NFL Draft/Free Agent/Trade Ideas

[Bravo95]

Falcons' soon-to-be free agents and PFF.com's grading in 2012:

Name	       Pos.	Years	2012	2013	Rating	Snaps
Sam Baker	OT	5	ATL	UFA	+11.6	1073
Vance Walker	DI	4	ATL	UFA	+7.6	539
Todd McClure	C	14	ATL	UFA	+6.7	1059
William Moore	S	4	ATL	UFA	+6.7	774
Tony Gonzalez	TE	16	ATL	UFA	+6.1	978
Chris Owens	CB	4	ATL	UFA	+4.9	176
Mike Cox	FB	5	ATL	UFA	+2.1	137
Garrett Reynolds G	4	ATL	UFA	+1.1	400
Will Svitek	OT	7	ATL	UFA	0.0	0
Luke McCown	QB	9	ATL	UFA	0.0	10
Antone Smith	RB	3	ATL	RFA	-0.3	6
Michael Palmer	TE	3	ATL	RFA	-0.3	159
Lawrence Sidbury DE	4	ATL	UFA	-0.6	31
Mike Peterson	LB	14	ATL	UFA	-1.1	117
Brent Grimes	CB	5	ATL	UFA	-1.3	52
Chris Hope	S	11	ATL	UFA	-5.3	26

http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog...lanta-falcons/

[FalconsNation02]

Pardon my ignorance, do you know how those ratings are calculated or measured? Is it kind of like WAR for baseball? Interesting.

That list suggest Baker is irreplacable.

[Bravo95]

They grade each player differently, so you can't really compare each guy to the next, but it's kinda like WAR in that we fans shouldn't use WAR as an end-all-be-all in baseball, but rather as one of the many stats to make the case for (or against) a player. Same with sites like FootballOutsiders.com, none of the stats tell the whole story but they often give you a better perspective. We do know Baker was much better than we've from him in previous years though. He's not an All-Pro by any measure, but we can say he turned into a solid player this season.

[Bravo95]

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/ja...darrelle-revis

The New York Jets, fresh off an exhaustive hunt for new general manager John Idzik, will explore options to deal star corner Darrelle Revis this offseason, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

Revis, whose contract voids after the 2014 season, is set to earn $6 million in 2013 (between salary and bonuses), and owner Woody Johnson has strong reservations about the ability to extend Revis's deal, the sources said. Johnson has expressed his desire to attempt to land value for Revis now, rather than risk losing him as an unrestricted free agent a year from now, most likely seeking as much draft-pick compensation for him as possible.

Dealing Revis would incur a $9 million cap hit due to some option-bonus prorations involved in the contract -- thus Revis would count an additional $3 million against the cap than he is currently scheduled to

Well, you guys wanted a corner, right?

[ugafan]

Wonder how much he would cost/how effective he would be coming off of a torn ACL. Still probably too much for us.

[Bravo95]

It's possible. Only $3M of Dunta's $8M salary in 2013 is guaranteed, he turns 31 in April. Grimes ($10.3M tag) is also coming off the books. TD's track record with trading picks is solid enough where we can trust his judgment.

[HowFit]

I always get leery of players coming back from a torn acl in all sports. If he comes back to old self, yes, I would def would trade for him as long asking price not too much. Just a risk one is willing to take. Not sure if I would give up a 1st rounder for him tho...

[blitz42]

I'm not too sold on us selling out and converting to a permanent 3-4 scheme. We don't have one 5-tech, only thing close to a NT would be 7th round pick Travian Robertson and I don't think Weatherspoon has enough beef to play MLB in a 3-4. The only thing we might have in our DEs are guys that are athletic enough to be pass-rushers in the 3-4.

I'm guessing based off our personnel and some comments that Mike Smith made is we'd most likely stick to a flexible hybrid defense that has the ability to shift back-and-forth between different fronts. I think having that ability is beneficial. I have been saying for the past three years that we need to beef up our DTs, adding a bulky 315+ guy in the middle would definitely help all around and give us a guy that can be the nose in a 3-4. I also think that besides a nose we need a larger more athletic MLB who has the ability to play all three downs.

