2011 EXPERTS Mock Draft **THIRD ROUND** Completed (5 Viewers)

[Zardnok]

With the 73rd Pick in the 2011 NFL Draft the Arizona Cardinals select.............


DeMarcus Love, OT/OG, Arkansas

Intangibles: A two-time team captain. Started 37 games for the Razorbacks in four seasons. Redshirted in 2006. Hasn't sustained a serious injury in his career and had already earned his degree (kinesiology) by the end of 2010.

When Bobby Petrino brought his spread attack to Arkansas, some fans bemoaned that their beloved Razorbacks would turn into a finesse offense. Offensive tackle DeMarcus Love made sure that the physicality and nastiness of the Hogs' offensive line remained intact.



After redshirting in 2007, Love became the starting right guard for head coach Houston Nutt in 2008. Nutt's run-heavy offense was an ideal fit for the brawler. Despite having played well it was a mild surprise when Petrino elected to move Love outside to left tackle. Love doesn't possess the elite foot speed or flexibility usually required at the position, especially considering that the Razorbacks featured a star quarterback in Ryan Mallett.



Love fared well, handling the tough transition to the outside and everything Arkansas' vast offense asks of the position. Petrino's scheme doesn't feature left and right tackles, but strong-side and weak-side tackles, requiring Love to alternate sides throughout games. Love earned first-team All-SEC honors as a senior.



Scouts can't help but love a four-year starter who has competed against SEC competition while playing left tackle, right tackle and right guard. With his size, physicality, durability and versatility, Love should wind up among the first 50 picks of the draft. Considering the need to protect star quarterbacks at the NFL level, he could land in the first round.

We're very fortunate to land Love especially after watching our big board dissipate before our very eyes. Guard Alan Faneca is on the brink of retirement and his counterpart Deuce Litiui is without a contract. Love was a four-year starter, two-year team captain and 1st team All-SEC in the best league college football has to offer. He played both tackle positions and right guard in college and will contribute immediately for the Arizona Cardinals.

 

[longtime lurker]

The Bengals are picking at lucky #77 and are up for trading down.

 

[JackDiesel]

With the 73rd Pick in the 2011 NFL Draft the Arizona Cardinals select.............


DeMarcus Love, OT/OG, Arkansas

We're very fortunate to land Love especially after watching our big board dissipate before our very eyes. Guard Alan Faneca is on the brink of retirement and his counterpart Deuce Litiui is without a contract. Love was a four-year starter, two-year team captain and 1st team All-SEC in the best league college football has to offer. He played both tackle positions and right guard in college and will contribute immediately for the Arizona Cardinals.

Noooo! He was up there on my list of tackles that I wanted to convert to right guard. Luckily I have another guy graded similarly, I just hope he doesn't go in the next few picks.

 

[Zardnok]

Bloody GRRRR, I had my post ready to go and was inserting my last link when Firefox encountered an error and closed itself. Thanks for patience folks. It should be up in a few minutes. Just figure out who the Rams want and that is my guy!

 

[JackDiesel]

Just figure out who the Rams want and that is my guy!

That's just cruel, we aren't even in the same conference!

 

[Zardnok]

With the 74th pick in the Experts draft, the New England Patriots select-

Jarvis Jenkins DE/DT Clemson

Draft Countdown

Strengths:
• Prototypical height and bulk with a thick solid build
• Very athletic with good speed, quickness and agility
• Real stout at the point of attack and stuffs the run
• Strong, physical, powerful and a terrific bull rusher
• Is able to penetrate and make plays in the backfield
• Mobile with nice range and does quite well in pursuit
• Displays above average instincts / overall awareness
• Will offer some positional and schematic versatility
• Durable w/ lots of experience versus top competition

Weaknesses:
• Lacks a varied repertoire of rush moves and counters
• Was not an overly productive sack artist in college
• Struggles to shed blocks and must improve hand use
• Gets tall and needs to play with consistent leverage
• Tendency to miss occasional tackle from time to time
• Might have a bit of an issue when it comes to stamina

Sideline Scouting

Positives: Athletic... Explosive... Good agility... Good first step... Gets some penetration... Gets in the backfield... Can push and collapse the pocket... Plays with leverage... Does a nice job shedding blocks... Good playing strength... Reasonably good power... Good bull rush... Decent spin move... Very good in one-on-one situations... Plays the run very well... Good anchor... Can clog the middle... Can occupy double teams... Stays low versus the run... Stays square to the pocket... Keeps his head up... Good ball awareness... Does a solid job in pursuit... Good range... Good motor... Disciplined... Can contribute on special teams... Selected All-ACC first team for the 2010 season... Schematic versatility, has some potential in a 3-4 scheme, DE at 305 lbs. and NT at 320 lbs.

