaping ability and looks great catching the ball--plucks it with his hands like a WR and has good concentration to hold onto it. I like his instincts and he seems to read his run-pass keys very well. He is a gifted athlete and is capable of making sure tackles downhill and in pursuit. He plays with nice functional strength and can play with power on contact and drive ball carriers down, limiting extra yards upon contact. He's more of a drag down tackler than a strike but that's all you really need from the position when you've got guys like Landry laying the wood. All in all, Sands is my second favorite safety in college and I think he could be a tremendous value pick in the second round if he comes out. It's more likely some team will take a chance on his measurables and coverage skills in the first though. He looks like he could be a star.

My favorite safety prospect in college is definitely Rahim Moore. Moore is the one guy who I think compares to Eric Berry in his coverage skills and instincts and he's a definite first round caliber talent IMO. However, the reason he won't go nearly as high as Eric Berry is because he's not very strong. He's not going to make many plays around the LoS and he needs to be playing deep, sitting back in coverage, making plays on the ball in the open field. He can get walled off by blockers and isn't strong enough to consistently disengage upon contact. He's an athletic hitter but he lacks the leg drive to stone ball carriers on contact. He will occasionally lower his shoulder and lay the wood when he gets an open shot on a runner, but it doesn't happen all that often. He will miss tackles too from over-pursuing on his angles, and right now he lacks the power to make a ton of tackles off of his frame. But he'll be an effective wrap up tackler in the NFL once he grows a little bit more and goes through NFL weight training. At 6'2" 195 lbs., he's got the frame to add plenty of bulk and strength in the NFL.

What makes Moore special are his balance, speed, acceleration, agility, and instincts in coverage. He plays with the perfect pitch of discipline and gamble. He'll go for the big play when it's there but he'll never let the offense make plays behind him. His footwork is textwork in coverage and he looks very comfortable playing very deep in the defensive backfield. I like his closing speed and his long speed is good too. He's not matched up in man coverage often but I think he's absolutely got the athleticism and skill to walk over and man cover the slot in the NFL. I love his fluidity and speed out of his breaks. The guy can hang on a receiver's hip and then beat him to the ball when it's in the air. He's also got some of the best hands I've ever seen at the position in college. He's an absolute ball hawk, has great leaping ability, and times his jumps perfectly to make big plays. In his first two years as a starter at UCLA, he had 13 interceptions. That's even more than Eric Berry had (12) and I think Moore is poised to crush Berry's career interceptions total. Moore is basically as good a pure FS prospect as you'll see come along. The fact that he doesn't carry a lot of value as an in the box safety and a blitzer will probably hurt his value and keep him out of the top 10. It shouldn't hurt his standing for us though because we've got LaRon already. I like him a lot in a potential tandem with LaRon. Their talents compliment each other nicely since they each bring different things to the table. And if we had Moore playing FS on the field yesterday, I guarantee Andre Johnson doesn't make that catch in the end zone that easily.

As for the seniors, Deandre McDaniel and Deunta Williams are easily the best of the bunch. That said, neither look like first round picks, and should go in a more natural second to third round range. McDaniel is an incredibly productive ballhawk but he plays SS at Clemson and doesn't have impressive timed speed. I'm not sure he's the best fit for us since we're already so loaded at SS. Williams is a playmaker, but I like Kendric Burney a little bit better than him in that second round range as a CB prospect.

Ras-I Dowling should get graded as a FS and could be a first round pick there. He could end up fitting pretty nicely with our defense in that kind of role, he's far better suited to it than CB in the NFL IMO.

I wouldn't discount us taking a S in the first round this year since a guy like Moore could definitely be the BPA. Shanahan has a history of taking DBs in the first. It really comes down to how well Kareem Moore plays when he gets back from injury. If he struggles, then I think we'll target the position and it wouldn't bother me at all if we picked up a really good coverage FS in the first or second. I wouldn't take one over an elite QB, DL, WR, or CB. But it's no guarantee that one will be available to us when we draft.

That said, this year's CB class is flat out impressive. I count at least five prospects deserving of a first round grade: Prince Amukamara, Patrick Peterson, Ras-I Dowling, Aaron Williams, Janoris Jenkins. There will probably be several more who move up into that range like Brandon Harris, Kendric Burney, Brandon Burton, and Neiko Thorpe. Amukamara is sensationally good and Peterson could be among the best corners in the league if he ever got everything all put together. If one of those two players were available when we selected, I would probably draft them ahead of everyone except for Blaine Gabbert, Andrew Luck, Robert Quinn, and Adrian Clayborn. Maybe not ahead of Allen Bailey either. And Mark Ingram could potentially cut it ahead of them, I am super impressed with him. Those two could bring tremendous value to our defense. Hell with them, you could move either Rogers or Hall to FS and field a spectacular starting group of DBs.

[icbmayday]

We need to go after a RB or a LB

[Going Commando]

stevemcqueen,

Thanks for responding in such detail, to me and others, throughout this thread. Especially on the QB's.

Your write-ups on Gabbert on this page, and in the past, are incredibly positive. And yet you acknowledge his current faults with honesty, making the positive comments that much more believable.

He sounds like a prototype NFL Franchise QB straight out of Madden: Mobility and power, some speed, great arm, height and size, leadership abilities, media competence, and YOUTH. Incredible youth for such a seemingly complete package, from your descriptions.

Its time that I looked up some of his highlight vids (even though you admit that highlight vids don't do a QB like him justice). Any recommendations?

Thanks connskin. As far as I can tell, there are few youtube highlights of him. Here is a set of cutups from the game against Nevada last year:

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9BB0mwOBMg = first half

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7UUuIvBof8 = second half

Someone has posted a ton of interviews from him on youtube though, so if you have the desire to listen to him talk, you can. He's a smart guy and gives a good interview, very diplomatic, confident, and well spoken. It's easy to see his flair for leadership. Someone has already taught him coach-speak and I can really see how the rest of the locker room would look up to him as the big man and best player.

