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petev_sj wrote:In the 4th or 5th round. I would love for the Vikings organization to take a look at Chris Jones DT from Bowling Green. I realize BG doesn't exactly play in the best conference, but talent is talent. There are plays where this kid is unblockable...UNBLOCKABLE! He doesn't rank on anyone's board but you can youtube him and check him out for yourselves.
Maybe I'm looking at the wrong highlights, but from what I saw he looks pretty average. No special burst, most of his pressure seems to come on stunts and outside rushes, he didn't seem to soak up extra blockers.
Based on what I saw, I'd say 7th round or free agent. If he goes to the Combine and wows, he might move up to a solid 7th or 6th. Walterfootball doesn't even have him listed among the top 25 DTs in the draft.
I do see others mentioning his name, though, so maybe they're seeing something I'm not.
Wow Jarvis Jones falling to #17? That would be surprising. Te'o falling out of the 1st too. I've mentioned several times that I'm a big fan of Allen, hope he's around but I think he will be gone by our pick.
It is crazy to think that Williams, a three-time Pro Bowler, went undrafted. Obviousl,y that won't be the case with Hankins as he is a consensus first-round pick.
While Williams went undrafted, he and Hankins have a similar style of play. Williams was a tremendous run-defender who ate up double teams and was impossible to move at the line of scrimmage. Hankins did that at Ohio State and should be able to continue that in the NFL. Williams (6-3, 317) has nearly the same measurements as Hankins.
The big difference between the two is in that Hankins should offer more as a pass-rusher. Like Williams, Hankins won't rack up a big sack total, but he should be able to get some pressure on the quarterback and collapse the pocket. I could see Hankins turning into a defender like Williams in the NFL.
I wouldn't mind Pat 2.0. We miss him.
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
dead_poet wrote:Walterfootball now has us selecting DT Johnathan Hankins.
Not too thrilled with this pick. Ballard has shown some promise and I think Guion, while not elite, holds his own. Plus we have Griffen to play DT on passing downs. If we don't go the WR/LB route, I think Matt Elam serves both BPA and need criteria. He and Smith would make one heck of a duo.
Scouting report from the same site:
Elam is the complete package as a safety. He covers a lot of ground in pass coverage since he has the ability to run with receivers and tight ends. Elam is a physical, tough safety who does well in run support, too. He excels in any aspect of safety play.
Elam is very comfortable playing in the tackle box. He has a compact and muscular build that he uses to be a good tackler. An underrated aspect of Elam's game is his blitzing ability. The Gators haven't called his number that often to rush the quarterback, but when they have, Elam has showed off some dangerous ability to pressure the signal-caller. He has excellent pursuit speed to chase down ball carriers as well.
Elam is a natural in the deep part of the field in pass coverage. He is smart and judges the ball well. Elam shows good speed to cover a lot of ground and is able to pick up speed receivers running deep downfield. In zone coverage, he has a quick first step and doesn't get caught out of position.
Elam is an intelligent player who should only get better with experience. He is also a hard hitter who punishes receivers when given the opportunity.
Aside from a great physical skill set, Elam is very instinctive. He uses those instincts to fly around the field and be around the football, even when plays don't go his direction. Elam is disruptive and has a real presence in the back end of the field.
The scheme flexibility that the junior possesses will please NFL defensive back coaches. Elam has the size and physicality to play strong safety duties, but he is also fast and athletic enough to cover the deep part of the field as a free safety. Elam has fabulous coverage skills to play man-to-man with tight ends; more so than other early-round safety prospects.
S197 wrote:
Not too thrilled with this pick. Ballard has shown some promise and I think Guion, while not elite, holds his own. Plus we have Griffen to play DT on passing downs. If we don't go the WR/LB route, I think Matt Elam serves both BPA and need criteria. He and Smith would make one heck of a duo.
Our rush defense has suffered pretty substantially without Pat. With our secondary showing signs of life, if a guy like Hankins can come in and help bring us back to the #1 rush defense, that can only help things. I'd be pretty disappointed if the Vikings drafted a safety in the first round (apart from Vaccaro inexplicably sliding). They have guys there to compete. The same can be said about DT, I suppose. I just value the DT position a bit more than safety.
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
Guys who can compete at safety? Ballard and Guion? None of our non-Smith safeties or non-Williams defensive tackles are starter material. Maybe they could be come that, but having Griffen for third downs is nice...until he needs to play defensive end and we have those depth guys taking all the snaps. We need a solid starter at both positions, and we don't have them. I'd love a top flight linebacker or receiver, but if these guys are better safeties or defensive tackles then the available players at other positions are at their positions, I'd take either position in a heartbeat!
Vikings select WR DEANDRE HOPKINS ahead of Keenan Allen. A run of three ILBs (Ogletree, Minter, Teo) go 19-21. DT Short goes one spot after the Vikes and DT Hankins goes to the Pats at #29.
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
S197 wrote:These mocks are all over the place, the last one had Jones going what #17 or so? This one has him at #2. That's on par for February I suppose.
You'll probably see that with Jones throughout the process. Jones is a top 5 prospect talent-wise, but he suffered a neck injury in 2009 while playing for USC, and was then diagnosed with spinal stenosis. While his was considered mild, spinal stenosis has ended many players careers (Cooper Manning, Michael Irvin and Marcus McNeil for example). It's unclear exactly how it will affect his draft stock. Some teams may clear him, some may push him down a round or two, and some may completely strike him off their board, taking the same stance that USC did, believing he should retire from football to avoid seriously crippling himself for life. So really, depending on how different teams handle it, he could go in the top 5 or he could fall to the 2nd round, it's really unclear, and probably won't be clear until draft day.
According to NFL Network's Mike Mayock, the NFL teams he's spoken to have fourth-round grades on LSU CB Tyrann Mathieu.
Mathieu will be off many boards after getting booted from LSU for repeated drug use, but there are teams that'd take the onetime Heisman finalist in the mid to late rounds. "A lot of people have him as a nickel and a kick returner," Mayock said. "I don’t think he’s going to run better than a 4.5, 4.55. If he does, that will help him. So, most teams I’ve talked to have him more in the fourth round. They don’t think he’s very big, he’s not going to run very fast, and he’s had off-the-field issues." Source: Washington Post
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
LSU CB Tyrann Mathieu recently clocked a 4.47 forty-yard dash during pre-Combine training.
Mathieu is training with Patrick Peterson in Boca Raton (FL), and it's paying dividends. "He's going to be good," said Peterson Sr. "He's looking like Tyrann. He's staying away from the off-field stuff and he's focused. He looks like he means business, very locked in." A forty time in the 4.4s could help Mathieu's stock. League evaluators believe he won't time better than 4.5. Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune
--- E.J. Manuel - QB - Seminoles
Scouts Inc.'s Matt Williamson predicts FSU QB E.J. Manuel will go in the top 40 selections in the 2013 draft.
This is the highest we've seen Manuel predicted. The Florida State quarterback has the physical talent to be considered early in the draft, but he's been far too inconsistent in college. In January, NFL Network's Mike Mayock said he was told Manuel was expected to be selected in the third- to fourth-round. Source: Matt Williamson on Twitter
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
