afosomf Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 Chat with Mel Kiper Welcome to The Show! On Wednesday, Mel Kiper Jr. will drop by to talk about the bowl game matchups, the NFL, the draft and any other questions you might have about the gridiron. Send your questions now and join Mel this Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET! Kiper Archive: Chats | Columns Buzzmaster: We're getting Mel right now! Mel Kiper: Basically, we've got the bowl games this Thursday. News from coaching standpoint and Bill Parcells. Whatever you want to get to. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luke, Georgia: Who do you see the Falcons drafting in the first round now that Parcells is running the ship? Mel Kiper: Everything will change. What they have to define, no matter who's running the show, is who is their QB? Vick changed the dynamic at QB. Then Harrington, Letfwich, Redman. I think Matt Ryan is someone the Falcons will have to take a look at. Big kid, nice arm. I think he'll interest Atlanta, Baltimore. You also have to look at McFadden. Norwood is a situational back. Warrick Dunn has played his best football. You have to think about McFadden. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jamie (Utica, NY): Hey Mel. What do the Bears do in the draft? They need a safety, QB, RB and OL help. What do they need to do in free agency? What would your strategy be if you were Jerry Angelo? Mel Kiper: Their two biggest concerns are without question QB and OL. They have to get younger on the OL. That's where you have to look. Where their going to be picking, I don't think Jake Long will be there. Matt Ryan's name would come up there again. There are a couple of OLs that will be in the thought process for teams that need OL are Ryan Clady and Michael Oher. Both of those OTs, if they come out early will go high. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kramer, Delaware: I was wondering where do u see joe flacco and omar cuff getting drafted? Mel Kiper: Flacco, with his size and has a tremendous arm, he's got a chance to be a solid second rounder. Cuff, good running backs are always on the board in the 5th and 6th round. If you're a RB with a third round grade, you're going to be there in the 5, 6, 7 round. Once those guys drop, it pushes other guys down. If he goes into the draft as a 6, 7 round grade like a Cuff will get pushed into an undrafted category. He's a guy that's going to have to battle his way on to a roster. There's another RB in the same conference that's in the same category, Tim Hightower from Richmond. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dean: should the dolphins go qb with the first pick, and is there a qb coming out worth the number one overall pick? Mel Kiper: First of all, in terms of the needs, Miami, it's pretty obvious that they need help at DT. Glenn Dorsey is a guy you have to look at. With that said, Sedrick Ellis is another solid prospect. If Miami says this pick is worth an awful lot because of McFadden and want to trade down and get an Ellis, they might do that. I think they have to either take Dorsey or trade down a little bit, to about 5-7. When they made John Beck an early second round pick, I think that procludes them from making another QB a high pick. You can't do it. Beck has struggled, but he's a rookie. You can't worry about that, he's a rookie. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jimmy (Ocilla, GA): Mel thanks for everything you do. Quick question - Who graded out higher, Peterson or McFadden? Thanks. Mel Kiper: Thanks Jimmy for the comments, I appreciate that. In terms of McFadden and Peterson, I had Peterson the third highest rated player after Thomas and Calvin Johnson. Some people had him one, others two. With all the high grades on Peterson, he still went seventh overall. Why did he drop? The teams that were drafting high didn't need a RB. That's how a great player like Peterson dropped down. Secondly, once Peterson was on the board at 5, 6 spot, why didn't teams move up? They're reluctant to pay the money and the picks to move up. That's why because I say that RBs that grade out as third rounders drop down in the draft. Only a few teams each year need a RB. It gets down to need and it gets down to RBs not being a priority in the draft. McFadden isn't the violent runner that Peterson is. Peterson is a violent, aggressive, take on the defenders RB. That's a good thing, but it can also create some injury issues. One thing McFadden needs to do is take care of the ball. He fumbled 6, 7 times this year. Mel Kiper: McFadden goes no worse than the 2 or 3 pick. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Charles (Atlanta, GA): Better long term QB option in the draft Ryan or Woodson? Dont really like Brohm but you can give you input on him as well. Mel Kiper: I think Ryan has the best chance. The guy that you give the highest grade to you have to believe is going to be the best QB, long term. I don't believe in short term evaluation. The big thing that we do is evaluate a first or second year QB. It's nuts to evaluate a rookie QB. Realize they're not going to be good at the start. You're always evaluating a guy long term. The thing with these early picks is they're not given a long term plan. In terms of Woodson, his stock is dropping. His slow delivery hurts him. Mel Kiper: What that does in the NFL, it allows the defenders to knock it down or intercept it. He'll have to work on that in the NFL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sheridan, WY: The Broncos need defense. I see it as: 1st: A middle linebacker 2nd: A truly huge D-tackle 3rd: A big running back 4th: A free safty Fill in the rest with special teamers What do you think? Mel Kiper: Defense. They can't stop anybody. They're a woeful defensive football team. They tried to address it last year and nothing has worked. You have to go back and try to continue to improve a defense that has been overmatched. Their defense is just outmanned. You can talk all you want about tweaking it on offense. Jay Cutler has always run hot and cold. He's been streaky, but the defense has always been the issue. I would go with heavy defense if I were Denver. