The IAOFM staff discuss the Broncos' selections of Arizona State cornerback Omar Bolden and Baylor offensive lineman Philip Blake in the 2012 NFL Draft
Doug: Hey Guys, get any sleep?
Ted: Happy Day 3. I slept pretty well. I just wish I didn't think this started at 10 AM today
TJ: Roger Good Vibes
Doc: I slept about 4 hours - I'm on strong Earl Grey to start the day
TJ: Sweet, Em. I stayed up all night trying to solve the Zodiac Killer crimes. Common as a street penny: pundits grading a team's draft as an "A" because they picked in the top 5 and got the blue-chip players. What the hell is this? Fans now announcing? Or is that some hick scout?
Doug: Okay, who does everyone want at 101?
Ted: I'd like Iloka at either 101 or 108 (stop me if you've heard that one)
Doc: Not surprisingly, I'm with Ted. Iloka might also have some skill at safety, but the TE cover role is made for him
TJ: Ted, I like Iloka tape, and I like when he's in the box and blitzing, too.
Ted: I think from a BPA standpoint, I'd take Bobby Massie
TJ: I think Ta'amu, Doug.
Ted: I like Ta'amu too - he’s a space-eater
TJ: Or Crick - I think Crick can work up and down the line. Those would be my two, but I think they focus on the OL now. Dennard, too. He would work.
Ted: Yeah, it's about the time when the risk for Dennard has been mitigated
Doug: Ta'amu looks athletic for a guy that big
TJ: I projected him as a 3-4, 2 gap. But after reviewing the tapes again last night, he can easily play 4-3, NT
Ted: I see him the same way, TJ
Doug: And, Dennard probably got goaded by some redneck raycess cop
Ted: He wasn't in Cincinnati was he? He might have gotten shot if he were
Doug: Ta'amu is a lot less awkward looking to me than Worthy was. Like, better proportioned, as much as a 300+ lb man can be
Doc: I liked Ta'amu's feet - he can be surprisingly nimble at times
Ted: A name I like from a purely "great athlete" perspective is Justin Bethel from Presbyterian.
TJ: I mean it's all relative to the other boards, but I would assume no one has him rated at top of the 4th, do they?
Ted: Pat Kirwan and Tim Ryan have been talking about Iloka a lot lately on the radio as a TE specialist, like I do. We're on the clock
TJ: Whoa, that was quick. Here we go
Doug: Several picks would make me happy - Ta'amu, Iloka, or a corner
Ted: I like ESPN better on Day 3 because Berman is off leathering somewhere, and because when they go to commercial, the ticker stays on
Doc: That's right, Doug - the board still has a lot of talent.
Doug: Do we like any linemen here? Offensive?
Ted: Massie, good RT
TJ: Yeah, set us up at DT for the next chunk of years. Ted could be right. I really think they will go OL. I want DL, though, or CB
Doc: Molk is still out there - probably be there later, but he's tough. Omar Bolden, CB
Ted: I don't know Bolden
Doc: Arizona State - I saw him a couple of times, but I'll have to find it in notes
TJ: I am watching his Cal tape
Ted: ACL injury...return background, which I like
Doug: Well, his NFL.com report sounds pretty good
Doc: Yes, very good. I was surprised that Hillman hadn't returned more
TJ: Rated 3rd-4th from the stuff I see. Wow this tape, it's not great. Just got beat several times. Poor tackling, too
Doc: Yes. He’s been inconsistent, and that's one knock on him
Doug: from PFW:
Summary: Athletic, tough, competitive, injury-prone, man-cover corner who missed his senior season while nursing a torn ACL injury. If he can return to full strength, he possesses starter- caliber ability and offers added value as a kickoff returner. However, durability remains a pressing concern.
Ted: I think it reads like a worthwhile guy to pick in Round 4
Doug: Basically, he sounds like a Shanny 1st-round pick, except that he doesn't still need to add 20 lbs. And, we got him in the 4th round. So I read this as major progress.
Washington selects MSU QB Kirk Cousins
TJ: WTF? Shanny!
Doug: Speak of the devil, huh? Hahaha
Ted: He sees Cousins like I see him, a quality professional backup
Doc: Bolden at 5-10 and 202 is a strong guy. And, there goes Shanny, being Shanny. I love this! If he's right, he's set at QB for years to come. If he's really right about RG3, he cements that slot in the HOF
Doug: Okay we've got another pick coming in five slots from now
Doc: DT, OL, LB?
Doug: Do we still want Iloka? Or does Bolden lessen that need?
