Here's the 15. Luck Griffin Kalil TRich Claiborne Blackmon Ingram Tannehill Cox Floyd Kuechly Reiff Decastro Barron Poe I pick Hightower.
Agreed, except Hightower or Glenn... Not even going to guess what Tanny will do, but I could live with Upshaw, Roll Tide Roll!
Upshaw, followed by Glenn or Hightower GH - I've seen you point to Perry quite a bit at 16. I like Perry as a prospect, but there are 2 things that stand out to me that push him a little down the board in my eyes: 1. From what I've read, he "looked stiff" in linebacker drills and didn't look like a guy who would naturally stand up (and thus would fit better as a 4-3 DE). Obviously, you don't feel the same way, so I'm interested as to why you feel otherwise. 2. I can't say that I've gone through detailed analysis of his game tape, but in any game tape that I've seen, he doesn't seem to play with much attitude or violence. I'm admittedly probably more sensitive to this due to the loser we drafted in 2008, so I may be reading more into this than I should be. Again, I'm a fan and I think those issues can be overlooked a bit easier further down in the draft; I see the 25 - 30 range as his value, at least from a Jets standpoint.
No problem. 1. I don't buy the comments that he looks "stiff" at all, especially when compared to certain other players in the class. Put him up against a guy like Chandler Jones and he makes the latter look like Frankenstein. He might not be as smooth as some, but he's no different athletically than a guy like Terrell Suggs, who I think he compares very closely too. He doesn't have Ingram, McClellin, or Upshaw's experience dropping into coverage, but he has done it a decent enough amount at SC to know it's not a problem. He's quick on his feet and great in pursuit, the most important things that a LB needs in coverage. 34 OLBs are never going to be tremendous in coverage because they don't need to be, but he's certainly athletic enough to cover hook/flat zones, and chase down RBs on screens/short passes. 2. As for the violence thing, I completely disagree. His aggressive technique as a passrusher is one of the reasons that I rate him so highly. He has a good speed rush, but its clear that he's most effective when he gets a good strong punch on the tackle and drives him right back to the pocket. He was good at this at DE while with SC, but I think that moving him a yard off the line will only enhance this as he can get that extra bit of momentum on his side. Just watch how good he was on inside stunt plays; any time he was given that ability to loop around contact the interior linemen he blew them up. Compare him to a handful of other guys in the draft and you'll see the difference. Outside of guys like Vinny Curry and Bruce Irvin who make their money on just being violent, angry people, I don't see a more aggressive passrusher in the mix this year. For anyone concerned about any similarities he has to VG, I think the effort is the biggest difference. I was watching some of his play by plays yesterday and there was one where he ended up on the opposite side of the field on a swing pass away from him to recover a fumble. When I saw #8 get out of the pile I said to myself "no way did he just get all the way across the field so fast", but there he was diving into the pile. Then just to add onto everything, this kid was taught directly by Monte Kiffin, so he knows what it takes to be a Pro. When I see him going at #18 in mocks I just say to myself there's just no way that they can let this kid slip by. He's just a perfect prospect to mold, I really can't imagine the similarities he has to T Suggs are lost on Rex Ryan. I really can't. His potential is unlimited and he has the passion for the game to get there, I see no reason why he shouldn't be a Jet if he's on the board at 16. Just typing this post has gotten me even more hyped about it.
Not an ILB or a DT and I am down on Upshaw. Look to OLB/DE (Mercilus/Perry/Branch) or WR (Wright) or RT (Glenn, Adams). My personal choice value wise would be a trade down butif it can't be done then I would take Glenn and install him at RT for the next 8-10 years. Pick up a pass rushing OLB/DE in round 2. And a speedy WR round 3. Round 5 RB/FS. Biggest holes: OLB/DE pass rusher. WR. RT. FS. Backup RB.
This. Perry is being underrated, not just around here but everywhere....more than likely because he plays out west.
Thanks for the response - I admittedly haven't been involved in draft season so much this year so I trust your assessment since you've long been one of the go-to guys on here. I just looked at some more footage and I can see the Suggs comparisons. I definitely agree that playing off the line will only let him utilize his speed better. The main thing I find concerning then is that we haven't brought him in for a visit, which seems to have been a pretty good indicator of our interest in the past few drafts. Has there been any word of us talking to him at the combine or going to his pro day? I don't remember hearing anything...
Upshaw, he plays violently and hits hard. Now he'll play with a chip on his shoulder. Never underestimate what a bone crushing hit can do to the psyche of a QB.
I'd go Hightower or Mercilus. I like Hightower's versatility and Mercilus is intriguing even though he has a small sample set. Can't ignore his sack numbers when you have a team that struggles to get to the QB.
