uscgamecocks

Shepard is my guy - but Steve Smith he is not. Coleman was the closest I've seen to a Smith-type receiver in years. I think Shepard is a blend of Antonio Brown and Randal Cobb stylistically. He's a very good but not exceptional athlete. At times, his route running is so good he is uncoverable, he doesn't drop balls, and he can generate good YAC. While most of his experience is in the slot, he has the tools to play outside and showed some of that in college.

I think Coleman is going to fall to us and be the pick. But if not, those are certainly good options that would improve the team. My preference would be Butler / Ogbah / H Henry / D Henry, but who knows what DG is thinking.

I think Corey Coleman is someone to watch at #30. If Treadwell, Doctson, and Fuller go ahead of him he could very well be available. And I think he would undoubtedly be BPA in that scenario. For what it's worth, we have worked him out. He has speed to burn and is great and generating YAC. He would have a big transisition from the Baylor offense, but so did Funchess. His physical talent is undeniable. He would lock down Ginn's role in the offense for the future. We saw how important having that deep threat was to our offense last season

Trust me, I'm rooting for him as my screen name would imply. He could be money in this offense with the way Cam improved his deep ball last year. His best chance to make the roster is probably the 2017 season, once Ginn's contract expires. He's got the speed to fill that role if he can develop his route running and consistency. Dude is fast.

In fairness, Cooper isn't really a burner. He's a great fit for the slot role but he's not going to take the top off of a defense like Ginn. He will make his money catching balls over the middle and generating YAC I really like Cooper and think he would be a great fit for the team, just don't expect that type of speed out of him. Byrd (another former gamecock receiver who is on the practice squad) has that type of speed but I'm not sure he's big enough or skilled enough to make the league.

I think our weakness at WR showed up in a big way in the Super Bowl. KB will help that but I think we still have a need at slot WR. Cam is incredible, but that's no reason not to consider every possibility to make him more effective. The pre draft interviews and workouts point to the front office being most interested in adding talent at WR, S, and DL (by volume of interviews). It won't be some travesty if we don't add WR talent in the draft - we can be very successful with the guys we've got as last year proved. But there is space on this offense for giving Cam more playmakers.

Getting KB back will be huge for our WR corps. But we lost the super bowl due to a lack of available talent and depth at WR, RB, and OT. That Cam dragged those subpar groups to 17 wins in 18 games and being ranked as the #1 offense in the league is a testament to how great he is - it should not be taken as evidence that we don't need help at all of those positions. Over the next few years, Gettleman will find a way to add or develop: A dependable slot WR - that can get open quickly and generate YAC An heir to Jonathan Stewart who can share the load until it is his time A backup and eventual replacement for Olsen Dependable tackles - at one or both spots In some cases, the answer may already be on the roster (D. Williams?). In the case of a true slot WR, I don't think we have anyone that can fill that role. We could do a much better job of giving Cam quick, easy, high percentage throws. It will keep him healthy, keep the chains moving, and protect our offensive line. I'm hoping we address the need soon as I think it is critical (for all of his many contributions, Cotchery cost us the SB). But DG is playing the long game and he'll address it when the value is right.

I think Shepard is going to end up being one of the top 3 receivers in this class, and he fits our team perfectly. Best route runner since Beckham, 2% drop rate, and he gets open quickly and consistently. Tons of experience beating press coverage. I'd be happy with him at #30 and absolutely thrilled if we got him in the second round. As someone who has watched a lot of Cooper, you need to go back and watch his tape of his freshman and sophomore seasons to appreciate what he can do in the league. The QB situation at USC was abysmal last year and he played the entire season with a sprained knee (hurt it in practice right before the season opener). His measurables are not the greatest but he's an impact player nonetheless. Like DG says, he doesn't look the best in underwear but if you suit him up he shines. I think he's a 3rd round talent but he could slip into the 4th.

http://www.si.com/nfl/2016/04/08/nfl-mock-draft-surprises-sleepers-laremy-tunsil Doug Farrar - one of my favorite analysts, and one of the few national writers that clearly know the Panthers well - just mocked Derrick Henry to the Panthers. For reference, he ranks Henry #24 overall. "O.K., enemy defenses—deal with this. You have Cam Newton, you have Jonathan Stewart and now, you have the 6' 3", 247-pound Heisman Trophy winner to deal with. That’s a backfield that will dole out a lot of pain, both mentally and physically. Henry is more agile than the average big back, but his primary attribute is his ability to just trash opposing front sevens with his downhill power. This is as perfect a scheme fit as there is in this class, and Henry could elevate himself to the Panthers’ lead dog sooner than later."

I don't love Hunter Henry as a first round talent, so I'm hoping he's not the pick. But Gettleman knows more than me, so if he is the pick, it'll probably be a good one. I generally don't love the idea of drafting RBs early, for obvious reasons. That being said, Derrick Henry is a monster at RB. Gettleman likes big people, and Henry's about as big as you can get at RB (and he's still fast). Cam, Henry, KB, Funchess, Olsen, and our O-Line - that would be the most imposing lineup in the NFL and its not even close. That lineup would physically dominate the softer defenses in the league (and there are a lot of soft defenses in the NFC South). Good luck trying to slow our offense down in the fourth quarter after we've been pounding you on the ground and through the air. Seems like a Gettleman pick to me.

