The 2011 Total NFL Draft (Round 3)

Where will Raji's amazing scoring ability put him in this draft?

 

In case you missed it, here are the previous rounds.

Round 1     Round 2 

Local sports radio in Columbus, OH can be severely hit or miss, but there is one show that is an absolute MUST LISTEN every day. From 3-6pm, Monday-Friday, “Common Man and the Torg” grace my radio and carry me through the grueling end of my workday. If you’ve never listened to them, I strongly urge you to give it a shot…I’m sure you’ll love it. To get an idea of what their show is like, just imagine a typical podcast with me and Prince…only make it about five times angrier and more inappropriate. Oh yeah, and also they mostly know what they’re talking about and they have real guests on who don’t fall under the “idiot friends” category. So basically not like the podcast at all…moving on.

One bit they do every year, prior to the start of the football season, is pick one offensive player and one defensive player they would want to start a football team with. Keep in mind, this is a long-term team. They aren’t picking for just this year, they are picking for this year and subsequent years down the road. It’s such a simple idea, but it really is an awesome topic of debate for football fans.

With that in mind, and with fantasy football drafts fresh in my memory, I can’t think of a single reason not to run with this idea. Back in the spring, Prince and I conducted an excruciatingly long mock draft prior to the 2011 NFL Draft. Since we aren’t clever enough to come up with any of our own ideas, we’ve remained in Brett Favre-like retirement ever since -- without the text messages -- but now that we have a great idea to vulture, it’s time to make our glorious comeback…only to completely and utterly ruin it with a crushing interception that will result in a devastating loss in a game we completely dominated. Wait, I’m not describing our draft anymore, am I? Sorry Prince…(not really!)

But wait, there’s more! Prince and I decided that two idiots weren’t enough! So we added Boris Diaw Time! regulars Casey Richey and Nick Laney on board, thus forming the blogging equivalent of the 2008 Detroit Lions. Aren’t you excited? I know I am…

Here are the parameters: There are 22 rounds in the draft and each position must be filled. Each person may pick the base offense (3WR, 2TE, etc.) and base defense (3-4, 4-3, 46) of their choice, though it must be a legitimate NFL base offense or defense. We are drafting as if we are starting a brand new team and importance must be placed on the future viability of this team. A player’s value for this year is important, but his long-term value is perhaps even more important. And, of course, no touching of the hair or face…AND THAT’S IT!!!

Draft Order:     1. Casey Richey

                        2. Nick Laney

                        3. Jared Prince

                        4. Jon Landrum

3rd Round

#9   Team Casey – DT Haloti Ngata

Okay, so now it may just look like I’m taking clues from Landrum – but how could I not pick Ngata here? After five full years of experience in a spectacular Ravens’ defense, this guy is still only 27 years old and coming off probably his most dominant season! He has also missed very little playing time over those five years that he’s been in the NFL. My first two picks were offensive, and you guys each have at least one defensive stud already, so I had to go that route here before I wait through another 6 picks again. As I look through the list of defenders, I don’t see many established-but-still-young players in the backfield that I really like, and as I said before, I’m not too worried about LB’s at this point. Defenders coming from Baltimore have benefitted from great coaching, and they usually have great football IQ, as they are one of the NFL’s more complex and versatile defenses.

Prince: 3 for 3. Truly amazing. Landrum, please start talking about Alex Barron so Casey will put him in as his RT. Casey, you shouldn’t be that hard on yourself in your comments. I know you say that your “first two picks were offensive,” but don’t worry, they really weren’t that bad. They were actually good. Anyways, Haloti Ngata is a very valuable player, and I guess if you wanted to go with a big guy on your D-line, he’s a great start.

Laney:  This is a rough one for me. In the 2006 National Football League Draft, the Browns traded down a pick WITHIN THEIR DIVISION to the Ravens to let them select Ngata. We then took Kameron Wimbley with the next pick, who is no longer on the team. I’ve had to watch him dominate week in and out ever since. He’s an incredible player who I wish my team would have selected to anchor their defense. Great pick. The conspiracy theorist in me wants to suggest that Jon has actually made up an e-mail address and is acting as Casey. That would explain the lack of outrage at missing out on Patty Willis… HMMMMMM………

Landrum: (Too busy typing up ‘Casey’s’ response to actually respond. Check back later.)

Casey: I was actually expecting to get grilled a lot more for literally doing whatever Jon tells me to do. So thanks for the encouraging support, guys! Don’t worry, now that Jon is on to me and will begin to find sneaky ways to ‘suggest’ players like Flozell Adams, leaving me all on my own, you will soon get a chance to make fun of how dumb I am.

