- I hate Mikki Moore with a Mark Blount-like passion. He is the most miserable defensive player on our team and for some reason everyone loves him because he runs down the floor with a grimace on his face and looks like he’s playing hard. The other week, we played the Bulls and Brad Miller was driving to the rack at will on Mikki. When he enters the game, I make a point at watching who he’s guarding. His man inevitably scores and rebounds at will. He doesn’t box out, his lanky frame gets pushed around, and he fouls EVERYONE. I hate the way he plays, I hate the way he looks, I hate the way he spells his name and I hate the fake tough guy look on his face.
- I am going to be in France for the NFL Draft and the NBA playoffs. I am not proud of this, but my company is sending me there for a vacation so I have to go. On the bright side, the delayed start of the draft will have it starting around 10 pm in France. While I am not expecting to go to a bar and see it, I have WiFi in my hotel room so I can follow online. Still, I feel like a fag.
- The Celts are screwed without KG, obviously. Watching the Bobcats game the other night, they reminded me of the old Antoine Walker / Paul Pierce teams that had no interior presence. We took about 30 three pointers and had no consistency on either end of the court. This style of ball (as we all witnessed in the Antoine era) lends itself to huge swings. You are up by ten and the next thing you know, you are down ten. You can’t close out games, but you are never really out of one either. God we need KG to be healthy…
- Speaking of the draft, I am so excited about the Pats picks and the depth of this draft. I honestly believe that they wanted the Chiefs 2nd round pick more than their 1st rounder this year because this might be the deepest draft in recent history. The only difference between a top 10 pick and a 2nd rounder this year is how much you’ll have to pay them. There are no sure fire super-stars, so I kind of feel bad for the Lions and Co. picking at the top. I have seen first round grades on about 60-70 players this year, which is astounding.
- Here are a few players I love this year in the draft, with a disclaimer that I think in terms of good fits for the Pats more often than not. This is not a comprehensive list, just players that I have seen play…
1. Clay Matthews (LB, USC) will be smart, instinctive and actually ran a 4.57 40 at the USC pro day. He is just the type of player the Pats love and watch them take him at #23.
2. Eric Wood (C/G, Louisville) He is the classic O-Lineman that doesn’t show up big at the combine but always shows on film. He stood out to me at the Senior Bowl as he handled BJ Raji VERY well. He’ll go in the early second and I would love to see the Pats get him.
3. Chip Vaughn (S, Wake Forest) He is big (6’1” 220 lbs.) and actually ran a low 4.5 40. Has pretty good instincts and is a very sure handed tackler. Will probably go in the 3rd or 4th, but I think he can be a prototypical SS in the NFL.
4. Rashad Johnson (S, Alabama) He is another Pats type player with great leadership, football instincts and smarts. Not a workout warrior, so he’ll slip into the 2/3 round, but he just seems like a guy that is in the right place at the right time. I think it was the LSU game where he was all over the place and had 2 picks.
5. I love the CB’s in this year’s draft. I think it’s the deepest position. Alphonso Smith (Wake Forest) has fluid hips and makes plays, reminding me of Asante Samuel. DJ Moore (Vanderbilt) hasn’t worked out well, but is one of the best pure athletes in the draft. Darius Butler (UCONN) is a freakish athlete and moving up many boards.
6. Michael Oher (OT, Ole Miss) is going to be the best NFL tackle in the 2009 draft. I have seen every other tackle prospect in the draft play and Oher is by far the best athlete and has the power to boot. He gets knocked for not playing hard all the time, but a lot of OT’s get that rap. He’ll go in the mid-1st round and become an absolute steal.
7. Along the tackle lines, I love Rylan Reed (Texas Tech). He just had a serious injury, so he’ll slip, but he’s a tough SOB and has prototypical NFL left tackle size at 6’7”. He was great in pass protection all year but people criticize the Texas Tech system and think he’s a product of it. Because of the injury he won’t go until late on the 2nd day, but watch him become a very good player in the league.
8. Brian Robiskie (WR, Ohio St.) is the son of Falcon’s WR coach, Terry, so you can imagine how polished he is. I love guys that are ready to run good routes and fit into an offense right away and he’s one of them. Might not have the flash of Maclin or Crabtree, but he will be a productive WR in the league.
9. Robert Ayers (DE/OLB, Tennessee) looked like a beast at the Senior Bowl and I like him a lot more than the Orakpos and Maybins of the world. He has size speed and productivity. You will probably see him in the late first or early second.
10. Finally, I have saved my man crush for last. Connor Barwin (OLB, Cincinnati) is the next Mike Vrabel. He is a true athlete who started at TE for the Bearcats in 2006 and 2007 and also got some minutes on the basketball court in college. He runs very well for a LB (4.59 in the 40) and was extremely productive with 16 TFL and 11 sacks last year. That was his first year playing defense since high school. He is a bit raw, but is known as a hard worker and has the natural ability to play a Pats style OLB. I want the Pats to draft him more than anyone else. He is projected as a late 2nd/early 3rd player, but he is going to be the man.
5 comments:
We just don't think the same way Casten. It would be hard for me to get excited about my team drafting "the next Mike Vrabel".
What? Vrabel got defensive player of the year votes two years ago, almost won a Super Bowl MVP and has played at a Pro Bowl level for the past 6 years. How is that not something to get excited about. He might not be as flashy as some of the guys who get 10-15 sacks every year, but many people consider him one of the best OLB's in the NFL. Nobody is better at setting the edge in the running game and nobody grades out as well on film. I was having beers with a friend of a friend who happened to play LB for a few NFL franchises, including the Pats. He was more of a special teamer, but played for about 5 years. When the topic of the Pats came up, he said that Vrabel is considered by many in the league to be the very best OLB. Numbers just don't mean everything in the NFL and what he did on every down for the Pats will be impossible to replace. Honestly, I don't know why you wouldn't be excited to get a player that could approach Vrabel's productivity in the 2nd round...
You know how I feel about that bastard.
didn't he suck in pittsburgh?
LT...that's an outside linebacker my friend.
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