Twon82 made a FanShot with this website on it, which I loved using last year:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft10/features/draftmachine/
Now, Scouts, Inc. has some relatively ludicrous rankings on here (Gerald McCoy is their #1 prospect in the draft, among others) but it's awesome to be able to physically see a draft board develop as you create it, and also get a great gauge on most of the talent in the draft.
With that said, a lot of talk has been around IF the Lions trade down, who do we take? I think everyone has basically said "If Berry or Okung are there, I take them.". So, what if the pretty likely scenario occurs and they AREN'T there? I assume a trade with Cleveland, now that Seattle has spent a decent amount of money on a random QB. Consider this:
1 - STL - S. Bradford, QB
2 - CLE - J. Clausen, QB (via trade with DET)
3 - TB - N. Suh, DT
4 - WAS - R. Okung, OT
5 - KC - E. Berry, S
6 - SEA - G. McCoy, DT
In this situation, Seattle takes McCoy simply based on him being there to take, and the talent being to hard to pass on. I think they could definitely use a force on their DL, and that pick makes it easier to make my point, whether it happens or not.
Here's the question: at pick #7 overall, with Eric Berry, Russell Okung, and both top-flight DT's off the board, who do we take? Here are my picks, in order of personal preference:
Rolando McClain, ILB, Alabama - 6'4", 256 lbs
2009 Stats:
105 total tackles, 53 solo; 14.5 TFL; 4 sacks, 2 INT; 6 PD, 4 PBU, 14 QBH
Scouting Report (Courtesy of everyone's favorite website, WalterFootball.com)
My personal favorite to go to us, however unlikely, in the mid-early first, McClain shined in the BCS Championship game. The obvious similarity he would draw is to that of Ravens' ILB Ray Lewis, however, I think with his prototypical size and head for the game, some better comparisons would be to guys like Brian Urlacher and Patrick Willis. From what I've read, his lateral quickness leaves something to be desired, and may be better suited as an SLB in our scheme, which wouldn't end up being a bad move. I think Schwartz (along with myself) places a premium on players with a lot of heart and leadership ability, and McClain absolutely brings that to any team he's drafted by. Shift Levy to WLB for a while or just trade JP and stick McClain at SLB, and I think we've got a stalwart to go with our new MLB for quite a while.
Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech - 6'4", 270 lbs.
2009 Stats: 55 total tackles, 39 solo; 18.5 TFL; 12.5 sacks; 1 PBU, 2 QBH; 2 FF
Lots of people may say this is a reach here, but I honestly think that at his position, and behind McClain, Morgan is the premier defensive talent left at this point in the draft. Once again, great size for a DE, with a good deal of speed at 270 pounds. Very versatile and well rounded. On the line, it's great to have guys who are ridiculously good at what they do, whether it's penetration or run blocking, but many players end up being a liability in the other when they excel at one. Morgan is an extremely safe and talented player who could really help us out with his ability to get to the opposing QB. I draw some similarities to a guy like Aaron Kampman, who really isn't fit to cover, but can dominate on the defensive line.
Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State - 5'10", 190 lbs.
2009 Stats: 42 total tackles, 30 solo; 1 sack; 3 INTs, 2 TDs; 4 PD
Yes. I did it. I advocated drafting Kyle Wilson at #7 overall, and here's why: I did an entire write up, picture and all of Joe Haden here, until I realized that he and Wilson are almost the exact same. Same size, similar stat lines from last year (although I would argue Wilson's 2 TD's and production over his career are greater) and both are pretty much guaranteed 1st round locks. The difference? Haden plays for an (now exposed) overhyped Florida defense, and had much more national attention than Wilson. Kyle had as many INT's in his junior and senior years as Haden had in his career. Yes, I know that Boise State doesn't play the same level of competition that Florida does, but Wilson also didn't have the assistance of the level of teammates Haden enjoyed. I honestly think it's a wash, so in my humble opinion, if you're going to go CB, you go with the guy who you know better, who has better intangibles, and, of course, the dreadlocks. I know everyone is going to tear my head off for this, but I wouldn't personally be upset at all with Kyle Wilson here, and I don't know how you can say that it's a reach if you think Haden is good here as well.
In conclusion, what I realized in this writeup was that in a trade down scenario, defense is really the only choice. Our choices are pretty limited here, and as with our #2 pick, I don't really think we can lose either way. I'm beginning to realize that just accepting our fate and drafting Suh could be as good of a choice as any, but if we are able to trade with Cleveland or anyone else, and pick up some extra picks in the ultra deep draft while drafting a player like Wilson or McClain at the top, I'll be ecstatic.
Poll
So what's your opinion, who would be the best pick at #7?
Rolando McClain, LB, Bama (26 votes)
Derrick Morgan, DE, GT (24 votes)
Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise (21 votes)
Other (post below) (44 votes)
115 total votes





There are 31 Comments. Load Now.
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.
C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read
R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next
Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read
Comment Settings
Live comment alert: Hide it!
Comments for this post are closed.