#10   Team Laney – OLB DeMarcus Ware

What a horribly tough pick this was. Ultimately, what led me to picking Ware is, again, what I deemed to be the biggest gap in value. Initially, I thought Joe Thomas would be the obvious pick for me here. In my opinion, though, there are 3 very good / great OT’s left. It came down to the huge gap I saw between Ware and the second best player at OLB. In Ware, I get the best linebacker in the NFL, in his prime. He has absolutely everything you could ask for in an OLB. He is rated the best pass rusher in the National Football League by the National Football League writers on ESPN. Since coming in to the National Football League in 2005, he’s averaged 12 sacks a season. For my money, he’s also one of the most intelligent players in the National Football League. Ware has pretty much every pass rushing technique in his locker (which is very nice to watch after having to view Kameron Wimbley’s one shoulder dip move for 4 years in a row {albeit an epic shoulder dip}). He really has no weakness in his game, as he is excellent in pass coverage and stopping the run as well. At 28, he’s just entering the prime of his career and should be a staple at the top of sack lists, and player of the year lists, for many years.

Landrum: That’s quite a crack research team you have there, Laney…Ware is actually 29 and he’s at the tail end of his prime. You see, in the NFL, players begin declining as they approach their 30’s. Ironically, Ware hit a 4 year low in Approximate Value last year, and failed to make First Team All-Pro for the first time since 2006. So no, I wouldn’t say he’s “just entering the prime of his career.” His prime started in late 2007, when he was 25. As for this “gap in value” you keep referring to…I’m pretty sure this is the same logic that resulted in JaMarcus Russell being the #1 overall pick. There’s plenty of impact OLB available later on, but very few stud LT’s and very few stud DT’s. But good work there, Al Davis! You’ve started a team with a CB and 2 LB’s! This should put you in prime position for Andrew Luck!

Prince: I know that Ware is a stud and will still be able to play at a high level for a few more years, but I will also have to agree that his best years are behind him. I took Philip Rivers, who is the same age as Ware, so I’m not against drafting a guy his age, but I was surprised Ware went this high. I really thought you were going to draft a left tackle, or at least someone to begin your offense with. I think you should keep loading up on defensive players and then get Rex Ryan to coach the team. He’s obsessed with defense, so it will be like a perfect fit (I know how much you hate him so I just had to put that part in).

Casey: Okay guys, now I just think that you’re ganging up on Laney and being flat out cruel. Laney wasn’t technically wrong about Ware being 28. You see, DeMarcus Ware’s birthday is on July 31. When it was first Laney’s turn to make this pick, it was July. However, by the time he was done taking his dandy little time to submit his pick, it was already well into September. Anyway, I have to say, my first thought when I saw this pick was, “Isn’t it a little early to be picking a guy who’s almost 30?” I would think that at some point in this draft we’ll all be scraping the bottom of the Brett Favre barrel, but I think there are still too many young impact players left for us to be resorting to that quite yet.

Laney: Where to start (the age thing resulted from someone rushing me to pick and me taking his age from an article written earlier this year!!!) …. I do not believe for one second he’s at the tail end of his prime. He led the NFL in sacks last year!!!!! I see him maintaining Pro Bowl caliber seasons until 34. In relation to your All-Pro reference: He was beat out by James Harrison, who is 33. Bit of a double edged sword there as, no, he didn’t make the All-Pro cut, but there’s some decent evidence that OLB’s are still able to perform at high levels around that age. Ware’s game intelligence and overall ability should see him maintain his high level of play as he gets older. That Al Davis thing was somewhat over the top, especially the JaMarcus Russell thing. He was drafted by a senile old man who became infatuated with his physical abilities. I’m fairly certain I didn’t draft Ware on his ability to throw a ball 70 yards from his knees! The gap in value should be fairly obvious. This touches on Prince’s point as well. What point is there for me to take a LT when there are 3 very good ones left and there are 3 of us left to pick them? I’m certainly not going to waste a pick on a QB until it’s my last pick. Why on earth would I do that? RB and WR are loaded, so no real urgency there. For me the biggest drop off was between Ware and the next best OLB. This draft wouldn’t be any fun if we all conformed to the same picking strategy.

#11   Team Prince – DT B.J. Raji

This is horrible. I actually think this could be the worst case scenario for me. Two Packers in my first three picks! As much as I hate them, Matthews and Raji are young studs on defense, so I better go ahead this time and take a DT that I want, because I don’t think there are many left to choose from. Raji is only 25, so he has just begun his career and will have many more productive seasons. Last year he had 7 sacks, which I think is pretty good for a NT in a 3-4 defense. At 6’2” and 337 lbs, he is easily able to take on multiple offensive linemen and open up holes for the linebackers to rush through. Believe it or not, he is also actually athletic for his size, and can burst (as much as a big DT can) through the line to get to the QB, or move along the line and avoid blocks to tackle a running back. Even though I missed out on Suh, I think that Raji is a great defensive tackle to start off my defensive line.

