Will Mike Iupati Be the Best Player Avaiable in the 1st Round?

[nfldraft2010]

http://www.pressboxonline.com/blog.cfm?ID=2035

[BlainThePain]

You should go to the college football/draft section of the forum. We have been discussing Iupati since the college football season started.

[7/11]

i hope he is gone (moreover, i hope we just don't draft him).

admittedly, i only saw him play at the senior bowl...but dude was pretty dreadful throughout most of the game.

[HairOnFire]

To answer the question.....Who knows?

BTW, does anyone know the track record of Wes Bunting, the draft guru at NFP? I ask because I'm not very familiar with the site and his draft rankings are sorta unique....to say the least.

For example, Bunting does have Iupati as the top rated OG, but just barely. Furthermore, in his first mock he projects Iupati to fall past the Bengals before finally becoming the second OG prospect selected.

That's right, second.

Other prospect rankings are even more jaw dropping.

For example, Bunting practically s**ts on Earl Thomas...amongst others.

So, thoughts?

Is Bunting simply a case of being unconventionally stupid OR is he a brilliantly besotted ahead of the curve type ala Joe Pong?

[Wraith]

If Iupati is there then he will be the BPA, just watch the Humanitarian Bowl against BG. He is dominating at the line of scrimmage and pair him on the right side with Andre Smith and you might just tilt the entire world. Not only is he a spectacular Guard prospect but he could fail over to RT in a pinch.

The difficulty with making player evaluations in those College All Star games particularly with Offensive Linemen, is that they play nothing but absolute vanilla blocking schemes and defensive player will always have the advantage in those environments, the one on one drills at the Senior Bowl are where the real evaluations happen and Iupati smoked all comers one on one.

As to whether Bunting knows his stuff, I like Colin Lindsay (GBN Report), Rob Rang and Chad Rueter (NFL Draft Scout), I have been going to those guys for years and they have always had good solid information. At this early stage, it is still a crap shoot, I find I also tend to agree with Todd McShay more often than Mike Mayock or Mel Kiper. Iupati might go as high as 12 if some team thinks he can be an every down Tackle or he could slip to the early third is he works out poorly, I think it is more likely at this point that he goes before 21 than if he drops past us. But then again who am I? Just an opinion.

[Trevor]

I know everyone doesnt like vladamir ducasse anymore... And i dont want him in the first... But if for some reason he's still there in the 2nd i'd love to get him as a guard...

[Kazkal]

Very Well could be which should make his selection easy...Mays & Thomas may be gone then its matter what type of WR Flavor.

[Dadraftnick]

Some of my scouting on Mike Iupati

I had not seen Mike Iupati in a game, there is not alot of chances to watch an Idaho game,then I saw a highlight clip of him when they were giving out the Rimington award- I said WOW!

But, then I saw him in the Senior Bowl and at Senior Bowl Practice.

This guy has some BIG TIME FLAWS in his game.

He does not have a hand punch(at all), which is the NFL guard's main weapon.

He does not put his hands in the center of his oponents chest(which he should do when not hand punching),he puts his hands on the guys shoulder.

Hands on the outside of a guy's shoulders is considered HOLDING!

If he played the way he played in the Senior Bowl , in the NFL , he would be called for holding on every play.

I am sure coaches worked with him but he couldnt stop it.

He has been allowed to play with bad technique for his entire career and never taught the right way.

Because of this,the bad technique is ingrained into his game.

It could take years to straghten this guy out , if ever.

Or , he could end up with 100yds worth of holding penalties every game.

I think when teams get around to looking at the SR. Bowl tape he could go around the 4th round if not latter.

There are always teams that take a chance or reach for guys based on potential but, this guy is Boom or Bust player.

[BlainThePain]

If we're looking for a right guard, I like Ciron Black.

[Dadraftnick]

If we're looking for a right guard, I like Ciron Black.

Ciron Black is seen more as a T , mostly as a LT

I like Brandon Carter6-6 350 kind of slow 40 should go around 4th to 6th round, but he looked very good all year at Texas Tech and with Texas Tech guys do alot of pass blocking.

Carter looked good all week at the Sr. bowl when he was facing the best.

John Jerry is also in the same size range 6-5 350 size range and should go in rounds 4 to 6 .