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- jake(miami): Can Central Florida's Kevin Smith get a Liberty Bowl win or will he not be enough versus Mississippi State, which has won three of its last four SEC games Mel Kiper: Central Florida is a good football team. They had a nice year. George O'Leary is an outstanding college football coach. This is a team that almost beat Texas earlier in the year. They went toe to toe. That was a game that told you how they were going to be. They gave up 64 points to South Florida and then the next week, they beat Tulsa. The way they can bounce back. They ended up beating Tulsa again in the conference championship. Mel Kiper: Outside of the Texas game, there really wasn't another statement game. Mississippi State had some statement games with some of their SEC wins. They came back to beat Ole Miss. Auburn, Kentucky, Alabama. Both teams can run the ball. Kevin Smith had a great junior year. He's already announced he's going back. He's a tough, durable runner. He'll be in the Heisman race next year. Both teams have given up some points in games. Central is favored by a field goal. To me, it's an even game. When you see a Mississippi State team win some of these games, it's an evenly matched football game. Mel Kiper: The best player on the field in this game will be Kevin Smith. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark NH: what is your take on michigan's hire of a coach? and do what you think will happen to the offense since it looks like they do not have the players to run the same offense as west virginia Mel Kiper: Ryan Mallet is their QB right now. He's a pro style drop back pocket passer. When you look at the offense that Pat White ran, they're going to want a duel threat QB like that. Unless Rich Rodriguez changes his offensive system, if you're a pro style, pocket passer, do you fit the system. Terrelle Pryor is a 6-5, 220 out of Pennsylvania. He's got 4.4 speed. He's got the arm. He's got what you want in a Rich Rodriguez offense. He's considered the best player in the nation. He's not locked into a spread offense, but he can play in any offense. Everyone that follows recruiting is waiting to see where he goes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sam (Chicago): Mel: Due to the untimely death of Sean Taylor, should the Redskins draft another safety or address other areas of concern? Mel Kiper: You have to address other areas. Obviously you look at this team and what they need, they're a team that needs to make some assessments. They would probably be thinking about getting more consistent production out of the WR position; another defensive lineman - a young DE that can pressure the QB; then a safety. One thing about Landry, he's at his best in the box. He doesn't have good ball skills. He drops INTs. He doesn't have good hands. You would want him in the box more so than playing a center field role. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John (San Francisco): I know you liked Joe Staley coming out last year, and that he is developing well, but is he worth what now seems to be a top 10 pick and a 4th round pick that the Nolan and the Niners gave up for him? Mel Kiper: He's a LT and LTs are very very valuable especially to a QB like Alex Smith. If he develops into a pro bowl LT, no one will look back at this trade. The thought process was that they expected to be a playoff team this year. They were getting the 28th pick, but next year, we're going to be picking in the 20s because we'll be a playoff team. But that just didn't happen. They jumped out to a 2-0 start, but then they proceeded to lose 8 straight. This team collapsed. What they thought back in August and September was they would be in the playoffs and not picking in the top 5 overall. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Samuel (Fort Worth, TX): Hey Mel! What is your evaluation of Malcolm Kelly and Limas Sweed? Who are they comparable to at the NFL level? Mel Kiper: Both big receivers. Both very very tough kids. Sweed, unfortunately look at the season. Kelly, if he comes out, he'll be an elite receiver. Sweed was hurt all year. He had that wrist injury. He had the surgery in October to repair the damage. Now, though, because he had almost the year of inactivity, you're looking at a late 1, early 2. Kelly, if he comes out early and runs well at the combine, would definitely be in the first round mix. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Casto (Washington, D.C.): With the Rodriguez saga at WVU, now people are saying our juniors are going to go pro. Where would Slaton and White (at WR, I assume) go in the draft? Mel Kiper: First of all, Slaton did not perform to the level expected. He did not finish strong. I would say, because of his size, he's going to be a situational guy, he's probably a second round guy. He has a decision to make. He's not a first rounder. I don't think he'll be in the first round mix. That's not going to change between now and next year. He's not a full time back. Pat White is going to be a WR in the NFL. He was projected to be a WR in the SEC, but that's why he went to WVU, to play QB. If you leave early, you better run good and run great routes. If he goes back, he'll be a Heisman candidate. Even if Slaton leaves, they have Noel Devine. Mel Kiper: There's the potential for Pat White as a receiver to be in the third round mix as a WR. