Orange_Crush's Post Combine Mock Draft(s)

[Orange_Crush]

First of all, a few of these things could change in the coming weeks as free agency has a chance to alter our draft plans. As much as some of us don't want Matt Ryan to be the pick, and he's not my first choice, I put a scenario with him as our top pick just in case. I threw in a third for Kerney, but of course there's no way to know if that's what we're going to get. Anyway, here goes with the first scenario:

First round: Matt Ryan, Quarterback, Boston College

6046, 228

I don't know if Ryan can be a an elite Peyton Manning caliber quarterback, but regardless I do believe he is the best quarterback in this draft. He has questions, but the other quarterbacks and even the other top prospects do too. His leadership is his best attribute and that's something we've lacked here in Atlanta. I think if we get him signed in time, get him in camp, let him learn for a while, and then hand him the reigns either late in the season ala Jay Cutler or the year after, he could be the starter we're looking for.

Second round: Trevor Laws, Defensive Tackle, Notre Dame

6006, 304, 5.08, 35 reps

I really like this guy. He's very comparable to Sedrick Ellis in terms of height, size, and power. He's a 1/4 of an inch taller with only one less rep than Ellis. I think a combination of Laws and Babineaux at UT would lock down that position. Babineaux would be the starter because of experience, but they would rotate with no drop off. I think Laws has the motor that you look for in defensive linemen, something I hope Anderson finds so we can have the defensive line we need to make our defense work.

Second round: Carl Nicks, Offensive Tackle, Nebraska

6047, 341, 5.18, 31 reps

Nicks is a massive offensive tackle and is exactly what we're looking for. He's powerful, but don't underestimate his quickness. A 5.18 is extremely respectable for that size and in fact, it was quicker than quite a few prospects that weighed 30-40 lbs less than him. Lined up next to Blalock, we could have a potentially dominant left side. We're looking to establish the run and gain the tough yards and there's no better way to do that than to have huge men up front who can hold their ground. Nicks is a guy that's going to lock down the left side and be the first piece of the puzzle that gets our line up to respectability.

Third round: Kevin Smith, Running Back, UCF

6011, 217, 4.43

Underrated, in my opinion, but that's ok because he falls to the third round. I don't think we need to look for a guy that's going to come in and carry the load. I think we're looking at someone who can be complementary to Norwood in a two back system. We have the dangerous outside speed in Norwood, now we get Smith who has excellent balance, vision, and is more of a natural inside runner. You cannot dispute this man's productivity; he came close to breaking the all time record. I think with a reliance on the running game you can't have all your eggs in one basket, so going with Smith and Norwood is the best way to go.

Third round: Chevis Jackson, Cornerback, LSU

6000, 192, 4.58, 36 vertical leap

Absolute perfect Cover 2 cornerback, in my opinion. He's not the fastest guy, but that's not necessarily required in a Cover 2. He's not going to be our number one guy, but if DeAngelo leaves that will mean Houston will be. Houston is going to be a great cornerback, so I think he's up to the challenge. That leaves fellow SEC man David Irons with a year of experience and Jackson to battle it out for the right cornerback spot. I like both of these guys and think we will have a great young corner trio in Houston, Jackson, and Irons. We would see some youthful mistakes and might need a veteran corner as insurance, but it would be fun to watch these guys grow.

Fourth round: Drew Radovich, Right Guard, USC

6044, 307, 5.21, 21 reps

Although he might not be the prospect his teammates Baker and Rachal are, Radovich is still a great mid round prospect. He's an excellent pass protector, which is something that cannot be understated. With this pick, I see our offensive line shaking out like this. Weiner at RT, Clabo at RG, McClure at C, Blalock at LG, and Nicks at LT. After a season, Clabo moves to RT, Radovich at RG, Datish or a replacement at C, Blalock at LG, and Nicks at LT. That's a much better offensive line than we currently have.

Fifth Round: Gary Guyton, Linebacker, Georgia Tech

6015, 245, 4.47, 15 reps

A completely unfair combination of size and speed, Guyton is a guy that would provide tremendous depth at the weakside and would be a monster on special teams. I see Nicholas taking over the starting job, but spot duty and special teams play are where he is going to shine. He needs to get better upper body strength, but speed is his game and he has that in spades. If he gets the upper body strength, watch out, he could be something special.

Sixth round: Fernando Velasco, Center/Guard, Georgia

As a combine snub, he'll be flying under the radar. I see him in quite a few mocks and wanted mine to be original, but the value he gives late in the draft can't be ignored. Our offensive line needs starters, depth, and versatility and he gives us two out of the three, which isn't bad for a sixth round pick. He faced great competition in college so I do not believe he'll be overwhelmed when he makes it to the NFL. A starting offensive tackle, an eventual starting right guard, and a center/guard depth selection is not bad for one draft.

Seventh round: Kevin O'Connell, Quarterback, San Diego St.

