Thread: NFP Mock Draft 4.0..............

Originally Posted by motownbear

if that was our first rounder for me at least the emery hip hip hooray feeling has just left the building lol.

DT is by far not a need for this team

Kinda depends on whether or not we re-sign Okoye. He earned his stripes last year IMO. If we don't manage ro re-sign him were down to one 3t DT, Melton.

Originally Posted by WindyCity

The Wisconsin pro day is complete and the star of the workout was guard Kevin Zeitler, who looked tremendous in position drills. The dominant run blocker showed terrific power in bag drills and easily moved about the field during motion drills. After his workout those in attendance used words such as "outstanding" and "beastly" to describe Zeitler, whose swiftly rising up boards. The Badger senior has locked himself up as a top-45 choice and there's a feeling he could slide into the late part of Round 1.

Read more: 2012 NFL draft pro day updates - Tony Pauline - SI.com

Love my Badgers but this isn't good news for us if we thought he might slip into the 3rd. We probably can't draft and Olineman until then unless we fill the major holes in FA.

Originally Posted by WindyCity

In our work e-mail mock draft I ended up pick Zeitler with a trade up this afternoon.

We got Vincent Jackson and CB Richard Marshall during the free agency period.

1[19] WR Kendall Wright Baylor]

*Trade* 2[50] and 3[74] to San Francisco for 1[30]

1[30] OG Kevin Zeitler [Wisconsin]

This a pipe dream Windy so stop hitting the pipe. If we sign VJax we won't draft a WR in the 1st and if we did I'd lay you odds it won't be Kendall Wright. And............I don't see us trading back into the 1st for an OG. Possible but not likley. Sure wish stay with one plan. So far you've listed about a dozen different scenarios for the draft. Why not do one and adjust it after FA. We won't know who or even what position (s) we'll draft in those frsit three rounds. VJax is no sure thing and if we drafted a WR in one and Floyd is already off the board Hill isn't all that far fetched. He won't be super productive right away but with Cutler accuracy on the deep ball and Hill's speed for the first time since Willis Gault we'll have a WR who will force then to double with a Saftey.

Originally Posted by MPBears68

VJax & Marshall are solid FA pickups but I'm not a big fan of taking Wright @ #19 and it doesn't address the pass rush need at all. The next pick would be in the mid-3rd (#80) and I doubt we could find a DE there who could help us in 2012.

I just don't see how we "solve" the pass rush question w/o signing a FA. Couples is out of reach. Mercilus has a lot of question marks given his limited experience/production (one year only), and the others (Upshaw, Ingram, Perry) look like 3-4 OLBs rather than true 4-3 DEs...they all seem like "reaches for need" in the 1st. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just see Mario as the "go to" way out of this even if it means signing lesser WR(s) in FA.

If JA hadn't left our OL and WR corps so bare, this would be a heck of a lot easier lol.

If we sign VJax then you're right, Wright isn't needed. (no pun intended) If we took another WR then since our now is met by Jackson take a guy with huge upside, Steven Hill. The draft is full of bigger guys so why take the smallest one there.

As I posted before we can't afford to give up a pick to trade back into the first of high 2nd for an OG unless we solve the pass rush issue in FA and that's no guarantee either. If we don't take a pass rusher by the middle of the second we're screwed. After you get past Mercilus there isn't a top pass rusher left.

Even though Upshaw' Ingram, and Perry are listed as OLB it's principally because they could play there in the opinion of NFP scouts. That doesn't mean they aren't good prospects for DE though. Each one of those guys coes around 270lbs which is big for a LB but they rush well enough to be considered LB's because they're athletic enough to play there and NFP can't list them in two different places.

I think anyone of then could play DE but out of that group I like Perry if he falls that far. I think what you have there is a bigger version of Clay Matthews and I think he's athletic enough that you could move him around and even use him as a blitzing LB at times.

I'll just say this. If we could sign MWill in FA and Royal and take your pick of anyone but VJax (Meachem or Wayne probably the two least expensive, upside vs experience) it will make the draft a whole lost easier because then we don't have to commit the 1st and 2nd round picks to a WR and a DE. If we don't resolve getting those holes filled we almost certainly gonna need to take one of each of those in the first two rounds. At least that's the way I see it.

Originally Posted by soulman

I'll just say this. If we could sign MWill in FA and Royal and take your pick of anyone but VJax (Meachem or Wayne probably the two least expensive, upside vs experience) it will make the draft a whole lot easier because then we don't have to commit the 1st and 2nd round picks to a WR and a DE. If we don't resolve getting those holes filled we almost certainly gonna need to take one of each of those in the first two rounds. At least that's the way I see it.

Edit: Ooops, misspelled lot. It came out lost the first time around.

Originally Posted by MPBears68

Thanks...you just encapsulated what I've been trying to say less succinctly for a while. Basically that MWill + reasonable (non-"1st tier") WR help in FA makes the draft almost a cakewalk. I really don't want to use the 1st on a WR (ok, maybe I'll take a flyer on Hill but it is still not my preference) and I'm just not sold on any of the possible DE guys. Like 'em but don't love any one of them. I'd really like to use it on a BPA OLman if there's someone there who warrants the pick. And that seems quite likely. I'd be very happy waiting till the 2nd or top-3rd for a WR prospect like Quick or McNutt ot Toon.

Well that's what makes getting MWill and a couple of WR's so attractive. We no longer need to worry about which to draft in one. We don't have to take a DE or a WR because we've covered those bases in FA. Now if we choose to add at one or both of those positions fine is that's the BPA when we pick. On the other hand if DeCastro is there or better yet, Kuechley you wouldn't want to pass on the guy.

In my mind the worst thing you can do in the draft is to reach because you need a guy at that position so bad you're willing to take the 5th best OT instead of the 2nd best something else. That's how we reach for a guy like Mercilus when he may well be the riskiest pick among the top 7 or 8 pass rushers.

I understand the desire to sign VJax but a 29 year old WR who has an attitude and has only had 3 productive seasons out of ten may be the biggest risk per dollar in FA. As long as he remains healthy MWill doesn't come wit that kind of risk and playing on a line with Pep and and up and coming Melton would seem to be an attractive option to me.

Everybody wants to pin a top WR on us and I'm still not convinced that's the way to go. If Meachem and Royal came in and hauled down 50-70 passes each then along with Bennett, Forte and Davis our passing game gets healthy in a hurry. People forget how effective Forte is as pass catcher, Davis shows promise and we're still primarily a running team. I would rather upgrade two WR positions and use the present guy for depth than I would drop a ton on one guy no matter how good he might seem to be. I'd even take a flyer on a guy like Hill in the draft based on his upside. Surely Emery can judge whether or not the basic talent.

Originally Posted by soulman

Love my Badgers but this isn't good news for us if we thought he might slip into the 3rd. We probably can't draft and Olineman until then unless we fill the major holes in FA.

Damn it!

OK soul, you know I'm an Illini fan, but I love those Badger Big Uglies, so here's what we do:

Trade down in the first to the mid 20's and draft Konz while picking up an extra 3rd. Then trade up in the second with OUR second and one of our 3 thirds and select Zeitler. Then we still have two thirds to play with and the Chicago Bear O-Line begins to look a lot like the Wisconsin line (Konz/Zeitler/Carimi). Me likey!

OK, who's with me?!!!

Somebody get Emery on the phone.

Of course, this is all after we sign MWill,V-Jax, Royal, Nicks, in FA.