A caste free draft......

[psychosid]

I know this is totally fantasy land, being with the caste system as entrenched as it is, but I have given this a lot of thought, and I'm curious to what your opinion's are. So without further ado.....here is the PSYCHO DRAFT!

1. Miami: Jake Long:OT- A franchise Left Tackle is the cornerstone of any successful offense, he may be even better then Joe Thomas, and that's saying something.

2. St. Louis: Chris LongE- Howie Long's kid will team with Adam Carriker to terrorize opposing offense's for years to come.

3. Atlanta: Matt Ryan:QB-Finally Atlanta has a realrealfranchise quarterback to lead this team, has everything you want in a QB.

4. Oakland Raiders: Darren McFadden:TB- Gotta give credit where credit is due, the kid has size, speed & production. The population of Oakland will probably increase by 10-12 out of wedlock kids with this guy's arrival...lol

5. Kansas City Chiefs: Jordy Nelson:WR- This guy is EVERYTHING Larry Fitzgerald is, with more speed. So if Fitzgerald can be drafted top 5, there is no reason at all why Nelson, with his size, speed and production, should not be drafted as such. This bio angers me the most, because this kid really is that good and will be drafted nowhere near this spot when the real draft happens in April.

6. New York Jets: Vernon GholstonE- This guy is pretty much everything Chris Long is, with more or less the same stats, more or less the same size, but with a little less heart and not nearly the intensity that C.L displays. Henceforth, he is drafted 4 spots lower then Chris, and deservedly so. But we gotta give the kid credit, he is a pretty well spoken guy, with no off the field problems, and has played very well this year.

7. New England: Leodis Mckelvon: CB: The guy is the best corner in the draft, great speed and coverage ability, and they need a corner.

8. Balimore: Brian Brohm: QB- The Ravens have never had a top flight QB, so they take a chance on Brohm, and hope he is the answer, because they sure as hell know Mcnair or Smith isn't.

9. Cincinnati: Glen Dorsey: DT- Dorsey falls farther then projected, due to injury concerns, but when healthy, the guy is a beast in the middle.

10. New Orleans: Sedrick Ellis: DT- Ellis had a great combine, and is an upgrade on anything the Saints have on the roster, so this will be a good pick for them.

11. Buffalo: Devin Thomas: WR- The Black Jordy Nelson (lol i just had to say that) had a great junior year, but does not have the hands of Nelson, so that's why he is #2. Should give the Bills the #1 receiver that they need. Great combine makes the Bills reach for him at this spot thou.

12. Denver: Keith Rivers: OLB- A very athletic 'backer who can run and make plays, Denver will use him on the weakside and he should be a staple for years to come.

13. Carolina: Joe Flacco: QB- A very shocking pick, but you can't argue with the kids size and arm strength. A major reach at this point in the draft, but sometimes you have to gamble, this is a total boom or bust pick. For the Panthers sake, lets hope its a BOOM.

14. Chicago: Limus Sweed: WR- A nice big and fast target to start opposite Mike Hass, they should be a nice tandem for years to come

15. Detroit Lions: Rashard Mendenhall: RB: A big back with speed and production (except if your white of course lol) is always in high demand in the NFL. So this is a pretty logical landing spot for this kid.

16. Arizona Cardinals: Felix Jones: RB: Very impressive in college when given the chance, and if McFadden wasn't there, would have been a household name. Good size and speed combo.

17. Minnesota Vikings: DeSean Jackson: WR: They have a big possession guy in Sidney Rice, they now add in the speed guy on the outside. Size is a concern, but 4.35 is 4.35. Return skills are a plus also.

18. Houston Texans: Ryan Clady: OT: A franchise left tackle is always in high demand, and Clady borders on that, so the Texans gamble and hope he comes thru.

19. Philadelphia: Tom Zbikowski: SS: Brian Dawkins isn't getting any younger, and when your as big (215lbs) and fast (4.44 40) as Zibby is, this type of safety combo is rare to come by. Sean Considine and Zbikowski will make a very good tandem in Philly for years.

