2011 Comprehensive NFL Draft Database

[Going Commando]

If you couldn't tell I'm very excited about Bruce Miller I think he's going to be a diamond in the 2011 draft and someone I would be more than happy to draft because he'll give you everything he has and he'll put up the stats to back it up

Good post D&S. I've been following Bruce Miller since I watched UCF play Rutgers in their bowl game last year and he stuck out like a sore thumb. He and Torrell Troup made up a really, really good UCF defensive line and Miller was the star. He gave Anthony Davis a shockingly hard time and that's when you started to realize that Miller might be special. He's a bit short but he's powerfully built and he's quick and relentless. He reminds me of watching Lawrence Sidbury and Kroy Biermann tearing it up at the FCS level--undersized but highly skilled pass rushers. Incidentally, the Falcons drafted both of those guys in the middle rounds.

Linebacker is harder than end though. Miller is like a lot of other great college pass rushers that I like. He looks great going forward, but does he have the range and agility to play OLB? I've no doubt he's got the power and strength to hold up against the run.

Regardless, Miller is one of those guys I was talking about when I said looking to the middle rounds to find a complimentary piece for Orakpo. Another name I like is Greg Lloyd from Uconn. He's been good so far and he has VERY good bloodlines as, obviously, he's Greg Lloyd's son. Again, I don't know how well he'd fare standing up and playing on the outside in a 3-4, but he's another one to watch out for as a later round gem.

[Dukes and Skins]

Good post D&S. I've been following Bruce Miller since I watched UCF play Rutgers in their bowl game last year and he stuck out like a sore thumb. He and Torrell Troup made up a really, really good UCF defensive line and Miller was the star. He gave Anthony Davis a shockingly hard time and that's when you started to realize that Miller might be special. He's a bit short but he's powerfully built and he's quick and relentless. He reminds me of watching Lawrence Sidbury and Kroy Biermann tearing it up at the FCS level--undersized but highly skilled pass rushers. Incidentally, the Falcons drafted both of those guys in the middle rounds.

Linebacker is harder than end though. Miller is like a lot of other great college pass rushers that I like. He looks great going forward, but does he have the range and agility to play OLB? I've no doubt he's got the power and strength to hold up against the run.

Regardless, Miller is one of those guys I was talking about when I said looking to the middle rounds to find a complimentary piece for Orakpo. Another name I like is Greg Lloyd from Uconn. He's been good so far and he has VERY good bloodlines as, obviously, he's Greg Lloyd's son. Again, I don't know how well he'd fare standing up and playing on the outside in a 3-4, but he's another one to watch out for as a later round gem.

Greg Lloyd and Bruce Miller are two guys I think that have the ability to be a 3-4 OLB Bruce has the stout ability to hold up against the run but he's also someone who you can tell on film has the motor to play some coverage but also has a high enough motor to get after the QB. I see him a lot like Woodley was coming out I'm not saying he'll be just like Woodley but they act very similar on film except for the fact Miller is a little stonger because he was able to play both DE as well as DT in pass rushing situations at UCF. We'll see how he does though this year and if he can keep up his ridiculous stats

[Laron Burgundy]

Honestly, I think after this season we will see that our biggest holes are at RB followed by WR. I don't know if DT and MK step up this season and Moss will be facing a serious decline when he slows down with age. We've touted for years to fix OL and DL, but I think now we may finally be at the point where we don't NEED 1st or 2nd round picks to fix what holes we have left there.

At RB I love Noel Devine. How many 180 pound rb's can succeed in the nfl though? He doesn't really have an injury history, but even if he doesn't succeed as a full-time rb he could be used at wr and replace the shiftiness we'll be losing as moss gets older. As a rookie he could easily just be a backup to the larger rb's on the team (portis and johnson). Best part is he'd only cost a late 2nd, early 3rd as it stands now and imo he's a better playmaker than best or spiller were (though he lacks their size).

At wr it would be a dream to get one of the top 4 (Jones, Green, Floyd, Baldwin). All are big and all will undoubtedly cost a 1st round pick. Now, hopefully our young receivers step up and we don't have to make this pick, but I would really dread to see our wr corp next year if they fail this year.

[Going Commando]

Honestly, I think after this season we will see that our biggest holes are at RB followed by WR. I don't know if DT and MK step up this season and Moss will be facing a serious decline when he slows down with age. We've touted for years to fix OL and DL, but I think now we may finally be at the point where we don't NEED 1st or 2nd round picks to fix what holes we have left there.

Meh, I think a lot of our needs at certain positions are overblown, particularly WR and LB. Those are the kind of positions where we've already got some young talent (Kelly, Thomas, Orakpo, Riley). If our coaches do their job developing them, some of those guys will become mainstays. I think it's more likely to see us draft those positions (and RB) in the middle rounds.

Also I don't think RB or WR will be BPA for us if we draft in the late teens, early twenties. I think the BPA has a good chance of being a lineman or a quarterback and those are what I'd rather spend a first round pick on anyway.

At RB I love Noel Devine. How many 180 pound rb's can succeed in the nfl though? He doesn't really have an injury history, but even if he doesn't succeed as a full-time rb he could be used at wr and replace the shiftiness we'll be losing as moss gets older. As a rookie he could easily just be a backup to the larger rb's on the team (portis and johnson). Best part is he'd only cost a late 2nd, early 3rd as it stands now and imo he's a better playmaker than best or spiller were (though he lacks their size).

At wr it would be a dream to get one of the top 4 (Jones, Green, Floyd, Baldwin). All are big and all will undoubtedly cost a 1st round pick. Now, hopefully our young receivers step up and we don't have to make this pick, but I would really dread to see our wr corp next year if they fail this year.

I actually like what we've got with Keiland Williams and am hoping we don't cut him. I haven't looked over the RB class that much, but I think Clemson has a big back that's worth watching. Devine is an interesting option because of his elite quickness but he's a little old for a rookie RB isn't he? Shanahan doesn't shy away from any potential character risk when he drafts, but I don't know that Devine has the skill set we look for in a back because he's small and a bit of an east-west runner.

As for the receivers, again I think it's unlikely we'll take one in the first. I'm also not certain all four of those guys have proved themselves first round picks yet. Jones doesn't have enough production yet, and Floyd strikes me as more of a 1st-2nd round guy right now because he hasn't been healthy. Golden Tate made it pretty deep into the second round and I thought he might have been a little better than Floyd. It's no lock that either he or Jones will come out this year anyway, especially if they don't put up big numbers.

[Going Commando]

Steve I've been looking around at some draft sites and there are a few positions I feel are the strongest going into next year QB, WR ILB and OLB. The ones I want to focus one are the ILB and OLB positions and a few guys I've come around to look at who I feel could be stars on our team. First off at the ILB position I want to look at Greg Jones and Chris Galippo. Greg Jones was the star LB on a Michigan State team that was decent last year. He has the agility and strength to fight off blockers and he could be the guy we want to plug in at LB and make our ILB for a long time if we choose to let Rocky go in FA. Galippo is a LB for a good D in USC and he's not as touted as some would think because he's a USC guy but trust me in the times I've watched him he stands out on the film and makes plays constantly. Those two guys could be nice fits at ILB for us. OLB in the 3-4 is a different animal because outside of Quinn and Miller, there isn't a lot of top end starters but there are a few guys who I think are flying under the radar but they have the stats to prove that in a 3-4 D scheme they could definitely be the guy who could shine. LaMarr Woodley was the same way in college he had some size but he wasn't a monster sized LB coming out of college and he mostly played as a DE. The guys I'm looking at are Bruce Miller and Ricky Elmore.