Ted: I still do, although the DB room got more crowded with Bolden. I don't think Bolden is a guy to cover a Jimmy Graham or Gronkowski
Doc: I'd still want Iloka. I think that he's got some skills in addition to his specific role, but it's that role I would like covered
Doug: BTW, every time i say Ronnie Hillman i think Ronnie Harmon
Ted: I think the Bolden choice was about replacing the bottom feeders at CB and getting better depth there. He comes in to be the 4th CB, and has a chance to beat out Porter and Harris, if he can
Doc: Good thought, I expected a CB, and in the 4th, there will be some questions. He's got cover skills and has a chance to fight for a position
Ted: Syd'Quan and Cassius had better be on their game in camp, or they could find themselves on the soup line
Doc: I'd agree that Syd and Cassius are vulnerable
Doug: I think it's time to get a lineman
Doc: Be still my beating heart - a DT and a OL?
Ted: Haha Em, imagine that
Doc: It's hard to. The last 4th-rounder they took at OL was Seth Olsen, if I recall right
Ted: Yeah he worked out great
Doc: Iowa kids are usually very well trained, but he flamed out quickly
Ted: Iowa kids come in at their ceiling
Doc: Good point - they've had that good quality coaching.
TJ: Yep, that's what I think, Jaws - Shanny is hedging with Cousins. It might be smart, but if RG3 struggles, but Shanny loves this stuff
Ted: No he isn't. Cousins has no reasonable expectation to ever be a starter as a 4th-rounder. He has a backup skill set, and he's being hired to be a backup
Doc: Shanny has never flinched from a QB controversy, but I think that he's made his decision known.
Ted: I loved Devon Wylie. Good pick for KC
Doug: here we go
Ted: Phillip Blake, Center - replaced Walton at Baylor
TJ: For the record, Bolden is getting owned in this Cal Tape. Over and over again - missing tackles, getting beat deep. He looks terrible. Should be funny to see the fans' reaction
Doug: Wow this has to sting JD. Not only do we draft a center, but we draft the guy he's probably been rooting for, for the past two years, to replace him. Can Walton be a backup G?
Doc: Blake has a great backstory - he's someone I wanted to do a Broncography for anyway, and he's a value pick inside. He’s a Canadian native who didn't play football until his senior year of high school. I don't see Walton at G.
Ted: Seems like Baylor goes to Canada for linemen
Doug: So, just a backup C?
Doc: Not necessarily.
Doug: You don't keep a guy just to back up center, right? Need him to cover both C/G?
Ted: Probably not Doug, he probably has to swing. Elway thinks he has position flexibility. So there's that
Doc: You can use Blake at G. He's very new to the sport, but he's got good potential
Ted: I think they probably see Blake as the swing backup guy, and somebody who can compete at all three interior positions. I read this as improving depth
Doug: Not a replacement for Walton?
Ted: Not by design, but if it happens, it happens
Doc: I would rather have gone with Ta'amu, but oh, well
Ted: I would have too
Doc: Did Molk go yet?
Ted: No, Molk is still out there. I don't like him as much. He's a good technician, but underpowered and smallish
Doc: Yes, tough as a dollar steak, but small, short arms even for his size
Doug: yikes 6-0? Is there such a thing, a 6-0 NFL lineman?
Ted: Not many Doug
Doc: He was briefly famous for benching 41 times
Doug: Have to be able to reach the guys to use that strength
Ted: Shorter armed guys tend to have an easier time with the bench
Doc: I'm not opposed to Blake, but Massie is a better player, if they're really more BPA
Ted: I agree again, Em. I think Massie would make an outstanding swing tackle, and has starter potential
Doc: Ted you and I have to quit fighting so damned much
Doug: Eagles retiring 20 for Dawk
Doc: Class move from Philly
Doug: i'd call it a no brainer. he's probably the most popular Eagle ever
Ted: There goes Massie to Arizona. I expect him to start at RT from Day 1 there
TJ: Bolden is said to be a man coverage guy, but the tape says otherwise. He's playing a ton of off man. A TON. Of course, that's 2010. Missed the entire season last year
Doc: The things I'm reading say that he likes bump and run
TJ: Em, look at the tape. Cal torched him deep. I'm not a fan of this pick, but I like the philosophy
Doug: I guess Blake says he expects to be a guard, according to Mason. So, maybe this is a shot across Beadles's bow, and not Walton's
Doc: That wouldn't be unwarranted in either case
TJ: I haven't seen one example in these two games of tape, of Bolden playing bump coverage. It's all off man
Ted: I'm seeing the same stuff as you, TJ
Doc: That is interesting. Nothing new in scouting reports being wrong
TJ: Stupid pundit reports. They just vomit up each other's vomit, and eat again
Doc: They never get updated, TJ. You still have sophomore notes when they're seniors, the scheme has changed, and the player has changed, but the notes are the notes
Ted: He seems like he shuffles his feet when the receiver gets to his position in off man. He needs to be more decisive with his steps, and read the vertical stem much better
TJ: This guy missed almost two full years due to injuries. His claim to fame is he benched more than the other DBs at the combine
Ted: Who cares? I like strength in a corner, but you need more than that
Doc: He had that weird situation with a starter the alumni loved - they kept playing each guy one quarter and letting the better guy finish the game - or switch again. How well does he cut at speed?
