A Matthews Defense?

 It's very rare, but how often do you see two brothers line up on the same defense? Though it still might not happen this year, the Green Bay Packers have the opportunity to draft Casey Matthews, the Oregon Ducks star middle linebacker who is the younger brother of near NFL Defensive Player of the Year Clay Matthews.

Casey may not be the dominating physical specimen that Clay is, but he was the leader of the Oregon defense, had 4 interceptions this past season, and forced a crucial Cam Newton fumble in the second half of the BCS Championship Game that almost won the Ducks the game (hmmm, a Super Bowl similarity perhaps...). Casey is a better cover linebacker than Clay and he, himself, believes he has better instincts than his brother. However, the extent to which he converts to a 3-4 defense has yet to be seen, as he is described as more of a 4-3 linebacker. 

Still, how awesome would it be to have Casey line up as a middle linebacker from time to time or fill in for injury alongside Clay. Casey is another one of those relentless, hard-working players that Ted Thompson loves to have and seems to have pass rush ability to go with good tackling. A possible third round pick, Green Bay will surely release Nick Barnett this off-season and does not have another middle linebacker to be a fill-in player.

Shedding light on JJ Watt

Though Todd McShay recently listed him as the Redskins 10th overall pick, I've been watching more and more mock drafts push Wisconsin DE JJ Watt down to pick 17 and 18 of the Patriots and Chargers; this is terrible! Wisconsin-connection aside, I believe Watt is one of the top 10 players in this draft and would still be the Cowboys pick at #9 on most people's boards if Tyron Smith hadn't quickly shot up. Watt adds a blend of power (34 bench press reps) and speed (as low as 4.76) that most 3-4 DEs do not have, to go with his non-stop motor and "football player" personality. Almost every one of his measurables are among the top 5 DEs in the draft and after playing TE previously, his potential is still high. I know that if any team past pick 15 gets Watt, they will end up getting the steal of the 1st round.

Packers 7-Round Mock

This is a way I could see the Packers draft shaping up if I were assessing their holes and interests. Could potentially see a DE going much sooner than this, especially if the Pack feels Cameron Heyward is worthy of their top pick. Another guy to keep an eye on is OT Anthony Carpenter of Alabama, who has great potential and could be a 2nd round pick.

1. OT Derek Sherrod - Mississippi St.
2. OG Rodney Hudson - Florida St.
3. RB Taiwan Jones - Eastern Washington
4. CB Buster Skrine - UT-Chattanooga
4. WR Austin Pettis - Boise St.
5. QB Greg McElroy - Alabama
6. KR/WR Shaky Smithson - Utah
7. DT/DE Anthony Gray - Southern Miss
7. OLB Marc Schiechl - Colorado School of the Mines

Draft Talk - April 17, 2011

• -          Reports show that Cam Newton seems to have taken the lead for being the number one pick by the Panthers. Coach Ron Rivera says he is convinced that Newton is worthy of the number one pick and also convinced of his arm and mechanics.
• -          Marcell Dareus will not get past Denver at #2 say many analysts who say the Broncos are in love with this guy and new coach John Fox’s main priority is upgrading the defensive line
• -          Dallas has been linked to USC OT Tyron Smith with the #9 pick, as Cowboys staff sees him as a great lineman at the next level. They need someone to protect Tony Romo.
• -          Colts worked out Nevada’s QB Colin Kaepernick, while Patriots worked out QB Jake Locker. Both franchises have future Hall of Fame QBs who are getting to the final stages of their careers and may be looking for a QB to develop in the next few years.
• -          Locker also said to be highly coveted by the Vikings who have the 12^th pick and may draft him, as reports say he will get drafted by pick 16 of the Jaguars
• -          One guy slipping is Clemson DE DaQuan Bowers, whose knee concerns, out of shape, and poor measurable at his pro day could potentially even drop him out of the first round. I do, however, feel he will be drafted in at least the late first round, as he was widely considered to be the possible first pick of the draft earlier in the offseason
• -          Guys I scouted this week: RB Ryan Williams of VT, who has size concerns at 5’9, but is built stockier and has a bit of power to complement his patience and decisiveness to hit the hole when he sees it. Only problem is that he lacks breakaway speed. Could be a starting RB if he stays healthy – injury history with torn hamstring. Unproven with only one great year – his freshman year, as he came out after his sophomore season.
• -          OT Ben Ijalana of Villanova – built like a mauling lineman in the mold of Jason Peters. Dominated the lower division 1 level and has the potential to be a fantastic pass blocker. Needs to work on recognizing blocks in the run game quicker in order to be solid in this area at the next level.
• -          OT/G Orlando Franklin of Miami looks like a bust. Potential second round pick, but consistently got beat in pass protection by speedier DE’s and didn’t hold up all that well in the running game either.
• -          OT Derek Sherrod of Mississippi St. impressed me with his size and ability to pass protect. He really was able to isolate his opposition in the passing game, but like Ijalana has some work to do in the run game. Should be a first round pick and be a solid contributor quickly.

