Friday draft notes: DGB, QB’s, trades and Cassius Marsh

Green-Beckham is a superb athlete. He’s 6-6 and 225lbs, won state high school championships in the 100 meters and the triple jump and he was one of the top recruits in the country when he committed to Missouri.

Even in a losing effort he looked like the best player on the field in the SEC Championship game last season. He was a first round pick before he played even a snap of college football.

And now? Who knows.

He’s had several issues during his time at Missouri, but this latest one — detailed by ESPN’s Edward Aschoff — appears to be the straw that broke the camels back:

Green-Beckham was the subject of an investigation by Columbia, Mo., police this week after an 18-year-old Missouri student said the receiver forced open her apartment door at 2:30 a.m. Sunday while trying to see his girlfriend, a friend of the alleged victim.

The woman said Green-Beckham pushed her down at least four stairs.

Another roommate told police the 6-foot-6, 225-pound athlete pushed the first woman with two hands to the chest. Later that night, the two told a detective they didn’t want to press charges, and police closed the case Thursday without an arrest.

Green-Beckham has two prior marijuana-related arrests. In January, Green-Beckham and two other men were arrested after Springfield, Mo., police found a pound of marijuana in their car. No charges were filed in that case.

In October 2012, Green-Beckham, then a freshman, was charged with marijuana possession in Columbia and later pleaded guilty to second-degree trespassing after he and two teammates were reportedly smoking marijuana in a campus parking lot. Green-Beckham was suspended for one game after that arrest.

Gary Pinkel, Missouri’s Head Coach, says “Dorial’s priority going forward needs to be focusing on getting the help he needs.”

I suspect he’ll join up with a smaller school and play football next year — in an attempt to prove to NFL teams he’s a ‘changed man’. Several players have gone down this road. None have been able to maintain their lofty position as a high pick.

It’s particularly frustrating when it’s a player as good as Green-Beckham. He had all the tools to be an elite NFL receiver. What a complete waste of talent to get involved in issues such as this.

He’s also made sure fans of every NFL team in the world will spend the entire draft process next year asking whether their team will be the one “to give him a chance.”

Because that type of conversation never gets boring.

Carr rising, Bridgewater falling?

Chris Mortensen is reporting good news for Derek Carr, but not so good news for Teddy Bridgewater:

This follows a trend that has lasted for a few weeks now.

It shouldn’t really surprise anyone.

Bridgewater’s a pretty good quarterback. Is he special? Is he even going to be ‘pretty good’ in the NFL? I can’t answer that. And neither can I get excited about him leading my franchise if I’m a team needing a QB.

That’s not to say I’d be one of the teams potentially drafting Derek Carr instead between picks 8-20. I wouldn’t do that. I’d rather wait and take my chances on developing Tom Savage or Logan Thomas in a later round (if I was the GM of a patient team, of course).

But Carr has the arm. Teams who want to run a conventional high percentage passing game will feel he’s a good fit. Minnesota with Norv Turner, Arizona with Bruce Arians. Carr is much more suited to that type of offense. And they’re two of the teams in that 8-20 range that theoretically will look for a quarterback.

I’ve long thought Bridgewater was a more accomplished version of Andy Dalton — who went in the early second round. He’s in that mould of pretty good technical passer who will probably make mistakes at the next level while also winning you football games. That type of player is always seen as better value in round two — for whatever reason.

And hey — there are probably teams in 2011 who wished they’d drafted Dalton in round one despite his flaws. There will be teams who end up feeling that way about Bridgewater if he drops into round two.

But I get why it might happen. I get why Carr could be drafted first.

Personally I wouldn’t be rushing to the podium to get either player.

Maybe a team like Cleveland jumps up to go after Carr? They’ve reportedly got a lot of interest there.

And maybe, as we’ll go into in a moment, we’ll end up seeing more trades in round one than we ever anticipated?

Teams covet Mike Evans

According to Tony Pauline, the team who takes receiver Mike Evans will likely be trading up to get him:

Based on conversations its my educated “guess” the team who selects Evans will make a trade to acquire his services.

Right now it looks like three teams are the frontrunners to make some sort of move for Evans. If the St Louis Rams trade out of the second spot, and they will make every effort to do as much, Evans would be a target assuming they stay in the top ten.

Two teams selecting in the middle of the first frame who are very high on Evans and would consider trading up to grab him are the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens.

Pauline also reports several teams have Zach Martin graded higher than Taylor Lewan

On the trade talk — it’s interesting how many potential deals are currently being discussed. Here’s a breakdown of all the rumours doing the rounds:

— The Texans and Rams both want to trade down from #1 and #2

— The Jacksonville Jaguars are also showing interest in trading down from #3

— The Detroit Lions might be prepared to trade up for Sammy Watkins

— The Falcons are interested in moving up

— Philadelphia and Baltimore might be willing to trade up for Mike Evans

For me Watkins and Evans are about as safer picks as you can get in this class — particularly if you have a quarterback like Matt Stafford or an offense like Philadelphia’s.

