After the Super Bowl is over, there may not be a more renowned figure in the NFL world than ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. Nobody works the NFL draft harder than Kiper, and he's an entertaining character, for sure. That hair of his alone is worth watching for serious lengths of time, in hopes that at some point it will move.
Anyway, yesterday afternoon I read Kiper's latest chat wrap on ESPN's Web site. There weren't too many San Diego Chargers-related questions he had to answer, but he did mention some prospects who are probably high on general manager A.J. Smith's wish list. The following is a selection of questions and answers I pulled from the chat wrap. In bold, I will type my thoughts underneath Kiper's answers.
Pete (Cincy)
Mel, any chance DeCastro makes it to the Bengals at #17?
Mel Kiper
(1:05 PM)
Yeah,
I think he could definitely be there. He's a pure guard. He's an
interior OL. Dallas at 14 could take him. But Cincinnati at 17 could
really use him.
Stanford offensive guard David DeCastro would be a great pick for the Chargers. He'd most likely become the Chargers' starting left guard right away, and some believe he'll make multiple Pro Bowls over his NFL career. It looks like the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals are the biggest threats to prevent DeCastro from falling to San Diego's 18th overall pick.
Shaun (AL)
Mel Kiper
(1:07 PM)
He's a 4-3 DE or a 3-4 OLB. That's the great debate. I think it's split. He could be a Lamar Woodley in a 3-4 scheme. San Diego at 18 could use him as a 3-4 OLB. The Jets at 16 could use him. Those would be two nice destinations.
Upshaw, an outside linebacker from Alabama, was considered the best pass-rushing prospect heading into the 2011 season, but he's lost some steam as others, such as South Carolina defensive end Melvin Ingram, have seen their stocks rise. I happen to think Upshaw is an overrated prospect and that the Chargers could do better with the 18th overall pick.
Jeff (Florida)
Will Kansas City pull the trigger and get a Tackle for the offense and a NT for the defense in Free Agency if so who will it be?
Mel Kiper
(1:18 PM)
Where they're picking at 11, they could look at Dontari Poe. If they want the OT, I don't see anybody being there in the draft. Riley Reiff is your second best OT and I think he's gone by pick 11. They could look at Luke Kuechly at MLB.
As a division rival, I hope the Kansas City Chiefs aren't able to get Iowa offensive tackle Riley Reiff, as he looks like a great player. My hope is they'll take Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe, whose stock is rising based mostly on his outstanding performance at the NFL Scouting Combine last month. Poe didn't dominate at a lower level of competition of college football, so I don't expect him to tear it up in the NFL.
Jeff (Cedarburg, WI)
Will the Packers be able to find a pass rushing complement to Clay Matthews when they pick at 28?
Mel Kiper
(1:19 PM)
They could. They could look at a guy like Nick Perry, Whitney Mercilus, Dont'a Hightower.
USC's Nick Perry and Illinois' Whitney Mercilus are both pass-rushers who have been tabbed as possibilities for San Diego's first-round pick. Alabama's Dont'a Hightower would be a nice fit alongside Donald Butler as the Chargers' inside linebackers of the future.
Jeff (Atlanta, GA)
Mel, I've heard rumors that the Buffalo Bills are also interested in Mercilus in the 1st round? Isn't that a little high for him and wouldn't Ingram be a better prospect?
Mel Kiper
(1:24 PM)
Very high. He's a one-year wonder. It's very high for a one-year wonder. You keep hearing about Buffalo and Mario Williams. If you take a DE at No. 10, you're taking Melvin Ingram. If they get Williams, they could look at Michael Floyd at WR.
This shows it's probably unrealistic to think San Diego has a shot at Ingram in the first round. It's also interesting to see Kiper mention how much of a reach it would be for Mercilus to go in the top 15.
Tom (Chicago)
How early in the second round do you expect to see Bobby Massie go?
Mel Kiper
(1:29 PM)
Very good player. He was a RT at Ole Miss and did a very good job. He played against some very good DEs and played very well. He needs to get stronger. Ole Miss beat out Alabama to get him. He can play guard, he can play RT. He can slide and move your feet. He's a solid 2nd rounder.
It would have been nice if Kiper had actually answered the question and told us if he thinks Ole Miss offensive tackle Bobby Massie will go in the early-, mid-, or late-second round. It's clear he thinks highly of Massie, though, and if the massive offensive lineman is there for the Chargers in Round 2, they probably shouldn't hesitate to grab him as the future starter at right tackle. If San Diego is lucky enough to get Massie, hopefully it won't take him long to take Jeromey Clary's job.
Tom (Chicago)
With the way you see it, is Nick Perry going in the top 15?
Mel Kiper
(1:43 PM)
No. I see Nick Perry as a top 20-31 pick. I have him going to Green Bay at 28.
This is good news for those of us who want to see Perry in a San Diego Chargers uniform. According to Kiper, it's realistic to believe that Perry will be there for the Chargers at selection #18 in Round 1. It would be golden if San Diego could trade back, acquire an extra second-round pick, and still get Perry at the end of the first.
John (Memphis)
Where do you see Fletcher Cox going? Do you like him to the Eagles at 15 or do you think he could move somewhere in the Top 10?
Mel Kiper
(1:45 PM)
He could. He's battling Dontari Poe and Michael Brockers. I have Cox going anywhere from 15 to Philly to 25 to Denver.
Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox would be a defensive end in San Diego's 3-4 scheme. The Chargers selected a defensive end, Illinois' Corey Liuget, in the first round of last year's draft, but perhaps they aren't confident in fourth-year veteran Vaughn Martin. While Cox in the first round is a longshot, I won't rule against it right now.
Rob (Cincinnati)
What position(s) do you see the Bengals getting the most value at with their two two first round picks?
Mel Kiper
(1:52 PM)
They could look CB at 17, either Kirkpatrick or Gilmore. Then at 21, they could look at DeCastro or Cordy Glenn. Depending on how they work it, they could go CB and then OL or OL and then CB. Theo ther need area is, at some point thinking about RB. WR also wouldn't hurt.
It's nice to see Kiper writing that it's a possiblity DeCastro could still be around for the Chargers in the first round. If San Diego passes on DeCastro, I think it will be a huge mistake.
Tom (Chicago)
How badly is Mike Adams' stock dropping?
Mel Kiper
(1:54 PM)
He's a talented athlete. Very, very talented football player. But he's a guy that has to go out there week in and week out and be consistent. That's something that's lacking. Game to game he was inconsistent, sometimes even series to series. Why is he so inconsistent? If he can level off his performance, he can be a good player. He's a little bit hit or miss. Inconsistent LTs can be a recipe for disaster.
Ohio State offensive tackle Mike Adams has been a prospect I've touted throughout the draft season, but it now looks like he may be too much of a risk for the Chargers in the first round.
I will continue to check into Kiper's chat wraps and follow up with my own analysis leading up to the draft. Thus far this offseason, all of his chat wraps have been scheduled on Wednesdays at 1 p.m. ET.
No comments:
Post a Comment