I wanted to go back to this post because I think you bring up some interesting names. I'll say first off that my two favorite 3-4 ILB prospects are Galippo and Dont'a Hightower because they're both prototypes that have played in a 3-4 system in college. BUT, they are also both juniors and I don't really expect either one to declare early. USC has done a good job bringing their senior players back and Galippo is old school. I think he'll return. Same goes for Hightower because I doubt he'll be fully recovered from his disastrous knee injury that happened in the middle of last season. It usually takes over a year for guys to get back to 100%, so his stock could tank if he doesn't perform well. Just look at Corey Wootton. He looked like a surefire first round pick after the 2008 season, got hurt, had a slow 2009 and ended up going in the fourth round. I think Hightower will look off this year, and wisely decide to go back for his senior season to recoup some draft position. This is also the same reason why I think Greg Lloyd could be such a good value at the end of the draft. He was a good player with experience standing up at LB before he tore his ACL and MCL towards the end of the year. He won't be fully recovered and he's switching positions to DE this season so he can just pass rush. I bet he has an off year and gets denegrated to a 6th or 7th round range which makes him a low risk, high reward player IMO.

As for Greg Jones, he's an interesting case. He was the best defensive player in the Big 10 last year which is saying something because Brandon Graham, Pat Angerer, Cameron Heyward, Adrian Clayborn, and Navorro Bowman were all really good too. Jones might be the best linebacker in the entire country this year. He'll certainly be one of the most productive ones, I think he averages something like 12 tackles a game. He's got NFL instincts, range, and tackling ability so I think he translates well to the pro game and will be just as productive at the next level.

My question with him is, great player that he is, would you draft Jon Beason to play ILB in a 3-4? I wouldn't because I don't think he could handle that kind of role. Greg Jones reminds me a lot of Beason in build and skillset. He's listed at 6'1 235-240 in most places which is a little small to play ILB in a 3-4. Plus he's not a big blitzer which is one thing you look for your ILBs to do. He's just a read and react tackling machine like Beason or London Fletcher.

Now there's certainly a place for smaller linebackers like Jones in a 3-4 defense. Bart Scott isn't all that big himself and he's been very successful. Jones is also a lot stronger than you'd think and from what I've seen, he seems to hold his own very well stacking blockers. That makes sense, how else would he get 150 tackles in a season without being able to control blockers? Jones also started out playing SAM for Michigan St. before he moved inside to MIKE so he's had some experience doing the nitty gritty of linebacking. And he's by all accounts a tremendous leader with great character, and it never hurts adding those types to your roster. I was ready for us to draft Navorro Bowman last year, Jones is even better. His instincts are so tremendous, you have to think he'd be fairly successful in almost any scheme.

At the same time, if we're looking at non-prototype college 4-3 linebackers, I think we could definitely include Bruce Carter, Nate Irving, and Mark Herzlich in the conversation, all of the ACC guys. I don't think they are as smart or NFL ready as Jones is, but (with the exception of Irving) they're bigger and as talented as he is. How Herzlich comes back from cancer is going to be a great story, and he was a first round caliber talent before his illness. It's probably the same for Irving, who missed last season because he was hurt in a car accident. Carter is also great. He's a tremendous athlete and super talented player with outstanding leadership qualities. He'll probably be ranked ahead of Jones as the top LB at the end of the year because he's got better size. I wouldn't at all mind drafting him to play inside if I didn't think he was going to be a fairly high first round pick.

BTW, Nice call on Ricky Elmore D&S. I'll be watching more of Arizona this season to see how Nick Foles does, I'll check Elmore out too. His production last year is impressive and you've got to like his size which is prototype for a 3-4 OLB. I think you're right that he could definitely be someone to keep an eye on.

Lastly, I wanted to point out that Martez Wilson from Illinois is another guy that bears watching. He's technically class of 2012 since I think he got a medical hardship red shirt last season. After his 2008 year, it looked like he'd be a potential first round pick. He's a tremendous athlete a la Rey Maualuga and he's one of the few ILBs who has prototypical 3-4 size. He could bust out and work his way into first or second round consideration. More likely, I think he'd constitute a mid round gem if he leaves school early.

[squatch66]

Man this is a great thread. I'm just wondering if the talent in the first round will be too much to pass up if we are looking to move down and recoup some picks. I would really like to see us move back and have more picks but it would be really hard with a guy like gabbert out there.

[Going Commando]

I'm going to make a few adjustments to my 2011 draft wishlist to where I'm going to take off a few players who I don't expect to declare early.

2011 - first round:

1. Robert Quinn

2. Jake Locker (If Jim Harbaugh moves to the NFL, if not I think Luck stays)

3. Andrew Luck

4. Patrick Peterson

5. Jonathan Baldwin

6. A.J. Green

7. Adrian Clayborn

8. Stephen Paea

9. Jerrell Powe

10. Cameron Heyward

11. Marcel Dareus

12. Prince Amukamara

13. Allen Bailey

14. Gabe Carimi

15. Rahim Moore

16. Greg Romeus

17. Bruce Carter

18. Nate Solder

19. Tyron Smith

20. Ryan Williams

21. Mark Ingram

22. Rodney Hudson

23. Christian Ponder

24. Michael Floyd

25. Greg Jones

I took Blaine Gabbert, Chris Galippo, Dont'a Hightower, and Julio Jones off the list since I think there is a pretty good chance they all stay in school. Same for Mark Barron.

I revised Robert Quinn as the top player on my list. He's an incredible talent that reminds me of Brian Orakpo. We'll probably have to be picking high to get him, but never count out the stupidity of NFL GMs. We got Orakpo at 13 after all and that was in a much, much weaker draft. If Gabbert is in the mix, I'd take him above everyone else probably. But projecting Gabbert in the 2012 class, I would take Quinn first overall. He's blindingly quick, agile, strong, instinctual, and skilled. He's a gifted pass rusher and he plays the run almost as well as the pass. But mainly he's just an insanely fast pass rusher. His first step is spectacular, his closing speed is spectacular, and his balance when he hits the corner and leans is impressive. I think he'd be able to play OLB as well as Orakpo has which gives him value for 3-4 defenses. And Godalmighty what a pair Quinn and Orakpo would make. They'd instantly become the most fearsome tandem in the league.

Assuming Gabbert is out of the picture until 2012, a class where we landed Quinn or Paea/Powe in the first and a LB like Greg Jones or Mark Herzlich in the second is one of my best case scenarios. I think you could set our defense up for good with a draft like that.

[Going Commando]

Man this is a great thread. I'm just wondering if the talent in the first round will be too much to pass up if we are looking to move down and recoup some picks. I would really like to see us move back and have more picks but it would be really hard with a guy like gabbert out there.

There are some GOOD quarterbacks in the mix this year and next. It's definitely something to get excited about (and another reason why I think we should have traded our 2nd round pick last year for a second first round pick this year instead of spending it on McNabb). Here's the way I would characterize some of the big name QBs that are being talked about this year. I'm making these comparisons based purely on skill set and the types of talents possessed. Try to separate that from career achievement when you read them. Career achievement depends on so much more than talent level--factors that we can't see watching the games like mental makeup, work ethic, falling into the right situation. I'm not talking about any of those things in these comparisons. That's how being compared to JaMarcus Russell (in terms of talent) is actually a good thing.

