Mark My Words...5 Bold Predictions About our Draftees

[PZ73]

Originally Posted by BobDole

to make any sort of bold predictions about our draft you needed to include henne in there and what you think. that's the big one.

I thought it was odd we picked Henne up. I think it was a value pick more than anything. I still thought we needed db help, but I can understand getting a good insurance pick for our most important position. I can sleep better now that if anything should happen to Beck, we'll have a good replacement.

[finfan54]

Originally Posted by daninoz

Merling's ultimate fate probably isn't going to be obvious until at least year 2.

I like Lex Hilliard, but I'm more and more curious about the pick the more I look at it. He doesn't have the speed to be a really effective running back. He's not really a prototype fullback. He loses out in the numbers game no matter how you look at it. What was the plan for this guy when they drafted him?

Lionel Dotson is going to be one of those guys that you only vaguely remember three years from now. Which is pretty par for the course for 7th rounders.

Sparano hinted at FB. I think Maui's days are numbered. Hilliard will be given his shot at FB I believe and if he does well, he will probably start if his blocking is good.

[finfan54]

Merling is going to have a slow start. Kind of like JT. But year two he will be looked to to take over JT's spot, who will be traded next year IMO. Merling has a double hernia deal. He will have some rust to shake off and get in 16 season game shape. But make no mistake, he will not be a bust. He will find his role then build on it. He goes through people with moves and strength. He is a DE. Make no mistake.

I also think we have not seen the last of the 4-3. I keep hearing they are not sure what defense they will run. We know it will be the 3-4, but I also think with JT still on the squad, we could switch from time to time to throw off OL.

Henne not mentioned here is puzzling. QB position is the most crucial position to a championship team. Henne could be a long term solution. Not fancy, but tough guy who wins. 4 year starter at Meeechigan. That has to count for something.

[FinFanatic80]

Originally Posted by vinivedivichi

1). Kendall Langford becomes a stalwart of our defense - the guy is perfectly suited to play end in a 3/4 defense. He's got rare size/athleticism and he is in the perfect situation to succeed. Make no mistake; Langford was targeted by the 3/4 teams and would not have been available in the fourth round. In fact, some thought that he would be drafted sometime in the second round. Great pick.

2). Phillip Merling will be a disappointment - Although we got good value by picking up Merling @ 32, it's already a mystery as to how he fits our defensive scheme. The guy has all kinds of ability, but can you pencil him in at DE in the 3/4 right now? I don't think so. Could he play OLB in a 3/4 right now? Again, probably not. Without projecting weight gain/loss, he was probably a better fit for a 3/4 team as a DE on 1st and 2nd downs and maybe a tackle on 3rd down. Can he be a good player for us? Of course, but he's going to have to work at it. If I had to predict a "bust," relative to draft position, this would be my pick.

3). Jalen Parmale becomes a valuable insurance policy - I think Dolfans are pretty much united behind Ronnie and Ricky. However, though both runners have been around and have had success, it would be naive to depend on both to be productive all year. Ronnie is coming off ACL surgery and history says it really takes 2 years to get the burst back. Ricky is Ricky. He is a positive test away from being out of the NFL, and how much can we depend on a guy that hasn't really played NFL football in 3 years? Parmale has pedigree, good size and good speed/quickness. He's a Marion Barber type that really fits well into a ball control offense. I really, really like this pick for our offense. I think we got a real steal here.

4). Jake Long is as advertised - A #1 overall pick can't really surprise...he really either plays as expected, or is worse than expected. I love Long's makeup. I'll take a huge, nimble linemen that probably is a top 5 run blocking tackle from day one any day. Will he "struggle" with speed rushers? It's possible, but this guy is athletic enough to be an elite LT. Once he gets his technique fine-tuned, this is a position we don't have to worry about for 10 years. His run blocking ability will be a huge plus for this offense - he and Smiley on the left will open up huge holes for our talented runners. Having Carey on the other side means that defenses have to stay honest and can't focus on just the left side. This was the only logical choice at #1, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a great pick.

5). Dotson and Hilliard are Practice Squaders - This is not necessarily an indictment of the players, it's more a numbers game. Hilliard wouldn't be our best short yardage RB (Ronnie and Ricky both are probably better) and he probably wouldn't be the best blocking FB due to his lack of size. He's got a chance to be our 4th RB/3rd FB, but it depends on how other positions pan out. Dotson probably needs to get bigger and stronger before he can be a player for us. Ferguson, Starks and Solail are probably better NT than Dotson at the moment, and depth all of a sudden is not a real concern on the DL. I think he gets stashed on the PS with hopes that he can get bigger and develop into rotational NT.

Thoughts? Feel free to make your own bold predictions.

1. I agree

2. I completely disagree. I feel that Phillip Merling will and should be an outstanding DE in our system. IMO he'll put on about 10 or 15 pounds this offseason to play at about 280 or so and baring any injurys be a solid contributor on our run defense this season.

3. I somewhat agree, he may not have the flashy name but should pay off to be a decent insurance policy.

4. I agree. It seems like Jake will be an outstanding run blocker in this league for a long time but could definitely work on his pass blocking. Overall should be a very solid player for a very long time.

5. I disagree. I feel Dotson and Hilliard both have good shots of making the roster IMO. I think there will be some others released before preseason starts (Holliday for example). Parcells wants his guys on this team and i dont think he would have selected all these guys without the intentions they would make the roster.

[RocDolphan17]

Originally Posted by daninoz

Merling's ultimate fate probably isn't going to be obvious until at least year 2.

I like Lex Hilliard, but I'm more and more curious about the pick the more I look at it. He doesn't have the speed to be a really effective running back. He's not really a prototype fullback. He loses out in the numbers game no matter how you look at it. What was the plan for this guy when they drafted him?

Lionel Dotson is going to be one of those guys that you only vaguely remember three years from now. Which is pretty par for the course for 7th rounders.

I think the Hilliard pick was specifically at add a BP type running back for depth. With Ronnie's injury, Ricky "who knows what the hell he will do next" Williams and the trade of Booker, we leave some questions to be answered at the RB position. Now I love ronnie and ricky both, but until camp finishes, we really dont know exactly what to expect out of either of them. If soemthing were to happen Hilliard gives us depth as far as I can see it.