Akh's Blog: 2012 Draft Review

[shally]

To begin with after sleeping on it for a night these are my thoughts...

You are absolutely correct- when it come down to it, this is a 1 person draft..if RGIII is the qb we hope he can be, little else matters ultimately.. if he isnt, little else will save this draft from being a calamity because of how much we gave up to get him

that said, having a draft that ALSO produces additional back ups, special teamers and players who could possibly grow into starters is what separates teams.

the only pick i really question here is the 3rd rounder..why would we take an immature player like LiRibeus when there were any number of players who had better grades coming out of college ? about the only think I can say is that Shanahan had this kid up close for a week at Senior Bowl and there had to be something he saw that made the pick compelling.. he has a pretty good record with lineman, so he gets the benefit of the doubt because i think he knew exactly what he was looking for.. did they have a plan "A" that came off the board earlier ? I kind of dont think so because they could have traded back again at that point and didnt.. so for now, let's hope that he grows into a replacement for Lichtensteiger quickly

I personally LOVE the Cousins pick. This was a QB that Shanahan saw for a week and he said that he was too good a talent to pass on.
When you are talking about 4th rounders, there are no guarantees. you are looking for the BPA and hoping it fits an area of need.. If he was head and shoulders the best player, you take him.

Was he an area of need ? are you kidding me ?? anything that pushes Beck immediately off the roster, and will push Rex off in a year is a primary area of need.
I dont think that Shanahan even took him for the purpose of flipping him. this is a "Gary Kubiak" type of move.. Get a long term guarantee of a player who can come in if RGIII gets hurt.. QB's go down constantly, it is a fact of life in the NFL.. Where would Houston have been without Yates last year ?
Especially since Leinart went down right before him.. If eventually, someone offers a kings ransome for Cousins, then can think about it then, but for now, this is a move to protect the team against injury to RGIII

What about RGIII's ego, or looking over his shoulder ? That is crap..If he is the player we think he is, no problem.. The problem with the Shuler/Gus comparison is that the REAL problem was that Shuler was a bust, not that Gus pushed him.. RGIII looks to be the real deal.. if he is, again, no problems

From there on, the rest of the guys in the draft are all developmental players.. that is all you can ask for.. some will make it, some wont.. the fact that there were better known players out there when we picked only means that some guys had better press clipping or PR machines where they went to school..some people here know a lot more about this stuff than I do.. but even the pros fail over 50 % of the time at this level of the draft when it comes down to evelavuating players, so I would tend to give them the benefit of the doubt.. my guess would be that most, if not all, of these picks make it to the PS, and just like last year, they are gradually brought up to the parent roster as the year unfolds.. that is all you can ask-- except that nearly all of us felt that Shanahan HAD to address the O line, and that is EXACTLY what he did.. were they the players we would have picked ? probably not, but a draft with 3 OL players is a wonder for most of us around here

[HAWGZHEAD]

Prediction: RGIII becomes the QB we all hope for and we trade Cousins to Miami in three years for a third or fourth round pick. Basis for this prediction : Gut only lol

[AustinSkin]

I really don't think Cousins will damage RGIII's psyche at all. RGIII knows exactly what the Skins gave up for him, and what is expected of him. I don't think he is going to spend any time looking in the rear view mirror. If Cousins happens to excel in all aspects of the game, I think RGIII will regard him as a valuable teammate, while still being the starter.

The best thing about Griffin is that he knows he controls his own destiny, and he also knows what it takes to be successful. When he is peppered with questions, he is relaxed and delivers thoughtful replies instead of canned cliches. I honestly believe that he knows exactly what he needs to learn, and will prepare himself to master everything that is expected of him, both on and off the field.

I can only hope that Cousins develops into a stellar NFL quarterback, both as an insurance policy against any injuries to RGIII, but also to elevate his value in future trade discussions.

I agree with Akh that if RGIII delivers as promised the draft is a smashing success. I think we will also pull a couple of surprising gems out of this draft class.