Jake Locker - John Elway, but if you want more recent examples: think Aaron Rodgers arm and delivery, Jason Campbell-like ability to take a hit, and Vince Young/Tony Romo sits to pee speed & open field elusiveness

Andrew Luck - Matt Ryan with better wheels

Blaine Gabbert - Carson Palmer's arm, Vince Young's legs

Ryan Mallett - JaMarcus Russell

Christian Ponder - Mark Sanchez

Terrelle Pryor - Vince Young (eerie how similar they play)

Jerrod Johnson - a tall David Garrard (good runner, limited arm strength and delivery)

Cam Newton - Daunte Culpepper/Ben Roethlisburger (Huge QB, dual threat with strong arm & some maturity issues)

Nick Foles - Joe Flacco

[darrelgreenie]

Meh, I think a lot of our needs at certain positions are overblown, particularly WR and LB. Those are the kind of positions where we've already got some young talent (Kelly, Thomas, Orakpo, Riley). If our coaches do their job developing them, some of those guys will become mainstays. I think it's more likely to see us draft those positions (and RB) in the middle rounds.

I agree that its too early to have WR as an area of need(1st round).

If Devin/Kelly or another of our young receivers step up i doubt we would draft a WR for need. BPA? Maybe

In an interview on Redskins nation Haslett described the ILB as our thinnest position on defense; even thinner then OLB.

http://www.csnwashington.com/pages/video

I'm not sure how much i agree with that b/c with Rocky, Fletch, Blades and Riley/Henson i think we're pretty deep and relatively young.

I view LOLB as thin but that's b/c i don't view any of the guys we have as true LOLBs.

But, the ultimate answer depends on how Haslett uses the LOLB in his scheme.

I suspect he's gonna use Lonzo for run/edge setting and Carter for pass rush.

But, then again Haslett may have been refering to sheer numbers and in that case we have a bunch of OLBs.

I think the BPA has a good chance of being a lineman or a quarterback and those are what I'd rather spend a first round pick on anyway.

I hope we don't draft a QB in the 1st round.

I view those picks as valueable immediate impact picks that make the team better right away.

Drafting a QB that high while McNabb is still the starter would have no immediate positive impact.

A QB taken in the 1st round should be ready to contribute right away or imo you shouldn't take them.

I hope we take a QB or even 2 in every draft until we're ready to part ways with McNabb.(Just not in the 1st round)

And if we're unable to successfully develop a replacement form that bunch then and only then would i draft a QB in the 1st round.

(Although the new CBA might change my view)

I would hope for an OL or NT or non-QB BPA.

I actually like what we've got with Keiland Williams and am hoping we don't cut him. I haven't looked over the RB class that much, but I think Clemson has a big back that's worth watching. Devine is an interesting option because of his elite quickness but he's a little old for a rookie RB isn't he? Shanahan doesn't shy away from any potential character risk when he drafts, but I don't know that Devine has the skill set we look for in a back because he's small and a bit of an east-west runner.

I like Keiland Williams a lot, i like him more then Torain.

He has very fullbackesque no non-sense get square, get north style its not flashy but its productive.

I don't think Devine's age is an issue (22 right?) and i think his skillset would be a useful addition to the offense, even if he's not a typical 25 carry type RB.

I think he's dynamic enough to be a home run threat RB and have an impact in the passing game.

Where is Devine projected these days?

[Dukes and Skins]

Man this is a great thread. I'm just wondering if the talent in the first round will be too much to pass up if we are looking to move down and recoup some picks. I would really like to see us move back and have more picks but it would be really hard with a guy like gabbert out there.

Actually I think we are in a position where if we're missing out on Baldwin, Green Peterson, Quinn, and the QB's which I think we will be, then I think we will look to drop back farther into the 1st round. We have the opportunity to get a lot of mid 1st to mid 2nd guys in the 2011 draft who if it were a weaker class would actually be 1st round picks. I could see us drafting at 17 or 18 and then trading back into the late 20's to get a 2nd or 3rd along with that 1st round pick. It'll definitely be an interesting off-season because a lot dictates on what we do in FA and other subsequent moves

[Dukes and Skins]

I agree that its too early to have WR as an area of need(1st round).

If Devin/Kelly or another of our young receivers step up i doubt we would draft a WR for need. BPA? Maybe

In an interview on Redskins nation Haslett described the ILB as our thinnest position on defense; even thinner then OLB.

http://www.csnwashington.com/pages/video

I'm not sure how much i agree with that b/c with Rocky, Fletch, Blades and Riley/Henson i think we're pretty deep and relatively young.

I view LOLB as thin but that's b/c i don't view any of the guys we have as true LOLBs.

But, the ultimate answer depends on how Haslett uses the LOLB in his scheme.

I suspect he's gonna use Lonzo for run/edge setting and Carter for pass rush.

But, then again Haslett may have been refering to sheer numbers and in that case we have a bunch of OLBs.

I hope we don't draft a QB in the 1st round.

I view those picks as valueable immediate impact picks that make the team better right away.

Drafting a QB that high while McNabb is still the starter would have no immediate positive impact.

A QB taken in the 1st round should be ready to contribute right away or imo you shouldn't take them.

I hope we take a QB or even 2 in every draft until we're ready to part ways with McNabb.(Just not in the 1st round)

And if we're unable to successfully develop a replacement form that bunch then and only then would i draft a QB in the 1st round.

(Although the new CBA might change my view)

I would hope for an OL or NT or non-QB BPA.

I like Keiland Williams a lot, i like him more then Torain.

He has very fullbackesque no non-sense get square, get north style its not flashy but its productive.

I don't think Devine's age is an issue (22 right?) and i think his skillset would be a useful addition to the offense, even if he's not a typical 25 carry type RB.

I think he's dynamic enough to be a home run threat RB and have an impact in the passing game.

Where is Devine projected these days?

Darrel let me answer a couple of things on your post, first of Devine right now is a projected 2nd to 3rd round pick according to Walter Football. same with CBS they have Devine anywhere between the 2nd and 3rd round. He's someone who if he runs a top end 40 yard dash, will skyrocket up boards although I'm worried that he's not a big guy and yes he's fast and he can hit the corner but if he gets leveled pretty hard, then who knows how he'll get up after it. In terms of the rest of your post I'm pretty dead on with what you think. Gabbert like Steve said is going to probably stay in school if a new labor deal is reached and with that I think we'll go in the direction of an OLB or ILB or a CB is a possibility if Rogers leaves and they aren't as comfortable with Barnes just yet. Who knows what will happen right now because a lot of what we'll be looking at in April could be very different than now because we could be looking at a S if Moore and Landry struggle or we could be looking at QB if McNabb leaves(I'm not saying it will happen but its a possibility if we can't get a long term deal).

Right now I have us at pick 18 for the 2011 Draft and if that plays out, I can see us definitely trading down to acquire some more picks and then add some more players. With Williams I think everyone is impressed with him now but if he can put up some decent numbers against the Ravens and Jets D then I will become more and more impressed with him. The Bills D he shredded was decent at best and he made them look bad but if he can break some runs against the Ravens who are IMO a deeper team than we are, then we'll see him start to turn a lot of heads. This is certainly going to be one great year of CFB and NFL action

[Chicken Fried]

Terrelle Pryor - Vince Young (eerie how similar they play)

I want absolutely nothing to do with Pryor. I think he is a terrible quarterback. When it comes right down to it, he's an exceptional athlete who happens to play QB, not a QB who happens to be an exceptional athlete. That setup has never worked, and I don't think it ever will. I remember last season the commentators were saying he needed to switch positions or else he might not be playing any longer.

