Should we consider Eben Britton in the 1st?

[nfoligno]

Up until now, most all the talk has been surrounding the top 4 OTs in the draft. Britton seemed like an after-thought. But his stock seems to be on the rise, and I am not sure how much, if at all, he would be considered a reach at 18 now. Assuming the top 4 are gone, should Britton be a consideration?

 

Reading up on Britton was pretty interesting. As I can tell, there are two key knocks on him.

 

(a) He comes from a spread offense, but I would argue that more and more teams are using this, and you can not dismiss players from the spread offenses. They may require more evaluation, but w/ so many colleges using spread systems, you have to still look at them.

 

( Some question his foot speed, but that is because he played LT in college, and most who have that question also follow that up by saying he would be a great fit at RT, where his lack of elite footspeed, later quickness are not as big of an issue.

 

So basically, I think it comes down to this. While the top 4 OTs all may be capable of playing RT, they are all considered LT prospects, which is the elite OT position. In Britton, you have an OT prospect who is is primarily considered a RT, and thus has a reduced grade. If we were talking about last year, when we needed a LT, fine. But today, what we need is a RT, and thus I am not sure if questions of his ability to play LT should matter, so long as everyone views him as a top RT prospect.

 

More and more, i think Britton should very much be in the mix when we talk about our pick. The question, I know fans will throw out there, is who would would take Britton over.

 

If Oher or Smith fell to us, I would not them over Britton. Other than those two, I think we are talking about the WRs. I just do not see any defensive players I would consider a very good value in the 1st round.

 

Of the WRs, I would take Britton over Harvin and DHB. I think Harvin is too much like Hester, and I am simply not a fan. I love the potential DHB offers, but just do not feel he is a good fit for us, and feel he would go the Bradley route if we drafted him. Many will throw out there Maclin. Frankly, I think he is gone. Even if he falls to us, I am sorry, but I am simply not a fan. I just do not feel Maclin is the sort of WR we should be looking for.

 

I get a little more questionable when I consider Nicks or Britton, but ultimately, I would go Britton. When I look at the WRs and OTs who are most likely available in the 2nd round, I see solid potential WRs, while I really just do not like what I see at OT.

 

So I think a combo of maybe Britton - Iglesias (assuming Robiskie is gone) is much better than Nicks - Loadholt.

 

Now, if only I could get Angelo to consider a combo of Britton - Duke, but I know better than to even dream Angelo could stress the OL that much.

[madlithuanian]

I'd say it's worth a consideration. It all depends who's been taken before...and who is still available. He appears to have some upside, so I'd be into looking closer at him.

 

Up until now, most all the talk has been surrounding the top 4 OTs in the draft. Britton seemed like an after-thought. But his stock seems to be on the rise, and I am not sure how much, if at all, he would be considered a reach at 18 now. Assuming the top 4 are gone, should Britton be a consideration?

 

Reading up on Britton was pretty interesting. As I can tell, there are two key knocks on him.

 

(a) He comes from a spread offense, but I would argue that more and more teams are using this, and you can not dismiss players from the spread offenses. They may require more evaluation, but w/ so many colleges using spread systems, you have to still look at them.

 

( Some question his foot speed, but that is because he played LT in college, and most who have that question also follow that up by saying he would be a great fit at RT, where his lack of elite footspeed, later quickness are not as big of an issue.

 

So basically, I think it comes down to this. While the top 4 OTs all may be capable of playing RT, they are all considered LT prospects, which is the elite OT position. In Britton, you have an OT prospect who is is primarily considered a RT, and thus has a reduced grade. If we were talking about last year, when we needed a LT, fine. But today, what we need is a RT, and thus I am not sure if questions of his ability to play LT should matter, so long as everyone views him as a top RT prospect.

 

More and more, i think Britton should very much be in the mix when we talk about our pick. The question, I know fans will throw out there, is who would would take Britton over.

 

If Oher or Smith fell to us, I would not them over Britton. Other than those two, I think we are talking about the WRs. I just do not see any defensive players I would consider a very good value in the 1st round.

