2014 NFL draft thread (no longer too early)

Re: (Way too early) 2014 NFL draft thread

I think Manziel will be a good pro if he goes to a team where they can work with him and develop him and that also depends on how coachable he is.

There are a few guys who you could put on just about any team and they'd be successful. Peyton Manning, maybe Andrew Luck.

Guys like Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady are good because they've responded to good coaching.

 

Re: (Way too early) 2014 NFL draft thread

Manziel's throwing, decision making and ability to read defenses all improved from his first year to his second. Not sure if that means he's coachable or not, but it's at least a sign that he's working to improve.

I think he'll having a learning curve in terms of what his athleticism could do in college vs what it can do in the NFL, and he'll have to continue to get better and making quick deicisons with the football. In college he could his ability to extend plays cut down on his need for quick reads. That will change in the NFL, and my guess is he'll have some growing pains as a result.

But based on:
1. The arm and leg talent he has
2. The fact that he seems to have worked hard to become a better passer in the past year

I think he can defnitely develop into a solid QB. I just expect some growing pains along the way. The only way he dominates early is if teams play a lot of man cover 1 or man cover 0 against him.

 

Re: (Way too early) 2014 NFL draft thread

I don't think he'll be a bust, but a lot will depend on which team drafts him on how much of an impact he can have early on. There are a lot of teams drafting high that could be good immediately next season (Atlanta, Houston, St. Louis). I don't think the Falcons draft a QB, but the other two certainly could.

 

Re: (Way too early) 2014 NFL draft thread

True. I think if he goes somewhere with an elite WR like Johnson, he can have an immediate impact - someone who can fill the role that Mike Evans is playing for A&M right now. Thats why I think the Browns could work as a destination for him, since he'd have Gordon and Cameron.

 

Re: (Way too early) 2014 NFL draft thread

To me, Manziel is the second coming of Tim Tebow.

 

Re: (Way too early) 2014 NFL draft thread

I'd be very surprised if Clowney goes as low as the no. 5 pick. But I wonder, who has the bigger impact on a game? A stud pass-rusher like Clowney or a shut-down cornerback like Deion Sanders or Darrell Revis?

 

Re: (Way too early) 2014 NFL draft thread

Not even close.

 

Re: (Way too early) 2014 NFL draft thread

I think both can have a similar impact on a game. When you see a top receiver have a 3 catches for 35 yards day and then you see Joe Haden or Revis or any of the top guys were covering him, it tells you the impact a shutdown corner can have on a game. It will be interesting to see if Clowney lives up to the hype. I would be surprised if he's there at No. 5 unless three QBs go top four and I kind of doubt that will happen. If Atlanta is picking in the top 3, I think the Falcons will grab him, and it won't surprise me if they move up a spot or two to make sure they get him, if they're not in the top 3.

 

Re: (Way too early) 2014 NFL draft thread

I wonder about Clowney. His dropoff in performance this season may have been attitudinal, or opposition scheming, but it also may have been because most big men mature into their bodies relatively later than other men in terms of coordination and so on, and he simply may have been ahead of his age peers in that regard, so now they're catching up. Any one of those three would be a draft red flag for me, but attitude can be improved and schemes can be outthought. The last thing is incurable.

 

Re: (Way too early) 2014 NFL draft thread

That explanation would work fine if he hadn't dominated last year against older more mature competition. Shouldn't he now be dominating the younger players who have not developed into their bodies?

 

Re: (Way too early) 2014 NFL draft thread

In body type and style of play, Manziel is very close to Russell Wilson. He's just nowhere near as smart, either on the field or off.

 

Re: (Way too early) 2014 NFL draft thread

I like LaMarcus Joyner of Florida State as a top corner. Also, watch for North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron in the middle of the first round. Guy was a stud on a bad team. Can block, run and catch.