[Going Commando]

Hey guys, I just wanted to let everyone who is interested in charting Ryan Mallett's passes versus Georgia on saturday know that the full game is available on the SEC digital network: http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/SECVIDEO/TabId/468/VideoId/8235/Arkansas-Vs-Georgia-Sept-18-2010-Full-Game.aspx

I missed the game myself and plan on watching the broadcast in the next few days to make the chart. It looks like Mallett threw the ball 33 times so there will be plenty to chart. I'll post my analysis after everyone is ready to post theirs.

[Forehead]

After yesterday's debacle from the secondary, I wouldn't mind us taking a look at that Peterson kid from LSU. I saw one LSU game early this season and it was obvious how much better he was than almost everyone else. I didn't see a link to a scouting breakdown for him on Page 1, but I'd surely like to see one.

[Going Commando]

Here's an analogy to frame Patrick Peterson for you. Peterson is to Allen Bailey as Amukamara is to Adrian Clayborn. Amukamara is the better player right now and looks like he could be a stalwart at the next level. Peterson has higher upside but he isn't refined enough yet for my taste for me to confidently project him as a top 5 pick and future impact player. In a lot of ways, Amukamara reminds me of Leon Hall and Darrelle Revis as prospects. Peterson reminds me of Champ Bailey.

I love Peterson's speed in all facets of his game but he bothers me from a technical standpoint. His footwork is still a bit of a work in progress. He plays too high in his stance and I wonder if balance might be an issue for him, or if he lacks some flexibility. His backpedal is awkward when he plays man. In general, I think he takes too many false steps in coverage to be talked about as a top 5 lock. For me, if a CB is going to be taken that high, he needs to have elite man coverage skills and be polished in that facet of his game because he's got to come in and make an instant impact in the NFL. Now Peterson can turn and run with any receiver you man him up on. He's got smooth hips and phenomenal speed out of breaks and closes on the ball just as fast as Joe Haden did. But some will make out like Peterson is a significantly better prospect than Haden was and I don't think that's true. I think he might be a bit better, but he's not the once in a decade prospect he's being hyped up as.

I'm not even sure he's the best prospect in this class. In general, I like Amukamara a bit better right now. He's got great balance and agility in coverage and plays with efficient footwork. Plus Amukamara is the more physical player in run support where he already looks like he's ready for the NFL in that area. Amukamara has great short area burst and ball skills and he closes on the ball quick. What I like best about Amukamara is that he's got a well rounded skill set that can succeed in any type of scheme. I think he's got the strength and fluidity to be a star in a press man scheme, but I actually think his natural talents leave him best suited to playing zone one day because he's got great hands, natural coverage instincts, great closing speed, and nice footwork and balance in coverage. I think he and Adrian Clayborn are easily the two premier senior defenders of the class and I wouldn't hesitate to draft either one. If it came down to a choice between Amukamara and Peterson, it would be a tough one, but I'd choose Amukamara right now.

[Dukes and Skins]

We need to go after a RB or a LB

Right now I'd categorize our needs as

1. DL specifically NT

2. Interior OL

3. RB

[Dukes and Skins]

Hey guys, I just wanted to let everyone who is interested in charting Ryan Mallett's passes versus Georgia on saturday know that the full game is available on the SEC digital network: http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/SECVIDEO/TabId/468/VideoId/8235/Arkansas-Vs-Georgia-Sept-18-2010-Full-Game.aspx

I missed the game myself and plan on watching the broadcast in the next few days to make the chart. It looks like Mallett threw the ball 33 times so there will be plenty to chart. I'll post my analysis after everyone is ready to post theirs.

If you look on Page 29 I gave a pretty decent breakdown of Mallett. I didn't chart his throws but I gave a good analysis on how I felt he performed. It was needless to say a shaky game in that he played well early in the game but the 2nd half his accuracy faded and he just lost it until the final drive

[Dukes and Skins]

Question for mcqueen and d&s: Any big-time safety's in the 2011 draft? Who should I be watching? I doubt we take one in the 1st again, so any with 2nd-round grades that are worth looking at?

Personally, GACOLB It's tough to tell right now because the guys I would love to go after (Moore and Barron) are both 1st round grades but between the two I feel only Moore could go in the 1st round. He's a true FS and one who has great ball hawking ability. He's a lot like Eric Berry as Steve mentioned and someone who you know is the best player at his position right now. Personally if I were the Redskins I would look towards FA this year to shore up the Safety position and then in the 2012 NFL draft I would go after a Safety then like Ray Ray Armstrong

[Going Commando]

Right now I'd categorize our needs as

1. DL specifically NT

2. Interior OL

3. RB

I think DE, OT, OLB, QB, DB, and WR are all positions we could do well to draft at in addition to the ones you mention. Nothing is really glaring right now except maybe the DL. We're in good shape in the first round this year because we can go BPA at a number of positions and fill a need with an impact player. Think about it, if we draft in the teens, Chances are that one of:

- Adrian Clayborn

- Allen Bailey

- Prince Amukamara

- Patrick Peterson

- Mark Ingram

- Rahim Moore

- Jerrelle Powe

- A.J Green

- Michael Floyd

- Robert Quinn

- Andrew Luck

- Blaine Gabbert

- Stephen Paea

- Marcell Dareus

- Akeem Ayers

- Ryan Mallett

- Jake Locker

will be available. That's 17 names right there that could all be impact players on our team. This is a stacked draft class. Unless we horribly screw the pooch, we're going to get a great prospect out of the first round this year.