Evan Silva Mock Draft 4.0

[Hooper]

Just like some had Tebow falling to the 2nd RD people are projecting Locker falling to the 2nd. Too many teams need a QB and with no FA if i were a betting man, id say someone takes him in the 1st.

Well clearly the people in charge now in Denver wish the previous regime didn't reach for Tebow.

But yeah, Locker probably will go round in round one.

It just won't be to the Skins.

[wildbill1952]

Locker's not as bad as his grade dictates. Like the two previous Washington QB's, the lack of a supporting cast plays an extremly large role in how well you do as a QB.

Of course, the Skins never seem to figure out that QB + 1 WR threat + 1/5 effective OL = extremely poor showing at QB.

Three years from now, deja vu all over again.

[Floodzone004]

For what it's worth walterfootball.com, widely viewed as one of the better mock sites out there, has us passing on Locker...in the 2nd round. They have us selecting Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick at #41 instead. And their mock just came out two days ago.

They also have Dalton, Ponder, and Mallett all gone by the time we pick at #41.

I don't see any way we take Locker at #10. Jones, Quinn, Watt, or Aldon Smith maybe, but not Locker. Not when he might be had 20-30 picks later.

What I HOPE we do is trade down to the 20's and take Phil Taylor, the Jabba NT from Baylor.

Walterfootball is definitely one of the worst draft sites out there. He lets all the offseason stuff and personal bias affect his rankings way too much. At the end of the season before any offseason activities, he had Locker in the top 10 and Phil Taylor in the 3rd round. Pro days and senior bowls should have a very small impact on a prospects stock, not have them jump up and down full rounds.

[Probos]

Seriously at this point,....I don't think I care who we pick at 10. The team has so many needs,.......I have my personal wants for the 1st round pick, but, whatever.

Only scenario I see as a positive one is if we could trade back and get an extra pick.

[texasthunder]

NFL Network's Mike Lombardi believes that Washington QB Jake Locker is a perfect fit for Redskins coach Mike Shanahan's offense.

Lombardi has a long front-office history with Shanahan and is more familiar with his schemes than any media member. "When you look at what Locker’s best skill set is, it’s to be on the perimeter, it’s to be moving in the pocket," said Lombardi. "Mike’s passing game is about being on the edges and challenging ... He’s looking for athleticism at quarterback. When I look at Locker, I see a guy who would fit what Mike does."

Source: Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star

I hope he is very wrong.

[Soup]

Its usually around this time where you hear the smoke screens.

Especially with Shanny, I highly doubt the redskins take Locker with the 10th overall pick. There is some great OLBs/DEs in this draft and I really hope the redskins pick one with that first pick.

Can you imagine if Aj green, Quinn, Miller, dareus or maybe even peterson slide to the tenth spot?

[Hooper]

NFL Network's Mike Lombardi believes that Washington QB Jake Locker is a perfect fit for Redskins coach Mike Shanahan's offense.

Lombardi has a long front-office history with Shanahan and is more familiar with his schemes than any media member. "When you look at what Locker’s best skill set is, it’s to be on the perimeter, it’s to be moving in the pocket," said Lombardi. "Mike’s passing game is about being on the edges and challenging ... He’s looking for athleticism at quarterback. When I look at Locker, I see a guy who would fit what Mike does."

Source: Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star

I hope he is very wrong.

I love reading Lombardi's stuff and listening to him on the radio... but he had far from a great rep as a personnel guy. He's probably a better journalist.

Folks forget that Kyle Shanahan is the OC here. Now clearly Mike is calling the shots, but the offense the skins are running has Kyle's fingerprints all over it. We've seen what Kyle likes in a QB and I don't think Jake Locker fits that more than someone like Andy Dalton.

[Sawyer5500]

I think the Locker interest is genuine. Locker is the favorite for the 10th pick. He might have to sit a year but im a Locker fan and if we can get his accuracy sorted out he could be an elite franchise QB.

[Enter Apotheosis]

Its usually around this time where you hear the smoke screens.

Exactly. With two weeks to go in the draft, I'd say that the more we hear about certain players the less interested we actually are in them. It should strike everyone as a little curious that word of our supposed interest in Locker as a top 10 pick is resurfacing for the first time in months at the same time that we're said to be exploring a trade up to grab Gabbert.

