Scouts, Inc. grades and rankings for BG, Warren, and Mesko
Brandon Graham- Grade 93, #1 OLB, and #18 overall player.
Donovan Warren- Grade 79, #9 CB, and #77 overall player.
Zoltan Mesko- Grade 41, #2 P, no overall rank.
Mid-first round and mid-third round seems about right for both BG and DW, IMHO.
Article behind pay wall:
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft/tracker/rankedPlayers?draftye…
February 10th, 2010 at 9:44 AM ^
I think thats a good grade as of right now but in a couple of year every team from 4 and up is going to regret not picking BG. As for Warren he has the tools to be a very good NFL player i hope he does well.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:03 AM ^
I would love to see the Lions get all three of those guys. BG in the 2nd would be a steal (and honestly just won't happen) and DW would be a solid pick in the 3rd round. Mesko in the 7th is the total homer picks of homer picks but I'd like to root for him for the next 15-20 years in Detroit. Lions going defense first 3 rounds (along with McCoy or Suh) is a probably a good idea after last year's debacle.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:08 AM ^
Picking a highly regarded punter in the 7th round is anything but a homer pick. It's a good pick if the punter is good, because the team will solidify a criminally under-rated position/weapon on their team for the following 10 years.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:31 AM ^
They might solidify that position. But they might not. There is no guarantee that any player who is drafted will be good. Now obviously Zoltan will be fantastic beyond belief, but the reason why kickers and punters don't get drafted is because there are so many of them out there for free agency. You see teams go through punters and kickers like I go through cans of frosting after my teams suck this season.
But I guess Jason Hanson went in the 2nd round, and he's been the only good thing about the lions for a long time now, so I maybe you're right.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:37 AM ^
The best teams do NOT go through punters and kickers, by and large.
Think the Colts wished they had their normal field goal kicker on the field Sunday night?
February 10th, 2010 at 11:40 AM ^
It's not as good a title as Zoltan the Space Emperor, but it has a nice ring to it. I would take him sooner than the seventh round. Usually, players drafted past even the third round don't have much of a chance of making even a shitty team like the Lions. I would draft him in the fourth over someone who is either to small or too slow for his position, which seems to be all that is left that late in the draft.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:23 AM ^
Sounds about right. Mesko will be a nice punter wherever he shows up, but a dome team (like the Lions) would probably be the best.
BG is going to surprise people in the NFL with his motor, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him become a Woodley-type player.
I said it when he left, but I think Warren will look back and wonder if leaving early was worth it. 3rd round is fine, but I honestly think another year would have probably moved him at least into the 2nd round. I'm sure he'll play well in the NFL, but an extra year probably wouldn't have hurt his stock. But then again, DBs rely so much on pure athleticism and technique that if he thinks he has it down, there is no reason to stick around.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:40 AM ^
If you get drafted in the second, as opposed to the third round, there is little functional difference. No matter what you are playing for your second contract.
Plus, you're forgetting a couple pretty big points:
(1) Moving from round 3 to round 2 by staying for one year probably doesn't mean much when (a) the salaries aren't all that different, and (b) Warren will be paid in 2010 and wouldn't get that contract (even at the minimum, about $500,000?) had he stayed at Michigan; and
(2) By leaving in 2010 as opposed to 2011, Warren is one year closer to said second contract, which is where he would make the big bucks if he performs.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:46 AM ^
Get out of here with your facts and logic.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:49 AM ^
You're right.
What am I doing here....
February 10th, 2010 at 2:03 PM ^
To me, he seems to be gambling on the rookie salary cap happening. Otherwise, I don't think there's any reason that he would go. For instance, in the 2009 Draft, Cleveland picked Mohamed Massaquoi, a WR I was very familiar with down here in Athens, with the 50th pick and signed him to a 4 year 3.636 million contract, with $1.863 million guaranteed. I didn't find a number on his signing bonus but other picks in his neighborhood of the draft got around $1.2-$1.5 million. That was a mid-second round pick. In that same area of the third round, with pick 83, you had New England Brandon Tate and sign him to a 4 year, $2.505 contract, with a $755,000 signing bonus. I couldn't find the guaranteed end of that deal but you could fairly guesstimate it was about half the value of his deal, or around $1.25 million. So just by falling from the third to the second round, you've cost yourself $1 million. If you slip even further, it just keeps getting uglier.