[Chicken Fried]

And for the record, I still want Ryan Williams out of Tech the most. Well, I want Andrew Luck the most but that might not be a great pick if McNabb stays for 3 or 4 years. Plus, we probably won't pick high enough to get him. I'm not sure Shanny would be willing to take a RB in the first (but didn't he take Portis in the 1st back with Denver?). I think we need to inject youth, speed, and explosion into our running game. Portis and Johnson can manage for sure, but I can't see them taking over a game and winning it for us at this point in their careers. I don't see anyone else in this draft with the exciting skills the Williams has.

[Dukes and Skins]

I want absolutely nothing to do with Pryor. I think he is a terrible quarterback. When it comes right down to it, he's an exceptional athlete who happens to play QB, not a QB who happens to be an exceptional athlete. That setup has never worked, and I don't think it ever will. I remember last season the commentators were saying he needed to switch positions or else he might not be playing any longer.

I can see your point CF but Pryor at the end of last season looked a lot different than the Pryor of 2008. He looked like a QB who had poise and the mechanics to be a successful QB in the NFL plus he has the wheels to make plays with his feet. I'm not saying he's going to be the next Mike Vick QB but I think he'll end up being drafted by someone who they can mentor and tutor for a year or two and become a starter for a team and thats where we could become a player for him in the 2nd round if they look to go for a QB although I feel they'll wait until the 2012 draft to look for QB's where it'll be a loaded class.

[theboomking]

I'm mixed on my opinion of Solder. My first impression of him is that he's too tall to be a good fit. Have you ever heard of a standout ZBS tackle that's 6'8? Then again you watch him run and he looks more like an NBA player and not your typical 6'8 OT. Alex Gibbs once gave an interview where he said unequivocally that he didn't want any OTs over 6'5". Could he make an exception for Solder given the fact he runs so fast? And then there's this little blurb from NFLdraftscout.com (emphasis mine):

He's a smooth looking athlete too and doesn't look gangly or awkward. His arms are super long, and he's got good knee bend and balance. One thing I'd definitely worry about is his base strength given he's about as high cut as they come. But not as much if we're talking about him in a ZBS. I don't know the ins and the outs of the system all that well, but if he's being compared to Trent Williams, doesn't that mean he could fit? Here's a good video of him in a game last year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5DyDyVZO6U

He gets beaten pretty bad at one point when he's too slow out of his stance and doesn't get his hands on the guy, but other than that he does a pretty good job that game. His speed is blazing and his upper body strength looks solid even though he's nearly always working with a leverage disadvantage. I think he could have a hell of a punch with some work. He even gets some nice push in the running game towards the goal line at one point. He's got good instincts too. He makes the right adjustments and usually finds the right man to block which is crucial since you see the rest of Colorado's OL getting beat constantly. Also remember when watching this, Missouri fields the best DE combination in the Big 12, so he's not playing scrubs here.

Would I draft him if he has a good year and good combine and is one of the BPA when we pick? I think it depends on what Jamaal Brown's situation is. If Brown isn't on the team any more, then I probably would because it would be friggin awesome to have two elite pass protectors as our bookends for the next decade. We'd never need to keep our tight ends home to pass block and we'd still be able to shut down pressure from the edge.

I stopped the video at 4:06 out of 4:48. He's got a high center of gravity, and looked okay in the first part of the video, but the DE was eating his lunch by the end of it, shedding Solder with his hands and core on initial contact, and beating him cleanly inside. I have a hard time believing that Solder will be a 1st rounder. Based on that video, his height, and his lack of reputation, I bet he falls. Solder is ranked in the top 10 of Scouts inc top 150 for the NFL draft.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/rankings

Jake Locker QB 6'2½" 229 Washington 95 1 1

Robert Quinn DE 6'4⅝" 254 North Carolina 95 1 2

Prince Amukamara CB 6'0" 203 Nebraska 95 1 3

A.J. Green WR 6'4" 208 Georgia 94 1 4

Marcell Dareus DT 6'2⅝" 303 Alabama 94 1 5

Andrew Luck QB 6'4" 235 Stanford 94 2 6

Ras-I Dowling CB 6'1½" 201 Virginia 93 2 7

Nate Solder OT 6'8" 300 Colorado 93 1 8

Allen Bailey DE 6'3½" 287 Miami (FL) 93 2 9

Janoris Jenkins CB 5'11⅛" 189 Florida 92 3 10

Mark Herzlich OLB 6'4" 247 Boston College 92 1 11

Ryan Mallett QB 6'6¾" 238 Arkansas 92 3 12

Marvin Austin DT 6'2¾" 303 North Carolina 92 2 13

Cameron Heyward DE 6'5" 278 Ohio State 92 3 14

Rodney Hudson OC 6'2½" 277 Florida State 92 1 15

Gabe Carimi OT 6'6¾" 318 Wisconsin 92 2 16

Adrian Clayborn DE 6'3" 285 Iowa 91 4 17

Travis Lewis OLB 6'2" 232 Oklahoma 91 2 18

Mark Ingram RB 5'10" 215 Alabama 91 1 19

Von Miller OLB 6'3" 238 Texas A&M 91 3 20

Patrick Peterson CB 6'1" 211 LSU 91 4 21

Jared Crick DT 6'5½" 288 Nebraska 91 3 22

Orlando Franklin OT 6'6⅜" 318 Miami (FL) 91 3 23

Ryan Williams RB 5'10" 210 Virginia Tech 90 2 24

Stephen Paea DT 6'1" 304 Oregon State 90 4 25

Bruce Carter OLB 6'3" 225 North Carolina 90 4 26

Rahim Moore S 6'1" 196 UCLA 90 1 27

Ryan Kerrigan DE 6'4" 259 Purdue 90 5 28

Brandon Harris CB 5'10½" 193 Miami (FL) 90 5 29

Anthony Castonzo OT 6'7" 295 Boston College 90 4 30

Kyle Rudolph TE 6'5¼" 253 Notre Dame 90 1 31

Julio Jones WR 6'4" 211 Alabama 90 2 32

Aaron Williams CB 6'0½" 192 Texas 89 6 33

Jonathan Baldwin WR 6'4⅝" 224 Pittsburgh 89 3 34

Da'Quan Bowers DE 6'4" 280 Clemson 89 6 35

Jurrell Casey DT 6'0¾" 300 USC 89 5 36

Quinton Carter S 6'1" 197 Oklahoma 88 2 37

Akeem Ayers OLB 6'3¾" 249 UCLA 88 5 38

Blaine Gabbert QB 6'5" 240 Missouri 88 4 39

Graig Cooper RB 6'0" 208 Miami (FL) 88 3 40

Mike Pouncey OC 6'5" 309 Florida 88 2 41

Greg Little WR 6'3" 210 North Carolina 88 4 42

Greg Romeus DE 6'5" 265 Pittsburgh 87 7 43

Michael Floyd WR 6'3¼" 215 Notre Dame 87 5 44

Demarcus Love OT 6'4½" 313 Arkansas 87 5 45

Jerrell Powe DT 6'2" 320 Mississippi 86 6 46

Daniel Thomas RB 6'2" 228 Kansas State 86 4 47

Quan Sturdivant ILB 6'1⅞" 227 North Carolina 86 1 48

Kendric Burney CB 5'9" 180 North Carolina 86 7 49

Christian Ponder QB 6'2" 221 Florida StateBrandon Boykin CB 5'10" 183 Georgia 85 8 51

