Mel Kiper Chat

[NYJets30]

Anyone with Insider feel like posting Mel Kipers chat from today?

[cubuffsman78]

Rob (Delaware): There are rumors floating out there that John Beck could be the 3rd QB taken. Any truth to that and doesnt Stanton deserve to go over Beck?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: You always have to juggle your own ratings with what you think is going to happen. The way I have them ranked is Stanton, Edwards and Beck. It's a case where Stanton's stock has slipped a bit. Beck and Edwards are very hot. They've gained a lot of momentum right now. If Detroit doesn't take a QB in the first, they'll be looking for one in the second round. Who will be available for them?

Peter (Quahog, RI): Which player currently projected in the first round is the most over-rated?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: There are a couple that are overrated. Alan Branch, DT, Michigan. Chris Houston, CB, Arkansas.

Clayton (Houston, TX): If the Browns pass on AD, is there a chance he gets to the Texans at 10?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: If the Browns passed on him, I would say he ends up in Minnesota at 7. But Minnesota has Chester Taylor. So they'll weigh the best player on the board versus need areas. If not there, then Houston. Unless, Buffalo at 12 or Green Bay at 16 try to trade up to get him.

Tim Chewning Roanoke, Virginia: Mel, what do you see the Colts doing with their first pick? Any chance they take a wide receiver?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: Yeah, if a Jarrett is there. Steve Smith. Gonzalez. There will be some interesting WRs on the board at 32. Also, a DT like Justin Harrell. The WRs might make the best value for them.

Justin Beers (Wilmington, Ohio): What kind of draft do you think the Cincinnati Bengals will have, and will they draft better quality players in terms of off field situations?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: That's obviously going to be the case. They have to address the character issue heavily. They need to prioritize character more now than any other team has.

Lanny Dallas, Texas: What are the chances of Anthony Gonzalez going in the first round? Because he's impressed alot of scouts...I'm a vikes fan and would love the Vikes to be able to get him in the second..

SportsNation Mel Kiper: He's the kind of guy that the Colts would look at. People ask why do they need a WR, but when you look at their WRs, Stokley was released and they don't really have that third guy. He was a key cog in their offense. Someone in that mold would be an Anthony Gonzalez. He runs good routes, shows good hands. He runs 4.4. He verticalled 38 inches. This is a kid that has talent. For the Colts, this is the kind of guy he likes. He's productive, tough, hard-nosed. That's a typical Dom Anile and Bill Polian type pick.

Big Seelz [Wayne, PA]: Mel- How seriously do you think my Eagles are looking at Brian Leonard? How is he NOT a great fit for us?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: I think he's a great fit too. He's not just a fullback, he's a running back. He's an H-back. The Eagles are the one team in the first round that you could say don't have a critical need area. They have the luxury to take a guy at pick 26 like a guy like Brian Leonard. They have the luxury. Everyone thought all along that he would be a second round pick. But if the Eagles took him in the first round, no one would criticize the pick.

Todd (FL): How far would Branch slip - could he be skipped in first round completely?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: No. He's too physically gifted to slide too far. The thing that hurt him in my mind was that he wasn't that productive. Okoye had 55 tackles and Branch only had 25. The production just wasn't there. You're drafting him more on just physical prowess. He could go to 11 or 13 to St. Louis. He could go 23 to KC. He could go 25 to the Jets. He could go to any of those teams.

tim (atlanta, ga): Mr. Kiper the DT from Univ. of Tenn is Justin Harrell is a beast and should be in the top 15 of the draft. I see that you have him 2nd on you DT rankings but got Branch going over him your mock draft that is weird and Branch is not the real deal at all

SportsNation Mel Kiper: Actually, he's behind Okoye and ahead of Branch. I think he's a heckuva player. If he had been healthy all year - he dominated against Cal. Where would he be right now if he hadn't gotten hurt? He would be a top 15-20 pick. He's in that late first round mix. I could see KC, the Jets, certainly Indy all looking at him.

Derek , Ottawa , Ontario, Canada: who is the best LB in the draft?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: Patrick Willis from Ole Miss. After that, you'd probably go to Lawrence Timmons and Posluszny next right together and then David Harris from Michigan. Jon Beason from Miami after them.

Rob: (Minneapolis): If C. Johnson is still on the board when Cleveland is up, do you feel they would be willing to trade down with a team like the Vikes at #7? Thanks.

SportsNation Mel Kiper: That's not going to happen. No. Calvin Johnson at worst will be the second pick overall, with someone trading into the pick. There is some talk where the Lions will draft him and trade him. I don't think that's a good idea. You lose your leverage. I think Tampa has the best chance to move up to get him. There's no way he's there for Cleveland.

Brandon (New York, NY): Who do you see as the 3rd RB off the board after Peterson and Lynch, and what pick will that be?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: I'd say it will probably be at 43 to Buffalo. It could be Kenny Irons. It could be Chris Henry. I thought Antonio Pittman might be the guy about a month ago. But now there's more indication that it could be one of those other two.

tony, college park, MD: what should the Steelers do with their first round pick, go defense?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: Definitely OLB. That's always been their staple. Their calling card has been their LB play. A guy like Timmons would be ideal for their defense. They might look at an Anthony Spencer.

Dave (Chicago, IL): Who in the first round would you say is the "safest bet" to be a good pick?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: Calvin Johnson is the guy. It's all about him in the first round. Another guy that I think will be a solid player will be Leon Hall. I like Joe Staley. Ben Grubbs is almost a guaranteed Pro Bowler. I think he'll be one of the best guards in the NFL.