 

Of the WRs, I would take Britton over Harvin and DHB. I think Harvin is too much like Hester, and I am simply not a fan. I love the potential DHB offers, but just do not feel he is a good fit for us, and feel he would go the Bradley route if we drafted him. Many will throw out there Maclin. Frankly, I think he is gone. Even if he falls to us, I am sorry, but I am simply not a fan. I just do not feel Maclin is the sort of WR we should be looking for.

 

I get a little more questionable when I consider Nicks or Britton, but ultimately, I would go Britton. When I look at the WRs and OTs who are most likely available in the 2nd round, I see solid potential WRs, while I really just do not like what I see at OT.

 

So I think a combo of maybe Britton - Iglesias (assuming Robiskie is gone) is much better than Nicks - Loadholt.

 

Now, if only I could get Angelo to consider a combo of Britton - Duke, but I know better than to even dream Angelo could stress the OL that much.

[bradjock]

Hell yes we should consider him. Especially since GM's apparantly believe the statistic that drafting a o-lineman in the first round is the safest bet. I can't remember which mock it was, but one of them projected their to be a run on offensive tackles the way there was last year. I went into ESPN draft history, to look at their projections vs. where they went, and the 3 big surprises were:

#17 Gosder Cherilus to Detroit--He was projected 31st overall, late 1st-early 2nd

#21 Sam Baker to Atlanta--He was projected 64th overall, late 2nd-early 3rd

#26 Duane Brown to Houston--Projected 58th

 

I don't know how successful they were, but Cherilus started 13 games, Sam Baker 5, and Brown 16.

 

What was even stranger is that teams were trading up to get these guys. So based on what happened last year, even though ESPN has Britton rated #33 (for what it's worth) it's easy to believe he'll be a 1st rounder.

 

Ideally, we resign St. Clair as insurance in case they suck.

 

That being said, I'm nervous as hell about the outlook of our safety position and IMO, it's seeming more and more inevitable that it's a necessity for us to draft one in rounds 1 or 2.

 

Up until now, most all the talk has been surrounding the top 4 OTs in the draft. Britton seemed like an after-thought. But his stock seems to be on the rise, and I am not sure how much, if at all, he would be considered a reach at 18 now. Assuming the top 4 are gone, should Britton be a consideration?

 

Reading up on Britton was pretty interesting. As I can tell, there are two key knocks on him.

 

(a) He comes from a spread offense, but I would argue that more and more teams are using this, and you can not dismiss players from the spread offenses. They may require more evaluation, but w/ so many colleges using spread systems, you have to still look at them.

 

( Some question his foot speed, but that is because he played LT in college, and most who have that question also follow that up by saying he would be a great fit at RT, where his lack of elite footspeed, later quickness are not as big of an issue.

 

So basically, I think it comes down to this. While the top 4 OTs all may be capable of playing RT, they are all considered LT prospects, which is the elite OT position. In Britton, you have an OT prospect who is is primarily considered a RT, and thus has a reduced grade. If we were talking about last year, when we needed a LT, fine. But today, what we need is a RT, and thus I am not sure if questions of his ability to play LT should matter, so long as everyone views him as a top RT prospect.

 

More and more, i think Britton should very much be in the mix when we talk about our pick. The question, I know fans will throw out there, is who would would take Britton over.

 

If Oher or Smith fell to us, I would not them over Britton. Other than those two, I think we are talking about the WRs. I just do not see any defensive players I would consider a very good value in the 1st round.

 

Of the WRs, I would take Britton over Harvin and DHB. I think Harvin is too much like Hester, and I am simply not a fan. I love the potential DHB offers, but just do not feel he is a good fit for us, and feel he would go the Bradley route if we drafted him. Many will throw out there Maclin. Frankly, I think he is gone. Even if he falls to us, I am sorry, but I am simply not a fan. I just do not feel Maclin is the sort of WR we should be looking for.

 

I get a little more questionable when I consider Nicks or Britton, but ultimately, I would go Britton. When I look at the WRs and OTs who are most likely available in the 2nd round, I see solid potential WRs, while I really just do not like what I see at OT.

 

So I think a combo of maybe Britton - Iglesias (assuming Robiskie is gone) is much better than Nicks - Loadholt.

 

Now, if only I could get Angelo to consider a combo of Britton - Duke, but I know better than to even dream Angelo could stress the OL that much.

