Monroe at #2

[Guest Aloysius]

With the Lions rumored at one point to have been leaning towards taking Jason Smith at #1, many draftnicks just assumed that St. Louis would prefer the Baylor product over Eugene Monroe. However, there have been hints here and there that the Rams aren't entirely sold on Smith: some saying that the front office is divided, others saying that the Rams actually prefer Monroe.

 

And with draft day approaching, the pro-Monroe voices seem to be gaining sway. Both Walter and Chris Steuber now think the Rams will take the Virginia left tackle. Though Smith arguably has a higher upside and Monroe's been tagged with durability and character concerns, the pick makes some sense: after cutting Orlando Pace, the Rams are in desperate need of a LT who can contribute now. And despite all of his flaws, Monroe is viewed as a more NFL-ready prospect. If they're worried about Smith struggling early on, they may be inclined to take Monroe instead.

 

However, Smith's upside could intrigue teams picking before we go on the clock at #5. Steuber thinks the Chiefs will take Smith, and Walter raises the possibility of Seattle taking Smith (though he gives them Crabtree). Personally, I think Seattle's the more likely option. They're a team built to win now, which seemed to make adding a potent offensive weapon like Crabtree an intriguing possibility. But the concerns about his character and intelligence make it seem less likely that he'll be come out of the box ready to contribute.

 

When it was assumed that Monroe would be the one available at #4, I too doubted that OT would be a possibility: the Seahawks do have three veteran tackles under contract, and they weren't interested enough in Monroe to send a scout to his pro day. But Smith's an entirely different deal: OL coach Mike Solari attended his pro day, and Smith's ability to block on the move makes him a perfect fit for Seattle's new zone blocking scheme. And because the scheme will conceal some of his issues with drive blocking, they could line him up inside at guard as rookie, then slide him out to tackle if/when Walter Jones can no longer play at a high level.

 

So Smith seems like a perfect fit for the Seahawks. If they aren't totally in love with Sanchez, I could see the top four going as follows:

• 1. Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia

2. Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia

3. Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest

4. Jason Smith, OT, Baylor

And if the Chiefs trade down, the availability of Smith at #4 makes it a lot more likely that Curry will fall to #5, which is something most of us would be pretty happy about.

[Solon16]

i don't see KC taking curry for reasons of $ and he having no history of pass rushing...he is the best pick in the draft but to pay a 3-4 ILB that kind of cash?especially when he is a strongside 4-3 lb...I am not convinced. Raji is my choice for chiefs. unless they get monroe.

[FRIZBIZ]

How is this a curveball? What does it really change? Your hypothetical situation could be the exact same with Smith #2 and Monroe #4....they're pretty much interchangeable.

 

I fail to see what the point of this thread is, honestly.

[Guest Aloysius]

i don't see KC taking curry for reasons of $ and he having no history of pass rushing...he is the best pick in the draft but to pay a 3-4 ILB that kind of cash?especially when he is a strongside 4-3 lb...I am not convinced. Raji is my choice for chiefs. unless they get monroe.

When asked recently what kind of players he was looking to draft, Pioli used the words "smart" and "dependable". I don't think Raji fits that description.

 

And count me as one of the few people who think Raji's a better fit for a 4-3 defense. From what I've seen, he's more of a circus elephant than an immovable force in the middle. This anonymous personnel evaluator agrees with me, though I think he goes a little too far in criticizing Raji's play.

 

“We like (Mississippi DT) Peria Jerry better than (Boston College DT) B.J. Raji. (Jerry) plays so hard all the time. He leaves everything on the field. You know what you are getting. … If you are going to draft a two-down player, he better be a dominant ass kicker. You better be getting Vince Wilfork or Jamal Williams — and look where those guys were drafted. Show me one game where those guys were put on their back like Raji is. All nose tackles get blocked, but how many get knocked on their ass and flat-backed two to three times a game? How many of those guys have a happy-go-lucky personality and are always smiling? The best defensive linemen I’ve seen were ornery — they did not want to talk to anyone."

[Solon16]

i take him...but that's the word on the nfl network from the likes of lombardi and casserly....and Asshole...I look at pioli's history with dlineman and first round picks...is all... like i said long ago...hardest mock in years and freeman wouuld be a 1st round qb

[Guest Aloysius]

How is this a curveball? What does it really change? Your hypothetical situation could be the exact same with Smith #2 and Monroe #4....they're pretty much interchangeable.

 

I fail to see what the point of this thread is, honestly.

As I said, I don't think Seattle's high on Monroe. It could be they took him off their board because of the knee issues that got flagged at the Combine. Or it's possible that they don't like how lazy he is. For instance, consider this quote:

 

"Monroe, I hate the way he finishes," said a veteran NFC offensive line coach, also speaking on the condition of anonymity. "At the end of the play, if you watch tape on him, he watches. He has his hands down by his side, the ball carrier isn't tackled, and he makes no effort to get out in front of anybody, to go out and pick somebody off a pile."

One thing people don't seem to be acknowledging enough is that the top tackles in this year's class aren't considered elite in the same way as Joe Thomas or even Jake Long were considered upper echelon prospects. For that reason, it's not surprising that one team could think Monroe's good and Smith's bad. Or Smith's good but Monroe's not a scheme fit.

 

And that opens up a ton of possibilities, such as the Chiefs passing on Curry at #3 or Seattle going OT only if Smith is the one that falls.

[Solon16]

better put your mock up today.