April 28, 2014
From Adam Schmidt, Madison, Wisconsin
“Hi Charlie; is it just me, or do you think this is a possibility, the packers move Micah Hyde to safety and draft LB or DL help. I think the packers need more on the d-line. I think we could also have an above average d line if we had Datone Jones, B.J. Raji, and Ra’Shede Hageman on the d-line. The LB core could be A.J. Hawk, Chris Borland, Clay Matthews and Nick Perry, with Trent Murphy in the wings. The CBs are Tramon Williams, Sam Shields and Casey Hayward, and at safety we could have Hyde and Morgan Burnett.
Also, I’ll include my draft for you:
PACKERS ONLY
1 Rasheed Hageman; 2 Trent Murphy, or Troy Niklas (trade up to get both?); 3 Chris Borland; 3 Jared Abbrederis; 4 Dezmen Southward; 5 lb depth”
I think you have a good point on moving Hyde to safety. That makes sense, and I could see the Packers doing that if they don’t land a safety who they like.
I do know the Packers like Hageman, and he is an option in Round 1. However, I know they would prefer other players. I don’t think the franchise likes Borland. Green Bay wants speed on defense, but Borland is slow. The Packers think Dez Southward is just average. I don’t think Murphy has the explosion they’re looking for either, but I could be wrong there. The Packers were showing interest in Murphy at the Senior Bowl, but they don’t need him after signing Julius Peppers.
I do think that Abbrederis is in play for Green Bay in the third round.
From Maurice Smith, Vancover, BC
“I’ve been watching a lot of college tape leading up to the 2014 NFL Draft, and a few guys I feel are being underrated are Brett Smith, QB Wyoming; Marion Grice, RB Arizona St.; and Jeremy Gallon, WR Michigan. Where do you think they go in the 2014 NFL Draft and are they being slept on? Also, I’m a fan of Colt Lyerla’s and Isaiah Crowell’s talents, but don’t know too much about their red flags. Around what round do you think they land, and approximately how many teams take those kind of guys completely off their big boards? Thanks, and keep up the great work as always.”
I think Smith, Grice and Gallon will be third-day picks. Grice may go undrafted because of injury issues, which are why he’s so low. Gallon is very undersized. Smith needs to develop his ability to work through progressions, but has a good skill set and upside. He took off to run too quickly. Smith also played at a small school, but he is a smart signal-caller. I think he could end up as one of the steals of the 2014 NFL Draft. I think if Smith goes to the Broncos, he could end up challenging Brock Osweiler for the starting spot when Peyton Manning retires.
I think Crowell will be a late-rounder; Lyerla will probably go undrafted. It’s impossible to give you an approximate number about how many teams will remove either, or both, of them from their organization’s draft board, but in my opinion Lyerla will be removed by the majority of teams. I think the majority will have Crowell as a late-rounder.
From twitter Adam Warren, @fcgenie
Hey Charlie, love your insight. How does this rank as most interesting draft in your years? What year was best?
Thanks, Adam. That’s a good question. In my opinion, this is the most interesting draft since 2010. That class had some interesting and rare prospects like Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy, Joe Haden, Sean Weatherspoon and many others. The quarterbacks were also very intriguing with Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow and Jimmy Clausen. The other really interesting classes to me over the past decade include 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2012. I think the 2014 NFL Draft class beats all of them except maybe the 2010 class.
From twitter Rob Nick @rphx88
How does Khalil Mack compare to Aaron Curry as a prospect coming out of college?”
That’s a good question that I was already pondering. Back when Curry was a draft prospect, I was a beat writer covering the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay had no shot of drafting Curry, so I didn’t spend a lot of time on him. Thus, I reached out to some scouts who evaluated Curry to get their opinion for you.
They said that Mack is a better prospect than Curry. They felt that Mack offers more to his game with his great pass-rush ability. They said that Curry was a better athlete than Mack, but Mack is a better overall football player with better instincts.
From Jorge, Down in Florida
“Hey, I read through your website daily like four or five times a day. I’m a huge Vikings fan and really really want Bortles. I think he has major upside and despite not being a for sure thing like luck, he’s got the moxy and IT factor( won five games this past season in fourth quarter or OT).
I’ve recently notice you have mocked with a trade up and also you spoke about in it the mailbag question as well as a draft rumor dedicated to the Vikings moving up. I guess my question to you is if the Rams aren’t willing to trade that far back to 8th with Minnesota how likely can they trade with Jax, Cleveland or even Oakland( one of the those teams would take him right ???). Also, my other question is what percentage would you say the chances are Vikings trade up to grab Blake.”
Thanks for the message and reading WalterFootball.com. I think that the Raiders would be interested in moving down. Last year, Oakland moved down at a discount, so going from No. 5 to No. 8 could be done for maybe one of the Vikings’ third-round picks. I could see the Raiders going to No. 8 and targeting Mike Evans.
The Jaguars and Browns could consider moving down as well, but I think both will be targeting one of the four elite players in the 2014 NFL Draft (Clowney, Mack, Watkins, Robinson). I do think the Vikings will explore moving up for Bortles, but they could stay at No. 8 and see him fall to them. I believe there is a good chance that the first seven teams could all pass on quarterbacks. I think the chances that Minnesota trades up for Bortles could be 40 to 50 percent.
I think the Vikings will take either Bortles or Derek Carr with their first-rounder.
From Kenny Roehl, Dayton, Ohio
“Are there any Vontaze Burficts this year?”
I think there are a few candidates to be that kind of player. Former Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla and South Florida defensive end Aaron Lynch both are talented, but both have massive off-the-field problems. I think each will go undrafted.
Lyerla could have been an early-round pick if he had stayed out of trouble, but quitting the team and a drug arrest have sunk his stock. Lyerla was an explosive receiving tight end in 2012. If he gets his head on straight though, he could be a “steak” undrafted free agent signing like Burfict.
Lynch is less likely to pan out. He was much better when he was heavier at Notre Dame as a freshman in 2011. Lynch lost weight and wasn’t all that impressive against South Florida’s weak competition in 2013. Lynch has huge red flags off the field. He has some talent, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he is unable to make or stick on an NFL roster.
Once again send questions/comments via email [email protected] or on Twitter @draftcampbell.
2014 NFL Draft Mailbag Archive:
2014 NFL Draft Mailbag - April 21
2014 NFL Draft Mailbag - March 23
2014 NFL Draft Mailbag - Aug. 5
2014 NFL Draft Mailbag - July 22
2014 NFL Draft Mailbag - July 9
2014 NFL Draft Mailbag - June 26
2014 NFL Draft Mailbag - June 2
2014 NFL Draft Mailbag - May 16
Fantasy Football Rankings - May 23
2025 NFL Mock Draft - May 21
NFL Power Rankings - Feb. 22
NFL Picks - Feb. 12
