HBT NFL Mock Draft '09

[the_bird]

There have been a lot of tackles taken, but only one guard and one center. That seems OK to me, you might see a premier center taken in round 1 but it's pretty uncommon to see many guards (or safeties) taken than early.

It does seem like there are a fair number of players (like Maybin and Conner) that have fallen further than seems realistic. Must mean that we've been drafting a fair number of players a lot earlier than most people expect.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

There have been a lot of tackles taken, but only one guard and one center. That seems OK to me, you might see a premier center taken in round 1 but it's pretty uncommon to see many guards (or safeties) taken than early.

It does seem like there are a fair number of players (like Maybin and Conner) that have fallen further than seems realistic. Must mean that we've been drafting a fair number of players a lot earlier than most people expect.

There have only been a few surprises taken early, but they're not completely out of the realm of possibility either. A lot of it probably comes down to improperly evaluating a teams needs and situation.

 

[the_bird]

It does seem that most mock drafts (including ours) emphasis team needs much more so than how most drafts end up playing out. I suspect some of these guys that have fallen through the cracks would end up being snatched up by a team that doesn't necessarily have a hole at that position.

 

[Danek]

We'll give danek until about noon EST to make his pick, then we'll make it for him.

Apologies gents - I've been off the net for a couple of days due to a work conference in Colorado. (It was a long way to go for work, but the tour of Avery made it all worthwhile )

 

[CBBaron]

It does seem that most mock drafts (including ours) emphasis team needs much more so than how most drafts end up playing out. I suspect some of these guys that have fallen through the cracks would end up being snatched up by a team that doesn't necessarily have a hole at that position.

I think this is a very good point. It seems many teams actually draft based on best available football player with needs playing only a small factor, especially in early rounds. And the teams that do this the best seem to be the top runners most years. I follow the Steelers and last year everyone had them picking OL early in the draft but Mendenhall and Sweed fell to them in the first 2 rounds and OL wasn't addressed until round 4. Mendenhall and Sweed havn't yet contributed but everyone expects they will but Steelers still won the big game last year.

So far I've felt that I've been able to get values for the few picks I've had and fill what was seen as needs. However Steelers didn't have any strong needs and Cincy had many strong needs so that makes it easier.

Craig

 

[the_bird]

It depends, of course, on the team. Teams that draft consistently well seem to be teams that just target the best player regardless of position, although of course these also tend to be the better teams with fewer pressing needs regardless. You also have to consider system and what players are good fits for an organization; I tend to think that Connor Barwin is a better fit for NE than Maybin would be. I know that's something that BB and Pioli paid a lot of attention to, not just whether a player was productive in the system them were in but how they'd be able to adapt to the Pats' system. That's why you saw them target Vrabel from Pitt a few years back.

With Pitt specifically, if the biggest need is depth on the OL, that's not something you address in round one anyway. The best tackles go early; the best guards are available in round 2 or 3. Even if it IS a need, there's no need to draft someone too early (except maybe centers; there's a bit of a premium on centers).

Injuries are so common in the NFL, too, that drafting based on need becomes ridiculous when your needs change in such a short period of time; one or two injuries, and your position of greatest strength, you're suddenly grasping for bodies.

 

[CBBaron]

...aaaaaaaaaaaaand now my guy is gone. No one wanted to trade with me, damnit.

BuffaloSabresBrewer is now on the clock for the Vikings.

Looks like Buffalo is going missing. Any ideas who the Vikes would select?

I think DJ Moore (CB) is still available in our draft. And so is Max Unger (C).

Craig

 

[ohiobrewtus]

The Minnesota Vikings select DJ Moore, CB - Vanderbilt.

RICLARK is now on the clock for the Falcons.

 

[RICLARK]

With the 55th pick the Atlanta Falcons Select: Mike Mickens CB Cincinnati.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Limited Visibility is now on the clock for the Dolphins.

 

[RICLARK]

I was thinking about it....Wouldn't it be a waste to take Curry First?? Don't get me wrong I think he is the best pick but it seems it would be useless unless they were going to go to the 3-4 because Peterson and Sims have the Outside pretty much locked up for the time being.

 

[Limited Visibility]

With the 56th pick the Miami Dolphins select LB - Marcus Freeman - Ohio State

 

[eriktlupus]

with the 57th pick the ravens are Clint Simtin, OLB, Vandy

 

[the_bird]

With the 58th pick, the New England Patriots select Max Unger, tackle from Oregon.

Sounds like he still needs some work on his technique, but the Pats have one of the premier line coaches in Dante Scarnecchia (how the hell does a position coach stay with one team basically since 1982, through about ten different coaching regimes?). Love the versatility; Unger can line up anywhere. Pat's offensive line has been inconsistent and there are a couple guys whose contracts expire at the end of the year.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I was thinking about it....Wouldn't it be a waste to take Curry First?? Don't get me wrong I think he is the best pick but it seems it would be useless unless they were going to go to the 3-4 because Peterson and Sims have the Outside pretty much locked up for the time being.