Ted: Not that well from the looks of it to me. I'm not finding a lot more tape just yet
Doc: I'll see how many games I can find later in the week
Ted: I do really like the way Bolden looks as a kickoff returner, but his off-man technique is dog$%^&. I'm cool with the Blake pick the more I think of it - I like that there's a guy coming in who can challenge both Beadles and Walton
Doc: They might be focused on Bolden’s returning and consider his CB work and ST work extras. Huh - Blake was the right tackle for Baylor in 2009, when Walton was at center. Very flexible, 6-2 and 311, only been in American football for six years
Ted: He probably can't play outside in the NFL at that size
Doc: No, I wouldn't think so. I like the fact that he's worked in multiple slots, though
Doug: Way too short for tackle, right?
Ted: Yeah, I think so. 33-inch arms are OK at RT, but way too short for LT
TJ: Perhaps, Em, Ted, Bolden is actually a safety in training. He ranges like one
Ted: Maybe. It's obvious that he has some explosiveness
Doc: That's interesting, TJ. He has the size
TJ: His tape strikes me as a free safety more than a CB, and he does range
Ted: Teams have had some success turning Antrel Rolle and Malcolm Jenkins types into matchup Safeties. I actually tend to think that defenses are going in that direction, with 3 CB skills guys and 1 traditional Safety
Doug: The DP hacks are making a deal out of Blake's age. Meanwhile, if the guy plays in the NFL for 5 years, you're happy - so who gives a flying @#$%?
Ted: I loved how butt-hurt that Legwold was that Wolfe wasn't in his top 100. That's not a knock on Wolfe, it's a knock on Legwold, and it exposes his hackitude
TJ: Wow Blake - guy squats 600 pounds
Doc: Yeah, powerful guy
TJ: How can this guy not beat out JD?
Ted: Maybe he does. I hope the best player plays, and does better than JD did last year
TJ: Bolden’s Oregon tape is better, Ted - but still total off-man. Which goes to my theory about Samuel. And further, that he could be a FS later
Ted: I think they want to play off-man. I think you were on that, TJ
Doug: Wow, Dennard - don't you have to take him at some point? he didn't have issues before this recent one, did he?
Ted: I think he's a Cover-2 guy, but teams that do a lot of that should like him
TJ: Blake is interesting - hard to move this guy. There is no tape on Blake from a game, just highlights
Ted: Yeah I like how well he anchors. I like the way Blake moves in these highlights. He has a graceful movement to him
Doc: 86 knockdowns his senior year, and they look good
Doc: I'm watching Blake against the Illinois D - very effective, graceful is a good term, Ted. Finishes blocks well. Needs to work on his punch, but he does have a tenacity that's impressive
TJ: Blake is a starter, long term. Even if JD holds him off, he could shift to guard and probably give Beadles a run, too
Ted: The OL room got better with the pick, that's for sure
Doc: Mostly, it looks like conditioning and technique stuff, and he'll be a potential starter
TJ: He's more of a man scheme guy, but he will work for sure. As I wrote, I think he's great on the initial burst. A great anchor against the pass, but he gets lost sometimes against stunts and blitzes. And sometimes he could finish his blocks and pancakes instead of letting up - but he's got all you want
Doc: Yes, and he also blocked for Ganaway. But I'm also seeing him missing the call on the stunt - I'm not sure who called the protections for Baylor, but I'd expect it to be him. 86 knockdowns last year, and I agree - it could have been more
TJ: Yeah he seems to drift on the stunts - gets confused, like, "Who the hell should I block here?"
Doc: Exactly. They've said that Baylor tended to run a simplistic protection - that would explain both Walton and Blake's problems with stunts and twists, double A-gap blitzes, etc
TJ: that's a good point, Em
