Pre-draft Musings By Position

Quarterback - It's a lean class. The top guys are by no means locks to succeed, and the talent level plunges after the first round. Pat White is likely to change positions. Rhett Bomar posted a pedestrian completion percentage and threw too many interceptions against small school competition, and that's not even getting into his off-the-field issues. Nate Davis turned the ball over 9 times in his final two games, raising questions about his performance under pressure to go along with the questions about his awareness, decision making, level of competition faced, and the learning disability that forced him to get tutoring for all of his classes. I mean after Freeman is off the board, I don't think there's anybody I'd take before the fourth round.

Wide Receiver - It's a big class. Probably seven of the top ten are taller than 6'0" and 210+ lbs.

Offensive Tackle - The problem isn't so much the quality of the offensive tackles as the lack of quality elsewhere that could cause another run in the first round. The top four all have impressive resumes with the potential to be dominant, and then there are three or four more after that with lots of upside.

Defensive Tackle - You wouldn't normally call this group "thin", but the term applies this year. There are maybe 5-7 prospects that are likely to go in the first three rounds.

Defensive End/Outside Linebacker - This group is deep and includes a wide variety of skill sets. There are big base ends like Tyson Jackson and Jarron Gilbert. There are technicians like Robert Ayers. There are impressive physical specimens like Brian Orakpo and Michael Johnson. And there are perhaps a dozen 'tweeners that could go in the first two rounds.

Middle Linebacker - It's not a good year to be looking for a thumper in the middle. If Curry stays on the outside, Maualuga might be the only true middle linebacker taken in the first round. If that happened, Laurinaitis might be the only one to go in the second, as well. There are options later in the draft, but for the most part they're on the small side and don't get especially high marks for athleticism.

Cornerback - Where's the speed? Have you ever seen so many 4.5+ 40 times for the defensive backs? On average, the top corners in this draft look to be about 2 inches shorter than the top receivers, but the receivers are if anything faster. Is there anyone in this group you'd want trying to run with Maclin or Heyward-Bey on a deep route? Is there anyone you'd want going up for a jump ball against Nicks or Crabtree? I'd almost be tempted to tell the whole class they're playing safety.

Outlook:The good news is that we should be able to land a quality offensive tackle, possibly even at pick 35. There should be a number of options if we're looking for a possession receiver in the mid rounds. The bad news is that middle linebackers and defensive tackles look to be few and far between.

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Outlook:The good news is that we should be able to land a quality offensive tackle, possibly even at pick 35.

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Isn't that our 2nd round pick?

:)

I'm leaning towards to trading up for Rey Mauluga if he falls. If we could do that I would be extremely happy, but there are alot of spots he could go in the 20s. If we could get him in the late 20s maybe to a team like the Colts we could give up a 4th and still be able to get a solid WR in the third like Juaquin Iglesisas