50. Florida State CB Ronald Darby
81. Louisville OG John Miller
155. Florida State RB Karlos Williams
188. Clemson LB Tony Steward
194. Florida State TE Nick O'Leary
234. Central Arkansas WR Dezmin Lewis
Good Move - The Bills addressed a pressing need with an interior O-lineman in the 3rd round. Miller should be in the mix for a starting role during training camp.
Bargain Pick - Nick O'Leary is an old school TE, not the most athletic or speedy but has excellent hands and will put his body on the line blocking. He has enough smarts to become a contributor, possibly as the #2 TE on the Bills roster behind big money free agent Charles Clay.
Risk / Reward Gamble - Dezmin Lewis is a tall receiver who dominated at the FCS level. It's a huge step up, but he looked good against stronger opposition against Texas Tech and in the Senior Bowl.
Tell Me Why Again? - The Bills had no 1st rounder following the trade-up for Sammy Watkins last year, but I won't judge the class on that. The draft strategy seemed confused - Darby is a good DB but joins a crowded secondary; Karlos Williams, an average back on a good Florida State team, lacks natural RB instincts having converted from DB and will sit behind at least LeSean McCoy and Fred Jackson on the depth chart; The Bills had pressing needs that were largely ignored in favour of average players at positions of strength.
14. Louisville WR DeVante Parker
52. Oklahoma DT Jordan Phillips
114. Arizona State OG Jamil Douglas
145. Memphis CB Bobby McCain
149. Boise State RB Jay Ajayi
150. Minnesota S Cedric Thompson
156. Michigan State DB/WR Tony Lippett
Good Move - I liked the Parker pick but the Jordan Phillips selection was a stormer for Miami at #52 and a position of need for the franchise. A Rd1 talent (I'd mocked him to the Pats at #32), Phillips should be an interior anchor on the D-line for the Dolphins from Day One.
Bargain Pick - Jay Ajayi was in my discussions in the second tier of RB's (Tevin Coleman, Ameer Abdullah) in this class and for him to slip due to a concern over his knee could leave Miami with an absolute bargain pick. The British born RB has some off-field red flags which he has rebounded from whilst at Boise, and could push to start or share the load in Miami.
Risk / Reward Gamble - Tony Lippett played CB, WR and special teams in college and it's his versatility and size that gives him a great shot at making the roster. He only played 88 defensive snaps last year but it appears Miami project him as an NFL corner. A good developmental pick.
Tell Me Why Again? - I really liked this class and could see all draftees contributing in 2015, albeit Lippett may benefit from a practice squad year. Throw in Ndamukong Suh and I feel Miami have had a pretty good off-season to date.
32. Texas DT Malcolm Brown
64. Stanford S Jordan Richards
97. Oklahoma DE/LB Geneo Grissom
101. Arkansas DE Trey Flowers
111. Florida State OG Tre' Jackson
131. Georgia Tech C Shaq Mason
166. Navy LS Joe Cardona
178. Mississippi State LB/S Matthew Wells
202. Arkansas TE AJ Derby
247. Marshall CB Darryl Roberts
253. Alabama LB Xzavier Dickson
Good Move - Trey Flowers was arguably the nation's top DE against the run in college last year and shows power to generate pressure via pass rush too. He should earn plenty of snaps in rotation, particularly on first 2 downs.
Bargain Pick - AJ Derby has size, speed and hands. Positional experience is limited having played only 1-yr at TE having played LB and QB - quite a unique mix. It's a deep TE depth chart in New England but a great place for a young TE to develop. A good fit all round.
Risk / Reward Gamble - Tre' Jackson is a 4-yr starter at National Champs Florida State, and was expected to be one of the top guards available but for an undistinguished 2014. Jackson has the size, but relied on that more than skill in college. Needs to control his weight and conditioning.
Tell Me Why Again? - Hard to ever question Bill Belichick, but being picky S Jordan Richards seemed a few rounds too early. He was the only player in the Pats first 6 picks that will not play in the trenches, so a definite statement by New England. My only other question would be why no WR and why CB so late? They're the Superbowl champs though, so who am I to argue?
6. USC DE Leonard Williams
37. Ohio State WR Devin Smith
82. Louisville OLB Lorenzo Mauldin
103. Baylor QB Bryce Petty
152. Texas A&M OG Jarvis Harrison
223. Northwestern State DT Deon Simon
Good Move - Obtaining the general consensus best player in the draft by simply sitting at #6. It wasn't an area of need, but the Jets took advantage of the surprise pick of Scherff which shuffled the top end of the draft. The Jets D-line looks pretty formidable right now and with excellent depth.
Bargain Pick - What Lorenzo Mauldin lacks in explosiveness he will make up for with non-stop effort. Has decent pass rush moves and is a high character guy who has battled a difficult background to become a highly productive college player and potential NFL starter.
Risk / Reward Gamble - Bryce Petty will at best be the Jets #3 but when you have Chan Gailey on your coaching staff I guess it makes some sense to have a developmental QB to bring on. Petty comes from a spread offense but does have good size and a strong arm.
Tell Me Why Again? - It's undisputed that the Jets had more pressing needs than Williams but I can't argue with the BPA pick. Devin Smith is a potential home-run receiver and Lorenzo Mauldin should compete for playing time. However, the Jets draft still feels a little underwhelming beyond those 3 picks. The QB pick seemed a luxury when RB is a dire need and people like Ajayi, Langford, Cobb and other productive backs were still on the board.
No comments:
Post a Comment