Both guys are alot like the guy we have at the spot right now at that spot Bobbie Jones.

The Bengals like to have a bigger guard at RT for running and the better pass blocker at LG.

Both guys could play either LG or RG although are they are not ideal for pulling because they are not that fast.

[BengalPimp]

/>http://www.pressboxonline.com/blog.cfm?ID=2035

LMFAO at this douchebag Matt Zenitz...On this Pressboxonline site...What a F'n moron you have to be, to write an article on team needs, select a player for said team, then proceed to repeatedly spell his name wrong...MY GUESS IS THIS DOUCHEBAG HAS NEVER SEEN HIM PLAY, OR EVEN HEARD HIS NAME CALLED.

His name is Iupati (pronounced EE-YOU-PAH-TEE), yet he kept referring to him as Lupati...with an L....I guess any idiot can write a column these days.

[HairOnFire]

John Jerry is also in the same size range 6-5 350 size range and should go in rounds 4 to 6 .

Which brings me back to my question about Wes Bunting. Because amongst other things, he sees Jerry as a Leonard Davis type of OG prospect worthy of a late 1st round pick. And again, he barely ranks him below Iupati, and has him being drafted earlier than Iupati in his mock.

A rather unique perspective, ehh?

[kingwilly]

/>http://www.pressboxonline.com/blog.cfm?ID=2035

LMFAO at this douchebag Matt Zenitz...On this Pressboxonline site...What a F'n moron you have to be, to write an article on team needs, select a player for said team, then proceed to repeatedly spell his name wrong...MY GUESS IS THIS DOUCHEBAG HAS NEVER SEEN HIM PLAY, OR EVEN HEARD HIS NAME CALLED.

His name is Iupati (pronounced EE-YOU-PAH-TEE), yet he kept referring to him as Lupati...with an L....I guess any idiot can write a column these days.

Welcome to the internet. Search engine journalism at its finest.

[ArmyBengal]

I must admit, I'm starting to cool on the idea of Iupati. Not because I don't think he's the best at the position, but due to the fact there are other Guards that could be had later without that much of a noticable drop off. Hell, Mike Johnson from Alabama could be had in the 2nd and YES, it's hard not to like a guy like Brandon Carter who just comes off a a complete mad man.

I'm just at a point where I don't see the Bengals really screwing this draft up through their first 5 picks. There are noticeable holes to be filled and there should be players available in those first 5 picks to be able to fill those holes nicely. In other words, if our first 5 picks consist of (in no order) a WR, TE, OG, S, and DE I would be very happy. It's a matter of what they think holds the most value at that point in time versus what will be available if they wait. I would rather they hold their picks as opposed to packaging them to trade up. If anything drop back if they think their guy will be there and pick up more picks.

Just me...

[nfldraft2010]

/>http://www.pressboxonline.com/blog.cfm?ID=2035

LMFAO at this douchebag Matt Zenitz...On this Pressboxonline site...What a F'n moron you have to be, to write an article on team needs, select a player for said team, then proceed to repeatedly spell his name wrong...MY GUESS IS THIS DOUCHEBAG HAS NEVER SEEN HIM PLAY, OR EVEN HEARD HIS NAME CALLED.

His name is Iupati (pronounced EE-YOU-PAH-TEE), yet he kept referring to him as Lupati...with an L....I guess any idiot can write a column these days.

Just to clarify, my editor is to blame on that one. He thought it was a typo and that the I's were actually lower case l's and proceeded to change it without me knowing. I actually appreciate the heads up though since I was completely unaware of that until reading your post.

[HAPPYJAQ]

I must admit, I'm starting to cool on the idea of Iupati. Not because I don't think he's the best at the position, but due to the fact there are other Guards that could be had later without that much of a noticable drop off. Hell, Mike Johnson from Alabama could be had in the 2nd and YES, it's hard not to like a guy like Brandon Carter who just comes off a a complete mad man.

I'm just at a point where I don't see the Bengals really screwing this draft up through their first 5 picks. There are noticeable holes to be filled and there should be players available in those first 5 picks to be able to fill those holes nicely. In other words, if our first 5 picks consist of (in no order) a WR, TE, OG, S, and DE I would be very happy. It's a matter of what they think holds the most value at that point in time versus what will be available if they wait. I would rather they hold their picks as opposed to packaging them to trade up. If anything drop back if they think their guy will be there and pick up more picks.

