2011 NFL Draft Thread

[Guest]

Titus Young is the wrong Boise State WR the Bears should be drafting.

[Ryno12]

Walterfootball has the Cowboys getting Prince Amukamara in the first, Rhaim Moore in the second, and Christian Ballard in the third. I would be pleased with that, though I think one of Dallas's first three picks should be an o-lineman unless that is addressed with FA.

 

I have a really hard time seeing Ballard fall into the third. Talk had been about him maybe sneaking into the late 1st, after scouts see him run at pro days or the combine, someone is going to fall in love with his size and speed.

[javy knows my name]

Walterfootball has the Cowboys getting Prince Amukamara in the first, Rhaim Moore in the second, and Christian Ballard in the third. I would be pleased with that, though I think one of Dallas's first three picks should be an o-lineman unless that is addressed with FA.

 

I have a really hard time seeing Ballard fall into the third. Talk had been about him maybe sneaking into the late 1st, after scouts see him run at pro days or the combine, someone is going to fall in love with his size and speed.

I was just gonna say this. Unless this is the deepest DE draft in history, he'll probably go early 2nd. He's an unbelievable value in the third. That's a pipe dream

[Butterscup1679666578]

re: Gabbert and Aldon Smith from NFL Draft Insider

 

- Late word yesterday had sources telling us Missouri junior quarterback Blaine Gabbert is knee deep into making a decision on whether or not to opt for the draft, something we spoke about in the beginning of November. We hear Gabbert’s decision could be based on what Andrew Luck does; if Luck enters the draft Gabbert is more prone to stay in college and vice versa. It may be tough for Gabbert to stay at Mizzou if he bases his decision on the evaluation of NFL teams. Franchises which have openly spoken about Gabbert have said they rank him as the number two draft eligible quarterback for the 2011 draft- only behind Luck yet ahead of every other senior and underclassmen.

 

- We confirmed something late yesterday we spoke about earlier in our podcast- Missouri defensive end Aldon Smith will enter the draft. The underclassman, who struggled with an injured leg through most of the season, is in the final phase of picking an agent.

[Warpticon]

Are people really that high on Gabbert? I think he's he's a good prospect, but I hadn't even seriously considered him coming out at this point.

[Butterscup1679666578]

Same.

[Guest]

Glad I'm not the only one to miss the boat on Gabbert. I actually don't think I've seen him once and just assumed he was a system QB.

[Butterscup1679666578]

People love his size (6'5", 235) and his arm strength. I think he needs to get more accurate, which is why I'd be surprised if he was a first rounder this year. He's been great for Mizzou, but I don't think he's touched his potential yet.

[NCCubFan]

With the Bengals beating the Chargers today the Panthers have officially clinched the #1 pick regardless of what happens next week. Otherwise it could have been a tie between the Panthers and Bengals, and I'm not sure how the tie-breaker would have played out.

[Butterscup1679666578]

when you have 19 favorite teams one of them is bound to get the #1 pick

[shnsajax]

Is Carolina better off drafting Luck or trading the pick for extra picks? I could see Arizona, SF, Minn, Tenn, and Miami all wanting to trade up if he declares.

[Andy]

Is Carolina better off drafting Luck or trading the pick for extra picks? I could see Arizona, SF, Minn, Tenn, and Miami all wanting to trade up if he declares.

There's certainly a case to be made for Carolina trading the pick if Luck does declare. There is literally no position on the field, besides perhaps linebacker (Thomas Davis and Jon Beason are solid) that couldn't use a severe infusion of talent.

 

And Carolina's general antipathy towards drafting a QB high (remember, Clausen was the first time they'd drafted one before round 4 since Kerry Collins was their first ever pick) would seem to be evidence that a move could be made. It's hard for me to want us to pass up Luck, though, unless someone offers a real bounty.

[Guest]

If they can get a better package, they should go for it. But in this day and age, with rookie 1st round salaries, few teams are willing to give up packages that are worth it. Of course that's dependent on the new CBA.

[NCCubFan]

when you have 19 favorite teams one of them is bound to get the #1 pick

OK, these jokes are starting to get old (I realize you're not the only poster who makes them). I have three teams that I root for, and I have a clear pecking order (Bears, then Colts, and lastly Panthers). I grew up a Bears fan because I spent most of my childhood north of Chicago, then I was living in Indiana when the Colts moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis, and I had moved to North Carolina a year before the Panthers' inaugural season.

[imb]

give us your entire top 10

[Sosa21MVP]

give us your entire top 10

 

I'm guessing the remainder of the top 10 includes NFL teams whose states he has driven through and/or flown over in a plane.

[SouthSideRyan]

And the 49ers were just coming into their own lead by an unknown Terrell Owens when I was in grade school

[hawkeyecub]

Are people really that high on Gabbert? I think he's he's a good prospect, but I hadn't even seriously considered him coming out at this point.

