Donte Nicholson

[DRIFTAWAY]

I was thinking that we could use one of our later picks to draft a SS, as Earl isn't "bonafide." Donte Nicholson is a strong, athletic SS who has been looked as one of the most physical tacklers in the country. He has good size as he is 6'1" and 216 pounds, and runs a 4.5 40 yard dash. He was the starter at Oklahoma, so he played quality offenses. He has very good technique in tackling, and can really hit. He can also play good pass coverage and intercept passes. His main problem seems to be his play recognition skills and discipline. Im sure that could all be fixed, and our veteran players should set him straight, the part that he gets a nfl salary might fix him up just fine as well. I really think we should take a look at this guy and consider taking him in the 4th or 5th rounds.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2005/nicholson_donte

 

[Sarg01]

I like Nicholson and if he's available in the 4th, he's a good pick - I'll bet he goes in the 3rd, though. However, I'm gonna have to protest that Earl isn't "bonafide". The guy wasn't even supposed to play this year according to the docs and he not only played, he clearly outplayed Eric Brown, allowing us to cut 2 mil from our salary cap this year. Not to mention that this was his rookie season, and we can expect further performance improvement from him. I know - he's more of a hitter than a coverage guy, but our coverage guys in the secondary are some of the top in the league.

If I were drafting Nicholson, it would be because our safety depth at both positions is a little scary. Don't get me wrong, our backups at these spots are awesome special-teamers (remember those blocked field goals against the Pats?) ... but they're not NFL-caliber safeties.

 

[DRIFTAWAY]

I never said Earl wasnt good or anything, but can you really see him being our answer for years to come at SS? I look at him more as a solid short term answer, I think it'd be wise to pick up Nicholson. Are there any signs that we're interested?

While snooping around i also found a potential late round pick, that can be productive for us.
Perry Tab ( UCLA,6' 2.5", 229 pounds, 4.46 40 yard dash) Big, strong, fast receiver who can really spread the field. Has had problems with injury, but worth a late round pick. has good qualities for a slot reciever, and can be ideal for use on 3rd and short situations. Main problem is his route running, which has led to more problems, but some time in the NFL and some practice could fix that. I can see him turning out like another Derrick Armstrong.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2005/perry_tab

Or Vincent Jackson out of Colorado. we'd probably have to spend a 3rd round pick on him, but with some practice and polishing can really turn out like a cheaper, younger version of Bradford.

 

[keyfro]

Donte Nicholson is a solid SS...in the fourth round i have no problem picking him up but anytime before that i would be a little hesitant as we have more pressing needs other than strong safty

 

[D-ReK]

Nicholson will probably be taken in the 3rd round, and IMO that's too high for us to take a SS...I honestly think we are ok at the position now with Earl starting and Ramon Walker as the backup, but if we take one, I'd like to see a guy like Atogwe, Gerald Sensabaugh, or James Butler in the 4th or 5th round...