FREE AGENCY AND MOCK DRAFT

[bglymph04]

FREE AGENCY AND MOCK DRAFT
Mike Tolbert, RB, Chargers. Age: 26. He is a power runner with solid pass blocking and pass-catching ability.
Pierre Garcon, WR, Colts. Age: 26. He had some big games with Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky at quarterback
Ben Grubbs, G, Ravens. Age: 28.He's a talented guard who is a slightly better run blocker than pass protector.
Curtis Lofton, ILB, Falcons. Age: 26. Curtis Lofton is a Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker and a leader.
Cortland Finnegan, CB, Titans. Age: 28.Great cover corner and tackler.

POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES ARE FROM SIDELINESCOUTING.COM
RD1. Morris Claiborne - Louisiana State (HT: 5-11⅛ - WT: 188)
Positives -- The clear top corner in this draft, there is no debate about it... Good size at just over 5'11" yet plays much bigger... Extremely physical at the line of scrimmage with both his body and hands... Is a true cover corner and has been touted as a better corner than former teammate and 2011 #5 overall pick Patrick Peterson... Good speed and fluid hips allows Claiborne to keep up with elite receivers... Starting number one corner for the number two total and scoring defense in the country... Faced some of the toughest receiving talent in the country on a weekly basis in the SEC... Possesses the ability to be an elite lockdown corner at the next level against elite NFL receivers... Excellent ability to recover and defend against tight throws... Can handle elite talent without safety help over the top... Takes great angles to the ball and maintains leverage against bigger receivers... A sound tackler and willing to play inside the box to bring down running backs... Maintains extremely close coverage forcing quarterbacks to throw to other receivers... Consistent producer at the highest level of college football... Has the speed and intelligence to bait quarterbacks into making throws he can make plays on... Has great big play ability that will translate to the professional level.
Negatives -- A bit overly reliant on his natural physical tools and still needs to be coached up some on technique, gets too high in his backpedal... Can be overaggressive at times and will get beat over the top... Has adequate size but can be taken out of plays by above average blockers... Does not have the special teams return ability showcased by Patrick Peterson or Tyron Mathieu... Can be caught staring into the backfield at times or looking to make the big play... Does not always display consistent hands... Ran a bit slower than expected at the combine with a 4.50-40; however, not detrimental to his draft stock, remains a top ten lock.

RD2. Lavonte David, OLB, Nebraska
There are few weakside 4-3 linebacker prospects who find themselves pushing for first-round consideration, but with the right fit, David would make an excellent pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.
He's won numerous awards in his career, ranging from first and second-team All American and even the Huskers' team defensive MVP last year. David's ability to seal the edge and excel in man-to-man coverage make him an exciting linebacker in college football. Most prospects really do well playing downhill and getting after the quarterback or can dominate when it comes to sheer athleticism, but David is already a solid contributor who can come in with little preparation and potentially start right away.
David doesn't show a lot of flash as a pass rusher at this time. Due to his average height and weight, he struggles disengaging from offensive linemen or having the top-end speed to break the corner on a blitz. What he can do is use his fluid hips in open space to keep an eye on tight ends over the middle and running backs in the flat. He's a sound tackler who rarely overplays and does well to play within his assignment.
Due to his good, but not great athleticism, some teams may opt to take the player who could potentially develop better all-around skills which will ultimately hurt his draft value slightly.

RD3.LaMichael James - Oregon (HT: 5-8 - WT: 194)
Positives -- Good speed, broke a ton of big plays in college and reaches his top speed extremely quickly... Home run threat, looks like is on the brink of breaking a long run every time he touches the ball... Averaged over seven yards per carry as a junior... Has a great mix of hesitation moves, makes it really hard for defenders to figure out where he's going... Changes direction very quickly... Does a good job keeping his legs going forward, doesn't dance too much... Great vision, good fit in a zone blocking scheme... Program pedigree for putting running backs into the NFL (Onterrio Smith, Maurice Morris, Jonathan Stewart, Jermiah Johnson, LeGarrette Blount)... Led the nation in rushing in 2010... Has had six 200-yard games over the past two years... Ran for over 5,000 yards in only three years at Oregon... Surprisingly good runner between the tackles, gets a lot of yards up the middle.
Negatives -- Frail build, might not be an every down back in the NFL... Better at making people miss than shedding tacklers, defenders have been able to drag him to the ground... Inexperienced pass blocker, struggles with blitz pickup and can get bull rushed into the quarterback... Hasn't been asked to run a lot of routes of the backfield... Inconsistent hands, drops some easy balls... Minor character concerns after being suspended for the first game of the 2010 season for a domestic violence charge during the offseason... Dislocated his right elbow in an October game against California... Was taken out of Oregon's last regular season game in 2011 due to a left elbow injury.

