davos

Alan Ball added & then removed I also put in links to the pro-football reference pages for our newest players.

I had a new ridiculous thought--Darby or Johnson in the 1st. 1-Darby/K. Johnson CB 2-Agholor WR 3-Daryll Williams/Tyrus Thompson OT 4-Laurence Gibson/Crisp OT 5-Ty Montgomery/Tre McBride WR 6-Taz Crockett RB

mkayyy

Ah sh*t mixed it up

I actually like Clay more than Julius Thomas but jeez that's too much. Buffalo has a hell of an interesting team forming. I think they're gonna miss Kiko though. How random could their top producers be on offense: Tyrod Taylor LeSean McCoy Bryce Brown Sammy Watkins Robert Woods Percy Harvin Charles Clay

I'll try to stay unbiased: Bill has been the model average NFL GM since forever and has been with a certain in-crowd since the early 90s in the NFL so has always been safe for a job. He's solid with talent evaluation, not great and has built a strong legacy. People can cite the whole situation of him being "thrown out" by security at Ericsson back in the day but that was way overblown. Chris and a certain group of west coast based scouts/coaches convinced him RG3 was the second coming and it caused a further rift between the fam and the drunk in Indy. Having Chris groomed was the kicker for him IMO and it's what cause Irsay to actual do something with his team for once. Brian is making a solid name for himself though as Ault's heir. If Peyton had got injured a year early, my guess is that you'd probably be looking at Kaepernick in Indy. Also, he actually likes Cam but has to find ways to back up his RG3 stance on the media front...no joke, he sometimes sits in 552 on game days if he happens to be in town.

Excerpt: It could've been. I remember it being before he got injured talking about how he was the highest-rated senior cornerback and it being a pretty extensive breakdown. And wow. That piece speaks volumes about Ekpre-Olomu and the argument can be made he revealed the wall Cooks would run into in the NFL down in NOLA this past year. I don't like to lump prospects together but it almost tells me the prospects with speed being there strongest trait need to be closely looked at. College speed is one thing, NFL quickness is another.

This was probably the Raiders pitch: "How would you like to fall down behind Rodney Hudson a few snaps a game?"

Dallas Morning News did a good piece on Darby: http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/2015/03/2015-draft-profile-ronald-darby-cb-florida-state.html/

I was gonna say the same thing. Honestly, I wouldn't bank on us signing someone else..but if Crabtree is still hanging there on the open market in a week, might as well see if he takes a prove-it deal.

*Added some of the guys mentioned a few times so far. Something that I'm having a hard time with is breaking them down into tiers because I think there's a lot of quality here; it's hard to break down.

I really like Eric Rowe. I think he could land anywhere between rd 3-5 and would be a very good addition. He's played almost every position in the secondary. I need to check out Gunter; I've seen his name come up a few times.

Small school wise, Blake Bernard and Tye Smith (from Towson) would be 2 guys to keep an eye on. I had a bud back when I was living in DC that went to Towson who was hyping up Tye for the longest time haha.

I'll be honest, I didn't (concerning Bene) but like I said it doesn't mean that's the case every year. It's all relative but I get your point and yeah, we may find a guy late again and I'd be cool with it. I just really like a lot of the big school talent this year, a lot of them seem like fits and we've met with more CBs than any other position so far this offseason. Also, there's like 15+ prospects mentioned in here so far. If you have any guys in mind, I'm definitely open to hearing it though or who you like of who's been mentioned. I like discussing the talent.

Thanks for the add-ins bababoey. I'll try to add them shortly. I like Eric Rowe a good deal. And Swag is right about fit being everything. There's a handful of Tampa-2 style guys in the mid-rounds that I don't think would be ideal. It'll be interesting to see who our staff likes this offseason. I would caution people to not assume simply because Bene was found in the 5th last year that it means we can find a great CB late any given year. It's all relative to the draft class, value, and talent available at each pick. The "Bene" for us this year could be something entirely different.

I see what you're saying but I'm trying to take a talent analysis approach specific to the position rather than talk about the overall draft strategy. In my view, the difference makers are clearly there. Do any stand out to you?

