12/17/12
From Seth Schwartz, Chicago, Illinois
“Charlie, I really enjoyed your mock draft coverage. It�s interesting to see where some of the guys might go. I�ve watched a fair amount of Wisconsin wide receiver Jared Abbrederis and I know he has one more year left. I am guessing the NFL isn�t high on white wide receivers, but I think he has a lot of upside. Good size, speed, routes, runs well after catch and can return kicks. Can you give me your assessment on abbrederis� pro potential?”
Thanks for the compliments and reading my mocks. I appreciate it. I know that NFL talent evaluators won’t hold being white against Abbrederis.
Like you, I think Abbrederis is a really good prospect. I agree with you on the size, speed, hands, route-running and run after the catch potential. I think he has starting potential in the NFL. I don’t think he’ll be a first-round pick, but I do believe that he has the potential to be a second-day pick. That’s where I have him if he enters the 2013 draft and that’s where I’ll have him entering the 2014 class if he returns for his senior season.
Abbrederis is a play-maker and you saw it in 2011 when he had Russell Wilson at quarterback. Abbrederis can stretch the field vertically and hurt defenses going underneath. He is an underrated player and I think he’ll turn into a quality pro.
From Vinnie Monteleone, Staten Island, New York
“If you were the Colts knowing what you know today, would you still take Andrew Luck over Robert Griffin III? Also, how did Russel Wilson last until the third round any other reasons besides his height being a concern? Lastly, being a Jet fan do you think their is a second- or third-round quarterback that can supplant Sanchez in training camp and have a succesful rookie year like Wilson, or is he just the exception not the rule?”
Good questions Vin. The Colts couldn’t go wrong with either of Luck or Griffin back then. I would stand by the initial evaluation and say that Indianapolis made the right call. Both are tremendous and are poised to have great NFL careers.
Wilson lasted to Round 3 just because of the height. That was the ONLY knock on him. I believe that Wilson is the exception to the rule from a height perspective. The vast majority of quarterbacks under 6 feet don’t turn into starters in the NFL, much less good ones.
Lastly, a replacement for Sanchez I think could be found in Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib, North Carolina State’s Mike Glennon and maybe Oklahoma’s Landry Jones. I’m not confident Jones could handle playing in New York. I think Nassib would be the best bet, but again Wilson is an exception and not the norm, so Jets fans shouldn’t expect a second-day pick to immediately unseat Sanchez.
From Jeremy, Adelaide, South Australia
“I love that my 49ers are in a position to absolutely go best player available in the 2013 NFL Draft due to their strength and depth. However I see that you mostly mock safeties to the Niners, but I don’t agree with a safety due to the many talents that should be avaliable round two. I’m hoping we address corner or perhaps nose tackle.
Do you see a good nose tackle being available in the end of the first or perhaps falling to us? Similarly, should the 49ers package our first rounder with Alex Smith to see if we can get a bounty from a team desperate at QB like the Jaguars or Raiders? I would love to see Star Lotulelei wearing red and gold.”
I agree with you the 49ers can go with the best player available. The reason that I’ve been consistently mocking a safety to them is because they are getting a shot at the best safety in the draft late in the first round. That is a really good value and Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro is better than the corners available.
As for a nose tackle late in the first, Georgia’s John Jenkins would be San Francisco’s best bet. He may not make it there, but I would say it is possible. I think Ohio State’s Johnathan Hankins could have the potential to slide, but is much less likely to get there.
Alex Smith won’t be good enough to get the Jaguars, Chiefs or Raiders to drop all the way to the end of the first round. The 49ers would have to do a massive package of picks with multiple first-rounders to get Lotulelei. On the second day of the 2013 draft, San Francisco could target Jesse Williams from Alabama. He would be a nice nose for the 49ers’ defense.
From Connor Leenders, New Zealand
“San Francisco has a ton of draft picks coming up in the 2013 NFL Draft (12 at this present time). What do you think they will do with these picks considering they are one of the deepest teams in the NFL and really don’t need all of them. Would you expect them to apply the New England strategy and trade the picks for higher ones in future years? Or do you see them packageing a lot of the picks and moving up for some more impact players? Or would they really use that many in one year? I would be shocked as a lot would get cut.
Thanks for the email. That is a really good question. I definitely think the 49ers will be moving around. They have a lot of options with that amount of ammo. One option is the team will be aggressive to move up often. A second is the team will trade the picks away for selections in future drafts.
A third consideration is to do a combination of the two. San Francisco could move up higher in the early rounds to get bigger impact players and then trade away mid-to-late round picks for future selections. That makes sense because as you stated, the late-rounders would have a tough time making the team.
From Tom Ryan, St. Louis
“I know that Tyrann Mathieu is entering the 2013 NFL Draft, and as a Rams fan I’d love to see him in St. Louis, I know that this is Bradly Fletcher’s contract year and he’s been demoted to fourth string behind Finnagan, Jenkins, and now Trumaine Johnson, and I was wanting to know what you thought about the chances of them spending a late round pick on Mathieu and moving Johnson to safety to replace the bum Craig Dahl? I know very very little about what Johnson did at Montana, but you guys said he could handle safety.”
I think Mathieu would be a good fit in St. Louis. The team could move him around and find ways to maximize his strengths. Mathieu will need a creative defensive coordinator to protect his limitations and get the most out of him. The Rams are well-coached, so I think they would be a perfect team to work with Mathieu.
