***Official 2009 IDP NFL Draft Thread*** (1 Viewer)

[Jene Bramel]

Joseph surely gets picked in this round, Miami has two picks, 5 (161) and 5 (165). Frantz was featured this morning on ESPNs Outside The Lines, I missed it, will try and find when it re-airs.

That was a great feature.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Bills drafted S Nic Harris out of Oklahoma but he'll be moved to OLB and will probably compete with Keith Ellison for a starting job at some point. Potential 3-down WLB here, although I don't expect it to happen right away.

 

[Jene Bramel]

CB Macho Harris to Philadelphia. Great story, decent player, but has the ball skills and return ability to work his way into the conversation in CB required leagues and potentially returner leagues. Not sure there's a starting role for him anytime soon, however.

 

[Larry Thomas]

Joseph surely gets picked in this round, Miami has two picks, 5 (161) and 5 (165). Frantz was featured this morning on ESPNs Outside The Lines, I missed it, will try and find when it re-airs.

Steelers have back to back picks this round

 

[Jene Bramel]

How about an all-Hamlin Cowboys safety unit? Michael Hamlin to Dallas in the fifth round -- no relation to Ken -- where he should compete with Gerald Sensabaugh at strong safety. A little limited in size, but might generate some numbers in the box in future seasons.

 

[Larry Thomas]

Joseph surely gets picked in this round, Miami has two picks, 5 (161) and 5 (165). Frantz was featured this morning on ESPNs Outside The Lines, I missed it, will try and find when it re-airs.

Steelers have back to back picks this round

This must be hurting him...Failed drug test in 2005 and arrest for marijuana possession in 2006. Joseph freely acknowledges his mistakes but hopes that these incidents aren't going to hurt his draft position.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Projectable corners with size, ball skills and a willingness to support the run that get drafted into zone coverage schemes are worth watching, especially a guy like Coye Francies, who the Browns just drafted at least two rounds after many projected him.

 

[Jene Bramel]

LB Frantz Joseph

LB Dannell Ellerbee

LB Darry Beckwith

Still available. At this point, it's time to root for them to go undrafted and have their pick of situations rather than be drafted by a team full of depth where they'll battle for special teams roles.

 

[T Bell]

1.13 -- DE BRIAN ORAKPO -- Washington Redskins

So much for all the hybrid OLB/DE players going to 3-4 teams to play rush OLB. Nearly as explosive as Maybin, but much stronger and could grow into a solid every-down player from the RDE spot. Isn't the type of rookie end to blow up immediately in the boxscores, particularly in tackle-heavy leagues, but has solid long-term potential. Could also signal that Greg Blache is ready to play more aggressively with his front four, which would work in Andre Carter's favor. It's just as likely, though, that Orakpo plays a rotational role on passing downs until he proves himself ready to play the run.

Apparently the Redskins see Orakpo as a potential every down player, SLB in the base defense and a LDE on passing downs. As la Canfora notes, it makes a little sense in that Blache doesn't play the run on the way to the quarterback as Orakpo would likely do. Be interesting to see if he can handle base defensive SLB responsibilities. His scouting report would suggest a struggle.Washington Post blog/Jason la Canfora

After a 2008 season in which the rookies largely faltered, Washington Redskins Coach Jim Zorn proclaimed that whomever the team selected 13th overall in April's draft would have to contribute immediately. Now, with the first round of the draft completed and Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo the newest Redskin, that will likely require some juggling from the coaching staff.

Orakpo's speed and 11 1/2 sacks as a senior endeared him to team officials seeking to upgrade their pass rush, but Orakpo could alternate at linebacker and end as he learns the NFL game. Zorn said yesterday that Orakpo would come in as a left defensive end, but during his visit to Redskins Park Orakpo spent considerable time breaking down film with linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti and figured he could end up spending more snaps as a strong-side linebacker.

