Leonard Pope 3rd round ...yes

[red desert]

Great pick.

 

[seesred]

Cudos to Denny Green and Rod Graves for making this the very best draft in team history. Since Denny's been here we have had three great off seasons and drafts...We are ready, new stadium, new money and a great lineup.....

GBR
40
In Green we trust!

 

[JeffGollin]

So much for problems in El Reddo Zono.

He was one of those guys I watched closely at the Combine. He had the best hands of any TE (including Davis).

The one rap on him is that he has trouble knee bending and tends to block too high. I hope that's correctable. Other than that, what a way to cap off a great draft day.

 

[BigRedArk]

The Pope is now a Cardinal!!!!

 

[conraddobler]

So much for problems in El Reddo Zono.

He was one of those guys I watched closely at the Combine. He had the best hands of any TE (including Davis).

The one rap on him is that he has trouble knee bending and tends to block too high. I hope that's correctable. Other than that, what a way to cap off a great draft day.

Well Rowen's practically got to be soiling himself, Edge, Leinart, Pope.......

He better be at his computer right now adding more plays to the playbook and searching the net for articles on how to teach really big men to bend their knees.

 

[D-Dogg]

The Pope is now a Cardinal!!!!

Best. Line. EVER!!!!!

I love it!

 

[Snakester]

I love this pick. What a great first day!

 

[Osbern61]

I was hoping against hope that Vernon Davis fell to us in rd 1 , but getting Pope and Leinart is a much better result overall.

 

[RedStorm]

Cudos to Denny Green and Rod Graves for making this the very best draft in team history. Since Denny's been here we have had three great off seasons and drafts...We are ready, new stadium, new money and a great lineup.....

GBR
40
In Green we trust!

We should sign Denny to a lifetime contract.

 

[Sunshooter]

great!

 

[BigRedArk]

Best. Line. EVER!!!!!

I love it!

 

[D-Dogg]

We should sign Denny to a lifetime contract.

Definitely sign him to a lifetime President of Draft Decisions positions, if nothing else.

3 years, 3 home runs...and we have a WHOLE DAY LEFT, with guys like Bing and Ko left on the board...

 

[Goldfield]

Green would make a good GM.

 

[WildBB]

He better be at his computer right now adding more plays to the playbook and searching the net for articles on how to teach really big men to bend their knees.

Olay!

 

[JCSunsfan]

Just looking at some combine details on Pope.

He is 6-7.5 with a 38 inch vert and 10 in mitts.

5 yards out in the red zone, James (going off-guard behind Deuce), Pope, Fitz, AB, nice options.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Great Pick!

Another steal by Denny and Crew!

 

[BACH]

Leonard Pope
TE, Georgia
War Room analysis


Hands: Has great receiving skills. Uses big hands, long arms and tall frame to battle for passes. Adjusts well to airborne passes. Is a big target, especially in the red zone. Grade: 8.2.

Patterns: Versatile route runner. Has excellent speed and quickness to stretch the field. Is especially good at finding soft spots in zone coverage. Grade: 8.2.

Run after catch: Catches well and tucks the ball quickly. Gets turned upfield into playmaking position. Grade: 7.9.

Release: Shows quick feet and great burst off the line. Makes great use of long arms to keep defenders off him. Struggles, however, when defenders lock on. Grade: 7.7.

Blocking: Has great potential because of his size, strength and athleticism. Must add bulk to be effective. Gets to the linebacker level quickly. Has improved blocking in open field. Is powerful with good hands. When locked on, pushes defender out of plays. Grade: 7.6.

Bottom line: Pope has ideal height and great speed for his size. He needs to bulk up for the NFL, but he has the body to handle the weight. A highly productive early-entry junior, Pope's all-around skills make him a late-second round prospect.

Dan Pompei analysis
Is a very tall target with long arms and sure hands. Locates the ball well. Has made some big plays. Can run, but doesn't play especially fast. Had a nice workout at the NFL Combine. Does not separate well from defenders. Does not turn upfield quickly after the catch. Does not sustain blocks in the running game, and needs a lot of work in pass protection.


Correspondent Analysis
The Cardinals aren’t unhappy with incumbent tight ends Eric Edwards and Adam Bergen, but Pope was too good of value to pass up in the third round. He has good hands and great size. This team had trouble scoring in the red zone last year, and a big target such as Polk should help in that area.



NEWS

Pope is starting to draw attention for something other than his 6-7 height. Pope had an excellent Combine and the athleticism he showed in combination with his height is intriguing. One coach said, “The target area he presents will make some average young starting quarterback a star.” Imagine what a player like Pope could do for Rex Grossman in Chicago or David Carr in Houston. -- War Room scouts

 

[moklerman]

I was just as high on Vernon Davis as anyone else after his combine numbers and hoped he would fall to the Cardinals. However, as someone pointed out earlier, the overall value of Leinart and Pope is much higher than Davis and a 2nd/3rd/4th qb would be. Add to that, acquiring Leinart at the #10 spot will likely eliminate the holdout/contract problems that often accompany high round players. Leinart and Pope aren't even the top players taken at their respective positions so they should be in camp early and ready to learn.

After watching so many Rams drafts over the years, I'm very impressed with what Denny has been doing. He consistantly finds a way to draft needs at a value. While V. Davis is a speciman, he will really have to excel to be a value at #6. While I think he just might do it, it's by no means a sure thing and at the very least a huge expectation and considerable cost for SF. While Pope wasn't as freakish as Davis, he's only a junior and did have a 30+ vertical jump at the combine. At 6'7" and 265 he's more of a presence than Davis as well.

Anyway, I bow to DG as I wasn't even aware of this guy and overall, the Card's offense seems to be potentially solidified for their first year in the new stadium. Quality now and hope for the future.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Just looking at some combine details on Pope.

He is 6-7.5 with a 38 inch vert and 10 in mitts.

5 yards out in the red zone, James (going off-guard behind Deuce), Pope, Fitz, AB, nice options.

Thought I would document this one for you.

Combine: Benched 225 pounds 22 times. ... 4.70 and 4.65 seconds in the 40-meter dash. ... 37 1/2-inch vertical leap. ... 9'6" broad jump.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/draft/prospect?contentId=5526650

That really is an incredible target.

 

[MastersofCombat]

Great point we dont need Leonard Pope to catch 60 rec and 1200 yds ... no we need him to be a touchdown guy and a serious matchup problem for the other team. IF a team doesnt address our TE he goes off for 100 yds and a couple scores. Just the ability to unleash that is something we havent had here since Jay Novacek