 

Paul Allen who is the Vikings pbp guy and hosts a show in the Twin Cities was trying to find some opinions on QB's they liked with scouts and management people. He claimed that they're really high on Gabbert. I'm assuming that means their spot early in the 2nd round if they don't grab Mallett or Newton in the 1st.

[rawaction]

I'm a big proponent of drafting a franchise QB when you get a chance. I also believe that Andrew Luck is the best QB prospect to come out since Peyton Manning. But I think Carolina needs to strongly consider trading the #1 pick. The Chargers built long-term success on the Eli Manning trade. I think Carolina can trade down to 3-8 or so and still get a good QB if that's what they want. They can also get about 2-3 extra picks to get some help in there. I think you have to give Clausen another chance. Maybe bring in a vet backup, but I think they have too many problems to invest more into a QB, no matter how great he is.

[jersey cubs fan]

I'm a big proponent of drafting a franchise QB when you get a chance. I also believe that Andrew Luck is the best QB prospect to come out since Peyton Manning. But I think Carolina needs to strongly consider trading the #1 pick. The Chargers built long-term success on the Eli Manning trade. I think Carolina can trade down to 3-8 or so and still get a good QB if that's what they want. They can also get about 2-3 extra picks to get some help in there. I think you have to give Clausen another chance. Maybe bring in a vet backup, but I think they have too many problems to invest more into a QB, no matter how great he is.

 

It's become fairly hard to get value for that pick. A potential new CBA before the draft could possibly change that value immensely.

[rawaction]

I'm a big proponent of drafting a franchise QB when you get a chance. I also believe that Andrew Luck is the best QB prospect to come out since Peyton Manning. But I think Carolina needs to strongly consider trading the #1 pick. The Chargers built long-term success on the Eli Manning trade. I think Carolina can trade down to 3-8 or so and still get a good QB if that's what they want. They can also get about 2-3 extra picks to get some help in there. I think you have to give Clausen another chance. Maybe bring in a vet backup, but I think they have too many problems to invest more into a QB, no matter how great he is.

 

It's become fairly hard to get value for that pick. A potential new CBA before the draft could possibly change that value immensely.

 

I think part of the reason for that though is that all the other teams picking in the top 10 typically have just as many holes as the #1 team to fill. This year you may have teams like SF, Minnesota and Arizona who may think they are a QB away from being serious contenders. The Vikings have the talent at RB and WR, they are quietly still the 6th best defense in yards allowed this year. The Niners and Cards both have hope in the West. The 9ers are still solid defensively. They have a great RB. They have young receivers. They drafted high on the OL last year. And they also have a strong enough defense. The Cards have more holes than the other 2 teams, but last time they had a QB....they were contenders.

 

Granted, teams that are 1 QB away usually bring in an experienced QB, but I think part of the reason the value hasn't been there for #1 picks is that the teams picking in the top 10 have had way too many questions to give up that much value for 1 pick. Dallas is another team 1 player away, they aren't going after a QB...which is the only reason to trade for a #1 pick.

[SouthSideRyan]

I cannot believe how quickly Andy has thrown Clausen under the bus. The entire team is garbage, why are you so anxious to replace one of your few players who still has potential.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Whether or not the Panthers should trade the pick or take Luck depends entirely on what their scouts and front office people believe about Luck.

 

I think there's little doubt he has "franchise QB" written all-over him. But, is he franchise QB in the range of Eli Manning, Matt Ryan, etc...or is he elite franchise QB like Peyton, Aikman, etc.

 

If he's the former, I think the Panthers could be better served trying to trade the pick and see what they can get in return. On the other hand, if he's the upper echelon franchise QB to be, then I think they must take him. Those guys are so rare, you don't pass up the chance to get him.

 

Sure there's risks, but this is where you have to trust your scouts. I've heard others say Luck is the best QB prospect since Peyton. If that's true, Carolina has to grab him.

[Andy]

I cannot believe how quickly Andy has thrown Clausen under the bus. The entire team is garbage, why are you so anxious to replace one of your few players who still has potential.

Because it's depressing to watch him get killed out there, that's why. I've said repeatedly that them drafting Luck really isn't fair to him because he deserves a shot with a team whose coach hasn't quit on them and whose offensive line doesn't appear to be double agents, but the NFL is full of QBs unfairly being chucked out on their butts before they're clearly done. And I want Carolina to win games, and I think Luck's their best shot of doing that.

[Magnetic Curses]

I cannot believe how quickly Andy has thrown Clausen under the bus. The entire team is garbage, why are you so anxious to replace one of your few players who still has potential.

Because it's depressing to watch him get killed out there, that's why. I've said repeatedly that them drafting Luck really isn't fair to him because he deserves a shot with a team whose coach hasn't quit on them and whose offensive line doesn't appear to be double agents, but the NFL is full of QBs unfairly being chucked out on their butts before they're clearly done. And I want Carolina to win games, and I think Luck's their best shot of doing that.

 

luck is going to be about as successful as clausen.

 

i don't see luck being anything special.