Posts tagged RyanClady at FanHouse

While the offensive line might not represent a direct draft day decision for your roster, few areas of knowledge can offer a competitive advantage in fantasy football like having a good grasp of the various units of trench soldiers around the league. Over the course of a couple weeks, I'll break down every NFL team's offensive lines into five tiers: the crème de la crème, the highly competent, the serviceable, the grim, and the bunk.

It's important to note that the "grim" group is not the worst of the bunch, but rather just the 2 stars out of 5 where you give an extra star because you are friends with the production assistant. To paraphrase the words of a wise old sage, this group offensive lines is "like a slot machine, they pay off once in a while but then they'll rob you clean." If you really have faith in a skill player on one of these teams, go ahead and pull the trigger. This does not necessarily imply impending doom for all those involved, but tread gently down this path for these units are not very good.

The Chicago Bears: All you Matt Forte missionaries might want to rethink your calling. The Bears line is awful. The front office invested in first round manbeast, Chris Williams, to shore up the line with a strong left tackle, but he just went under the knife for a herniated disc in his back. If he can play, which will be half a season at best, the Bears cannot help but improve from last season. If not, things look pretty much the exact same: the worst run blocking in the NFL. Center Olin Kreutz, despite his age, remains a top player at his position. The rest of the spots would be equally well served with a roll of fiberglass insulation.

2007 Sacks Allowed: 43

2007 Yards Per Carry: 3.1

Denver Broncos 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 1 (12): Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State
Round 2 (42): Eddie Royal, WR, Virginia Tech
Round 4 (108): Kory Lichtensteiger, C, Bowling Green
Round 4 (119): Jack Williams, CB, Kent
Round 5 (139): Ryan Torain, RB, Arizona State
Round 5(148): Carlton Powell, DT, Virginia Tech
Round 6 (183): Spencer Larsen, LB, Arizona
Round 7 (220): Joshua Barrett, S, Arizona State
Round 7 (227): Peyton Hills, FB, Arkansas

The Good: Clady was a no-brainer when he slipped to them at 12. He'll be a starter from day one and, given the Broncos system, may be the most productive left tackle among the many selected in the first round. Clady, Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall should spend a lot of time together as the foundations of the Bronco offense. I also think the two Arizona State players, if they're healthy, could be big contributors. Injuries dropped their stock but both Torain and Barrett will get plenty of chances to help this team if they can go.

The Bad: I don't get the Royal choice at all. If you wanted to help Cutler and Marshall in the passing game, why pass on Limas Sweed? Or, if you wanted speed and return ability, why pass on DeSean Jackson? The rest of the draft doesn't do much for me either. Lichtensteiger has the last name of a mauler but the short arms and lack of athleticism of a career backup. Williams has great speed but, at 5'9", will struggle to cover in more than a nickel role.

Mike Shanahan's draft history is littered with gambles on players he thought would light up the scoreboard. Most of those gambles failed miserably, which is why the Broncos roster only has a handful of players they drafted and developed this decade and why they've consistently had to go to the free agent market to try and fill out their roster.

Give Shanahan credit for learning the folly of those ways. Ryan Clady at 12 is an incredible value for the Broncos. They can thank the Vikings for trading with the Chiefs for Jared Allen, probably, since that deal gave K.C. cover to pass on Clady at five and add an offensive lineman later in the first round. That left the second-best tackle in the draft for the Broncos.

Jay Cutler will be happy to have him protecting his blind side. Clady's got a ton of experience as a pass blocker in Boise State's wide-open offense. That offense, esoteric as it is, also gives Clady a good background for picking up the zone blocking scheme Denver employs for the running game. It was a safe pick, yes, but that's too often a euphemism for a bad pick. Clady was the smart pick.

That's the second good sign for Shanahan the GM in the last week. The Dewayne Robertson trade may not end up costing the team a thing and now he's added Clady. That's two starters and two upgrades for the Broncos.

Remember the great Statue of Liberty play that sealed Boise State's 2007 Fiesta Bowl upset of Oklahoma? Of course you do. But you may not realize that the key block was thrown by left tackle Ryan Clady, whom the Broncos chose with the 12th pick in today's draft.

Offensive tackles don't get a lot of attention, but Clady was by far the most talented player on that Boise State team. He's big -- 6-foot-6, 316 pounds -- but when I saw him at the scouting combine I was struck by how he looks like he could stand to gain some weight. He could play comfortably at 335 pounds or so, and if he bulks up that high he can become an overpowering drive blocker in addition to his natural talents as a pass blocker.

