Blain's we're taking Oher mock draft

[BlainThePain]

(Most weights and heights are from their senior bowl weigh-ins)

1. Michael Oher OT 6'5" 305 lbs Ole Miss- I think Eugene Monroe will be gone and I want somebody that can play left or right tackle and Oher is that. Andre Smith isn't quick enough to protect Carson's blind side and Jason Smith can't run block well enough to play the power side. We can use the experienced Collins to play left tackle next year and break Oher in at right. If it works out, we can stick with this until one of them demands to be traded. If Collins regresses, we can flip Oher to left and Collins to right.

2. Tyronne McKenzie OLB 6'2" 244 lbs South Florida- I like a couple players better here (Paul Kruger, Connor Barwin, Tyson Jackson), but I have a gut feeling the Bengals really will draft this guy. He plays fast, tackles well, makes plays sideline to sideline, and he puts up great numbers. I read an article during Senior Bowl week where Marvin said McKenzie could do it all. He put up 15 tackles for a loss and 8 pass break-ups his senior year. I think he could play any LB position and he could be a strong side linebacker that could stay on the field all three downs.

3. Eric Wood C 6'4" 304 lbs Louisville- I think he's the best equipped center in the draft to take on mammoth defensive tackles, and in a division with Ngata, Hampton, Rogers, and Corey Williams, it's exactly what we need in the center of our o-line. Could also play either guard position.

4. Lawrence Sidbury Jr. DE 6'4" 265 lbs. Richmond- The mandatory small school unknown that we always draft, and if you're going to draft a small school player, it might as well be the best one in the draft. With Odom and Geathers on the roster, I think the DE position just needs a player to improve the rotation and Sidbury is it. He has the potential to develop into a decent starter.

4C. Quinn Johnson FB 6'1" 251 lbs L.S.U.- I really hoped we could grab this guy in the latter rounds, but after watching him closely at the senior bowl, I think he'll be the first fullback off the board and that's usually the 4th round for fullbacks. Best lead blocker in the draft and looks like he could be a good short yardage option. He's also an excellent special-teams player that can block on returns and tackle well on kickoffs (he used to play linebacker). You want to run the ball against the Steelers, you have to have somebody that can block like him. Want to cut down on sacks? Get somebody that can pick up blitzes like he can. A player in the fourth round that could raise our yards per carry and cut down on sacks is well worth it. Anybody that hates this pick can just look at some of our last 4th round picks. I bet you guys would rather have a dominating lead blocker starting at fullback than Eric Ghiaciuc or Mathias Askew.

5. Kevin Huber Punter 6'1" 221 lbs Cincinnati- Best punter in the draft. Helps in the field position game. Enough said.

6. Scott McKillop ILB 6'1" 241 lbs Pitt- A good backup at ILB. Won't ever develop into a three down LB, but he's always around the ball and tackles well. He had 18.5 tackles for a loss his senior year. A good rotational player we can play on running downs.

7. Brock Bolen FB 6'0" 238 lbs Louisville- He won't play fullback for us, he'll be our third running back brought in for short yardage plays. He had over 500 yards rushing and averaged 4.1 yards per carry with 8 TDS for a horrible Louisville offense. I'm sick of seeing us pass on 3 and 1. Putting Bolen behind Quinn Johnson will change that.

[ArmyBengal]

If Oher is going to be projected as a RT and not a left, I would not be happy with that move. Just me, but RT can be had a round or two later. Oher is getting the knock of being dumb as well and that will hurt him. I don't know how much truth there is to it, but if it's anywhere near true, I'll pass. I can't really say much after that outside of I'd rather wait instead of burning a 4th on a FB, but once again, that's just me.

As much as people have said the Bengals are definitely taking OT in the first, I've come to the conclusion that it is no more definite than taking a few different defenders that will be sitting there. All guessing... Fun stuff.

[BlainThePain]

If Oher is going to be projected as a RT and not a left, I would not be happy with that move. Just me, but RT can be had a round or two later. Oher is getting the knock of being dumb as well and that will hurt him. I don't know how much truth there is to it, but if it's anywhere near true, I'll pass. I can't really say much after that outside of I'd rather wait instead of burning a 4th on a FB, but once again, that's just me.

As much as people have said the Bengals are definitely taking OT in the first, I've come to the conclusion that it is no more definite than taking a few different defenders that will be sitting there. All guessing... Fun stuff.

I don't think Oher is projected as a right tackle, I was just making the point that he could play right tackle. My point on taking a tackle that could play either side is Jordan Gross. He was the best tackle in his draft class and was drafted to play left tackle, but he couldn't cut it, so they moved him to right. Now he's one of the best right tackles in the NFL. Drafting a guy that can play either side drastically reduces your chance of a bust. If you draft Jason Smith and he can't cut it at left tackle, you just drafted one of the most expensive left guards in the NFL.

As for Oher being dumb, I think that rumor comes from lack of education as a child, not from not being able to learn. There's a difference between being uneducated and being dumb.

He started at right guard in the SEC as a freshman after only playing two years of high school ball. That tells me he picks the game up quick.

A blurb about Oher from walterfootball.com

http://www.walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2009blog2.php

After practice I went over to the USS Alabama for Media Night. There was a nice spread of catfish, chicken, gumbo, and salad. All the players were in their game uniforms for Saturday and ready to do interviews. I caught up with my No. 1 tackle Michael Oher. Oher was very articulate and well spoken. I honestly think there is a huge bias against him just because of The Blind Side and people for some reason or another are just haters. He has a great team-first attitude and I think he genuinely loves the game. Maybe he was just saying the right things, but I liked his demeanor and he didn't feel "fake" to me.

[ArmyBengal]

Gotcha, like I said, I don't know where all that is coming from or how much of it is true, but if it's not, I think he will go early as well.

Agree with the versatility being key as well.