So who else saw the Sportscenter piece on Jake Long?

[halsey]

He has an ideal 'lean and mean' build that teams want in an LT, and seems smart, hard working and mature. It will be interesting to see if he performs as well at the combine as Joe Thomas did.

[Carter]

He won't and these experts are wrong.

Write it down now, bookmark it... I said it.

Jake Long will not make it in the NFL as a LEFT TACKLE. He may play LT for a year or two because whoever takes him won't have jack at the position, but he WILL move to RIGHT TACKLE... unless he gets injured, which I don't wish on anyone.

Ryan Clady will make the Pro Bowl before Jake Long.

If I'm wrong, I'll eat my crow, but I feel pretty safe in making this statement. Jake Long is overrated.

[halsey]

Carter (2/13/2008)

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He won't and these experts are wrong.

Write it down now, bookmark it... I said it.

Jake Long will not make it in the NFL as a LEFT TACKLE. He may play LT for a year or two because whoever takes him won't have jack at the position, but he WILL move to RIGHT TACKLE... unless he gets injured, which I don't wish on anyone.

Ryan Clady will make the Pro Bowl before Jake Long.

If I'm wrong, I'll eat my crow, but I feel pretty safe in making this statement. Jake Long is overrated.

Blah Blah Blah

Like you really have much of an idea. I'm sure you've watched a whole bunch of scouting tape on Ryan Clady and Jake Long. There were people on these boards proclaiming Joe Thomas was overrrated too. That will be decided on the field, not by posters who read what one or two websites say and keep repeating it.

[Serge Storms]

To be fair, Jake Long is a fantastic right tackle prospect. He could play right tackle or guard, but I don't see why anyone thinks he makes a good left tackle other than his size and stregth, which are not as vital as wingspan and foot quickness at left tackle.

[Carter]

halsey (2/13/2008)

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Blah Blah Blah

Like you really have much of an idea. I'm sure you've watched a whole bunch of scouting tape on Ryan Clady and Jake Long. There were people on these boards proclaiming Joe Thomas was overrrated too. That will be decided on the field, not by posters who read what one or two websites say and keep repeating it.

Like Mel Kiper and all these draft gurus who say Matt Ryan is a sure thing know what they're talking about? Please... c'mon man, don't play that card. I can respect that you disagree with me, but don't tell me it's ridiculous because all these so-called experts are saying the opposite.

As for Joe Thomas, I never once thought he was overrated. He showed more than enough as a college player to warrant where he went in the draft.

Jake Long had fits guarding a guy who isn't even a starter for Wisconsin. Then Vernon Gholston, a guy who will probably be a friggin OLB in the NFL, ate his lunch. I think he's a terrific OT prospect, but I also think it is clear as day that he is far better suited to RT or even G in the NFL.

I don't even hardly read what all these ridiculous number of draft sites have to say most of the time. I trust my own eyes enough to judge for myself. I don't need The Touch of Bust, Mel Kiper, to tell me who's good.

[chris30277]

even if he moves to RT why wouldn't you want the kid? We need to rebuild our entire Oline.

[scott24falcs]

chris30277 (2/14/2008)

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even if he moves to RT why wouldn't you want the kid? We need to rebuild our entire Oline.

That's where the great debate over whether or not you draft a RT with a top 5 pick comes into play. I think there are better picks for us (Ellis, Dorsey), but here's my thinking:

We sign a veteran OG (Mike Wahle/Floyd Womack), most likely Justin Blalock moves to RG. With a hopefully improving Blalock and Jake Long manning the right side of our line, we will be able to run to that side all day.

It's not like Jake Long is a terrible pass blocker either. He definetly struggled against guys like: Gholston, Saint-Dic, and a couple others, but he's by no means an awful pass blocker. He could potentially be a really good LT.

If we're drafting him in hopes of him becoming an "anchor" at LT, we may very well be disappointed. If we're drafting him in hopes of him playing at a high level somewhere on the line (RT, OG), we won't be. Wherever he's at, he will be a great asset for our running game, which will be the primary focus of Mularkey's offense.

[halsey]

The whole 'he's a RT' talk is that, talk. That's what people said about Jamaal Brown a couple of years ago. The Saints drafted him, moved him to LT his second year and he became a pro bowler. He shut down John Abraham this year. If teams don't think Long can play LT in the NFL then he won't be selected top 5-10 most likely. The fact that he most likely will means teams think he can

"2) OT Jamaal Brown is the right tackle from Oklahoma, who is clearly the best of all the senior Oklahoma offensive linemen. He is a good athlete with the playing strength and competitiveness to consistently eliminate his man. He is a smart and efficient tackle who plays to the limits of his ability and does not get beat himself. Brown does not have the great feet to explosive inside pass rush moves and his aggressiveness gets him in trouble at times on down/side blocks - He gets overly aggressive, leans, over-extends and falls off blocks."

http://www.kffl.com/article.php/24447

[Carter]

By no means do I believe Jake Long is just flat out bad. He is a very good OT, but my beef with the people who get all up in a frenzy about fixing our o-line by taking him is that there are BETTER options in the top 5 no matter where we pick... and we can get both a great OT and a great OG prospect in the 2nd round.

I believe in fixing the o-line, but just because it needs to be done doesn't mean you reach with a top 5 pick on a guy who belongs somewhere 6-10 maybe.