I don't think so. Curry would play the middle for the Lions. I doubt that the Lions will actually pick Curry, but given a choice between Stafford, Curry, Smith and Monroe, I would take Curry

with the 57th pick the ravens are Clint Simtin, OLB, Vandy

Virginia, actually.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

With the 59th pick the Carolina Panthers select Sen'Derrick Marks, DT - Auburn.

hokster is now on the clock for the Giants. Hopefully he checks this becaues his PM box is still full.

Way to keep this thing rolling over the weekend, guys. I'm impressed!

 

[the_bird]

You know what I think the Lions should at least think about?

See if the Jaguars or the Pack would take #20 and #33 for #8/#9. Take Smith or Monroe first overall, get your LT position situated for the next decade. Take Sanchez at #8 or #9. Keep Culpepper around so that Sanchez doesn't get thrown into the fire (although he seems to have a much better personality to deal with a bad situation without losing his confidence than a lot of the QBs who have flamed out early).

Can you tell I've got a mad man-crush on Sanchez? I don't see how he possibly gets past Denver, and he really seems like the kind of player who COULD be a franchise guy. You don't see franchise QBs in every draft, but they try and force that on guys like Alex Smith. Sanchez strikes me as the kind of guy who could come in and deal with the pressures of leading a franchise back from the brink.

Incidentally, I also think he's got the personality to deal with playing in Denver; didn't I hear Cutler whining about having to play in the shadow of John Elway? Some guys just can't stand the pressure.

 

[hokster]

At this point, one of the most pressing needs for the Giants is to add some depth and youth to their O-line. As a result, we'll take Jamon Meredith, OL, South Carolina.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

We're all making this pick for Dude.

The Colts like a 2 back system and Rhodes is replacable. I think it's a WR or a RB here and I'll go with Andre Brown, RB - NC State.

 

[CBBaron]

We're all making this pick for Dude.

The Colts like a 2 back system and Rhodes is replacable. I think it's a WR or a RB here and I'll go with Andre Brown, RB - NC State.

Sounds like a reasonable pick to me. I expect he will go late 2nd round.

Craig

 

[ohiobrewtus]

The Colts select Andre Brown, RB - NC State.

the_bird is now on the clock for the Titans.

 

[the_bird]

With the 62nd pick in the 2009 HBT Draft, the Tennessee Titans select Brian Robiski,wide receiver, from The Ohio State University.

He's got height, sounds like good footwork and body control, maybe isn't a terribly explosive deep threat but sounds like someone who can help. Tennessee needs some playmakers on offense.

 

[CBBaron]

With the 62nd pick in the 2009 HBT Draft, the Tennessee Titans select Brian Robiski,wide receiver, from The Ohio State University.

He's got height, sounds like good footwork and body control, maybe isn't a terribly explosive deep threat but sounds like someone who can help. Tennessee needs some playmakers on offense.

Great idea except the Bears already have him.
Try again.

Craig

 

[the_bird]

Dammit!

It's 'Brewtus' fault, you know. He's got "Robiskie" spelled "Robiske" on the first page; I did a quick search on the former when making my pick!

Dammit... back to the draft sites...

EDIT: Of course, I just noticed that *I* spelled it wrong in my post as well...

 

[CBBaron]

Dammit!

It's 'Brewtus' fault, you know. He's got "Robiskie" spelled "Robiske" on the first page; I did a quick search on the former when making my pick!

Dammit... back to the draft sites...

EDIT: Of course, I just noticed that *I* spelled it wrong in my post as well...

It is indeed a tough name to spell, despite being short.

I'm surprised this is the first pick to make that mistake. I've already recommended a player that had been off the board a while. I figured someone would make that mistake with an actual pick.

Craig

 

[the_bird]

OK, the Titans will instead draft Sherrod Martin, defensive back from Troy. Sounds like he may be a bit of a workout-wonder, some of the older mock drafts had him going later but I like that he's got some versatility, mostly played FS in college but projects to likely play at corner. He's got some height and some speed. A little lanky and he's had some injury concerns. Don't feel as good about this pick as Robiskie, but he seems to be the defensive back with the most upside left in the draft. Like the versatility.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Ya, ya ,ya... I fixed my typo.

Limited Visibility is now on the clock for the Cardinals.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I'll have to admit that you threw me for a loop on that pick, bird. I'd heard his name before, but that's about all. Most places I just checked have him graded as a 3rd or 4th round guy. Not so say that this pick couldn't happen though, players go higher than projected all the time.

