2012 Comprehensive NFL Draft Database

[terrifNick21]

If we look RB next year I'd love to see Ray Graham here, provided he's healthy from that knee injury. Before the injury he was probably the best RB in college football

I'd prefer Fitzgerald Toussaint, Le'Veon Bell, or Michael Dyer.

[RemoveSnyder]

I think that Graham at his best gives you a good bit of YAC from out of the backfield.

IF you label him the best back in the country, and all you based this on was his cut-ups from South Florida, available on youtube, you'd likely think of Ray Rice. I know I did at first. I actually wanted to post about him a few days back, saying just as much. However, aside from carving up South Florida, which game did he recreate that type of dominance?

You see, I agree and disagree at the same time.

I felt like at first look he was all that, but then upon looking deeper, it seemed his yardage was earned by war of attrition, most of the time. Lots of short gains and a few large chunks when the line opened something up. Mostly I saw him swallowed up by decent defenses like ND and Iowa.

And I didn't see elite ability to reverse field or top-end speed to run away from people. Always caught from behind, strung out when bouncing out to the sideline. Not that, that is the most important thing to a RB, just what I noticed.

His pass catching, a different story, he's solid there and gains YAC.

That said, I still hope he can return to form for an entire year. He definitely has some skills and someone I actually like.

For Dyer, I have to consider his off the field nonsense. For some guys I don't all that caught up in off field stuff (like Rambo) but for Dyer, I just get a bad vibe. Now he's a transfer, out of Auburn. So, while a good athlete, I never thought he was light years ahead of McCalebb. Maybe overall better, but I, in fact, always like O.M. moreso than Dyer.

So to McCalebb, I always felt he was slightly underrated, did just the same as Dyer when given a chance. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do as a primary back. Though a bit small and primarily his stock in trade is speed and quickness, all I know is that he carved up UVA. So, he's not an every down back.

One of my personal favorites is Andre Ellington, has been for awhile. Actually like him moreso, in a different way to Graham.

He has something that few do, incredible quickness and acceleration – but maybe the term (to be more specific) is gear change. His ability to change gear and accelerate past someone is pronounced, at least to me. I see top-end speed to run away from people. Though, he's not going to pound you backwards.

A few times I thought to myself of Chris Johnson - I know ... that's saying a lot. I'll just say it's what I though of, the few times he hit a hole and accelerated past the entire 2nd level and secondary for a TD – not necessarily the spinning image, mind you. And it wasn't against the stingiest of competition.

When I think of guys that fit that shanahan type mold of the late round "pounder" type back, all purpose back, I think of Burkhead and Z. Line. For better or worse, those two seem like their style is what MS selects, for whatever reason.

Other RBs I like, want to watch:

- Lattimore - obviously from the injury

- Markus Coker

- Washaun Ealey

(Both transfers)

- Branden Oliver

- Isi Sofele

- Tim Flanders

__

I'm sure there will be lots of guys who will make their name known during the season, that are not talked about now.

---------- Post added May-13th-2012 at 05:49 AM ----------

Now cue someone to say "y'all sleein' on De'Anthony Thomas" or "I'm wait'n on the black mamba"

[Chump Bailey]

If we look RB next year I'd love to see Ray Graham here, provided he's healthy from that knee injury. Before the injury he was probably the best RB in college football

You know, I personally wish we could trade for the Raiders Taiwan Jones.

[Dukes and Skins]

You know, I personally wish we could trade for the Raiders Taiwan Jones.

Dont really see them trading him with McFadden already there who has his injury problems as well.

Nick you have good guys as well, just that when I sat down and watched Graham he just is a very good fit her if we are looking for those speed guys out of the back field

[GWinSkins83]

Dont really see them trading him with McFadden already there who has his injury problems as well.

Nick you have good guys as well, just that when I sat down and watched Graham he just is a very good fit her if we are looking for those speed guys out of the back field

Arizona stole our RB Ryan Williams. He would have been our pick if them chumps didn't take him.

[Chump Bailey]

Arizona stole our RB Ryan Williams. He would have been our pick if them chumps didn't take him.

Ryan would have been nice I agree.

[sportjunkie07]

i dont think we need a big time back. those guys (see Richardson) are too costly for us, and we have a guy 2 guys on the roster with the potential to be big time backs. helu has already shown that he has the ability to break long runs and be a great pass catching RB, while royster has shown that he is good in this scheme. morris is a wildcard. we've got options there, and as is, they are more than enough for us to have an effective compliment to our passing game.

i think our biggest needs next year are: 1.) cb 2.) ss and fs 3.) dline 4.)lb 5.)oline

i would put the safety position as the biggest need, but i think we have a better chance at finding a starter through free agency at that position than at cb.