Mark Barron S 6'1¾" 210 Alabama 85 3 52

Jeremy Beal OLB 6'3" 263 Oklahoma 84 6 53

DeAndre McDaniel S 6'0" 216 Clemson 84 4 54

Weslye Saunders TE 6'5" 268 South Carolina 84 2 55

Curtis Brown CB 6'0" 182 Texas 84 9 56

Armon Binns WR 6'2½" 210 Cincinnati 83 6 57

Ross Homan ILB 6'0" 232 Ohio State 82 2 58

Demarco Murray RB 6'1" 217 Oklahoma 82 5 59

Jason Pinkston OT 6'3½" 308 Pittsburgh 81 6 60

Terrence Toliver WR 6'3½" 208 LSU 81 7 61

Jerrel Jernigan WR 5'9" 183 Troy 80 8 62

Adrian Taylor DT 6'4" 298 Oklahoma 80 7 63

Nate Potter OT 6'6" 293 Boise State 80 7 64

John Clay RB 6'1" 248 Wisconsin 80 6 65

Deunta Williams S 6'1½" 204 North Carolina 80 5 66

Luke Stocker TE 6'5" 247 Tennessee 80 3 67

Evan Royster RB 6'0" 212 Penn State 79 7 68

Kenrick Ellis DT 6'4½" 336 Hampton 79 8 69

Cameron Jordan DE 6'4" 280 California 79 8 70

Kelvin Sheppard OLB 6'2" 244 LSU 79 7 71

Ryan Broyles WR 5'11⅛" 178 Oklahoma 79 9 72

Clint Boling OG 6'4" 304 Georgia 79 1 73

Jimmy Smith CB 6'2" 203 Colorado 78 10 74

Brandon Saine RB 6'0" 217 Ohio State 77 8 75

Vincent Brown WR 5'11½" 197 San Diego State 77 10 76

Pernell McPhee DE 6'2½" 275 Mississippi State 76 9 77

Ahmad Black S 5'9" 187 Florida 76 6 78

Drake Nevis DT 6'0½" 289 LSU 76 9 79

DeVier Posey WR 6'2" 200 Ohio State 76 11 80

Noel Devine RB 5'7⅝" 177 West Virginia 75 9 81

Rashad Carmichael CB 5'10" 182 Virginia Tech 75 11 82

Greg Jones ILB 6'1" 237 Michigan State 75 3 83

Lee Ziemba OT 6'5" 320 Auburn 75 8 84

Niles Paul WR 6'1" 224 Nebraska 74 12 85

David Arkin OG 6'4½" 294 Missouri State 74 2 86

Nate Irving ILB 6'1" 231 North Carolina State 73 4 87

Blake Ayles TE 6'4¾" 248 USC 73 4 88

Colin McCarthy OLB 6'2½" 240 Miami (FL) 72 8 89

Jacquizz Rodgers RB 5'7" 190 Oregon State 72 10 90

Matt Reynolds OT 6'6" 323 Brigham Young 72 9 91

Nick Toon WR 6'3" 211 Wisconsin 72 13 92

Chimdi Chekwa CB 5'11" 192 Ohio State 72 12 93

Phil Taylor DT 6'3" 351 Baylor 72 10 94

Dwayne Harris WR 5'10¼" 202 East Carolina 71 14 95

Marcus Gilchrist CB 5'10⅜" 193 Clemson 71 13 96

Duke Ihenacho S 6'0" 206 San Jose State 71 7 97

Andrew Jackson OG 6'5" 288 Fresno State 71 3 98

Don't'a Hightower ILB 6'3½" 256 Alabama 70 5 99

Pat Devlin QB 6'3" 225 Delaware 70 6 100

Ranked Players

NAME POS HT WT SCHOOL GRADE POS RANK OVR RANK

Zach Hurd OG 6'6¾" 322 Connecticut 70 4 101

Cliff Matthews DE 6'4" 263 South Carolina 70 10 102

Titus Young WR 5'11½" 172 Boise State 70 15 103

Victor Anderson RB 5'9" 184 Louisville 70 11 104

Chris Galippo ILB 6'1½" 248 USC 69 6 105

Dyrell Roberts WR 6'1¼" 193 Virginia Tech 69 16 106

D.J Williams TE 6'2" 239 Arkansas 69 5 107

Craig Marshall DE 6'4" 262 South Florida 69 11 108

Davon House CB 6'0" 190 New Mexico State 68 14 109

Dontay Moch OLB 6'1½" 236 Nevada 68 9 110

Marcus Cannon OG 6'5" 361 TCU 68 5 111

Will Hill S 6'0½" 205 Florida 68 8 112

Case Keenum QB 6'0½" 207 Houston 68 7 113

Mike McNeill TE 6'4" 230 Nebraska 67 6 114

Ronald Johnson WR 5'10¾" 187 USC 67 17 115

Chris Hairston OT 6'6½" 321 Clemson 67 10 116

Jack Crawford DE 6'5" 256 Penn State 67 12 117

Shareece Wright CB 5'10¾" 184 USC 67 15 118

Roy Helu RB 5'11½" 223 Nebraska 67 12 119

James Carpenter OG 6'4½" 288 Alabama 66 6 120

Leonard Hankerson WR 6'2⅝" 213 Miami (FL) 66 18 121

Jabaal Sheard DE 6'2½" 252 Pittsburgh 65 13 122

Derek Sherrod OT 6'5" 303 Mississippi State 65 11 123

Kenneth Wright OLB 6'3" 243 Mississippi State 65 10 124

Chris L. Rucker CB 6'1⅜" 196 Michigan State 65 16 125

Stefen Wisniewski OC 6'3" 293 Penn State 64 3 126

Lance Kendricks TE 6'2½" 238 Wisconsin 64 7 127

Da'Rel Scott RB 5'11" 198 Maryland 64 13 128

Jarvis Jenkins DT 6'4" 303 Clemson 64 11 129

Jeremy Kerley WR 5'9⅝" 189 TCU 64 19 130

Chykie Brown CB 5'11½" 187 Texas 63 17 131

Shiloh Keo S 5'11" 220 Idaho 63 9 132

Sam Acho DE 6'3" 258 Texas 62 14 133

Brandon Hogan CB 5'10" 194 West Virginia 61 18 134

Ian Williams DT 6'1½" 303 Notre Dame 61 12 135

Tyrod Taylor QB 6'1" 216 Virginia Tech 61 8 136

Gregory Salas WR 6'1" 207 Hawaii 61 20 137

Cameron Graham TE 6'3⅝" 250 Louisville 61 8 138

Devon Torrence CB 6'0" 192 Ohio State 60 19 139

Jermale Hines S 6'2" 212 Ohio State 60 10 140

Alex Wujciak ILB 6'2½" 245 Maryland 60 7 141

Caleb Schlauderaff OG 6'3½" 298 Utah 60 7 142

Benjamin Ijalana OT 6'3½" 317 Villanova 60 12 143

Brandon Hicks OLB 6'1½" 222 Florida 60 11 144

Pierre Allen DE 6'4" 261 Nebraska 59 15 145

Kris O'Dowd OC 6'4" 298 USC 59 4 146

Kendall Hunter RB 5'8" 202 Oklahoma State 59 14 147

Korey Lindsey CB 5'10½" 185 Southern Illinois 58 20 148

Charlie Gantt TE 6'4¾" 251 Michigan State 58 9 149

James Rodgers WR 5'6⅝" 186 Oregon State

[theboomking]