20. Tampa Bay: John Carlson: TE: Once he redeemed himself at his pro day (high 4.6 40 time) Tampa realizes that his production and skill, with good athletic ability, is a better combo then combine wonder Dustin Keller.

21. Washington: Malcom Kelly: WR: Big receiver that washington needs, falls to them at this spot, lack of speed is a concern, but as we all know, speed is always overrated when a black receiver is concerned, and a stroke of death when a white receiver is concerned.

22. Dallas: James Hardy: WR: A faster version of Malcom Kelly, Dallas grabs him at this spot, a 4.48 40 and 6'6 with a 36 inch vertical is a very nice thing to have, a slightly faster Drew Bennett comes to mind.

23. Pittsburg: Chris Williams: OT: After the loss of Alan Fanica, the Steelers need to shore up the line, and this guy is a pretty good value at this spot, athletic for his size.

24. Tennessee: Mario Manningham: WR: After posting a 4.60 at the combine and then, in the span of 2 months, improving that time by over 2 TENTHS OF A SECOND at his pro day, the Titans prove as gullible a franchise as any in the history of the NFL, and, based on this new found speed and production, take him at this spot. All in all, this guy is a great receiver and does seem to have great game speed. I think he could be the next Issac Bruce, but Vince Young will make sure that doesn't happen!

25. Seattle: Dustin Keller: TE: As with most black players that don't do much in college, once they post a great 40, POOF, they become "gamebreakers" at the next level. However, the kid did show flashes in college, so they do take a chance and hope for the best.

26. Jacksonville: Quinton Groves: OLB: A very fast and athletic, but undersized DE, in college, could make a nice WLB in the pro's. Which is what the Jaguars are hoping.

27. San Deigo Chargers: Jamie Silva: I know the man is SLOWWWW, but he makes plays, and thats what is most important, this ballhawk will team with Eric Weddle to form one of only 2 all white safety starters in the NFL.

28. Dallas Cowboys: Kenny Philips: A good safety, will project to FS in the pro's. Pretty good in coverage, but not as athletic as you would think, he a'int no Zbikowski
as far as speed and strength, but is a very skilled player, good pick up for Dallas.

29. San Francisco: Jordan Dizon: OLB- A guy who proved his athletic ability at the combine, once you put the game tape on, he shines, is a bit undersized, but his instincts and playmaking ability overrule that.

30. Green Bay: Todd Blythe: WR- Great combo of size and hands, great route runner, and decent speed (mid 4.5 40) could really explode in this offense in the red zone.

31. New York Giants: Dan Conner: OLB- The Giants need a WLB, and danny boy is the answer, he drops this far because at 230lbs, he is a bit small, and running a 4.7 40, not as fast as you would like, but you cant argue with the production and football skill he possesses. Think Lance Briggs, thats what i think you would get.

So there ya have it, my mock draft, comment if you like, and I welcome the debate.

 

[backrow]

i'd have Danny Conner hugher than that, also Sam Baker would be a good fit for couple of teams with late picks

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Good mock draft for the most part. I totally agree on Nelson, the guy is incredible and has only been playing WR for about the last 3 years of his life.

I think Craig Steltz is better than Silva for sure though, he's a ball hawk like Silva, but has more speed and played for the national champs. I'd have Dan Connor a little higher though and he can be used as an OLB or MLB.

Ben Moffitt is a very underrated player with very good athleticism who might end up being better than Dizon IMO. Dizon would be a late 2nd round pick if he were black IMO. Dizon has great instincts though I agree, he's similar to Connor in that regard.

Instead of John Carlson in in the first round I'd have Brad Cottam. I have Cottam as my #2 TE after Martellus Bennett, followed by Dustin Keller, Fred Davis and then John Carlson. But this is highly debatable after Carlson ran sub 4.7 at his Pro Day and with Cottam's injury history.

Blythe only has 4.6 speed so he would likely be drafted in the mid to late second round if he were black. Kind of what happened to DeWayne Jarrett. Jarrett was much more productive, but had a better QB and was a little slower than Blythe at 4.66.

