Titans 1st pick: DE Carlos Dunlap

Derrick Morgan 6-4, 272
Jason Pierre-Paul 6-6, 265
Carlos Dunlap 6-5, 290
Everson Griffin 6-3, 275
Brandon Graham 6-2, 270


DE seems like the obvious position for us at 16. There are 5 first rd caliber DE prospects but none are seen as top 5 prospects. 3 of those 5 will likely be there when we pick so it might not be anything more than picking the best from those 3. Of the 3 available we know they are going to be impressed with at least one.

There is a lot of disparity online about projected 40 times and size. For example on draft countdown they list Morgan at 280 and project his 40 time at 4.80. On great blue north they list him @ 272 with a projected time of 4.65. A huge difference between a 4.65 and a 4.80 and an 8 pound difference in weight.

So we need to see what these guys weigh and how they lift and how they run. Then we can sort them out easier.

Other than DE the only position that looks logical in rd 1 is safety. A guy like thomas might be hard to pass up if they are not impressed with the DEs on the board.

No CBs probably worth taking that high.

The safest DE pick in the draft is Brandon Graham. Powerful build he will probably lift well and a solid player in a big conference.

He had some of his best games against his best competition. 2 sacks each against Ohio State and Wisconsin and a sack against Iowa. Big ten O-lines as good as any in the country and those schools regularly send O-linemen to the nfl.

Maybe my memory deceives me but i don't remember too many Michigan defensive players who were studs in school and busts in the pros. Similar physically to Lamar Woodley but maybe a little bigger and not quite as fast.

For Graham it is all about his 40 time and if he has the speed to be an exceptional outside rusher. He needs a sub 4.75 time.

I like the way he pursues sideline to sideline and how he crashes down on off tackle plays away from him. Tackle numbers exceptional for a DE.

Dunlap weighed in at 277 at the combine. Pretty far down from the 290 that has been reported on some sites.

http://www.footballsfuture.com/2010/combine/de.html

http://www.prodraftparty.com/2009/de-carlos-dunlap-scouting-report/

And Brandon Graham was only 6'1.

Pierre-Paul was heavier than many thought at 6'5 3/4 and 270. I like him a lot but he will likely be off the board when we pick.

Dunlap's weight can be seen as a positive thing because it means he is in shape and he wants to have the best possible times.

I'm getting more and more excited about who we're gonna end up taking.

Or......Florida just exaggerated his actual size he has always been.

I'm no expert, but when I watched video on Jason Pierre-Paul, I did not see a football player. I saw an athlete, who could shed blocks, but did not pursue/try to run after the ball carrier, misjudged sacks/tackles, and did not have great explosion off the snap (he looked almost delayed in his release, like he was slow to react to the snap). I really hope we don't draft him. I know he has a lot of potential, and if there's anyone who can maximize it, it's Washburn. But, I would rather have someone like Graham (he reminds me of Robert Mathis).

I agree. JPP is not a football player like Graham is and I'd rather have Graham any day. Dunlap probably has the best combination of size and speed but needs to work on his technique.

I agree with Tide that Dunlap's weight proves to me he is in good shape and that tells me something good about his attitude and work ethic.

How do you figure? You know colleges love to exaggerate their players sizes so how do we know he hasn't always been that size?

He didn't put up crazy numbers at the combine either. 21 reps 31.5 vert 4.66 forty unofficial