[skinfan2k]

We need safety help first and foremost. in this age of football, you need adequate CBs and an aggressive front 7

[Going Commando]

I think safety and RT sort themselves out this season, one way or another.

Has Merriweather already been released? He's not on the team website's roster. That list has almost always been comprehensive and bankable.

Anyway, even without him, we've got options at safety. Reed is Reed. He'll do his job whether it's as a starter or a reserve. DeJon Gomes is a good player who should be able to competently hold down a starting spot. He's flashed really impressive ability, I think he could be a quality starter in time. I also think Jordan Bernstein could come in and produce as soon as next season if called upon to do so. And between Madieu Williams, Cedric Griffin, Kevin Barnes, and Chase Minnifield, someone will claim the final one or two spots at safety for next year. I think Chase could actually make a fine safety.

If we take a safety in the draft, I hope it's a BPA style pick. We don't need to make it a priority IMO.

I think it's more important for us to find corners than safeties at this point. Worse comes to worst, we move Deangelo to safety. In an ideal world, this is probably what we would do anyway. But right now we can't do that without significantly weakening ourselves at corner.

Josh Wilson is a good player, but after him and Deangelo there are too many questions. I don't have high hopes for Cedric Griffin at CB. Thus far, the coaching staff has given Kevin Barnes very little burn too, signifying to me that the best you can say for him is that he's not their guy. DeJon Gomes is a solid nickel player but he should never start outside, and he probably plaus safety full time next season anyway. I'm really hoping Brandyn Thompson and Richard Crawford develop into quality contributors.

Josh Wilson is a good starter on the outside. He won't wow you, but he'll do his job. Deangelo is simultaneously a limited and versatile outside starter--limited in the types of coverages you can call for him, but versatile because he plays the run extremely well and generates a lot of big plays that come as a bonus for a starting corner. We need someone to come in and displace Deangelo to safety (where I think he'd be a terrific player) and we need someone to lock down a role as the primary slot defender.

To me Thompson is a natural outside player, and it'd be huge if he could eventually become a starter. Minnifield seems like he could be a quality slot defender because he's a six footer with long arms, is extremely quick and aggressive, and he runs well letting him match up against a lot of different types of slot receivers. He's a click and close player that does a good job playing underneath routes but struggles when teams would double move and go deep on him. To me that spells slot defender and keep him inside and playing downhill and watch him thrive. Put him outside and force him to keep up with the quality down field guys you see on the outside in the NFL and you get in trouble. But on an irregular basis, he turns and runs well enough that he can weather those types of matches (when Green Bay moves Greg Jennings into the slot for a couple of plays).

Those are my thoughts on the DB situation anyway.

I don't think we have many needs actually. QB was the biggest and now it appears we've addressed that, with gusto. I think we've actually got the most complete roster in the NFC East right now.

I think our season depends on how RGIII plays as a rookie.

If he pulls a Cam Newton and puts up historic numbers and gives us an OROTY campaign, I think we win the division and make the playoffs as a fourth seed. If he's somewhat lesser, I think we can still compete for the 6th seed. If he struggles and has a very rookie QB looking campaign, we'll probably just miss out on the playoffs.

[Chump Bailey]

We have DB's coming out the wazoo. I have to think our secondary, at least in the interim, should be okay.

[Going Commando]

All of that said, I think there are definite areas for improvement on the roster, if not true needs.

I agree with gore, I think the biggest area of improvement would be to get at least one or more truly explosive offensive players. Look at our skill positions on offense. The only real playmaker in the bunch is Fred Davis. Maybe Garcon, we don't really know what we've got with him yet. Everyone else is competent, solid, workmanlike, productive, so on and so forth. Players you can win with, and the area Certainly not a weakness, but not a whole lot that's special aside from Fred and RGIII himself. Helu can break off big runs from time to time but in general, he needs great blocking to make explosive plays because he is not an overly creative and dynamic back. He's not going to do a whole lot for himself in the backfield. Royster is the definition of steadily productive but unspectacular. Tim Hightower isn't even under contract, he's probably not healthy. Alfred Morris is a FB by all accounts, and I don't expect much from Lennon Creer, Tristan Davis, and Antwon Bailey. Maybe one of them claws out a role on the roster as the third string back this season, but I highly doubt any of them are long term answers. There is definite room for growth at HB.

We don't need to go out and get a Trent Richardson. But it sure would be nice to get a Kendall Hunter or Darren Sproles.

