5/15/12
From Jonathan Dickson, United Kingdowm
“I found it interesting that the two biggest surprise picks in the first round were made by the Seahawks and 49ers since both these teams have head coaches who have recently been successful at coaching college teams. Do you think that the knowledge Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh have of the college game causes them to rate players differently than other teams? Both teams have found some good late round or undrafted players since getting their new coach.”
Carroll and Harbaugh definitely have drawn on their knowledge of college players in their drafts for Seattle and San Francisco respectively. Harbaugh talked about that when discussing the 49ers selection of Oregon running back LaMichael James. As they say the eye in the sky doesn’t lie, so the performance of players lands similar evaluations across the league. However, the past experience on the college level give those coaches personal insight into a player’s personal makeup from recruiting them, getting to know their families and/or being around them on a daily basis.
Recent college coaches know the opposing players well, and often, you see them draft players from former rival schools, like Harbaugh taking James. Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano drafted two players from West Virginia in the late rounds, so he could be added to the list as well if those players pan out.
From Rob G., Whiting, Indiana
“How often do teams draft players for the sole purpose of preventing their rivals from having them? Case in point the Bears drafting Shea McCllelin. Do you think it’s possible the Bears believed he would kill them as a 3-4 OLB on the Packers so they decided to take him even though he would seem to be only a situational pass rusher for the Bears where as Nick Perry could of been a three down player for them?”
I think is extremely rare that teams draft a player just to prevent a rival from landing them. Allegedly that happened when the Jets took Vernon Gholston, but there are few known examples of teams doing that. More often, a team may trade down with a team that wants the player and the team trading down is happy to prevent a rival from landing that prospect.
The word around the league after Chicago took McClellin was that Phil Emery fell in love with McClellin while scouting him for the Chiefs. Sources told WalterFootball.com that there were other 4-3 teams that were heavily interested in McClellin. Tennessee was one of them. If the Bears had drafted Nick Perry, he probably wouldn’t have beaten out Israel Idonije to start across from Julius Peppers. So Perry wouldn’t be a three-down player in 2012 either. In a year or so, McClellin will be a three-down player for Chicago, and he was a higher-rated consensus player than Perry.
In my opinion the questionable part of the Bears’ first selection was taking McClellin over Stanford guard David DeCastro.
From Stevo, Redondo, CA
“Was wondering if there was any specific reasoning, why combine participants do not wear full pads when running the 40 yard dash? I would think Coaches and GM’s would actually find this more beneficial in the evaluation process, as players timed results would actually be more “game speed” accurate.”
That is a good question and it makes a lot of sense to reform the Combine to make it more comparable to actual football. I spoke with an NFL general manager to get you your answer. He said that there were multiple reasons why players don’t wear pads. The first one being that they don’t train with pads on. Secondly, all the pads and helmets wouldn’t be the same, so the times would all have to be adjusted based on what guys were wearing. Some players at the same positions wear more and heavier pads than others. Thus, it would make it difficult to compare the players 40 times.
After that, it would become an issue as to if players are reducing the number of pads they normally wear in order to have faster times. Just like prospects changing their weight for the Combine. It would be great to make the Combine more similar to actual football, but adding pads doesn’t sound like the answer.
From twitter, Stefanos Yowhannes (@StefanosY)
“What do you make of the Eagles draft “
I think Eagles had an excellent draft. I liked every move with the exception of one pick. In the first round, I think they did very well landing Fletcher Cox. In the short term, adding an interior pass rusher like Cox will take advantage of ends Jason Babin and Trent Cole forcing quarterbacks to step up in the pocket. In the long term, Cox could form a dynamic line with Vinny Curry and Brandon Graham. I think Curry was an excellent pick in the second round. He was a very underrated prospect who is a great scheme fit in Philadelphia.
Mychal Kendricks was a nice selection in round two, and Brandon Boykin was a steal in the fourth round. While Boykin was inconsistent in his coverage at Georgia, he could be a nice slot corner and special-teamer in the NFL. I think Philadelphia also made a great undrafted free agent signing with Chris Polk. He should provide a nice backup option to LeSean McCoy. Polk went undrafted because of medical concerns, but he has been durable in college so that is a head scratcher.
The only pick that I didn’t really like was the Eagles taking Nick Foles in the third round. He’s a statue of a quarterback and won’t fit the offense as well as Donovan McNabb or Michael Vick. However, Andy Reid knows quarterbacks, and if he develops Foles’ field vision, the big-armed pocket passer has starting potential.
This could be a draft that Eagles fans look back at as being the foundation for a very talented defense.
From Jason Leonard, Tuscon, Arizona
“Great job on the 2013 positional rankings. What are some positions that look strong in the 2013 draft class?”
There are a few positions that look like they have the makings for some strong classes. Offensive tackle was rather weak in 2012, but the 2013 class could have a nice crop of tackles for the first few rounds. Wide receiver could be excellent if players play up to their potential and juniors enter the draft early.
On defense, the safety class could be phenomenal. The last few safety classes have been weaker, but college football could produce a bumper crop in 2013. There could be multiple first-rounders and other second-day picks, especially if some talented juniors enter the draft.
From twitter Justin Wall (@jwalluww)
“Do you think Robert Woods’ size could hurt his draft stock?”
It is unlikely, but possible. Woods is listed at 6-foot-1, 180-pounds. His height is fine, but his weight is a little low. Woods has time to fill out his frame. In the NFL, the weight and strength could be an issue for him defeating jams at the line of scrimmage. If Woods allows himself to be rerouted and disrupt the timing of plays, that could limit his role in the NFL.
That being said, Woods is a young player who has time to get better and will add strength as he ages in a NFL strength and conditioning program. He is the top-ranked draft eligible receiver entering the 2012 season, and he should be a high first-round pick if he plays like he did as a sophomore.
Once again send questions/comments via email [email protected] or on Twitter @draftcampbell.
2012 NFL Draft Mailbag Archive:
2013 NFL Draft Mailbag - June 16
2012 NFL Draft Mailbag - May 20
2012 NFL Draft Mailbag - May 15
2012 NFL Draft Mailbag - May 6
2012 NFL Draft Mailbag - April 24
2012 NFL Draft Mailbag - April 16
2012 NFL Draft Mailbag - April 9
2012 NFL Draft Mailbag - April 3
2012 NFL Draft Mailbag - March 25
2012 NFL Draft Mailbag - March 15
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2024 NFL Mock Draft - April 23
NFL Power Rankings - Feb. 22
Fantasy Football Rankings - Feb. 19
NFL Picks - Feb. 12