Other notables at Caste positions and where they'd be drafted w/o the caste system: At RB:
Jacob Hester: Late 2nd early 3rd as a RB.
Peyton Hillis: Mid 3rd as a RB.
Danny Woodhead: Late 3rd round.
Chad Hall: Late 5th as a RB/slot WR/return man.
Justin Beaver: 7th round
Jason Bird: 7th round/ FA
Steve Korte Jr.: FA to practice squad

At WR:
Danny Amendola: Early 4th round as a slot WR.
Luke Swan: Late 4th round as a slot WR.
Samuel Giguerre: 6th round.
Weston Dressler: 6th round as a slot WR.
Ashton Gronewold: 7th round.
Nate Forse: 7th/FA
Brian Hernandez: Make roster as FA
Tommy Ellingsworth: FA to Practice squad
Brett Swain: FA to Practice squadEdited by: ToughJ.Riggins

 

[psychosid]

on second thought your right, steltz has been hurt and not been in the news latley, so out of sight out of mind so to speak, i would replace silva with steltz, and i got connor and dizon mixed up, so i meant to have san fran take conner and dizon go to the g-men, and as far as silva goes, the more i think about it, i love the guy, but with 4.8 speed, that just cant be a first round pick, i think he, based on production, should be a 3rd pick.

 

[PhillyBirds]

Zbikowski would be awesome in Philly. He hits like a maniac, can return kicks, and is pretty intelligent. Let's hear it for intense Eastern European last names!

 

[Colonel_Reb]

By the way Psychosid, its ain't, not a'int.

Great list though. I made the corrections you mentioned in your last post and put the whole thing on the CF myspace page as a bulletin and blog.

 

[whiteCB]

Zbikowski would be awesome in Philly. He hits like a maniac, can return kicks, and is pretty intelligent. Let's hear it for intense Eastern European last names!

haha I've always thought the same thing what am intense Polish last name!! lol its all good i hope zibby knocks the snot out of all the "normal" last name guys like the Johnsons, Smiths, and Jones' of the league!

 

[Stonewall]

I just saw this piece below, taken from NFL.com's Pat Kirwan's mock draft. Kirwan has Dan Connor going to Denver with the 12th overall pick.

"Time to move D.J. Williams back to the outside and no one in this draft is more ready than Connor to take over the middle of a defense. Connor will have a similar impact to the Broncos that Lofa Tatupu had when he stepped on the field as a rookie for the Seahawks. Mike Shanahan will not reach for the third defensive tackle or the fourth defensive end at this point. He might like the big tackle from Pittsburgh, Jeff Otah."

 

[Gi-15]

I personnally likes ESPN.com's Todd McShay last mock, he calls Vernon Gholston an "overrated player who disappears from games far too often" and calls for the chargers to take Dan Connor, in order to replace Stephen Cooper, not Matt Wilhem. He also has overrated Kenny Philips going in the second round and Jordy going to Washington with the 52th pick.

McShay's mockEdited by: Gi-15

 

[Thrashen]

I think McShay put those very few rays of hope into his mock just to prove he's not "racist" against talented white players in the draft. I've seen him speak, he's as much a little caste troll as there ever was.

However, I like how he's actually being fair to Nelson and Connor (affirmative action in his eyes). I also love the pick of TE John Carlson to the Packers...it might give me a reason to watch them on offense now that the legendary bum, Bubba Franks, is finally gone.

I really can't wait to see where safeties Zbikowski, Steltz, and Lynch are drafted. Also, the few white RBs who put up amazing pro-day numbers (Beaver, Woodhead).

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

I just updated my player rankings.
Notables at caste positions and where they'd be drafted w/o the caste system:

At RB:
Jacob Hester: Late 2nd, early 3rd round as a RB.
Danny Woodhead: Late 3rd, early 4th round.
Peyton Hillis: Late 5th, early 6th round as a RB.
Chad Hall: 7th round: All purpose RB/slot WR/return man.
Justin Beaver: Priority FA: Makes Roster.
Steve Korte Jr.: Priority FA: To Practice Squad as a RB.

