2012 Ask Jeff Risdon a Question

[Icness]

You've said you see Gholston in Perry.

Do you see any Crabtree in Blackmon??

Blackmon is a lot more physical but they're the same sort of receiver in terms of how they fit into an offense. Blackmon is mentally tougher too. Almost all his drops (and he has his share) are from trying to run before he catches it. Crabtree drops are more from worrying about the hit or not adjusting to Alex Smith's lousy throw quickly enough. Blackmon responds to a drop by getting angry, Crabtree goes into a funk for a few plays.

[Bucksfans1and2]

You've said you see Gholston in Perry.

Do you see any Crabtree in Blackmon??

Blackmon is a lot more physical but they're the same sort of receiver in terms of how they fit into an offense. Blackmon is mentally tougher too. Almost all his drops (and he has his share) are from trying to run before he catches it. Crabtree drops are more from worrying about the hit or not adjusting to Alex Smith's lousy throw quickly enough. Blackmon responds to a drop by getting angry, Crabtree goes into a funk for a few plays.

Obviously, Crabtree was dominant in college, but in the pros he sucked for a while. Is a tougher, physically and mentally, Michael Crabtree worth a type 5 pick?

Both guys fall into the Super Z/Greg Jennings category in terms of role, neither are Megatron or Andre Johnson.

[Icness]

I would not take him in the top 10. I would take Michael Floyd over him, and for certain teams I would favor Kendall Wright over him too.

[aggo]

jeff,

is it me, or is Blackmon basically what happens if you combined Dez Bryant's ability at the point of the catch with Hakeem Nick's physicality up to the point of the catch?

[Icness]

jeff,

is it me, or is Blackmon basically what happens if you combined Dez Bryant's ability at the point of the catch with Hakeem Nick's physicality up to the point of the catch?

That's a fair evaluation, but he's quite a bit shorter than both. I remember being shocked that Nicks only measured 6'3.5" because when I met him he seemed right at eye level with me and I'm 6'5". Blackmon is right at 6'.

[CJ_18]

jeff,

is it me, or is Blackmon basically what happens if you combined Dez Bryant's ability at the point of the catch with Hakeem Nick's physicality up to the point of the catch?

That's a fair evaluation, but he's quite a bit shorter than both. I remember being shocked that Nicks only measured 6'3.5" because when I met him he seemed right at eye level with me and I'm 6'5". Blackmon is right at 6'.

Is Blackmon really only 6'0 officially? How much does he actually weigh? He looks like a big strong dude.

[Icness]

At the Combine he measured 6007, which is 6 feet and a little over half an inch. 207 pounds of muscle. Arms are 32", which is decidedly average. Hands are 9 1/4" which is proportional.

[NO-KG-AI]

My friend Lionel "Poody" Smith apparently was pretty impressive at Texas A&M workouts.

Do you have any friends that were there? I just want to know what they have to say, and get a feel for how warm teams are to him.

Gil BRandt had this to say:

"Lionel Smith, DB (5-11 3/4, 192) — He’s someone we’re adding. He didn’t play a lot in college; when Judie was hurt he played in his place. Smith had a good workout, ran 4.46 and 4.48 40s, had a 38-inch vertical, 10-7 broad, 4.22 short shuttle, 7.01 cone and 16 strength lifts. He probably has a chance to be a seventh-round pick or a priority free agent because of his speed and athletic ability."

He's a pretty big corner, converted wide out. Thoughts? I'm really interested.

[Icness]

I was at TAMU though I didn't get there until the tail end of the workout as my normal 2 1/4 hour drive to College Station turned into 4 thanks to Houston traffic.

Smith really impressed everyone, notably Brandt himself. He pulled Smith aside and talked to him for a few minutes. The Aggies SID got about 20 requests for more coaching tape of him.

My personal opinion is that he played a lot better when Judie was on the other side. Real fast and athletic but not always quick to pick up on the play or route. I remember him in the Kansas game, he looked competent but not standing out. Their coaches talked him up but it seemed like they didn't trust him on the field all the time. He's a Katrina refugee, right?

[NO-KG-AI]

Yea, he's a refuge.

It's funny, he was a pretty late bloomer, he wasn't a superstud when we played together back in the day, but he's really put in a lot of effort to become that much of an athlete, I would have never pegged him to put those impressive numbers up if you had asked me when we were 17-18. Wasn't a big guy, I'm surprised he's as tall as he is, and that he filled out so much.

Hard work definitely pays off I guess.

[thesack12]

Hey Jeff,

Are you hearing any whispers on the QB situation in Frisco? I'm hoping the reason why an extension hasn't got done is because they are looking at other options.