Jake Long is a great deal better than anyone we have on our o-line. I have no doubt about that, but that's not the issue. Dorsey and Ellis are both a great deal better than anyone we have at DT and no one below them begins to compare to their raw dominance.

[Twinblade]

Whats so special about Jake Long?

[Serge Storms]

halsey (2/14/2008)

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The whole 'he's a RT' talk is that, talk. That's what people said about Jamaal Brown a couple of years ago. The Saints drafted him, moved him to LT his second year and he became a pro bowler. He shut down John Abraham this year. If teams don't think Long can play LT in the NFL then he won't be selected top 5-10 most likely. The fact that he most likely will means teams think he can

"2) OT Jamaal Brown is the right tackle from Oklahoma, who is clearly the best of all the senior Oklahoma offensive linemen. He is a good athlete with the playing strength and competitiveness to consistently eliminate his man. He is a smart and efficient tackle who plays to the limits of his ability and does not get beat himself. Brown does not have the great feet to explosive inside pass rush moves and his aggressiveness gets him in trouble at times on down/side blocks - He gets overly aggressive, leans, over-extends and falls off blocks."

http://www.kffl.com/article.php/24447

Ask Saints fans what they think of Jamaal Brown after last year, it's likely the same thing St. Louis fans feel about Orlando Pace.

[Gerber09]

Carter (2/14/2008)

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Like Mel Kiper and all these draft gurus who say Matt Ryan is a sure thing know what they're talking about? Please... c'mon man, don't play that card. I can respect that you disagree with me, but don't tell me it's ridiculous because all these so-called experts are saying the opposite.

Jake Long had fits guarding a guy who isn't even a starter for Wisconsin. Then Vernon Gholston, a guy who will probably be a friggin OLB in the NFL, ate his lunch. I think he's a terrific OT prospect, but I also think it is clear as day that he is far better suited to RT or even G in the NFL.

I don't even hardly read what all these ridiculous number of draft sites have to say most of the time. I trust my own eyes enough to judge for myself. I don't need The Touch of Bust, Mel Kiper, to tell me who's good.

Now that is an absolutely ridiculous statement to say that Jake Long was beat by Gholston who MAY become an OLB. The ridiculous part is not being beat by him but many of the best pass rushers in the league are OLB. At this point slightly undersized and athletic DEs in college become OLB (in 3-4) they may very well be better pass rushers than most DEs. So DeMarcus Ware, Shawne Merrimen. The only thing that matters is a top 10 talented Gholston beat Long for his only sack of the year. He did cause other disruptions to the passing game. Like most rookies he will need help in some areas all do he is a dominating run blocker and it depends on how he develops as a pass blocker to see if he is fit for LT.

[Mr. Offseason]

yes, the sportscenter special dispelled all my fears that he may have trouble with pass rushers. thank god i saw it... he is now the best LT prospect in the history of time, and he is now sure to be the #1 pick.

[Carter]

Gerber09 (2/14/2008)

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Now that is an absolutely ridiculous statement to say that Jake Long was beat by Gholston who MAY become an OLB. The ridiculous part is not being beat by him but many of the best pass rushers in the league are OLB. At this point slightly undersized and athletic DEs in college become OLB (in 3-4) they may very well be better pass rushers than most DEs. So DeMarcus Ware, Shawne Merrimen. The only thing that matters is a top 10 talented Gholston beat Long for his only sack of the year. He did cause other disruptions to the passing game. Like most rookies he will need help in some areas all do he is a dominating run blocker and it depends on how he develops as a pass blocker to see if he is fit for LT.

You don't understand what I'm saying.

I don't mean to downplay the skills of Gholston, but it just further illustrates my point regarding Jake Long... he has trouble handling speed rushers off the end and he has never just flat out dominated his guy unless he's bulldozing everyone in his run blocking.

Gholston may be a top 10 talent, but there are seasoned vets in the NFL who are a lot better than him who Jake Long will be forced to go up against. And you are wrong that the only thing that matters is Gholston beat Long for his only sack of the year (it's beside the point, but there was also another sack attributed to Long... which one member on here made an excuse for by saying 2 guys came at him).

There is a lot more to being a good LT than simply not giving up sacks. He allowed a lot of pressure throughout the season. Anyone who watched Michigan football this season would know that. You would know that when Michigan played Wisconsin, the announcers were all over Jake Long's nuts calling him the best tackle in America, then on the very next play Ryan Mallett throws an interception as a direct result of Jake Long letting his guy get right in his face... but of course the announcers didn't say anything.

He is a dominating run blocker, but his pass blocking skills leave a lot to be desired in translation to the NFL. He's not as good as Joe Thomas and even Mel Kiper admits this much... I don't like the idea of drafting a stop gap LT with a top 5 pick who will move over to RT when we can get a completely dominant defensive tackle to anchor our d-line for years and years to come.

[Falcon Fred]

i like jake long but i like sam baker more for some reason.. could be because im a tojan fan :P but jake long would be a good pick! or maybe long and baker! ether way we need to revamp our line.. i like blaylock but other then him we need a new LT,RT,RG maybe center but im still waiting to see how dantish does

ooh wait i liked how renaldo foster played also.. he did good before he got hurt so we should keep him.. but everyone else we need to revamp