I also think TE could stand to improve if Cooley doesn't get healthy. Niles Paul should not be playing TE on the line in a three point stance. He'll obviously be limited to certain packages, playing off the line mostly. Fred is a standout with potential to be one of the best receiving TEs in the league if he actually makes it through an entire season. Logan Paulsen is a pure on the line TE whose first job is to block. We're going to use a lot of two TE sets next season if Cooley comes back and it's a good look for our offense. If Cooley is done, then there could be a big role for a future TE that can block and catch. And that said, Cooley was never a Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, or Jimmy Graham. He's not a dynamic player. He'll do his job, craftily getting open, fighting for yards after the catch, converting first downs, providing a fairly sure handed outlet, etc. That's valuable, but not game breaking by any stretch.

I like the depth of our options at WR, but we obviously don't appear to have an Andre Johnson or Brandon Marshall like presence at that position. We know the offense has room for a player like that. Garcon is a speedster, a legit outside starter, and we probably bought low on him. Hankerson has talent to start outside if he comes back from his hip injury and continues developing. Moss is Moss. He'll get his catches and his yards and still be a tough matchup each game. Hopefully Morgan stays healthy and capitalizes on his talent. Anthony Armstrong is an injury away from getting cut. Brandon Banks is a more complete player seizing the KR duties away from getting cut. Terrence Austin is a primary special teamer. Maybe Aldrick Robinson improves and becomes a vertical threat and productive situational player. Darius Hanks was a nice UDFA signing that has a chance to make the PS this year and eventually develop into a slot player down the line, but not much of a factor in the immediate future. Same situation for Lance Lewis although he's got the physical tools to play outside one day. Brian Hernandez and Samuel Kirkland seem like camp bodies and long shots.

All in all, like HB, it looks like a good but not dynamic group. So yeah, as far as I can tell, we've got three, maybe four truly dynamic offensive players. RGIII, Trent, and Fred Davis, with Garcon being a wait and see. This side of the ball is more lacking in playmakers than the other one.

On defense we're surprisingly flush. I already went over the secondary, I think the front seven is of a pretty high caliber. It's not 49ers, Steelers, Texans, Jets, or Ravens good, and we probably won't ever be that caliber. But we are good and effective even without the presence of impact caliber 300 pounders like those teams have. And we'll never really be bad here while London Fletcher leads it, in the same way the Colts offense could never be bad while Peyton Manning quarterbacked it despite the regression in talent level that was laid bare last season. Chris Neild, Stephen Bowen, Barry Cofield, Adam Carriker, and Jarvis Jenkins is a good DL core, and a solid top 5 of a 7 man group. Bowen, Carriker, and Cofield are probably three of the ten best players on the team. The final two spots will go to the two most versatile guys that play well in TC and the preseason. Golston, Scott, Balmer, Baker, and Worthington is not a bad situation to have battling out for the depth spots. Plus I'm curious about this UDFA Delvin Johnson and think he could stick as a NT PS guy.

Our linebacker situation is good. Easily the strongest unit on the team top to bottom. London is the best player on our team and one of the best at his position in the league. Orakpo is a plus plus starter with yearly double digit sack potential. Kerrigan is a quality pass rusher, a playmaker, and a high quality run defender for his position. The starting spots are spoken for as long as they are healthy for what, the next 5 to 7 seasons? It looks like we have three legit, impact caliber players at linebacker next season. Plus we've got Lorenzo who is an impact special-teamer.

But London is old and Riley is still somewhat unproven. Hopefully Keenan Robinson develops into a quality starter after London retires. Really, there is not a lot of room on the roster for a pure ILB. London, Riley, and Alexander have firmly claimed three of the 4/5 spots. Ideally, Keenan Robinson will claim another spot. Jonathan Goff, Donnell Holt, Monte Lewis, and Bryan Kehl all face a steep uphill battle to make the team.

Markus White, Chris Wilson, and Rob Jackson is still solid depth behind our starters at OLB. I'm also curious to see how UDFA Brian McNally does in training camp. None of those guys are special nor seem to have long term developmental potential to eventually become starters, but we won't need them to so long as Kerrigan and Orakpo stay healthy. We've got one of the best OLB situations in the league.

If we're talking about what needs might need to be addressed in next year's draft, I'd just like to see us add a potential impact player with that second or third round pick, especially at WR or HB. Doing so piggy backs off of having an impact playmaking type talent at QB and makes the offense that much more dynamic. But I'd also be happy with getting a really high caliber talent at RT, and I would be thrilled with adding an impact caliber DB or 300 pounder.