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jason (Calgary, Alberta): Are there ever going to be repurcussions for coaches skipping out on their teams to take new jobs? Players have to sit a year, I think coaches should too. Mel Kiper: I think what college football has to do is implement a rule that states you can't talk or have discussions with another school until your season is over. If you're in a bowl game you can't have any discussions until your bowl game is included. It would eliminate all this talk and distractions during this month that we have these supposed important bowl games and we have coaches jumping all over the place. Eliminate that by adding that rule. There's nothing you can do about the coach leaving. If they want to work out the buyout, then they can leave. I don't know how you lock coaches in. But you can prevent the distractions and all the craziness by saying you can't do it until the season is over. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill (Bronxville, NY): Mel, I've seen that Michael Oher is being projected as a second round pick. Why has he fallen from a sure-fire top 15 pick to a second rounder? Mel Kiper: I think he's a first rounder. I disagree with the second round projections. He's an enormously talented man. He has a chance to be a LT in this league. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- J.B. (Dunmore, PA): Big embarrassment going on at FSU. Issues also in Happy Valley. Is it time for two of college football's most legendary coaches to step down? Mel Kiper: No. You have issues. You're always going to have issues. We have other teams that have players suspended. And you'll have teams win after suspending players. I remember Arkansas beating Oklahoma after the 1977 season. Arkansas beat OK 31-6 in the Orange Bowl after having a number of players suspended. This has been going on a long time with bowl games effected by suspended players. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James (Los Angeles via Hawaii): Lots of attention for Colt Brennan, but how do his receivers look as NFL prospects? What do you think of the futures of Rivers, Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mullins? Mel Kiper: Rivers the senior was a key guy this year. Davone Bess, a junior; Ryan Grice-Mullen, a junior. Rivers is bigger. He did a nice job this year. In that offense, none of these WRs have been working against elite corners. They spread you out and get matchup advantages. The defenses and players they face is a factor that makes you a little bit concerned. That's why this Georgia game is important for Colt Brennan and Hawaii, who I like as an NFL prospect. He's tremendous when it comes to scanning the field, locating the WR, throws a nice ball. He's a slinging sidearmer. He's got a decent arm, not a great arm, but a decent arm. He's very rarely sacked. You got to like Colt Brennan. But the schedule was easy. This Georgia game is very important, particularly for Brennan and the receivers. Georgia should score 50. I would be surprised if they don't. Hawaii gave up 44 to Louisiana Tech, 37 to Utah State, 35 to San Jose State. They gave up 28 to Washington in the first half. But this is a Georgia football team that was hitting on all cylinders. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Charles ( Atlanta, GA): Who are the best safety prospects and when can we expext your first mock draft? Mel Kiper: You won't see any mock drafts until the juniors declare. All mock drafts are skewed until the juniors declare. If you miss on one junior, you miss on your entire first round. It throws the entire thing out of whack. You're going to have guys in there that aren't coming out. You're just guessing. I'd rather wait until mid-January. Basically, a couple of days after the juniors declare is when I'll have my first mock up. At the latest on Monday, Jan. 21. Mel Kiper: The senior safety group is kind of weak. Griffin, Steltz. Kenny Phillips is the top junior safety and he did not have a great year. Really, the safety position is questionable. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jim Atlanta, GA: If Bill takes the job, and that is still an if, how long do you think it will take him to turn this team around? Mel Kiper: What would really help Bill Parcells is how he built that Dallas Cowboys team. He was the key to get the personnel down in Dallas, which has allowed them to be the top team in the NFC. He laid that foundation down in Dallas. If they can get the QB situation straightened out, I think within a couple of years. In this league you can go from the bottom to a playoff spot in one year. We've seen some teams this year - Tampa was down last year. Mel Kiper: If you want to talk about a playoff contender/Super Bowl contender, the quickest you can hope for is about three years, but you can go from the bottom to a playoff team in one or two years. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hook 'em Horns: Where do you see TX DTs Okam and Lokey being drafted? Mel Kiper: Okam needed to be more productive. He'll clog and do some things, but you didn't see the consistent dominance. You'd like to see more productivity. He's probably a 3-5 round guy. Lokey is a guy that gives you everything he has. An overachiever type. He's a powerful, strong kid. He had some good games at Texas. I'd say he's a mid to late Day 2 guy. Mel Kiper: We got the bowl games starting Thursday. We'll have some bowl games to talk about next Wednesday. Merry Christmas to everybody! Enjoy the bowl games! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetCane Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 Mel Kiper: The best player on the field in this game will be Kevin Smith. http://jetnation.com/forums/showthread.php?p=729230#post729230 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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