Quote (Randolph @ Feb 11 2013 02:58pm)
I'm going to rank and give a quick analysis of some of the top talents per position in this year's draft. I am going to make a new thread for each position and will keep old threads listed in each new thread.
Keep in mind, this is purely my opinions. I am not saying this will be the order, this will be how players turn out or anything along those lines, it's just simply my own personal thoughts.
If you'd like a specific position to be done next, feel free to post, I don't mind jumping around. If not, I'll go in order (QB, WR, RB, TE, OT, etc...)
Bay, Chicago, New Orleans and Houston could all be viable options imo (also, yes, I am very aware some of those teams already have young guys learning behind their starter, it’s just a hypothetical)
Safeties:I’ll do my best to distinguish if a player is a Free Safety or Strong Safety. It’s kind of hard to really classify guys because most of them are so versatile that they can play both spots. That being said, I’ll toss out what I think they should be primarily based of what they played in college.1) Jonathan Cyprien, SS, Florida International – I was a doubter. I was a major doubter at first, he just came out of nowhere. But, I watched the tape and my god, the kid is the real fucking deal lol. I’ve never been too high on any safety in this draft anyway so to see this is a nice change. A guy I actually believe in. He plays fast and hard. He’ll knock guys heads clean off. He can stop the run or run with receivers and tight ends in pass coverage.
2) Kenny Vaccaro, FS, Texas – Vaccaro is a very physical run defender and has the speed to cover ground in pass coverage. He can blitz and drop back, keep up with the receivers and match the strength of tight ends.
3) J.J. Wilcox, SS, Georgia Southern – Wilcox is finally getting some recognition but he’s still fairly underrated. I’m in love with the kid and I hope and pray the Cardinals nab him with their second or third round pick. He is an incredible athlete who has played receiver and running back before. He’s returned kicks and finished his career at safety. He has the speed and athleticism of a corner and strength to go with it all. He can play man coverage and is the sleeping gem of this draft.
4) Matt Elam, SS, Florida – Elam has a lot of potential, is great in run defense, pass defense and can get very physical, delivering some monstrous hits. He is a little short at 5’10’’ but that isn’t much of a concern all around. He has great instincts and speed to cover a lot of the field in a short amount of time.
5) Eric Reid, SS, LSU – Reid was pretty inconsistent this past year. He’s big, physical and fast but needs to improve his pass coverage skills. He has the natural ability, but needs to be coached well to play to his potential.
6) T.J. McDonald, FS, USC – I like McDonald quite a bit. He’s a big, physical enforcer who can stop the run and perform well in pass coverage. He’s got some solid speed, good instincts and if he can show some improved ball skills, he could easily go before Vaccaro to any team looking for a FS. McDonald has probably the most versatility out of all the safeties in this class when it comes to playing FS or SS naturally.
7) Phillip Thomas, FS, Fresno State – Thomas is going to make for a very nice mid round pick up for some team. His best asset is probably his ball skills. He is great at pulling in interceptions and once he has the ball in his hands, he can do work with it and take it to the house. He’s got the size you want to see in a safety and his speed isn’t the best, but he’s still fast. He also can get physical and knock the ball out.
8) Bacarri Rambo, FS, Georgia – Rambo has some off the field issues which really hurt him but he played very well against all of the top notch talent he faced this year. He has size, speed and physicality you want to see in a safety. He can cover large areas of the field and really is a first round talent who’s fallen due to character/off the field issues.
9) Duke Williams, SS, Nevada – Williams has great quickness and speed, he reacts well and plays the ball very well while it’s in the air. He’s not the strongest of guys but he’s definitely no push over. I’m really not sure if I like him more as a SS or FS but I’ll go SS for now
10) Shawn Williams, SS, Georgia – Williams is sold in defending the run and the pass. He never had those wow plays but he was always making plays. He’s physical and tough and has some quickness and plays the ball well. He can be an above average developmental project who really could start day one if needed.
11) Robert Lester, SS, Alabama – I was high on Lester for some time but after that horrible performance at the senior bowl, I just can’t justify a high ranking for him anymore. He is a physical presence but he just doesn’t look like he wants to be on the field all of the time. A team like the Ravens, Niners, Patriots, Steelers, etc could be good for him to go in with a bunch of guys on defense who are already leaders and will make him work hard and become great.
12) Ray Ray Armstrong, SS, Faulkner University/Miami – OK I’m no fool. Armstrong has had plenty of off the field issues, I know. He’ll probably go undrafted and then whoever signs him are going to get an absolute fucking steal like the Bengals did with Burfict last year. Armstrong is a monster of a man. He’s big, physical, fast, has quick field, has natural instincts, plays the ball in the air very well and will knock you on your ass. He needs to be coached and set straight, but if a team can do that, they’re going to be dancing from joy over this pick/UDFA signing.
13) Zeke Motta, FS, Notre Dame – Motta is a very solid player all around. He’s better in run support and blitzing but he has some coverage skills too. He has excellent size, not the best speed but he’s physical. He lacks natural ball skills and a true ability to make plays though. He’s going to be an incredible guy to just have on your team though as a very reliable depth guy and special teamer.
14) Josh Evans, FS, Florida – Evans is solid in run and pass defense. He’s not spectacular in either though. He’s consistent but never outstanding but has some natural athleticism that will intrigue plenty of teams and get them interested in him.
15) Tony Jefferson, FS, Oklahoma – Jefferson was a tackling machine. If you can near him with the ball, you were going down. He’s short and strong at 5’10’’, 212 and has speed to back it up. He underperformed against the better talent he faced this year and there are some serious concerns about his work ethic. That right there is all I need to know to really be concerned about him. He’s going to fall because of that but the right team and coaching could snatch him up and hopefully whip his ass into shape.
16) Brandan Bishop, FS, N.C. State – I like Bishop a lot as a sleeper. He racked up a nice tackle total and did well in defending the pass. He has solid size, speed, quickness and natural instincts. He’s going to do well in the NFL I believe but he has a lot of room to develop his skills still.
17) Cooper Taylor, SS, Richmond – I believe Taylor is the biggest safety in this draft at 6’5’’, 235. With that size comes strength and speed. He’s not “there” yet but he’s a very solid developmental prospects. I feel a lot of teams are going to ask him to play linebacker in the NFL but if he can develop as a safety, that combination of size and speed at the safety position could be very dangerous for opposing offenses.
18) Rashard Hall, FS, Clemson – Hall is fairly inconsistent. He would flash and then be quiet. The good news is, while he was quiet, it’s not like he wasn’t there. He still performed, he just wasn’t anything special. With that said, that shows the talent is there, he just needs to use it more often or in a better way. An NFL coaching staff could have a lot of fun with a talent like Hall. His success is going to heavily rely on who drafts him.
Other PositionsQB: http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=66429688&f=204RB: http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=66443964&f=204FB: http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=66535281&f=204WR: http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=66510186&f=204TE: http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=66483178&f=204OT: http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=66562032&f=204G: http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=66548483&f=204C: http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=66519688&f=204DT/NT: http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=66457812&f=2043-4 DE: http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=66495698&f=2044-3 DE: http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=66495692&f=2043-4 OLB: http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=66495708&f=2044-3 OLB: http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=66495722&f=204ILB: http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=66571976&f=204CB: http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=66470785&f=204