Looking ahead, I think the safety class and OT class next year will be flush, which suits us. There are also a lot of high caliber defensive linemen in next year's class too, not so many as the previous three draft classes, but still a whole bunch. But I think the WR class is going to be pretty special at the top, depending on which underclassmen have good seasons and declare.

I think if we go BPA at S, OT, or WR in the second round next year, there is a good chance we'll be getting an impact caliber talent.

The list of guys I'm interested in for that second round range right now is:

- Nico Johnson

- John Jenkins

- Honey Badger

- Ricky Wagner

- Xavier Rhodes

- Kawann Short

- Dee Milliner

- Montee Ball

- Knile Davis

- Joseph Randle

- Marcus Lattimore?

- Jake Matthews (son of Bruce) and Luke Joeckel--both juniors.

- D.J. Fluker and Chance Warmack

- Oday Aboushi

- whichever premier WR falls out of the first round like Justin Hunter, Da'Rick Rogers, or Terrance Williams.

If we got one of those guys in the second and a saefty like Bacarri Rambo or Kenny Vaccaro in the third or fourth, that would be really nice. There were a ton of talented, highly productive sophomores last year. The underclassmen crop for next year's draft is really rich.

---------- Post added May-14th-2012 at 11:09 AM ----------

Some more random draft thoughts:

- I could see Honey Badger go in the third, fourth, maybe fifth round range after he hits the combine, runs the 40 in the high 4.5s/4.6s, and people realize how small he is and that he'll never be able to start outside in the NFL. He'd be a spectacular playmaking slot defender to add in the middle round range.

- I think it'd be cool to draft someone like Terrance Williams or Tevin Reese and pair them up with RGIII again.

- I think it'd be really cool to draft Jake Matthews if he declared, but he's not our style of pick. He's an underclassmen with minimal starting experience, he probably won't even declare. A three year starter with multiple All Conference selections like Ricky Wagner seems more likely. But more than anything, I'm hoping Willie Smith or Tom Compton seizes the starting RT role and never looks back.

- Marcus Lattimore's draft position is one of the most interesting draft nerd plots of next year's season. If he comes back like he was before that ghastly injury, then he's a top ten talent with workhorse pedigree like Trent Richardson. If he doesn't come back strong, looks heavy and poorly conditioned, looks slow, or seems at least another season away from full health, then I could see him fall into the second round. At that point, he strikes me as one of the most compelling gambles in the class.

- Ditto for Justin Hunter.

- Also true, but to a lesser extent, of Knile Davis. If he's the player he was as a freshman, he's a first round running back. If he's not healthy again, then he'll slip and becomes pretty enticing in the second round.

- It'd be so cool to swipe up a Montee Ball, Davis, or Joseph Randle in the second or third round. There's my playmaking HB.

- Cherry picking the available talent from the Alabama offensive line seems like a good idea at the moment.

- Ditto for the defense for that matter.

[gorebd82]

I agree with a lot of what you're saying steve. I don't really see any holes on our team. I just think that we need a few studs. We really can now go with BPA blue clippers in FA and the draft for the next few years. I think that RGIII is the only player of that caliber on our team, and maybe Trent can be if he becomes very consistent. To clarify, I think Orakpo, Kerrigan, Fred, etc. are great players that can be top ten at their position, but I'm talking Ware, Fitzgerald, Ray Lewis, Revis type guys are missing.

You only really need a few of them to be a championship contender. And having your QB be one of those guys reduces the number you need to have. The Colts won with Manning and Freeney as those guys. Packers and Saints really had no blue chippers outside of Bree's and Rodgers. But teams like the Ravens who have five (Ray, Ed, Suggs, Ngata, Rice) or the Texans (Andre, Arian, Mario) have great QBs, but haven't been able to get it done because QB isn't their blue chip guy. That said, RG3 plus Shanahan system positions us well.

IMO, RB is our most pedestrian position, but that's by design. Our ZBS allows us to skimp at RB and interior OL so we address those needs last. Our defense skimps a bit in the secondary. Think about Pitt. They have a stud in Polomalu and a bunch of pedestrian guys that won't do anything stupid. But I think that means that when you put a great talent in those spots, you get tremendous output. I think we're now at that point to get those guys.

