Just What You Wanted! Another Mock!!!

[kerouac9]

It's hard to predict trades, so I'm mentioning when a team is really going to want to trade out of a spot. Also, I leaned heavily on The Huddle Report's Value Board, especially for the Cards' picks.

1. OAK - JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU. They need a quarterback, no two ways about it.
2. DET - Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech. They desperately want out of the pick, and may even accept only a 3rd rounder to do it. Regardless, Johnson will be the pick here. Millen will bite the bullet for this kind of talent.
3. CLE - Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame. It may cost Crennel his job, and a lot of Clevelanders love Charlie Frye, but Cleveland thinks that if they can just stay healthy for a season, they can compete even in the tought AFC North. They immediately start praying that Ryan Kalil falls to them in the second.
4. TB - Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin. If the Bucs move up, then the Lions take Adams with this pick. But I don't think that's going to happen, and so Gruden takes the best player on his board.
5. ARI - Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma. The draft breaks 75% of the way that the front office was hoping it would, but that last 25 percent was a killer. The silence of the phones on Hardy Drive is deafening. At this point, the Cards would like to trade down, but no one's offering anything, and so they trust their board and select the best player available at a position of need, and select All Day Adrian Peterson.
6. WAS - Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson. They have no problems selecting a pure pass rusher, since they haven't had one since Bruce Smith retired. They're tickled pink that Adams is still on the board.
7. MIN - LaRon Landry, S, LSU. They want to trade out of this pick because they really like the bigger WRs in this draft. Nothing can be worked out, and so they take the best player on their board.
8. ATL - Levi Brown, OT, Penn St. It's not going to be easy to transition from a Gibbs OL to a more power-blocking scheme. Levi Brown will make that transition easier, especially since he'll be blocking for a left-handed QB in Vick.
9. MIA - Leon Hall, CB, Michigan. Miami wanted an offensive player, but when they looked at their board, all they saw was defenders. They tell the press that they got great value with this pick, and they'll be right.
10. HOU - Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville. Teams with Mario Williams for a DL pair that can protect DeMeco Ryans and put some pressure on the competitive quarterbacks of the AFC South. Willing to trade out of this spot once Hall is off the board.
11. SF - Patrick Willis, LB, Mississippi. They need help on defense. They addressed the secondary and defensive line in free agency. Now they help that mid-level and hope that it comes together. Had Ted Ginn, Jr. been healthier at his Pro Day, he likely would have gone here.
12. BUF - Darelle Revis, CB, Pittsburgh. They feel like they got a steal in Revis, especially because they feel they're in the catbird seat for Round 2 and RB Brian Leonard.
13. STL - Jamaal Anderson, DE, Arkansas. The Rams are thrilled he's still on the board. May end up a replacement for Leonard Little, but definitely eases the sting of DE defections the past four years.
14. CAR - Joe Staley, OT, Central Michigan. They think that they can compete with the players that they have as long as they stay healthy. OL injuries last season really hurt the team. This builds depth and Staley could be a potential All-Pro starter to team with Jordan Gross, who remains more comfortable on the right side of the line.
15. PIT - Adam Carriker, DE, Nebraska. Their new HC is thrilled that he still doesn't have to tip his hand regarding the future of their defense. He can play DE in the 3-4 and move to the strong side when the Steelers eventually convert to a 4-3 Cover-2.
16. GB - Marshawn Lynch, RB, Cal. The lock of the draft.
17. JAC - Reggie Nelson, S, Florida. People are wondering if they'll take Ted Ginn, Jr. Those people are stupid. They apparently forget that the Jags have taken WRs in the first round of two of the last three drafts, as well as a TE early last year. The Jags need help in their secondary, and are thrilled to get Nelson and keep him in the Sunshine State.
18. CIN - Greg Olsen, TE, Miami. He's not going to be as good as people think he will, but the Bengals are going to have to get Palmer a good third target until Henry comes back.
19. TEN - Robert Meachem, WR, Tennessee. The OC was again lobbying for a prospect from Southern Cal, but his pleas fall on deaf ears. Chow will be happy when he sees this kid play in minicamp.
20. NYG - Laurence Timmons, LB, Florida State. The Giants couldn't be happier to get a LB who can make plays on the weakside. They look at Ginn, but realize that they already drafted him last year when his name was Sinorice Moss.
21. DEN - Ted Ginn, Jr., WR, Ohio St. No, Denver hasn't developed a WR in a while, but they know that an extra 10 yards in field position per game in Denver is worth 30 points a season. The presence of Walker gives Ginn some time to develop, and he'll see snaps at both WR and CB for the Broncos.
22. DAL - Aaron Ross, CB, Texas. The Cowboys don't see great value here, so they'll try and trade down. But they may end up stuck with the pick (They were praying that Ginn would fall to them after he started to slip), and they take a local kid.
23. KC - Dwayne Bowe, WR, LSU. At some point the Chiefs have to draft a wideout early, right? They think seriously about stopping Alan Branch's plummet, but they know they need help on the outside.
24. NE - Paul Posluzny, LB, Penn State. New England's thrilled that he's still on the board. They're going to have to find replacements for their ILBs soon. Pos gets a year to learn in situational play.
25. NYJ - Ben Grubbs, OG, Auburn. The Jets take another OL prospect with an early pick, knowing that this is going to solidify this group for a decade. They just invested in Thomas Jones; this pick protects that investment.
26. PHI - Michael Griffin, S, Texas. Andy Reid couldn't find an OL or DL to his liking after Grubbs went off the board, so he "settles for" the Longhorn playmaker.
27. NO - Jon Beason, LB, Miami. The Saints helped their secondary by signing the restricted free agent from Indy. Now they help their LB corps. They got by last season without a defense. It's going to be harder this year.
28. NE - Jarvis Moss, DE/OLB, Florida. They can't believe he's still on the board, since they almost submitted his name at 24.
29. BAL - Alan Branch, DT, Michigan. A BPA pick. They're going to get one pissed-off DT into training camp who's going to do whatever it takes to punish the NFL.
30. SD - Dwayne Jarrett, WR, Southern Cal. A new outside weapon who will help where it matters most: the end zone.
31. CHI - Chris Houston, CB, Arkansas. Lovie doesn't run as much Cover-2 as people think he does. The Bears were hoping one of the safeties would fall, and aren't going to take the risk on Merriweather. Instead, they plan for the departure of one of their starting corners in Vasher and Tillman.
32. IND - Justin Harrell, DT, Tennessee. Exactly the kind of player that Dungy likes for his defense.