Just me...

Good points and post, but I wouldn't mind to see a trade up OR back in the First. For this Bengals team (and more than in any year I can remember due to where we're picking in the first round, related to holes we have), I also wouldn't object to the Bengals packaging some picks to get a proven player or two on offense. This could be the year you see Mike Brown make a bold move like this.

The more I think about it, we might have a 2 or 3 year window on offense to make it to the Super Bowl before we'll be forced to start rebuilding due to age and contract situations. Truthfully, I think Marvin and Brat both saw the writing on the wall for this 2 years ago, thus the switch to a more ball-controlling offense.

It may sound crazy to some, but I would trade a 1st and a 3rd to Denver for Marshall in a minute. After all, you still should have a comp pick at the end of the 3rd anyway, so the net loss is the #21 pick overall for a Top 5 receiver in the NFL who is only 25 years old. If not, reopening talks with the Cowboys for Martellus Bennett seems like a good idea to me.

[membengal]

John Jerry is also in the same size range 6-5 350 size range and should go in rounds 4 to 6 .

Which brings me back to my question about Wes Bunting. Because amongst other things, he sees Jerry as a Leonard Davis type of OG prospect worthy of a late 1st round pick. And again, he barely ranks him below Iupati, and has him being drafted earlier than Iupati in his mock.

A rather unique perspective, ehh?

I will not ignore the query. Yes, sounds wonderfully against the grain, and enough so with reasons to follow his thoughts as we move toward April.

[redsbengalsbucks]

I must admit, I'm starting to cool on the idea of Iupati. Not because I don't think he's the best at the position, but due to the fact there are other Guards that could be had later without that much of a noticable drop off. Hell, Mike Johnson from Alabama could be had in the 2nd and YES, it's hard not to like a guy like Brandon Carter who just comes off a a complete mad man.

I'm just at a point where I don't see the Bengals really screwing this draft up through their first 5 picks. There are noticeable holes to be filled and there should be players available in those first 5 picks to be able to fill those holes nicely. In other words, if our first 5 picks consist of (in no order) a WR, TE, OG, S, and DE I would be very happy. It's a matter of what they think holds the most value at that point in time versus what will be available if they wait. I would rather they hold their picks as opposed to packaging them to trade up. If anything drop back if they think their guy will be there and pick up more picks.

Just me...

Good points and post, but I wouldn't mind to see a trade up OR back in the First. For this Bengals team (and more than in any year I can remember due to where we're picking in the first round, related to holes we have), I also wouldn't object to the Bengals packaging some picks to get a proven player or two on offense. This could be the year you see Mike Brown make a bold move like this.

The more I think about it, we might have a 2 or 3 year window on offense to make it to the Super Bowl before we'll be forced to start rebuilding due to age and contract situations. Truthfully, I think Marvin and Brat both saw the writing on the wall for this 2 years ago, thus the switch to a more ball-controlling offense.

It may sound crazy to some, but I would trade a 1st and a 3rd to Denver for Marshall in a minute. After all, you still should have a comp pick at the end of the 3rd anyway, so the net loss is the #21 pick overall for a Top 5 receiver in the NFL who is only 25 years old. If not, reopening talks with the Cowboys for Martellus Bennett seems like a good idea to me.

I am with you on the Marshall trade, give up two draft picks for a proven producer at WR. Now is the time for bold moves to get the team over the hump and a proven, young, vet WR is the easiest/surest way to accomplish that.

[HairOnFire]

John Jerry is also in the same size range 6-5 350 size range and should go in rounds 4 to 6 .

Which brings me back to my question about Wes Bunting. Because amongst other things, he sees Jerry as a Leonard Davis type of OG prospect worthy of a late 1st round pick. And again, he barely ranks him below Iupati, and has him being drafted earlier than Iupati in his mock.

A rather unique perspective, ehh?

I will not ignore the query. Yes, sounds wonderfully against the grain, and enough so with reasons to follow his thoughts as we move toward April.

But again, what's his track record? Is he an idiot or just an unconventional thinker blasting away from a website that seems to be rapidly growing in popularity and influence?