It makes a lot of sense to move up and target them, even in a deep draft. Teams have to be prepared to be pro-active. This great class isn’t just about depth — it’s about top tier talent.

The worst value in this draft might come in the 13-23 range in the first round. You miss out on the top 10-12 prospects, and players who would be considered great value at 25-32 might not look quite so attractive to a team like Baltimore at #17.

We might end up seeing a perfect storm for movement — with rebuilding teams like the Jaguars collecting picks and sides like the Ravens going for a big-time addition.

Either way, don’t rule out the possibility of several moves within the first round. It could happen.

Seahawks meet with UCLA prospect

Marsh is 6-4 and 252lbs — he ran a 4.89 at the combine but managed a 1.66 10-yard split. He had a 32-inch vertical.

Here’s some 2013 tape vs New Mexico State:

17 Comments

  1. John

    I would really enjoy watching the team that takes Carr over Brigdewater struggle. Carr is not an NFL QB in my eyes, not even close. He was a late round pick running a pro style offense and once he started playing in a spread offense (The offense that made Brandon Weeden a first round pick) he suddenly looked better. When Carr has time in a clean pocket, has a simple read and doesn’t rush his process, he looks like an NFL QB. The thing is, he’s going to be pressured in the NFL and be patient through multiple reads and when he has to face pressure or go through reads, his fundamentals and techniques break down and his accuracy suffers. You want to see a good pocket QB, look at Bridgewater. For all his deep ball issues and leadership questions, Bridgewater moves extremely well in the pocket while maintaining sound footwork. That’s why he’s so accurate on the short and intermediate routes. Put Bridgewater on the Browns and he’ll take them to the playoffs (like Dalton did for the Bengals), but Carr on the Browns and he’ll be Brandon Weeden 2.0.

    • CC

      I’m not so sure I agree with you on Carr – I know his brother was basically a bust, and I think he’s being compared to his brother.

      But I do believe it depends on which team he goes too – he has a high completion percentage and he does have the arm. I watched the Gruden show on him and I came away impressed. He was calling his own plays, is reading defenses and protections – that alone gives him an advantage in the pros. So many of these college guys can’t read defenses because it is that quick read offense.

      I like Bridgewater too – but he also will have to go to the right spot – a QB friendly coach to succeed.

      • John

        Have to disagree with you. Carr may be able to read defenses in a safe environment like Gruden’s film room but on the field I don’t see it and I think it all comes from poor pocket presence. Carr is talented, he really is but he needs to sit for awhile and fix his issues in the pocket before he will ever become a quality starter in the NFL. And, Carr is one of the best examples of the old school QB protorype. Big, strong armed pocket passer. So I think he will be over drafted and thrust into a starting role too early and wash out of the NFL.

        His issues aren’t as glaring to me as a guy like Garrapollo or Logan Thomas, but I think he is way over hyped.

  2. williambryan

    When I read about PHI and BAL interest in trading up for Evans, I read it as they were trading WITH St. Louis for the second pick, which would presumably mean multiple teams view Evans as the number one WR over Watkins, which definitely means we can give up any hope of him dropping into a range that might entice JS to trade up which is very disappointing for me lol

  3. House

    Cassius Marsh looks like he has a good motor and keeps playing to the whistle. Technique can always be improved and we have good coaches to help him get there. I’m thinking hes an option in the 5th rd?

  4. Mark

    Cassius Marsh doesn’t really fit what the Seahawks look for, in my opinion. It didn’t seem like he could get off any blocks in the video above. He should have benefited greatly from playing the same side as Barr. That game didn’t look very flattering for Barr either

    But any time I hear the term ‘tweener’ thrown around, it immediately sets off Seahawk alarms in my head.

    • Cade

      Hes a projected 5th rounder. We cant expect those later round guys to jump off the tape. If they have the raw athleticism and flash some good things then sometimes with the right coaching and in the right system they develop into really cool players.

      Honestly I have a really hard time evaluating these guys. Seemed like he was pushed around quite a bit at the beginning of the tape and then flashed towards the middle with some quickness to penetrate into the backfield. Also good motor.

      • bigDhawk

        Reminds me of Jordan Hill – not physically strong, gets pushed around a lot, but has enough of a motor to occasionally squirt into the backfield and disrupt things.

