Official 2015 NFL Draft Thread

I agree with Chilli' that Rajion Neal could that scintilating, change of pace back, and he's already on the roster.

I think he has pretty good hands.  Question is can he block well enough in pass protection to earn playing time.  At 5-11, 220 he has the size to get the job done.

From today's JSO:

Indianapolis — The night before, Denzel Perryman had met with another former Miami Hurricane — Alonzo Highsmith. The Green Bay Packers' senior personnel executive had a message for this glass-eating, bruising inside linebacker.

Walking through the lobby at Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday, Perryman smiles.

 

"He told me he has a to-do list for me on a sheet of paper," Perryman said. "Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch. I was like, 'OK.'"

Think he'll make it down to us?

 

More on Perryman

Yes.

 

Because Johnny Z was right.

I think he definitely could make it too us. I don't think he makes it out of round 1, but it all kind of depends on how the 1st round shakes out really. Denver and Arizona have a lot of greater needs than ILB and if Perryman were 2" taller then he's a top 15 pick no question. 

 

He may lack elite speed, but he more than makes up for it in instincts. His speed is good enough IMO, but his recognition and reaction is so quick that he's always where he needs to be in enough time. I think his biggest flaw is that he's over aggressive at times and looks for the big hit rather than just making a sure tackle. His game is in such stark contrast to Hawk and Jones it's crazy. 

The only real knock on Perryman that I can see is his size.  Other than that he seems to do everything else pretty damn well.

As for concerns about his ability to defend the pass - in reality how many ILBs in this league do that well?  I think it's less a concern for GB because Dix and Burnett have good size and range to defend down the middle and Hayward and Hyde are very good in slot coverage.

This CB from Stanford Alex Carter is very interesting. I think it depends on how negotiations go with House and what they think of Hayward, but I could see them looking at Carter in R2. If they invest a lot in Houss then I doubt they will look at a CB before r4, but Carter seems like the kind of CB they look for on the outside.

I too like Carter. What do think of McKinney, Kendricks, & Anthony as LBer prospects?

Big bad Bob been busy.  Here are thumbnails on 50+ draft prospects, leavened with comments from McGinn's network of anonymous team execs and scouts. Useful for dweebs like me who aren't CFB and/or draft savants.

 

http://www.jsonline.com/sports...618z1-293321531.html

Gosh you read those & come away thinking that there is something wrong with all of them that will be left by the time we pick at 30. ! 

Some player will fall in our lap. Happens every year in multiple rounds

unnamed scout is the biggest bull**** in the game

McGinn may be the best writer in the business.

 

There are some things that surprise me on the list.

 

I personally fully believe that Melvin Gordan should go well ahead of #30 but I don't think he's a lock to be off the board at that time.

 

I'm really surprise that the feedback he's getting back from scouts indicate Mario Edwards is probably gone by #30.  No question the guy is talented, really talented.  But he was supposed to be all that and a bag of chips coming out of high school and he was really just an average player at Florida State.  There will be the workout numbers and the upside factor, but I just don't see anyway the guy should be a top 20 pick based on what is seen on the film.

 

The next level list-

-Where is Eric Kendricks on the list?  Was that an oversight or is McGinn getting feedback that Kendricks is no better than a late second rounder?

-I don't see any way DT-Malcom Brown makes it to #30.

-Landon Collins.  Unless he tanks it in workouts he's very likely be the best safety on the board and a really good bet to be gone by #30.  He should have been in the probably gone category.

I too was surprised by the absence of Eric Kendricks' name from McGinn's top 55, Packerj'.

Also missing is Ameer Abdullah, though TJ Yeldon, Jay Ajayi and Jeremy Langford all make the list ahead of him.

       
       


McKinney belongs at DE. McGinn's "scout" compares him to Donta Hightower and I just don't see that comparison other than size. Hightower has much better instincts and is much more aggressive.

Kendricks is all athlete to me. Someone made the comparison to Nick Barnett and I think that's a good comparison. Much like Barnett, I think Kendricks will always generate numbers but those numbers will consist of tackles made 4 or 5 yards down field. Kendricks belongs at WLB in a 43 where he can use his athleticism like Lance Briggs.

