2014 Official Draft Thread

[Jaywa]

Aaron Donald with a 4.65 and second overall lifting (35) among DL. I'm thinking he won't be around at 25 now.

[Formula 21]

Aaron Donald with a 4.65 and second overall lifting (35) among DL. I'm thinking he won't be around at 25 now.

And that's good becasue he's not really a good fit here.

[blueman]

I'd love to throw that guy in the mix for us. (I thought we agreed after Norv left, picking guys for a specific scheme was broken...)

[Steve]

The thing that often hurts guys like Donald are in the draft room, they will say "who has there been like that before?" And at least with Donald, you can point to John Randle, and a few other guys.

I was a little suprised by the 40 time, but it really doesn't change anything with him. The guy can play. The catch is how do you get the most out of a guy like that? If you draft him, you just have to think things through and have a plan. Not that the plan won't change, but just as a starting point.

With us, I am not sure if he has a spot. A short guy who uses his hands, knows how to play DL and has 4.65 speed, screams 34 OLB. You would have to line him up tighter then some other OLB, but he use his hands so well, that is not a big deal. But since we already have a former DT/DE type in Ingram, do we really have enough spots to fit him. The other alternative is as a 34 ILB, who slides down to DT in the rush line. Or just finally scrap the 34 altogether and play him at DT (which should be a real option if we can get someone like Donald).

The biggest issue with him is that we already have 3 DT type guys in Reyes, Liuget and Ingram, and nobody on the edge. How many guys do we stockpile and still not fill our pressing needs? At some point we HAVE to get an OLB/DE/edge rusher or two, and that is even if Ingram and T. Williams are solid edge rushers.

[blueman]

Why wouldn't you play him at the other OLB spot?? JJ ain't gonna last forever...

Nothing against Williams, I like his potential, but Arnold would be an instant upgrade in the rotation (I do see Arnold drafted as an OLB).

[Steve]

Can Donald get around the corner? He has the speed too, but can he actually do it? It's just a big projection to go from a DT to play OLB, especially since I have never seen him line up outside. Not to say he hasn't, just that I have never seen it.

People forget that John Randle started out being moved to DE and was a failure before moving back inside and being such a huge success for Minn. Not everyone can do everything, even if it seems like he should.

I understand the Williams thing, but isn't the desire to get Donald because he is such an unbelievable DT, and now we are projecting him to be something different? At some point it becomes forcing a square peg in a round hole. Just, I am not sure where that point it is at.

[blueman]

Yeah not sure there's a true spot for him, but I can see him lining up for us in some our looks and being effective. Guy's a player, we need more like him (as opposed to a lesser player who fits the "scheme"... we seem to have a lot of those guys on both sides of the ball).

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

If we play a 4 man front 70% of the time would he not allow us a solid rotation inside and if he can play Freeneys role roll on third down, he similar height and is a similar type of tweener or eventualy play Freeneys role does that not make him usefull as a mismatch or solid rotational DT off the bench late in games?

Ingram and JJ will be fine on the outside for a year and after that we will know if Donald can play JJ's roll or not.

If he is as good as he look on tape and availible at 25 I think we have to consider him.

[Steve]

The other alternative, if you can get a guy who is that good (as I suspect Donald is), change the scheme and play a D that fits him. How is that any different from what McCoy has preached on O?

If we could get Donald, why would it be such a bad thing to play 43? Liuget would also be an excellent fit as a DT, and Reyes has his moments too. We don't have any DE for a 43, but we only have Ingram at OLB, and he isn't an ideal fit there either. We would still need to go out and find some 43 DE, but Freeney can play there short term. JJ could play some of that too.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

Shawn Phillips played well as a 4/3 DE last year maybe we can pick him up cheep! (LOL)

[Formula 21]

Now who goes higher, Donald or Nix? I'd suspect a pass rushing DT doesn't make it to the Bolts.

[blueman]

This draft is gonna be weird at the top, there will be absolute steals where we pick (and probably nobody we're even talking about).