The one area I think Steve missed on is our WR situation. People always try to read into what Shanahan means by the things he says, but I find him to be very candid. Everything he does, he's hinted at earlier. He said Hightower is a workhorse, Helu is a complementary back, Rex Grossman can perform at a high level (until he turns it over), McNabb needed to pick up his tempo. His actions then later mirror his comments. So that makes me look at the praise he's given Hankerson by saying he can be a true #1 and believe that Hank is a special talent that we've only had a peek at. Maybe I'm wrong, but I get the vibe that our top two WRs are set. And if we get another great player that Garçon might get bumped down a spot.

But I think we could certainly use a big 6'5"+ target at WR or TE, a dominant OL, a dominant DL, a dominant ILB, or a #1 CB to bump Hall and Wilson down a spot each. The question is how will we acquire those players. We will have a ton of cap space going forward to re-sign guys and acquire a couple of stars. What sucks about this next FA season is that it seems to be thin at CB and interior OL, but I think those are spots where we are looking for proven upgrades.

But one thing I can almost guarantee is that our stud RB will not come outside of the draft. Clearly we will keep an eye out for gems, but we should also be looking at spending an early draft pick. Without our 1st round picks for the next couple of seasons, RB is our best chance of landing a superstar in the 2nd or even moving up into the late 1st. When you put a stud in our ZBS, you get Terrell Davis, young CP, Arian Foster, CJ2K. Put that with elite QB and you get rings.

So to sum up, going forward we need to go BPA in the draft. But finding blue chip players at WR, DL, CB is difficult to do. RB, TE, OL, ILB, and maybe S are where we can likely find a stud in that draft range. Of those positions, RB is currently the most pedestrian and upgrading that spot with a stud pays the biggest dividends because RB touches the ball the most after QB. That's why it's our biggest need going forward. I actually like Bill Polian's approach. He drafts a stud RB in the 1st every 4-5 seasons so that he has young, dynamic legs and doesn't have to pay that 2nd contract. He just missed, not completely, on Addai and Donald Brown as studs. In the late first or second round we can get a top three RB talent in most drafts.

[bird_1972]

http://images.wjla.com/pictures/590/2011-09-18-Redskins-014_606.JPG

^^^Still a little early for that.

---------- Post added May-14th-2012 at 04:10 PM ----------

We have DB's coming out the wazoo. I have to think our secondary, at least in the interim, should be okay.

Numbers don't necessarily equal talent, though.

Now that we're approaching having depth at each position on the roster, the next phase of the rebuild should be drafting/signing through FA difference-makers at select positions on both sides of the ball (can't do so at all positions - not enough high draft picks, obviously)

[Conn]

Knile Davis in the 2nd next year, if everything falls into place and he stays healthy, would be a dream pick for me. Love that kid, and he'd immediately, along with an improving OL, WR corps, and RG3, make us an offense to be truly feared.

I agree with whoever said that an elite RB is a luxury in this offense--but when you DO invest in one anyways, as Shanahan has seen fit to do very rarely, special things happen. Not just good things or great things. Special things.

I will always contend that had Portis stayed with Shanahan in Denver, had things worked out and he been willing to be paid less, etc., he'd be a HOFer right now. Or in a few years.

[Chump Bailey]

Numbers don't necessarily equal talent, though.

I totally agree with that, but we do have a plethora of DB's on the roster and we have to devote some time to their development. Every year we hear the "it takes years to develop so and so position blah, blah, blah- Well, I think it's pretty darn hard to be a rookie DB these days too. We should give guys like Thompson a legit chance to prove if they can play at this level. I happen to think he can.

I do agree the emphasis should be CB. I'll take the next Patrick Peterson please

[Going Commando]

The one area I think Steve missed on is our WR situation. People always try to read into what Shanahan means by the things he says, but I find him to be very candid. Everything he does, he's hinted at earlier. He said Hightower is a workhorse, Helu is a complementary back, Rex Grossman can perform at a high level (until he turns it over), McNabb needed to pick up his tempo. His actions then later mirror his comments. So that makes me look at the praise he's given Hankerson by saying he can be a true #1 and believe that Hank is a special talent that we've only had a peek at. Maybe I'm wrong, but I get the vibe that our top two WRs are set. And if we get another great player that Garçon might get bumped down a spot.

Was that before or after Hankerson's injury though? Hankerson's injury is a rough one and it wouldn't surprise me if he struggled in coming back from it. With him, I'm taking a wait and see approach. Hoping for the best, but I wouldn't bank on it.

I'm glad to see Hightower signed a contract today, but I'm a little skeptical about his health. He tore his ACL in October. Figure we might see him back up to speed around midseason. Until then, I'm not sure what to expect from our running game in the near future. A healthy Hightower greatly strengthens our HB corps.