I personally am not an Alex fan in the slightest. Everybody talks about how he had this good season, but truthfully it was only good by Alex standards. The 9ers played hide the quarterback offense all season, even with the limited pass attempts Alex still got sacked more than anybody in the entire league. True some of that is on the o-line, but everybody knows that QB protection starts with the quarterback. Its why Brees/Manning and those guys take very few sacks. Alex just doesn't have the pocket awareness or instincts. Alex's sacks per passing attempts is 1/10, thats ridiculous. Frisco also struggled terribly in the red zone, and set a record for most FG's in NFL history. Again, that can partly be blamed on the receiving corps and o-line once again, but Alex doesn't exactly know how to throw guys open or make the difficult throws either.

True Alex didn't lose many games for Frisco, but he also didn't win them any. Frisco had such a good year because their defense was dominant, and they had a solid running game. All of which meant that they controlled the clock/flow of the game. I am not sure they can duplicate that type of dominance again, this is a passing league. The only reason they beat the Saints was attributed to 5 Saint turnovers, a lot of those which gave the ball to the 9ers in their own territiory.

Harbaugh hand picked Colin Kaepernick, so he is obviously high on him. However Kaep probably needs at least another year of development. I would love to see Frisco (finally) pull the plug on Alex and bring in a guy like Garrard for a 1 year stopgap. I think Garrard could easily provide what Alex did last season, probably even more so. I also could see Harbaugh bringing in one of his former students in Josh Johnson for a 1 year look. Johnson probably isn't as good of an option as either Garrard or even Alex, but the fit would be perfect and would only have to suffice for a year while Kaep is being groomed.

Randy Moss is definitely not going to like Alex Smith as the guy trying to get him the ball. I can't imagine Brandon Lloyd being too keen on that either, should he decide to sign there after his visit.

Either way, I just hope Frisco does not cave and give Alex the 5 years. The alleged 3 year offer on the table, is bad enough. Are you hearing anything out of Frisco?

[Icness]

Every day that Alex Smith isn't signed in SF makes it cloudier. Mehtinks they are gambling nobody else wants to pay him big-time starter money too, and I think they're right. I haven't heard about Smith making visits elsewhere and the market is drying up big-time, what with Flynn still out there and Tannehill/Weeden in the draft.

Kaepernick is progressing well and they wouldn't mind him taking over right away, but I agree he probably needs another year. If this is indeed their course of action then Smith won't be back and they'll sign a cheaper veteran mentor, someone like Drew Stanton (similar game to Kaep) or maybe Garrard.

[thesack12]

Every day that Alex Smith isn't signed in SF makes it cloudier. Mehtinks they are gambling nobody else wants to pay him big-time starter money too, and I think they're right. I haven't heard about Smith making visits elsewhere and the market is drying up big-time, what with Flynn still out there and Tannehill/Weeden in the draft.

Kaepernick is progressing well and they wouldn't mind him taking over right away, but I agree he probably needs another year. If this is indeed their course of action then Smith won't be back and they'll sign a cheaper veteran mentor, someone like Drew Stanton (similar game to Kaep) or maybe Garrard.

Right on, thanx for info that makes me happy. Yeah, I don't really see any other suitors either.

I would prefer Garrard over Stanton personally. But as long as it means Alex is gone I'd be down, especially since Kaep is waiting in the wings anyways.

It seems odd that a final four team might be better off making a change at the most important position, but last year just seemed like a perfect storm. Everything just lined up and that defense was flat out amazing. I just don't know if that can be replicated again, at least not to the same effect. The offense is going to have to do better than the "hide the quarterback" scheme for this team to remain contenders. I just don't think Alex is capable of being asked to win games instead of not to lose them. Even if next season plays out like last season's ability by the 9ers to dominate the clock and flow of the game, I think Alex can be replaced relatively easy and the 9ers would get the same results.

Basically the way I see it is, if Harbaugh can coach Alex up into being competent he can do the same with a lot of guys.

[studcrackers]

Tons of people seem convinced now that decastro to the cowboys is a lock.u think we can get him if we trade down or do you foresee us taking anyone else?

Because Id rather us still go defense myself, be it pass rusher, d-lineman or even a db

[DocRI]

Jeff —

First and foremost, love your work; thanks for all the fun reading.

A two part question for you (first part just 'cuz I'm a Lions fan) —

1) I read that the Lions are trying to trade Alphonso Smith ... now that you're done laughing, what could they realistically get for him? Any shot at even an extra 4th rounder? I ask because ...