Although we selected our franchise quarterback in the first round, it doesn't hurt to have some insurance. Some are going to point to the fact that we have Joey Harrington and D.J. Shockley, but Harrington isn't that good and Shockley didn't impress me before he got hurt. We bring in O'Connell to groom to be the eventual primary backup and hopefully we won't have to worry about this position again in the future. Who knows, maybe he'll impress enough to land us another Matt Schaub deal. He has great tools to work with.

Seventh round: Art Carmody, Kicker, Louisville

No one is going to dispute the need for a kicker, the only thing is figuring out which one. I like Carmody's accuracy over Coutu's power. We're in a dome so it shouldn't be too hard for Carmody to hit a long one every now and then. Either way, his range is much better than that of Morten Anderson, so we're looking at an upgrade. Even though we spent a draft pick on him, we still need a competition in camp so we could look at brining in some veterans and undrafted guys.

Well there's the first mock, I'm going to do the other one either tonight or tomorrow, that was a lot to write. Slam it, bash it, or praise it, just let me know what you do or don't like. I know, Matt Ryan sucks and all, but like I said he's not my first choice and I'll have another mock to show that scenario.

[Boley59]

why take the second qb if u take ryan at 3.

[Mugzy12]

Boley59 (2/28/2008)

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why take the second qb if u take ryan at 3.

no kidding we have like 4 already i think...no wait we have 3

[goosedaddy70]

I really like this draft except for the QB in the seventh round. Everything else looks good.

[Stoic]

Best one I've seen on this board thus far.

[scott24falcs]

Nice job. I definitely still don't want us to draft Matt Ryan, but this draft is pretty solid. There's nothing wrong with having a little competition at the position either. Laws is a really good DT. The numbers he accumulated at ND were ridiculous. I feel the same way about Chevis Jackson. He's one of my favorite players in the draft, so any mock with him is even better.

[Mr. Offseason]

i dont know about you guys, but i havent read anything that jumps out at me and says "Carl Nicks will play LT at the NFL level". he is a mauler and despite his surprising quickness for such a huge guy, i dont think he has the footwork/footspeed to play LT in the NFL. he has the perfect size and the perfect tools (moster run blocker, very strong as evidenced by his proficiency in the running game and also the passing game). i just think he will make a great RT, especially at the beginning of his career.

[L.Rover]

Mr. Offseason (2/28/2008)

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i dont know about you guys, but i havent read anything that jumps out at me and says "Carl Nicks will play LT at the NFL level". he is a mauler and despite his surprising quickness for such a huge guy, i dont think he has the footwork/footspeed to play LT in the NFL. he has the perfect size and the perfect tools (moster run blocker, very strong as evidenced by his proficiency in the running game and also the passing game). i just think he will make a great RT, especially at the beginning of his career.

I would love to grab him in addition to one of the "elite" OT talents in this class. This OT class is getting a lot of praise and to miss out on the talent would be foolish. Nicks should be our 2nd OT selection.

[Orange_Crush]

goosedaddy70 (2/28/2008)

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I really like this draft except for the QB in the seventh round. Everything else looks good.

I know everyone doesn't like the 2nd quarterback, but what else are you going to do in the 7th round? I went with the best talent that should be around late. I picked him so that he could develop and eventually be the primary backup, something every great team needs. If Ryan goes down, we need someone to step in. Like I said, Ryan isn't my first choice, but he is realistic and he's a pick that people need to accept now just in case it happens. I hated Ryan a couple weeks ago, but I've come to terms with the fact that it is possible that he could be our selection.

Edit: And by the way, no, we don't have "4" quarterbacks already. The only two quarterbacks signed on the roster at this moment are Joey Harrington and D.J. Shockley. That is in no way promising for our future. I don't see D.J. Shockley fitting in our long term plans and a depth chart of Matt Ryan, Joey Harrington, and Kevin O'Connell is good enough in my opinion.

[Orange_Crush]

Mr. Offseason (2/28/2008)

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i dont know about you guys, but i havent read anything that jumps out at me and says "Carl Nicks will play LT at the NFL level". he is a mauler and despite his surprising quickness for such a huge guy, i dont think he has the footwork/footspeed to play LT in the NFL. he has the perfect size and the perfect tools (moster run blocker, very strong as evidenced by his proficiency in the running game and also the passing game). i just think he will make a great RT, especially at the beginning of his career.

I agreed with you at first, but he's done nothing but impress me with his workouts. I'll have to find it, and it might have even been Jake Long, but I remember reading one interview with a prospect that specifically named Nicks as one of the guys that he was competing with on the offensive line. I think if his weight was listed 10-20 lbs lighter no one would question his ability to play left tackle. People look at his size and automatically assume he's a right tackle, which is wrong. He's got the talent, the size, the strength, and the tangibles you look for in a left tackle. It would be a mistake to label him as a right tackle primarily.