Anthony is a good looking ILB, but I wouldn't take him before r5. He needs a lot of development, but physically I can see him being 3 down ILB.

NFL.com just posted that Paul Dawson ran a 4.95 in the 40.  I thought he might have been a reasonable Plan D for Ted, even with the poor work habits, but that 40 time probably knocks him WAY down Ted's board.

Eric Kendricks with an unofficial 4.66 in the 40.  It will be interesting to see what he does in the 3-cone drill.  I wouldn't be at all surprised if Ted took him at #30.

Benardrick McKinney's 40 time = 4.78 (unofficial).

Denzel Perryman's 40 time = 4.81 (unofficial).

Six of the top inside linebacker candidates heading into the combine and their results so far (hand measurements included as a tribute to Mike Sherman) :

 

Benardrick McKinney

6-4 1/8

246 pounds

33 inch arms

9 inch hands

4.78 40-yard dash

16 reps at 225

40 1/2 inch vertical

121 inch broad jump

 

Eric Kendricks

6-0 1/4

232 pounds

31 inch arms

9 5/8 inch hands

4.66 40-yard dash

19 reps at 225

38 inch vertical

124 inch broad jump

 

Denzel Perryman

5-11

236 pounds

31 7/8 inch arms

9 1/2 inch hands

4.81 40-yard dash

27 reps at 225

32 inch vertical

113 board jump

 

Paul Dawson

6-0 1/8

235 pounds

31 1/2 inch arms

9 1/2 inch hands

4.95 40-yard dash

21 reps at 225

28 inch vertical

109 inch broad jump

 

Ramik Wilson

6-1 3/4

237 pounds

33 inch arms

10 5/8 inch hands

4.81 40-yard dash

23 reps of 225

35 inch vertical

111 inch broad jump

 

Stephone Anthony

6-2 5/8

243 pounds

32 1/2 inch arms

10 3/8 inch hands

4.59 40-yard dash

23 reps of 225

37 inch vertical

122 inch board jump

http://profootballtalk.nbcspor...en-impressing-clubs/

Lies, more  lies and the NFL draft.

What did Borland run again?  

I think Borland was in the 4.7 or 4.8 range from what I remember last year

Perryman running a 4.8 doesn't concern me.  He's operating in about a 20 yard window and a short burst and instincts can more than make up for it. 

The 40 is an incredibly overrated stat.

Stephone Anthony ran really well with a solid 10 yd split (more important to me than the 40).

Perryman's 40 isnt surprising. I've said before though that even though his timed speed may not be great, but his instincts and quickness are impressive enough that they make up for his speed.

Chris Borland

5 11 1/2

248 pounds

29 1/4 inch arms

9 7/8 inch hands

4.83 40-yard dash

27 reps of 225

31 inch vertical

114 inch board jump

4.27 second 20-yard shuttle

7.18 second 3-cone drill

 

And Ted passed on Borland in round two when it was widely reported that he had his focus on Mosley or Shazier in round one.  That doesn't make me think that Perryman is the top ILB on his board.

Thanks for the stats, PJ.

 

Picked Adams in rd 2 last year due to need to restock the WR position. Don't know how much you can read into that about whether or not Borland/Perryman meets the profile Ted is looking for.

Honestly I think Ted passed on ILBs because he thought Hawk/Jones would be good enough. I think he thought that because he had Raji up front that would keep them clean. Unfortunately Raji's arms exploded and that wasn't the case. He also had a lot of money invested in ILB with Hawk/Jones whereas he will probably have a minimal amount invested there. ILB will be a priority, not sure what player but I'm sure it will be at the top of his list. My worry is that he will look at athleticism over all else at ILB because he thinks the coaches can teach them how to play ILB. That's the mistake they made with Brad Jones and Jamari Lattimore and Hawk to some extent. It's not a mystery as to why the best ILBs Thompson has had, Bishop and Barrington, are true ILBs who weren't impressive pre-draft athletes.

Best example of the 40 not mattering: Vontaze Burfict. Guy ran a 5+ 40 and he's a stud ILB, and it's because he's a natural ILB. You can't teach those natural instincts that guys like Perryman and Paul Dawson have.

