"Can't Miss" Players in 2014 NFL Draft

Tour2ma

@bbedward said:
Yea Luck's don't come around often though.

True... Luck, P. Manning, Elway... maybe one per decade.

cdl15

Joe Thomas was a can't miss guy

Westside Steve

Gipper there are also no safeties guards inside linebackers kickers or punters in his top 6.

And we understand that can't miss players sometimes, well, miss.

But it's probably fair to say that a guy should be a once every few years calibre player to be considered a can't miss prospect. Disagree?

WSS

thenew23

@cdl15 said:
Joe Thomas was a can't miss guy

You don't have to list all the "can't miss" guys who turned out good, because I don't want to list all the "can't miss" guys who turned out to bust... thanks

I'll play along though:

If there were any "can't miss" players in this draft, here's who I think:

Anthony Barr - OLB - UCLA - at 6'4" 250 with great speed, he's a can't miss OLB for a 3-4 team b/c he doesn't have to convert - he played 3-4 OLB in college.

Jadaveon Clowney - DE - So.Car - he is ONLY a "can't miss" if he plays 4-3 DE. I would never call a pass rusher who has to convert to OLB as "can't miss"

Jake Matthews - OT - TA&M - it's easy to predict OTs will be "can't miss," but different blocking schemes and QB styles can affect guys at the next level

C.J. Mosley - LB - Alabama - I call him "can't miss" because he is very versatile. Can fit inside in a 3-4 or outside in a 4-3, either way he's always around the ball

Kony Ealy - DE - Missouri - another "can't miss" ONLY if he plays 4-3 DE. "Might" fit a 3-4 DE, but again, you never know when systems change

Question marks surrounding all the other players projected in the first round IMHO. There are other players that I think will be good, but I couldn't call them "can't miss." I would never put that label on a QB, RB, WR, or CB because it is so difficult to grade those positions b/c of the widespread level of competetion they are against in college... just my thoughts...

cdl15

Of course it is his opinions.

beare

clowneys not a cant miss it all depends on his desire to play he seems to take games off

Hunt Daddy

@tour2ma said:

True... Luck, P. Manning, Elway... maybe one per decade.

And the Colts drafted all of them.

The Gipper

@westside-steve said:

Gipper there are also no safeties guards inside linebackers kickers or punters in his top 6.

And we understand that can't miss players sometimes, well, miss.

But it's probably fair to say that a guy should be a once every few years calibre player to be considered a can't miss prospect. Disagree?

WSS

OK, but no position gets the attention that a QB gets.....look at this forum....90% of it is dedicated to yammering on and on about the QB position.

If Tour says "no QB in my opinion rates a can't miss" I would not argue...probably agree. But when you state that opinion on such a hot button topic people want to also know Why?

Tim Couch Pulls Out

Clowney is from S.Car. Not Clempsun. Please fix that egregious mistake before he realizes it and eats the entire message board.

Westside Steve

I think he probably would have mentioned one if any of these four guys were being called the best to come out in years like some of the other positions. It's actually too bad there isn't a can't miss quarterback or two. Then we might have one instead of just paying for one.

WSS

miktoxic

are we staying with the 3-4 or switching back to a 4-3.

IMO the 4-3 was better suited to this team. sheard could get loose and who knows what kreuger would have ended up doing.

since they haven't named a DC yet i guess it's all up in the air.

if they were to switch to a 4-3 clowney would be 'can't miss'.

there are no probs with his motor or taking games off. you've got to understand everyone was telling him to take the year off last year. he had just seen his team mate in lattimore lose his career the year before due to injury.....what would you have done?

Westside Steve

didn't we hire that Jim O'Neill from Buffalo? Or am I confusing somebody with somebody else...

WSS

BadNewsBrowns

Yeah they did... and when I read what Pettine's defensive philosophy is it sounds pretty much identical to Horton's.

I guess they plan to run an aggressive 3-4,4-3 hybrid defense.

Although I really can't recall Horton getting too creative with the D last year as much as it was hyped up to be before the season started.

thenew23

@westside-steve said:

didn't we hire that Jim O'Neill from Buffalo? Or am I confusing somebody with somebody else...

WSS

Yes, but Pettine is presumably going to be calling the plays this season... That means hybrid 3-4/4-3, depending on situations. Last year the Bills played a lot of 4-man fronts with 5-6 in the secondary. I think Pettine will be game-planning based on the players we have, and the team we're facing, not necessarily focusing on a "base D."

thenew23

Ideally, I think our D would look good as a 4-3...

Taylor/Bryant in the middle, Kruger/Sheard on the outside, Jackson in the middle, Mingo/Robertson at OLB, Haden/Skrine at CB, Ward at SS, and a gaping hole at FS

That would be dependent on 3 things: 1-Mingo converting to the "Bruce Irvin-type" 4-3 OLB, 2-finding an upgrade to Robertson, and most importantly 3-we need a FS with great ball skills to round out what could be a stellar D...

I'd consider Haha Clinton-Dix a potential "can't miss" prospect at #26, but he'll probably be gone by then...