2) I've read a number of writers say this year is a shallow draft, but I'm not buying it. From the mocks I've seen across the net, it seems like there are a lot of potential starters (not stars, not impact players, but good, solid role-playing guys with upside) available in the 3rd, 4th, and even 5th round, and across all positions. Off the top of my head, as a Lions fan, I'd be thrilled to land some combination of Trumaine Johnson, Josh Norman, Nate Potter, Ben Jones, Mike Brewster, Phillip Blake, Jared Crick, Bruce Irvin, LaDarius Green, Orson Charles ... heck, even Cliff Harris (if it's late enough!) ... between the 3rd and 5th rounds, and I chose those players because they also happen to fit my team's positional needs, meaning there's probably even more talent at positions I wasn't looking at, too. What's YOUR take on the middle rounds of this draft? Am I just being overly optimistic, or are there a lot of diamonds in the rough who will way outperform their draft slots (and hence be crazy-good values against the salary cap for the duration of their rookie contracts)?

Thanks again for participating in this forum!

P.S. — One last thing, and just for the record — Vontaze Bufict is now officially undraftable after his pro day debacle, right?

[Icness]

Tons of people seem convinced now that decastro to the cowboys is a lock.u think we can get him if we trade down or do you foresee us taking anyone else?

Because Id rather us still go defense myself, be it pass rusher, d-lineman or even a db

I don't think Decastro winds up going that high. I have pretty solid knowledge that the Cowboys would take Dre Kirkpatrick if he's on the board. Doubt he is though. They've been checking out DL quite a bit too. Maybe Fletcher Cox?

[Icness]

1) I read that the Lions are trying to trade Alphonso Smith ... now that you're done laughing, what could they realistically get for him? Any shot at even an extra 4th rounder? I ask because ...

Sorry, still laughing. Maybe a 7th. Maybe.

2) I've read a number of writers say this year is a shallow draft, but I'm not buying it. From the mocks I've seen across the net, it seems like there are a lot of potential starters (not stars, not impact players, but good, solid role-playing guys with upside) available in the 3rd, 4th, and even 5th round, and across all positions. Off the top of my head, as a Lions fan, I'd be thrilled to land some combination of Trumaine Johnson, Josh Norman, Nate Potter, Ben Jones, Mike Brewster, Phillip Blake, Jared Crick, Bruce Irvin, LaDarius Green, Orson Charles ... heck, even Cliff Harris (if it's late enough!) ... between the 3rd and 5th rounds, and I chose those players because they also happen to fit my team's positional needs, meaning there's probably even more talent at positions I wasn't looking at, too. What's YOUR take on the middle rounds of this draft? Am I just being overly optimistic, or are there a lot of diamonds in the rough who will way outperform their draft slots (and hence be crazy-good values against the salary cap for the duration of their rookie contracts)?

I generally agree with your opinion of the draft as a whole. There are very few stars but at some positions (CB, WR, G, ILB) the depth of talent is excellent. Good draft to get solid starters, bad year to get impact players at sexy spots like RB or pass rushers. After Cousins/Wilson the QBs really fall off, maybe Coleman will turn out as a 5th. Might be the thinnest pass rusher draft in the last decade. Safety is poor, tight end is worse; I don't have anyone from either position in my personal top 50.

There will be a lot of 3rd-4th rounders that wind up looking better than their draft slot because there is very little ordination between the talent level at #40 and #120.

P.S. — One last thing, and just for the record — Vontaze Bufict is now officially undraftable after his pro day debacle, right?

I think the pendulum has actually swung so far in that direction that an arrogant contrarian takes a flier on him late. Parcells and Al Davis would be my top choices but alas they are no longer drafting. Maybe Jerry Jones or Belichick. I wouldn't touch him.

[Roger Murdock]

You tweeted the other day that 'Weeden is a first rounder - deal with it'. This terrifies me, as I can only assume you are talking about Cleveland at 22. Hes going to be 30 years old by his second NFL season, and he'd better be an above average QB by then or else the picks a disaster. You really think he goes that high? I love his game, and if he was 22 I would want him at 4, but jesus hes old.

Also what about his shoulder injury?

[Icness]

You tweeted the other day that 'Weeden is a first rounder - deal with it'. This terrifies me, as I can only assume you are talking about Cleveland at 22. Hes going to be 30 years old by his second NFL season, and he'd better be an above average QB by then or else the picks a disaster. You really think he goes that high? I love his game, and if he was 22 I would want him at 4, but jesus hes old.

Also what about his shoulder injury?

I think he goes #22 to CLE or perhaps they drop back a bit. Denver is a distinct possibilty too, as is Philly.

The way some in the NFL look at it, his age is a positive. He doesn't have time to fool around and his body is fully mature. The issue I have is that OK St. doesn't play a real pro-ready system. I would be happy for Cleveland to take him at 22.

[hermes]

jeff,

there has been some rumors (who knows how serious they are) about some teams moving up to get tannehill since the other two qbs are going 1 and 2. who would likely be the ones to move up and where would they have to go to get him, #3? and will the vikings listen seriously to these trade talks- knowing kalil probably won't be there if they move down