DRAFT TALK - April 10, 2011

-          DE Adrian Clayborn of Iowa is meeting some skepticism because of his right arm injury that doesn’t seem to heal. Might have to play RE only in the pros to take pressure off that arm and his stock has possibly dropped from a first round prospect to a second.

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      DaQuan Bowers’s pro day is coming up and will be watched heavily. If he can show that his knee injury will not prevent him from playing at full power, he could move back into a top 3 pick. He had surgery on that knee following this past season and did not fully participate in all the drills at the Combine

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      After his pro day, it seems as if OT Anthony Castonzo of Boston College has emerged as the top tackle in this class. Right behind him are Tyron Smith and Nate Solder, all fighting to be the first selected. Gabe Carimi of Wisconsin is probably a bit behind them due to the belief he will only be a RT in the pros.

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      I watched highlights of RB Mikel Leshoure of Illinois the other day. He’s widely regarded as the second best RB in this draft, but seemed to run way too straight up for my liking – exposes himself to injury. Only ran a 4.59 40 at the combine and his lack of breakaway speed showed up on tape. Now he does have some agility that makes him dangerous, but how that will translate to NFL defenses has yet to be seen. I know Mendenhall has turned out well in the NFL, but I thought he had more tools to work with.

o   Not too fond of the RB’s in this draft in general. I think a lot of them are overrated. Mark Ingram could turn out to be someone productive because of how low he runs to the ground and has some moves and power, but he does lack great speed.  Still should be the only RB selected in the first round.

o   Only ones I would draft would be Delone Carter of Syracuse, who offers the one-cut style, along with the exceptional ability to read his blockers, and DeMarco Murray of Oklahoma, who offers a threat as a receiver, runner, and returner.

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       WR’s picked after Green and Jones – will there be any others in the first round?

o   Jonathan Baldwin – Pitt – size – possession and red zone

o   Leonard Hankerson – Miami – possession

o   Titus Young – Boise St. – speed

o   Torrey Smith – Maryland – speed

o   Randall Cobb – Kentucky - speed

o   Jerrel Jernigan of Troy - slot receiver like Wes Welker

o   After all this WR talk, one guy I find to be a sleeper after watching him during a game this year against V-Tech is Austin Pettis of Boise St. His teammate Titus Young gets all the attention, but Pettis is a solid WR, similar style to the Giants Steve Smith. Could be 5th-6th round steal.

My Top 5 First Round Fits

1. Bills #3 - QB Cam Newton - Auburn
- strong arm and spiral will handle Buffalo weather well ... dual threat quarterback that gives the Bills a playmaker they simply lack and someone who can get the ball to Lee Evans ... with CJ Spiller, Newton will be surrounded with a speedster that can be a checkdown back and take pressure off of him in year one.

2. Eagles #23 - CB Jimmy Smith - Colorado
- Have you ever noticed that Eagles cornerbacks tend to have a certain physical style to them that separates them from other cornerbacks? There's just that Eagle style and Smith fits it perfectly. 6'2 with a 4.46 40 ... solid wrap-up tackler ... attacks the ball in mid-air ... has experience in press coverage where he can jam receivers ... off-the-field troubles, but Andy Reid is known to give players second chances

3. Cowboys #9 - DE JJ Watt - Wisconsin
- The Cowboys have had many productive run-stuffing, pass rushing D-lineman within the past decade, but recently have seen trouble in their defense at DE. The team will let go of Marcus Spears, a first round pick that never really turned into the player they thought he would be. Enter JJ Watt, who has the perfect size for a 3-4 end, turned in a top 5 40 time of all linemen at the combine, will work his butt off to be the best he can be, and easily could become a scary matchup for NFL offensive linemen, as Watt would clear room for LB DeMarcus Ware.

4. Browns #6 - WR AJ Green - Georgia

- Though I could easily see the Browns jump on NT Nick Fairley to be an anchor for their 3-4 scheme, AJ Green could be the top receiver the Browns have neglected to take since they drafted Braylon Edwards several years ago and traded him a year and a half ago ... Green can go up and get the jump ball, possesses great playing speed, has athleticism similar to Calvin Johnson, and is not afraid to go over the middle with his good hands ... instantly will give the Browns a playmaker on offense to help the quarterback chosen (i.e. Colt McCoy)

5. Packers #32 - LB Brooks Reed - Arizona
- Green Bay could pass on OLB in round one because of the production they have gotten from Erik Walden and Frank Zombo, but Reed could give them even more depth. Reed is a talent that little people know about. His long blonde hair will draw instant comparisons to other Packers linebackers like AJ Hawk and, of course, Clay Matthews. Playing opposite of Matthews, Reed can use his 4.68 speed and relentless power and pursuit to become another defensive force on the Pack's roster.

Mock Draft from Walter Football

Walter Football has the Packers taking Jonathan Baldwin in the first round and DeMarco Murray in the third - this would be my dream come true!!!!!