I wanted to go back to this post because I think you bring up some interesting names. I'll say first off that my two favorite 3-4 ILB prospects are Galippo and Dont'a Hightower because they're both prototypes that have played in a 3-4 system in college. BUT, they are also both juniors and I don't really expect either one to declare early. USC has done a good job bringing their senior players back and Galippo is old school. I think he'll return. Same goes for Hightower because I doubt he'll be fully recovered from his disastrous knee injury that happened in the middle of last season. It usually takes over a year for guys to get back to 100%, so his stock could tank if he doesn't perform well. Just look at Corey Wootton. He looked like a surefire first round pick after the 2008 season, got hurt, had a slow 2009 and ended up going in the fourth round. I think Hightower will look off this year, and wisely decide to go back for his senior season to recoup some draft position. This is also the same reason why I think Greg Lloyd could be such a good value at the end of the draft. He was a good player with experience standing up at LB before he tore his ACL and MCL towards the end of the year. He won't be fully recovered and he's switching positions to DE this season so he can just pass rush. I bet he has an off year and gets denegrated to a 6th or 7th round range which makes him a low risk, high reward player IMO.

Can we just please, please, steer clear of the guys with history of catastrophic knee injuries? Honestly, the only one I can remember being really good of late was Antonio Cromartie, who has already fallen off his peak.

As for Greg Jones, he's an interesting case. He was the best defensive player in the Big 10 last year which is saying something because Brandon Graham, Pat Angerer, Cameron Heyward, Adrian Clayborn, and Navorro Bowman were all really good too. Jones might be the best linebacker in the entire country this year. He'll certainly be one of the most productive ones, I think he averages something like 12 tackles a game. He's got NFL instincts, range, and tackling ability so I think he translates well to the pro game and will be just as productive at the next level.

My question with him is, great player that he is, would you draft Jon Beason to play ILB in a 3-4? I wouldn't because I don't think he could handle that kind of role. Greg Jones reminds me a lot of Beason in build and skillset. He's listed at 6'1 235-240 in most places which is a little small to play ILB in a 3-4. Plus he's not a big blitzer which is one thing you look for your ILBs to do. He's just a read and react tackling machine like Beason or London Fletcher.

Now there's certainly a place for smaller linebackers like Jones in a 3-4 defense. Bart Scott isn't all that big himself and he's been very successful. Jones is also a lot stronger than you'd think and from what I've seen, he seems to hold his own very well stacking blockers. That makes sense, how else would he get 150 tackles in a season without being able to control blockers? Jones also started out playing SAM for Michigan St. before he moved inside to MIKE so he's had some experience doing the nitty gritty of linebacking. And he's by all accounts a tremendous leader with great character, and it never hurts adding those types to your roster. I was ready for us to draft Navorro Bowman last year, Jones is even better. His instincts are so tremendous, you have to think he'd be fairly successful in almost any scheme.

We're going to be needing a guy to replace London Fletcher. Maybe the role London plays would fit Jones?

At the same time, if we're looking at non-prototype college 4-3 linebackers, I think we could definitely include Bruce Carter, Nate Irving, and Mark Herzlich in the conversation, all of the ACC guys. I don't think they are as smart or NFL ready as Jones is, but (with the exception of Irving) they're bigger and as talented as he is. How Herzlich comes back from cancer is going to be a great story, and he was a first round caliber talent before his illness. It's probably the same for Irving, who missed last season because he was hurt in a car accident. Carter is also great. He's a tremendous athlete and super talented player with outstanding leadership qualities. He'll probably be ranked ahead of Jones as the top LB at the end of the year because he's got better size. I wouldn't at all mind drafting him to play inside if I didn't think he was going to be a fairly high first round pick.

I don't think I'd be in favor of drafting a 4-3 OLB, high in the draft, to play 3-4 ILB. So much of playing LB is instincts, and it's really hard to poject how guys will do.

Lastly, I wanted to point out that Martez Wilson from Illinois is another guy that bears watching. He's technically class of 2012 since I think he got a medical hardship red shirt last season. After his 2008 year, it looked like he'd be a potential first round pick. He's a tremendous athlete a la Rey Maualuga and he's one of the few ILBs who has prototypical 3-4 size. He could bust out and work his way into first or second round consideration. More likely, I think he'd constitute a mid round gem if he leaves school early.

I LOVE the idea of getting a guy like Rey Maualuga. We've got a bruiser in the secondary with Landry, but we could really use someone who strikes through the ball carrier in our LB corps. Even though Fletcher is great, and will lay some big hits on occasion, I'm not sure I would credit him as being the kind physical presence that intimidates ball carriers. If we are trying to imitate the Ravens and Steelers, I'd say we have a ways to go in terms of becoming a defense that physically punishes an offense. In any case, I'm not sure Wilson is that kind of guy. He's got the size at 6'4" and 250, but after checking out the only highlight video of him I could find, against Michigan in 08, Wilson didn't look like a striker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyQyGwR9KjI&feature=related

Bruce Miller is a DE for UCF but many project him as a OLB in the 3-4 because he has the strength to take on the run and be effective in pass rushing. At only 253 he's not going to be a guy who will stand out on the field when you first look at him but once he starts playing and you see him manhandle some of these OG and OT's you'll understand why he should be picked by this team. Imagine what Jared Allen was in college and you have Bruce Miller although I think Bruce is more suitable for the 3-4 and he would do much better in that scheme than the 4-3 because it would allow him to show off his pass rushing skill but also allow him to show off his strength to stop the run

Heres a nice video of Miller http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FABW6VvkrA

Ricky Elmore is another guy you want to keep an eye out on because also he has the size to be a 3-4 OLB because he's got the strength to take on the blockers but also he was able to put up 10.5 sacks as a DE in the 4-3. I think he's better suited as a 3-4 OLB and if I had to compare him to one player in the NFL I would say Paul Krueger from Baltimore is the best example there about the same size and they have very similar builds. He's someone who right now is around a mid 3rd to early 4th round pick but if he puts up a season like Krueger did, then he'll skyrocket up boards.

If you couldn't tell I'm very excited about Bruce Miller I think he's going to be a diamond in the 2011 draft and someone I would be more than happy to draft because he'll give you everything he has and he'll put up the stats to back it up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FABW6VvkrA

Thanks D&S. That was an impressive highlight video. Miller doesn't look to have an elite 1st step, but looks good in pursuit, plays with a ton of power, and looks to be a high motor guy. With 7 sacks in '07 and '08, and 13 in '09, he has been very productive, but the 44 TFL look equally appealing. As we have all been discussing, we could really use a Woodley type OLB that can stack and shed and play the run behind the LOS. Could he be my Brandon Graham-esque OLB crush of 2011?

According to that video, Bruce Miller benches 520, has a 34 inch vertical and runs a 4.7. If he looks that good at the combine, and produces this year at the same clip he did last year, I doubt that he gets out of the second round. A team like the Jets, Ravens, Steelers or Pats will snap him up.

