Torture Rack – The rack is commonly considered the most painful form of medieval torture.
This method was mostly used to extract confessions, as not confessing meant that the torturer could stretch more. Sometimes, torturers forced their victim to watch other people be tortured with this device to implant psychological fear.
Sometimes this method was limited to dislocating a few bones, but the torturer often went too far and rendered the legs or arms (sometimes both) useless. – Medievality.com
Now that the Chiefs have imported both Matt Cassel and Todd Haley, they’re married to their passing game. The Chiefs’ success now hinges on the success of their aerial attack. The good news is the NFL is increasingly becoming more and more of a passing league. Which is precisely why I think the Chiefs could go “all in” and select wide receiver Michael Crabtree, who’s the best prospect in this draft class if you ask me.
Crabtree is my option 1A when it comes to the Chiefs’ No. 3 pick in April’s draft.
My option 1B? DE/OLB Brian Orakpo.
In today’s pass-happy NFL, you have to get after the quarterback. Why do you think guys like Dwight Freeney, Jared Allen and Julius Peppers get shloads of money? Because they get shloads of sacks. Albert Haynesworth became the $100 million man because he’s the best pass-rushing defensive tackle since Warren Sapp was in his prime. The Chargers damn near missed the playoffs without Shawne Merriman. Without DeMarcus Ware, who knows how embarrassing the Cowboys’ season would have been. Without James Harrison, all those “Sixburgh” shirts would have been trashed.
When quarterbacks are airing it out 600 times every year, you need somebody who can get after them. Somebody who can make even the toughest of QBs piss their pants.
Last year, the Chiefs did not have that. In fact, last season opposing QBs had enough time to call their Internet service provider’s troubleshooting hotline and wait on standby. That’s not much of an exaggeration either. The Chiefs recorded 13 sacks last year, the all-time low for an NFL team since sacks started being tracked.
Now, it looks almost for certain that we are moving to the 3-4. We have Demorrio Williams, Derrick Johnson, Mike Vrabel and Monty Biesel. I’m pretty confident that in that group we have two inside backers and one outside backer. What I don’t think we have is a Harrison, Merriman or Ware that will make the lives of JaMarcus Russell, Jay Cutler (maybe — lmao!) and Phillip Rivers a living nightmare for the next 5-10 years.
We don’t need to draft a souped-up Derrick Johnson (Aaron Curry), because D.J. himself will be just fine. What we need is a fire-breathing, QB-swallowing demon. I’m pretty confident The Torture Rak could become that player for us. I think he can fill Jared Allen’s vacated cleats as an outside pass rusher as an OLB in our 3-4 defense. I really do.
Look at the senior years of some of the players I ‘m comparing him to:
Ware – 7 sacks and 55 total tackles
Merriman – 8.5 sacks and 85 total tackles
Orakpo – 11 sacks and 40 tackles
Keep in mind that Orakpo’s tackles could be down a bit because he played on such a stout defense. Both Merriman and Ware recorded less sacks as seniors than Orakpo, yet both have gone on to the lead the NFL in sacks early on in their careers. Orakpo could be next in line.
Everyone raves about Curry’s combine. That’s fine — he had a great combine. But other than their 40 times, Orakpo was better. His 39.5-inch vertical topped Curry’s (37), and he outbenched Curry by six reps. Hell, B.J. Raji and Jason Smith only had two more reps despite outweighing Rak by about 70 and 45 pounds, respectively. As for his 40, he pulled a hammy at the NFL combine. I’ve read he can get it into 4.63 territory when healthy. Even if Curry gets his down to a 4.5 flat, that’s not a huge difference. Especially when you consider that Orakpo is quite a bit bigger and stronger than Curry.
It’s been written that I assume Curry cannot rush the passer. That’s not so. What I assume is he isn’t going to be a dominant pass rusher in the NFL. Looking at his stats and the track records of similar players (LaVar Arrington, etc…), I think that’s a safe assumption. Look, I know he was great against the run and in coverage, but if he was really Derrick Thomas reincarnate then his coaches would have blitzed him more. Period. Even in the 4-3. According to ESPN, he had all of 9 sacks in college. That’s less than D.J. had in college, and D.J. has averaged 3 sacks per year as a pro. I’m just saying.
