Draft Thoughts - The Post-Haynesworth Edition

If the top 4 o-linemen are gone, I would take Maualuga because he does fullfill a need and there are other o-linemen like Loadbolt, Vollmer, and Fulton for example who may still be around in the 3rd round. Or we could make a deal and move up to the 2nd. All 3 of these guys would more than likely be an improvement but I would'nt take any of them at 13. If we can't get an o-lineman worthy of the 13th pick, take the best DE or LB. Preferably LB.

WRT the depth at OT and LB for this year's draft i think there's a huge difference of opinion... Kiper lists his top 5 OTs:

1. Jason Smith, Baylor
2. Eugene Monroe, Virginia
3. *Andre Smith, Alabama
4. Michael Oher, Mississippi
5. *Eben Britton, Arizona

but goes on to say anyone taken after these will be a project in the NFL. Personally i think all five will go in the first round though maybe 1 or 2 fall into the 20's.

Onto LB it's a pretty bleak picture. Kiper's ILBs:

1. Rey Maualuga, USC
2. James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
3. Jason Phillips, TCU
4. Scott McKillop, Pittsburgh
5. Jasper Brinkley, South Carolina

Obviously Rey is the big prize but beyond him there isn't a guy who really stands out.

Finally Kiper's take on the OLBs is the most disappointing:

1. Aaron Curry, Wake Forest
2. Clay Matthews, USC
3. Brian Cushing, USC
4. Larry English, Northern Illinois
5. Clint Sintim, Virginia

Curry's ability isn't in question but he'll be gone by the 5th overall pick. Kiper says Sintim really isn't 1st round talent. Also like mentioned a hundred time Cushing has a big durability downside.

Now i've seen a lot of posts here and comments around the web that OT talent is pretty deep and LB talent is uber deep... it doesn't look that way according to the authority, albeit a dorky guy, on college players.

I think the bottom line is that if we hope to get two legit starters at OT and LB from the draft we're probably gonna have to move our 2nd pick up from the 3rd round. On the other hand I loath the idea of trading down from 13 if we have to then pass on A. Smith, Oher or Rey.

We do not want to get James laurinatis , he's going to be a bust...if aSmith is still around at 13 we get him, and call it a day, if not we trade down get more picks...

Ive been thinking about this subject a lot, and doing some research and ive come to the conclusion that Michael Oher is the only OT we should even consider taking in the first round of the draft. The idea that Andre Smith could fall to us was appealing at first, but i seem to read more and more that teams are doubting his ability to play left tackle. Oher definitely would need some grooming and he Bugel would need to leave a continuous fire under his @ss to keep him perfroming at a high level, but he is the only tackle who will possibly be available when we pick that has the potential to play left tackle.

Under no circumstances, should we use our first round pick on a tackle who can't play on the right side. Oher is much more comfortable on the left side, and drafting him would allow us to move Samuels to the right side this year. An offensive line of Oher, Dockery, Rabach, Thomas, and Samuels would be pretty darn good. However, if we can't get Oher, our first priority should be trading down.

According to the latest Redskins Insider, alot of people in redskins park think Heyer can be an "above average right tackle" in this league. that really surprised me, but if its true, we may be alright in 2009 if we start Heyer. When i started thinking about it, Heyer never really got a chance to start much at RT this year. After winning the starting job in the pre-season, heyer got hurt and Jansen reclaimed his spot and never gave it up. When Samuels went down late in the season, Heyer was starting again, but at left tackle, not right. Heyer made huge strides between his rookie and sophomore seasons. If he makes similar strides this offseason, i would be comfortable with him starting RT for us in 2009 if we were unable to land Oher.

Ive been thinking about this subject a lot, and doing some research and ive come to the conclusion that Michael Oher is the only OT we should even consider taking in the first round of the draft. The idea that Andre Smith could fall to us was appealing at first, but i seem to read more and more that teams are doubting his ability to play left tackle. Oher definitely would need some grooming and he Bugel would need to leave a continuous fire under his @ss to keep him perfroming at a high level, but he is the only tackle who will possibly be available when we pick that has the potential to play left tackle.

Under no circumstances, should we use our first round pick on a tackle who can't play on the right side. Oher is much more comfortable on the left side, and drafting him would allow us to move Samuels to the right side this year. An offensive line of Oher, Dockery, Rabach, Thomas, and Samuels would be pretty darn good. However, if we can't get Oher, our first priority should be trading down.

According to the latest Redskins Insider, alot of people in redskins park think Heyer can be an "above average right tackle" in this league. that really surprised me, but if its true, we may be alright in 2009 if we start Heyer. When i started thinking about it, Heyer never really got a chance to start much at RT this year. After winning the starting job in the pre-season, heyer got hurt and Jansen reclaimed his spot and never gave it up. When Samuels went down late in the season, Heyer was starting again, but at left tackle, not right. Heyer made huge strides between his rookie and sophomore seasons. If he makes similar strides this offseason, i would be comfortable with him starting RT for us in 2009 if we were unable to land Oher.