[Mania]

Right now here's my top 10 in the NFL draft

1. Buffalo

2. St Louis

3. Cleveland

4. Kansas City

5. Jacksonville

6. New England(From Oakland)

7. Seattle

8. Chicago

9. Detroit

10. Miami

With that top 10 I can see 3 teams right now that could be looking for a QB that would mean Locker would go #1 to Buffalo and then I could see Luck going #4 to KC as they could get rid of Cassel if he struggles. That would send someone else flying up the board and could lead to a 3 QB top 10 which would be crazy to see

Actually, I think Tampa Bay will be the worst team in the NFL this year. They won't be favored over anyone and most likely will win 2 to 3 games this season. They are a very young team in rebuilding mode. You don't even have them in your 10 worst teams. Did you miss something or do you actually see them having a decent year?

[Going Commando]

I want absolutely nothing to do with Pryor. I think he is a terrible quarterback. When it comes right down to it, he's an exceptional athlete who happens to play QB, not a QB who happens to be an exceptional athlete. That setup has never worked, and I don't think it ever will. I remember last season the commentators were saying he needed to switch positions or else he might not be playing any longer.

Pryor's development has certainly been slow, but he's recently shown some promise CF. I can't find highlights of it on the internet, but if you have some way of watching his highlights from the Rose Bowl, I think it might change your opinion some. He looked like he could be an NFL QB in that game. He played smart and efficiently against a good defense in a pro offense, and he's got a very nice set of athletic tools in terms of his size, speed, and arm strength. I don't think he should come out early because he's the type of player that will benefit mightily from spending the next two years in college. But I wouldn't count him out when/if he comes out in that 2012 class, especially if he puts together some more games like that Rose Bowl.

[Going Commando]

I stopped the video at 4:06 out of 4:48. He's got a high center of gravity, and looked okay in the first part of the video, but the DE was eating his lunch by the end of it, shedding Solder with his hands and core on initial contact, and beating him cleanly inside. I have a hard time believing that Solder will be a 1st rounder. Based on that video, his height, and his lack of reputation, I bet he falls. Solder is ranked in the top 10 of Scouts inc top 150 for the NFL draft.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/rankings

Good catch boomking and I think you raise a very valid point about his center of gravity. It's a legitimate flag against Solder that he might be too tall to play in a ZBS in particular. He's almost four inches above the height that Alex Gibbs set as his absolute cutoff for offensive tackles. I think you could be right that his size makes him untenable for our ZBS, and that he'll have to be drafted for a man scheme despite his speed.

But don't judge Solder too harshly from this video. He's getting beat towards the end but you have to keep in mind that Aldon Smith is one of the best defensive ends in the country and is well on the path to becoming a top 5 pick himself. Solder has the potential to be a much better pass protector than he shows here. He's got fast feet and long arms and a nice little punch developing. His flexibility isn't terrible and would probably be adequate for a shorter player, but it'll have to improve given his height. If he puts out some good tape against a decent opponent and consistently mauls people in the running game, then runs a 4.9 40 at the combine--I think he can get taken in the first round. I don't see him as a top 10 pick yet, but tackles can climb after good senior seasons. There are a ton of fringe first round tackles he'll be competing with like Jason Pinkston, Anthony Castonzo, Joseph Barksdale, DeMarcus Love, Clint Boling, Matt Reynolds, and Nate Potter. But I think he'll intrigue a lot of people with his speed.

[Going Commando]

Can we just please, please, steer clear of the guys with history of catastrophic knee injuries? Honestly, the only one I can remember being really good of late was Antonio Cromartie, who has already fallen off his peak.

Fair enough, and I think Lloyd is going to look bad this year given all that's happened. He'd be someone to look at in the seventh round though, or as a UDFA.

We're going to be needing a guy to replace London Fletcher. Maybe the role London plays would fit Jones?

I like Jones a lot. The more I see of him the more impressed I am by the instinctive way he plays. It just doesn't look like the offense gets the best of him too often. We should keep track of London's progress and role in our 3-4 defense this season to see if there is a place at all for a guy like Jones. Keep in mind that, like Fletcher, Jones is someone that needs to be on the field almost 100% of your snaps to get the most out of him, so relegating him to certain packages won't be totally effective. Barring injury, I wouldn't expect Jones to fall out of the second round.

I don't think I'd be in favor of drafting a 4-3 OLB, high in the draft, to play 3-4 ILB. So much of playing LB is instincts, and it's really hard to poject how guys will do.

Strength is important too. That's why I think Jones might have a shot of moving inside because he's a little stronger than his size would indicate. Ditto for Bruce Carter. He started out as a safety I think, and he's probably only a little above 230 on a good day, but he's an absolute hoss. Drafting a LB early to then change his position should give some pause, but there's also the Patrick Willis lesson. I'm pretty sure he played OLB in college and isn't the prototypical size for a 3-4 ILB but he's made the transition spectacularly well.

Another name I forgot to mention earlier is Travis Lewis from Oklahoma. He is extremely highly thought of by the folks at Walter Football, and he could be another candidate to look at for ILB. I think I'm going to do a player by player examination of some of these LBs in a bit and try and post a youtube link for each if I can find one.

I LOVE the idea of getting a guy like Rey Maualuga. We've got a bruiser in the secondary with Landry, but we could really use someone who strikes through the ball carrier in our LB corps. Even though Fletcher is great, and will lay some big hits on occasion, I'm not sure I would credit him as being the kind physical presence that intimidates ball carriers. If we are trying to imitate the Ravens and Steelers, I'd say we have a ways to go in terms of becoming a defense that physically punishes an offense. In any case, I'm not sure Wilson is that kind of guy. He's got the size at 6'4" and 250, but after checking out the only highlight video of him I could find, against Michigan in 08, Wilson didn't look like a striker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyQyGwR9KjI&feature=related

I think you're right that Wilson looks much more like a speed guy than a big hitter. If we're looking for a big thumper, it might not be him. One also might not be available in this class at the top of the draft. Maualuga's are much more difficult to find than I had previously thought.

Thanks D&S. That was an impressive highlight video. Miller doesn't look to have an elite 1st step, but looks good in pursuit, plays with a ton of power, and looks to be a high motor guy. With 7 sacks in '07 and '08, and 13 in '09, he has been very productive, but the 44 TFL look equally appealing. As we have all been discussing, we could really use a Woodley type OLB that can stack and shed and play the run behind the LOS. Could he be my Brandon Graham-esque OLB crush of 2011?

According to that video, Bruce Miller benches 520, has a 34 inch vertical and runs a 4.7. If he looks that good at the combine, and produces this year at the same clip he did last year, I doubt that he gets out of the second round. A team like the Jets, Ravens, Steelers or Pats will snap him up.

Wow!! I didn't realize his numbers were that good, I guess I wasn't paying attention to that part of the video. I agree that his first step isn't mind blowing, but I love the natural leverage and power he plays with and he's just absolutely tenacious. I saw him as a Kroy Biermann/Lawrence Sidbury type but I think you're closer in your projection. If he puts up another 10+ sack season and those numbers at the combine, I don't see how he'd make it out of the second round either. Especially when we see fairly mediocre talents like Jermaine Cunningham get taken that early by teams that draft well.

BTW, if you're looking for an OLB mancrush for this season, I'm convinced you won't do better than Robert Quinn from UNC. He's extremely highly touted and for good reason. He's strong, skilled, instinctive, and blindingly fast. Now he had a brain tumor and had to get brain surgery, but it doesn't seem to have limited him in college. Check out this video of him versus UVA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNoYxbvKxXE

Look at his motor. On the first play he shows a great second effort to get back up and make the tackle down the field after missing it. In general, he looks fantastic in pursuit, especially from the DE position and he tackles really well, consistently wrapping up.