That's all I have for now. I'll post my Arizona draft in a little bit...

 

[JC_AZ]

I think AD(P) will give us the most long-term help and I do not think it is impossible to find a qualty OT in the second round...JMHO

 

[BullheadCardFan]

5. ARI - Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma. The draft breaks 75% of the way that the front office was hoping it would, but that last 25 percent was a killer. The silence of the phones on Hardy Drive is deafening. At this point, the Cards would like to trade down, but no one's offering anything, and so they trust their board and select the best player available at a position of need, and select All Day Adrian Peterson.

I have to say that I really do not think that we need to RB with our #1 pick .. I realize that AP is an exceptional talent, but without anyone blocking for him he will be getting hit as soon as he touches the ball and that will do nothing for us this year .. our main focus needs to be building the Oline with as much talent as possible ...

Our Oline has been a weakness for many years .. its time to start building a foundation for the coming years ...

Look at what Ferguson and Mangold meant to the Jets last year .. and if they go with a guard like Blalock this year they will have built one side of their Oline for many years to come ...

Just my 2 cents ..

 

[PJ1]

I have to say that I really do not think that we need to RB with our #1 pick .. I realize that AP is an exceptional talent, but without anyone blocking for him he will be getting hit as soon as he touches the ball and that will do nothing for us this year .. our main focus needs to be building the Oline with as much talent as possible ...

Our Oline has been a weakness for many years .. its time to start building a foundation for the coming years ...

Look at what Ferguson and Mangold meant to the Jets last year .. and if they go with a guard like Blalock this year they will have built one side of their Oline for many years to come ...

Just my 2 cents ..

Agreed. May not be exciting but we have to go OT with our first pick. Don't mind trading down a little for Brown either.

 

[The Commish]

If Peterson is there we'll get offers.

 

[slanidrac16]

If Peterson is available when our turn comes we will be able to deal down as long as we are not asking for the world in return. ATlanta, Buffalo and Green Bay would all love to have Peterson. If we accept a little less than "equal Value Points" I think a deal could get done.