RD5. Desmond Wynn - Rutgers (HT: 6-5½ - WT: 303)

RD6. Cliff Harris - Oregon (HT: 5-11⅛ - WT: 175)
Positives -- Explosive player with plenty of big play aggression and ability... Has the physical tools and instincts to be an elite player at cornerback with the proper coaching... Fluid hips and ball hawking ability, looks like a young Asante Samuel on tape... Great cover corner with the talent to develop into a good all-around corner given time... Experienced starter against elite talent in Pac-12 on a week to week basis... Entered the year as one of the top corners in country coming off a sophomore year as a second team All-American... Broke up 23 passes and averaged 18.8 yards per punt return as a sophomore, and set an Oregon record with four punt return touchdowns... A projection pick with the potential to be a steal looking back a few years from now... Has the upside of a late first or early second round pick, just needs to stay on the field.
Negatives -- Good height but bulk is a big concern at just 175 pounds, will need to seriously bulk up in the offseason if he intends to compete against elite receivers in the NFL... Requires safety help over the top to compensate for his lack of speed, ran just a 4.64-40 at the combine... Receivers will take advantage of Harris's size by getting physical early... Harris will compensate for his size by playing off coverage at times and trying to bait throws... Overaggressive at times, and like many other aggressive corners is prone to biting on double moves and pump fakes... Legitimate off the field concerns that eventually led to his dismissal from Oregon... Was cited in June for driving a rental car 118 mph with a suspended license and suspended for the 2011 season opener, then missed the final five games of the regular season and Pac-12 championship game following a subsequent citation in late October for driving with a suspended license, without a seatbelt and without valid insurance... The final straw was a citation for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana on November 25... Despite his on-field ability he won't be considered until day three at the earliest due to character concerns.

Travis Benjamin- University of Miami Height: 5-9⅞ | Weight: 172 | 40-Time: 4.36

[REDandPEWTER]

This is actually very good. Only thing I don't agree with is taking a WLB in round 2. If we land a guy like Lofton, we'll be able to solve our WLB psotion by moving Foster over.

That's pretty much the only issue i ahve with this. Grubbs, Finnegan, Tolbert, Garcon, and Lofton might be a little much, but we have the money. Probably won't get all of them, but I think atleast 2 maybe 3 are possible.

[bucsfan333]

Sign me up. I love it.
_________________

[bglymph04]

[BBando]

Would I like this to happen? Yes. Will it? No.
_________________

[indifference]

[PolarBucc06]

Wow, thank you for saving me the time of creating my own mock offseason. This is almost to a T exactly how I was planning to do it. Only difference would be that I don't see us getting all of those free agents. I was planning to just go with Finnegan, Grubbs, and Garcon. Although don't get me wrong, I'd love all of those free agents, I just don't see it happening.

As for the Draft, I've been toying around with all 3 of those prospects in each slot. However, I'd probably go with Polk in rd 3. But since you went Tolbert in Free Agency James makes the most sense there.

I've also contemplated how things would change if we took Richardson in Rd 1 instead of Claiborne. In which case I would still go Lavonte David in the 2nd round, and then grab the corner in the 3rd (Brandon Boykin).

I think Lavonte David would be a great addition to our linebacker group. Even though the Buccs FO has made it clear that they want to move Mason Foster to OLB, I don't think they have said that it has to be WLB. So, Foster at SLB, Lofton at MLB, and David at WLB would be an amazing young group IMO.

[epicMustache]

I'd start screaming out of joy and probably never stop.
_________________