The Coordinator
Cheesehead
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2009
- Messages
- 55
- Reaction score
- 2
I think Mayock always does a good job evalutaing talent every year.
Mayock: 3 tackles could go in top 10
A few notable nuggets from this week's pre-combine conference call with Mike Mayock, the NFL Network's respected draft analyst.
* On 3-4 outside linebackers: Mayock said Wake Forest's Aaron Curry "might be the safest pick in the entire draft" but expects him to be gone before the Packers select at No. 9, perhaps in the top three. Mayock thinks Texas end Brian Orakpo also could be a top-10 selection and would be a good fit as a stand-up pass rusher in a 3-4. The Packers have one starting outside linebacker for their new scheme in converted end Aaron Kampman. There are a bunch of candidates on the other side, but it seems likely they'll address the position through free agency or the draft, perhaps both.
* On offensive tackles: Mayock said as many as three could be selected within the top 10 picks. It's possible the Packers at least will consider addressing the position in the draft, with left tackle Chad Clifton entering a contract year at age 32 and right tackle Mark Tauscher a free agents. Here is Mayock's breakdown of the top prospects:
"Jason Smith is No. 1. I already mentioned he reminds me of (Denver's) Ryan Clady. He’s athletic with great feet, and I think he can protect your passer Day 1. I think secondarily he can develop into a better run blocker than he is today.
"No. 2, Eugene Monroe — great pass protector, wonderful feet, long arms. I don’t think he’s quite as physically tough as Jason Smith is. I’d like to see him a little more physical in the run game.
"Andre Smith, the junior from Alabama, I still have to do some work on. He’s a junior. He declared, obviously. I’ve only watched two of his tapes, maybe three of his tapes. I think he’s got the ability to be a great combination of both. He’s got incredible feet for his size; he also has a little bit of a history of weight fluctuation, which worries me. But I’ve got some more homework to do on Andre Smith. He’s a very talented guy for his size. Watching him pull in space to the second level at 330 pounds is breathtaking, really special.
"Michael Oher from Ole Miss is a great athlete — as good an athlete as all of them, if not better. He’s inconsistent with his technique. Sometimes he looks beautiful; sometimes he gets lazy in his technique. So, to me, he’s the kind of guy that’s either going to be a tremendous, Pro Bowl player or, four or five years from now, he’s going to be a footnote.
"And then the kid from Arizona, (Eben) Britton, I think is going to be a really solid player. I’d like to see him at right tackle early on. I think he could develop into a left tackle, but I think he’s just a really good, solid football player. Needs to get a little bit stronger, a little bit more sand in the pants, and I think he’ll be a good football player."
* On the top three picks in the draft: As for the top three picks in the draft, here's how Mayock broke it down: "I will say Detroit at No. 1 takes the quarterback, (Matthew) Stafford. St. Louis at 2 is going to take an offensive lineman, and let’s give them Jason Smith from Baylor. And then Kansas City sitting at No. 3, I’m going to say they take Aaron Curry from Wake Forest."
All of this, of course, should be qualified with the fact that teams' draft stacks -- and, presumably, Mayock's -- will change significantly over the next two months, through the course of the combine and campus workouts and visits, etc.
But hey, this is the time of year when speculation rules.