E (Omaha): Hey Mel - How far is Brandon Jackson sliding down the board?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: I thought a month ago that he'd go in the fourth round. I still think somewhere in the third to fifth round. RBs like Jackson, who had limited productivity. He had some injuries. Guys like that tend to drop a bit. Early Day 2 would be my guess right now.

Jay (SD): What player in the draft do you consider the "riskiest pick"

SportsNation Mel Kiper: I think the two guys are Alan Branch and Chris Houston. Branch has great upside and he's physically gifted. He's flashed his brilliance. Houston has played exclusively in press bump and run coverage. But he has great speed and strength. There is a question if he can adapt after playing only one coverage.

Jesse(AL): What postion will the Rams go for in the second round if they get a DE in the first?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: I think they could get a C/OG a guy like Samson Satele from Hawaii. He's an underrated player in the draft. He's fiery, tough. He's a great athlete. He's strong overall. He doesn't have long arms. He's still a heckuva player. He can play center or guard.

Dre (Oakland): Mel, where does Tony Hunt fall on your draft board now? Two months ago he was the third rated back in the draft.

SportsNation Mel Kiper: In my opinion, his stock has dropped a bit. He's not explosive. I thought he coughed the ball up a bit too much. Ball security is a bit of an issue with him. But he does have some versatility. He's not flashy, he's not dynamic. I'd say he's third or fourth round.

Jarvis Franklin Macon, Georgia: The Falcon neeed area is O line, but do they go best player if Landry is still on the borad.

SportsNation Mel Kiper: I think if Landry is on the board, he's in the mix. Levi Brown will be in the mix. And I don't think you can count out Okoye. Petrino coached him.

B (NY): If the Browns end up not taking a quarterback in the first round what player(s) will they be most interested in?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: If they don't pick at QB, you look at Peterson or Thomas. If they take Peterson, then they're not going to draft another QB. If they don't draft Quinn, they won't go after another QB. But they'll still need OL and CB help.

Juan Chicago, IL: Do you think Posluszny will slip to the Bears, or will they be looking offense?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: I don't think they'll be picking in the first round. I think they'll move out of the 31st spot and get into the second round. Last year, they got Manning and Hester in the second round. The position that they'll look to upgrade is OL, WR, TE. Depending upon what happens with Briggs, they might need an OLB.

Jon, NE: Assuming the Raiders fill their QB need with the 1st pick, who might still be around when they pick 33rd that would be an exciting value pick?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: I think the LT Tony Ugoh is a gifted athlete. He could be an interesting prospect at 33.

Tim (DC): Do you see the Pat's moving in the 1st round since they are the only team with 2 picks?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: They could use one first round and trade out of the first with the other one. They have options. They could pick at 24 and trade 28. They are the kind of team that drafts well and knows how to strategize on draft day.

KYLE (Atlanta): Any chance Amobi Okoye could play DE in the NFL?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: He's a DT. He's one of those guys that's quick, strong. He gets leverage. He gets under the pads of the center and guard. He can get up field and get into that backfield. He's a Bryant Young type.

Greg NY: Mel, where do you see Leon Hall landing?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: I'd say he goes anywhere between either 7 to Minnesota, 10 to Houston, 12 to Buffalo.

Pete (Philly): Which of the three "other" safety prospects would be the best fit for the eagles. Nelson, Merriwhehter or Griffin?

SportsNation Mel Kiper: I have them taking Nelson. I have him projected to them. He's a playmaker. He's got a little bit of Ed Reed in him. He's at the right place at the right time. He was reguarded as one of the best defensive players on that talented Florida football team. He's got some cover skills. There are some that think he can handle CB in the NFL.

SportsNation Mel Kiper: We'll be back next Wednesday for a draft review chat. There will definitely be a lot to talk about then. Take care.

[NYJets30]

I reallly dislike that man

[cubuffsman78]

Originally Posted by NYJets30 I reallly dislike that man

Haha...he attacked my boy Chris Houston. Some guys would say that I'm supposed to change my opinion of Houston now because of that. Or wait, McShay had Houston going in the 2nd round in his latest mock. I should change my opinion on him cause of that too I suppose.

[NYJets30]

I still dont see why Alan Branch is falling so much. So what if his work ethic is terrible? All he has to do is stand there and he'll occupy 2 blockers

[NYJets30]

And has anyone seen the SportsNation Mock on ESPN.com? It's a flat out joke.

[gggunit4life]

Originally Posted by cubuffsman78 Originally Posted by NYJets30 I reallly dislike that man Haha...he attacked my boy Chris Houston. Some guys would say that I'm supposed to change my opinion of Houston now because of that. Or wait, McShay had Houston going in the 2nd round in his latest mock. I should change my opinion on him cause of that too I suppose.

I just wanna say that I was more joking than anything when I said that McShay liked Revis. I don't expect you to change your opinion because of what McShay says.I just wanted to make that clear because I saw a couple comments of you referring to me saying that.

[Saint33]

I really dislike him using the Tackle comparrison between Alan Branch and Amobi Okoye. Production is solely based on tackles first of all. And Branch's influence on the production of Michigan's D was much greater than any number can show

[murtyle1]

Originally Posted by NYJets30 I still dont see why Alan Branch is falling so much. So what if his work ethic is terrible? All he has to do is stand there and he'll occupy 2 blockers

I'm a Michigan fan too and I am not all that high on Branch or Hall... I think Branch, Hall and Woodley will perform at a 2nd rd production (if that makes sense) in the NFL... Harris is going to be the best of the bunch IMO... Hall doesn't play as fast as he timed, I think he would be best in a zone scheme... Branch isn't as strong as his size indicates and he just doesn't seem to show up when you watch games... Woodley could surprise some people... He has a great motor and shows up every game, but that tweener label scares me...