[Ramon Nivar]

I feel Vance Walker would be an excellent 5-technique. Babineaux could probably do it too. Travian Robertson seems like he was a hybrid coming out of college. As far as Spoon, I would love to see us use him like Arizona uses Daryl Washington. Spoon would never be a Willis or a Lewis but he could be an aggressive ILB. 7-8 sack and 10 TFL guy. Dent could be more of the physical tackler, although he is still a bit raw.

[FalconsNation02]

The more and more I think, if we are moving to a 3-4 D, instead of an edge rusher I would like the picks to go DT, OLB, TE, MLB, DE, RB, OL, OL in the draft.

I wish we could trade up for Start Lotulelei, or have him fall in our laps.... even if thats a 1% chance of happening ray:

From Mel Kiper's current draft board:

#4
Star Lotulelei AGE: 23 DOB: 12/20/89 HT: 6-4WT: 325 POS: DT

The simple fact with Lotulelei is you can't block him with one guy. He's ready to be an impact NFL DT. He absorbs so much blocking help and frees up others, but he's not just a clogger, because he can show off a great burst and the ability to destroy plays. Has a great sense for disrupting the run game. Quick off the ball with great upper- and lower-body strength. Coaches rave about him.



Probably a higher possibility:

#20
John Jenkins AGE: 23 DOB: 7/11/89 HT: 6-3 WT: 358 POS: DT

People are surprised when they realize how big Jenkins is, because he moves pretty well. He's steady in terms of finding ways to impact the game because he's either eating up blocks or overwhelming a blocker one-on-one. He opens up space for LBs to attack and can occasionally push the pocket himself, even against double-teams.

[Bravo95]

I feel Vance Walker would be an excellent 5-technique. Babineaux could probably do it too. Travian Robertson seems like he was a hybrid coming out of college. As far as Spoon, I would love to see us use him like Arizona uses Daryl Washington. Spoon would never be a Willis or a Lewis but he could be an aggressive ILB. 7-8 sack and 10 TFL guy. Dent could be more of the physical tackler, although he is still a bit raw.

Agree with all of this. I've been screaming about them needing to take advantage of Spoon's skills as a hellraiser in the backfield. That's where he's at his best. Don't know what to make of Peters yet but I'm willing to try him at 3-4 DE and go from there.

[DJiC]

do we have the cap to go after dwight freeney? rumor is he and the colts are going to move on and dwight is prob still top 3 DE and plays the LB position too....man i hope we get MJD and freeney

[FalconsNation02]

Lets hope this years draft is better than last years...

Here is Mel Kipers analysis of last years draft...

Atlanta Falcons

Round Pick Position Player College
(2) 55 C Peter Konz/ Wisconsin
(3) 91 T Lamar Holmes/ Southern Mississippi
(5) 157 FB Bradie Ewing/ Wisconsin
(5) 164 DE Jonathan Massaquoi/ Troy
(6) 192 S Charles Mitchell/ Mississippi State
(7) 249 NT Travian Robertson/ South Carolina

Post-draft grade: C

Summary: The Falcons didn't draft until No. 55 overall, but they got a player I considered the best at his position. Peter Konz was my top-rated center on draft day, and he finished the season as a starter at guard. He should remain as a starter on the interior of Atlanta's offensive line. There isn't much to point to after that, but again, this for a team that didn't have significant holes. The pass rush was an area of concern, and Jonathan Massaquoi still has a chance to develop after being taken at No. 164 overall out of Troy. Late picks Charles Mitchell and Travian Robertson both managed to stick, but so far the draft is basically Konz and some hope for Massaquoi.

New grade: C

[Ramon Nivar]

do we have the cap to go after dwight freeney? rumor is he and the colts are going to move on and dwight is prob still top 3 DE and plays the LB position too....man i hope we get MJD and freeney

If we want to switch to a 3-4 then we should avoid Dwight.

[Bravo95]

He's hasn't looked like elite lately. Only 5 sacks this season, and his totals have decreased each of the last 4 seasons.