Q: I really enjoyed your “take your pick” question from last week so I am going to steal it to start this installment. So take your pick…
Matt Kalil or Jonathan Martin?
A: Kalil is the superior player in mind. I liked Tyron Smith a lot and he’s better than Smith. Both Kalil and Smith have similar size and both are going to be plus pass blockers in the N.F.L.
Dre Kirkpatrick or Morris Claiborne?
A: Dre Kirkpatrick is a player I like a lot. I just wrote up a shell scouting report on him actually this week. Kirkpatrick has excellent size: 6’3 and betwen 195 and 205 pounds. He’s very versatile and will fit any defensive scheme, whether that scheme is based on heavy press coverage (Raiders for example) or zone (colts for example). A great tackler and a plus blitzer. He doesnt have elite ball skills or return ability, but is a very nice prospect.
Vontaze Burfict or Manti Te’o?
A: If I’m a general manager I want to be positive my first round pick will make an impact in the N.F.L. Burfict is the typical “boom or bust” prospect because of his high potential and the fact that he may have anger issues and plays out of control. Somtimes that’s just as risky because you miss on a player like Cam Newton, or Jason Pierre Paul (looks really promising right now and was a classic example of boom or bust pick) when you don’t gamble. Burfict could definitely be worth the gamble.
So I’d grab Te’o. Te’o is talented in his own right and will be a solid prodcuer in the N.F.L. He’s a bruiser in the run game and has plus instincts. I’ll take Te’o because I’m going with “safter”, but I expect Burfict to be drafted first.
Q: Do you think LaMichael James can make the transition to the pro’s? If so, what do you think his ceiling is and what round would you have him graded as right now?
A: I think James can transition to the N.F.L. Running back is one of the positions in which production seems to translate well to the next level. I think he could be a decent player in the N.F.L. as a chance of pace scat-back. I don’t think he’s a special player in the N.F.L. and I probably don’t take him before the third round.
Q: I often get questions about how I chose what games to watch and how many football games I watch in a single week? I am curious to know how you layout your football viewing schedule each week and how many games do you view? Do you have a particular way of grading the prospects you are watching or do you just trust your eyes and write a report after the game?
A: I watch a lot of football. Too much arguably.
I watch every single N.F.L game that I can, but I like to concentrate on a few games each week. Obviously the Sunday and Monday night national prime time games, always the Giants (my favorite team) and the BIlls (my wife’s favorite teams) and then a game of my choosing. I like to watch whole games more than I like flipping through and catching parts of games, but I’ll do that too. I would say at least six full N.F.L games a week (NFL rewind is nice as well)
On Saturday, I focus first on the teams that have the most N.F.L. prospects, and also games I expect to be close. Watching a blowout live isn’t fun at all. And then after I pick a few games with the most prospects, I’ll pick a few games of teams that I haven’t seen in awhile. I’ll watch any game that’s on thursday and then I’ll probably flip around a little bit more than I do in the N.F.L. and watch 10 College games a week, maybe.
I’ll try to keep track this week of how many games I watch. That’s a good question.
For grading prospects I’ll turst my eyes the first time I watch a player. I’ll just take it in and see who stands out on film. I’ll make notes of those prospects and then watch a few more of their games throughout the season and verify my notes.
Thanks again Jesse. Be sure to check out more from NFL Mocks at their homepage.