Wait what? But the Patriots already selected a DE with Wilkerson in the first round.

Yup, time to double up! Jenkins offers a good bit of versatility. He can play 5-tech and slide inside on the nose if needed. He does not have the sack totals some would like, but he is constantly double teamed.

He only did 17 reps at the combine of 225, which concerned us some, but he increased that to 21 at his pro-day, still not awesome for a D-Lineman, but in watching his tape, he obviously plays with more strength than that. Regardless, some time in our strength and conditioning program should do wonders for him.

We expect him to immediately contribute on special teams, where he blocked 4 kicks in College, and serve as a rotational lineman while he learns the game and builds strength.

 

[JackDiesel]

Zardnok, you got me confused. Isn't Dome Patrol the GM for Arizona? Did he just make the selection and you posted it or are you picking for him?

Btw, nice pick with Jenkins.

 

[Zardnok]

Zardnok, you got me confused. Isn't Dome Patrol the GM for Arizona? Did he just make the selection and you posted it or are you picking for him?

Btw, nice pick with Jenkins.

He sent in a PM last night with Love as his pick and his analysis included. He then confirmed the pick via Text message this morning. I merely did a cut/paste thing for him.

 

[Waymer]

With the 75th pick in the 2011 Saintsreport "Experts" Mock Draft, the Detroit Lions select Brandon Burton, CB, Utah.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EY5elGqb7Zc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

In the second round we addressed the secondary with Aaron Williams from Texas. While most team are not likely to spend two of their top 3 picks on players from the same position, it's the exactly what we believe the Lions need. As we said in our previous selection of Williams, the Lions secondary has been anemic over the last few years. While there are some questions about Burton (notably his ability/desire to separate from a block and his questionable hands), there are no questions about his terrific height or ability to read and react and prevent the reception. Additionally, as we also said in our previous selection of Williams, the Lions need players who are not afraid to dare to be great, and who shine on the biggest of stages. Burton has stepped up his level of play not only in the biggest games (he locked up Pitt's Jon Baldwin for nearly the entire season opener), but also in the biggest of moments (he blocked BYU's game-winning field goal attempt in a 17-16 rivalry game victory this past season).

Additionally, like with Williams, we feel Burton was a guy that could have potentially increased his draft stock with one more season in college. So the value is terrific at this point we believe. While our organization is certainly ascending at the moment, we're not going to blow smoke and lead anyone to believe we are a legitimate Super Bowl contender as of just yet. Thus a year of seasoning in our weight room and a year of learning on the job with our coaching staff should benefit a younger guy like Burton in the long run.

NFLDraftScout.com Top Cornerbacks: 7. *Brandon Burton, Utah, 6-0, 190, 2: Immense potential could entice a general manager to draft Burton earlier than the mid- to late-second-round projection. His signature performance in 2010 came in the season opener, when he locked down Pittsburgh wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin with smothering press coverage despite giving up more than 5 inches and almost 40 pounds. Burton started 25 games as a sophomore and junior before bolting Utah with only three career interceptions. His hands, not his read-and-react timing or burst to close, are the question. He had 18 passes broken up at Utah. - Jeff Reynolds, The Sports Xchange

...

University of Utah cornerback Brandon Burton has decided to forgo his senior season and enter the National Football League Draft. Burton, a 6-foot, 185-pound lockdown corner, made 51 tackles and two interceptions for the Utes in 2010. He finishes his college career with 97 stops (67 solo) and three picks over three seasons. His most memorable legacy, however, was the game-saving block of a BYU field-goal attempt in Utah's 17-16 victory over BYU in November. Burton's decision to turn pro came after receiving a favorable evaluation from the NFL. "I was looking for a certain response, and it was exactly what I thought it would be," Burton said. "So when I heard back from them that just clarified what I wanted to hear from them. It just gave my decision that much more weight. I felt like I was making the right decision." Burton didn't act upon the news immediately. He sat down with his family, evaluated the situation and a decision a couple of days later. Burton officially declared for the draft Sunday night. - Dirk Facer, Deseret News

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=68849&draftyear=2011&genpos=CB

 

[JackDiesel]

With the 76th pick in the draft the St. Louis Rams select...

