Pimp Your Guys 2013

I admit that I haven't done a ton of draft research yet, but I do have a few early off-season thoughts:

1) Amerson is a big play waiting to happen for BOTH the defense and the opposing offense. I had the opportunity to watch him play from the stands this season, and he is a guesser and gambler. In the game that I saw, he was utterly toasted on a few occasions by mediocre UCONN receivers who will never even see an NFL training camp. If it weren't for the (epically) awful UCONN QB, they would have scored on him deep at least once, maybe twice. My recollection is that the int that he had in that game was on a play where he was beaten by 10+ yards, but the QB threw it 15 yards short. However, he did break up a 4th down pass to seal the win - by guessing that the receiver was running a quick out, and jumping the route. He also had another game this past season where he was beaten for 4 TDs in man coverage. 4 TDs! Is he talented? Yes. Does he have raw NFL talent? Yes. However, don't be fooled by the large number of ints. He gives back as well as he takes. I would love to get him working with Lake to see if he can take to coaching, but I wouldn't invest anything higher than a 3rd or 4th rounder in him.

2. Don't underestimate T'eo based on the BCS game. His D-line got mauled without even forcing double team blocking, and guys like Warmack and the 'bam a RG were getting a lot of clean shots at T'eo. Any ILB is going to have trouble dealing with those guys coming at him downhill unimpeded with a ballcarrier right behind them. I am not a big T'eo fan, but he is still a mid to late 1st round talent - which is where I've always though he belongs. He is not a no-brainer at #17, but depending on who is there I could be pretty good with him as the selection. He will be better than Foote in 1-2 years, and Farrior-esque leadership of the defense is well within his potential for the long-run. Ogletree is very talented, and I have to watch more to decide whether I would prefer him to T'eo. The thing that concerns me about Ogletree initially is that he looks very lanky and lacking in lower body power. That's OK in college, but I am not sure whether he will be able to stand tough against the inside run at the NFL level.

3. If we can re-sign Lewis, our 1st priority really needs to be a pass rusher. The #1 reason that we didn't generate many turnovers is that we didn't force QBs into quick decisions (and associated bad decisions/bad throws) very often, and we didn't make many game changing strip sacks. A good pass rush makes the entire pass defense better. While we need depth and development prospects at CB, but if we re-sign Lewis we are set in 2013 for our 1, 2 and 3 CBs.

4. Safety may be priority #2 for age and injury history reasons. I don't think I like anyone at the S position at pick #17. They all have pretty solid question marks, eve the guys that are pegged as 1st rounder.

5. As for pimping my guys - I will tell you 3 players from UCONN to watch for. These are guys that I've watched live for a few years, and seen their play all over the field (not just where the camera is focused):

A. Sio Moore - LB. This guy is a fantastic football player. He is listed at 6'1", 229, but players bigger. As a LB in a 4-3, he had 6.5 sacks in 2011 and 8 sacks in 2012 (although in 2012 they did sometimes drop him into the RDE spot on passing downs which may have boosted his sack numbers). He also had 3 ints in 2011, and I think he repeated that number in 2012. He is a high effort, high character player on the field, and he has a nose for the football. He is probably around a 4th rounder depending on his combine.

B. Dwayne Gratz - CB. Gratz is the lower ranked of UCONN's 2 corners, but to my eyes he was just as good as Wilson. He has good ball skills, and rarely gets beat 1 on 1 in coverage down the field. His biggest moment came in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma 2 seasons ago when he had a pick 6. Good value in the 4th or 5th round, and exactly the type of player that we can use to keep developing CBs.

C. Blidhi Wreh Wilson - CB. Wilson is the higher ranked UCONN corner, and he is a solid all around player. He's also a big corner in the 6'1" - 6'2" range - not quite Sherman territory, but very capable of covering bigger receivers. My only issue with Wilson is that he may be drafted a bit too high - I am seeing him ranked as a 2nd rounder pretty consistently. He's got value at that spot, but I only see us going corner that high if Lewis leaves or a clear 1st round talent lands in our lap there.

6. Denard Robinson is a GREAT football player, and I would have no problem taking him any time starting with our 2nd round pick. I am not sure where to use him - or more specifically where NOT to use him. He is what we had hoped Rainey could be as a change of pace back who can also play in the slot or return kicks. I think that he will be able to do it all at the NFL level - other than being a 20+ carry per game feature back. One thing that I think will set Robinson apart from other 5'10" 195-ish change of pace backs is that, as a former QB, he will understand the importance of his role in pass protection and will do everything he can to learn how to pick up blitzers or chip outside rushers effectively. That's assuming that you use him in the backfield. He may be even better as a slot receiver. All I know is that he is a guy that you just go out and get, and then figure out how many different ways you can use him to screw up the opposing defense. People have compared him to Pat White. I do not see the comparison at all. White was lanky and unable to play RB at all. Robinson is about Chris Johnson's size - and maybe close to his speed as well. Just get him.

That's all for now. I will starting my individual evaluations with pass rushers since I see that as our primary need.

 

Thanks Snack. No, I wouldn't take Amerson in the 2nd. I am not sure how "coachable" he is. The potential is there, but even late in the season the guy was getting burned on a regular basis. Unless his coaches were idiots and thought that it was Ok to trade TDs for ints, he wasn't playing the position with enough respect for the opposition, and it cost his team in spots. In our scheme a CB needs to play his responsibility exactly as it's drawn up - even if (as is often the case) that responsibility is to play "off" and just prevent the big play. I can't see Amerson being happy playing that type of team game. He wants to be the hero, and will risk big plays by the offense to try and be the hero. That's what I see, and it's a BIG red flag.

 

Mac, one thing about Moore though - even though he can, in some respects, be though of as a "safety type," he frequently played DE (left side, I think I said right side in my post), and was able to work against opposing tackles and generate pressure. So, he has the ability to mix it up with the big boys a bit, and can get really good at that if he can get up to around 240ish.

Also, some may note that I left UCONN's 2nd highest rated prospect - DE/OLB Trevardo Williams off my list. I have watched him for years, he does not play like a 12 sack/year guy in my opinion. He's got talent, but I don't see him having 2nd - 3rd round talent, and he may not make it in the league at all. I've seen him get quite a few coverage sacks, which padded his numbers. I don't think he becomes a value selection until at least round 5 or 6. However, he may blow up the combine and get selected higher.

 

Just to be clear Mac, I am looking at Moore as an ILB prospect in the context of being a Steeler. He needs 20+ lbs. to be an outside guy in a 3-4. However, he should be drafted by a 4-3 team to play the WOLB spot. He's an instant fit there (just like Spence would have been). He may enough strength to be a SOLB as well.