Okay one trade here. I'm arbitrarily picking KC as the team we trade with. They need a DT, Haloti Ngata is on the board, and they trade us a first, third, and some pick next year to move up. Since my first pick is Carpenter, who is expected to go somewhere in the 20s, it could work just as well if we traded to any of a handful of teams in the teens or early twenties.
First Round (20th overall from KC): Bobby Carpenter, OLB Ohio State - We get a big SLB (6'3" 254) who plays the run well, excels at the blitz, and makes plays all over the field. Pass coverage is considered to be one of his strengths. He has also lined up with his hand down at DE before to blitz. He does need to work on getting off blocks faster, and he gets criticized for sometimes overpursuing. He also does not have the top end speed of Manny Lawson or Ernie Sims, but overall he has great physical tools and is a safe bet because he has already demonstrated the abilities we need at the position. To put it another way, some other first round linebackers may (or may not) have higher ceilings than he does, but I'd say he has a higher floor.
Second Round (46th): Anthony Fasano, TE Notre Dame- I wanted to go Pope or Lewis on this pick, but I convinced myself they'd be gone by this point. Of the top five, Fasano is the most complete tight end because of his blocking abilities. He has pretty good size, good but not great speed, and he has good hands. The knock on him, is that he isn't the incredible specimen that some of these other guys are. He still posted a very respectable 40 and was one of the more productive pass-catching tight ends last season. Given the abundance of receiving weapons in our offense, I think the TE's blocking ability ought to be a real consideration, as he could help with the protection and running game along with upgrading our receiving options.
Third Round (77th): Maurice Jones-Drew, RB/KR/Page Ranking UCLA - This guy put up a 28.5 yard average on
punt returns. If it was much higher, the other team might as well not bother kicking. What he lacks in size, he makes up for in speed, quickness, change of direction skills, and power. He's only 5'8" but weighs 207, so he has some muscle packed on there. The Fisher signing reduces his value to us as a third down back, but it has to be tempting to take a player with this kind of ability. Most of the recent mocks I have seen have him going just a couple picks after this, but he could go earlier.
Third Round (85th from KC): Orien Harris, DT Miami - He's a solid run-stuffer with enough quickness he could develop into a decent pass rusher as well. He has had some injury issues and needs to be more consistent, but he will provide good depth to the line. Miami tends to churn out some decent NFL players. One thing I like about him is his versatility. If he can develop his pass rushing skills a bit, he would be an excellent rotation player to spell Glover or Kennedy. Some say he would make a good 3-4 DE, as well, because of his quickness, so that would be an added bonus.
Fourth Round (109th): Dwayne Slay, S Texas Tech - This guy is a bit of a gamble . He goes for the k.o. when he tackles...but he doesn't always connect. He needs to get better in coverage, he needs to get faster, and he needs to not miss tackles! However, he is very good at forcing fumbles and is an excellent run defender. He would help shore up the run defense and bring a physical presence that this team has been lacking. My reasoning on this pick is that he could be used in a similar role to the one Haslett had envisioned for Archuleta. Having somebody who could really rattle the QB with his hits could prove to be a shrewd move against quarterbacks like Hasselbeck and Warner, who are sometimes erratic under pressure, or rookie QBs like Alex Smith. And c'mon, admit it: that is such a great name for a football player. I was tempted to put Mike Degory in here, but I figured this would be more controversial.
Fifth Round (144th): Will Blackmon, CB/WR/Page Ranking/KR Boston College - He's 6'0" and runs 4.46. He's a good tackler for a corner and above average in run support. He can also return kicks if called upon to do so. He excels in man coverage more so than zone. His hands are good enough he was moved to the offense to be the team's number 1 receiver. The problem is that he didn't get to practice at CB after the coaches asked him to move to WR full-time, and CB is where he projects best in the NFL. So, he is raw. He has potential, though.
Sixth Round (183): Chris Gocong, DE Cal Poly - He has registered 41 sacks over the last two years (23.5 last year). That's a lot, and he did it as a 3-4 defensive end who presumably spent most of the year getting doubled. He had 98 tackles last year, including 31 for loss. He also forced 4 fumbles last year. He breaks down film and can drop into zone if necessary. He might be a bit small for a 3-4 DE, but our base package will still be a 4-3, and he'd be a fine size for that. He was the winner of the Buch Buchanan award for the best defensive player in I-AA last year and was runner up the year before. Yeah, that's the negative here; he did it all in I-AA.
Seventh Round (221): Donovan Raiola, C Wisconsin
Seventh Round (242): Titus Adams, DT Nebraska
Seventh Round (243): Nate Livings, G LSU