pakowitz

Glenn Dorsey concludes his visit with the St. Louis Rams on Wednesday along with 25 other draft hopefuls. Darren McFadden is in the group.

In a draft with more questions than answers at the top, I find this clear: Tackle Dorsey is the most explosive and dominating defensive player and running back McFadden is the most explosive, dominating offensive player.

If I were making the No. 1 selection in Miami, one of these two players would be the pick.

If Miami, indeed, makes Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long the No. 1 choice based as much on need as on analysis, then the Rams selecting at No. 2 should swipe either Dorsey or McFadden.

That simple.

If the Rams make their decision primarily based on need, then LSU’s Dorsey is the clear choice at No. 2.

Rams president John Shaw was presented this scenario.

"Our football people make the picks," Shaw said. "All I can tell you is we see Dorsey as one of the top three or four players in the draft. And when I talk to our football people, Dorsey is always in the mix of the discussion. Clearly, selecting him is not a reach."

And that would be a good thing for the league’s stated preference that juniors return to colleges for their senior seasons.

Dorsey did that. He could have easily bolted for the draft a year ago and likely would have been a top five pick. Dorsey played through knee and back injuries his senior season and won the national championship plus the Outland, Lombardi, Nagurski and Lott awards that marked him the stellar defensive player in the land. He finished with 64 tackles (11 for losses) and six sacks.

But that extra year of analysis he provided coupled with his injuries gave NFL teams too much to ponder. Dorsey entered his senior season the clear favorite to become this draft’s top pick. Then NFL teams became paralyzed with their analysis. He fell out of favor, out of the top position, suddenly a gamble due to injury, height and stamina concerns.

Dorsey with his recent workouts has flipped that.

"And some of these teams finally popped the tape back in and watched the player he is," said his agent, Joel Segal. "They finally got back to letting the performance and production tell the story."

If Dorsey (6-foot-2, 316-pounds) were to slip in this draft, it would send the wrong message to future college juniors contemplating draft entry. Many of them as juniors already strike when it is hot. Nearly all of them would if they see a player of this caliber penalized in the draft rather than rewarded for his return.

One NFL general manager, requesting anonymity, spoke with passion on this subject:

"Everybody talked about him being hurt as a senior. But he never missed a game or a practice. That’s a really tough kid. A really clean, great kid. He’s not real tall. If you want to nit-pick, that would be the thing; maybe bigger, experienced offensive linemen will jump on top of him. But even with that, he has long arms that can help offset that. Never missing a practice? That speaks volumes to the guy’s character, especially when you consider he was the big man on campus. There is so much going on up there at the top of the draft with guys who are not clean, who have blemishes up and down in their game. It would not surprise me if most teams have Dorsey rated the No. 1 player on their boards."

Dorsey to the Rams at No. 2 makes sense in that the Rams last year drafted nose tackle Adam Carriker with the 13th overall selection. Using a second, consecutive draft on the team's shaky defensive line is a firm way to address a severe problem. And, given the Giants fresh defensive-line-inspired Super Bowl run, every NFL team seeks more contribution from its defensive line. It is the hot-button group for all teams in the 2008 season.

Dorsey at age three had to wear braces for a year because his legs were so bowed. Doctors wondered if he would ever walk naturally. He overcame that in Gonzales, La., and traveled only 20 or so miles from his hometown to LSU.

He hears footsteps. USC tackle Sedrick Ellis is turning heads as the draft approaches. So is Virginia end Chris Long and Ohio State end Vernon Gholston. Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan is intriguing. McFadden is a blur.

Any of these players could surpass Dorsey in draft order.

But the team that does that is out-thinking itself.

Keep it simple. Trust the production, the impact of the player.

Dorsey is the top defensive lineman in this draft. He is the top defensive player. And his case for being the top player overall is still worth the debate.






Pat Kirwan's take: The NFL defensive line has become as specialized as any other position, and in many ways the most specialized because of all the different fronts teams play.