[The Robert Griffin Experience]

I'd really like to see what Helu can really do before we declare that he can't be our stud running back. He showed not only great speed, but excellent balance and agility, and solid pass-catching ability. And Royster honestly reminds me of Foster, in the sense that his measurables aren't spectacular and he's not "explosive" but he hits the ZBS hole hard and has excellent vision and balance.

http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2012/03/23/fantasy-the-contrarian-agility-scores-and-breakout-rbs/

The Edge comparison was VERY interesting - not saying Helu will be Edge, but I think it is way too early to suggest he's just a complimentary guy.

And then, just remember Roy-On-Roy violence. That's a play that special RBs make.

At WR, I think Garcon is the real deal in the sense that he can be a "#1.5" WR - he's not gonna go out and dominate double-teams or make lots of tough catches in traffic, but he seems like someone with whom you put the ball in his hands and let him make plays, or send him deep and blow the top off the defense. As for the "6'5 WR" thing, well, who else has a 6'4 or 6'5 WR to throw to? Just because the Pats have Gronk, doesn't mean there are Gronks all over the place to get. Sometimes you have to settle for an Aaron Hernandez type guy, and I think Davis can be that or better. And Hankerson even though he's listed at 6'2, he has 32.5 inch arms, 10.5 inch hands, and a 36 int vertical, so he actually plays a bit taller than his listed height. I also think Moss is still a solid #2/3 in the Donald Driver mold, and Morgan projects to be solid as well.

[gorebd82]

Was that before or after Hankerson's injury though? Hankerson's injury is a rough one and it wouldn't surprise me if he struggled in coming back from it. With him, I'm taking a wait and see approach. Hoping for the best, but I wouldn't bank on it.

I'm glad to see Hightower signed a contract today, but I'm a little skeptical about his health. He tore his ACL in October. Figure we might see him back up to speed around midseason. Until then, I'm not sure what to expect from our running game in the near future. A healthy Hightower greatly strengthens our HB corps.

That's fair. I'm more optimistic about his recovery. So if healthy, I could see him being a stud. Tim and Kory are two guys I have more doubts about coming off knee injuries.

I'd really like to see what Helu can really do before we declare that he can't be our stud running back. He showed not only great speed, but excellent balance and agility, and solid pass-catching ability. And Royster honestly reminds me of Foster, in the sense that his measurables aren't spectacular and he's not "explosive" but he hits the ZBS hole hard and has excellent vision and balance.

http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2012/03/23/fantasy-the-contrarian-agility-scores-and-breakout-rbs/

The Edge comparison was VERY interesting - not saying Helu will be Edge, but I think it is way too early to suggest he's just a complimentary guy.

And then, just remember Roy-On-Roy violence. That's a play that special RBs make.

At WR, I think Garcon is the real deal in the sense that he can be a "#1.5" WR - he's not gonna go out and dominate double-teams or make lots of tough catches in traffic, but he seems like someone with whom you put the ball in his hands and let him make plays, or send him deep and blow the top off the defense. As for the "6'5 WR" thing, well, who else has a 6'4 or 6'5 WR to throw to? Just because the Pats have Gronk, doesn't mean there are Gronks all over the place to get. Sometimes you have to settle for an Aaron Hernandez type guy, and I think Davis can be that or better. And Hankerson even though he's listed at 6'2, he has 32.5 inch arms, 10.5 inch hands, and a 36 int vertical, so he actually plays a bit taller than his listed height. I also think Moss is still a solid #2/3 in the Donald Driver mold, and Morgan projects to be solid as well.

I just dont see Edge in Helu or Foster in Royster. RB is the one position where I correlate rookie performance to the player's career. Guys like Edge, Foster, CJ, MJD, Ray Rice, AP made a lot of big plays as rookies. Helu seems to have a better chance of being special to me, but I didn't think he had great vision to get to open space. Royster had great vision, but not explosive enough to break it to the second level. Foster is special because he can take it to the. House if he gets a crease. If you could combine Helu and Royster's strengths, you'd have our ideal back.

As for our WR situation, I think we're really good there. The 6'5" guy is more of a thing like we find ourselves in the draft staring at Calvin Johnson, we can pull the trigger instead of filling a hole.

[MartinC]

We have DB's coming out the wazoo. I have to think our secondary, at least in the interim, should be okay.

We have bodies back there for sure, it remains to be seen if we have enough quality to put 5 or 6 DB's on the field in nickle and dime packages to be competitive.

I'm starting to think we might be OK at safety - not great but OK. Its corner I'm worried about. Teams go 3 and 4 wide so often that your 3rd corner is a starter and you need a 4th corner who is good as well. Someone may emerge but right now I could not tell you who our 3rd and 4th corners will be.