(By the way, I wasn’t high on Vince Young coming out of college. We all know how big of a fan of the Wonderlic I am for QBs. Now, as for Reggie Bush, I was a little bit higher on him and I believe he has shown his worth. Still, I had no problem with the Texans taking Mario Williams first overall. The move didn’t pay instant dividends, but he has been a monster in his second and third years.)
Everyone wants to compare Orakpo to Vernon Gholsten, too, but I don’t think the comparisons are all that valid. Gholsten was a freak of nature; Orakpo is a self-made freak. As former college and high school teammate Drew Kelson wrote he transformed himself from a “frail, stiff”kid into “one of the best and most physically gifted pass-rushers in Texas football history.” I don’t think we have to worry about this kid’s motor or work ethic. His combine paired with the stories about this kid are what has impressed me. I’m quickly becoming a believer.
So, there you have it. Either way, I want us to address the passing game with our first-round pick. If we go offense, the pick should be Crabtree. If we go defense, the pick should be Orakpo. We are set at inside linebacker and coverage outside backer, and taking one at No. 3, as I’ve repeated seemingly thousands of times, is reaching. We also should bypass taking a tackle. Branden Albert is going to be a fine left tackle. Besides, there are still good offensive lineman on the free agent market. And who’s to say William Beatty isn’t just as good as Jason Smith? To me, there is no clear-cut No. 1 OT in this draft. There is definitely both a clear-cut No. 1 pass rusher and WR.
If we don’t draft either Crabtree or Orakpo, I’m going to be very disappointed. The Torture Rak has his Pro Day on March 25, so we’ll keep an eye on that date.
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Let’s see how the pro day goes. But I’m still hoping for either Crabtree or Curry.
Offense, definitely Crabtree.
Defense, I Orakpo would be OK, Curry is more of an impact player all over the field though. We couldn’t stop the run last year, Curry will solve that problem. IF, I say again IF we go to a 3-4 then Orakpo over Everette Brown. If we stay base 4-3 then Brown is the better DE choice.
I like Everette Brown over Orakpo. And Reggie Bush has proved his worth? When? “He can’t go more than a few feet without falling down, like a drunk with an inner ear infection. But he’s a good model, he’s very handsome, and he uses that peak physical condition every Sunday to run into the back of his lineman and then stumble backwards. Fantastic.” – wwtdd.com
Adn if you don’t believe me, How about Todd McShay? Last November he rated Brown above Orakpo as the #1 pass rusher coming out of college:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft09/columns/story?columnist=mcshay_todd&id=3700830
Brown, 6-foot-4 and 252 pounds, had 13½ sacks this season and 21½ tackles for losses, ranking among the nation’s leaders.
Brown will be one of the top speed rushers in the NFL draft. Scouts Inc. draft expert Todd McShay has Brown rated as the ninth player in his Top 32.
I do not want to have Crabtree on our team. We are fine at the WR positions. We need to get more important holes filled…like the OL and the DL. Crabtree would be useless if we didnt have a line to protect our quarterback. Plus Curry is a good choice…but we need sacks. I think Orakpo should be our #3. He could rush from LB or be a DE…If we pass on him i really think we are going to be screwed, I’m not saying Curry won’t be an impact but just that Orakpo would be a bigger one.
I’m all for Orakpo. He’s my number 1 right now. I’ver heard that Maybin kid from Penn State had an awesome Pro Day. I believe they said his 40 was better than Curry’s at the Combine. Any ways, any of the three would work, but we need the pass rushing abilities of Orakpo the most.
I’ve given my 2 cents on Crabtree enough already. I think an OL would be a much better selection than him, if we chose to go Offense. An OL would be an instant impact in the running game and passing game.
Crabtree is the way to go here the defense can be addressed in later rounds. Orakpo is a good player but a reach at the 3rd pick.
Cal Poly WR Ramses Barden 6′6/227 a 6th or 7th round project?
I’ve read some things that have talked about Orakpo already reaching his ceiling. He is a workout warrior, but seems to have injury issues. If the choice is between him and Everette Brown, I’d take Brown. Having said that, I want to see Curry on this team. The Chiefs haven’t done much to improve the worst defense in the league. Curry could be the captain of this defense for the next decade. We need that much more than someone like Crabtree. He would be the ultimate wasted pick. Good thing we don’t have to worry about that happening. Pioli is a competent GM so he won’t be taking a WR at three. Especially, when there are so many other holes on this team.