 

[kerouac9]

The message of this draft is this: If the Cards are going to improve, they're going to have to start winning games. I know, it sounds stupid. You can't split hairs between prospects at the top of the draft--in the top 12 picks or so--especially prospects at different positions. You can't afford to miss, but you can't afford to reach, because there's a reason that your team finished 6-10.

Walter Mitchell sees this same thing and decides that teams almost always need to trade down. What he doesn't realize is that there have to be teams willing to move up for that to happen, and pay a king's ransom for doing so.

I agree that the Cards shouldn't take Adrian Peterson in this draft. But that's where they are, and they're not good enough to reach down 3-5 places for Levi Brown. When you're picking 15th overall, you can scoop down a little bit for need; teams do it all the time. But the Cards' lofty draft perch means that they're going to have to take the best prospect on the board, because he's going to be with them awhile (The size and lengths of rookie contracts is another argument for drafting BPA regardless of position. Position needs change from year to year, but that Top 5 pick is going to be with you for 6 years, so he better be good).

The Cards want to collect more picks in this draft. According to Kent Somers, they want to go into training camp with 15-20 draft picks + undrafted college free agents. The only rounds where you want to collect picks in this draft are 2-5. It's not really going to matter if Graves finds a way to recover our 6th round pick in a draft that's so bulgy in the middle (like Cardinals.Ken) in terms of talent.

1 - 5 - Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma Not everyone is going to love the pick, but once he gets on the field, they're going to love the player.
2 - 38 - Justin Blalock, OL, Texas Graves had a deal in place to drop down from this spot, but a QB frenzy above him meant that Blalock dropped down. Fans at U of P stadium are a little uneasy, but not as uneasy as Matt Leinart is.
3 - 69 - James Marten, OT, Boston College And now the Cards don't have to worry about the OT position for a while. After Thomas was taken, Graves and Whis had to wager that Gandy and Ross would be good enough to man the tackle spots. But they also got this propect, who will push them in training camp and likely take one of their jobs next season.
4 - 105 - Dan Bazuin, DE/OLB, Central Michigan Small-school prospect gives the team more flexibility in the 3-4 transition, as well as insurance if Berry or Okeafor start to wear down as the season progresses.
5 - 142 - Derek Landri, DT/DE, Notre Dame More help for Pendergast as he transitions to the 3-4 alignment. Landri can occupy blockers and is a smart player, but he won't get much push in the passing game.
7 - 215- Joe Cohen, DT, Florida Provides some more help at the NT position, where you can never have enough depth as you move to a 3-4.

It's not sexy, and it's not dazzling, but fans need to get used to the idea that this team is not going to be very good this season. They're taking a step back in 2007 in order to take two steps forward in 2008.

 

[kerouac9]

If Peterson is available when our turn comes we will be able to deal down as long as we are not asking for the world in return. ATlanta, Buffalo and Green Bay would all love to have Peterson. If we accept a little less than "equal Value Points" I think a deal could get done.

Atlanta is the only offer that might be high enough for us to get value for Brown. They're not going to trade up for Peterson, and I don't think they will for Landry, either. They have Dunn and Norwood for next season, and I think that their HC is going to take Michael Bush with their third-round pick.

Buffalo and Green Bay are too low to get Brown, and Staley isn't going to be able to start his rookie season and be any more effective than Ross or Gandy.

Look up the points for Buffalo and Green Bay and see the kind of package that they would have to put together, and then see if they could/would do it.

 

[Renz]

If Peterson is available when our turn comes we will be able to deal down as long as we are not asking for the world in return. Atlanta, Buffalo and Green Bay would all love to have Peterson. If we accept a little less than "Equal Value Points" I think a deal could get done.

Boy, I hope we don't trade out of the Top 10.

 

[HoodieBets]

The message of this draft is this: If the Cards are going to improve, they're going to have to start winning games. I know, it sounds stupid. You can't split hairs between prospects at the top of the draft--in the top 12 picks or so--especially prospects at different positions. You can't afford to miss, but you can't afford to reach, because there's a reason that your team finished 6-10.

Walter Mitchell sees this same thing and decides that teams almost always need to trade down. What he doesn't realize is that there have to be teams willing to move up for that to happen, and pay a king's ransom for doing so.