[Chump Bailey]

Someone may emerge but right now I could not tell you who our 3rd and 4th corners will be.

Thompson or Griffin would be my 1st guess. Minnifield & Torrence are longshots I think.

[Going Commando]

Hernandez is more talented than Davis. I think Hernandez is actually a more dynamic receiver and playmaker than Gronk up to the 20. He's a WR/TE Hybrid. He was good coming out of Florida, amazing he dropped as far as he did in the draft. He had a first round pedigree and I thought he was second or third best in that TE class. Amazing TE class in 2010.

Hernandez is faster and more fluid than Freddy D. He's also more of a YAC threat. But the comparison between them is sound. Fred's probably got better hands and better ability to lay out and come down with the circus catches than Hernandez.

Helu is an interesting back. On one hand, we traded up for him and he's got terrific athletic tools. That indicates his importance moving forward. Plus the memory of his performance against Missouri his senior season at Nebraska is burned into my memory. Huuuge plays that day. He's got big play ability. But I seriously question whether or not he's got Edgerrin James/Arian Foster style consistency and durability. I think gore is right that Helu isn't suited for an every down role. But he's a receiving threat that can generate big plays from time to time. For him to consistently churn out big yardage totals for a season, he needs good blocking because, ideally, he isn't going to be getting 300 carries a season. He needs to make the most of more limited opportunities.

With Tim Hightower back, our RB corps is strong, assuming he's healthy next season. Tim can pull the sled and batter a defense, and make them pay when they overflow. He's a different runner than Helu and Royster, brings something we need. Royster picks his way up field productively and is very north-south. Helu is more of a lateral runner and speedster. Tim is a deceptively fast cutback runner that can block and catch. He's a well rounded back that can flash power and speed and consistently produce yards in a variety of ways on early downs.

It's a solid group. No stars, but good players throughout. I think RGIII will be happy with what he's got to work with. I'd like to see the blocking get better this year. I've got big hopes for LeRiebus and Trent and whoever wins the RT job this year will be one of the players I look out for each game.

[wilco_holland]

Hernandez is more talented than Davis. I think Hernandez is actually a more dynamic receiver and playmaker than Gronk up to the 20. He's a WR/TE Hybrid. He was good coming out of Florida, amazing he dropped as far as he did in the draft. He had a first round pedigree and I thought he was second or third best in that TE class. Amazing TE class in 2010.

Agree (althought that comes from a Gators fan). The man is sick athletic and has enough power and size to play TE. To me he is the ultimate hybrid WR/TE.

Gronk is to fast for a LB and to big for a DB. Aaron Hernandez is to athletic for anyone on the field. He can beat you by jumping, route running, strenght or speed.

[gorebd82]

We have bodies back there for sure, it remains to be seen if we have enough quality to put 5 or 6 DB's on the field in nickle and dime packages to be competitive.

I'm starting to think we might be OK at safety - not great but OK. Its corner I'm worried about. Teams go 3 and 4 wide so often that your 3rd corner is a starter and you need a 4th corner who is good as well. Someone may emerge but right now I could not tell you who our 3rd and 4th corners will be.

Yeah, I'm pretty comfortable with our safety options. I think at least one guy emerges to lock down a spot and hopefully both spots are secured. Gomes, Meriweather, and Jackson are the guys I'm watching as potential long term solutions. Meriweather and Jackson have performed at very high levels in the past, but have made stupid decisions. Gomes is a young guy with potential. I'm hoping that our new team culture plus the tutelage of Raheem can keep these guys straight and get the most out of them.

Hernandez is more talented than Davis. I think Hernandez is actually a more dynamic receiver and playmaker than Gronk up to the 20. He's a WR/TE Hybrid. He was good coming out of Florida, amazing he dropped as far as he did in the draft. He had a first round pedigree and I thought he was second or third best in that TE class. Amazing TE class in 2010.

Hernandez is faster and more fluid than Freddy D. He's also more of a YAC threat. But the comparison between them is sound. Fred's probably got better hands and better ability to lay out and come down with the circus catches than Hernandez.

Helu is an interesting back. On one hand, we traded up for him and he's got terrific athletic tools. That indicates his importance moving forward. Plus the memory of his performance against Missouri his senior season at Nebraska is burned into my memory. Huuuge plays that day. He's got big play ability. But I seriously question whether or not he's got Edgerrin James/Arian Foster style consistency and durability. I think gore is right that Helu isn't suited for an every down role. But he's a receiving threat that can generate big plays from time to time. For him to consistently churn out big yardage totals for a season, he needs good blocking because, ideally, he isn't going to be getting 300 carries a season. He needs to make the most of more limited opportunities.