[AZ54]

Odd you should post this because I was thinking about it too. I've watched Britton play quite a bit and I really like the way he plays the game, with attitude and he does have good athleticism just not that elite footwork for LT in the NFL. I will say that he's not the strongest guy but we have to keep in mind that he's coming out as a Junior. He might need a year or two to get his full potential but given all the positive things draftniks are saying about him I think if he stayed in school for one more year he'd be talked about as a top 20 pick next year. If that's true, why not grab next year's top 20 pick this year at #18? On the other end of the spectrum I am hearing more about Loadholt dropping down to the 3rd Rd. After Britton the OTs all have a significant question mark in either attitude, work ethic, footwork, strength.

 

The fact he might need a year to get ready for the league could be hard for some fans to accept but IMO it makes bringing back a guy like St Clair key for us. St Clair is a good team player and will help a guy like Britton even if he knows he'll be taking his spot. We need that leadership and it will be helpful for Williams too. I am willing to overpay a guy like St Clair a bit because he knows the offense and is able and willing to help the younger guys. Now if we can find a WR to take on the same role...

[nfoligno]

Just curious, why do you question his strength? From everything I have read, that is considered an asset. At the LT position, his pass protection was a tad questionable due to his lack of elite foot speed, but he was considered elite in terms of run blocking, which was attributed to strength.

 

I realize strength in college doesn't mean he will be strong in the NFL, and agree he (like every prospect) will need to gain in strength to meet NFL standards. At the same time, I am simply not sure his strength is considered an area of concern.

 

Odd you should post this because I was thinking about it too. I've watched Britton play quite a bit and I really like the way he plays the game, with attitude and he does have good athleticism just not that elite footwork for LT in the NFL. I will say that he's not the strongest guy but we have to keep in mind that he's coming out as a Junior. He might need a year or two to get his full potential but given all the positive things draftniks are saying about him I think if he stayed in school for one more year he'd be talked about as a top 20 pick next year. If that's true, why not grab next year's top 20 pick this year at #18? On the other end of the spectrum I am hearing more about Loadholt dropping down to the 3rd Rd. After Britton the OTs all have a significant question mark in either attitude, work ethic, footwork, strength.

 

The fact he might need a year to get ready for the league could be hard for some fans to accept but IMO it makes bringing back a guy like St Clair key for us. St Clair is a good team player and will help a guy like Britton even if he knows he'll be taking his spot. We need that leadership and it will be helpful for Williams too. I am willing to overpay a guy like St Clair a bit because he knows the offense and is able and willing to help the younger guys. Now if we can find a WR to take on the same role...

[nfoligno]

Just a couple comments.

 

You mentioned the final 3 OTs taken last year, and wondered how they did.

 

Cherilus started slow, from what I have read, but by the end of the season, he was considered one of, if not the, top OL on the team. That may not be saying much, but he showed enough in his rookie year to be considered an OL you can build around.

 

Baker didn't start immediately, I think, and suffered some minor injury setbacks, but when he was on the field, was considered a solid member of the OL, and considered a legit part of their successful run game and OL overall.

 

Brown was considered a very bit "hit" for Houston. Their OL has struggled for years, and Brown was considered a key piece to the rebuilding of their OL, which is no longer considered a weakness. For a change, Houston enters the offseason w/ OL not being among their top needs.

 

Frankly, it is a bit sadening in that our OT pick was the only one of 8 who didn't step up for their team as a rookie. Beside the 3 mentioned:

 

Long - Considered an immediate stud for Miami, and a LT to build an offense around.

Clady - Could have been the offensive rookie of the year he played so well, and I think even earned a pro bowl nod. He quickly established himself as one of the top LTs in the league.

Otah - Immediate starter and big part of Carolina's great run attack.

Albert - Still saddens me to think about. Early set back w/ minor injuries, but quickly regained health and took over at LT. While the team struggled overall, his play was considered a shinning light.

 

8 OTs taken in the draft, and only one failed. That one just happend to be our pick.

 

Agreed that OT has been seen as the position least likely to fail in the 1st round. It is among the safest picks, and also represents one of our greatest needs, if not our greatest need overall.

