NFL Draft: First Round Breakdown

Wes, I really like all your point (obviously from a cheesehead) but I'm curious to know who you would've picked if you were sitting there at 13. Redskins were looking for a pure pass rusher and Ayers doesn't fit the bill.

If it were me I would've picked Jenkins, but if he is indeed too slow for CB then there's no space for him at safety.

I'm just wondering who you would've picked?

I gotta be honest here, I am mixed on this review, Wes -

Good to see that you are finally coming around on Harvin a bit - But I don't see how the Vikings "scheme fit" is any better than Harvin would be if he had landed in New England or Miami - In fact, either team would have been a better fit from a scheme perspective in my view -

Just imagine Harvin being utilized in a Wes Welker type role - Or a Wayne Chrebet type role, along with lining up and being utilized in the wildcat formation - The Vikings are already talking about lining him in up the wildcat as further evidence, since they didn't even run the formation last year to my knowledge -

Minnesota's offensive scheme isn't going to make Harvin anymore explosive than he already is coming into the league - I will agree with you on the Adrian Peterson front, in that it gives opposing teams two explosive players to worry about - But that is about the talent of the players in my view, not their scheme -

On Tyson Jackson, with new Kansas City DC Clancy Pendergast running a scheme diverse 4 3 and 3 4 - I really like this fit for their scheme -

On Orakpo, I know you don't like him and you know that I kinda do - But what do you think about Washington's initial plan of standing him up as a strong side backer and dropping him down to end on passing downs, Wes - Any thoughts on if he can handle all that coming in?

Wes Bunting said: "What else could the Lions ask for?"

How about Michael Oher :)

Shaggytoodle,
I of coarse I have to agree about the short yardage stands. But in my opinion it was more about scheme than anything else. The Pack had plenty of big bodies to stuff the run and even did a decent job from 1-3 down up the middle, but Sanders refused to bring the LB's up to the line. I don't love the Bears D scheme but I love their goal line D. They bring everyone up to the line and don't worry about their LB's getting caught up on the inside, they have enough confidence that someone will bust through so the back never makes it to the outside.

Another great thing about Raji with the Packers, is I remember against the Carolina in a game last year. The Panthers had an easy time punching it in down by the goal line at will. With Raji and Pickett we should be able to get atleast one goal line stuff when we need it in crunch time. I believe that if we are lucky enough to stay healthy we can have a very good chance at making the playoffs in a division that each team has done something too make a big improvement, the Vikings made their move last year, the Bears made their moves before the draft the Packers and Lions made theres during.

Pettigrew should be a solid addition to the Lions, it was hard for them to not upgrade when picking in the first round. He should be a solid TE for years to come, I just question the decision not to go Oher. Seems like he'll be a RT at worst and could be a franchise LT. If I look for a rookie QB, my first perogative is to make sure he has a few extra seconds. Stafford shouldn't start right away but Culpepper also needs an extra half second than most qbs. Lions would be better of going Oher 1 and gambling on a TE later (like Nelson). Each pick by the lions left me wondering why they weren't getting the O-line some help (and pettigrew will help some). Since they didn't, they'll have the same opportunity at the top of round 1 and 2 to have a go at it again.

Aside, It's pretty ironic that Oher, the guy "The Blind Side" was written about ends up on the right.

Cheddar head: Michael Oher, they need to find a tackle

BPIMU: your missing the point on Harvin, he is a great fit in Minn, not saying he wouldn't also be good in NE or Mia, but they didn't draft him, so why worry about it? He is going to be a slot guy and do a lot of things on that offense, gives Childress a lot of versatility. Can you imagine him in the wildcat with Peterson? That sounds like a good fit to me. In the WCO they run in Minn its a lot of short crossing routes that they will ask him to run and allow him to create after the catch.
Remember finding players that complement each other and enhance each others production on offense is scheme related, the coach needs to put those guys in positions so they can take advantage of each others skill sets.

Jackson is a good fit, but at the 3rd pick?

IF they have Orakpo stand up at OLB in a 4-3 on first down, the opposition will throw 95% of the time when he is standing up. It will be like Gholsten trying to play in space.

Are you just saying Marcus Spears because he also played at LSU or do you think him and Jackson have more similarities? I'm not a Cowboys fan, but my impression is Spears has been a pretty poor player for a late 1st round pick, let alone top 3 like Jackson. Can Jackson at least be as good as Chris Canty?

Wes - lot of folks are knocking the Pettigrew pick because they passed on a tackle but this was hands down the best pick of the draft IMHO. I'm not saying the kid's going to be all-pro or anything but where the already have a great WR and an excellent RB, Pettigrew is the perfect complement to both. He's bigger than most DEs and LBs in this league plus he's a huge red zone target - he wasn't used that way in college but the skills are there. They've got Cherilus developing and Murtha could be a real sleeper if they can get his talent to translate to the field.

I never liked the idea of taking Stafford at #1 but if they were going that route, Pettigrew at #20 was definitely the best addition they could make.

Thanks for the feedback, Wes -

I guess what I am really saying on Harvin is that I don't see him as a bad fit in any offense - The kid is lightning in a bottle - I don't see any difficulty with getting the ball in his hands -

My best guess in KC is when Jason Smith went off the board, all bets were off - Jackson was the cleanest player on their board at that point -

So what you're saying on Orakpo if they stand him up is that Jason Witten goes for 300 yards and 2 touchdowns in two games against him this year...on first downs alone - :)

Go Pack GO!!!

Hard to take you too seriously on the Cushing point (or any), seeing as you were ranting and raving to Bill Simmons about how Tampa's speed on defense was going to carry them in the playoffs.

Thanks Wes