What was the biggest pre draft smokescreen?

[Junitz23]

I hope Kirkpatrick is a smokescreen for Janoris Jenkins

[Junitz23]

If DeCastro somehow falls.

I hope he does he is going to be a STUD.

[LarryDean]

DT/NT Nick Jean-Baptiste

Nick Jean-Baptiste, DT/NT, Baylor
Height: 6-1. Weight: 335.
Projected 40 Time: 5.40.
Arm: 33. Hand: 9 3/4.
Projected Round (2012): 4-5.

Whats the story with this guy

I noticed WalterFootball has him ranked 4-5

But draft scout has him 7-UDFA and listing as falling stock ... Can't say I know much about this prospect and was wondering if you guys had anything else to offer about him ?

[shawinkerpoppin]

The defense he played on sucked b a double L z or at least it did all the times I watched them and I watched quite a few. But that may have something to do with his draft stock or why you dont hear any buzz about any Baylor defensive players this year.

[CRL8]

I don't know why his stock if falling.. I see him being a solid guy in a 3-4 at NT and should see him going around the early to mid 5th.

[MarshallMoss]

Good write up on Dont'a Hightower

I was thinking this would be a good impact player for us if he lasted to our pick. But after reading the below scouting report, I have my reservations. He has very little agility when it comes to pass defense and I don't think would be that much of an upgrade over Mays. We still don't know what we will be getting out of Irving, and with Manning & Co. putting up points on the board, we will need some could pass defenders within our LB corps.


The Tape Never Lies: Is Dont’a Hightower versatile, or a Jack of all trades?
Posted by Alen Dumonjic under Feeling the Draft, The Tape Never Lies on Apr 10, 2012


http://blogs.thescore.com/nfl/2012/0...of-all-trades/


It was only two years ago at this time of the year when the last University of Alabama linebacker was selected in the first round. His name was Rolando McClain, an inside linebacker that roamed the middle of Nick Saban’s pseudo 3-4 defense en route to a BCS championship. Now there’s a chance another Crimson Tide inside linebacker will go in the first round, as Dont’a Hightower is an option for several teams.
Size
Hightower comes in a thickly built 6’2″, 265-pound package at the inside linebacker position, and he has nearly 33″ arms. He is well built in both the upper and lower body and has good strength, which makes him an asset against the run.
Stack and Shed / Run Defense
Speaking of the running game, despite the NFL being labeled a “passing league,” defenses must still be able to defend the run. If they can’t, the entire offensive playbook opens up and the defense is exposed.
Because of this, Hightower’s stock is higher than expected. His length and strong lower build to go along with his physicality enable him to be a quality run defender. He is able to stack and shed, or in other words, engage and disengage blockers, and at times overpower them.
Lateral Agility
Lateral agility is something that I view in two different ways: short area agility and greater area agility, with the latter often simply referred to as “range”. Hightower is lacking in both areas, which has led many to question his true value in the draft. His short area agility tends to show up when he’s blitzing, which I’ll expand on later, while he lacks great foot speed overall to track down ball carriers in pursuit. This has cast lingering doubt over what kind of player he’ll be in pass coverage.
Pass Coverage
First round linebackers are usually complete players that can attack downhill against the run while also being able to drop in pass coverage successfully, which can be seen when watching Boston College’s Luke Kuechly, who is the draft’s top linebacker. However, pass coverage is a significant question mark in Hightower’s game because of a few characteristics he lacks, and the scheme he played in at Alabama.
The first characteristic is his aforementioned lack of foot speed. He simply doesn’t have great speed to run with tight ends or track down ball carriers in pursuit quickly. The second questionable aspect of his game are his instincts, which he appears to lack on numerous occasions. He doesn’t make a lot of plays in coverage because of his late reactions, and he’s more of a “see him and cover him” type of linebacker.
The third and final characteristic is his change of direction ability. He is slightly stiff in the hips, and therefore lacks the fluidity to turn and run with agile tight ends like Aaron Hernandez.
Scheme is also a factor in Hightower’s evaluation because of how much work he did in zone coverage. Hightower was often a Robber defender, which is a short to intermediate zone drop in Saban’s Cover 1 Robber or “Rat” coverage concept. This was also the case with McClain when he was at Alabama, and it resulted in his coverage limitations being covered up, which may be the case with Hightower.
Ball Location and Awareness
Quickly reading the given keys and identifying the offensive play is crucial in football to be able to stay one step ahead of the offense. In Hightower’s case, he shows the ability to do this successfully, identifying the play and getting downhill.
Versatility
Last but not least is the versatility Hightower brings to a defense. In Nick Saban’s scheme at Alabama he had several assignments, one of which included blitzing as well as playing defensive end and outside linebacker in pass situations.
This is a very interesting aspect of his game because it’s not normal to see an inside linebacker also serve as a pass rusher. Two players in years past who have done this are Karlos Dansby of the Miami Dolphins and Brandon Spikes of the New England Patriots. Both players either had this role in college, or adopted it in the NFL and were effective.
Hightower’s ability to get downhill is better than expected as he has a good first step and also displays quick hands. He is more of a straight-line athlete than true pass rushers because he lacks the previously mentioned lateral agility to bend the corner and dip his shoulder. However, as said, he has quick hands that have gotten him past blockers with moves such as arm-over, or as it’s often called, the “swim” technique.
Overall
Hightower’s abilities as a pass rusher and an inside linebacker leave many wondering if he has great versatility or is just a jack of all trades and a master of none. This also puts his value in question, which in turn brings up the question of whether or not he’s a first-round worthy talent.
I view him as a classic thumping, 3-4 inside linebacker who’s likely to serve as a nickel pass rusher on passing downs in the NFL. Because he’s not great at either (at the moment), his draft grade on NFL boards is likely to be anywhere from a mid-first round pick to a second rounder.

