Grading Saints Third Pick, Akiem Hicks.

st thomas · 05-01-2012, 11:10 PM

if hicks can bat down 10-15 balls this year i'll give him an A, doesnt he have reach ?

|Mitch| · 05-01-2012, 11:13 PM

Originally Posted by st thomas

if hicks can bat down 10-15 balls this year i'll give him an A, doesnt he have reach ?

he's 6'5" with a 86 inch wingspan

CharityMike · 05-01-2012, 11:48 PM

Originally Posted by |Mitch|

he's 6'5" with a 86 inch wingspan

I can see some personal fouls because of this. In the NFL he can't touch a QB head at all.

|Mitch| · 05-01-2012, 11:54 PM

Originally Posted by CharityMike

I can see some personal fouls because of this. In the NFL he can't touch a QB head at all.

not true; they changed the rule this offseason... intentional helmet contact will still be called, but those weak barely touching the helmet hits are not supposed to be called;

CharityMike · 05-02-2012, 12:20 AM

Originally Posted by |Mitch|

not true; they changed the rule this offseason... intentional helmet contact will still be called, but those weak barely touching the helmet hits are not supposed to be called;

Ahhh sweet! Now if the refs can just get the calls right...

FinSaint · 05-02-2012, 05:29 AM

Originally Posted by BGWhoDat

That was my mistake. I could have sworn I read that he signed with Kansas City. I should have re-checked that.

Editing that part out. >_>

No prob. I was just more curious about the possible signing of him elsewhere than pointing out a "mistake" in your article, which was well written as always.

I guess the Chiefs would've been a potential landing spot for him before the draft, but now that they'll be bringing in Poe, he might not be able to have as big of a role there as he might've liked to.

hagan714 · 05-02-2012, 08:52 AM

if he sees any solid playing time by mid season i will be happy. that means he was not as big of a reach as i thought. as of today i still say he could have waited a round. i do not think he would have been there in the 5th for us.

i hope the upside is as high as i think it might be

lets see what the season bring.

jcp026 · 05-02-2012, 09:35 AM

I wanted to pick Akiem Hicks, but I thought we could get him in the fifth round considering some of the guys who were still available I think we made a pretty big mistake. Alameda Ta'amu, Ladarius Green, and Bobby Massie between Hicks and Toon. I think Toon was a horrible pick considering the fact that Jared Crick was still available. We could have had Tommy Streeter and Brandon Washington and Adrien Cole and Chase Ford (a 6'7" TE with good speed and could end up being a steal).

I just don't know what we were doing.

FinSaint · 05-02-2012, 10:05 AM

Considering that someone like Derek Wolfe went as high as immediately at the beginning of the 2nd round, the FO might've been hesitant to gamble on Hicks being available in later rounds. And if it's true what they said, that Hicks was on top of their board as the BPA when they were picking, then picking him where they did wasn't a reach in any sense of the word. Also, I've seen draft evaluations where Hicks was a late 3rd to middle 4th prospect.

I think that Hicks will be a better player than Crick going forward. While Crick is much more league ready as of now than Hicks, I think Hicks will catch up and surpass him in a season or two. The fact that Crick slipped down as low as he did seems to signal that teams were very concerned about his injury ridden college career and that the presence of Suh might've have inflated his numbers - he didn't really get a chance to prove otherwise with the injury he had afterwards.

Ta'amu is a NT who wouldn't really fit in a defense primarily playing from a 4-3 base, so I understand why he wasn't a DT target for the Saints. Also, I think it was good that they gave the defense the main focus in this year's draft, because they probably won't have that chance ever again after SP returns after this season.

Oh, and as an example, CBS Sports had him projected as a 3rd to 4th round pick, 124th overall, and 12th at position:

Akiem Hicks, DT, Regina, NFL Draft - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

jcp026 · 05-02-2012, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by FinSaint

Considering that someone like Derek Wolfe went as high as immediately at the beginning of the 2nd round, the FO might've been hesitant to gamble on Hicks being available in later rounds. And if it's true what they said, that Hicks was on top of their board as the BPA when they were picking, then picking him where they did wasn't a reach in any sense of the word. Also, I've seen draft evaluations where Hicks was a late 3rd to middle 4th prospect.

I think that Hicks will be a better player than Crick going forward. While Crick is much more league ready as of now than Hicks, I think Hicks will catch up and surpass him in a season or two. The fact that Crick slipped down as low as he did seems to signal that teams were very concerned about his injury ridden college career and that the presence of Suh might've have inflated his numbers - he didn't really get a chance to prove otherwise with the injury he had afterwards.

Ta'amu is a NT who wouldn't really fit in a defense primarily playing from a 4-3 base, so I understand why he wasn't a DT target for the Saints. Also, I think it was good that they gave the defense the main focus in this year's draft, because they probably won't have that chance ever again after SP returns after this season.

They didn't give the defense the main focus. They took two defensive players (DT, DB) and three offensive players (WR, G, T)

05-01-2012, 11:13 PM	#12
\|Mitch\| 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Alexandria, La Posts: 11,303	Originally Posted by st thomas if hicks can bat down 10-15 balls this year i'll give him an A, doesnt he have reach ? he's 6'5" with a 86 inch wingspan

05-01-2012, 11:48 PM	#13
CharityMike Site Donor 2018 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Mid City, New Orleans Posts: 3,556	Originally Posted by \|Mitch\| he's 6'5" with a 86 inch wingspan I can see some personal fouls because of this. In the NFL he can't touch a QB head at all.