Here are Mayock's top prospects by position:
Quarterbacks
1 *Matthew Stafford Georgia
2 *Mark Sanchez Southern California
3 *Josh Freeman Kansas State
4 *Nate Davis Ball State
5 Rhett Bomar Sam Houston State
Running backs
1 *Chris Wells Ohio State
2 *Knowshon Moreno Georgia
3 *LeSean McCoy Pittsburgh
4 *Donald Brown Connecticut
5 *Mike Goodson Texas A&M
Fullback
1 Tony Fiammetta Syracuse
2 Quinn Johnson LSU
3 Brannan Southerland Georgia
Wide receivers
1 *Michael Crabtree Texas Tech
2 *Jeremy Maclin Missouri
3 *Darrius Heyward-Bey Maryland
4 *Percy Harvin Florida
5 *Kenny Britt Rutgers
Tight ends
1 Brandon Pettigrew Oklahoma State
2 Shawn Nelson Southern Mississippi
3 Cornelius Ingram Florida
4 *James Casey Rice
5 Travis Beckum Wisconsin
Centers
1 Max Unger Oregon
2 Eric Wood Louisville
3 Alex Mack California
4 A.Q. Shipley Penn State
5 Antoine Caldwell Alabama
Guards
1 Andy Levitre Oregon State
2 Duke Robinson Oklahoma
3 Kraig Urbik Wisconsin
4 Tyronne Green Auburn
5 Herman Johnson LSU
Offensive tackles
1 Jason Smith Baylor
2 Eugene Monroe Virginia
3 *Andre Smith Alabama
4 Michael Oher Mississippi
5 *Eben Britton Arizona
Defensive ends
1 Tyson Jackson LSU
2 Paul Kruger Utah
3 Robert Ayers Tennessee
4 Michael Bennett Texas A&M
5 Michael Johnson Georgia Tech
Defensive tackles
1 B.J. Raji Boston College
2 Peria Jerry Mississippi
3 Ron Brace Boston College
4 Fili Moala Southern California
5 Evander 'Ziggy' Hood Missouri
Inside linebackers
1 James Laurinaitis Ohio State
2 Rey Maualuga Southern California
3 Darry Beckwith LSU
4 Dannell Ellerbe Georgia
5 Jason Phillips Texas Christian
Outside linebackers
1 Aaron Curry Wake Forest
2 Brian Orakpo Texas
3 Brian Cushing Southern California
4 *Aaron Maybin Penn State
5 Everette Brown Florida State
Safeties
1 Louis Delmas Western Michigan
2 Rashad Johnson Alabama
3 Patrick Chung Oregon
4 William Moore Missouri
5 Michael Hamlin Clemson
Cornerbacks
1 Malcolm Jenkins Ohio State
2 *Vontae Davis Illinois
3 Alphonso Smith Wake Forest
4 Darius Butler Connecticut
5 *D.J. Moore Vanderbilt
* Underclassmen granted special eligibility
Mayock: 3 tackles could go in top 10
A few notable nuggets from this week's pre-combine conference call with Mike Mayock, the NFL Network's respected draft analyst.
* On 3-4 outside linebackers: Mayock said Wake Forest's Aaron Curry "might be the safest pick in the entire draft" but expects him to be gone before the Packers select at No. 9, perhaps in the top three. Mayock thinks Texas end Brian Orakpo also could be a top-10 selection and would be a good fit as a stand-up pass rusher in a 3-4. The Packers have one starting outside linebacker for their new scheme in converted end Aaron Kampman. There are a bunch of candidates on the other side, but it seems likely they'll address the position through free agency or the draft, perhaps both.
* On offensive tackles: Mayock said as many as three could be selected within the top 10 picks. It's possible the Packers at least will consider addressing the position in the draft, with left tackle Chad Clifton entering a contract year at age 32 and right tackle Mark Tauscher a free agents. Here is Mayock's breakdown of the top prospects:
"Jason Smith is No. 1. I already mentioned he reminds me of (Denver's) Ryan Clady. He’s athletic with great feet, and I think he can protect your passer Day 1. I think secondarily he can develop into a better run blocker than he is today.
"No. 2, Eugene Monroe — great pass protector, wonderful feet, long arms. I don’t think he’s quite as physically tough as Jason Smith is. I’d like to see him a little more physical in the run game.
"Andre Smith, the junior from Alabama, I still have to do some work on. He’s a junior. He declared, obviously. I’ve only watched two of his tapes, maybe three of his tapes. I think he’s got the ability to be a great combination of both. He’s got incredible feet for his size; he also has a little bit of a history of weight fluctuation, which worries me. But I’ve got some more homework to do on Andre Smith. He’s a very talented guy for his size. Watching him pull in space to the second level at 330 pounds is breathtaking, really special.