I think Dodd's draft fate is going to rest heavily on the numbers he puts up at the combine. If he shows elite athleticism he's certain to be a first round pick. I think teams are increasingly paying more attention to athletic profiles / explosiveness measures at the DE/EDGE spot (and it makes a lot of sense). Kony did not have elite explosiveness, and that's why he fell to us in the second round.

I liked Todman better than Fozzy and Wegher - but the staff probably knows what they are doing.

It was Marlowe.

Because he's better than Roman Harper.

Make this happen. This would put Roman Harper on the bench. I'll take a few 15 yard penalties to make that happen. He's another Mike Mitchell. Sure, he's a little crazy. TD and Luke will keep him in line.

It really shows you how little work some of these analysts put into studying individual prospects that some analysts keep talking about Funchess as having to be a TE in the NFL. I think most analysts saw the 4.7 and immediately wrote him off as a WR. But the more I see of him it seems obvious that he is at worst a large NFL slot receiver - and at best a real mismatch on the outside. You don't want him inline. There are so many prospects to review that obviously some will slip through the cracks. But anyone harping on the Funchess pick doesnt have much credibility in my book. You can argue we paid too much (only time will tell) but the player is undeniably intriguing and has more than sufficient upside to be deserving of the #41 pick.

Tiny Richardson waived already. That was fast. Maybe his knee never improved?

In no way is that the OTs fault. People are dumb.

Nope. Not enough wiggle. All of his handoffs were outside runs - usually sweeps. He's okay running on a screen but not up the gut.

Byrd's speed is legitimate. Found on Reddit: No surprise there. Damiere Byrd was the HS national indoor champion in the 60m and a state champion in the 100m as a HS track sprinter. Kind of wish he would've done track in college as he could've potentially challenged for an NCAA championship. However, like a lot of former football players/track standouts he prioritized football over track. To put into perspective how fast he is. As a senior Byrd beat Marvin Bracy in the 60m at the 2011 Brooks Invitational. Presently, Marvin Bracy is one of the youngest professional track sprinters in the world and last year placed 2nd at the IAAF World Championships in the 60m and 1st at the US Indoor Championships. Marvin Bracy is one of the top 10 fastest sprinters in the US and Damiere Byrd was faster than him at one point.

ATL had an incredible draft. Always hard to know how much they get from all of those guys in year one but they knocked the draft out of the park now that Pioli is running the show. Offensive line is still an issue but it's that way for every team in the South, honestly. Julio is the best receiver in the division and Ryan is a good QB. If Quinn can patch that defense with scheme and young talent they are the biggest threat.

As a USC fan I wasn't too excited about this signing at first. But the more I think about it - I actually think he has a decent shot of making the team. First - he doesn't have great size. But he's just 4/10 of an inch shorter and 10 pounds lighter than Phillip Dorsett, who went in the first round (and who many on this site loved as a prospect). Importantly, he is every bit as fast as Dorsett and is considered a superior athlete to Dorsett by SPARQ (Byrd #7 overall receiver, Dorsett is #9). Why might he make the roster? 1) Speed. Speed has been a priority this offseason. And while Philly Brown is fast, he doesn't have true speed like Byrd. Byrd and Ginn (and Hill) are in a class of their own on this roster - their speed can create space for Benjamin, Funchess, and Olsen to dominate underneath. 2) Special Teams. Gettleman has said that in order to make the roster as a backup this year you will have to play multiple positions and/or contribute on special teams. With his speed, Byrd could be an amazing gunner on punt coverage. At USC, Byrd was a safety valve on kick coverage - he chased down multiple returners from behind to prevent sure TDs. He could certainly return kicks as well. 3) Competiton. Even after adding Funchess, we are not stacked at WR. Benjamin and Funchess are locked in. I think Cotchery is a lock as well though he likely plays less this year - he is a vet presence that helped Benjamin and will help Funchess. I think Philly showed a lot of promise and will earn a spot in camp. Ginn is a lock as well given his speed and special teams roles. But do we stick with just 5 spots his year? If we want fast guys on special teams I could easily see us keeping a sixth wideout. Could Byrd beat out Boykin? Bersin? Hill? It's possible. I think Hill or Byrd have a better shot than Boykin/Bersin given their potential contributions on special teams. And Byrd has better hands than Hill. In summary - Byrd is athletically very similar to Phillip Dorsett though Dorsett is clearly a much better receiver at this point - that's why he was a first round pick. But Byrd brings something the top WRs on this team don't have and could be a big contributor on special teams. Great risk to take as an UDFA signing.

He is incredibly fast. He does a pretty good job tracking and catching the deep ball. USC QBs were not great at throwing deep during his career so he ended up being underutilized. He'll need to bulk up to survive in the NFL. I think he's exclusively special teams to start out. It is certainly possible that Phroel can develop him into a complete receiver. He's top 10 in his draft class for overall athleticism.

This a joke?

I'm hoping for two of Grady Jarrett, Tre McBride, and Taz in the fifth.