NFL DRAFT, NFL DRAFT 2014
Contributions from original: DOUG FARRAR
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| Xavier Su’a-Filo has shown that he can do everything required at his position. (Victor Calzada/AP) |
There are others though, that would be as well. Shazier is intriguing because of his athleticism, instincts, and ball skills. The +Ohio State Buckeyes' MLB is a fantastic prospect for MLB. However, do not dismiss the Broncos feeling like Nate Irving has started to come into his own at the end of last year. He played impressively in the playoffs and was, one of the few positive's from the Super Bowl debacle. If Verette and a few others are there at 31 for the secondary, they have got the same caliber of a top 10 pick usually. WR position as well. DE/OLB could have that bragging right and possibly DT. DT is the one position the Broncos don't need to pick first for unless Ealy from Mizzou or Ford from Auburn get to them.
We will dive into further prospects at each position as the draft approaches. Felt like there was a need to publish a little more about the +Pac-12 Conference standout, All-American, OL, from the +UCLA Bruins that would make the Broncos OL that much more formidable and what many considered the best OL in the +NFL last year.
Is Montgomery gonna be the guy for the Center spot or is Ramirez the guy or does Ramirez go back to guard. What of Chris Clark at RT, LG? The good thing is, the Broncos have options right now. Not to forget that whispers of Ben Garland moving to OG is seemingly a certainty. We imagine that this move would not have been continued if he did not show the ability to play at a high level at a new position. On the previous piece about the Broncos Mock draft's summary, the Broncos had two extremely talented WR being picked in the second round.
We love both, but oh how we love Davante Adams from +Fresno St. brings. His hands are extremely soft and dependable and in the NFL, WR have to master catch the ball with a guy hitting you simultaneously or grabbing your arm at the same time and fight through for the catch. He is exceptional. That is a big wish for both of those guys to come to Denver, but also very possible. Elway like to go after the best available so positional need may not be an issue more so now than before. They're deeper at all positions probably more than anytime in Elway's reign.
Do not want to see us, Broncos CR3W, members, get cocky or overly confident about how the roster is rounding up together, but we are making a point that with Talib, Harris and Kayvon, they're definitely better at the position, 3 deep. Same as DT. Safety position with Ward joining is now a big strength instead of one of the weaker secondaries depth wise if they get a couple knocks as they got more than a couple last year. Wolfe, Sly Williams, Malik Jackson are all entering their peaks too. Montee Ball is in for a big season and will show the strength and dissatisfaction of tackling him in the 4th quarter because of his physicality and thumping legs. They'll be rookies that have a shot at one or two spots because of D/ST and RB. Who and how they arrived will be seen. "Time will tell."
When Steve Hutchinson defected from +Seattle Seahawks to +Minnesota Vikings and signed a $49 million “poison pill” contract in March 2006, it was a sure indication that the guard position had gained importance and traction in the NFL. Throughout the new millennium, that’s certainly been the case, and in 2013, three guards were selected in the first round of the draft — +North Carolina Tar Heels' Jonathan Cooper by +Arizona Cardinals with the seventh overall pick, +Alabama Crimson Tide's Chance Warmack with the 10th pick to +Tennessee Titans, and +Oregon Ducks' Kyle Long with the 20th pick to the Bears.
In the 2014 draft, there are two players who appear to be relatively surefire first-round prospects, though one stands above the rest, at least in this writer’s humble opinion. From there on down, this guard class features several interesting players with different levels of potential who will be picked off throughout the entire draft process.
Note: An asterisk denotes a player who primarily played tackle in college, but will most likely switch to guard in the NFL.
1. Xavier Su’a-Filo, +UCLA Bruins: Put simply, as far as I’m concerned, the 2014 draft class at guard consists of Su’a-Filo and a few tiers of Everybody Else. There’s nobody else who possesses his combination of root strength, understanding of technique and agility to the second level. He has the versatility to play left tackle — which he did for the Bruins at times — but at his heart, Su’a-Filo has the nasty streak you like in an elite guard. Basically, he’s an ass-kicker, and he’s proud of that.
“Honestly, I don’t watch a whole lot of guys who kind of remind me of me,” Su’a-Filo said at the scouting combine. “I watch a lot of the guys I try to pattern my game after. I watch a lot of Logan Mankins, left guard from the New England Patriots. I think Logan, he was a high draft pick, but he’s physical. He’s a bad-ass, he started from Day 1 in +New England Patriots, and I love how nasty he is, something about his game that I really try to implement.”
It all adds up to a guy who should hear his name called in the first 20 picks, and the most exciting guard prospect I’ve seen since Stanford’s David DeCastro.
Draft projection: Mid-Round 1
MORE: 2014 NFL Mock Draft Database: SI’s experts weigh in | Top centers in NFL draft
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| Yankey (54) earned unanimous 1st Team All-American in his last season. (Stanford Daily - AP) |
3. Gabe Jackson, +Mississippi State University: Jackson is the best of the pure maulers in this class. At 6-3 and 331, and running a 5.51 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, he’s not going to blow anyone away with his pure athleticism. He has a lot of good tape against SEC defenses, was a key cog in an offense that set a number of school records in 2013 and his tenure as a three-year starter implies consistency.
