Draft Follow Up: Greg Cossell

[wickedsolo]

http://nflfilms.nfl.com/2012/05/01/c.../#comment-7030


Good piece by Cossell.

[Shas]

His central point seems to be that teams rank players not just on overall ability, but how well they fit a scheme or a need.

Applying it to some of the Ravens picks, you can see how Pierce was valued by them because of his patient, one-cut and-go running style. They want to run between the tackles in a zone scheme, where the back waits for the hole, often on the back side, and then quickly cut it up. That's what Pierce does.

The valued Osemele because he will be fine in a zone scheme sliding down the line and using what is described as a vise-like grip to steer defenders down the line.

Upshaw can fill the role they want filled at the SAM spot--set the edge and flow the play inside to Ray. They value that more than the value pass rushing off the edge in they way the Steelers might.

Thompson was valued as a hard hitting defender in the secondary, like Pollard, Webb, Williams, and Smith.

Streeter filled a role as that fast, tall receiver they don't have.