There are 4-3 defenses looking for one-gap penetrators inside, there are 4-3 teams looking for wide body tackles to eat up three blockers, like the Ravens had when Tony Siragusa and Sam Adams kept blockers off Ray Lewis. There are 3-4 fronts looking for the biggest men possible to man the nose tackle spot, and there are 3-4 coaches looking for defensive linemen who can slant. Ranking all the tackles without knowing a team's position needs is tough, but I will stack the board the way I think they will come off on draft day.

There is no doubt that this draft has two elite defensive tackles in Glenn Dorsey and Sedrick Ellis. Both fit nicely as "three-technique" tackles playing over a guard in a 4-3 one-gap front. After those two players, things get a little cloudy. There may be another defensive tackle taken in the first round (Kentwan Balmer from North Carolina) but after the top three tackles things fall off quickly. The team that needs a two-gapping nose tackle with lots of bulk may grade a guy like Red Bryant (Texas A&M) higher than a DeMarrio Pressley (N.C. State) or Carlton Powell (Virginia Tech), both of whom fit nicely in a 4-3 as an under tackle. Pay less attention to the player ranking and look to see if the guy fits the scheme your team operates this season.

I Live In Beastmode!

foreverfan

Pak, that's a mouth full. Great post!

Still, we're not going to get Dorsey. Ellis maybe, but still very unlikely. One thing is for sure, we never know until the draft what the Saints are going to do. Anybody notice that Mendenhall is never mentioned as a possible pick for the Saints? We still have a bunch of 3rd down backs and a hobbled Deuce. Sure Deuce is a class act, but the defense isn't going to lay down just because....

What will Payton do? Draft RB Mendenhall at 10 and LB Mayo at 40?
I know this is unpopular and a bit off subject, but no more unlikely then us trading up to #2.

2019 Death of a Parrot.

lsutigerfan

Mayo wont be there in the second round I would rather Rivers at 10 and hope Matt Forte falls to us in the third.

hagan714

Dorsey and The Young Brothers could hold there own in any draft. McFadden is another story. He maybe worth it but right now in pre draft stage, no he is not. Ellis is mid rounder in other year.

SmashMouth

This'll be the Saints SUPER lucky year .... somehow, the teams ahead of the Saints will go brain dead and pass on Dorsey... so naturally BPA and we get Dorsey. Then in the second, Mendeeeeee is still there because they all think ...well, if he couldn't beat out our man Pierre in college... so we scoop him up at 40. Then in the third, we get Rivers... he was linked to Leinart's girlfriend ... some question about who the father is or something on that new baby this year... so character issues drops him to the third. The Saints are more than happy to oblige and complete our wet dream of a draft!

gandhi1007

Put the pipe down, man.....put the pipe down.

Euphoria

There is a reason Mendenhall is never mentioned as a possible pick other than by yourself... thats because he won't be drafted by the Saints much less in the top 10.

Saints moving up with the Rams is more likely because negociations/talks have happened!!! Its more likely. I think its time you give up you Mendenhall Dreams.

jergensl

question: what is dorsey's real size? 6'2 316lbs? yeah right and im 8'9 532lbs!

he is 6'0 300 after a thanksgiving feast wearing high heals

size has been a HUGE question mark on dorsey...if he really was 6'2 316lbs there wouldn't be a question mark. i typically see him listed at 6'0 299. that is a small DT, this doesn't mean he can't be a great player, but lets keep it real.

i agree with others that this is a mute point, because the saints won't get him unless they trade up and mortgage their draft for him.

Euphoria

I absolutley have no idea what is his size... none what so ever and don't really care.

I mean, size??? really??? come on??? Does size matter??? I think we learned that lesson with the dome patrol right? When we can determine the size of his heart, dedication, and how he dominated in the NCAA then we can talk size.

rjakapeanut

actually that scenario is much more unlikely than drafting Dorsey #2 overall, lol.