Casey: Well, I can’t argue with this since I also went with a big DT as my 3^rd pick, and Raji is among the best. I especially like that he is very young, and you are right that you’ll get many years (his entire prime) out of him. However, the real question here is going to be, when he creates turnovers, can you get him to not hold the ball out toward the opposing players when he still has 3 guys to beat and is still 15 yards (i.e. 23 seconds) from the end zone?

Landrum: Somehow, I knew you were going to comment on that play. Seriously though, can you blame him for taunting Caleb Hanie like that? I mean, it’s Caleb Hanie for goodness sakes! Anyways, Prince, I think this is a great pick, especially for a big Packers fan such as yourself. Don’t worry, I won’t steal John Kuhn out from under you! He’ll be there for you in the 4^th!

Laney:  Very solid pick, Prince. As you said, Raji’s athleticism is incredible given his size. That many sacks out of a 3-4 NT is also pretty mind blowing. I think the most important thing the Packers were looking at when drafting him, though, was to get an exact replica of Gilbert Brown! So HUGE!!!!! I think John Kuhn is safe, Jon. We all know Prince harbors a giant love of A.J. Hawk!!!

Prince: Seriously, Raji already has the award for the fattest player to score a touchdown in the NFC Championship game....what more could I want?

#12   Team Landrum – LT Joe Thomas

Wow, this draft couldn’t break any better for me! Despite having the last pick, I ended up with (arguably) the best offensive and defensive lineman in the game. Not a bad start to a franchise! Obviously, you can make a great case for Jake Long over Thomas, but the margin is thin. At first, I thought Ryan Clady might be in that class, but the more research I did, the more I realized that Thomas has clearly separated himself from the rest of the group. Thomas has been a Pro Bowler each of his first four seasons and a First Team All-Pro the past two seasons. That’s more Pro Bowls than Clady and D’Brickashaw combined! If that weren’t enough, some stats from Football Outsiders made me even more certain of Thomas. Last year, the Browns ranked #8 in the league in Adjusted Line Yards on runs towards the LT. Compare that to Denver’s #24 ranking and the Jets #20 ranking, and you can clearly see a difference between the players. Look, I’m not an expert, but it appears as if most of the real experts think Thomas is either the first or second best offensive linemen in the league. At just 27, Thomas is going to be protecting Bradford’s blindside (and knees) from Prince’s dirty tactics for years to come.

Laney: I love me some Big Joe! With many fans clamoring for a QB in the '07 draft, the Browns made the right call by taking the big fella. He has proven his worth and established himself as one of the best LT in the game. He excels at both pass and run blocking. Watching him week in and week out, the only minor flaw he has is against speed rushers, though Joe is the kind of guy that will put in the time to overcome that. The Browns just signed him to an extension that reflects both his size and level of play! Jon, I only feel it's right that you follow this pick up win Eric Steinbach's corpse.

Casey: This is a great move, and I agree that this draft has fallen very well for you. I think the main reason it appears that way is that the rest of us get a sure-fire QB, most of us using our first pick to do so, whereas you went with the 'risk' of taking basically a prospect. I know you feel that there's virtually no chance that Bradford doesn't become a star in this league, but it's still a risk compared with a Rodgers or Rivers. That was a good move by you, because it enabled you to go big with your other picks.

Prince: Thomas is obviously a great LT and I can’t argue against taking him, so I’ll just argue against the Pro Bowl thing. I really don’t like saying that one player is better than another just because they are in the Pro Bowl. First, fans get a vote for the Pro Bowl, and most fans are stupid (I know you’ll agree with me here). For some reason, Bryant McKinnie was named to the Pro Bowl 2 years ago, and trust me, he’s not that good. Regardless, people just recognized his name and saw that he had made it in previous years. I think he knew that he didn’t deserve it, so he effectively got himself kicked off the team for being an idiot. Second, many times the coach is able to pick alternates, and they most often select a player on their team. If that doesn’t work, they’ll select a player who they know and like. This allows for random guys who don’t deserve to make a Pro Bowl to sneak in. The last point I’ll make is that now that the Pro Bowl is held before the Super Bowl, it means that more guys will have to miss the game, allowing other crappier players to take their spot. So, all this to say that I feel like making a Pro Bowl doesn’t really mean much anymore. (Also, don’t take this as me saying that Thomas didn’t deserve his Pro Bowls; he’s really good.)

Landrum: So, Prince, just to clarify what you’re saying here, you don’t care for Pro Bowls? Is that what you’re getting at? Cause I’m not sure if you conveyed that well enough in the novel you just wrote. Anyway, I understand what you’re saying… even though it has nothing to do with my pick. Even if you want to disregard his Pro Bowls, he made 2 First Team All-Pro’s as well! As for Casey’s Bradford comment, I don’t view him as a risk at all. Sure, Rodgers and Rivers are fully developed at this point in their careers, but Bradford will still be winning divisions long after Rodgers and Rivers have been admitted to the Brett Favre Home for Begrudgingly Retired, Over Competitive Quarterbacks.