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Texans again: Jadeveon Clowney - A+ Best player in the draft; really glad the front office didn't out-think themselves with a Mack pick here (I like Mack a whole lot, just not at #1). Clowney will likely play the Elephant for us and terrorize with Watt for a number of years. It will be key to see how well he plays and how that affects his future contract relative to Watt. Xavier Su'a-Filo - A Awesome Guard; dude moves quickly on pulling plays and loves to push people around. Immediately slots in at Left Guard to replace the outgoing Wade Smith, but also has some experience at Left Tackle and fits that 'versatile' mold that O'Brien has been preaching since he was hired. If this and the competition at Right Tackle fix the line, Foster might put up some crazy stats this year. That said, some people are still really mad about them not trading up for Teddy, and all I can say is that it probably wasn't going to happen; O'Brien stated several times that he didn't see much separation between the Top 3 (Manziel/Bortles/Teddy) and the rest of the class, and had attended the Pro Days for Garoppolo and Savage personally but not Teddy's. And besides that, there's no way Houston loses out to Minnesota if it was just a matter of offering late-round picks as theirs were inherently more valuable. The Texans just weren't as crazy about Teddy as everyone thought.  C.J. Fiedorowicz - A- I was initially shocked by the pick - not because it was bad, but because I think everyone was reeling from the Patriots taking Garoppolo (whom I believe would have been the pick). However, rather than panic-draft a QB, we went for BPA and got a TE who compares favorably to Gronkowski in measurables (Gronk is a slightly better receiver but CJ is the better blocker - not to take away from either of them). This isn't to say he'll be shattering TD records for a Tight End, but he'll make a great red-zone threat along with Griffin. Moreso than even that, this pick is effectively another shot of talent for the offensive line, so I'm good with it. Louis Nix III, Esquire - A+++ How the gently caress did Nix drop this far?? Alright, he's a 2-down player with knee concerns, but getting a first round-rated and best Nose in the draft who could become the next Wilfork. This pick screams Crennel and I couldn't be happier because he's the absolutely perfect fit for the defense. Plus, he's a legitimately funny dude. Tom Savage - B+ I'm weird and like Tom Savage. On tape it was difficult to even watch him play because his offensive line was letting guys though on play after play (that UNC game  ), and he still put up 21 touchdowns and 3k yards; even with 9 interceptions, 6 came in the first 4 games, but only 3 across the next 8 (or 9 if you count the bowl game before he had to leave with an injury). Considering where he was picked (with a compensatory 4th round pick), it's decent value and doesn't tie the front office's collective hands if we can draft a guy like Hundley or Mariota next year. That said, I downgrade him slightly if only because I think he was the Plan B after Garoppolo (but thankfully not panic-drafted at 3-1).Any grades at this point are less about value and more about how they project as potential special teamers and developmental dudes: Jeoffrey Pagan - B I like the pick, though I'm not excited by it. Only played for a year at Alabama (so maybe free from Saban maximizing his talent before he left?) but is what we're looking for in a 5-tech as a huge, powerful dude. If nothing else, it's good depth behind guys like Crick and Jamison. Alred Blue - B+ I'm an LSU fan so I like the pick already. Big for a running back at 6'2, he showed a lot of talent at LSU before injuring his ACL and then getting stuck behind guys like Terrance Magee and Jeremy Hill on the depth chart. Patient runner and finds the open lane well; should make a good compliment to Foster and Brown, assuming that he beats out Grimes, Johnson, and Graham. Bluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuue. Jay Prosch - A Real-life Clarence Beeftank. Can power clean 400lbs and runs a 4.7. Part of the insane Auburn running game last year, he also has good hands and is a bit of a receiving threat as well. Andre Hal - A+++ We got Andre Hal in the 7th? Hm, well, he's OK I guess. It's not like Indianapolis spent a high pick drafting a guy he shut down or anything. Lonnie Balentine - A Raw but has some great measureables: 4.39 40-time, 38 inch vertical and at 220lbs, he is nevertheless raw as a defensive back. He should make an impact on special teams, in any case, and if he develops well he'd have some great tools to work with. Overall, I give the class an A in terms of my personal feelings right now and with all that I know. The team got bigger, faster, and meaner across the board, and that's without even counting the first pick. If nothing else, I think this'll be a defense that is fun as hell to watch and there isn't a sense of urgency to make it to the playoffs right away, so the offense has time to gel and learn O'Brien's system. Did I mention we'll have Clowney, Nix, and Watt all on the same line? Fuuuuuuuck!