Tour2ma

@westside-steve said:

Gipper there are also no safeties guards inside linebackers kickers or punters in his top 6.

And we understand that can't miss players sometimes, well, miss.

But it's probably fair to say that a guy should be a once every few years calibre player to be considered a can't miss prospect. Disagree?

Ed Zachery...

@thenew23 said:

You don't have to list all the "can't miss" guys who turned out good, because I don't want to list all the "can't miss" guys who turned out to bust... thanks

I'll play along though:

If there were any "can't miss" players in this draft, here's who I think:

Anthony Barr - OLB - UCLA - at 6'4" 250 with great speed, he's a can't miss OLB for a 3-4 team b/c he doesn't have to convert - he played 3-4 OLB in college.

Jadaveon Clowney - DE - So.Car - he is ONLY a "can't miss" if he plays 4-3 DE. I would never call a pass rusher who has to convert to OLB as "can't miss"

Jake Matthews - OT - TA&M - it's easy to predict OTs will be "can't miss," but different blocking schemes and QB styles can affect guys at the next level

C.J. Mosley - LB - Alabama - I call him "can't miss" because he is very versatile. Can fit inside in a 3-4 or outside in a 4-3, either way he's always around the ball

Kony Ealy - DE - Missouri - another "can't miss" ONLY if he plays 4-3 DE. "Might" fit a 3-4 DE, but again, you never know when systems change

Question marks surrounding all the other players projected in the first round IMHO. There are other players that I think will be good, but I couldn't call them "can't miss." I would never put that label on a QB, RB, WR, or CB because it is so difficult to grade those positions b/c of the widespread level of competetion they are against in college... just my thoughts...

All the hits and busts I listed were players I pegged, not "common wisdom" or consensus choices. So you can't list all my busts, because you do not know all my choices. TR was one; Brian Bosworth was another, but I never understood the hype around Tony Manderich... so I have that going for me.

But glad you played along... substitute Watkins for Mosely and add Mack and you have my list... and your rationales are virtually identical to mine.

And good thoughts they are on "other players"... so good you've inspired another thread.

@beare said:
clowneys not a cant miss it all depends on his desire to play he seems to take games off

Was also a major concern of mine until recently.

@hunt-daddy said:
And the Colts drafted all of them.

LOL... damn... that's right!

@tim-couch-pulls-out said:
Clowney is from S.Car. Not Clempsun. Please fix that egregious mistake before he realizes it and eats the entire message board.

Done... sorry for jeopardizing the entire operation...

Tim Couch Pulls Out

Pettine, I believe, fits his scheme to his players.

All that's guaranteed is that we will field 11 players on defense. Sometimes we'll have 7 up front, 4 in coverage. Other times we may have 8 up front. Other times we may have 5 or even 6 in coverage.

That's about the only guarantee you can make right now.

If Pettine stays true to his "put the best players on the field" mantra, we'll be running the good ol' 4-4.

Tour2ma

@the-gipper said:
If Tour says "no QB in my opinion rates a can't miss" I would not argue...probably agree. But when you state that opinion on such a hot button topic people want to also know Why?

I stated it by omission?

I can link to my cases against Bridgewater and Manziel, who are the only two QBs in the draft to even approach consensus Can't Miss status... and neither is really that close from all I have read.

@thenew23 said:

Ideally, I think our D would look good as a 4-3...

Taylor/Bryant in the middle, Kruger/Sheard on the outside, Jackson in the middle, Mingo/Robertson at OLB, Haden/Skrine at CB, Ward at SS, and a gaping hole at FS

Agree on the 4-3... but do not see Bryant in any DT rotation. I see Taylor/ Rubin/ Winn/ Hughes...

If you think DQ is your MLB (I do not), then draft Barr at #4 and set your LB corps Mingo-Jackson-Barr. I'd move DQ back outside, and snag Borland in the 3rd for my MLB... Mingo-Borland-Jackson.

Not sure what to do at FS...

@tim-couch-pulls-out said:
If Pettine stays true to his "put the best players on the field" mantra, we'll be running the good ol' 4-4.

Actually more like a revolutionary 7-2-2...

thenew23

@tour2ma said:

Agree on the 4-3... but do not see Bryant in any DT rotation. I see Taylor/ Rubin/ Winn/ Hughes...

If you think DQ is your MLB (I do not), then draft Barr at #4 and set your LB corps Mingo-Jackson-Barr. I'd move DQ back outside, and snag Borland in the 3rd for my MLB... Mingo-Borland-Jackson.

Desmond Bryant was our most disruptive D-lineman last year before he got hurt, and one of our highest paid... why would you not see him in the rotation?

Also, DQJ never played OLB... and he was much more effective in his 2 seasons in the 4-3 than he ever was in his career... I'd add a player behind him to groom, but he is more than capable of starting at ILB with 4 linemen in front of him... he shrinks when there are only 3...

RoyceRolls

if your definition of bust doesn't include injury then I'd place Bridgewater in the "can't miss" category. The kid is by far the most pro-ready and has the accuracy and the brain to do big things in the league. The only concern, and it isn't a big one, is that he doesn't have the frame to hold up in the NFL.