 

In Britton, you have an OT who is not considered in the same tier as the rest, but the biggest reason for that is not a lack of talent but the believe he can't play LT, which is simply graded higher. Decent LT prospects get higher grades than elite RT only prospects. Britton is considered only capable of playing RT, and thus why his grade is lower. But that is just the thing. We need a RT, so he would seem a great fit.

 

As for the FS position, you will get no argument from me about our need there, however, there are simply no FS' remotely close to being a value at 18. Heck, it is very questionable if any FS in the draft is worth a 1st round pick. Thus, I just do not consider FS part of the discussion as to our 1st round pick.

 

#17 Gosder Cherilus to Detroit--He was projected 31st overall, late 1st-early 2nd

#21 Sam Baker to Atlanta--He was projected 64th overall, late 2nd-early 3rd

#26 Duane Brown to Houston--Projected 58th

 

I don't know how successful they were, but Cherilus started 13 games, Sam Baker 5, and Brown 16.

 

What was even stranger is that teams were trading up to get these guys. So based on what happened last year, even though ESPN has Britton rated #33 (for what it's worth) it's easy to believe he'll be a 1st rounder.

 

Ideally, we resign St. Clair as insurance in case they suck.

 

That being said, I'm nervous as hell about the outlook of our safety position and IMO, it's seeming more and more inevitable that it's a necessity for us to draft one in rounds 1 or 2.

[balta1701-A]

Is it plausible that the Bears could trade down a few slots, pick up say, an extra 3rd/4th rounder, and still be able to get their hands on a solid RT in this guy? Especially if someone like Sanchez is still available at 18, who might pique the interest of a number of teams.

[nfoligno]

I talked about this in another post the other day, but I just question whether it is worth it (trading down). If you really like Britton, and you feel he can be your starting RT, why risk trading down and losing him? Is it worth an extra 3rd or 4th round pick if, at the end of the day, you don't get the player you wanted in the 1st?

 

Sure, its a gamble. You could trade down, gain and extra pick, and still get your guy. My question is, are the potential winnings of the gamble worth the potential losses?

 

Think of it in terms of gabling in Vegas. You don't have much money to play w/, but you do have money reserved for your rent. Like any 1st round pick, the point of the rent check is to show the value of the pick/ money. So anyway, lets say you have $1,000 set aside for rent. If you gamble w/ it and win, hey, you get $1,000. Great. But if you lose it, you just lost your rent check.

 

Is that potential extra $1,000 equal to the potential lost $1,000? I don't think so.

 

For me, even if he is a slight reach (and I am so sure he is anymore) I just feel a slight reach is better than risking not getting the player you want.

 

Another key factor is looking at some of the teams picking after us.

 

21 - Phily - They are dang near desperate for OTs.

22 - Minny - They have flat out said addressing RT is a high priority, and many mocks even have Britten currently going to Minny.

 

These two teams alone would prevent me from trading down and expecting Britton to still be on the board. And there is just not enough value in trading down from 18, but above 21.

 

Is it plausible that the Bears could trade down a few slots, pick up say, an extra 3rd/4th rounder, and still be able to get their hands on a solid RT in this guy? Especially if someone like Sanchez is still available at 18, who might pique the interest of a number of teams.

[nfoligno]

Damn, rookie mistake. Double post.

[lemonej]

Damn, rookie mistake. Double post.

hey nfo whats up? Its been a while.

 

Word from the Alabama Pro day is that Andre Smith only did 19 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press after he basically put all his stock into this workout.I can see his stock dropping even more and he may be in the mix at 18.Would you take a chance on this guy who up until his behavior just be fore the bowl game was atop five talent.

[ChileBear]

hey nfo whats up? Its been a while.

 

Word from the Alabama Pro day is that Andre Smith only did 19 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press after he basically put all his stock into this workout.I can see his stock dropping even more and he may be in the mix at 18.Would you take a chance on this guy who up until his behavior just be fore the bowl game was atop five talent.

If he drops to us I'd be all for taking him. Sure, he's got osme problems, but he also has the talent and has shown it in the college game.

[lemonej]

If he drops to us I'd be all for taking him. Sure, he's got osme problems, but he also has the talent and has shown it in the college game.

 

Thats what I'm thinking and he should also have the necessary motivation to prove everyone that passed on him wrong. Plus we would be getting a top five talent for a bargain at 18.

