Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Final eight in first round provide some surprises

25 ? Seattle Seahawks ? OT James Carpenter, Alabama

Carpenter didn't get the same talk that the other Senior Bowl tackles did, but his performance wasn't any less impressive than Anthony Castonzo's or Gabe Carimi's. The difference for Carpenter, especially in the game, was that he manned the less glamorous right tackle position and did very well -- especially in contrast to Arkansas' DeMarcus Love. Teams looking for a bigger (6-foot-5, 313 pounds) and more physical right tackle type watched Carpenter through the pre-draft process, and his stock with more than one team rose through the late first round.

26 ? Kansas City Chiefs� (from Atlanta through Cleveland) ? WR James Baldwin

A curious pick. Baldwin presses off the line and gets up to speed pretty impressively for his size; could be an asset on slip screens. He will jump and catch in traffic even when he knows the big hit is coming, and he's an imposing target when he gets vertical. But his lack of real speed in space is a pretty major issue -- Tends to struggle with his body control on tight timing routes. That's understandable to a point, since he's a tall, high-waisted player, but he looks like he's on skates at times and that will need to be fixed at the next level. Tends to turn his body instead of moving his feet in place on comebacks. Good inline speed, but doesn't have that extra gear to accelerate downfield to make tight catches ? better at jumping and diving in those cases. Size gets in his way when he tried to juke defenders in space; he doesn't have especially quick feet to get free in short areas.

27 ? Baltimore Ravens ? Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado

If Smith keeps his attitude under control, this could be the steal pick of the draft and may propel the Ravens past the Steelers in those frenetic AFC North battles. In press-man coverage (he's the best man cover corner in this draft class), Smith locks on well from the snap with a jolt within 5 yards and the ability to tightly follow different routes. Takes slants and crosses well and doesn't lose ground. Comes down hard on screen and swing passes to tackle and doesn't get misdirected. Not always an accurate tackler when bouncing off blocks, takes on blocks with a high stance and can be "out-leveraged" fairly easily. His eagerness to play the run can lead to a tendency to bite on playfakes. Misses interception opportunities by batting the ball away at times. Can be a bit stiff in hip turn in shorter routes, but that's typical of taller cornerbacks and it isn't an enormous issue in his case.

28 ? New Orleans Saints (From New England) ? Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama

The Pats pick up the Saints' first-round pick in 2012, and the Saints get the three-down back they've been looking for since … well, Chuck Muncie? Ingram doesn't outrun his blockers and can start and stop in short spaces with impressive efficiency when he needs to hit a seam or find his way out of a flock of impending defenders. Has a very quick burst upfield; when he gets going in a straight line, he's very tough to stop. Has a well-muscled build (5-foot-10, 215 pounds) and he's able to bounce off first contact. Though he has great on-field speed, he's not an elite burner, and there are a few things that give pause when projecting him at the NFL level without his current �supporting talent. Quite often, Ingram went straight through a chute at the line because his blockers were able to overwhelm enemy defenses.

29 ? Chicago Bears ? Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin

The Bears desperately needed O-line help in this draft, and getting Carimi falling this far is a huge gift. Rises up off the snap as quickly as any tackle in this class (especially out of a three-point stance) and engages aggressively with his hands right away. His use of hands is one of his best attributes, whether he's punching a defender off the line or chipping to hit the second level. In pass protection, he keeps a wide base and fans out very well to deal with edge rushers trying to turn the corner. Surprisingly for a player who has shown a great deal of technical development, Carimi doesn't consistently hit the second level as you'd like. His footwork in space will need refinement, and he does a lot of lunging when he's blocking linebackers and defensive backs out of the box.

30 ? New York Jets ? Muhammad Wilkerson, DL, Temple

Wilkerson will be a great asset in Rex Ryan's complex defenses. Wilkerson has a well-proportioned big body -- he's not a fat fireplug and he's able to use his natural speed in game situations. In a wide three-tech position, he can crash inside against the run very well. Splits double-teams with a strong rip move and his sheer power, and is always looking to make a play in the pocket or to the sideline. Serious questions must be raised about the quality of his opposition -- in the rare cases where he played teams with more potential high draft picks than in the MAC (Penn State in the 2010 season was a primary example), he looked lost at times and seemed to have trouble keeping up with the action -- although this was mitigated to a point by the fact that he was double-teamed so often.

31 ? Pittsburgh Steelers ? Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio State

An interesting pick for a team with multiple fronts and many different defensive concepts. Played all over the line at Ohio State; basically every position but nose tackle. Great fit for any hybrid defense at 6-foot-5, 288 pounds. As the end in a four-man front, he presses the edge inside very well and can fan back out quickly to catch up to the ballcarrier. But as a 3-4 end (which may be his optimal NFL position), he gets under the pads of tackles very quickly, winning the leverage battle and making life difficult for enemy quarterbacks. Could be a real nightmare for opposing linemen in stunts and loops because he's so quick in a short area at the line (the proverbial "phone booth quickness"). His sideline-to-sideline speed isn't exceptional at all -- if he's hitting full speed chasing outside, it's a real concern based on the tape I've seen. Though he has impressive strength overall, he gets taken out too easily by cut blocks and redirected by double-teams. Spin move to get out of blocks works well, but he doesn't show a lot of hand moves to blow past blockers, and I don't see a repeatable ability to slide off blocks and continue pursuit.

32 ? Green Bay Packers ? Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State

Perhaps the most pro-ready tackle in this draft class. Does all the little things well in pass protection -- rises up off the snap quickly, keeps a wide base to his kick step, exhibits startling quickness outside, and blocks out edge rushers especially well on the back half of the rush. Gets a good hand-punch on running plays, though he doesn't always strike with ideal power (bulling ends back). You'll see a lot of college tackles skate and lurch around in space, but Sherrod doesn't have that problem. Technique makes him look stronger in the lower body than he actually is -- Sherrod could fill out in the lower body a bit and it would help with his base and strength at the NFL level. Pulls and traps decently, but this is where he seems to lose his feet a bit -- while Sherrod is tremendously agile north and south, side-to-side is a different story.

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