[akhhorus]

Originally Posted by BigCountry

LeReibus' academic issues had to do with switching majors as opposed to any kind grade shortcomings. He got a 31 on his wonderlic and was an econ major in college. If there were intelligence issues Shanny wouldn't have drafted him in the third round.

Okay, thanks for the info. I switched majors in school, sounds like something else is going on there if his grades suddenly dropped.

Originally Posted by shally

I personally LOVE the Cousins pick. This was a QB that Shanahan saw for a week and he said that he was too good a talent to pass on.
When you are talking about 4th rounders, there are no guarantees. you are looking for the BPA and hoping it fits an area of need.. If he was head and shoulders the best player, you take him.

Was he an area of need ? are you kidding me ?? anything that pushes Beck immediately off the roster, and will push Rex off in a year is a primary area of need.

I dont think that Shanahan even took him for the purpose of flipping him. this is a "Gary Kubiak" type of move.. Get a long term guarantee of a player who can come in if RGIII gets hurt.. QB's go down constantly, it is a fact of life in the NFL..

Until I hear otherwise, I have to trust Mort's report.

Originally Posted by shally

Where would Houston have been without Yates last year ?

Different situation. They had an established Qb in place and extra picks to take flyers on. They also didn't spent a high 4th on him.

Originally Posted by HAWGZHEAD

Prediction: RGIII becomes the QB we all hope for and we trade Cousins to Miami in three years for a third or fourth round pick. Basis for this prediction : Gut only lol

My prediction: Cousins get flipped for a 6th in 2013.

[Nomad]

Usually Akh analysis errors. LeRibeus is known for his strength, and did 29 reps at the combine on the bench press. That doesn't mean he'll pan out, but he is strong.

Cousins wasn't drafted to be traded, at least not primarily, he was drafted because most teams graded him 2nd or early 3rd round pick, and he slid to the 4th. We have no 3rd string QB, so it was a smart value pick. Long term, this is smart.

Drafting two guards is not mystifying if Leichy rehab not going so well or is a question mark in general, or if the team is just serious about doing what they said they would do: creating solid depth on the OL so they can weather injuries and protect RGIII. We now have 4 Gs plus 1 developmental G on PS if Leichy healthy, and if he's not, we have 4 Gs. Who is to say Hurt, LeRibeus, and Gettis all pan out? Or that Chester finally clicks this year? Two Gs makes sense and was smart.

The only thing I really question about this draft is not taking a second T, but who knows. . . They can be tough to stash on PS, and maybe yoga has truly helped Brown.

[akhhorus]

Originally Posted by Nomad

Usually Akh analysis errors. LeRibeus is known for his strength, and did 29 reps at the combine on the bench press. That doesn't mean he'll pan out, but he is strong.

From PFW:

Hand use is inconsistent — shows little pop or power in his hands

and from the NFL:

Leribeus is a bit slow and struggles athletically. This could be a problem at the next level, as he isn't a very strong or explosive blocker

There's a difference between weight room strong and on the field strong. One of them is useful to the skins, one of them isn't.

Originally Posted by Nomad

Cousins wasn't drafted to be traded, at least not primarily, he was drafted because most teams graded him 2nd or early 3rd round pick, and he slid to the 4th. We have no 3rd string QB, so it was a smart value pick. Long term, this is smart.

I'm not repeating myself.

[guess88]

I've only seen highlight videos of Albert Morris, but he's like a bowling ball. Lots of YAC and seems to have faster game speed than his 40 would indicate. Could be a great goal line and short yardage back, if not just a good compliment to Helu's speed.

[BigCountry]

Originally Posted by akhhorus

Okay, thanks for the info. I switched majors in school, sounds like something else is going on there if his grades suddenly dropped.



Until I hear otherwise, I have to trust Mort's report.



Different situation. They had an established Qb in place and extra picks to take flyers on. They also didn't spent a high 4th on him.



My prediction: Cousins get flipped for a 6th in 2013.

I think I'd go for immature rather than dumb. Coincides with the Magneto helmet picture.

[shally]

Originally Posted by BigCountry

I think I'd go for immature rather than dumb. Coincides with the Magneto helmet picture.