*Note: I did not include Owen Schmitt as a RB b/c I see him more as an all-purpose guy w/o the caste system who would be picked in the mid to late 3rd round or so. If I were a fair coach I would move Owen around and play him at FB (and give him a couple carries a game there), as a 3rd and short RB, H-back and finally as a go-to RB at the end of games when defenses are worn down. Heck, Owen could even catch some screen passes or play some TE if you needed him!

At WR:
Jordy Nelson: Mid to late 1st round.
Todd Blythe: Late 2nd round.
Luke Swan: Late 3rd, early 4th round as a slot WR.
Danny Amendola: Early to mid 4th round as a slot WR.
Samuel Giguerre: 6th round.
Weston Dressler: Late 6th round as a slot WR.
Ashton Gronewold: 7th round/ FA: Makes Roster
Brett Swain: Priority FA: Makes Roster
Brian Hernandez: Priority FA: To Practice Squad
Tommy Ellingworth: Priority FA: To Practice Squad
Andy Birkel: Priority FA: Likely Cut
Nate Forse: Priority FA: Likely Cut
Ryan Bagley: Priority FA: Likely Cut
Joe Cowan: Priority FA: Likely Cut
Wes Doyle: Priority FA: Likely Cut

Here are my WR rankings:

Slot WR:
1. Earl Bennett
2. Early Doucet
3. Donnie Avery
4. Eddie Royal
5. Luke Swan (white)
6. Danny Amendola (white)
7. Lavelle Hawkins
8. Darius Reynald
9. Dorien Bryant
10. Ryan Grice-Mullen
11. Kenneth Moore
12. Weston Dressler (white)
13. Devone Bess
14. Jason Rivers
15. Kevin Robinson


Flanker WR:
1. Jordy Nelson (white)
2. Devin Thomas
3. Limas Sweed
4. Desean Jackson
5. James Hardy
6. Mario Manningham
7. Andre Caldwell
8. Todd Blythe (white)
9. Malcolm Kelly
10. Will Franklin
11. Jerome Simpson
12. Dexter Jackson
13. Paul Hubbard
14. Harry Douglas
15. Marcus Monk
16. D.J Hall
17. Kennan Burton
18. Samuel Giguerre (white)
19. Adarius Bowman
20. Arman Shields
20. Mario Urrutia
21. Adrian Arrington
22. Ashton Gronewold (white)
22. Steve Johnson
23. Brett Swain (white)
24. Brian Hernandez (white)
25. Tommy Ellingworth (white)

There should definitely be more white guys than this, but most of them either play for small schools or never get playing time to prove anything. It's quite sickening that most of these guys get snubbed by the NFL. The Samuel Giguerres and Weston Dresslers from small schools don't have much of a shot. I have them ranked much higher than any "draft expert" does. Ashton Gronewold, Brian Hernandez and Tommy Ellingworth are all NFL level talents as well who could make it in the league if given a chance if they weren't screwed by the system.

RB:
1. Rashard Mendenhal:
I know the consensus is for McFadden, but I think Mendenhall will be a better player. I get the sense that McFadden may struggle between the tackles similar to Reggie Bush; he runs too upright at times. Mendenhall isn't as much of a home run threat, but has loads of talent and is the more complete RB IMO.
2. Darren McFadden
3. Johnathan Stewart
4. Felix Jones
5. Chris Johnson
6. Jacob Hester (white)
7. Jamal Charles
8. Danny Woodhead (white)
9. Ray Rice
10. Kevin Smith
11. Matt Forte
12. Steve Slaton
13. Tashard Choice
14. Peyton Hillis (white)
15. Allen Patrick
16. Mike Hart
17. Dantrell Savage
18. Chad Hall (white)
19. Tim Hightower
20. Chauncy Washington
21. Thomas Brown
22. Cory Boyd
23. Justin Beaver (white)
24. Tony Temple
25. Justin Forsett
26. Chad Simpson
27. Ryan Torain
28. Xavior Omon
29. Jalen Parmele
30. Steve Korte Jr. (white)

Again, so many white RBs screwed out of playing time at the Division IA level to prove themselves. Basically all these white guys could be ranked higher if used correctly.

