Our WR's

[dbolan]

I have been a fan for at least 20 years...So tell me why we have not had a REAL standout reciever WITH a complimentary #2??

I remember J.J. Birden, Willie Davis, Derrick Alexander and Joe Horn and FEW more. Although Horn was not THE go to guy and Alexander on the tail end of his career.

What about Sylvester Morris? Nothing.

Whoever takes the helm, or stays at the helm, needs to be sure that we get 2 more noteworthy recievers.

Oh..A couple of more things..With TG and DB, that is a great start but we have to have some SPEED to compliment and keep the defense stretched.

[jmlamerson]

Without a doubt, there are several areas that need addressed and concerning WR's, I do not think that using our 1rst pick for one is wise.

Go to FA and pick up a very good reciever to compliment Bowe. This would push him to perform and have some veteran leadership. TJ Houshmenuada would be a very good compliment and there are others that will be available as well.

Again, why do we ALWAYS ignore our WR corp?

When Vermeil was here and we scored a lot of points, yes we had a better line and we had a running game as well. The O-line also needs time to GEL. Any team will attest to that. If the entire line is on a constant shuffle from year to year, what do you expect?

As it stands, we really do not have a reciever that pulls multiple player coverage.

We need some speed with hands to compliment Bowe's size.

RB's, LB's and Linemen are a dime a dozen as well if you have enough scouting talent to notice them and use the right scheme to accentuate their strong points.

We have more WR talent on the team now than we did in any Vermeil year. Eddie Kennison was a trooper, but he had the skills of a low-end 2WR and he put up 1WR numbers because we had a good QB and great OL.

And you're not watching enough football if you think good linemen and LBs are a dome a dozen.

[dkennedy2323]

Our line can't hold blocks long enough for a WR to get open downfield.... and if they do, I'm not sure Thigpen has the arm strength or downfield accuracy to make those big-play throws.... We need to fix our line first... Bulking up on WR now would be like putting expensive chrome wheels on our '92 Corolla that keeps breaking down.

[chiefnut]

being a PSU fan i love Maybin, but he only has one year experience plus he is young and undersized. he will not make an immediate impact. if he drops down and we can get him to develop over two years he'll be great.

[jmlamerson]

That's why I said he'd be a great stand up pass rusher in a 3-4, similar to the roles Ware, Harrison, and Merriman play for their respective teams. His speed and ability to sack the QB are undeniable. This scouting report from 3 days ago says that he could be a future NFL sacks leader.

Aaron Maybin Scouting Report - 2009 NFL Draft Prospect

I really want to switch to a 3-4 at this point. It seems to be the sexy thing to do these days and the best scheme for getting consistent pressure on the QB. Obviously personnel is an issue at this point, but if Dorsey could make the move to 3-4 DE and we can sign a true NT I think it could work. I realize Dorsey's length isn't ideal for a 3-4 DE, but I believe with the right coaching he can do it well. I also believe that Maybin is a double digit sack guy as a 3-4 OLB.

One huge advantage is that quality 3-4 personnel is MUCH easier and cheaper to acquire than 4-3. The most difficult piece is getting a great NT to anchor it.

I agree that Maybin could be a great OLB in a 3-4. And I agree that moving to a 3-4 isn't a terrible idea. We just have to be prepared to have a bad couple of seasons, as a 3-4 takes time to gel and we have almost no personnel that are 3-4 players.

Our whole front seven would need to go. DJ is too soft for the 3-4, and our other LBs are hopeless. We could try Dorsey as a DE, but I'm not optimistic. Tyler, Hali, and Turk would obviously need to go. Page doesn't have a 1/10 of the toughness needed. I'm even worried about Flowers and Carr in the 3-4, as they'll have a lot more man coverage than they did this year. Pollard would probably have the best adjustment, as he could stop being thrown into 1 on 1 coverage all the time.

Frankly, I'm OK with ditching most of this lot. But it will take us a few seasons to build a legitimate 3-4 defense.

[yashi]

Our whole front seven would need to go. DJ is too soft for the 3-4, and our other LBs are hopeless. We could try Dorsey as a DE, but I'm not optimistic. Tyler, Hali, and Turk would obviously need to go. Page doesn't have a 1/10 of the toughness needed. I'm even worried about Flowers and Carr in the 3-4, as they'll have a lot more man coverage than they did this year. Pollard would probably have the best adjustment, as he could stop being thrown into 1 on 1 coverage all the time.

Frankly, I'm OK with ditching most of this lot. But it will take us a few seasons to build a legitimate 3-4 defense.

yeah, that's kind of the thing for me. I already see most of the personnel as hopeless anyway.

Here's an interesting one. I've heard reports from Detroit beat writers saying that they think it's less and less likely that the Lions will select a QB. IF the Lions and Rams both go OT, and it becomes clear that we'll be shifting to a 3-4, do we take a hard look at B.J. Raji to play NT? Senior Bowl scouts are already saying this guy is appearing to be far and away the best lineman in the draft, offensive or defensive. It's awkward even thinking it considering we took Dorsey last year, but how many players are capable of being a complete difference maker in run defense? We talk so much about how bad the pass rush was, but the run defense was awful too, 30th in the league.

Just a thought.

[leaves]

I'd like to see the change to 3-4. I mean, our defense can't get much worse, and I'd really like to see DJ and Hali be able to use their speed since the past system (and coordination) made Hali useless and Johnson got stuck up doing the MLB thing of waiting for guys to come to you.

[jmlamerson]

yeah, that's kind of the thing for me. I already see most of the personnel as hopeless anyway.