With Tim Hightower back, our RB corps is strong, assuming he's healthy next season. Tim can pull the sled and batter a defense, and make them pay when they overflow. He's a different runner than Helu and Royster, brings something we need. Royster picks his way up field productively and is very north-south. Helu is more of a lateral runner and speedster. Tim is a deceptively fast cutback runner that can block and catch. He's a well rounded back that can flash power and speed and consistently produce yards in a variety of ways on early downs.

It's a solid group. No stars, but good players throughout. I think RGIII will be happy with what he's got to work with. I'd like to see the blocking get better this year. I've got big hopes for LeRiebus and Trent and whoever wins the RT job this year will be one of the players I look out for each game.

Even though we have talent at RB, I see us as middle of the pack in our backfield. I like THT, Helu and Royster, but our system amplifies their ability. Our RB talent is bottom of the NFC East, worse than the entire NFC West, worse than Chicago and Minny, and below Carolina and Tampa. That's 12th in our own conference. Not to mention Ravens, Browns, Bills, Titans, Jags, Texans, Raiders, and Chiefs. Not to say we need to invest a lot of money there, but we could upgrade the talent.

Fred is very talented and can be an elite TE, but we need another mismatch guy. Agian, not saying we have to invest a lot, but teams are putting together mean duos. Grok and Hernandez, Gresham and Charles, Fleener and Allen. We have our Hernandez type guy, now we just need a tall guy to send up the seam to post up smaller safeties and get 20+ yard chunks.

[The Robert Griffin Experience]

Our RB talent is bottom of the NFC East

What makes Helu + Royster + THT worse than Murray (especially coming off an ACL injury) and the wildly overrated Felix Jones?

Bradshaw (overrated) is not appreciably better than Helu and while they just drafted David Wilson who's a good prospect, he won't neccesarily be a stud.

worse than the entire NFC West

S-Jax is a beast but he's 28 and has 2k career carries, also 369 career receptions. He could fall off a cliff any day now. Pead is a complimentary back. Beanie Wells is not that great and they have less than ideal depth.

, worse than Chicago and Minny

Depends if AP is healthy, and he's already at a dangerous mark for RBs in terms of use.

and below Carolina and Tampa

Carolina yes. Tampa lolno, Blount is not a legitimate starting RB; he's clueless in the passing game and in blocking. And they have nothing behind him. There's a reason they were seriously considering trading up for Richardson.

Though, the Falcons and Saints have a better run game than we do.

The only concern with Helu in regards to him being a great RB is that he has a tendency to get banged up and his production suffers accordingly. If he overcomes that, he'll be very good. Royster doesn't have that kind of "pure talent" but I think he's a perfect system fit and will be highly productive.

[sportjunkie07]

IMO, RB is our most pedestrian position, but that's by design. Our ZBS allows us to skimp at RB and interior OL so we address those needs last. Our defense skimps a bit in the secondary. Think about Pitt. They have a stud in Polomalu and a bunch of pedestrian guys that won't do anything stupid. But I think that means that when you put a great talent in those spots, you get tremendous output. I think we're now at that point to get those guys.

i dont think it is our most pedestrian position and i dont think we are at a point now to spend next year's second on a rb. we have serious holes in the secondary, it has known weaknesses,complete unknowns, and little potential outside of late round picks. we already get taken advantage of by the NFC east's receivers. we dont have a guy that can cover dez bryant or hakeem nicks, and it will continue to be a problem for the next couple years.

i think shanny is taking an approach similar to that of wide reciever when he first got here. draft/sign as many guys in the secondary as possible to create competition, and see what sticks. focus on upgrading heavily the next year.

But one thing I can almost guarantee is that our stud RB will not come outside of the draft. Clearly we will keep an eye out for gems, but we should also be looking at spending an early draft pick. Without our 1st round picks for the next couple of seasons, RB is our best chance of landing a superstar in the 2nd or even moving up into the late 1st. When you put a stud in our ZBS, you get Terrell Davis, young CP, Arian Foster, CJ2K. Put that with elite QB and you get rings.

how can you guarantee that when terrell davis was a 6th round pick and arian foster was undrafted. as you aforementioned, this scheme is beneficial concerning rb's and allows us to spend little on aquiring awesome rb's that are highly effective in our scheme. and not only that, but we have 2 young guys that have shown promise in this scheme.