McShay's early mock

[aj_law]

Has Pittsburgh taking OL...Benjamin Ijalana?

No fucking idea who this guy is and just based on the short paragraph that McShay wrote, seems like a bit of a reach in R1.

[Finnegans Wake]

McShay is a withered teat.  He's spent so much time in tanning beds he's cooked his calabash.

I'd say the top OGs are Pouncey and Wisniewski.  Those are the only 2 I consider R1 picks, period.  Wisniewski may be better at OC, but I think he'd be a pretty good guard, too.

After that, most sites have Rodney Hudson, who I think is too small and don't like.  Maybe a pure ZBS scheme team can use him.  Pass.

Danny Watkins from Baylor is getting a lot of hype, but the dude is gonna be 27 this year, same as Willie Colon.  If I want to spend a R2 pick on a 27 year old guard, I'll just trade for one or get a FA.  Pass.

Frankly, if we're not getting Pouncey, I'd just as soon wait a couple of rounds.  Will Rackley out of Lehigh looks like a good R3 candidate, and he can play RT.

McShay sees us with all these OG/RT rhinos, the big, slow-footed beasts like Colon, Foster, Kemo, and he figures Well, they're just going to keep on bringing that kind of guy in!  Nice logic there.  Explains Pouncey last year, huh?  Ijalana's 320# and runs 5.34, which makes him bigger and slower than any of the other top-rated guards.

I'd rather go with guys like Pouncey: nimble and smart.  He's going to get stronger, but Kemo's not getting any damned smarter, and Foster's not getting any damned faster.

[Preacherman0]

Ijalana's 320# and runs 5.34, which makes him bigger and slower than any of the other top-rated guards.

So, can we just clone Kemo and forget the draft?

[Finnegans Wake]

Ijalana's 320# and runs 5.34, which makes him bigger and slower than any of the other top-rated guards.

So, can we just clone Kemo and forget the draft?

I've seen writeups of the guy saying he's got fast feet and he moves well, etc. etc., but 5.34 doesn't back that up.  And Nova's LOC ain't exactly the AFCN.

[Finnegans Wake]

An early draft consensus board, including McShay...

2011 NFL Draft Consensus Big Board


I thought it would be interesting to combine some of the prominent 2011 NFL Draft Big Boards to form one consensus big board.

Below are the average big board position of the top prospects in the 2011 NFL Draft. I looked at four different big boards: Mel Kiper (ESPN), Todd McShay (ESPN), Rob Rang (CBS) and Scott Wright's (DraftCountdown.com). I will also add Mike Mayock's big board when he releases it.

Updated Feb. 11


1. Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU: 2.5
High: 1 (Rang); Low: 4 (Kiper)


2. Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn: 2.5
High: 1 (Kiper); Low: 5 (Wright)


3. A.J. Green, WR, Georgia: 3.0
High: 1 (Wright); Low: 4 (Multi)


4. Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson: 3.25
High: 1 (McShay); Low: 7 (Wright)


5. Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama: 5.25
High: 4 (Wright); Low: 7 (McShay)


6. Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina: 6.25
High: 3 (Wright); Low: 9 (McShay)


7. Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska: 7
High: 6 (Multi); Low: 8 (Multi)


8. Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M: 7.25
High: 5 (McShay); Low: 9 (Wright)


9. Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri: 8.5
High: 6 (McShay); Low: 10 (Wright)


10. Julio Jones, WR, Alabama: 10.75
High: 8 (Wright); Low: 13 (McShay)


11. Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri: 13.25  
High: 11 (Multi); Low: 16 (McShay)


12. Nate Solder, OT, Colorado: 14.75  
High: 10 (Kiper); Low: 19 (Rang)


13. Cameron Jordan, DE, California: 16.25  
High: 13 (Rang); Low: 20 (Wright)


14. Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa: 16.25  
High: 13 (Wright); Low: 20 (Kiper)


15. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn: 16.25  
High: 13 (Kiper); Low: 28 (McShay)


16. Akeem Ayers, OLB, UCLA: 17.75  
High: 11 (Kiper); Low: 26 (Rang)


17. Tyron Smith, OT, USC: 18.25  
High: 14 (Multi); Low: 26 (Wright)


18. Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama: 18.5
High: 16 (Rang); Low: 21 (Wright)


19. Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue: 19.25  
High: 16 (Kiper); Low: 24 (McShay)


20. Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College: 19.5
High: 12 (Rang); Low: 25 (McShay)


21. J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin: 22
High: 21 (Kiper); Low: 23 (McShay)


22. Jake Locker, QB, Washington: 24
High: 12 (Wright); Low: Unranked (Kiper)


23. Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois: 24.25
High: 11 (McShay); Low: Unranked (Kiper)


24. Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin: 24.25
High: 17 (McShay); Low: Unranked (Wright)


25. Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado: 26.5
High: 10 (McShay); Low: Unranked (Multi)


26. Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State: 27.75
High: 21 (Rang); Low: Unranked (Multi)


27. Muhammad Wilkerson, DT, Temple: 27.75  
High: 22 (McShay); Low: Unranked (Multi)


28. Brandon Harris, CB, Miami: 28.25  
High: 23 (Wright); Low: Unranked (Multi)


29. Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio State: 28.75
High: 25 (Wright); Low: Unranked (Kiper)


30. Mikel LeShoure, RB, Illinois: 29.25
High: 18 (Rang); Low: Unranked (Multi)


31. Mike Pouncey, G, Florida: 30
High: 21 (McShay); Low: Unranked (Multi)


32. Justin Houston, DE/OLB, Georgia: 30.25
High: 27 (McShay); Low: Unranked (Multi)


33. Rahim Moore, S, UCLA: 30.5
High: 25 (Kiper); Low: Unranked (Multi)


34. Torrey Smith, WR, Maryland: 30.75
High: 24 (Kiper); Low: Unranked (Multi)


35. Kyle Rudolph, TE, Notre Dame: 31
High: 27 (Wright); Low: Unranked (Multi)

[msdmnr2002]

So on average, that puts Pouncey right in our wheelhouse.  But only takes one team to take the McShat point of view...

[Finnegans Wake]

So on average, that puts Pouncey right in our wheelhouse.  But only takes one team to take the McShat point of view...

Right.

I modified to have it numbered 1-35, instead of just the "averages."  As noted before, plenty of teams (Phi, Chi, Bal) would love Pouncey and draft before us.  IMO, 1.23 (Phi) is the critical spot to swing to if you want to be sure.

My previous draft target, Tyron Smith, appears to be snaking his way up the boards past us.  Other OTs, Castonzo, Carimi, and Sherrod, fall closer.  All worth a look.  Not a dominant class of OTs, but R1 is solid.  Solid but not necessarily "woo hoo, we locked up a franchise LT" solid.  Much more analysis required.  OTs seem to be a very hit or miss prop in the draft, with injury and transition issues.  Recent targets of my mock draftery have been sidelined and thus un-gradeable.

Jimmy Smith, CB, is my 1a or 1b to Pouncey.  A beast.  If Ike and Nnamdi had a love child, sort of average them out.  I think he goes up, way up, post combine.  Brandon Harris, CB, also in the zone, but I like Smith, JMO.  But lots of early targets. 

More later.

[msdmnr2002]

IMO, 1.23 (Phi) is the critical spot to swing to if you want to be sure.

Based on 2010 draft values, to move up to 22 from 31 is a difference of 180 points, or our 3rd,4th, and 6th.  Hefty price IMO, and assumes Indy willing to trade down.  Maybe, depending on our comps, but still...

Someone do a jedi mind trick on Goddell when he reads the Philly pick.  Then we can wait to 25 to jump the Ravens and it only costs us a 3rd.  Much more palatable.


Chart here:  http://www.sportznutz.com/nfl/draft/draft_point_value_chart.htm

[LambertsFrontTeeth]

This discussion makes me nervous of picking guard except for the unlikely event that Wisniewski or Pouncey fall to us.

Is there any chance of getting a stud DB at 1.31? Even a safety would be nice, if not a reach like OL appears it would be.

[Y2Joyce]

What's the knock on Cameron Heyward? I hate college football anymore but hard to imagine he's not a top 10 pro-fit. Kinda shocked to keep seeing him rated low.