[Stinger226]

If he drops to us I'd be all for taking him. Sure, he's got osme problems, but he also has the talent and has shown it in the college game.

Does anybody read Sporting News Today online, its free and has interesting reading. There is an article on OTs in this years draft and they rate Oher as the 7th best tackle. They have Beatty and Britton as the 4th and 5th best tackles with at #3 Smith a potenial bust with his lackluster attitude. The article was put together by some former nfl scouts, so they have some expertice in the draft.

[sprout]

Yeah, I read that as well. He could be a steal at 18. I think he just got out of shape after his suspension and isn't back yet. He would be one where the Bears would surely have to monitor his diet and training activities pretty closely, but has loads of athleticism and talent.

 

hey nfo whats up? Its been a while.

 

Word from the Alabama Pro day is that Andre Smith only did 19 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press after he basically put all his stock into this workout.I can see his stock dropping even more and he may be in the mix at 18.Would you take a chance on this guy who up until his behavior just be fore the bowl game was atop five talent.

[lemonej]

Yeah, I read that as well. He could be a steal at 18. I think he just got out of shape after his suspension and isn't back yet. He would be one where the Bears would surely have to monitor his diet and training activities pretty closely, but has loads of athleticism and talent.

 

IMO he would fit right now on the right side where he would not encounter as many speed rushers which he does have trouble with.With Chris Williams penciled in on the left side he would seemed to be perfect to start off on the right.

[nfoligno]

Good to hear from you. It's been some time.

 

Yes, I would consider Andre Smith. If I had a top 5 or even a top 10 pick, I would probably pass. As bad as it is to ever miss on a 1st round pick, top 10 picks have the added bonus of killing your cap on misses. At 18, I think you can begin to afford taking greater risks, especially on such high reward. Many considered Andrea Smith the #1 OT prospect in the draft until the combine, even w/ the character flags. So if we could get potentially the top prospect OT at 18, yea I would consider that.

 

The real question is, would Angelo? He has been burned by some players w/ character issues of late. Even the ones who did not ultimately burn the bridge, it is likely they added to Angelo's heartburn. Will Angelo see past the red flag and take the risk.

 

I would also point out that he took a risk on another OT last year, also in the 1st round, who had red flags. Yes, those red flags were injury while Smith's is character, but I question whether Angelo would draft consecutative 1st round OTs who many others dropped or removed from their boards due to red flag issues.

 

hey nfo whats up? Its been a while.

 

Word from the Alabama Pro day is that Andre Smith only did 19 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press after he basically put all his stock into this workout.I can see his stock dropping even more and he may be in the mix at 18.Would you take a chance on this guy who up until his behavior just be fore the bowl game was atop five talent.

[lemonej]

Good to hear from you. It's been some time.

 

Yes, I would consider Andre Smith. If I had a top 5 or even a top 10 pick, I would probably pass. As bad as it is to ever miss on a 1st round pick, top 10 picks have the added bonus of killing your cap on misses. At 18, I think you can begin to afford taking greater risks, especially on such high reward. Many considered Andrea Smith the #1 OT prospect in the draft until the combine, even w/ the character flags. So if we could get potentially the top prospect OT at 18, yea I would consider that.

 

The real question is, would Angelo? He has been burned by some players w/ character issues of late. Even the ones who did not ultimately burn the bridge, it is likely they added to Angelo's heartburn. Will Angelo see past the red flag and take the risk.

 

I would also point out that he took a risk on another OT last year, also in the 1st round, who had red flags. Yes, those red flags were injury while Smith's is character, but I question whether Angelo would draft consecutative 1st round OTs who many others dropped or removed from their boards due to red flag issues.

 

Major point nfo! That coupled with the fact that his very first OT pick was Colombo and he too suffered injury issues.So much so that now he is the starter in Dallas .I don't understand what motivates his choices in the first round but your point is well taken and I could see him maybe laying off of an OT in the first round. If he decides to go first round WR I could see him maybe going OT in the second round but I'm not sure the guys from the lesser conferences at OT warrant a 2nd round pick.We know Angelo likes to go for a reach in the 2nd round so names like Sebastian Vollmer of Houston,Augustus Parrish Kent State and Troy Kropog Tulane come into play.

