FanPost

Some Pre-Combine Thoughts

Let's just start.

1. Michael Sam is going to drop in the draft, and it will be overblown. I am pretty confident in that prediction. I got really hyped about Sam as a prospect a while back, but I cooled off recently due to his lack of pass rushing moves. He is a one trick pony at this point, but could have a future in the NFL. If Sam falls to the fourth, I would say that is fair value. But if he falls past there, then I think there is some foul play going on.

2. The more I look at this draft class, the more I have fallen in love with Scott Chrichton as a prospect. He is just really solid for Oregon St., and reminds me a ton of a more athletic Rob Ninkovich. He has the ability to thrive against the run, rush the passer, play the ball in the air, and has a plethora of pass rushing moves to choose from. He has moved up into my top 3 DE's this year, trailing behind Jadaveon Clowney and Kony Ealy. Crichton's lack of prototypical size could cause him to slip to day 2, but it my eyes he is a week 1 starter in the NFL.

3. I am excited to see how Duron Harmon progresses from year 1 to year 2, especially since he was great last year in limited time. I think Steve Gregory could be on the way out, so I would imagine Harmon would be the front runner for the job in that situation. If the Patriots were looking to add another safety via the draft, I would like to see NIU DB Jimmie Ward get a third round look. He plays all over the field for NIU, and has a great combination of run and pass defense ability. Ward reminds me of a really poor man's Earl Thomas.

4. This TE class has drawn comparison to the 2010 class, and rightfully so. From top to bottom, there are interesting athletes who have been productive at different levels of competition, and offer different skill sets. My top 5 at this point (In no order) are: ASJ, Ebron, Fiedorowicz, Lynch, and Niklas. My takeaways from watching tape on this TE class are as follows

A. Ebron is a really impressive athlete, and his draft hype is deserved. Unlike some joker TE's, he is a willing blocker (he is not great at it, but being willing is a good start). I also like his physicality at his size, and his willingness to catch balls in traffic and take contact.

B. Niklas has not impressed me through his game tape. He seems slow and stiff, not explosive, and lacks physicality for a guy his size. He is very raw, and could become a great player, but he is a third rounder to me.

C. Jace Amaro did not make my top 5, and he probably won't be on it. His game tape is not impressive: (These are my notes that popped up the most) he lacks physicality, is lazy when it comes to blocking assignments, seems unwilling to do the dirty work on running plays, struggles to go up and get the ball in traffic, does not seem to want to go up and get it, inconsistent hands catcher. Sorry, but that paired with his off the field stuff makes him off-limits for me.

5. Pre Combine mock draft (Assuming Pat Chung nets a Comp. pick, and without trades)

1. Xavier Su'a Filo OG UCLA

2. Jarvis Landry WR LSU

3. C.J. Fiedorowicz TE Iowa

4. Kyle Fuller CB VT

6(P).Calvin Barnett DT Oklahoma St.

6. Cassius Marsh DE UCLA

6(C).Vinny Sunseri DB Alabama

7. Tom Savage QB Pittsburgh

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