2013 Ask Jeff Risdon a Question

[reeDfense]

When is your latest mock going to be ready?

[Icness]

When is your latest mock going to be ready?

I did one yesterday:
http://www.detroitlionsdraft.com/2013/0 ... ock-draft/

I'll have one here on RealGM either Sat. or Sunday.

[mnWI]

When is your latest mock going to be ready?

I did one yesterday:
http://www.detroitlionsdraft.com/2013/0 ... ock-draft/

I'll have one here on RealGM either Sat. or Sunday.

Awesome. If Green Bay landed those 4 guys I'd be ecstatic.

[ChronicKerr]

Seeing has how Menelik Watson was dead last in the 3 cone drill and was dreadful overall at the combine, does his pre-combine hype still warrant a top 25 pick?

[Roger Murdock]

I absolutely do not understand why everyone thinks Ansah is a 3-4 OLB. He played more downs at nose tackle than he did OLB in college and was primarily a 3-4 end. Hes not shown the ability to get around people. His game is all power.

[Karmaloop]

Seeing has how Menelik Watson was dead last in the 3 cone drill and was dreadful overall at the combine, does his pre-combine hype still warrant a top 25 pick?

I'm not sure he was ever worthy of a top 25 pick, and I really question the person who had him graded out as a top 25 pick prior to the combine since the tape was really meh. He's a late Day 2 pick based purely on upside, but his stock is mid Day 3.

[Karmaloop]

I absolutely do not understand why everyone thinks Ansah is a 3-4 OLB. He played more downs at nose tackle than he did OLB in college and was primarily a 3-4 end. Hes not shown the ability to get around people. His game is all power.

For being a "power pig", he sure did test extremely well athletically. One of the best 10 yard bursts (1.56) and for his size, he had an impressive 3 cone time. He's this year's Jason Pierre-Paul in the fact that you have to have the utmost faith in your coaching staff since the production at BYU was minimal.

[Icness]

Seeing has how Menelik Watson was dead last in the 3 cone drill and was dreadful overall at the combine, does his pre-combine hype still warrant a top 25 pick?

He did not have a good Combine at all. It almost looked like he was unfamiliar with the drills. I know some teams still love him though. I graded him out as a 3rd rounder but I'd consider taking him in the 2nd. If Andre Smith leaves CIN I wouldn't be surprised at all if Watson is their 1st round pick.

[Icness]

I absolutely do not understand why everyone thinks Ansah is a 3-4 OLB. He played more downs at nose tackle than he did OLB in college and was primarily a 3-4 end. Hes not shown the ability to get around people. His game is all power.

That's my primary issue with Ansah: I don't know where to play him. Athletically his game most closely resembles Demarcus Ware, but he doesn't know how to use it yet. I think his best fit is as a 4-3 strongside end but he doesn't know how to stack the edge at all. His power is all straightforward and comes in one burst, doesn't sustain it. In a 3-4 I would want to line him up tighter than most teams like to put their LDE, even let him play inside and over he tackle shading into the B gap.

As I put it in the mock draft in the above link, Ansah will do nothing for you on 36 of the 40 snaps he gets a game as a rookie. And I mean nothing. But he can do more with the 4 plays he does something than most guys can do in two weeks. He did some things during Senior Bowl week, including and especially the game, that I've not seen 3 other people ever able to do. I've never seen a guy at that size spin so quick and burst out of it so violently. The only guy close was Bruce Smith and that's from the Bills heyday. He was working with the coaches on the side during a drill and they were teaching him about aiming his hands, because he had been getting them too wide and was losing power and jolt. He went in the next set of reps and blasted the hell out of Lane Johnson twice in a row, almost flattened him on one. There is so much potential with Ansah, he just needs some time and attention to put it together.

[Dr Positivity]

When is your latest mock going to be ready?

I did one yesterday:
http://www.detroitlionsdraft.com/2013/0 ... ock-draft/

I'll have one here on RealGM either Sat. or Sunday.

GENO

[SpeedyG]

I absolutely do not understand why everyone thinks Ansah is a 3-4 OLB. He played more downs at nose tackle than he did OLB in college and was primarily a 3-4 end. Hes not shown the ability to get around people. His game is all power.

That's my primary issue with Ansah: I don't know where to play him. Athletically his game most closely resembles Demarcus Ware, but he doesn't know how to use it yet. I think his best fit is as a 4-3 strongside end but he doesn't know how to stack the edge at all. His power is all straightforward and comes in one burst, doesn't sustain it. In a 3-4 I would want to line him up tighter than most teams like to put their LDE, even let him play inside and over he tackle shading into the B gap.

