The 4th Round Rundown
Let’s take a look at some of the notable moves of the fourth round…
LenDale White becomes part of a draft day trade and heads back to Seattle to work with Pete Carroll once again. Should be productive for the Seahawks inside of the 20-yard line. Carroll is really picking up players that will have a role.
Cincy WR Mardy Gilyard comes off the board first to St. Louis. A player that has some limitations, but could be a guy that fits in as a rookie when he is used in a position off of the ball—inside the numbers—against a defense’s third corner. A playmaker in college.
USC’s Everson Griffen finally comes off of the board to the Vikings today. There has been plenty of talk of attaching a first or second round grade to the DE, but there is a reason that he fell this far. Should get into the D-Line rotation and learn from Jared Allen when it comes to rushing the passer at the NFL level.
Philly stockpiles picks in the fourth round that gives them value and depth across the board. CB Trevard Lindley from Kentucky, OLB Keenan Clayton from Oklahoma, QB Mike Kafka from Northwestern and TE Clay Harbor from Missouri State. These are solid plays in the fourth round. Special teams contributors and a QB to develop in Kafka.
The Bills get a solid receiver in UConn’s Marcus Easley. One of the underrated WRs in this draft, Easley gives them another option and a player to develop in Chan Gailey’s system. Good depth for a WR group in Buffalo that needs players.
The Raiders picked up two players who meet the exact specifications that they look for in their personnel: size and speed. Maryland OT Bruce Campbell is a classic prospect that gained hyped after the Combine, but I like that the Raiders didn’t reach for him earlier in the draft. With WR Jacoby Ford out of Clemson, the Raiders get pure down the field speed—but he needs a lot of work to run routes on Sundays.
Rex Ryan’s Jets go with RB Joe McKnight out of USC. Change of direction back that can be effective if used in the proper situations on Sundays where he can get the ball with room to work in front of defenders. But, what does this tell us about RB Leon Washington’s future as a Jet? Lots of running backs in New York right now.
New England continued to add TE’s today and picked up a player in Florida’s Aaron Hernandez. The complete opposite of TE Ron Gronkowski from Arizona who they selected last night, Hernandez will be fun to watch in the New England system. He should excel in the various offensive packages for the Pats, when they align in empty sets and as a matchup issue for defenders in the red zone. Big fan of this move.
One of the bigger risks of the draft, Tampa takes Syracuse WR Mike Williams off of the board. Williams has an NFL body and the physical skill set to align outside of the numbers, but will he show up in the NFL? The Bucs add another weapon for QB Josh Freeman that has some reward if it pans out.
Iowa’s A.J. Edds goes to Miami. A good fit for the 3-4 scheme and the type of player that Bill Parcells looks for. Should have an immediate impact in the kicking game and on coverage units as a rookie.
The Bears picked up Northwestern DE Corey Wooten today. Solid play for a guy who is coming off of an injury and slipped in the draft. In Lovie Smith’s Cover 2 scheme, you can’t have enough athletic DEs who can be a part of the game day rotation. GM Jerry Angelo loves drafting DEs every year.
Carolina gets one of then more productive college players in South Carolina OLB Eric Norwood. The Panthers needed to address some defensive needs after going with offense thus far in the draft.
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