Jason Pinkston, OG/RT, Pittsburgh

Possesses good overall thickness through his upper body and looks a lot broader than his height/weight numbers would indicate. Also plays long and does a nice job of keeping his elbows inside his frame and maximizing his length on contact. Is a pretty natural bender out of his three-point stance and does a nice job of keeping his base under him and really firing off the football in the run game. Exhibits an impressive combination of body control and pop when asked to reach linemen off his frame and is really powerful on contact eliminating defenders on kick-out blocks inside. Displays good coordination on the move and can break down in space, but he seems to get a bit confused at times and struggles to find a man to block at the second level. Will consistently make his way out into space, but at times gets caught blocking no one.

Showcases natural balance out of his stance in the pass game and does a nice job of quickly redirecting laterally. Generates a good burst off his left foot when asked to change directions back inside while keeping his base down and feet under him. Does a great job keeping his hands up where his eyes can see them at all times and is a quick puncher who can sit in and anchor at the point. Doesn't waste much motion off the snap when asked to reach the corner out of his three-point stance. Does a great job of getting his left foot moving initially toward the edge and gracefully sliding his feet together in sync on his kick-slide. However, the biggest concern I have with him at this stage is his overall range as I don't think he's a good enough athlete to reach speed off the edge at the next level.He's consistently forced to open up his hips/shoulders toward the outside and push the pass rusher past the pocket on their outside speed rush if they get on top of him quickly.

Impression: He's physical and coordinated in the run game and very fluid redirecting vs. the pass. Just lacks the kind of range needed to play left tackle at the next level. However, he looks like a very capable right-sided player with significant potential if kicked inside to guard.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/scouting_department.html

[FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]2010: All-BIG EAST First Team (coaches)...earned his second consecutive first-team All-Big East honor...The cornerstone of Pitt’s offensive front, Pinkston made 41 career starts on Pitt’s offensive line, including 38 at left tackle. Pitt produced a 1,000-yard rusher in each of his three years as a starter. Pinkston was selected first team All-Big East following his junior and senior seasons. Pitt finished with an 8-5 overall record in 2010 and earned a share of the Big East championship with a 5-2 league mark...
2009: SI.com and Rivals.com All-America Team (second team)...First Team All-Big East...starter at left offensive tackle in all 13 games…owns 28 career starts overall...2008: Started all 12 regular-season games at left tackle...
2007: Started the first three games at right tackle before suffering a season-ending left shoulder injury at Michigan State Sept. 15...underwent surgery and received a medical redshirt...
2006: Worked at defensive tackle through fall training camp before moving to offensive tackle in September...played in seven games during his true freshman campaign to letter...in addition to serving as a backup left offensive tackle, he also appeared in Pitt's "jumbo" set in short yardage situations as a fullback...also contributed on the extra-point/field goal block unit.[/FONT]

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=66127&draftyear=2011&genpos=OT

We might have one of the worst right guards in the NFL and we desperately needed an upgrade. This game is won in the trenches and when you have the hard running Steven Jackson you want to give him the best blocking possible.

IMO Pinkston is one of the last tackles of his caliber capable of playing inside at guard. As a guard I'd compare him to guys like DeMarcus Love and Orlando Franklin. He might take a year to transition from guard to tackle but I like his long term potential better than the pure guards still on the board like John Moffitt or Clint Boling.

 

[SebaSaint]

Wow... really nice pick. Who needs turnovers if you can lock down one side of the field. I like Burton's cover skills... his hands, not so much.

Pinkston... well there goes one target.

 

[LSSpam]

His signature performance in 2010 came in the season opener, when he locked down Pittsburgh wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin with smothering press coverage despite giving up more than 5 inches and almost 40 pounds.

Not as impressive when you consider Baldwin has so much trouble getting off the LOS period. Which is why I think he'll be an NFL bust (Baldwin that is).

 

[JackDiesel]

Not as impressive when you consider Baldwin has so much trouble getting off the LOS period. Which is why I think he'll be an NFL bust (Baldwin that is).

Agreed but I still think Burton will end up being a pretty good CB in the NFL, his former teammate Sean Smith was ranked in the top 10 this year by football outsiders.

On a slightly seperate note has anyone else heard that Malcolm Floyd is considering entering the supplemental draft. I guess he got another DUI and is facing a lengthy suspension at Notre Dame.

 

[Waymer]

Not as impressive when you consider Baldwin has so much trouble getting off the LOS period. Which is why I think he'll be an NFL bust (Baldwin that is).

I'm not really a Baldwin fan either. It's a very uneducated assumption, but it's not very hard to believe that he doesn't take his preparation very seriously. The sporadic results, as well as other issues, indicate that pretty well.

 

[LSSpam]

Agreed but I still think Burton will end up being a pretty good CB in the NFL, his former teammate Sean Smith was ranked in the top 10 this year by football outsiders.

I was mostly just dogging Baldwin