However, there are causes for concern, and these may keep him out of the first round. Jackson tends to come off the snap a hair late at times, forcing him to adjust against defenders instead of dominating. And when he is blocking in space, he gets lost as much as he hits the point, leading to times when he’s physically overwhelmed more than a man his size should be. An +NFL team with an emphasis on man-blocking and good coaching could turn him into a superior inline blocker.
Draft projection: Round 2
4. Dakota Dozier, +Furman University:* Dozier played left tackle in college, but was moved to guard for the Shrine Game, and he might be the most intriguing guard prospect in this class. One thing is clear — a lot of bigger schools missed the boat with him. Dozier has the frame (6-4, 313) and strength to excel at guard in the NFL, and the athleticism to hit the second level and pull with authority. Yes, he needs technical refinement, but he locks onto defenders impressively and his footwork is outstanding. When he gets a wide base going, Dozier is very tough to get around. Concerns about level of competition can be erased by his Clemson tape. Someone’s going to get a steal here.
Draft projection: Round 2
5. Cyril Richardson, +Baylor Athletics: Richardson earned Big 12 Lineman of the Year honors in 2012 and protected Robert Griffin’s blind side the season before. He’s a huge presence on the field at 6-5 and 329, and he brought a lot of power to one of the nation’s most prolific and snap-heavy offenses. However, he may be limited in the NFL because of specific issues — he struggles to redirect in zone blocking concepts, he tends to be late to the party when asked to block a target upfield and he’ll let defenders through on either side. Richardson is an estimable drive-blocker, but you’d expect that at his size. To be a reliable starter at the next level, he has some work ahead of him.
Draft projection: Round 3
6. Trai Turner, +LSU Football: Turner is a limited player, but he’s very good at what he does well, which is taking defenders and rocking them back with impressive strength. He projects best as a right guard in the NFL because he struggles with his footwork when pulling, and he’s not the most agile fellow, though he clocked in under five seconds when running his 40 at the scouting combine standing 6-3, 310. But he’d be a major asset for any right-handed, run-heavy NFL team.
Draft projection: Round 3-4
7. Kadeem Edwards, +Tennessee State University: Some have Edwards lower due to strength of competition, but when you isolate his skillset and project him as a developmental prospect in the NFL, there’s a lot to be excited about. The first player from his school to be invited to the Senior Bowl since Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in 2008, Edwards held his own in Mobile, Ala. And when you look at his tape, you see what you want to see from a small-school player — complete dominance against lesser opponents. Edwards drives forward with impressive strength (though he needs to be more consistent with his pad level). He has nice footwork and an impressive hand-strike when pass-blocking, and he’s agile enough to move from one defender to another when in a zone concept. And if you’re into the whole “student-athlete” thing … well, Edwards made the President’s List, the All-OVC Academic Team and became a National Football Foundation Student Athlete. NFL teams that dig deeper to find players from less prominent programs will be all over Edwards in the middle rounds, and they should be.
Draft projection: Round 3-4
8. Brandon Thomas, +Clemson Tigers:* Thomas unquestionably has the pure athleticism to play NFL guard in any scheme, and at 6-3, 317, that’s where he best projects. He played nine games at guard in college, and that’s where they wanted to see him at the Senior Bowl. But when he makes that transition, he’ll need to be more aggressive with his hands — he tends to lose contact with defenders at times, and I’d like to see him use more of his power by getting under pads and pushing people back. If you want a guard who can move from gap to gap, pull with agility and kick-slide in pass pro, Thomas is an interesting prospect.
Draft projection: Round 4
9. Anthony Steen, +Alabama Crimson Tide: Steen will be drafted because he logged 36 starts in three seasons for a premier program, and he shows all the technical and mechanical efficiency one would expect. But there are limitations that will likely push him to the third day — he was a right guard for the Crimson Tide, and he lacks the kind of power and agility most left guards have in the NFL. Steen is a relatively ready-made player with a low ceiling, and there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as the team drafting him understands what it’s getting — and what it’s not.
Draft projection: Round 6-7
10. Jon Halapio, +Florida Gators: Of all the draftable guards we have read about and watched this year, Halapio has the most frustrating divide between potential and output. At 6-4, 323, he has all the physical traits to be a dominant guard at any level, but he has some pretty serious spatial awareness issues (I’ve seen him get flat-out lost at the line of scrimmage when following a block), and he gives up inside pressure to elite competition too easily. Florida’s offense was a hot mess last season, and Halapio’s issues could well be related to coaching. In that case, some NFL team looking to put in the work will have its right guard of the future in Halapio. Typical "Blue Chip" high school talent that show moments of that progression in college but then some high school talent mistakes whether it is form, technique, mental and then a lot of good play, but those flashes of dominance open the eyes.
The NFL requires great play a lot of time and good play all of the time. Risk/Reward prospect as are many, that depend on really a couple things, drive, ability to think at the speed of the professional level. Not in the sense of thinking what the play is and what the general scheme is. There is complex aspects, but simple things such as reading an opponents formation and scheme. Taking that pre and post snap and anticipating what the read is, checks, and/or progressions of the offense. Such as reading a screen on the defensive line, for example.
Draft projection: Round 6-7
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