2013 NFL Draft - Saints Big Board

[FinSaint]

Dion Jordan would be a nice pick since he could potentially play OLB right out of the gates and with time bulk up to that frame and move to DE, since he really doesn't have the mass to be an effective 3-4 DE at the moment.

The thing that concerns me about Alex Okafor is that according to the scouting reports I've read about him, his best weapon seems to be his speed and especially his initial first step, but he doesn't have the coverage skills to be an 3-4 OLB. And on the other hand, he doesn't have the size nor strength to give the push from a "hand-on-the-ground" position, which would make him ineffective as a 3-4 DE. Now, these are all assumptions I'm making simply based on the reports I've read, and most of them do state that these shortcoming can be fixed with time and coaching, but the Saints need the 1st round pick to be an immediate impact player - whatever his position will be - and therefore I wouldn't want them to pick a player who needs time in order to be that. Also he has fairly short arms, which could be a problem especially at the 3-4 DE position where long arms are a must.

[hagan714]

Originally Posted by FinSaint

Dion Jordan would be a nice pick since he could potentially play OLB right out of the gates and with time bulk up to that frame and move to DE, since he really doesn't have the mass to be an effective 3-4 DE at the moment.

The thing that concerns me about Alex Okafor is that according to the scouting reports I've read about him, his best weapon seems to be his speed and especially his initial first step, but he doesn't have the coverage skills to be an 3-4 OLB. And on the other hand, he doesn't have the size nor strength to give the push from a "hand-on-the-ground" position, which would make him ineffective as a 3-4 DE. Now, these are all assumptions I'm making simply based on the reports I've read, and most of them do state that these shortcoming can be fixed with time and coaching, but the Saints need the 1st round pick to be an immediate impact player - whatever his position will be - and therefore I wouldn't want them to pick a player who needs time in order to be that. Also he has fairly short arms, which could be a problem especially at the 3-4 DE position where long arms are a must.

i have to agree with most of what your saying here but the under rated thing with him is strength. the more you read on him the more people do not agree on his skill set. he is one of the harder players to do research on the web in this year draft. OLB skill sets do worry me the more i watch tape of him. not so much shallow routs as the intermediate route. 10 - 20 yards he would be asked to cover. but i am sold on his skill set as a rusher at DE. moving him inbetween the tackle and guard could be an issue, quickness only solves so much. so now i am on the fence with him