2014 Mock drafts/Big boards

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dead_poet
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2014 Mock drafts/Big boards

Post by dead_poet »

Josh Norris' latest: http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/4 ... aft-jan-27
8. Minnesota Vikings - QB Derek Carr, Fresno State

Carr and Norv Turner would be fun to watch. The Fresno State product will frustrate and wow his fan base all in the same game. Carr does not throw from a balanced base on a consistent basis, but his arm hits throws at every level of the field with touch and velocity.

I also think it is lazy to not draft Carr because of his older brother, David. They are different prospects
Last edited by dead_poet on Wed Jan 29, 2014 3:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 2014 Mock drafts

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dead_poet wrote:Josh Norris' latest: http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/4 ... aft-jan-27

Boo!
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Re: 2014 Mock drafts

Post by radar55 »

D. Carr at # 8 is C. Ponder #2
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Re: 2014 Mock drafts/Big boards

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2014 NFL Draft prospects: Top 50 Draft Board 1.0

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/nfl- ... t-board-10
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Re: 2014 Mock drafts/Big boards

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Thanks for the links.

#8 seems high for Carr based on the various evaluations that are out there now so taking all of that stuff into consideration, if he does become a Viking, it might be better if it involved a trade down in the first or a trade up from the second. That said, I think he's a very talented player who, with the proper guidance and enough talent on the outside to throw to, has the potential to become a very productive NFL QB. He reportedly has strong character and is a leader. His arm strength strikes me as unquestionable and he could excel in a downfield passing game. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Vikes were very interested in him and if he did become a Viking, I'd be excited about the possibilities. His game needs work but that appears to be the case for every QB in this draft. It's his upside that's intriguing.

For what it's worth, in their latest mocks, Rob Rang and Dane Brugler both have Carr going to the Vikes at #8: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/mock-draft

Rang's take:
Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State: Mike Zimmer's choice of Norv Turner as his offensive coordinator may signal the end of Christian Ponder's run as the Vikings' quarterback. While Ponder does not possess the strong arm Turner has preferred in his vertical passing attack, Carr certainly does. The Fresno State star distanced himself from the other senior quarterbacks in this draft class with a strong performance in Mobile.
Brugler's take:
Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State: Minnesota is stuck in quarterback mediocrity with Christian Ponder, Matt Cassel and newly acquired Josh Freeman. Even with a coaching search underway, quarterback has to be No. 1 on the off-season priority list and Carr has the arm talent that Christian Ponder never showed.
Brugler has Bortles going #1 to Houston, Bridgewater at #3 to Jacksonville and Manziel at #4 to Cleveland.

Rang has Bortles going to Jacksonville, Manziel to Cleveland and Bridgewater to Oakland.

There's a LOT of buzz out there about the Browns interest in Manziel.
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Re: 2014 Mock drafts/Big boards

Post by Texas Vike »

Mothman wrote:Thanks for the links.

#8 seems high for Carr based on the various evaluations that are out there now so taking all of that stuff into consideration, if he does become a Viking, it might be better if it involved a trade down in the first or a trade up from the second. That said, I think he's a very talented player who, with the proper guidance and enough talent on the outside to throw to, has the potential to become a very productive NFL QB. He reportedly has strong character and is a leader. His arm strength strikes me as unquestionable and he could excel in a downfield passing game. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Vikes were very interested in him and if he did become a Viking, I'd be excited about the possibilities. His game needs work but that appears to be the case for every QB in this draft. It's his upside that's intriguing.

For what it's worth, in their latest mocks, Rob Rang and Dane Brugler both have Carr going to the Vikes at #8: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/mock-draft

Rang's take: Brugler's take: Brugler has Bortles going #1 to Houston, Bridgewater at #3 to Jacksonville and Manziel at #4 to Cleveland.

Rang has Bortles going to Jacksonville, Manziel to Cleveland and Bridgewater to Oakland.