[Hooper]

I think the Locker interest is genuine. Locker is the favorite for the 10th pick. He might have to sit a year but im a Locker fan and if we can get his accuracy sorted out he could be an elite franchise QB.

Again, I will be shocked if we take Locker anywhere in the draft.

And at 10? No way, no how. Getting one's accuracy "sorted out" isn't a simple thing. And there are questions about Locker's football instincts as well. Right now he's a better athlete than he is a QB and it's hard to predict if that will change -- see guys like Drew Henson.

I just don't see Kyle Shanahan wanting an upside, but risky guy like Locker over someone like Dalton.

But who knows?

[ADF]

Watching Jake Locker, he reminds me of Jake Plummer. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing for Mike Shanahan. I can't see him being taken at 10.

[bedlamVR]

I got to say if you look closely enough at any of the players in any of the drafts you will find reasons not to take any of them . Sooner or later we need to do something at QB and the reason Jake gets high draft marks is the intangibles and rare physical gifts ---- oh yeah and of the least douchebagy of all the QBs in this class . Dalton to me is a decent back up but there is something just likable about Locker . He is also a two sports guy - he is in a different league compared to TeBow, give him a proper QB coach and some time to learn behind sexy Rexy he could be something special .

The draft is a crap shoot there are many sure things that never were - you cannot always play safe an expect to see miracles - sometimes you have to reach for the stars - and Locker probably has the highest celling of this draft - and if you fall on your face you dust yourself off and look to start again .

[The Tris]

Um, Newton definately has the highest ceiling of this draft.

[GibbsFactor]

Um, Newton definately has the highest ceiling of this draft.

People often site Locker as being just as athletic as Cam fwiw. Cam does have size over Locker.

[Sawyer5500]

Give me Locker over Newton any day of the week. He has Vince Young ego written all over him.

[Coolio47]

He has Vince Young ego written all over him.

What would make it even funnier is if the Titans drafted Newton and they had another VY-type situation.

[Mr.Skinbo]

I love reading Lombardi's stuff and listening to him on the radio... but he had far from a great rep as a personnel guy. He's probably a better journalist.

Folks forget that Kyle Shanahan is the OC here. Now clearly Mike is calling the shots, but the offense the skins are running has Kyle's fingerprints all over it. We've seen what Kyle likes in a QB and I don't think Jake Locker fits that more than someone like Andy Dalton.

I usually trust what he says over others, he clearly knows what he's talking about.

[pram11]

if Shanahans think he is the guy, which I think they do, he will be drafted and if necessary, it will be at #10.

TK has sort of killed the Locker-to-Redskins hype on twitter.

[BurgundyBlog]

TK has sort of killed the Locker-to-Redskins hype on twitter.

He's not infallible.

[Conn]

Why does everyone in the media STILL think that Locker fits this offense? Yes, this is a Shanahan offense...but its a KYLE Shanahan offense. Locker may have done well with Mike in Denver, but we'll never know. This offense isn't a good fit for him. He has similar strengths and weaknesses to McNabb...and we've already seen that story play out. I don't want to spoil the ending, but this is what happens: a less physically talented, but more accurate passer capable of moving the chains and getting the offense into a rhythm takes over and plays better, since he can complete the short and intermediate passes from the pocket.

That's a guy like Dalton or Ponder. Not a guy like Locker.

[darrelgreenie]

Why does everyone in the media STILL think that Locker fits this offense? Yes, this is a Shanahan offense...but its a KYLE Shanahan offense. Locker may have done well with Mike in Denver, but we'll never know. This offense isn't a good fit for him. He has similar strengths and weaknesses to McNabb...and we've already seen that story play out.

I think Locker is scheme diverse.

The media wrongly assumes that Mike and Kyle run the same offense because by and large the media is lazy and doesn't do there homework. But, they view Locker as a very good fit for Mike's Denver WCO because of his elite accuracy throwing on move and outside the pocket and his arm strength.

But, being a good fit for Mike's offense doesn't preclude him from being a good fit for Kyle's offense.