Top 20 WRs overall:
1. Jordy Nelson (white)
2. Devin Thomas
3. Limas Sweed
4. Desean Jackson
5. James Hardy
6. Mario Manningham
7. Andre Caldwell
8. Earl Bennett
9. Todd Blythe (white)
10. Malcolm Kelly
11. Early Doucet
12. Donnie Avery
13. Eddie Royal
14. Luke Swan (white)
15. Will Franklin
16. Danny Amendola (white)
17. Jerome Simpson
18. Dexter Jackson
19. Lavelle Hawkins
20. Paul Hubbard

Again, more white guys definitely deserve to be on this list. I assure you they would be on my list if it weren't for getting screwed out of playing time or having to play against the lower Division levels of competition. It is hard to know how some of these white players measure up w/o solid proof of their skill. I tried to adjust the draft rankings to account for the caste system the best I could.

For instance an example of a guy getting screwed out of playing time who is still in college would be Riley Cooper of Florida. The guy has size (6'4) and has blazing speed (a 4.35 40 yard dash according to his Scout.com profile). To top that off he was the 10th ranked "Athlete" by white hating Rivals.com, yet hasn't seen the field much at all yet. He will be going into his Jr. year this year. Lets see if he becomes another top white talent screwed by the caste system. I sure hope not b/c he could be a guy who could be my top ranked WR next year if he gets to play!Edited by: ToughJ.Riggins

 

[backrow]

according to draftdaddy, Brett Swain has a shotat getting drafted.

 

[Gi-15]

He caught my eye when I watched highlights of Kevin O'Donnell, looked like a quick, sure handed receiver.

 

[backrow]

a follow up on Brett Swain: SI.com has him as a hidden gem of the draft!

"Brett Swain, WR, San Diego State: He flew under the radar for most of the year but has caught the interests of a few teams lately. He averaged 16.8 yards on 58 receptions last season as SDSU's leading receiver. His toughness, smarts and hands could help him develop into a productive third or fourth receiver in the NFL."

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

I might have to jump Swain higher in my rankings. I have never seen any footage of Swain b/c he plays for a small school and he is only ranked like 88th or something from NFLdraftscout.com. His workout numbers measure up o.k, he's got good stats for a Div. IAA guy. Seeing how he has been described as a quick, sure-handed tough guy who can run great routes, but isn't a burner, maybe he'd make a good slot guy or good 2nd flanker WR in the NFL.

Edited to Add: I did in fact just update the rankings! Swain made my top 25 Flanker list! I removed Josh Morgan who is pretty talented, but is a head-case who has been arrested before. And you know how the NFL is cracking down on trouble makers. Maybe some team will actually take Swain instead of a guy like Morgan. Here's to dreaming.

Edited by: ToughJ.Riggins

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

After looking at more highlights, I now think I should have ranked Hester as my 6th best RB. Jamal Charles dances too much behind the line of scrimmage and doesn't have nearly the power of Hester. And Ray Rice had great blockers he was great at hiding behind and then bursting through the holes and had the advantage of being used with a lead blocker. However, he still couldn't do better than 6 YPC in any season at Rutgers. I got a skewed view toward Rice's ability, since he played ahead of Leonard at HB, but that was truly b/c of the caste system. And with Jamal Charles I had a heightened perception of his abilities b/c of the fact that he runs a 10.2 100 Meter dash.

I'd now rank my RBs:
1)Rashard Mendenhall
2)Darren McFadden
3)Johnathan Stewart
4)Felix Jones
5)Chris Johnson
6)Jacob Hester (Late 2nd, early 3rd round)
7)Jamal Charles
8)Danny Woodhead (Late 3rd, early 4th round)
9)Ray Rice
10)Kevin Smith

Edited to add: I sometimes wonder if these guys like Scott Wright really do any highlight watching. I was partially relying on guys like his analysis so I didn't have to overwork myself ranking the players, but a lot of times they are spot off!Edited by: ToughJ.Riggins