Also, Look how strong he is. He shows really nice instincts against the run too, sniffing out an impressively executed draw and blowing it up. Finally, look at his absurd speed. There is an awesome, ground level angle of him stunting inside one play and going untouched to the QB at 1:30. He's blown by the interior lineman before he even gets out of his stance!

This kid is something special and he's got such a range of skills, I definitely think he could play 3-4 OLB in the NFL.

[Dukes and Skins]

Actually, I think Tampa Bay will be the worst team in the NFL this year. They won't be favored over anyone and most likely will win 2 to 3 games this season. They are a very young team in rebuilding mode. You don't even have them in your 10 worst teams. Did you miss something or do you actually see them having a decent year?

Thank you for the catch on that one I totally left them out by accident I'm so sorry must have been not thinking well enough

well Steve did his first big board so I feel its now time to add mine to the group to add a little discussion and some possible guys to watch more and more.

1. Jake Locker

2. Andrew Luck

3. Robert Quinn

4. Patrick Peterson

5. AJ Green(I have him here because I think he'll be drafted higher than Baldwin)

6. Jonathan Baldwin

7. Marcell Daerus

8. Prince Amukamara

9. Joseph Barksdale(Underrated OT IMO, gifted tackle who will rise up)

10. Mark Ingram

11. Allen Bailey

12. Adrian Clayborn

13. Cameron Heyward

14. Stephen Paea

15. Von Miller

I only have 15 right now as I'm still trying to figure out draft positions for teams and guys who I think are at the top of the class and those who will fall down boards.

I'm sure I'll have some questions about Barksdale but from watching LSU last year I could tell the OT has a bright future ahead of him, he's got all the tools to be a monster at OT and if we didn't get Brown in the trade I would have advised we got him to be our RT because he has stud written all over him IMO. Bailey is 11 based on his potential right now but if he's struggles during the year he certainly will fall down my board a lot. Other than that I hope you all like the board. Feel free to quiz me on any questions you have. I'll try to answer them as fast as I can but I'll be moving into College on Wednesday so I might be late answering some questions

[Laron Burgundy]

Actually, I think Tampa Bay will be the worst team in the NFL this year. They won't be favored over anyone and most likely will win 2 to 3 games this season. They are a very young team in rebuilding mode. You don't even have them in your 10 worst teams. Did you miss something or do you actually see them having a decent year?

Yeah, at the very least detroit, chicago, and miami are all better than TB. Seattle, oakland, and jacksonville may all be as well.

[Going Commando]

well Steve did his first big board so I feel its now time to add mine to the group to add a little discussion and some possible guys to watch more and more.

Doing a big board is way harder than it looks. It gets difficult past the top 10, and I always end up changing my mind about certain rankings immediately after I press submit.

1. Jake Locker

2. Andrew Luck

3. Robert Quinn

4. Patrick Peterson

5. AJ Green(I have him here because I think he'll be drafted higher than Baldwin)

6. Jonathan Baldwin

7. Marcell Daerus

8. Prince Amukamara

9. Joseph Barksdale(Underrated OT IMO, gifted tackle who will rise up)

10. Mark Ingram

11. Allen Bailey

12. Adrian Clayborn

13. Cameron Heyward

14. Stephen Paea

15. Von Miller

I like your list a lot and it seems your of a mind with me on most of these prospects. I'm not so sure about Barksdale but I think you might be onto something here, and I'll talk about it below. Two rankings I really liked are how high you are on Amukamara and Peterson. I think you're right that these are a special pair of corners and I think they could both be better than Joe Haden was. I wasn't as high on Amukamara earlier, but that's because I was pretty unfamiliar with him. The more I read about him, the better he sounds. What I've seen from him that I like are:

- his size is great for the position

- his physicality is excellent, looks great playing bump and run, hits well

- his balance and short area quickness are excellent, looks good in both man and zone

- he's good reading the QB and looks very comfortable in zone

- his closing speed is top notch

- his ball skills are impressive

One knock I've consistently read on him is that he doesn't have an elite top gear to turn and run but he looks fast enough to me, particularly when he's closing on the ball. He reminds me of Carlos Rogers a lot as a prospect, only ball skills are a strength for him. He's probably even more talented than Carlos was. I think he could have Ndamukong Suh like potential to finish the year as the top overall defensive prospect with a good season. He's the top senior prospect in the country going into this year, just like Suh was last year.

I also really like how you've got the stud defensive lineman rounding out the bunch. I'm really high on them too.

I only have 15 right now as I'm still trying to figure out draft positions for teams and guys who I think are at the top of the class and those who will fall down boards.

I wouldn't worry about doing much more than a top 15-20. I tried a full 32 and I ended up completely disliking my list by the end. Same for 25. I think I'm just going to try a 5 by position format, or maybe pick out my five favorite prospects regardless of round projection.

I'm sure I'll have some questions about Barksdale but from watching LSU last year I could tell the OT has a bright future ahead of him, he's got all the tools to be a monster at OT and if we didn't get Brown in the trade I would have advised we got him to be our RT because he has stud written all over him IMO. Bailey is 11 based on his potential right now but if he's struggles during the year he certainly will fall down my board a lot. Other than that I hope you all like the board. Feel free to quiz me on any questions you have. I'll try to answer them as fast as I can but I'll be moving into College on Wednesday so I might be late answering some questions

Good luck with the move D&S. I think you could be right about Bailey moving up. He's got the tools to be a very high pick, and one other thing to note is that he'll be playing next to Marcus Forston who is a very good NFL prospect also. He should get single teamed a lot because of that, and has a great opportunity to shine this season.

As for your Barksdale projection, I think you raise an interesting point with it. For once, no one has a clue who the top offensive tackle is going to be for next season. Some will say Carimi, others Solder, and still others will say Castonzo, Reynolds, Love, or your own pick Barksdale. IMO this is a wide open tackle class. Personally, I would probably put Carimi based on his 2009 as the top guy but his footing is not as solid as Okung's was going into last year or Eugene Monroe's the year before. Carimi played better than Bulaga did last season IMO and I thought he was the top OT in the Big 10. If he does it again, he should be a top 10 pick. But it seems DeMarcus Love also had a breakout year and Matt Reynolds at BYU is highly thought of as well. Then there is Solder who has good numbers, Barksdale who looks like he could break out moving to LT, and Pinkston playing well in a loaded Pitt offense. I also know that Castonzo and Tyron Smith from USC are good prospects from following them last year. It wouldn't surprise me if any of those names finished as the top OT for 2011 and I'm sure there are others I'm not considering as well. I think that right now, this OT class is not a great one loaded with top ten picks, but it should be top heavy throughout the first two rounds with a lot of really nice prospect.

[SkinsHokieFan]

I wish I still had time to do this kind of draft analysis.

Great stuff from you guys in this thread

[Touchdown Redskins]

Haven't had the time to really study the prospects this year (yet). That'll change once I have some more time. But I think it's curious to see you having Baldwin ranked ahead of Julio Jones. Considering Alabama's system and QB, I think it's universally accepted that Jones isn't being used to his potential, and that he'll be a MUCH better pro than college player.

Baldwin has the measureables (probably best in the draft), but his route running is terrible. For some reason when I watch him in games, he reminds me of Mike Williams from USC.