I agree that the Cards shouldn't take Adrian Peterson in this draft. But that's where they are, and they're not good enough to reach down 3-5 places for Levi Brown. When you're picking 15th overall, you can scoop down a little bit for need; teams do it all the time. But the Cards' lofty draft perch means that they're going to have to take the best prospect on the board, because he's going to be with them awhile (The size and lengths of rookie contracts is another argument for drafting BPA regardless of position. Position needs change from year to year, but that Top 5 pick is going to be with you for 6 years, so he better be good).

The Cards want to collect more picks in this draft. According to Kent Somers, they want to go into training camp with 15-20 draft picks + undrafted college free agents. The only rounds where you want to collect picks in this draft are 2-5. It's not really going to matter if Graves finds a way to recover our 6th round pick in a draft that's so bulgy in the middle (like Cardinals.Ken) in terms of talent.



It's not sexy, and it's not dazzling, but fans need to get used to the idea that this team is not going to be very good this season. They're taking a step back in 2007 in order to take two steps forward in 2008.

No LB or FB? I think that would be a huge mistake and in my mock I have the cards taken Marten in the 4th, i think he will be one of those day two steals.

 

[Mulli]

LB needed for sure, but they don't need to draft a FB.

 

[lobo]

I have to say that I really do not think

Just my 2 cents ..

Your two cents is worth a lot more than that from my perspective. To paraphrase "It's the OL stupid" No one will be upset if that is the primary issues we address in this draft.

 

[kerouac9]

No LB or FB? I think that would be a huge mistake and in my mock I have the cards taken Marten in the 4th, i think he will be one of those day two steals.

I'd be surprised to see Marten in the 4th since he's listed among the Top 100 prospects. Since it'll still be a need for the Cards in the 3rd, I think they'll settle for quantity over quality at OT, but Marten is a developing player.

I have us drafting an LB in Bazuin. With Baz, we'll have 4 OLBs (Pace, Okeafor, Berry, and Baz) and 3 ILBs (Dansby, Hayes, Beisel) for the 3-4 defense. This isn't to mention whether we'll be able to get anything out of Blackstock or Brandon Johnson or get Darling back when training camp starts.

Believe me, I'd like to stick with the 4-3 and get Rufus Alexander in the third round, but we're converting to a 3-4 whether anyone here likes it or not, and we have enough LBs to do that with right now.

 

[kerouac9]

I think that would be a huge mistake and in my mock I have the cards taken Marten in the 4th, i think he will be one of those day two steals.

The Huddle Report has him ranked in the Top 70 prospects (69th). Scouts, Inc. has him ranked 66th. I know that Dockett fell from character concerns, and Watson fell because of motivation/being really fat. Would Marten fall just because he's not that promising of a prospect?

I can see it, I guess. I'm just not sure it's going to happen. If the Cards don't get an OT in the first round, I think they'll have to reach for a guy like Marten.

 

[perivolaki]

It's hard to predict trades, so I'm mentioning when a team is really going to want to trade out of a spot. Also, I leaned heavily on The Huddle Report's Value Board, especially for the Cards' picks.



That's all I have for now. I'll post my Arizona draft in a little bit...

Man you are harder to pin down than jello with a hammer. We were talking about some second round picks that the Cards might be interested in and you assured us that Anthony Spencer would be a first round pick. Then you do your mock and he's nowhere to be found.

You didn't think I was paying attention did you?

 

[CtCardinals78]

The message of this draft is this: If the Cards are going to improve, they're going to have to start winning games. I know, it sounds stupid. You can't split hairs between prospects at the top of the draft--in the top 12 picks or so--especially prospects at different positions. You can't afford to miss, but you can't afford to reach, because there's a reason that your team finished 6-10.

Walter Mitchell sees this same thing and decides that teams almost always need to trade down. What he doesn't realize is that there have to be teams willing to move up for that to happen, and pay a king's ransom for doing so.

I agree that the Cards shouldn't take Adrian Peterson in this draft. But that's where they are, and they're not good enough to reach down 3-5 places for Levi Brown. When you're picking 15th overall, you can scoop down a little bit for need; teams do it all the time. But the Cards' lofty draft perch means that they're going to have to take the best prospect on the board, because he's going to be with them awhile (The size and lengths of rookie contracts is another argument for drafting BPA regardless of position. Position needs change from year to year, but that Top 5 pick is going to be with you for 6 years, so he better be good).