Mathieu could be moved between slot corner, free safety, traditional corner, and a deep safety. St. Louis has shown a willingness to give second chances with Janoris Jenkins, so Mathieu could be a possibility. I think both Mathieu and Johnson are players who can play both safety and corner. Flipping Johnson and Mathieu from corner and safety would also be confusing for offenses. They each have that ability, so I think the Rams would have an excellent secondary and Mathieu would be a good fit.
I think the biggest concern would be if Mathieu and Jenkins would help lead the other into getting in trouble. Both have had major marijuana issues in the past.
From Chris Garman, Cincinnati, Ohio
“I’m a big Steelers fan, and I think the Steelers defense is sort of missing some of the swagger it’s had in the past. I loved the fire the Joey Porter brought, James Harrison sort of had it but I think this is his last season with them unless he takes a big paycut. My question is do you see any guys in the 2013 NFL Draft that have that edge… Or fire. I really wanted us to grab Vontaze Burfict in the seventh last year, but it didn’t happen. ”
I do think there are some guys who have fiery swagger in the 2013 NFL draft class. Alabama cornerback DeMarcus Milliner and Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson both play with a chip on their shoulder. Florida safety Matt Elam is a physical presence who also is fiery team leader.
Of all the players to consider, I think Western Kentucky linebacker Andrew Jackson has that nature more than anybody else. He is a bully on the field and is a violent force against offensive players. Jackson has patterned his game off of Ray Lewis and it shows. Jackson plays with real passion. Of all the players in the draft, I think he is the epitome of what you’re looking for.
From Jake Kallen, New York, New York
“As a diehard New York Jets fan, I have been extremely disappointed this year, to say the least, and the only thing I have to look forward to is the upcoming draft. I just wanted to get your opinion on what their biggest needs are for the 2013 NFL Draft, and if you think they should clean house and rebuild.
What prospects do you like for the Jets in the draft? If they don’t start over, do you think they would at least provide Sanchez with some support, like Keenan Allen or Justin Hunter? I understand everybody mocking a pass rusher to them right now, but it seems like their defense is not the problem, and to compete in the AFC East, they need to get their offense going. What do you think?”
Jake, I can understand the disappointment in the Jets. Mark Sanchez is such a liability and is one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL. I think New York should start Tim Tebow to see if he can be the difference-maker at the quarterback position. If the Jets do and Tebow fails, then quarterback is their biggest need.
If you assume New York isn’t taking a quarterback, I would go with an edge-rusher. I agree that the defense is better than the offense, but I definitely think the team should draft a pass-rusher early.
The Jets don’t have an edge-rusher who can consistently pressure the quarterback. That has to be fixed for the team to move forward, and New York won’t be able to get away with that over the long term. I honestly can’t think of a team that won the Super Bowl that didn’t have a good pass rush.
I think the Jets should target a wide receiver and running back on the second day of the 2013 NFL draft. They have Santonio Holmes coming back and Stephen Hill will only get better with experience. New York could sign some mid-level veterans to help provide depth. so if I were the front office, I wouldn’t use a first-rounder on Allen or Hunter.
From Musaib Hussaini, Farmingdale, New York
“I’m a huge Jets fan and hope they end up with Jarvis Jones when the 2013 NFL Draft rolls around. That being highly unlikely, I think your spot on with the pick of LSU OLB Barkevious Mingo but in the second round I would like to see Landry Jones mocked there. I think Mark Sanchez will be shipped away for a third-round pick and Tim Tebow will be jettisoned with a new incoming regime seeing that Rex Ryan is likely to get fired. Even if Landry Jones isn’t the future, he’s a nice developmental quarterback who can play right away. I’d also like to believe wide receiver is fixable in free agency so WR isnt an option till the third round I’d rather see offensive line or running back in the second. ”
I agree with you that Mingo makes sense for New York and that the team should move on from Mark Sanchez. However, I don’t believe Rex Ryan will be fired and/or the Jets will move on from Sanchez.
I think Landry Jones could be worth a pick on Day 2. However, I’m not sure he has the mental toughness needed to play in New York and the pressure that comes with it.
I can promise you that no team is dumb enough to give up a third-rounder for Sanchez. Probably a pick in the fifth-, sixth- or seventh-rounder would be my guess. However, I’m not sure his contract extension would make trading him possible. He is guaranteed $8.25 million in 2013 and that is too much for any team to pay its backup quarterback. No franchise would be willing to make him its starter. Honestly, I don’t think the Jets will find any takers for Sanchez.
Once again send questions/comments via email [email protected] or on Twitter @draftcampbell.
2013 NFL Draft Mailbag Archive:
2013 NFL Draft Mailbag - Feb. 4
2013 NFL Draft Mailbag - Jan. 18
2013 NFL Draft Mailbag - Jan. 14
2013 NFL Draft Mailbag - Dec. 17
2013 NFL Draft Mailbag - Dec. 10
2013 NFL Draft Mailbag - Nov. 23
2013 NFL Draft Mailbag - Oct. 26
2013 NFL Draft Mailbag - Sept. 6
2013 NFL Draft Mailbag - Aug. 24
2013 NFL Draft Mailbag - Aug. 16
2013 NFL Draft Mailbag - Aug. 7
2013 NFL Draft Mailbag - July 26
2013 NFL Draft Mailbag - July 8
2013 NFL Draft Mailbag - June 15
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