 

[the_bird]

Well, I don't know a lot about him but I'm seeing him in a lot of drafts in the mid/late second round. As I said, sounds like he may be a bit of a workout guy; ran the 40 a lot quicker than people though he might, and in general it seems like he's been wowing the scouts as of late. Don't buy into all of that, necessarily, but from what I'm reading he's got the speed AND the size. We're basically in the third round now, regardless. Picked up Brace in round 1 to shore up the D-line, Tenny's other needs seem to be in the defensive backfield and certainly at WR, but there really weren't any other wideouts I particularly liked. Dammit, I wanted Robiskie!

 

[the_bird]

D'oh, I just had a big post with a lot of the scouting reports I read on him. Long and short - draft is relatively weak on safeties and corners, he's one of the biggest DBs in the draft, doing very well for himself in recent weeks. Yahoo's mock draft has him going to the Texans, I believe, early in the 2nd. He hasn't PLAYED a lot of corner, if he was a CB instead of a S in college (and performed at a similar level), I suspect he's be getting more consideration; trickier for a guy to move from S to CB than the other way around.

But, I love the big, versatile guys who have the size to potentially match up with the Randy Moss-types. Even if he ultimately plays S in the league, if he's got the coverage skills to line up against the three-receiver fronts, that's key; hard-hitting safeties in the Rodney Harrison mold are old-school, everyone's looking for safeties that have cornerback-skills.

 

[Limited Visibility]

With the 63rd pick in the 2009 Draft the Arizona Cardinals Select TE - Shawn Nelson - Southern Miss

 

[ohiobrewtus]

CBBaron is now on the clock

 

[the_bird]

The point about passing on Cutler... DID they pass on him? What I had heard was that Denver wanted no part of the #1 overall pick because of the $$ involved, that they PREFERRED getting a pick that was a little later on.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

The point about passing on Cutler... DID they pass on him? What I had heard was that Denver wanted no part of the #1 overall pick because of the $$ involved, that they PREFERRED getting a pick that was a little later on.

I think you're spot on. Denver just didn't want to pay the money associated with the #1 overall pick. Truth be told - no one does. Especially not the Lions.

 

[the_bird]

You know, I was wondering where this reply was - this comment was supposed to be in the LIONS SUCK! thread.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

You know, I was wondering where this reply was - this comment was supposed to be in the LIONS SUCK! thread.

freaking n00b.

Well I guess if you were still a mod then you could move it.

I thought that it was kind of random, but I thought I'd reply anyway.

 

[the_bird]

If I were still a mod, I'd have changed your original post to reflect the Pats drafting Raji, Curry, and maybe Sanchez to back up the pretty boy!

 

[ohiobrewtus]

If I were still a mod, I'd have changed your original post to reflect the Pats drafting Raji, Curry, and maybe Sanchez to back up the pretty boy!

Hey that's not a bad idea.

"The Detroit Lions had the best draft in recorded history landing Aaron Curry, BJ Raji, Malcolm Jenkins, Vontae Davis, Brian Cushing, Clay Mattews, Brian Orakpo, Peria Jerry, William Moore and Louis Delmas on the defensive side of the ball while bolstering their offense with Mark Sanchez, Jason Smith, Alex Mack, Max Unger, Michael Crabtree, Brandon Pettigrew, Jeremy Maclin and Knowshon Moreno.

When asked how he thought that he would win with all these rookies, coach Schwartz said "Hell, it can't be worse than last year"

The Detroit Lions now do not have a draft pick until the year 2022, but new GM Martin Mayhew, who was mentored by Matt Millen, is convinced that his way is the right way to build a perennial winner."

 

[CBBaron]

Hey that's not a bad idea.

"The Detroit Lions had the best draft in recorded history landing Aaron Curry, BJ Raji, Malcolm Jenkins, Vontae Davis, Brian Cushing, Clay Mattews, Brian Orakpo, Peria Jerry, William Moore and Louis Delmas on the defensive side of the ball while bolstering their offense with Mark Sanchez, Jason Smith, Alex Mack, Max Unger, Michael Crabtree, Brandon Pettigrew, Jeremy Maclin and Knowshon Moreno.

When asked how he thought that he would win with all these rookies, coach Schwartz said "Hell, it can't be worse than last year"

The Detroit Lions now do not have a draft pick until the year 2022, but new GM Martin Mayhew, who was mentored by Matt Millen, is convinced that his way is the right way to build a perinneal winner."

LOL

That is hilarious.

Craig

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Stop messin' around and make your pick, fool!

I'm actually going to make the next pick at the top of the 3rd for the Lions after you've made pick #64.

If anyone is interested in mocking out rd 3 let me know. We could get 2 or 3 of us and just alternate picks or something.