Only in Washington could being compared to McNabb be viewed as negative comparison.

[Conn]

I think Locker is scheme diverse.

The media wrongly assumes that Mike and Kyle run the same offense because by and large the media is lazy and doesn't do there homework. But, they view Locker as a very good fit for Mike's Denver WCO because of his elite accuracy throwing on move and outside the pocket and his arm strength.

But, being a good fit for Mike's offense doesn't preclude him from being a good fit for Kyle's offense.

True. Even if he does prove to be scheme diverse, by improving his accuracy from the pocket, the media will still be "wrong", because they are saying he's a fit simply because of the abundance of roll-outs and bootleg passes known to be a large part of Mike Shanahan's offense...but anyone who watched a Redskins game this past season should realize that Kyle's offense is different, and features less of that, meaning it requires a less mobile and less athletic QB to run it.

Only in Washington could being compared to McNabb be viewed as negative comparison.

:shrug:

I'm comparing him to what I saw from McNabb in 2010 in Washington. If that comparison is decent, then its a negative, because Kyle obviously wasn't willing to change his offense to suit those particular strengths, and mask those particular weaknesses.

I'm not saying that Locker is McNabb 2.0 or McNabb-Lite. I'm just saying that if you believe they have similar holes in their passing game, then you might not want him here, after seeing McNabb fail to properly run this offense under Kyle, and after seeing Kyle fail to properly adapt his offense to fit that skill-set once already.

[Hooper]

Why does everyone in the media STILL think that Locker fits this offense? Yes, this is a Shanahan offense...but its a KYLE Shanahan offense. Locker may have done well with Mike in Denver, but we'll never know. This offense isn't a good fit for him. He has similar strengths and weaknesses to McNabb...and we've already seen that story play out. I don't want to spoil the ending, but this is what happens: a less physically talented, but more accurate passer capable of moving the chains and getting the offense into a rhythm takes over and plays better, since he can complete the short and intermediate passes from the pocket.

That's a guy like Dalton or Ponder. Not a guy like Locker.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Dalton is the guy if you ask me. Problem is, he won't be there at 41.

[darrelgreenie]

I'm comparing him to what I saw from McNabb in 2010 in Washington. If that comparison is decent, then its a negative, because Kyle obviously wasn't willing to change his offense to suit those particular strengths, and mask those particular weaknesses.

I'm not saying that Locker is McNabb 2.0 or McNabb-Lite. I'm just saying that if you believe they have similar holes in their passing game, then you might not want him here, after seeing McNabb fail to properly run this offense under Kyle, and after seeing Kyle fail to properly adapt his offense to fit that skill-set once already.

I don't think its logical to use a player's worst year as the sum of their career.

I think the notion that McNabb is a flawed player that needed to have his 'weaknesses' masked holds little merit if you look at his career.

Also, the reasons behind McNabb's soon to be departure from the Burgundy and Gold imo go beyond what happened on the football field because if you look at other QBs that changed teams they sometimes struggle in the 1st year (13 games in our case) and improve the following season.

Just because you make a comparison doesn't mean the 2 players being compared are exactly the same. I 've seen Locker compared to Elway, Cutler and Steve Young and I would be just as wrong in assuming he would be exactly like them as I would if I assumed he would be exactly like McNabb.

Your assuming that your perception of McNabb's 'flaws' was the reason for McNabb's departure and that it was some 'flaw' in his skillset (that they somehow couldn't see with 10+ years of tape before they got him) rather then one of these leaked and/or other plausible reasons: personality clash with Kyle, rigidity, resistance to change, lack of cardiovascular endurance, work ethic, inability to pick-up the new offense/run 2-minture drill etc.

[Hooper]

Good post, DG.

But I also think the flaws in McNabb's game that have always been there are being compounded with age.

He's never been the most accurate passer. With his legs going, it's made him even less of one. Furthermore, he's less of a threat to run, which was such a big part of his game in the past.

Apparently the talk at the combine was that there might not be a starting job in the NFL for him next year. I think this thinking is a little extreme, but I do think his days of being a very good QB are over.

Should be interesting to see who our three QBS are next year.