3rd Round Targets... BRING THEM HOME TD!

DT Pat Sims
DT Dre Moore
DT Red Bryant
OT Carl Nicks
OG Roy Schuening
CB Justin King

I'd love to see OT Carl Nicks or one of the DTs as our next pick. Nicks is a good driving run blocker who could play RT or possibly OG.

Carl Nicks (OT)
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 341

Positives: Has a wide, thick frame with a wide waist and hips, long arms, large hands, very thick thighs and legs...Has surprisingly good foot quickness for a player his size, but has better lateral range and suddenness out of his stance when he plays at a lighter weight (best at 325 pounds)...Mentally tough, but not overly aggressive and despite academic struggles, he shows good field awareness (only penalized once the last two years)...Extends his arms properly and sinks his hips in order to consistently lock on and ride his man wide...Keeps his pad level down and shows good determination to finish his blocks, as he uses his long arms well to reach, wall off and seal the defender...Has decent flexibility and adjustment skills on the move, but does struggle at times to cut off at the second level...Generates a powerful explosion behind his hand punch and displays good tenacity as a drive blocker, using his long arms and hand jolt to handle double moves and anchor firmly vs. the inside surge...Rolls his hips and slides his feet well adequately in pass protection, as it is rare to see him cross his feet, doing a nice job of shooting his hands and keeping his arms properly extended to mirror the edge rushers (will struggle vs. quick counter moves, but it is rare to see a bull rusher walk him back into the pocket... When he keeps his pads down and generates good hip roll, he creates good movement to create another line of scrimmage...Runs his feet well in attempts to finish blocks and knows how to use his size to wall off his opponent, doing a better job of maintaining inside leverage and readjusting back than most bigger blockers...Stays on his feet upon initial contact and can generated a strong punch with either hand rising out of his stance...Determined drive blocker with the natural strength to consistently drive through and knock down defenders, as he aggressively attacks his man until the whistle...When he extends and uses his hands to lock up and sustain, the battle is quickly over...Can slide his feet adequately in the short area (will struggle to adjust in the second level) and is not the type who will rely on his big frame to lean into a defender (loves to face up and maul rather than sit back and wait for the action.

Negatives: Has problems mirroring the speedier edge rushers and vs. double moves and might be a better fit for the right side, where he won't be exposed on an island...Weight fluctuates considerably (was 280 three years ago and 343 at the Senior Bowl after playing the season at 327)...When he fails to get good hand placement, he reverts to catching in pass protection...Lacks a good running stride when getting to the second level and must be quicker adjusting with his blocks in space...Combative with his hands, but can be beaten by slippery counter moves...When he aims high coming out of his stance, it lets the edge rushers utilize a quick spin move to slip by...Still raw in his foot movements setting up in pass protection, but has shown steady improvement as a starter...Has good hand placement, but needs to be quicker using them to recoil...Does not change direction well or recover quickly when on the move (best when parked at the X's)...Sometimes gets too wild with his arm swipes, leaving his chest exposed for the defensive end to attack.

Compares To: FLOZELL ADAMS-Dallas...Like Adams, Nicks might be a massive blocker, but he doesn't use his size as a crutch. He has nimble feet for a player his size and even though he lacks the change of direction skills to consistently handle the speed rush, he will drop his weight and extend his long arms to wall off. He has the hand strength to win most one-on-one battles when he gets into the defender's chest. He needs to drop a few pounds in order to improve his lateral range, but he has the functional foot quickness to slide and reach his set point. His best asset is his ability to explode into his man and maintain balance doing it. Move him inside to guard for a few years to enhance his learning curve, as he has had just one season as a starter at tackle under his belt.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/carl-nicks?id=1264

I like Nicks, Sims and Moore. I wouldn't be surprised to see us take a fast CB who can double as a return man, either.

I also wonder if Jacob Hester isn't in our plans in the later rounds. He gives us a true 3 down backup to Turner, AND he would double as the backup FB. I'm not sure I like that route (being a Ga. Tech homer, I'd rather see Tashard Choice), but it does seem to fit this regime's "versatile player" mold. And Hester is a Mod I, Mark 0 mauler of a RB OR FB.

if you guys go to this website you can see who has been drafted for us and who is still on the board. you can search for players by position or name.


nfl.com/draft/tracker

it worked pretty good for me yesterday.

Im with ya on Moore and Nicks and Cottam.

Probably my PC, but that site has been slow as Christmas & kinda buggy for me today.

Nope site is trashed.

Man, I wish we had a pick in 4 to get Carl Nicks. If he's still on the board by some miracle in 5 he's got to be our pick.