    • Jim Q

      About getting off blocks……
      It looks like the #64 pick could be used on a pass rushing DT or DE/LEO. It may be that the 2013 college sack leader – Trent Murphy may drop to #64. If so, I’d like it a lot. This guy just always gets out of blocks and seems to always take a direct route to the QB (unlike Bruce Irvin who gets pushed out on a wide arc on nearly every play). He may not be the fastest but he sure is quick, I could see him being an effective replacement for Clemmons at LEO. Watch his tape and you’ll see that he doesn’t stay blocked when rushing the QB (and he plays the run well also).
      Trent Murphy, DE, Stanford, 6-053, 250, 4.86/40 (*4.72-4.75* at his pro day), (*1.63*/10yd split), 19/reps, *35.5″*/vert, *118″*/broad,* 6.78*/3-cone, *4.20*/20yd shuttle. (33-7/8″ arms, and huge 11-1/8″ hands). http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=90538&draftyear=2014&genpos=DE

      Trent Murphy, 2014 scouting report:
      “”Teams will love the fact that Murphy has shown improvement each year he’s played and his sack numbers highlight that as they’ve grown from 6.5 to 10 to 15 over the last three seasons. Murphy was the top pass rusher in the country thanks to his burst off the snap, his efficient pass rush skills and his outstanding usage of hands. Murphy is able to set up counter moves off of his quick first step and he takes direct paths to the quarterback. One of the things I like most about him is how infrequently he stays engaged with the lineman in front of him. With good bend and technique, Murphy showed ability to set the edge effectively against the run.””
      http://thesidelineview.com/scouting-report/trent-murphy

  5. Stuart

    Rob, your thought process about the QB position would make you a valuable GM. Going deeper into your thoughts here, assuming both are available, who would you choose, Tom Savage or Logan Thomas?

    The Cardinals have the 20th pick in each round, or close to it. As the Cards GM, GM Rob, if you believed both QB’s would be chosen in R-3, would you wait until your pick in R-3 or pull the trigger in R-2?

    It would be right near the top of my bucket list to be involved (spectator) in pre-draft meetings with the Hawks and of course Draft Day War rooms!

    • Rob Staton

      For Arizona I’d consider it in round two because they’re good enough overall to accommodate such a pick. Thomas has all the physical tools you want in a top QB. Virginia Tech have been a mess for a couple of years — schematically they’ve been all over the place. I think they’ve changed coordinators. Thomas went from a point guard in 2011 to a flustered, error-prone mistake machine in 2012 and 2013.

      I think in an offense like Seattle’s he’d thrive. Take shots. Limit the number of throws. Don’t ask him to do too much. He’s mobile and can move around. A good coach wants to work with him — to see if they can deliver on all of that potential.

      Savage I really liked at Rutgers. Big arm, prototype passer. No limitations. He just needs some consistency and pro-development to be a really accomplished player. Two very intriguing players.

  6. dave crockett

    Too much too soon for DGB.

    Sometimes you can’t tell an 18, 19 year old kid that the world doesn’t revolve around him. We’ll see what else comes out in this case, but this strikes me as mostly a case of a kid thinking he’s untouchable. That he can do whatever he wants to whomever. Just three years ago he was running around on a high school field in a small city in Southwest Missouri looking like a grown man playing against a day care.

    Not that there are any good conditions to raise your hands to people and try to bogard your way into their residence, but if you don’t have sense enough to chill out after you’ve already been in trouble AND with the Sasha Menu Corey case, then you may never get it.

    I suspect he’ll transfer down to Missouri State in Springfield, which is where he’s from and where his father is a local coach. My grandfather used to say, “Some folks just got to go through it to get to it.” I hope he gets to it.

  7. CC

    Oh to be young – unfortunately, we hear about talented guys doing a lot of stupid things and messing up their lives. I hope this young man learns from this and straightens up his act.

    It is interesting to me that they went to look at Marsh – it reminds me that I have no idea what the Seahawks are looking for :o) I get it if the FO is looking for a guy like this in the lower rounds, but I see the 4.89 DE and I think, hmmm, Seattle likes the quick guys – “he’s too slow” – Of course, it isn’t slow, but when you see Clowney throw up 4.4s and 4.5s you think – slow – I guess I need to take a look again at my “Seahawky” list of draft possibilities.

    AND I hate that we are still almost a month away from the draft!!!

    • Rob Staton

      Thing Marsh has in his favour — very good 10 yard split for his size. Seahawks put a lot of focus on that.

  8. House

    Marsh’s type of play will have him be in the “unheralded, team-player” role. He probably won’t yield the numbers, but his continued pressure will make others around him better. I would definitely give him a shot in the 5th rd. Depth/role players will be the key moves that keep the Hawks successful

    • Madmark

      If your looking for a couple of unherald team player I think of a Ed Stintson DE/DT of Alabama. A smaller version of Red Bryant but just as strong and slightly better reach. He’s that run stuffer your looking for that can cover 30′ of the defensive line.
      The other guy is Anthony Steen OG Alabama. He reminds me of a Chris Gray who was a blue collar worker that played for 16 years. Every year they would try to replace him with someone else but never could find that person. He’s not the most athletically gifted and he appears to have a pot belly but somehow he finds a way to do his job.

  9. jake

    Barr looks more interesting than Marsh.

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