[bronco30]

id like to have hightower i think hes a bigger version of al wilson but imo pitt will grab him...plus we gave money to mays n irving is still there...

[one5beast]

Yeah i already knew how he was at pass coverage. Its why I don't really like it when people mock him to broncos. He's a better fit in a 3-4. This guy was seriously born to be a Steeler.

[MarshallMoss]

Yeah i already knew how he was at pass coverage. Its why I don't really like it when people mock him to broncos. He's a better fit in a 3-4. This guy was seriously born to be a Steeler.

Yeah I agree...most mocks have Pit taking him. It's hard to find a position outside of DT of value this year besides maybe a Dre or Janoris for our team.

I think we are crazy to take a WR and all the RB's are pretty equal that can be had in 2nd and 3rd.

Am i missing someone intriguing?

[ayacouby]

Great against the run but a liability against the pass. I'll pass on him on the first as well unfortunately.

[D.J.55]

Baylor gave up on avg 150 on the ground. They gave up 200 yards a couple times. Tie that into the fact that he only had 17 bench repsand lack of quickness needed at the DT position, you get a player who's stock is falling. He's a development prospect. One that I wouldnt draft til the 7th rd. He could also go undrafted.

[JayJack]

I'm trying to find more games on him, but I did see the game against Oklahoma, and he was impressive. I don't remember the final stats of that game, but at one point he had 2 tack, 1 TFL, and 1 sack. He handled the double teams really well, and Oklahoma ran away from his side. Really looking forward to looking at more of his games.

[THEdraftnik]

He is slipping, I doubt he goes earlier than the 6th. He's a project, I don't like his upside in a 4-3.

That said, he is a decent 3-4 nosetackle option with starter upside.

[LarryDean]

Good stuff gang thanks for the feedback !!!

a solid guy in a 3-4 at NT and should see him going around the early to mid 5th.

For whatever reason most draft websites do not add this as an extra value ... For instance Fletcher Cox will probably be the first DT prospect drafted and one of the better overall looking prospects but would we draft him to play NT ?

I guess teams can look at other areas like frame,arm length etc and draft accordingly but imo to certain standpoint the prospect has got to fit the bill ...

Baylor gave up on avg 150 on the ground. They gave up 200 yards a couple times. Tie that into the fact that he only had 17 bench repsand lack of quickness needed at the DT position, you get a player who's stock is falling. He's a development prospect. One that I wouldnt draft til the 7th rd. He could also go undrafted.

I would say this is more indicative to what will actually happen as far as we're he goes in the draft ... I think its hard to place value on him ... but saying 6-UDFA is probably a safe bet ...

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I always look at the roster when a team like Baylor turns a program around and has success ... Granted RG3 ... I'm not always right in doing that and was sold a few years back in the prospects from Wake Forest ... Curry,Smith and Vaughn that defense was stout ...

[MarshallMoss]

Am i blind or does DT seem so juicy this year?

I'm trying to look at all the other positions with no bias, but I cannot seem to find bigger impact players in the first 2 rounds than at DT.

I don't think a guy like Kirkpatrick will last to 25, so who else is a bigger beast than let's say a Worthy/Brockers at 25?

There is no way we take wide receiver...we have tons of weapons as is, and RB talent is all very similar after Richardson that could be had in 2nd and 3rd.

I agree with taking the BPA strategy, but it just seems all the good talent and value is a DT:

Worthy
Brockers
Still
Reyes
Wolfe
Thompson
Winn
Crick

If we got two of the above DT within first 3 rounds I would be ecstatic. It would be great to find a trade partner to trade down from 25 to early second round.