05-01-2012, 11:54 PM	#14
\|Mitch\| 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Alexandria, La Posts: 11,303	Originally Posted by CharityMike I can see some personal fouls because of this. In the NFL he can't touch a QB head at all. not true; they changed the rule this offseason... intentional helmet contact will still be called, but those weak barely touching the helmet hits are not supposed to be called; pherein likes this.

05-02-2012, 12:20 AM	#15
CharityMike Site Donor 2018 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Mid City, New Orleans Posts: 3,556	Originally Posted by \|Mitch\| not true; they changed the rule this offseason... intentional helmet contact will still be called, but those weak barely touching the helmet hits are not supposed to be called; Ahhh sweet! Now if the refs can just get the calls right... JoanieNTX likes this.

05-02-2012, 05:29 AM	#16
FinSaint Site Donor 2015 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Finland... formerly Southern Virginia Posts: 4,961	Originally Posted by BGWhoDat That was my mistake. I could have sworn I read that he signed with Kansas City. I should have re-checked that. Editing that part out. >_> No prob. I was just more curious about the possible signing of him elsewhere than pointing out a "mistake" in your article, which was well written as always. I guess the Chiefs would've been a potential landing spot for him before the draft, but now that they'll be bringing in Poe, he might not be able to have as big of a role there as he might've liked to.

05-01-2012, 11:10 PM	#11
st thomas Site Donor 2018 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: lafayette Posts: 7,753	if hicks can bat down 10-15 balls this year i'll give him an A, doesnt he have reach ?

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05-02-2012, 08:52 AM	#17
hagan714 LB Mentallity Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 15,870 Blog Entries: 68	if he sees any solid playing time by mid season i will be happy. that means he was not as big of a reach as i thought. as of today i still say he could have waited a round. i do not think he would have been there in the 5th for us. i hope the upside is as high as i think it might be lets see what the season bring.

05-02-2012, 09:35 AM	#18
jcp026 500th Post Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 951	I wanted to pick Akiem Hicks, but I thought we could get him in the fifth round considering some of the guys who were still available I think we made a pretty big mistake. Alameda Ta'amu, Ladarius Green, and Bobby Massie between Hicks and Toon. I think Toon was a horrible pick considering the fact that Jared Crick was still available. We could have had Tommy Streeter and Brandon Washington and Adrien Cole and Chase Ford (a 6'7" TE with good speed and could end up being a steal). I just don't know what we were doing.
jcp026 500th Post Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 951

05-02-2012, 10:05 AM	#19
FinSaint Site Donor 2015 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Finland... formerly Southern Virginia Posts: 4,961	Considering that someone like Derek Wolfe went as high as immediately at the beginning of the 2nd round, the FO might've been hesitant to gamble on Hicks being available in later rounds. And if it's true what they said, that Hicks was on top of their board as the BPA when they were picking, then picking him where they did wasn't a reach in any sense of the word. Also, I've seen draft evaluations where Hicks was a late 3rd to middle 4th prospect. I think that Hicks will be a better player than Crick going forward. While Crick is much more league ready as of now than Hicks, I think Hicks will catch up and surpass him in a season or two. The fact that Crick slipped down as low as he did seems to signal that teams were very concerned about his injury ridden college career and that the presence of Suh might've have inflated his numbers - he didn't really get a chance to prove otherwise with the injury he had afterwards. Ta'amu is a NT who wouldn't really fit in a defense primarily playing from a 4-3 base, so I understand why he wasn't a DT target for the Saints. Also, I think it was good that they gave the defense the main focus in this year's draft, because they probably won't have that chance ever again after SP returns after this season. Oh, and as an example, CBS Sports had him projected as a 3rd to 4th round pick, 124th overall, and 12th at position: Akiem Hicks, DT, Regina, NFL Draft - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com \|Mitch\| and BGWhoDat like this.
	"I'm not bashing people, I'm bashing their opinions because in my opinion their opinion is wrong" - Danno

05-02-2012, 10:14 AM	#20
jcp026 500th Post Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 951	Originally Posted by FinSaint Considering that someone like Derek Wolfe went as high as immediately at the beginning of the 2nd round, the FO might've been hesitant to gamble on Hicks being available in later rounds. And if it's true what they said, that Hicks was on top of their board as the BPA when they were picking, then picking him where they did wasn't a reach in any sense of the word. Also, I've seen draft evaluations where Hicks was a late 3rd to middle 4th prospect. I think that Hicks will be a better player than Crick going forward. While Crick is much more league ready as of now than Hicks, I think Hicks will catch up and surpass him in a season or two. The fact that Crick slipped down as low as he did seems to signal that teams were very concerned about his injury ridden college career and that the presence of Suh might've have inflated his numbers - he didn't really get a chance to prove otherwise with the injury he had afterwards. Ta'amu is a NT who wouldn't really fit in a defense primarily playing from a 4-3 base, so I understand why he wasn't a DT target for the Saints. Also, I think it was good that they gave the defense the main focus in this year's draft, because they probably won't have that chance ever again after SP returns after this season. They didn't give the defense the main focus. They took two defensive players (DT, DB) and three offensive players (WR, G, T)
jcp026 500th Post Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 951

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