“Nelson leads the way in the tight end rankings because of his ability to not only create plays down the seam, but also his upside as a blocker. He possesses long arms and a much stronger frame for which he’s given credit. He should develop into a productive all-around tight end at the next level. Pettigrew ranks second because he’s also an ideal receiving/blocking combo tight end, although he isn’t the same kind of vertical threat Nelson is down the field.”

In reference to your perplexed thoughts at outside linebacker, I would suggest Clay Matthews. As a reference, I use the National Football Post. They suggested the top five outside linebacker in this year’s draft; and these are the results:

Outside Linebackers
1. Aaron Curry, Wake Forest (6-2, 254)
2. Connor Barwin, Cincinnati (6-4, 256)
3. Clay Matthews, USC (6-3, 240)
4. Brian Cushing, USC (6-3, 243)
5. Larry English, Northern Illinois (6-2, 255)

Curry remains the consensus No. 1 overall outside linebacker and appears headed toward a top-five pick. He displays impressive size, closing speed and power for the position and has the versatility to line up at any linebacker spot in either a 3-4 or 4-3 – although I feel his best fit is outside in a 4-3 scheme. Barwin, who’s been flying up draft boards ever since he made the switch to defense in his senior season, possesses impressive athletic tools. His combination of instincts and motor makes him an intriguing 3-4 outside linebacker. He still has a bit of developing to do from a technique standpoint, but he offers more upside than any of the linebackers listed below him.

A pair of USC players come in at Nos. 3 and 4 and look to be the most polished of the group. Matthews is a natural football player who exhibits good fluidity and change-of-direction skills. He has the makings of a successful three-down backer in the NFL. Cushing plays with the same type of instincts and motor as Matthews, although I don’t see the same fluidity to his game that would warrant him playing on third down. I think the best fit for Cushing would be inside in a 3-4 scheme. English, who will likely be asked to make the transition to OLB in a 3-4 at the next level, was a productive pass rusher in college, but I don’t see the flexibility in his stance or the burst to consistently reach the edge in the NFL. However, he should be a good fit standing up in a 3-4 scheme and using his closing speed to get after the QB.

Again, if we don’t grab Junior at “24″ (he may not last that long), Sintim or McKenzie would be a perfect fit for our scheme.

1)Matthews Jr.
2)Ron Brace
3)Chip Vaughn
4)Shawn Nelson (getting a little greedy, so I’ll say Coffman or Casey)

Just on a silly side note, I was playing Madden09 the other night and Curtis Lofton won D-Rookie of the year and Thomas DeCoud finished 5th on the game. You know its bad when I’m bringin up video games. D@mn, its late.

15 DAYS & 11 HOURS!!!!

Your Pettigrew argument filled my head with doubts, but I’ve come full circle back to OLB or OLB/DE. Cushing, Maybin, Matthews, English in that order.

OLB is also deep but none is worthy of the first round, that would fit our need, except Clay Matthews. If Atlanta won’t select Junior in the first round for pick “24″ (he may not be available) then I’d wait until third round, or later, for Clint Sintim or Tyrone McKenzie.

Now strong safety, I’ve considered a great deal because of the number of options available. We could stay with DeCoud and trust that he will master the position or we could draft the best strong safety remaining after the third round. None is more attractive to our scheme than Chip Vaughn. Great size, instincts and coverage make him the perfect fit for our defensive scheme.

So, there you go. Thanks for the enlightenment, D3.

Nevertheless, I must remain steadfast with my argument. To show you how a good sport I am, I’ll compromise and quit lobbying for Pettigrew. Instead, I’ll just simply suggest that we draft the best tight end at “24″. I overstand that this draft is flooded with good tight ends. I (I use “I” with emphasis) selfishly regarded Pettigrew as the sole receiving/blocking combo tight end in this years draft. I considered him the “Deion Sanders” of tight ends; and for that reason, I rode him like a horse-driven chariot. After researching more scouting reports, however, I discovered other tight ends with equal catching abilities but a greater vertical threat. Shawn Nelson comes to mind because he can create plays down the seam and block just as good. On the flip side, I remember when TD coveted Chase Coffman at the combine; but I’ve learned that Coffman’s stock has been slipping because of his inability to work out. With all that said, I’m confident TD and staff does their evaluations well and, if they so choose TE at “24″, I’m sure they’ll get the right man.

To settle this argument, I’d like to offer my strongest opinion on how “our” draft will unfold. Number one, we all know that I suggest the best tight end at “24″; that goes without question. With our offense solidified, I want to concentrate on the defensive side of the ball but I want to approach this with D3’s method of elimination. He identified needs (at) SS, OLB, DT, TE, CB.

Lets start with cornerback, where I don’t really feel we have an urgent need. Both Chris Houston and Chevis Jackson are maturing into their craft and are an attractive tandem on the outside. Veteran players are vying for nickel and fourth or the fifth backs. Although Sean Smith is a very attractive (I would even consider a first round) draft pick, I’m not certain of his fit into our cover scheme. Unless staff is considering more man-to-man coverage or converting Smith to safety, I don’t think we should be overly concerned about cornerback in the first couple of rounds.

Tight End, draft the best-biggest-blocking-catching-fastest one.

Defensive tackle is represented deeper in this draft more than what others have suggested; however, after B.J. Raji, the next top five looks a whole lot like Babs.

A few highlights/lowlights (depending on how you look at it)
BJ Raji going to Green Bay
SF 49ers taking Michael Oher over Mark Sanchez
Houston Texans taking Clay Matthews at 15
Brian Cushing going to the Bills
Denver taking Everette Brown over Mark Sanchez

Definitely different than your standard mocks I’ve seen around. If this were to hold true, than most of our DEF targets would be gone.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story?id=09000d5d80facae7&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true