[nfoligno]

I am not saying Angelo won't go OT in the 1st. I am simply questioning whether he would take another OT who has red flags, like Smith. That doesn't mean he wouldn't take Britton.

 

If you look at the two times he did draft an OT, he was when his back was against the wall. That is why I question whether or not we should sign St. Clair. IMHO, if we sign SC, we will not draft an OT in the 1st, which is the #1 think I want to see. If we do not sign SC, our options at OT are really ugly, and thus he may again feel pressed into drafting another OT, which would be fine by me.

 

If we do not draft an OT, right now my bet would be, if he is there, DHB. While I would much rather get Nicks, I simply feel like DHB is the type of WR he would covet.

 

Major point nfo! That coupled with the fact that his very first OT pick was Colombo and he too suffered injury issues.So much so that now he is the starter in Dallas .I don't understand what motivates his choices in the first round but your point is well taken and I could see him maybe laying off of an OT in the first round. If he decides to go first round WR I could see him maybe going OT in the second round but I'm not sure the guys from the lesser conferences at OT warrant a 2nd round pick.We know Angelo likes to go for a reach in the 2nd round so names like Sebastian Vollmer of Houston,Augustus Parrish Kent State and Troy Kropog Tulane come into play.

[ASHKUM BEAR]

I am not saying Angelo won't go OT in the 1st. I am simply questioning whether he would take another OT who has red flags, like Smith. That doesn't mean he wouldn't take Britton.

 

If you look at the two times he did draft an OT, he was when his back was against the wall. That is why I question whether or not we should sign St. Clair. IMHO, if we sign SC, we will not draft an OT in the 1st, which is the #1 think I want to see. If we do not sign SC, our options at OT are really ugly, and thus he may again feel pressed into drafting another OT, which would be fine by me.

 

If we do not draft an OT, right now my bet would be, if he is there, DHB. While I would much rather get Nicks, I simply feel like DHB is the type of WR he would covet.

 

I would be fine taking Britton only if Smith/Oher were long gone and Maclin was gone also. I would hate to see DHB/Harvin drafted b/c we have our shifty WR in Hester.

 

For some reason, the way you see JA taking DHB, I see him taking Harvin. The reason I see him going Harvin is because of Kyles short game. Harvin would be able to make big gains out of the 5 to 10 yard pass plays.

[Guest TerraTor]

Hell yes we should consider him. Especially since GM's apparantly believe the statistic that drafting a o-lineman in the first round is the safest bet. I can't remember which mock it was, but one of them projected their to be a run on offensive tackles the way there was last year. I went into ESPN draft history, to look at their projections vs. where they went, and the 3 big surprises were:

#17 Gosder Cherilus to Detroit--He was projected 31st overall, late 1st-early 2nd

#21 Sam Baker to Atlanta--He was projected 64th overall, late 2nd-early 3rd

#26 Duane Brown to Houston--Projected 58th

 

pretty storied franchises there....This team needs a playmaker, whichever side of the ball it may be

[nfoligno]

I would be fine taking Britton only if Smith/Oher were long gone and Maclin was gone also. I would hate to see DHB/Harvin drafted b/c we have our shifty WR in Hester.

 

Agreed on only taking Britton if Smith/Oher are gone. Agreed on not wanting to see us draft Harvin. While I agree that I don't want DHB, I disagree on your reason. I am not sure I would call DHB another "shifty" WR. Frankly, I think he may have more pure raw talent than any WR in the draft, but also feel that raw talent is something we likely could never develop.

 

Honestly, I am not big on Maclin either. I actually see him very similar to Hester. WR. RB. RS. He can do it all, but how well will he do any one thing in the NFL. Maybe he is a great WR prospect, but at the same time, I just feel like it is Maclin who is too similar to Hester. I am NOT taking away from him. I just question if he is the best fit for our team.

 

For some reason, the way you see JA taking DHB, I see him taking Harvin. The reason I see him going Harvin is because of Kyles short game. Harvin would be able to make big gains out of the 5 to 10 yard pass plays.

