Here's some quick thoughts on our Day 2 selections:
LB Stephen Nicholas I thought this was a pretty dumb move in the fourth round, but clearly the Falcons knew they would be without Demorrio Williams for a while. Nicholas is a bit undersized and lacks the kind of side to side cutting ability that marks a great pass-rushing linebacker. His straight line speed is pretty terrific, however, so he has a chance to be Demorrio Williams Jr. while he's out. Chances are he ends up being a pretty good third linebacker for us, but I'm not extremely optimistic about his chances of starting once Williams comes back.
TE Martrez Milner This was another pick that made me scratch my head a little bit. We have Crumpler to catch and Beverly and Fells to block...and here comes Milner, who can do a little of both but not a lot of either. You can definitely see him as a project at tight end, but if you're assuming like I was that Petrino was looking to add some big, accomplished blockers...I don't know what to tell you. I feel like we could've skipped this pick entirely. Now if Crumpler takes a long time to recover and Milner shows a lot of promise, that certainly wouldn't be a bad thing. I just think this might be the weirdest pick of the second day, for sure.
DT Trey Lewis Again, not a bad pick. At 6'3 and 318, he's got the potential to be a run clogging defensive tackle for the Falcons. The problem is essentially that he didn't dominate at Washburn, and I don't know even know where the hell Washburn is. A guy that big who has a history of getting pushed a round a little raises a lot of red flags with me. Some scouts have suggested he could be moved to the offensive line if he sucks at tackle, but I'd rather see him log some time on defense and see how he ends up. At worst, this was a good pick on paper...which means it would be useless to us. At best, he hungrily devours Grady Jackson and gains his courage. I'd put that one in the win column.
CB David Irons When we came into this draft I was reasonably confident the Falcons wouldn't be chasing down a lot of corners. They had just announced that Jimmy Williams was going to start opposite Hall, after all. But the Falcons not only grabbed two; I'm actually pretty excited about it. Houston's immediate impact will allow the Falcons to move Williams to safety, and Irons immediately improves the corner situation simply by not being named "Allen Rossum". His durability is a concern and he's already 25, neither of which is all that promising. But he's quick, aware and plays well against the run, something that the team's been lacking in years past. He'll need some seasoning, but I can see him being a good nickel back for us for a good long while.
C Doug Datish In many ways, the steal of the second day. Datish was predicted to go at least two rounds higher, and he's got an enormous amount of potential. If he's coached properly and adds just a little bit of bulk, he can potentially back up any position on the line and may be a good candidate for the starting job at center or guard down the road. Between Blalock and Datish, the Falcons made some major strides toward depth on their O-line, and while Datish has a lot more work to do than Blalock to become a finished product, he could potentially be a very good player. A nice pick.
S Daren Stone I've seen Daren Stone play before, and I can tell you that he projects well as a safety. The big knock on him is a lack of elite speed, but if he's moved to SS he shouldn't really have too much of a problem with that. He may never develop well enough to be a starter, but he'll provide some excellent depth and has the size and awareness to grow as a player. For a sixth round pick, Stone was an excellent value at a position he's needed at. If he happens to hone his instincts and take over for Lawyer Milloy at some point down the line, then he's more than worth it. If he doesn't...you could do a lot worse than a decent backup safety with that pick.
FB Jason Snelling Ladies and gents, I present our new epileptic tweener without a true position, Jason Snelling! Cruel jokes aside, Snelling was a pickup that didn't make a lot of sense to me. Upon further reflection, I decided you could make a case for him as a third string running back with some power, and I was a lot happier. If he's another fullback, then I don't get this, as one of the last positions I care about having players three deep is the one where Ovie Mughelli and Corey McIntyre are currently shoring up the depth chart. If he is indeed going to be groomed to be a power back, then this could turn out to be a nice pick. We could use a guy with weight (he weighs 230) who can drive the pile a little more than Norwood and Dunn, so I really hope that's the direction they were thinking this was headed.
What are your thoughts?