Why not just keep Samuels at LT, and Oher or Andre Smith can start at RT. Heyer can back up either OT spot

moving samuels for a rookie? that's probably more than a longshot. and heyer is nowhere near above-average right now.

What should we do in the 2009 Draft:

PLAN A: Oher Is available when we pick at 13

1. Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss - Oher should start for us at LT in 2009, moving Samuels to the right side. Unless he is just plain horrible, we should stick with him there throughout the 2009 season. Having Dockery (our best guard) line up beside him should help alot. I'd give him TE help regularly if he needs it, but id not move him to the right side unless he's just playing horribly.

3. Marcus Freeman, LB, Ohio St. - Hopefully, we can bring Marcus Washington back so this kid doesnt have to start right away. However, if we don't make any other improvements at the position, i'd start him over Blades. Jason Taylor should be playing a signficant number of snaps at LB, so that should help take some of the pressure of Freeman. I've seen a couple mocks have him off the board before we pick. If thats the case, Zack Follett from Cal becomes a decent alternative.

5. Jeremiah Johnson, RB, OR - I know we don't have alot of picks, but we need a change of pace guy for Portis and this guy would be a steal in the 5th round. Right now, we carry one running back who never plays running back. We need more explosiveness in our backfield than Portis and Betts can supply at this point in thier careers. This guy would get carries in the offense and replace Rock as our primary return guy. Heres his draft profile:
Jeremiah Johnson | Oregon Scouting Report - 2009 NFL Draft Prospect (http://www.draftcountdown.com/scoutingreports/rb/Jeremiah-Johnson.php)
6. Jasper Brinkley, LB, SC - He's HUGE, has played inside and outside linebacker, and is a heavy hitter. He's had some injury problems which is why he'll still be around in the 6th round. He's certainly worth taking a chance on.

PLAN B: Oher Is not available when we pick at 13.
As I see it now, the Patriots are the team most likely to trade with us. They have three 2nd round picks and it could be worth their while to move up. They dont need depth as much as they need playmakers so moving up is in thier interests. Our first round pick (13th) is roughly equivalent to their 1st (23rd) and natural 2nd (55th) round picks. They'd still owe us about 40pts, so I also have us giving our 6th (119th) rounder for their 4th (173rd) rounder.

1. Clay Mathews, OLB, USC We seemed to like him alot at the Combine, but no one expects him to be taken as high as 13. if we trade down and he's available, he would be a great pick. Another option would be James Laurinaitis from Ohio st. He's listed everywhere as an ILB, but he can could really play anywhere in a 4-3 defense. He could step in right away and replace Washington.
2. Herman Johnson, G, LSU Yes, I know we all want an OT here, but theres simply no one worth the pick at this spot. Johnson is one of the best guards in the draft this year and Randy Thomas' better days are behind him. We need someone to push him this year and possibly replace him in 2010.
3. Eric Wood, C, UL This guy is very, very underrated. I can easily see this guy pushing Rabach for a job in camp. If does well in camp, we could cut Rabach and save about 2M this year. I doubt that happens, but this guy should be ready to start by 2010.
4.Jonathan Cassilas, OLB, Wisconsin No matter how many picks we have in this years draft, two of them need to be spent on linebackers. He was injured so he didnt practice at the combine, but the guys a solid linebacker when healthy.
5. Jeremiah Johnson, RB, OR - see above.

PLAN C: Oher Is gone when we pick at 13 and we can't find a trade partner to move down
I'll cry.

Why not just keep Samuels at LT, and Oher or Andre Smith can start at RT. Heyer can back up either OT spot

We can keep Samuels at LT, but he's going to slow down sooner or later. We don't need to move him now, but we need to start planning for it. Its almost impossible to find starting LTs in the draft below the first half of the first round in the draft; whereas teams regularly find starting RTs in the first two rounds every year. Hopefully, we won't have a pick as high as 13 any time soon so this may be our last best chance to find Samuels replacement at LT. Samuels should be able to play RT for atleast another 5 years, so if we can find his replacement now, we've got our tackle situation settled for quite some time.

moving samuels for a rookie? that's probably more than a longshot. and heyer is nowhere near above-average right now.

Apparently some in the organization disagree. And remember, you never really got to see Heyer play much at RT in 2008. Coaches spoke of his improvement from 2007 but we never really got to see how he'd play on the right side since we saw him play mostly at the more difficult LT spot last year.

I think we need to go with best available @ 13. If that is Andre Smith on the slide or one of the 2 USC backers. If none of those options are available then maybe we look to trade down to around 18-20 and take Moreno.

two things here
Oher or smith, or both will be available when we pick at 13
and BigHaredAristocrat, herman johnson is too tall to play guard and doesn't fit our system...and both the Ohio state linebackers are going to be bust IMO