+1

i shudder to think what I would have had to live with if digital cameras and the internet were around when i was in college.. he is immature.. that is a problem with so many kids his age.. time for him to grow up and get serious about his career

[akhhorus]

Originally Posted by guess88

I've only seen highlight videos of Albert Morris, but he's like a bowling ball. Lots of YAC and seems to have faster game speed than his 40 would indicate. Could be a great goal line and short yardage back, if not just a good compliment to Helu's speed.

Just like Royster lol

Originally Posted by BigCountry

I think I'd go for immature rather than dumb. Coincides with the Magneto helmet picture.

That would make more sense. But I don't think that the Magneto helmet picture is anything other then college students being college students.

[AustinSkin]

Any thoughts on Grant Carne, C from Oklahoma State? I know nothing about hom except that he is 6'3", 303 lbs, snapped the ball to Brandon Weeden and was named Big 12 OL of the year. Sounds impressive to me. Anyone know anyone else about this prospect?

[akhhorus]

Originally Posted by AustinSkin

Any thoughts on Grant Carne, C from Oklahoma State? I know nothing about hom except that he is 6'3", 303 lbs, snapped the ball to Brandon Weeden and was named Big 12 OL of the year. Sounds impressive to me. Anyone know anyone else about this prospect?

Grant Garner you mean. Here's the NFP scouting report on him:

An athletic center prospect who doesn't play nearly as low as his frame would indicate. Can keep his base down into his stance, but sits upright and exposes a lot of his chest off the snap. Possesses good snap and step quickness because of it and can reach initial speed off his frame. Nevertheless, doesn't have much pop/strength into contact and often fails to stick to blocks through the play. Isn't a real velcro player, struggles to fend off lineman once they gain a step and doesn't mirror well inside. However, does a nice job keeping his head on a swivel, locates backers blitzing off the edge and has the range to quickly slide laterally. It's when he is asked to slide through contact where he struggles because of his lack of power and higher pad level.

Gets upright off the ball in the run game as well and really seems to roll his hips into defenders. Never seems to really set when looking behind him at the quarterback prior to the snap, just snaps quickly and is hunched over at the waist in order to try to gain leverage in-line. Doesn't create much of a pop on contact, gets upright and is easily stonewalled. Does a much better job snapping and stepping off his frame in order to seal and works hard through the play. Possesses good range getting out to the second level as well, routinely can reach defenders down the field, but body control into contact is just average.

I wouldn't get too excited. He has to beat out Gettis to get a shot imo.

[gmSkins80]

Great write up. I agree that this draft will come down to RG3. I am becoming a bit concerned when it comes to focusing on average talent that played in ZBS over better talent that didnt. Was Massie so terrible that we couldnt take a chance on him? And at what point was it decided that our version of the 3-4 could not use a monster like Ta'Amu at NT. Cofield is a 4-3 DT who cant hold the point of attack against the run. Thank god I brought a foam brick to throw at my TV everytime the skins made a stupid decision. The only pick I even remotly liked after RG3 was the Compton. If Jamal Brown comes back healthy and playing at a pro bowl level like he did when he was in New Orleans, I will quit my job and become a yoga instructor. The Cousins pick was a joke. Its RG3 or bust for the Shanny clan. If it ever comes to a QB controversy with RG3 then Shanny will never coach again in this league, and neither will his retarded son. Snyder has sold the farm for RG3 and more importantly he has sold us, the fans, on RG3 being our savior. If Shanny cant make RG3 produce, the next coach will be told upon being hired that his #1 priority is to make RG3 a star. RG3 is 2 coaching changes away for being blamed, if he is in fact a bust.

[akhhorus]

Skins signed Terrence Campbell and Kentrell Lockett as UDFAs also:

Lockett is a pass rusher on the edge, but he can't stay healthy. Campbell was a nasty OC/OG for SC. Too slow for the ZBS, but could stick.

[AustinSkin]

Any word on RGIII's buddy, Ike Williams? Like the 4.37 speed.