"Michael Oher from Ole Miss is a great athlete — as good an athlete as all of them, if not better. He’s inconsistent with his technique. Sometimes he looks beautiful; sometimes he gets lazy in his technique. So, to me, he’s the kind of guy that’s either going to be a tremendous, Pro Bowl player or, four or five years from now, he’s going to be a footnote.
"And then the kid from Arizona, (Eben) Britton, I think is going to be a really solid player. I’d like to see him at right tackle early on. I think he could develop into a left tackle, but I think he’s just a really good, solid football player. Needs to get a little bit stronger, a little bit more sand in the pants, and I think he’ll be a good football player."
* On the top three picks in the draft: As for the top three picks in the draft, here's how Mayock broke it down: "I will say Detroit at No. 1 takes the quarterback, (Matthew) Stafford. St. Louis at 2 is going to take an offensive lineman, and let’s give them Jason Smith from Baylor. And then Kansas City sitting at No. 3, I’m going to say they take Aaron Curry from Wake Forest."
All of this, of course, should be qualified with the fact that teams' draft stacks -- and, presumably, Mayock's -- will change significantly over the next two months, through the course of the combine and campus workouts and visits, etc.
But hey, this is the time of year when speculation rules.
Here are Mayock's top prospects by position:
Quarterbacks
1 *Matthew Stafford Georgia
2 *Mark Sanchez Southern California
3 *Josh Freeman Kansas State
4 *Nate Davis Ball State
5 Rhett Bomar Sam Houston State
Running backs
1 *Chris Wells Ohio State
2 *Knowshon Moreno Georgia
3 *LeSean McCoy Pittsburgh
4 *Donald Brown Connecticut
5 *Mike Goodson Texas A&M
Fullback
1 Tony Fiammetta Syracuse
2 Quinn Johnson LSU
3 Brannan Southerland Georgia
Wide receivers
1 *Michael Crabtree Texas Tech
2 *Jeremy Maclin Missouri
3 *Darrius Heyward-Bey Maryland
4 *Percy Harvin Florida
5 *Kenny Britt Rutgers
Tight ends
1 Brandon Pettigrew Oklahoma State
2 Shawn Nelson Southern Mississippi
3 Cornelius Ingram Florida
4 *James Casey Rice
5 Travis Beckum Wisconsin
Centers
1 Max Unger Oregon
2 Eric Wood Louisville
3 Alex Mack California
4 A.Q. Shipley Penn State
5 Antoine Caldwell Alabama
Guards
1 Andy Levitre Oregon State
2 Duke Robinson Oklahoma
3 Kraig Urbik Wisconsin
4 Tyronne Green Auburn
5 Herman Johnson LSU
Offensive tackles
1 Jason Smith Baylor
2 Eugene Monroe Virginia
3 *Andre Smith Alabama
4 Michael Oher Mississippi
5 *Eben Britton Arizona
Defensive ends
1 Tyson Jackson LSU
2 Paul Kruger Utah
3 Robert Ayers Tennessee
4 Michael Bennett Texas A&M
5 Michael Johnson Georgia Tech
Defensive tackles
1 B.J. Raji Boston College
2 Peria Jerry Mississippi
3 Ron Brace Boston College
4 Fili Moala Southern California
5 Evander 'Ziggy' Hood Missouri
Inside linebackers
1 James Laurinaitis Ohio State
2 Rey Maualuga Southern California
3 Darry Beckwith LSU
4 Dannell Ellerbe Georgia
5 Jason Phillips Texas Christian
Outside linebackers
1 Aaron Curry Wake Forest
2 Brian Orakpo Texas
3 Brian Cushing Southern California
4 *Aaron Maybin Penn State
5 Everette Brown Florida State
Safeties
1 Louis Delmas Western Michigan
2 Rashad Johnson Alabama
3 Patrick Chung Oregon
4 William Moore Missouri
5 Michael Hamlin Clemson
Cornerbacks
1 Malcolm Jenkins Ohio State
2 *Vontae Davis Illinois
3 Alphonso Smith Wake Forest
4 Darius Butler Connecticut
5 *D.J. Moore Vanderbilt
* Underclassmen granted special eligibility