There's a LOT of buzz out there about the Browns interest in Manziel.
If there's an early run on QBs like these professional prognosticators are predicting, that's all the more reason to go D w/ #8. Mack might slip to us.

In that CBS Mock that DP posted Manziel would go 38 over all! That'd be an easy trade up from 40!
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Re: 2014 Mock drafts/Big boards

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.NFL Mock Draft 2014: Breaking Down the Entire 1st Round
By Jesse Reed , Featured Columnist Feb 5, 2014
Bortles #1 Pick....http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1948 ... -1st-round
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Re: 2014 Mock drafts/Big boards

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Purple bruise wrote:.NFL Mock Draft 2014: Breaking Down the Entire 1st Round
By Jesse Reed , Featured Columnist Feb 5, 2014
Bortles #1 Pick....http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1948 ... -1st-round
FOUR quarterbacks in the first five picks? I consider this a highly unlikely scenario.
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Re: 2014 Mock drafts/Big boards

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dead_poet wrote: FOUR quarterbacks in the first five picks? I consider this a highly unlikely scenario.
I agree. It would be absolutely stunning if that happened.
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Re: 2014 Mock drafts/Big boards

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Mothman wrote: I agree. It would be absolutely stunning if that happened.
I agree but there are many teams, with high draft picks, that are experiencing the same QB problems that the Vikings face and so it is not impossible to imagine.
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Re: 2014 Mock drafts/Big boards

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Purple bruise wrote:I agree but there are many teams, with high draft picks, that are experiencing the same QB problems that the Vikings face and so it is not impossible to imagine.
No, it's not... it's just hard to believe they would all pass up so much talent at other positions, especially when most of these QBs don't look like top 5 quality picks (I realize that's debatable, of course). At the very least, it seems likely one of them might trade down and wait a bit to select a QB. 4 QBs going in the top 5 would be unprecedented.

Speaking of mocks and big boards... apparently Kiper and McShay have released their latest. I'm not an ESPN Insider so I don't know the details but ESPN Vikings blogger Ben Goessling provided some info on it:

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_ ... ax-vikings
Kiper has the Vikings taking Bortles after two teams that need quarterbacks (the Jaguars and Raiders) draft South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins third and fifth overall, respectively. In McShay's version, Bridgewater, Bortles and Manziel go with the third, fourth and fifth picks, leaving the Vikings with Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers grab Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack with the No. 7 pick.
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Re: 2014 Mock drafts/Big boards

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I have ESPN Insider if anyone is wanting me to post some specific content, FWIW.
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Re: 2014 Mock drafts/Big boards

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frosted21 wrote:I have ESPN Insider if anyone is wanting me to post some specific content, FWIW.
Thanks. It's nice of you to offer...

If you have time to share it, I'd love to read Mel Kiper's take on some of the top QBs in this draft.
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Re: 2014 Mock drafts/Big boards

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Mothman wrote:
Thanks. It's nice of you to offer...

If you have time to share it, I'd love to read Mel Kiper's take on some of the top QBs in this draft.
You got it! These are from his "big board". He last updated it on January 16th, obviously before his most recent mock, so it may have changed between then and now but:

#9 - Teddy Bridgewater
Bridgewater is poised and smart and is the QB in this draft class who most regularly made NFL-like throws with good timing and anticipation; he throws to spots and openings, not just to open targets. Bridgewater also has a good blend of arm strength to drive the ball into tight windows and the sense of when to take some heat off and make a throw that will result in an easy catch. He adjusts his velocity really well, depending on the depth and location of the pass. He does a good job pre-snap, gets through his progressions and often scans the whole field. His ball placement is consistently good.

