Pancake Blocks Mock Draft: Pick No. 21
Couple quick thoughts before we get to the Washington pick. First, how weird is it to have a draft where Washington has extra picks? The Redskins have four picks in the first three rounds. They haven't had more than two since 2002. Second, our man James officially blew our word count out of the water. 250 words people! Since the information is good, I'll let it slide. Plus James is Canadian, and I like every Canadian I've ever met.
Not surprisingly for a team which has traditionally thrown foolish amounts of money at free agents with mediocre ability and has given away drafts picks in ill-advised trades, the Washington Redskins are thin
at many positions (in no particular order):
WR: They are searching for a big target for Jason Campbell in Coach Zorn's West Coast offense. With Thomas off the board and question marks surrounding the other top prospects, we'll pass on a WR in round 1.
DB: They could use depth at both S and CB. Again, the top tier of CBs have already been selected and there doesn't appear to be a safety worthy of a first round selection.
OL: The average age of the starters is 32 and they were ravaged by injuries last season. However, Joe
Bugel has a history of making players out of late round picks so we're comfortable addressing this
position later on.
LB: London Fletcher is pushing 34 and Marcus Washington and Rocky McIntosh are injuries waiting to happen. This unit could definitely use an infusion of youth and talent. I was tempted by Jerod Mayo and his versatility here, but his history of knee injuries scared me off.
That bring us to the defensive line.
The ineptitude of the Redskins pass rush has been well-documented, although as a defensive unit they improved markedly last season after coming in dead-last in sacks and takeaways in '06, thanks largely to Andre Carter's 10.5 sacks.
The top 5 D-linemen are off the board as expected. Many believe Calais Campbell will be the 21st pick with his old D-line coach now taking over the same position in Washington. My feeling is, if he couldn't get the most out of Campbell at the college level, why should we expect him to be able to at the pro level?
Seems like a boom-or-bust proposition...and the 'Skins can't afford to bust.
So, with the 21st pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the Washington Redskins select: Phillip Merling, DE Clemson
Merling is good value at this point as he is recovering from surgery for a sports hernia and has
dropped down many draft boards. He's a high-energy guy with excellent size and quickness. He doesn't have top notch pass rush skills, but they are adequate and he is a solid overall defender. His
ability to possibly shift inside on passing downs is also a plus.
His workout on April 24 will give us an indication as to how his rehab is going, but assuming he checks out fine, he would be a steal for the Skins at 21.
However, this whole discussion about the Redskins selecting anybody at 21 may well be moot. It seems 'ol Ocho Cinco is making a real push to be traded by draft day. As per their annual springtime ritual, the Redskins
cleared enough cap room to take a run at some free agents, but brought in but two guys for visits (Hackett, Mathis) and word is that both guys were only offered min. contracts. No doubt Dan Snyder et al are gearing up for a run at Chad, and with 9 selections is this year's draft they may be able to make it happen.
2008 Pancake Blocks Mock Draft
1. Miami Dolphins (Scott L.) - Chris Long
2. St. Louis Rams (Evan Silva) - Glenn Dorsey
3. Atlanta Falcons (Troy Hill) - Matt Ryan
4. Oakland Raiders (Stephen G.) - Jake Long
5. Kansas City Chiefs (Jeremy S.) - Darren McFadden
6. New York Jets (John B.) - Vernon Gholston
7. New England Patriots (Gregg R.) - Sedrick Ellis
8. Baltimore Ravens (Ryan F.) - Leodis McKelvin
9. Cincinnati Bengals (Jacob C.) - Ryan Clady
10. New Orleans Saints (Scott K.) - Keith Rivers
11. Buffalo Bills (James N.) - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
12. Denver Broncos (Taylor C.) - Chris Williams
13. Carolina Panthers (Matthew W.) - Derrick Harvey
14. Chicago Bears (Zone) - Branden Albert
15. Detroit Lions (Adam P.) - Rashard Mendenhall
16. Arizona Cardinals (Scott C.) - Aquib Talib
17. Minnesota Vikings (Tim L.) - Jeff Otah
18. Houston Texans (Jimmy) - Mike Jenkins
19. Philadelphia Eagles (Andy G.) - Devin Thomas
20. Tampa Bay Bucs (Robert O.) - Antoine Cason
21. Washington Redskins (James M.) - Philip Merling
Comments
Chad to 'Skins? Oh no you don't, Jerry will get him to Dallas first. 'Boys are on the clock, go get 'em Marv!
Posted by: b roo | April 17, 2008 10:43 AM
Someone please tell me why Limas Sweed is sliding. I've read that he was and he has slid in this draft but I've read no specifics as to why.
Not only was he more productive in college than Thomas, he has slightly better character and work ethic than Thomas according to the scouting reports I've read.
Anyone know what gives?
Posted by: Robert O. | April 17, 2008 10:43 AM
Oh, if it's the injury then I do know about that. I figured it was relatively minor and would have plenty of time to heal by training camp.
Are people thinking it might be chronic?
Posted by: Robert O. | April 17, 2008 10:47 AM
Sweed would have been the pick had I decided on a WR here, I think he's a good fit. His wrist injury is something that dates back to spring '07, but all accounts are that the surgery was successful.
Merling just seemed like the best (and safest) value/need pick. Here's hoping another big WR is available in rounds 2 or 3...possibly James Hardy or Jordy Nelson?
Posted by: James | April 17, 2008 10:59 AM
I think at this point, this is who Id go with as well. First rounds WR's are all a little sketchy this year.
Posted by: Matt Grant | April 17, 2008 11:42 AM
I second Matt's opinion. A couple of them will probably pan out but its too hard to tell which ones. Pretty risky for spending a first rounder on. Hint hint.
Posted by: b roo | April 17, 2008 11:51 AM
The stuff I've read about Merling indicates he's more of a run-stopping DE than a pass-rushing one. That said, this addresses a need and is good value for the 21st pick, so I like it.
In response to Robert, I see Sweed tumbling for a couple of reasons: 1) the wrist injury seems to have limited him a bit this spring; 2) his talent might have put him in the late 2nd round compared to the receiving class from last year; 3) he produced more over a 4 year span than Thomas did during his 2 years at MSU, but Sweed never had a really good year of production aside from the 12 TD's in 2006, which makes him more red-zone threat than receiver. Maybe this has something to do with the type of offense they ran at UT but the numbers aren't there; and 4) while Sweed timed well at the combine, he wasn't projected to run faster than a 4.6, if I remember correctly, which indicates that his timed speed and game speed don't match. Outside of Thomas and maybe Jackson, every highly ranked WR has issues this year. However, the Texas connection might get Sweed drafted by the Titans regardless of whatever issues he may have with his game...
Posted by: Chad Ferguson | April 17, 2008 12:31 PM