"It's all about the packages that I can bring to the table," Orakpo said in a conference call with the media. "In talking to coach K.O., the linebacker coach, he really likes me and sees me as a SAM [strong-side] backer on first and second [down], and when it's time to get after it on third-and-long or whatever the situation is, I'll get down in a [three-point] stance and rush the passer and do what I do best. That's the thing about me, I bring a lot of versatility to the table."

...

On the left side, where Orakpo will play, Phillip Daniels and Renaldo Wynn, both near the end of their careers and best as rotational players, stand before him on the depth chart. While both are very strong, and excel against the run, they have battled age and injury and counting on them to be productive all season long is a gamble. Orakpo, who had knee sprains each of the last two seasons and missed four games as a senior, is like a younger, quicker version of Daniels in many respects, but must make major strides in his run stopping.

"He's got an explosive takeoff, explosive sped and the ability to get the corner," Cerrato said. "He can bend that corner once he gets around the tackles. He doesn't take extra steps."

Defensive coordinator Greg Blache's system has been predicated on his linemen absorbing blockers and allowing the linebackers to make plays, and with Wynn and Daniels suited to that, Orakpo playing strong-side linebacker on running downs makes sense. Even at linebacker, he will need work at the point of attack, with one NFL scout who evaluated him suggesting he be stunted with some regularity.

...

I don't know this for sure, but I'm thinking that there may be something to Orakpo playing a hybrid position. They experimented with this in 2007 with Marcus Washington in order to generate some pass rush, and they've had some 3rd down rush specialists in recent years who have had some success, such as Chris Clemons. The team doesn't have a true Sam LB on the roster right now (something not addressed in the draft either), and so it may make sense to see if Orakpo can't help fill that void. It makes sense too because they have a lot of depth in the secondary and like to play nickel and dime packages in passing situations, even going with 3 Safeties on occasion, meaning that the SLB may be the guy who gets replaced in passing situations, which allows guys like Wynn or Daniels to slide inside to DT and Orakpo to line up in a three-point stance as the LDE, or flip-flop as was done with Carter and Taylor last season. Orakpo may even slide over before the snap and blitz inside from a two point stance like Jason Taylor did in recent years in Miami.

Normally I'd be more concerned that he "looks like" a speed rushing RDE on a team that already has one in Andre Carter, but he sounds like he will bulk up a little more and is strong enough to hold up at the point of attack, and is also athletic enough to do more.

The key for IDP may simply be his classification - if he's a DE he's a big value; if he's a LB, not so much.

 

[Jene Bramel]

A few general notes to tidy this thread up a bit.

The Packers are planning to use Clay Matthews at ROLB. That position in Dom Capers' zone blitz scheme isn't a pure rush OLB, but it definitely gives Matthews a potential boost in big play heavy leagues.

Robert Ayers will apparently take the bulk of his early offseason snaps at DE in Mike Nolan's hybrid 3-4. Sounding more and more like a Justin Smith type usage.

Jason Williams will indeed take snaps inside for the Cowboys.

Undrafted free agents worth monitoring include:

ILB Antonio Appleby in NE. Gary Guyton is there and Tyrone McKenzie was drafted, but Belichick isn't afraid to keep an UDFA around and Appleby is the kind of player who could throw a wrench into the works at SILB.

S Emanuel Cook to the Jets. Rex Ryan knows Jim Leonhard, but he may not be a long term answer. Cook is a longshot, but could work his way into the mix at SS.

LB Darry Beckwith ended up in San Diego. Could be another sign that the team isn't happy with Tim Dobbins and/or Brandon Siler. Another longshot, but could compete with Kevin Burnett and Dobbins for ILB playing time.

LB Frantz Joseph went to Oakland and has his own thread.

LB Dannell Ellerbe signed with Baltimore. Not the greatest spot since Tavares Gooden and Jason Phillips have more invested in them.

DE Mitch King to Tennessee. Big rotation out there right now, but there's opportunity for somebody to take a job out there.