#10- Blake Bortles
Bortles offers an enticing blend of the size you traditionally look for at QB with the athleticism that is now coveted across the NFL as more offenses put mobility to good use. He has sound mechanics, though almost rigidly so, and shows poise and good footwork in the pocket. He has above-average arm strength, based on my reviews, and can drive the ball pretty well on deep and intermediate throws. While he's generally accurate, he can be inconsistent with his ball placement and ask a lot of his wide receivers. UCF's pass-catchers turned a lot of short throws into huge plays, which inflated Bortles' passing totals a bit.

#11 - Johnny Manziel
While some see Manziel as a wild card, many I talk to across the NFL see him as a player with the highest ceiling among those at quarterback. It's not hard to agree, because Manziel is highly competitive, a gifted improviser heading to a league that demands it, and is an effective pocket passer. He anticipates well and sees the whole field, and though he doesn't have great arm strength, he can make special throws with touch and precision both from the pocket and on the move. (He would deliver strikes with more velocity if he kept his feet underneath him consistently.) I'm concerned with how well Manziel can balance his ability to improvise with the ability to get out of bounds or slide and limit hits, but that certainly can be learned. I also think he can prepare at an elite level.

Here is his analysis of the Vikings projected pick (Bortles), in his most recent mock:

Analysis: The Vikings lack any sense of certainty at the QB position. While I think Bortles will have a bit of a learning curve because he needs to gain much greater consistency with his ball placement, he has tremendous physical upside, with a big frame that can really move, which will provide an added dimension to help the offense move the ball as the passing aspect steadily improves. Can Bortles start right away for a team that wants to take a step forward? I think that's a question for the process.

Those are the only three that made his top 25 prospects. The rest of his rankings for QB are as follows:

4. Derek Carr, Fresno St.
5. AJ McCarron, Alabama
6. Zach Mettenberger, LSU
7. *Brett Smith, Wyoming
8. Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech
9. Jimmy Garoppolo, Eastern Illinois
10. David Fales, San Jose St.

Kiper himself doesn't give detailed analysis on the rest (not that I could find laid out like this, at least), but if you are curious about a specific player, I have access to the Scouts, Inc. scouting reports through Insider (which are very detailed) on most (not all, unfortunately, I think there will be more as we approach the draft) of the prospects in the draft. Let me know if your curious about anyone in particular and I would be glad to post. Also, I would be willing to post McShay and Kiper's full mocks later if anyone is interested.

-------

Here is McShay's analysis of the Vikings projected pick (Mosely), in his most recent mock:

Analysis: If there's anything that keeps Mosley out of the first half of the first round, my guess is it would be concerns about his durability (he's had significant shoulder, hip and elbow injuries in the past), but it's hard not to fall in love with his performance on tape. He was highly productive at Alabama, and set the tone for that defense with his motor and aggressive play. In addition to his outstanding cover skills, he's very disruptive when turned loose as a pass-rusher. He'd be a good fit in Minnesota as the Vikings' weakside linebacker.
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Re: 2014 Mock drafts/Big boards

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frosted21 wrote:You got it! These are from his "big board". He last updated it on January 16th, obviously before his most recent mock, so it may have changed between then and now but:
Thank you VERY much for posting that info! It was good reading and I've been interested for a while in getting Kiper's take on a few of these players. I consider him one of the draft analysts who really does his homework so I always find his take interesting, at the very least. I appreciate you including McShay's take on Mosely too.

Kiper himself doesn't give detailed analysis on the rest (not that I could find laid out like this, at least), but if you are curious about a specific player, I have access to the Scouts, Inc. scouting reports through Insider (which are very detailed) on most (not all, unfortunately, I think there will be more as we approach the draft) of the prospects in the draft. Let me know if your curious about anyone in particular and I would be glad to post. Also, I would be willing to post McShay and Kiper's full mocks later if anyone is interested.[/quote]

I'm sure several people would be interested.

I'd love to see the Scouts, Inc. reports on Carr and McCarron, particularly Carr. I won't be surprised if the Vikings pass on drafting a QB at #8 so I'm very intrigued by the next tier of QBs after what has become "the big 3" in this draft.

Thanks again!
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