Wolf
100% Texan
http://www.houstonprofootball.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7198
Pick’s 6 Pontification Points
1. A guy who may have hurt his stock value is Paul Posluszny (LB, 6’1 5/8”, 238, Penn St.) who has been called the best linebacker to ever graduate from that factory. He had the courage to actually compete at the Combine, so I give him some credit there. However, a 4.7 when most were expecting a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash will sour some scouts who contemplated playing him at the OLB. He could potentially fall to the Browns at the top of the 2nd round to play ILB in Romeo’s 3-4 scheme or for Mangini’s Jets.
2. When a top-tier CB plays for a big school and then puts up incredible numbers at the Combine, everybody should take notice. Leon Hall (CB, 5’11 1/4”, 193, Michigan) is the best Cornerback in this year’s draft. While there are not many shut-down guys in this draft, Leon would be one of the top guys in any draft. I guess it is because he was considered to be the best all year; we have all fallen asleep on him. I am here to say “Wake Up!” and take notice. His 4.39 might catch your attention, but the 4.07 in the short-shuttle and 6.5 in the 3-Cone drill are amazing. This guy may be better than Dunta Robinson and we could use him to help cover Reggie Wayne or Marvin Harrison.
3. Justin Blalock (OT, 6’3 1/4”, 320, Texas) was a guy that I was sitting on the fence about. Would he be a guy that could play Tackle in the NFL or was he simply a RG waiting to happen? He definitely has the strength that you look for by bench pressing 225lbs 40 times in the weight room. What I really noticed was his agility. There is a shared opinion that the Texans should draft Levi Brown to play LT. I’ve countered that by saying #8 is too high for Brown and the fact that he is too slow. At the Combine Blalock ran 1.73 in the 10 yard split compared to Brown’s 1.84. In the Shuttle Blalock posted a 4.72 to Brown’s 4.89. Lastly, looking at the Cone drill Blalock had 7.75 and Brown ran a 7.87. For comparison’s sake, previous Tackles I liked; Jammal Brown and Khalif Barnes had Combine stats of 1.76 & 1.77 – 10, 4.70 & 4.56 - Shuttle, 7.95 & 7.58 – Cone. Now, I’m not sure if Blalock is tall enough to play OT, but he’s an upgrade over Fred Weary any day. The only thing is having him slide to the 2nd round.
4. Not many people would argue that there is great value to having a player who can put pressure on the QB. Gaines Adams (DE, 6’4 3/4”, 258, Clemson) has the best natural ability to do that in this year’s draft class. However, I’m somewhat hesitant to sing all of his praises. With measurables like 4.64 – 40, 4.36 Shuttle, and 7.17 Cone; I can’t figure out why he was not more dominant. It could be that he had poor coaching or he was game-planned for each week. At any rate, Brian Robison shows more athletically (4.67 – 40, 4.26 Shuttle and 6.89 Cone) and can be drafted much lower in the draft. I can take time to coach Robison, unfortunately, if Gaines Adams is taken #8 – he’s got to get on the field immediately.
5. The defensive player that has me debating on whether or not to draft Leon Hall is LaRon Landry (FS, 6’0 3/4”, 213, LSU). He has the speed to play CB (4.35) but enjoys hitting like a ton of bricks. I noticed the bandwagon got lighter as folks jumped off after the Sugar Bowl. Well, it’s time to jump back on because Landry is the real deal. He has the speed and quickness to cover the secondary (1.47 – 10), and the explosion to get to the ball at its highest point (10’ 3” Broad Jump and 37 ½” Vertical). The Texans secondary would be a lot more intimidating with him patrolling the area.
6. LaMarr Woodley (DE, 6’1 1/2”, 266) has really destroyed his stock since the season has concluded. Getting very few opportunities to show his stuff at the Senior Bowl and now the Combine has had him drop off many draft geeks’ radars. Could he and Quentin Moses both drop to the 3rd round? I’ll be interested in seeing who takes a shot at his services on draft day. Darryl Tapp climbed up to the 2nd round with his Senior Bowl and was taken by the Seahawks. I believe Woodley will be a better situational pass-rusher than Tapp, but may be had later on.
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Potential Paragons
1. The Texans could potentially draft John Wendling (S, 6’1 1/4”, 222, Wyoming.). He is an in-the-box SS, but could possibly play FS. I can hear the grumblings that we already have a couple of those type players. It just may happen that Wendling could be the BPA when we draft and we’d be foolish not to take him. In fact, he could be an upgrade over those 2 guys we have currently and allow us to cut Michael Stone or Jason Simmons.
---- Wendling reminds me a lot of Michael Boulware and Thomas Davis. Those guys were OLB/SS tweeners. John won’t cost a 1st or 2nd round draft pick though. His athleticism is quite remarkable. The 4.48 is nice, but 10’9” and 38 ½” is pretty explosive in the broad jump and vertical jump. If the Texans draft Landry and Wendling, I might start buying tickets to listen to the tackles.
---- Wendling does not have the coverage skills that I would like to see. The reason is because he was never asked to do that much in college. He was such a great athlete that he merely attacked where the ball was. Once he gets with a Pro Defensive Backs coach, I’m sure that he’s going to make improvements in that area.
---- If Wendling is still on the board in the 5th round (I’ve seen him there in mocks), this guy would be a steal. It’s more realistic that he’ll be a 4th round pick. If you notice on my board, I give him a 3rd round grade. As a rookie, he’d make an immediate impact on Special Teams and possibly be a starter before the season was over. That’s value on the 2nd day.