The Cards want to collect more picks in this draft. According to Kent Somers, they want to go into training camp with 15-20 draft picks + undrafted college free agents. The only rounds where you want to collect picks in this draft are 2-5. It's not really going to matter if Graves finds a way to recover our 6th round pick in a draft that's so bulgy in the middle (like Cardinals.Ken) in terms of talent.



It's not sexy, and it's not dazzling, but fans need to get used to the idea that this team is not going to be very good this season. They're taking a step back in 2007 in order to take two steps forward in 2008.

K9 I like your mock especially day one. Although is there a possibility Marten goes in the fourth and not the third? I like this guy a lot BC is sick with Olinemen.

 

[CtCardinals78]

sorry missed you post where you talked about Marten going in the third.

 

[kerouac9]

Man you are harder to pin down than jello with a hammer. We were talking about some second round picks that the Cards might be interested in and you assured us that Anthony Spencer would be a first round pick. Then you do your mock and he's nowhere to be found.

You didn't think I was paying attention did you?

:duh: Something was going to have to sneak down. It's possible that Spencer can go to the Pats instead of Moss, since apparently Moss can only play in one direction.

That being said, Spencer will go to someone before the Cards in the first round. If Detroit ends up taking Johnson in Round 1, they'll pick him up.

 

[Matt L]

I love your mock draft, if we have to pick someone and pay him as one of the top players in the league for the next six years than let's hope that they are going to justify that money. Adrian Petersen is a player who does that. There aren't too many sure things in this draft but AP seems to be as close to anyone. I can't really comment on the second day picks cause I don't know anything about them.

 

[Mainstreet]

It's not sexy, and it's not dazzling, but fans need to get used to the idea that this team is not going to be very good this season. They're taking a step back in 2007 in order to take two steps forward in 2008.

Actually I think AP is the sexy (attractive) pick for the Cardinals although their need is OT. If the Cardinals cannot move down in the draft I would be happy with AP at #5 and he is more likely to produce right away.

Although this does not pertain to protecting Leinart per se, I remember FranK Kush used the philosphy for years that offensive lineman do not have to hold a block very long if a team has quick running backs. Maybe AP and Edge would help take the pressure off Leinart by providing a good running attack.

Anyway I'm not for passing on the BPA.

 

[perivolaki]

:duh: Something was going to have to sneak down. It's possible that Spencer can go to the Pats instead of Moss, since apparently Moss can only play in one direction.

That being said, Spencer will go to someone before the Cards in the first round. If Detroit ends up taking Johnson in Round 1, they'll pick him up.

Yeah it wouldn't surprise me if the Pats take Spencer. This is a guy I really hope falls to the Cards. It could be a moot point though if the only option open to the Cards in Rd 1 is Gaines Adams. Then we could look at an offensive tackle in the second round.

 

[BullheadCardFan]

K9 .. what do you propose us to do about our TE problem .. ?? like we have only one legitimate TE on the roster right now .. ??

 

[kerouac9]

K9 .. what do you propose us to do about our TE problem .. ?? like we have only one legitimate TE on the roster right now .. ??

TE isn't important to this offense. We'll sign three UDFAs and likely let them fight it out. Looking at the value charts, there wasn't a blocking TE anywhere near where we were picking. They really don't make 'em in the NCAA anymore; I don't know what teams are going to do in the future, especially when college programs are converting athletic blocking tight ends into offensive tackles.

Leonard Pope is barely a legit TE as he stands right now. We can draft a guy like Scott Chandler in the third round, I suppose. Or hope that we don't have to choose between Marten and Spaeth in the fourth. I think we'll see how the draft breaks out. If we trade down, it'll be for a pick to get a TE.

For me, it's more important that we get OLBs for the 3-4 conversion than blocking TEs. If we don't get Chandler or Spaeth, we'll sign Chad Upshaw from Buffalo, Zac Herod from Nebraska-Omaha, and Rudy Sylvan from Ohio and hope that one of them are servicable for a season.

 

[Duckjake]

especially when college programs are converting athletic blocking tight ends into offensive tackles.

University of Texas Tackle Tony Hills is a perfect example.

 

[BullheadCardFan]

K9 ...

Thanks for the input ..

I hope you are right and we can find one of those guys can block .. how hard is it to learn how to block as a TE .. ?? If I was coaching a college team I would make that a mandatory issue with my TEs .. but I guess they want the glory and spotlight of catching the ball .. but it makes them that much better when they can do both ...