Said the evaluator: “I think he’s probably the smartest player I’ve ever interviewed.”

 

First day on the job pal?  

 

For the record, hopefully Winston comes down with a case of me jamming his cock down his throat.

Ted was looking to upgrade ILB going into last years draft.  It was widely reported that he wanted to take Mosley or Shazier in round one but they were both off the board by the time the Packers picked.  He didn't get the ILB in round one and then had the chance to take Borland in round two and elected to take Adams instead.  WR depth was a need for the Packers but they still had Nelson and Cobb...there is no way one could argue that he needed a WR more than ILB when you are comparing Nelson/Cobb/Boykin to A.J. Hawk, Brad Jones and the bunch of camp bodies that were lined up after those two.

 

And don't get the impression that I dislike Perryman.  I like Perryman and wouldn't be one bit surprised if he turned out to be the best ILB in this class.  But I'd be surprised if Ted thinks that considering what happened in last year's draft.

Ted will trade out of the first round, take an offensive lineman only Grave Digger has heard of with his first pick, wide receiver with the second pick, and one of the middle linebackers will fall into his lap in the third round.  

Maybe he just didn't like Borland. Every team past on Borland at least twice. Perryman and Borland aren't the same player, the comparison starts and ends at their height, so you can't say that because he passed on Borland he might pass on Perryman or Kendricks or anyone else.

GD, I confess I don't know jack **** about Perryman. But I did see nearly every game Borland played in college. What is the difference between the two? Borland was as good at diagnosing plays as any collegian I've ever seen.

Borland is more of a throwback, 2 down in-the-box thumper who is highly instinctive and very tough against the run. He has limitations though in both zone and man coverage which is why I didn't see him as a 3-down ILB. Borland had injury questions also, but overall is a very reliable tackler and a smart player.

Perryman is a 3-down ILB who is highly aggressive and instinctive. He's less reliable as a tackler because he can be over-aggressive, but he also delivers more big time, intimidating tackles than any player in the draft. He's so quick and athletic that OL struggle to get their hands on him and he has shown to be able to handle himself in coverage despite his height.

Those are my impressions of both guys. I think Borland dropped to round 3 because of his limitations in coverage, which I don't believe are related to his height and more about his overall athleticism in space. Perryman needs to play smarter, but he's not a guy that is going to consistently be tackling 4 yards downfield like Hawk...he's going to make contact at the LOS and either make a strong, sure tackle or he's going to miss big. He will always have an effect on the play though.

Regarding Boreland......remember that he thrived in a defense that pretty much every LB who has recently played there has thrived.  Not saying he's a bad player but every LB the 49ers have trotted out there has looked very good, whether they were first rounders (Willis and Smith), later rounders (Boreland, Bowman and Lynch) and cast-offs (Brooks).  On the flip side....other than CMIII and Peppers, pretty much every LB the Packers trot out there looks average to bad.  Doubtful Boreland would translate his success in San Fran to a defense like ours.  

Strongly disagree.  Borland is just a good player.  Only real concern about him is durability but if he stays healthy the guy can flat out play.

 

As far as the defense making guys look good, I seem to recall a pile of linebackers who played in Capers defense and were good to great.  Greg Lloyd, Levon Kirkland, Kevin Greene, Chad Brown, Sam Mills, Lamar Lathon, Michael Barrow, Jamie Sharper.  Maybe Ted and his staff doesn't do a very good job of evaluating linebackers?

Not saying it's the style of defense or the coach.......I'm saying it's the d-line that plays in front of the LB's.  

I think it's probably a little of both. San Fran makes life so much easier on ILBs, that's just a straight up fact. It's because of that DL, they keep ILBs clean. GB has the opposite problem, the DL isn't keeping the ILBs clean. Borland probably would have been our best ILB, but not as good as he was in SF. 

Updated the topic post to reflect 3 confirmed combine meetings:

 

• Washington NT Danny Shelton (also met with him at the Senior Bowl)
• Oklahoma NT Jordan Phillips 
• Miami ILB Denzel Perryman (also met with him at the Senior Bowl)