Moving Up My Draft Board: Offense
WR Eric Decker, Minnesota — The more I study the depth in this class, the happier I get. I’m convinced that in any other year, Decker would be 1st round material, but because of the great depth everywhere in this Draft, he is taking up space as a third-round selection, maybe later. Decker is coming off an injury to his foot, which doesn’t scare me off in the least. Decker is the face of consistency, having torn it up for the Golden Gophers with 50-80+ receptions every year he received serious playing time. A big-bodied receiver who has been mocked everywhere from the 2nd round to the third day, he is a danger in the red zone and can provide good across-the-field route-running. Very NFL ready.
WR Marcus Easley, Connecticut — This is a Pioli midrounder if ever there were one. We’ve talked about this many times on this site that Pioli is not afraid of taking projects if they have the right measurables. And this prospect reminds me tons of a bigger Quentin Lawrence. Easley, like Lawrence, is a huge project because he’s even greener than Pioli’s used to — but a 6’3″, 210 lbs receiver that can run in the mid 4.4s? Easley had a crazy good Combine, and with so little tape to go on, Easley’s promise would be great to trade into the 6th round to grab.
RB Deji Karim, Southern Illinois — Easley was my Quentin Lawrence selection — this is my Javarris Williams selection. Karim is a stocky runner who put up a ridiculous 7.1 yards-per-rush against inferior competition. To me, that sounds like a big fish in a little pond. Add into the fact that he run a 4.37… He’s a Haley guy, too. After suffering a devastating knee injury in 2008, he racked up over 1,600 yards from what has been described as a “grueling” rehabilitation. Karim is also an amazing kick returner, and in action he bears a striking resemblence to the shake and bake of Darren Sproles. Our first fifth round pick may not be out of the question…
OT Chris Marinelli, Stanford — I picked up Marinelli in one of my mocks, shortly after the Super Bowl, with our final 5th round pick. I still think he might be worth a look there. He is a blue collar guy with tons of versatility at both tackle positions. He is a taller, athletic tackle that worked his way onto the All-American Second Team while at right tackle and then performing admirably well at left tackle. The upside is limited, but it is without a doubt a player that only needs a chance to make the most of it.
QB Tony Pike, Cincinnati — Pike is a Cassel clone — a smart player who is an excellent game manager. For Cincinnati, he countered his six interceptions this year with twenty nine touchdowns. His game is a 5-7 yard passing game, though, so he is far more of a Cassel-type game manager. So how seriously we take Pike depends entirely on how serious Charlie Weis thinks it would be to structure the offense around Cassel’s skill set. No other QB on our roster seems to share Cassel’s particular measurables and intangibles, but the smart, physically inferior Pike sure does.
TE Scott Sicko, New Hampshire — This is my Jake O’Connell selection, as Pioli does seem to have a hankering with tight ends that have the sheer physical ability to become an athletic receiver. That’s where Sicko comes in, and like a few other players on this list, his measurables are sick: 250+ lbs, mid 4.5 40 yard dash, with great performances in the drills. His work against New Hampshire’s inferior competition was consistently awesome; the last two years he has dominated defenses, earning trips to the 1-AA All American team both times.
OT/OG Andrew Tyshovnytsky, Fordham — Andrew can run a 40 faster than you can say his name, I bet. Tyshovnytsky is the kind of player that Al Davis likes more than Scott Pioli, but he projects pretty well to a running scheme that might ask their lineman to pull far more often, like ours is about to. At 315 lbs, he can run a sub 5.0 40 yard dash, and possessed the kind of strenght, athleticism, and wherewithal that kept Fordham’s NFL Draft-worthy Jake Skelton clean. Andrew projects more to the inside as far as I’m concerned, but with this team’s appreciation of right tackles with slower feet, who’s not to say this isn’t a fit? More like a 7th round prospect, but an intriguing one at least.
OT Ed Wang, Virginia Tech — Whether we pick up Okung or any other elite left tackle prospect or not, the fact remains that we have zero depth at the position with Albert or anybody else. Wang would be valuable depth on the left side of the line, with the kind of quickness that we haven’t seen on the right side of our line since Tait manned the right tackle in Vermeil’s heydays. If you were like a couple friends of mine and had the KU Orange Bowl victory in 2008 DVR’d, you’d notice that Wang was the one part of the Hokie’s offensive line that wasn’t leaking like a sieve.
Honorable mention: TE Clay Harbor, Missouri State — I just have to give a shout out, because this is too damn cool. Harbor, by my estimation, is a 7th round pick at best, but any time a Bear can make his way onto NFL Draft boards, it’s rare enough to deserve recognition.