Lets say the pick in Piolis mind comes down to Orakpo or Curry. With everything he has said about wanting smart football players with leadership qualities who do you think that he picks?
I don’t usually subscribe to stereotypes, but for some reason the “Texas players are soft” one always scares me away.
Zman:
I think you have touched on something very important, brains. One thing the Pats do is bring in smart players. With that measure, Curry would edge out Orakpo. However, both players are smart, high character leaders. I suspect that the combine interviews are going to play a huge role how the Chiefs answer the question you posed.
When I see Orakpo, I see a workout warrior who could very easily be the next bust. Yes he is quick around the edge, but do you really want to pay a guy a guaranteed $30 million who might not pan out? Curry, Monroe, Smith and maybe Crabtree have to be the pick. Let Cleveland or Cincy make the mistake of taking Orakpo.
“Now that the Chiefs have imported both Matt Cassel and Todd Haley, they’re married to their passing game. The Chiefs’ success now hinges on the success of their aerial attack.”
I’m surprised to hear you say that. The Cardinals made it to the play offs in maybe the weakest division in the NFL next to the AFC West. They changed their offense come playoff time and won the games because they handed it off to Edgerin James. You still have to run the ball in the NFL to win. Period. Why do you think the “Run-n-shoot” never worked?
I’m not sure the Chiefs wil take Curry even if he is on the board. The “pass rusher” seems to be the most important part of the defense in the 34. Shawn Merriman, DeMarcus Ware, Terrel Suggs. I think the Chiefs might take Orakapo or Brown even with Curry on the Board. Best case scenario is someone will covet Curry and want to trade wit the Chiefs, and they can pick up a second rounder this year.
At #3, if you don’t take the BPA, you are really not doing your team too many favours. It seems as though on almost every board and mock draft you look at Curry is slotted at least 6 spots ahead of Orakpo. It would be crazy to even tickle the idea of taking Orakpo if Curry is still there. Everyone seems to have Curry #1, and Crabtree #2 on the ranking scale. Curry is slightly ahead of Crabtree and fills a huge need for us, again we would be crazy not to pick up basicly the QB of our defence for the next 10 years. I’m also a bit tired of hearing this Curry can’t sack the qb arguement. It doesn’t seem that too many people “in the know” are too worried about this. The guy is 250 and runs a 4.5, sheds blockers better than anyone, is as explosive as anyone, and is very intellegent to boot. If he was told to go sack the qb, he has all the tools to do it. In school he played a big roll in pass coverage, is he supposed blow assignments just to try and pad his sack totals? I’m really not sure what more anyone could really ask of this guy, he seems almost like a dream for us and aside from this site I think most of the sporting world realizes this.
The other arguement that “only Crabtree is a game changer” would seemingly render Orakpo useless and is flat out untrue when applied to Curry. I know he has taken at least 3 picks to the house.
2383:
Well said. In college, Curry was not asked to be a pass rusher. So, it’s unfair to try to use his college sack totals to knock him. The question is, how do his pass rushing abilities translate to the NFL level? It looks like he can do just about everything else.
In the article it mentions how orakpo turned himself from a frail stiff kid into one of the best pass rushers to come out of texas. Well Curry was a 185lb kid that hardly got recruited and look what he has turned himself into. In my opinion Curry is a better football player than Orakpo. Turning the edge against right and left tackles in the Big 12 is a little different than the NFL.
Zman:
I agree that Curry is a better overall prospect than Orakpo. Personally, I am leaning towards Everette Brown as a pass rusher, not Orakpo.
Um, the Big 12 has had some pretty good tackles lately, including Jason Smith.
As for Everette Brown, aren’t we a little worried about his frame? I’m worried he’s a little lanky to be taking on LTs, especially if we play a 4-3/3-4 hybrid. Still, yes, I do prefer him to Curry as well.
Regardless of what Curry could possibly do, you draft a pass rusher based on his pass rushing resume. Saying Curry will be a great pass rusher is an assumption. It’s like saying Pat White will be a great slot receiver. The potential is there, but it’s no mortal lock.