Frankly, I can find conventional boilerplate style opinions everywhere, and for that reason alone Bunting's ravings stand out as being different. But is he an idiot popping away on a website that until lately I've ignored OR is there something more to his unconventional views?

For yet another example, check out the way Bunting slags WR Damian Williams (Buntings 24th rated WR)or the way he predicts Earl Thomas will bust hard. And the guy pimps prospects like Aaron Hernandez, John Jerry, and Maurice Pountkey like nobody else.

Ehhh?

[HairOnFire]

....I wouldn't mind to see a trade up OR back in the First.

Of the two options I would strongly prefer the latter. In fact, I've already written about the possibility of the Bengals packaging their 2nd and 3rd round picks to move up in the 2nd round. Why? Because doing so should make it easier to draft BPA at #21 instead of dramatically reaching for WR talent, as many of us fear they will do.

It may sound crazy to some, but I would trade a 1st and a 3rd to Denver for Marshall in a minute.

Again, I'm onboard with this idea if we're also trading Chad. But we're not going to do that, are we?

If not, reopening talks with the Cowboys for Martellus Bennett seems like a good idea to me.

I don't hate the idea. So there's that. But IMHO Bennett wasn't worth anywhere near the trade package the Bengals offered last year, and I wouldn't repeat that mistake now that the Bengals moment of desperation has passed.

[Wraith]

One of the three top TEs will be available to us in the 2nd. Would you guys be ok with Brandon Marshall and Jermaine Gresham as our haul in the first 3 rounds? I think I would.

BTW just found out that I will be transferred to Siberi...err Minneapolis so any advice on a good Bengal bar?

[membengal]

John Jerry is also in the same size range 6-5 350 size range and should go in rounds 4 to 6 .

Which brings me back to my question about Wes Bunting. Because amongst other things, he sees Jerry as a Leonard Davis type of OG prospect worthy of a late 1st round pick. And again, he barely ranks him below Iupati, and has him being drafted earlier than Iupati in his mock.

A rather unique perspective, ehh?

I will not ignore the query. Yes, sounds wonderfully against the grain, and enough so with reasons to follow his thoughts as we move toward April.

But again, what's his track record? Is he an idiot or just an unconventional thinker blasting away from a website that seems to be rapidly growing in popularity and influence?

Frankly, I can find conventional boilerplate style opinions everywhere, and for that reason alone Bunting's ravings stand out as being different. But is he an idiot popping away on a website that until lately I've ignored OR is there something more to his unconventional views?

For yet another example, check out the way Bunting slags WR Damian Williams (Buntings 24th rated WR)or the way he predicts Earl Thomas will bust hard. And the guy pimps prospects like Aaron Hernandez, John Jerry, and Maurice Pountkey like nobody else.

Ehhh?

Got me, but unconventional, if accompanied with reasons, is interesting to read. And so worth keeping an eye on, if only to spice up the drumbeat of articles pimping the same core players.

[HAPPYJAQ]

One of the three top TEs will be available to us in the 2nd. Would you guys be ok with Brandon Marshall and Jermaine Gresham as our haul in the first 3 rounds? I think I would.

BTW just found out that I will be transferred to Siberi...err Minneapolis so any advice on a good Bengal bar?

The more I think about it, and in watching the Combine today (and considering the viewpoints from everyone on the NFL Network's panel, minus Jamie Dukes), I truly believe the Bengals don't need a high-round selection at TE.

Or WR.

The reason?

The WRs in this draft after Bryant and the TEs (including Gresham), have the same questions as players already on the roster with the same abilities and skillsets, IMO. The only exception might be Hernandez, but you have to wonder how effective he would be in this offense.

That said, we all believe that WR and TE are the two biggest holes on this football team, so why not trade at least a 1st and a 3rd on a proven player with Pro Bowl ability?? That way, you're guaranteed to have filled at least one major hole next year, while having another top 50 pick (not to mention another pick at the end of the 3rd round), to spend on the other major need, but only if the value is equal or greater than the BPA at that time.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

Again, I'm onboard with this idea if we're also trading Chad. But we're not going to do that, are we?

Or they could just put Coles out of our misery, if $$$ is your reason for not wanting both Chad and Marshall.