Well as the free agency period continues to move along, it seems Dave is putting himself in position to go after the best value he deems available at each pick (as expected). Now we've of course got two strong corners in Bene and Norman but our depth is very concerning consisting of Melvin White, Teddy Williams, and Carringdon Byndom...and I guess Colin Jones is capable in the slot from a situational standpoint. Whether the team is envisioning Bene on the outside or more in the slot, there is a void still pretty apparent in the secondary. Now I'm not saying we HAVE to grab a CB early but one could very well be the BPA looking at the talent at the top of the draft. Basically, I'm preparing myself for any big position we could use more of (DE, CB, WR, OT, SS, FS, multi-position OL) It isn't a super deep CB class but there is some really strong talent in the first few rounds: Trae Waynes (6'0 186 Michigan St.) - Likely won't be in play for, he's damn good. -- **Kevin Johnson (6'0 188 Wake Forest) - We've met with twice; has great outside corner skills, needs to toughen up a bit in the run game but is fully capable from what I've read. http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/kevin-johnson?id=2552261 -- **Ronald Darby (5'11 193 FSU) - We met with him (Private); Darby now has the 3rd highest CB grade on NFL.com and is projected in the 1st round on CBSsports.com. I'm seeing him ahead of Collins and Williams at a lot of resources and there's a good amount of buzz around him. http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/ronald-darby?id=2552689 -- Jalen Collins (6'1 203 LSU) - I find Collins to be the 2nd best Collins in the draft behind La'el. Could be very solid http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/jalen-collins?id=2552573 -- P.J. Williams (6'0 194 FSU) - Another really solid all around player. Good size, technique, overall ball skills. http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/p.j.-williams?id=2552484 -- Quinten Rollins (5'11 195 Miami OH) - Had speed and quickness that will lure teams and could shift between slot and the outside. I'd love him to be available in the second but it may not happen. http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/quinten-rollins?id=2552263 -- **D'Joun Smith (5'10 187 Florida Atlantic) - Met with as well; has a lot of scouts talking and plays a lot taller than he is (5'10 1/2). Could be in contention for us in the 3rd methinks. http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/djoun-smith?id=2552253 -- Marcus Peters (6'0 197 Washington) - One of the annual studs with disciplinary concerns http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/marcus-peters?id=2552488 -- Byron Jones (6'1 199 Connecticut) - A defensive standout in the secondary at the combine. There's always a handful, he was one. http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/byron-jones?id=2552568 -- **Steven Nelson (5'10 197 Oregon State) - Met with him too, OSU has produced strong CBs before. Don't know about the fit but that may be why we met with him. http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/steven-nelson?id=2552265 -- Alex Carter (6'0 196 Stanford) - Could be used at S and CB. This is nearing the drop in talent territory at the position IMO http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/alex-carter?id=2552587 -- Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (5'9 192 Oregon) - The shortest of the bunch but he did grade out as the best DB in college last season (read it recently, need to find the article) http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/ifo-ekpre-olomu?id=2552257 -- Eric Rowe (6'1 205 Utah) - Great size, it will be interesting to see where teams think he fits in their respective schemes. http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/eric-rowe?id=2552255 -- Josh Shaw (6'0 201 USC) - Another interesting tweener prospect that fits as a CB and FS depending on the scheme http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/josh-shaw?id=2552259 -- I'm probably leaving out some so feel free to give some more shout outs for guys you like at the position. Every single one of them could come in and battle/beat out Melvin White and fill either the NB or outside CB slot depending on the fit with Bene. That is a major part of our defense and one that's not settled quite yet. Anyone have any faves from the bunch? Curious to find more out about one?

Ah, I think I missed that all together. I'll add it in.

Not a huge deal but I'm seeing 5'11 200 on most sites.

*Added Coleman today. Go Panthers.

He's nothing that special but I'm not gonna harp on the point. It'd be like Falcon fans complaining that they have Eric Weems or a Bears fans about Marc Mariani.

*updated with rumors and Williams at CB

Even though his career went down here, Wahle was a big FA back when we got him. Same with Lucas.