But a year later with a sliding scale, rookie cap in place, the kind of signing bonuses being handed out to third round picks in the current market could look huge. If you know that you're not ever going to be one of the top, top players you might as well get in there while people are overpaying for your commodity. And who knows what would happen if an NFL lockout take an entire season and there is a whole new crop of college players looking to turn pro, thus resulting in a talent cluster[redacted] of a draft that could see you slide even further.
Would I give up $1 million dollars to anchor the D during my senior year at Michigan? That, and so much more. But for a kid with no ties to the University prior to his showing up to play for the team, I can't fault him for trying to maximize the business end of his playing. I'll always be thankful for him cushioning the blow of RoJo and for the seasons he played [because imagine what it would have looked like without him].
February 10th, 2010 at 2:09 PM ^
Slightly off the topic, but could someone give me some concrete evidence the rookie salary cap is going to be implemented? This thing has been a rumor for going on three years now, and we still don't have any idea if it is true.
I'm not saying it won't happen. In fact, I do think it will happen. But this 2011 date isn't exactly set in stone.
February 11th, 2010 at 5:05 AM ^
With the collective bargaining agreement ending next year and owners looking for ways to cut costs, I think everyone assumes that a rookie salary cap would be a logical way to being to accomplish that. Also, it has been argued before that the players union would support a rookie cap as large guaranteed salaries for first round picks (as Long got last year) limits veteran free agents ability to also sign large contracts.
Additionally, there is always the rumor of a 2011 lock out.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=asOsf3eNNBPc
Granted it is likely all posturing by the respective sides in their negotiations. However, if you are Warren, and there is even the possibility of a cap, or worse a lock out, it is not hard to come to the conclusion that entering now is the right choice, at least in my opinion.
I would have loved to see him back next year, but I can't really blame him for trying to look out for himself given all the uncertainty.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:23 AM ^
It's great to see BG especially getting his due, though ranking the Space Emperor anything but #1 is absurd and frankly undermines my faith in the site's rankings altogether.
Hail Zoltan!
February 10th, 2010 at 1:48 PM ^
I too am insulted at this slight to Zoltan the Inconceivable. I can only imagine that he threw the Senior Bowl to become the Jason Hanson of punters with the Lions.
Besides, the Silver Dome doubles as his spaceship, and he doesn't want to be too far away from it.
(You really think an indoor curling league or soccer league bought the thing to use it? It's just an X-Files style coverup).
February 10th, 2010 at 12:00 PM ^
...fuck Scouts, Inc. They purport themselves as actual scouts, but they had BG rated in the 80s (IIRC) before the Senior Bowl. So, one week of practice and one game and he jumps to a 93? Did they even watch ANY film of him from the last two seasons? All they had to do was watch one play: BG Trucks Navarro Bowman (NFL prospect) and then blocks a punt. If that doesn't tell you the guy is a) physical enough and b) fast enough to play strong-side OLB in a 3-4, you're lost. Yeah, the Senior Bowl is top senior talent, but the Big Ten is not full of slouch O-linemen and players in general. Wake up, "Scouts."
February 10th, 2010 at 12:50 PM ^
Not to mention BG owning Buluga at Iowa, who is one of the top tackles in the draft
February 10th, 2010 at 1:19 PM ^
I agree with what you are saying. What I think what occurred is that these were the ratings before the 09 season. I may be wrong and that rating was low to begin with, if true. I just think they don't have a good system set up to update the player ratings until after the season, bowl games, etc..
February 10th, 2010 at 2:00 PM ^
He really doesn't fit their scheme. He isn't an every down DE in the NFL which is what he would play with the Lions. His arms are too short and he lacks the elite speed that a smaller player would need to have in order to play DE in the NFL on every play.
He will be great player with the Pats or Steelers because he can play DE or OLB. I lovc BG and want to see him go some place where he can flourish.
Warren would fit what the Lions want from a CB. Physical, not afraid come up in run support, and has good size. I can see the Lions taking him. He'll need some work, but I think he can be a very good player at the next level if he puts the work in.