As I put it in the mock draft in the above link, Ansah will do nothing for you on 36 of the 40 snaps he gets a game as a rookie. And I mean nothing. But he can do more with the 4 plays he does something than most guys can do in two weeks. He did some things during Senior Bowl week, including and especially the game, that I've not seen 3 other people ever able to do. I've never seen a guy at that size spin so quick and burst out of it so violently. The only guy close was Bruce Smith and that's from the Bills heyday. He was working with the coaches on the side during a drill and they were teaching him about aiming his hands, because he had been getting them too wide and was losing power and jolt. He went in the next set of reps and blasted the hell out of Lane Johnson twice in a row, almost flattened him on one. There is so much potential with Ansah, he just needs some time and attention to put it together.

Ansah is so intriguing though. A guy that size being able to move the way he does? He's smart, seems to take into coaching....

So raw yet so much potential.

There are days I look at the Jags and think "man what if we take Ansah?". That's probably a bit too high for him to go, but I'm not really sure.

One other thing, is that the Jaguars are apparently going to use more Analytics when it comes to evaluation of talent. There are a few out there for QBs. Anything that measures out DEs?

[BearTooth]

When is your latest mock going to be ready?

I did one yesterday:
http://www.detroitlionsdraft.com/2013/0 ... ock-draft/

I'll have one here on RealGM either Sat. or Sunday.

I didn't see Justin Hunter anywhere. Was that an oversight on my (or your) part? Or do you really think he won't get selected in the first four rounds?

[studcrackers]

heard any cowboys rumblings lately jeff?

[Icness]

When is your latest mock going to be ready?

I did one yesterday:
http://www.detroitlionsdraft.com/2013/0 ... ock-draft/

I'll have one here on RealGM either Sat. or Sunday.

I didn't see Justin Hunter anywhere. Was that an oversight on my (or your) part? Or do you really think he won't get selected in the first four rounds?

I don't believe he sniffs the first two rounds. You can be a lot of things negatively in the NFL but one label you cannot shake is "soft", and that is very much the word on Hunter. Maybe some team will surprise me and take him as high as the late 40s but I'm guessing (it's a guess) that he falls a lot further than fans think. Too many WRs clustered together in that 2nd-4th round range to possibly figure out what order they go in.

[Icness]

heard any cowboys rumblings lately jeff?

I will be at TAMU pro day on Friday and the Boys will be there en masse. Stay tuned!

[Justin33]

When the Patriots cut Brandon Lloyd the Pats will be just south of 30 million under the cap how do you see them spending it and how does it efectthe draft,Thanks Jeff

[Icness]

When the Patriots cut Brandon Lloyd the Pats will be just south of 30 million under the cap how do you see them spending it and how does it efectthe draft,Thanks Jeff

Some of the $$ is going to Talib, Welker, Vollmer, or some combination of that. They're certainly going to kick the tires on Jake Long. Cliff Avril will get a look too. Their draft is impossible to forecast at this point. Remember that not even their own coordinators know who the pick will be until the name gets announced.

[Da Schwab]

How sought after will Jake Long actually be? I know he's asking for a boat load of cash, but signing him would definitely switch up the first round a bit, right?

I guess what I'm trying to ask is, do the Chiefs offer him anything and make an unorthodox pick in April, or is Luke Joeckel a lock?

[Justin33]

When the Patriots cut Brandon Lloyd the Pats will be just south of 30 million under the cap how do you see them spending it and how does it efectthe draft,Thanks Jeff

Some of the $$ is going to Talib, Welker, Vollmer, or some combination of that. They're certainly going to kick the tires on Jake Long. Cliff Avril will get a look too. Their draft is impossible to forecast at this point. Remember that not even their own coordinators know who the pick will be until the name gets announced.

Rumors are around here is they may let Talib and Vollmer walk

[Icness]

How sought after will Jake Long actually be? I know he's asking for a boat load of cash, but signing him would definitely switch up the first round a bit, right?

I guess what I'm trying to ask is, do the Chiefs offer him anything and make an unorthodox pick in April, or is Luke Joeckel a lock?

Joeckel is no lock at all. Eric Fisher is just as likely. Could be Ziggy Ansah and no I'm not kidding. Sheldon Richardson is the only other real option unless they pull a stunner.

Long picked a bad time to hit free agency. The tackle class is fantastic and deep. Long himself is coming off an injury that made him look less than he has been, and back injuries are bright flags with offensive linemen. I suspect he's going to have to swallow a short deal along the lines of what Eric Winston got last year, which was 4 yr/$22M but the 4th year is essentially on paper only. Long will probably push that number to $25M but I don't see him getting more than that.