New Mock Draft: Raiden's Uberquick Draft

[l.a. no-teamers]

Victor Cruz isn't a #1 receiver. Hakeem Nicks is the Giants #1.

Where they were drafted has every bit of relevance as to where those type of receivers get drafted and projecting where Robert Woods will be drafted.

Getting 6'1" and under receivers to be drafted in the top 10 is not common. It is a rarity. Justin Blackmon did, but in my opinion, should not have and Blackmon had almost 30lbs on Woods. He was also considered by many to project as a lower end #1 receiver.

If the question is CAN Robert Woods be a #1 receiver in the NFL, the answer is of course yes, but would I pick Robert Woods to be my team's #1? No, I would not. If you want to make that play, be my guest. I will take Keenan Allen between the two.

Leave it to the over the top USC homer to take offense to a guy being labeled as a top 10-15 pick. You may want to skip me talking about how Matt Barkley is a Top 10-15 pick as well and wait for me to gush over T.J. McDonald who is a 1st round talent who may end up in round 2.

You're obviously not even reading anything I'm saying. I dont have issues with you saying he's a top 10-15 pick. If you actually read my first post, I said he's not gonna go as high as #2 and will drop lower. Did you just not read that part?

My issue is your flat out wrong assertion that he is 1) too small, and 2) drops too many passes. Those are just wrong. Watch the tape. I went back and did, why don't you?

And of course, use the homer card when all other arguments fail. Such a convenient card to play. Notice I never once disputed your assessment of Barkley in this thread.

But I can easily play that game too. Leave it to the admitted USC hater for saying a 6'1'' WR with one of the surest hands in the country is too small and drops too many passes.

RD, who has known me for years, could tell you I've always had a very fair assessment on USC guys. I'm not always right, but I'm always fair.

[Peter Smith]

Hands, I will give you.

Size, we can agree to disagree on... I love his feet to allow him to gain separation, because I think there are corners that could out physical him without too much effort

[l.a. no-teamers]

Hands, I will give you.

Size, we can agree to disagree on... I love his feet to allow him to gain separation, because I think there are corners that could out physical him without too much effort

Fair enough. I dont see his average size coming into play, and regardless of where he is drafted, I think he's going to be a perennial pro-bowler (barring injuries). I just think route running alone will make him a special player

For what it's worth, as it stands now, I think Barkley's future isn't as sure of a thing, so i'm also uneasy about projections of him being #1 overall. He's obviously very good, and he'll go down as one of the most beloved USC players of all-time, but he's a tricky one to project. He's a cerebral player, that's his main strength. Difficult to project that into the NFL accurately. I've been asked how he stacks up against recent USC QBs, and if I ignore how things have unfolded in the NFL, and simply project how I felt about them at the draft, I'd actually rate Sanchez above Barkley. Sanchez was more raw, but he appeared more fluid as well. Barkley's got this year to get better though, so we'll see

I dont see TJ Mcdonald as a first rounder, but I'm projecting that on the basis that a recent local safety, Rahim Moore, who I believe is the better player, couldn't crack the first round. Different draft, different needs, so we'll see if that's a fair assessment.

[Peter Smith]

I like what Woods does and I think he could see a lot of Hawaii as well. Like a suped up version of Steve Smith. His feet are as good as anyone out there. I worry about his ability to hold up, his ability to block, and how easily he will beat jams at the next level.

Everything about Barkley's NFL future will be about fit. He would simply be miscast in certain systems. Honestly, the guy that comes to mind when I watch Matt Barkley is Jeff Garcia with a better arm. If you put Barkley in a WCO, I think he could be great like Garcia was or better. If he's put in a vertical passing game, I think it would be a terrible fit and really hurt what he could be at QB. I despised Sanchez coming out. I really like Barkley.

I liked Rahim Moore, but I love T.J. McDonald and I think the only thing that will keep him out of the 1st round is a glut of talent both at safety and in the draft overall. I had Taylor Mays pegged and where Mays was a physical freak with terrible hips and no instincts, I think McDonald has the ability to be special right now. We'll see how this season shakes out, but I think he gets overshadowed by other Trojans.

[Chris Raiden]

Just looking at the broad strokes here

Matt Barkley will not be the #1 pick unless a West System is picking and they don't like what others bring to the table. I will get more in depth on this when I do the quarterback preview, but for all the things Barkley does well, he is small and his arm is not overwhelming. Right now, he's no higher than 3rd for me behind Tyler Wilson and Logan Thomas, whom I expect to end up as the top quarterback. And the bad news for Barkley is there are a couple other guys who could jump him before April arrives. I think he will still ultimately be a Top 10 pick caliber quarterback, but he is going to be picked apart and it has already started.

I like Logan Thomas, but right now, to me, he has the physical tools of a top five pick and the accuracy of a fourth round developmental guy. I think he could fix it, but I'm not seeing an obvious mechanical flaw (i.e. Locker) that explains it and is fixable quickly, which gives me pause in thinking he'll rise quickly this year. I see a guy who struggles to get to 60% in a system with a lot of bubble screens and I'm not terribly impressed with that. Love a lot of the other things in his game, but I can't get behind the accuracy.

[Peter Smith]

I like Logan Thomas, but right now, to me, he has the physical tools of a top five pick and the accuracy of a fourth round developmental guy. I think he could fix it, but I'm not seeing an obvious mechanical flaw (i.e. Locker) that explains it and is fixable quickly, which gives me pause in thinking he'll rise quickly this year. I see a guy who struggles to get to 60% in a system with a lot of bubble screens and I'm not terribly impressed with that. Love a lot of the other things in his game, but I can't get behind the accuracy.

I think there are a few things with Thomas. I think he is farther along than Josh Freeman and some of the other guys at this stage of his career. I think he is more accurate than he is given credit for or his stats indicate. I need to go back and watch all of the tape again, but you look at a game like Miami where he was something like 22/25 and he is not just hitting passes, but he is putting the ball where it should go for his guys.

I also think his supporting cast and the offense hold him back. I don't know if they plan to flesh out the playbook for him this coming year, but it just seemed overly basic when I saw him play last year.

And lastly, he just needs to get more consistent. He and E.J. Manuel might have the 10 best passes of any QB coming into this class, but they also have the 10 worst just like Ryan Mallett did.

He is only going to be a junior, so this should be the year he would make a big jump. Can he make that jump and does he have the talent and support around him to enable him to do it?

[Chris Raiden]

I think there are a few things with Thomas. I think he is farther along than Josh Freeman and some of the other guys at this stage of his career. I think he is more accurate than he is given credit for or his stats indicate. I need to go back and watch all of the tape again, but you look at a game like Miami where he was something like 22/25 and he is not just hitting passes, but he is putting the ball where it should go for his guys.

I also think his supporting cast and the offense hold him back. I don't know if they plan to flesh out the playbook for him this coming year, but it just seemed overly basic when I saw him play last year.

And lastly, he just needs to get more consistent. He and E.J. Manuel might have the 10 best passes of any QB coming into this class, but they also have the 10 worst just like Ryan Mallett did.

He is only going to be a junior, so this should be the year he would make a big jump. Can he make that jump and does he have the talent and support around him to enable him to do it?

I'll go back and watch the Miami game. The ones I saw were Michigan and North Carolina, and he was missing. It's very possible it's consistency, which I buy with a sophomore.

E.J.'s definitely got some pretty throws to look at, and I admire what he's been able to do. That offense has produced an NFL starter (for the moment, Matt Flynn), so I'm interested to see what he does this year with another year under his belt and hopefully better blocking.

[Champ]

I think if Dallas is picking 14, they will look into drafting a QB and Romo's era will be over.