2013 NFL Scouting Combine Thread

[wickedsolo]

re the Honey Badger discussion......I think back to last year when some of us on this board were solidly on the Burfict bandwagon, while others wanted absolutely NOTHING to do with him.......turned out ok for Cincy, huh?
Matthieu is an instinctive player. Can't be taught. Draft him in 3 or 4 and have yourself a playmaking DB.

There is quite a difference between how Matieu has done with the combine and interviews vs what Burfict did.

Burfict acted like he didnt give a shit and was tanking the combine on purpose. Matieu - apparently - knocked his interviews out of the park and did really well in drills on the field.

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[leachisabeast]

It would be interesting to see of Ozzie even has Tyrann on his board.

[GreatWhiteNorthRaven]

It would be interesting to see of Ozzie even has Tyrann on his board.

I really don't see the need for a DB unless it's a safety. I realize you can never have too much depth or playmakers, but I feel like we have bigger needs for the mid rounds (front 7 on D, OL, TE)

However, I do like him

[NC Raven]

Is there any scouting report out there that actually describes Mathieu as having range at safety, or doing a good job in coverage?

He had 4 picks in 2 years.

His "playmaker" tag seems mostly to do with 2 punt returns and a bunch of forced fumbles. Looking at his highlights, most of those FF's were not on big hits, but ripping the ball away from guys whose forward progress was stopped. Not sure how many AFC North backs he'll be able to do that to.

NFL.com describes his tackling this way: "Brings enough force despite his size to get ballcarriers off balance with a glancing blow."

Gets them "off balance"? With a "glancing blow"? I don't think Trent Richardson or Isaac Redman are trembling at the thought of that.

I'd rather see the Ravens take a flyer on this Shamarko Thomas guy. Same height as Mathieu, better build, faster, big hitter, 40 inch vertical. Described as a "jarring" hitter. Sounds like a Raven to me!

[leachisabeast]

I really don't see the need for a DB unless it's a safety. I realize you can never have too much depth or playmakers, but I feel like we have bigger needs for the mid rounds (front 7 on D, OL, TE)

However, I do like him

Once it gets past the 3 rounds, I'm pretty sure all needs are not counted for on Ozzies board. What is a 5th round rookie going to do for your team other than provide decent depth? You don't fill needs with 4th-7th round players.

[BigPlayReceiver]

re the Honey Badger discussion......I think back to last year when some of us on this board were solidly on the Burfict bandwagon, while others wanted absolutely NOTHING to do with him.......turned out ok for Cincy, huh?
Matthieu is an instinctive player. Can't be taught. Draft him in 3 or 4 and have yourself a playmaking DB.

It's only been one year. Bad Burfict could return this summer, next month or tomorrow even.

Yet... your general point is actually valid I think. Who knows why any one guy fades out of the league, but the list of those that do so due to abnormal character behavior (at least those which have been publicized) is actually pretty short.

[NC Raven]

The Bengals didn't risk anything at all -- they picked up Burfict as a UDFA. I'm sure every team would sign every UDFA they could just to get them in camp and have an exclusive evaluation period, but you can only sign so many, and he went with Cincy.

Same could be said about Dennard in NE. He was a low round pick with much better talent. Played well. Now all of a sudden his past caught up with him. Still, they got a good season out of him. In the grand scheme of things, it was a good deal for them.

Both teams made good value picks.

Other teams have drafted guys like Ryan Leaf and Lawrence Phillips in the first round. Bad value picks.

What that has to do with any other player is ... nothing. Each player is his own separate case.

[Ravenalytics]

Thought experiment: Who would Al Davis draft this year?

[NC Raven]

He had a very good year with Matheiu there last year (ironic considering what some are saying about Mathieu being the one who needed everybody else).

Reid struggled with missed tackles, took horrible angles in the run and pass game and let too many passes go over his head this year.


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The safeties in this class all seem to have their drawbacks. I think Reid is the best fit for our defense, but it's not like we're even remotely "good to go" if we draft him and Ed leaves. In fact, that would probably not be a good scenario. Having looked at it more closely, I think we're not drafting Ed Reed's replacement in 2013.

At most I think we're drafting Ihedigbo's replacement or a guy who can do what he does and fill both safety spots as a backup or injury replacement. If we don't sign Ed, I think another vet comes in to take his spot for 1-2 years. Maybe longer (going through multiple vets over 4-5 seasons) if it gets too hard to find the right draft prospect.

Honestly I think when Ed's gone, whoever replaces him is going to be more interchangeable with the strong safety position. It's not going to be a like-for-like exchange. The defense is going to have to change at the back end.

[NC Raven]

Thought experiment: Who would Al Davis draft this year?

Tavon Austin in the first, Tyrann Mathieu in the second!

[Ravenswintitle]

Is there any scouting report out there that actually describes Mathieu as having range at safety, or doing a good job in coverage?

It won't be up until tomorrow, but seniorbowl.com is doing a great job of covering the combine and they'll continue posting information right up to the draft.

http://seniorbowl.com/article.asp?articleID=529

[The Excellector]

Tavon Austin in the first, Tyrann Mathieu in the second!

I think Al might have taken Cordarelle Patterson