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May 11, 2014 06:01
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MY NIGGA D-LINK posted:The B+ grade on Tom Savage is probably a pipe dream I admit I like him more than most, but I also factor in that he's basically a 5th-round pick and as such means that he's not going to define O'Brien's coaching staff if they don't want him to. EDIT: Apparently, Savage almost transfered to Penn State when O'Brien took over there, so both men already had a history together, so that familiarity explains the pick further. bhsman fucked around with this message at 06:20 on May 11, 2014 |
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May 11, 2014 06:17
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Intruder posted:Cool I love nepotism Except Savage didn't transfer to Penn State?  Are you going to make the same dumb argument if and when we draft Hackenburg in a year?
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May 11, 2014 06:28
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Roasted Donut posted:if hackenberg evovles at all he's going to be a great qb Well yeah but that would be a potentially more egregious example of nepotism than what I mentioned. Elotana posted:I can sort of understand being optimistic about Savage, but what? Measurables mean nothing without production. I don't think you 'get' the draft. EDIT: Lemme elaborate further: You have to look at how the picks all work together here. We took a mauler of a Guard in the second, a huge blocking TE (that is a red-zone threat and comes from a run-heavy team, so cries of "but production!" are missing the point entirely; the draft isn't about production but projection), and an old-school fullback in Prosch. O'Brien wants the team to win at the line and run the ball all day. It's why we didn't target a QB until after the second round, more than anything else. bhsman fucked around with this message at 07:33 on May 11, 2014 |
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May 11, 2014 07:11
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Elotana posted:I understand this and I don't have a problem with Fiedorowicz or huge blocking TEs in general. But I don't think he was worth the pick at 3-1 (which ultimately cost us our 4-1 and 5-1 when we had to move up for Nix), and I definitely don't buy what anyone's selling about him being the next Gronk. Sure, maybe in some remote possible-timeline sort of way he is super-good and the evidence was suppressed for three years on account of Kirk Ferentz is a dummy, but like Savage, the odds are long and I would've preferred to take Nix at 3-1 and spend those other picks on more high-percentage plays. A huge, athletic Tight End is exactly what gets picked high these days, though, because of the ability to create mismatches. Those are the sort of high-percentage plays you want to make. Would you feel better if, instead of making Gronk comparisons, I'd point out that CJ compares very favorably (if not flat out better in some areas) to Austin Sefarian-Jenkins? Big, atheletic pass-catching and blocking TE whom the Buccaneers took 38th overall? Getting that kind of player in the third is great value, by comparison.
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May 11, 2014 07:58
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Intruder posted:You're a very defensive poster Unless you were just joshin' you literally used 'nepotism' in reference to Savage and O'Brien being acquaintances and getting drafted so uh EDIT: Besides, I posted opinions I knew weren't in line with what other people said, so should I not be expected to defend them?  Granted I was packing to leave school for the summer so I didn't get your immediate reaction to the pick. bhsman fucked around with this message at 08:24 on May 11, 2014 |
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May 11, 2014 08:07
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Intruder posted:You can defend them without dismissing any disagreement as a "dumb argument" Then how about you provide support for your argument, I guess? O'Brien knew about Savage before but also attended his Pro Day and coached him up while there; tons of players get drafted after such an occurrence. If you were serious about the nepotism thing based solely on the fact that Savage had considered transferring to Penn State to play under O'Brien (going by your original post), then yeah that's kinda dumb.
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May 11, 2014 08:30
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rebel1608 posted:Fiedorowicz - D We needed a 'Y' Tight End and Fiedorowicz is the #1 blocking TE in the draft and had a 2nd-3rd round grade, so the reality of the situation is exactly the opposite of what you're saying here. gohuskies posted:Compares very favorably to ASJ? ASJ hauled in 146 receptions for 1,840 yards and 21 TDs in three years. CJ got 91 catches for 899 yards and 10 TDs in four years and actually got benched at one point this past season because his backup was doing better in practice. I'm talking about projection, not production, especially considering that Iowa has a very conservative, run-based offense. Look at CJ's measureables and compare them to ASJ's and you'll see what I'm talking about.
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May 12, 2014 03:27
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The Puppy Bowl posted:CJ is not a bad prospect and probably fine to draft in the early 3rd but he is nothing like Jenkins and the comparison is silly. They're both 6'5", 260+ pounds, and run in the 4.7 range, et cetera. What's silly about the comparison?
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May 12, 2014 04:15
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