Here's an interesting one. I've heard reports from Detroit beat writers saying that they think it's less and less likely that the Lions will select a QB. IF the Lions and Rams both go OT, and it becomes clear that we'll be shifting to a 3-4, do we take a hard look at B.J. Raji to play NT? Senior Bowl scouts are already saying this guy is appearing to be far and away the best lineman in the draft, offensive or defensive. It's awkward even thinking it considering we took Dorsey last year, but how many players are capable of being a complete difference maker in run defense? We talk so much about how bad the pass rush was, but the run defense was awful too, 30th in the league.

Just a thought.

If Lions and Rams both got OT, and we want to go with a 3-4, we need to pick Maualuga. I don't mind trading back into the 1st round to get Raji (which we could probably do between 15-20) if he's as good as you say, but Maualuga is the best defensive player in this draft, and he was built to play ILB in a 3-4.

Also, some mixture of Monroe, Oher, and Smith will be available to us at 3, so if we're determined to get a LT, a good one should be available.

[yashi]

If Lions and Rams both got OT, and we want to go with a 3-4, we need to pick Maualuga. I don't mind trading back into the 1st round to get Raji (which we could probably do between 15-20) if he's as good as you say, but Maualuga is the best defensive player in this draft, and he was built to play ILB in a 3-4.

Also, some mixture of Monroe, Oher, and Smith will be available to us at 3, so if we're determined to get a LT, a good one should be available.

So far scouts have been impressed with Maualuga's tenacity and aggressiveness at the Senior Bowl. Apparently he looks like he's trying to murder the ball carrier every play. There's no doubt he'll be a machine in the running game.

The funny thing is they're saying his biggest asset is also his biggest weakness. Because he's so aggressive, he tends to over-pursue or get caught out of position at times.

Some more about Raji from Todd McShay:

On Monday, we said that Boston College DT B.J. Raji is the clear front-runner to emerge as the top prospect at lineman -- defensive or offensive -- in his class by the time we leave Mobile. After this morning's practice, we now feel that he is one of the top two or three prospects here regardless of position. Raji continues to showcase his rare blend of size, burst and agility, and he manhandled highly touted Oregon C Max Unger on more than one occasion. In fact, he got under Unger's pads, drove him back and then put him on his back on one snap during one-on-one pass-rushing drills.

If he keeps it up, I see him finding a spot in the first 10 selections. I really wouldn't be opposed to drafting anyone that isn't named Stafford or Sanchez at this point, be it Maualuga or someone else as long as they can be a difference maker and not someone who we easily forget is on the field (e.g. Dorsey this year). I think if Maualuga was more of a vocal leader type who could pump up his teammates, I'd be all over him, but everything I've read indicates that he barely talks. He's kind of like a quiet Ray Lewis.

[jmlamerson]

So far scouts have been impressed with Maualuga's tenacity and aggressiveness at the Senior Bowl. Apparently he looks like he's trying to murder the ball carrier every play. There's no doubt he'll be a machine in the running game.

The funny thing is they're saying his biggest asset is also his biggest weakness. Because he's so aggressive, he tends to over-pursue or get caught out of position at times.

Some more about Raji from Todd McShay:

On Monday, we said that Boston College DT B.J. Raji is the clear front-runner to emerge as the top prospect at lineman -- defensive or offensive -- in his class by the time we leave Mobile. After this morning's practice, we now feel that he is one of the top two or three prospects here regardless of position. Raji continues to showcase his rare blend of size, burst and agility, and he manhandled highly touted Oregon C Max Unger on more than one occasion. In fact, he got under Unger's pads, drove him back and then put him on his back on one snap during one-on-one pass-rushing drills.

If he keeps it up, I see him finding a spot in the first 10 selections. I really wouldn't be opposed to drafting anyone that isn't named Stafford or Sanchez at this point, be it Maualuga or someone else as long as they can be a difference maker and not someone who we easily forget is on the field (e.g. Dorsey this year). I think if Maualuga was more of a vocal leader type who could pump up his teammates, I'd be all over him, but everything I've read indicates that he barely talks. He's kind of like a quiet Ray Lewis.

The only knock I've every heard on Raji is that he's just a little too short to be a traditional NT in a 3-4. He's listed as 6'1", but it wouldn't shock me if he were really a couple inches shorter. I want him measured before we pick him.

And I agree, we'd be nuts to take either Stafford or Sanchez in the 1st. Frankly, I see both dropping like stones until the middle of the round, when teams like the Vikings, Jets, and Bucs pick.

[yashi]

The only knock I've every heard on Raji is that he's just a little too short to be a traditional NT in a 3-4. He's listed as 6'1", but it wouldn't shock me if he were really a couple inches shorter. I want him measured before we pick him.

And I agree, we'd be nuts to take either Stafford or Sanchez in the 1st. Frankly, I see both dropping like stones until the middle of the round, when teams like the Vikings, Jets, and Bucs pick.

I agree, ideally he'd be at least around 6'3" or 6'4", though Casey Hampton is the best of the best when it comes it NTs, and he's listed at 6'1" 325.

Here's a listing of all Senior Bowl measurements:

Draft Countdown - 2009 Senior Bowl Weigh-In

gotta love that comment, "Stocky fireplug with a huge butt".

6'1 5/8", 334 lbs. Nice to see he's on the taller side of 6'1" and actually bigger than his listed weight of 323. Normally I'd say he just put away some double cheeseburgers before the weigh in, but being that he's performing so well I don't think that's the case.