 

I see the reasoning, but disagree about it happening. For the record, the same reasoning I am about to give is also why I am feel there is little chance I will see any of the WRs I truly want added to the team: Nicks, Robiskie, Iglesias. I think Angelo wants a #1 stud. I do not think that is Harvin, and I don't think Angelo would either. While I question Maclin, he could easily see that. I also think he would view DHB that way.

 

I understand what you are saying about the short game, but especially after listening to Turner, I wonder if Angelo believes Orton's lack of a deep game is all about Orton, or more about the surrounding pieces.

[AZ54]

Just curious, why do you question his strength? From everything I have read, that is considered an asset. At the LT position, his pass protection was a tad questionable due to his lack of elite foot speed, but he was considered elite in terms of run blocking, which was attributed to strength.

 

I realize strength in college doesn't mean he will be strong in the NFL, and agree he (like every prospect) will need to gain in strength to meet NFL standards. At the same time, I am simply not sure his strength is considered an area of concern.

 

I'm not questioning his strength as a problem so much as saying he needs a bit more maturity to achieve NFL strength. (If that makes sense.) I watched quite a few UofA games this year and oftened keyed in on Britton (as did replays) since we are desperate for OT help. On run downs I didn't always see that crushing block that moves his man backwards. You kind of expect that from a 1st RD talent. UofA ran a spread offense but they ran the ball quite a bit too. Sometimes he'd get his man going backwards quickly other times not so. He holds his ground and often second effort gets his man moving backwards or away from the play. On a positive note I can't recall him getting beat on a run block, not that it didn't happen.

 

Yet these are college DE's were talking about and Pac 10 at that which is not a great defensive conference. You know guys like Ogun and Brown are stronger against the run. I just think it will take a year or so for Britton to get the strength level he'll need to be really effective in the NFL. Of course, with another off season he'll be stronger this year in the NFL than he was last year at UofA. Another factor in his favor is that he is supposed to have a very good work ethic. You can feel confident he'll improve his game over the next few years.

 

While I'm questioning how effective Britton would be in our running game next year, consider that Tait almost never got any movement, same with Garza. I think Tait's biggest problem was simply a lack of mobility in his legs that hurt his effort to gain leverage. Britton will have much better feet to move with the block. With a RB like Forte who excels at reading blocks even if they aren't as drawn up this is a good thing. In pass protection Britton will be ahead of what Tait and Miller gave us the last two years and should only be better as the year goes on.

 

I can be happy if we pick him at #18 but I just won't have very high expectations for his first year but he'll be better than what we've had lately. The arrow goes up from there IMO.

[balta1701-A]

Re: Britton

 

Don Banks @ SI has a new mock draft up today, he has the Bears taking Britton in the first, and he has them doing so with Oher still on the board (Maclin is gone in his). He says Oher is falling rapidly after the combine while Britton is rising.

 

Here's his comments:

I got a bit roasted by some in the blogosphere for not having Mississippi offensive tackle Michael Oher in the first round of my last mock, while others had him still in their top 10. Guilty as charged, but for a reason. A personnel man I trust tells me Oher's stock has taken on water starting with the combine, and he believes he'll continue to sink all the way into the second round. This goes against the dictum that quality offensive tackles go fast, I know. But Oher has some red flags, and Bears general manager Jerry Angelo isn't known as a big risk-taker on draft day.

[HoofHearted]

After watching him destroy every pass rusher my Sun Devil's threw at him these past three years, I would have no problem with that pick. As for the experts who question his foot speed, I'd suggest they watch the tape of him not only staying in front of, but killing Dexter Davis all day this season, including one block where he drove the poor kid ten yards downfield on a block. For those of you unfamiliar with him, Dexter is an absolute athletic beast of a DE/OLB. People may be right when they say he is a RT spect, but he DOES have a chance at LT, and he if Williams craps on all the stupid buster talk, RT is what we need anyway.

[AZ54]

Since Suggs left the Sun Devils haven't had much of an elite pass rusher, haven't had much of a defense either. Davis has athleticism but he isn't close to what Suggs was at ASU, at least not yet.

 

By the way I'd like to add I'd be happy to see Chris McGaha join the Bears next year. He'll have to run around a 4.6 forty but the kid is a freak with his vertical leap, huge hands, and makes acrobatic catch after acrobatic catch. Something a QB challenged team needs.