Yes Jason Smith is a good tackle from the big 12 and i dont know how orakpo wouldve done against NFL caliber talent cause he didnt play against Baylor and i know he didnt register any sacks against Texas Tech id also be curious to find out how many of his 11 sacks were against right tackles vs left. If we’re looking for pruduction why not draft Selvie out of USF?
zman:
Alex Boone stoned Orakpo and Boone is a 5-6th round draft prospect last time I checked the ratings.
Adam:
The frame is a bit of a concern. However, Brown projects to a 3-4 better than Orakpo based on the scouting I have seen. If we are going to a hybrid and maybe a 3-4 in time, Brown would seem to be a better fit than Orakpo.
Pro Football Weekly on Orakpo’s negatives: “beaten by Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung and could be chalanged against power. Much of his production was against air (unblocked), tight ends, or average compitition.” So this kinda answers where the sacks came from.
2383:
I saw reports that said Orakpo owned Loadholdt from Oak. Loadhodlt is a stiff as a LT, so I don’t value that too much.
Judging by their frames and games, I would project Orakpo as the better 3-4 OLB and Brown as the better 4-3 OLB. Orakpo is much closer in stature to the Merrimans and Harrisons of the NFL, IMO.
It needs to be noted that Orakpo faced spread a spread offense nearly every week in the Big 12. Recording sacks against a spread offense is very difficult, as you saw how the Chiefs improved once they began running it. I’m satisfied with his production in college. Stand him up in a 3-4 and let him dominate.
It needs to be noted that Orakpo faced a spread offense nearly every week in the Big 12. Recording sacks against a spread offense is very difficult, as you saw how the Chiefs improved once they began running it. I’m satisfied with his production in college. Stand him up in a 3-4 and let him dominate.
Whoops!
Great point there, 447. Not going to get a lot of sacks against Texas Tech, Missouri and Oklahoma, among others.
Good points guys.
Ill give you that it is hard to get sacks against the spread where the goal is to get the ball out quickly but than again as mentioned before its hard for a guy like curry to register sacks when he is turning and running with tight ends or dropping into zone coverages on passing downs. But im a big Curry guy cause of the versatility he brings to the field.
Thanks Adam! I believe I have been shouting at the sky about Orakpo. To say the Big 12 isn’t the NFL is well, technically accurate. But then only the NFL is the NFL, duh! The Big 12 is the closest thing in college to it though. Uh, didn’t that one team from the Big twelve play for the National Championship recently? Wasn’t there kind of a 3 way tie for that spot to play in the National Championship game in the Big 12? Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees.
Orakpo is a big time player in a big time division playing on a big time team against many of the best teams in college football. He did that while racking up numbers you sputter at…well, well, he uh…blah blah blah. Orakpo is the man.
Suspect knee and other injury concerns, not particularly big, not particularly fast . . . Orakpo will be a bust.
If we’re picking DE/OLB for a 3-4, I would rather go with Brown just because he’s a more versatile player (770 yds, 10 TDs as a TE), more productive in sacks (16) and in general seems to have greater upside according to the scouting reports that I’ve seen.
I believe Pioli will not risk a #3 pick on WR that is not particularly fast who also just so happens to be dealing with a tricky foot injury/surgery.
What I believe Pioli will want to do is what he seems to always do when given a high draft pick, go defense front 7 and/or go versatile. If Curry is still available when the Chiefs select, Pioli will take him simply because there are virtually no questions about Curry’s athletic skill, his versatility (can play any LB position), his intelligence, or his leadership skills. If Curry is off the board, then I think Pioli will have to decide between NT (BJ Raji), DE/OLB (Orakpo, Brown, or Maybin), or OT (Eugene Monroe or Jason Smith). If I were picking, we would take Raji.
I also would not rule out the possibility of Pioli addressing our need for an outside passrusher through free agency.
Jason Taylor? I don’t know who else is left, barring pending releases. Which will surely happen.
Yeah I think it would almost have to be an older player like Taylor unless he can come up with some clever way to spring one of the elites (like Suggs). Besides, with a decent corp of LBs behind him, it wouldn’t be exactly horrible to have a guy like Taylor in there helping to school our young DLs. All I know at this point is that I want Selvie in ‘10. Seriously, Curry playing alongside Selvie – now that would be deadly. I’m also pretty certain that Pioli will wait to see who he picks up in the draft and who gets released thereafter. Let’s hope for a few nice surprises come June, eh?