I attended a pre-Draft event in Central Park this afternoon, which was part of the NFL’s Play 60 initiative. On hand were several draft prospects along with personalities and experts from NFL Network. A small group of reporters and I got the chance to chat with draft expert Mike Mayock, and he had some pretty astute comments about what we may see tomorrow evening.
Question: Do you think Iupati cracks the top ten?
Mocking the Draft chats it up with NFL Network’s Mike Mayock
Mayock: No. I think Iupati and Pouncey are both really good football players. I think they start to come into play around 11 or, whatever, Pittsburgh at 18 and some teams after that.
Question: Do you think we will see a run on offensive tackles?
Mayock: Two years ago, we had eight [tackles drafted in the first round], and what happened was at about 17 to 19, Gosder Cherilus and Jeffery Otah went. And teams, and I'm not gonna say teams "panicked," but teams wanted a tackle, and there were only a couple left and then there was a drop-off. So, Atlanta came up and got Sam Baker. Houston took Duane Brown, who I had a third round grade on. So, this year there are four tackles that people think are a high level tackle. There is the wildcard of Campbell from Maryland, who shouldn't go until the second round but you never know what Al Davis might do. And then there's Rodger Saffold; there's Charles Brown. I think there's going to be five, probably six offensive tackles taken, and there could be more.
BBS: Are Saffold and Brown first-rounders?
Mayock: I don’t think Saffold gets past Bill Polian at 31, and he might go earlier. Green Bay’s looking for a tackle at 23, and they might be shut out of those first four guys. Saffold could be logical there. Charles Brown needs more development. I’d like to get Charles Brown in the second round if I could because I think he needs to get bigger and stronger. But, he’s got great feet and he’s the proto-type left tackle if you can plug him in for a year and develop him, I think you’ve got a starting left tackle.
BBS: Do you see a similar “panic” this year for tackles?
Mayock: Again, it’s not a “panic.” What happens is there’s a separation, there’s five or six guys and, after that, there’s Vladimir Ducasse from Umass and Jared Veldheer from Hillsdale, who were both from small schools. And then, another drop-off. So, if you’re in the market for a tackle, you better go get one of those guys.
Question: What do you think of the Cal defensive end?
Mayock: [Tyson] Alualu? Love him! He’s a worst case second round pick, and if a team gets stuck at the end of the first round and needs a safe first round pick, a kid that can come in and play and won’t embarrass you off the field and be a real good, solid player on the field; that’s him. He’ll go somewhere 25-40.
Question: Where do you think [Jimmy] Clausen will go?
Mayock: The three major question marks for me in the first round are Clausen and the two wide receivers: Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant. I think this is going to be the most intriguing first round I’ve seen. And a lot of it is caught up in those three guys. All the questions marks about Demaryius Thomas and his foot. Clausen and his character. Dez Bryant and his character. That’s going to trigger a lot of things. If Clausen goes early, the draft is gonna go one way. If Clausen goes late, there’s going to be some activity to get him. I think some teams may even try to come up into the first round to get Colt McCoy or Tim Tebow. Because, after those four, there’s a drop-off again to maybe John Skelton from Fordham. So, if you want a quarterback, and you’re sitting there in the second round, and the first two guys are gone, and we’re in mid-to-late first round and McCoy and Tebow are still on the board, and you need a quarterback and you’re drafting in the first ten picks in the second round... do you move up into the 20s, get ahead of Minnesota, who has a potential quarterback need, and go get one of those guys? Because, if you think one or two of those guys can be a starting quarterback in the NFL, you better go get him.
Question: Do you foresee increased activity Friday after the first round is over?
Mayock: I think it will increase activity. I think, and I’ve said this before, I think the good drafting teams get hurt a little bit because they don’t have the opportunity to put the same kind of pressure on the other teams. So, you could be sitting there at 33 or 35 or 37, and in the old format it goes from 10 minutes to 7 minutes and you get a phone call and they say “We’re gonna give you this and this for 35,” you’re like, “I’ve got got three minutes to respond.” Now, they can go home and think about it all night and re-set their boards. So, the downside is to me is it kind of equal it out a little bit. The upside is, as a fan, we’ll see more movement.
Question: Because of the knee concerns, has Sergio Kindle fallen on some draft boards?
Mayock: I think he’ll be in the 20s somewhere, and I’ve thought the for a while now. there’s some medical concern, bit I don’t think see teams taking him off their board. It’s just, he’s a little bit of a tough fit. He’s under 6’3. He’s 249 pounds. He isn’t the proto-type Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick 3-4 rush linebacker. He’s not that size. So, what is he now at 249 pounds? Is he a defensive end? You get to the point where he’s kind of a designated pass rusher. He’s a tough kid. Don’t get me wrong. He can play the run. But, his size puts him in-between a couple of things, and that makes it a difficult fit to say, “Oh, he’s gonna go 12, or he’s gonna go 22.” He’s a little bit of a tough fit, and when you throw the knee concern in there, who knows.
BBS: Do you see Kansas City or Jacksonville trading out of their top 10 spots in the first round?
Mayock: I think if Kansas City got the left tackle they wanted, that would really help their entire offensive line. They could kick Brandon Albert over to guard or right tackle. Kick Brian Water into center. I think they are a better team with a new left tackle, offensively. But, if they could move down and take care of a couple things, sure. I think they’d be open for business. I think Jacksonville at 10, Denver at 11, and Miami at 12 are all trying to get out. I mean, keep in mind, Jacksonville doesn’t have a two. Miami doesn’t have a two. I think some of the players that Denver likes they can get later in the first round. They’d like to move down. So, I think 10, 11, and 12 are all open for business. Philly has been talking to everyone at the draft. I think we might see more movement i this first round then I remember.
Look for more pre-Draft coverage from New York all throughout the day here at MtD.
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