This morning we opened up our Wednesday roundtable by discussing Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller. This afternoon we are back as TSS Associate Editor Bart Doan joins staff writer Kevin Causey and a rotating guest in our weekly roundtables discussing all things college football. This week Associate Editor Terry Johnson is on assignment so Kevin McGuire from NBC’s College Football Talk and Bloguin’s Nittany Lions Den joins us to fill in.
For the afternoon edition of our roundtable we are going to tackle a topic that is being heavily discussed this week, the NFL Draft. To talk pro football, we brought in Andrew Juge of Bloguin’s New Orleans Saints site The Saints Nation.
Question: Out of all the players in the NFL Draft, if you could choose any for your team without regard to team needs, who would you pick?
Andrew Juge:
On Twitter @AndrewJuge:
For me it’s between Leonard Williams and Amari Cooper. I believe they are by far the best two players in the draft. I’ll pick Cooper since it’s a passing league. I know people like Kevin White with his 40 time and size combo, but Cooper is the perfect receiver. He blocks well, runs fantastic routes, he’s tough, has great hands, you name it. He’s performed at an all world level in the toughest conference going up against the toughest coverage. No one is better rounded and he will be a superstar for whatever team picks him and for whichever quarterback throws to him.
Kevin McGuire:
On Twitter @KevinOnCFB:
I’ll answer this question with the intent of building my franchise around one specific player. With that in mind, I would be inclined to take a quarterback to be my franchise QB but this year I will go in a slightly different direction. I am drafting offensive tackle Brandon Scherff out of Iowa, and he will be the anchor of my offensive line for years and given the responsibility of protecting my franchise QB to be determined. I am not 100 percent sold I will be able to build my team around James Winston or Marcus Mariota, and I feel I can get position players later on. So give me the big offensive tackle now before I miss out on him.
Bart Doan:
On Twitter @TheCoachBart
Full disclosure: as a Patriots fan, I’m still ensconced in Super Bowl celebration. I’m not sure that will end even when the season starts. I mean, I still regularly watch the season DVD and still only wear certain clothes on certain days because they won their last game and I’m obligated to keep that going. Totally sane. But if I’m giving them any player, it’s Trae Waynes of Michigan State.
A lot of it is because Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner (less him, but still some of him) are kaput, but it’s also because the NFL really seems to be a league where the shutdown CB is the second most important position you can fill on the team (behind quarterback) and there are a dearth of shutdown guys. I’m not saying Waynes is without question that guy, but he’s the best CB prospect in the draft and has a mean streak to him.
The way the NFL is tilting their rules and the way the game is called, everything is focused on more points, more offense (unless, of course, you legally find a way to use formations to confuse teams to score. Then, that must be changed, obviously, because Belichick thought it up … but I digress). And most of that emphasis is continually opening up the passing game, so you cannot have enough good DBs on your team.
To be quite honest, my first three or four picks might all be DBs. That’s how glaring the league’s changes seem to be. Give me Waynes. I don’t see Emperor Roger letting up on the offensive rules anytime soon.
Kevin Causey:
On Twitter @CFBZ
I’m going to answer this question two different ways. The first way is to look at it from the perspective of the team that I root for, the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons are in desperate need of an edge rusher who can get after the quarterback. This position was once the deepest in the NFL Draft but off-the-field issues with Randy Gregory and Shane Ray have brought doubt on this position. That leaves it up to Vic Beasley and Dante Fowler Jr for me. I would love to have Vic Beasley on the Falcons but if I had a choice, I’m going with Fowler. I think Fowler can play a couple of different positions and is a bit more well-rounded. While Beasley is probably the better pass rusher, I think Fowler is the better all-around player and could have more of an immediate impact.
If I’m just picking the straight up best player in the draft? I’m going with my dawg, Todd Gurley. Despite his season-ending ACL injury, Gurley is simply the type of running back that doesn’t come around often. He has game-breaking speed. He’s a threat to take it to the end zone every time he touches the ball. He gets better as the game goes on. He breaks tackles as well as makes people miss. In a league that’s not dominated by running backs, he’s the type of running back who can dominate. If I have one pick in the NFL Draft, I’m taking Todd Gurley.
Previous Roundtables
Which returning starter at QB will show the most improvement in 2015?
Which first year starter at QB is poised to have a breakout season?
Which non-Power 5 QB do you want as the face of your franchise?
Which Power 5 quarterback do you want as the face of your franchise?
If you could have attended any game in the history of college football what would it be?
Reliving our favorite college football memories
Who was the greatest team in the history of college football?
Who was the most underrated team in college football history?
In a one-game scenario, which college football coach would you turn to for a win?
Which coach would you turn to if building a program from scratch?