The question, of course, is whether Clady has played enough against top-notch competition to get him ready for the NFL. Although Clady isn't quite as NFL-ready as Jake Long, I absolutely believe he'll be a starter as a rookie, and one of the top offensive linemen in the league some day.

Previously on FanHouse:
Denver Post Argues Mike Shanahan Should Put Guts Before Brains On Draft Day
FanHouse Mock Draft: Denver Broncos Select OL Chris Williams No. 12
Should The Broncos Take a Running Back Early in the Draft?
Woody Paige Knows Exactly What the Broncos Should Do This Offseason

And so the gossip keeps flying. Adam Schefter reported last night that the Saints have inquired about what it would take to move from their spot at 10 to the Rams' at two.

Schefter believes the Saints are eyeing Glenn Dorsey or Vernon Gholston. A trade involving Dorsey would seem more likely -- they love him, and if it only takes their second-rounder or perhaps their third and right tackle Jon Stinchcomb, who Rams defensive coordinator Jim Haslett drafted, it'd be worth it. But Gholston makes no sense. That rumor is based on defensive end Will Smith's hold out, but the Saints would have to pay Gholston comparable money to what Smith is seeking, and those slight savings aren't worth risking a Pro Bowler for an unproven rookie.

As far as the Rams are concerned, the deal makes more sense. If they're hell-bent on getting a tackle and Jake Long is gone, the Rams could save money and get Jeff Otah, Branden Albert, or Ryan Clady (or Stinchcomb). They could also grab Leodis McKelvin or Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie with rumors that Fakhir Brown will be suspended for the season, or even Devin Thomas to replenish their receiving corps.

All in all, I don't buy it. For one, if the Saints are positioning themselves to grab Dorsey ahead of division rival Atlanta, what would stop Atlanta from offering less and assuring the Rams a smaller drop? Secondly, Jim Haslett left New Orleans on very bad terms, and though he doesn't call the shots I'd be surprised if he'd hand the Saints a player he also covets, one that could help his own unit tremendously. File this as unlikely.

I can only imagine the outrage among Chiefs' fans if Roger Goodell steps to the podium on April 26 and announces Matt Ryan as the team's newest player. But that's who NFL Network's Mike Mayock has Kansas City taking with the fifth-overall pick.

This isn't to say Ryan's not a potential franchise quarterback -- depending on who you listen to, he's the only one in this year's draft -- but that Kansas City has myriad other needs, starting with the offensive line.

Earlier this year, Chiefs president Carl Peterson admitted that he let the o-line get old, and you'd have to think he'd like to remedy that problem as soon as possible.

Dan Benton has the Chiefs taking Ryan Clady in the FanHouse mock draft, but Mayock, on Friday's "Path to the Draft", suggested that it would be a stretch to take any lineman but Jake Long with such a high pick. (And Mayock has Long going second overall to the Rams).

With each pick of the FanHouse mock draft, we get into the head of an NFL general manager and let you know who he'll pick and why.

It's no secret that the Kansas City Chiefs are in desperate need of some offensive lineman, and although it won't be flashy, they have to draft accordingly. With Jake Long already off the board, Kansas City is really only left with one choice: draft offensive tackle Ryan Clady.

Although most draft experts consider Long to be the premier offensive tackle in this draft, there are a few that believe Clady is the cream of the crop. And while his Wonderlic score left a little to be desired, there is no questioning Clady's supreme athletic ability.

Whether or not he's actually more talented than Long is still up for debate, but at this point, it's irrelevant anyway. With the fifth pick in the draft, the Chiefs have to do whatever they can to get better. And by drafting a 6'6'', 309 pound tackle with light feet and impressive mobility for his size, they do exactly that.

Clady will have to improve as a run blocker in the NFL, especially on a team like the Chiefs, but that shouldn't be much of a concern for Kansas City. Clady has earned a reputation as an extremely hard-worker and under a player's coach like Herm Edwards, there is little doubt that he'll continue to do exactly that.

It may take a year or two, but Clady will eventually become a top-notch NFL offensive lineman. He appears to be one of the few "can't misses" in this year's NFL Draft.

The Skinny:

Team needs - OT, OG, C, WR, CB, K
Player Selected - Ryan Clady, OT, Boise St.
Also Considered - Branden Albert, OG, Virginia; Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee St.

Next Pick:

No. 6 - New York Jets

When the Wonderlic test scores for this year's NFL draft class were released over the weekend, it caused all the usual consternation in the blogosphere about how standardized tests don't measure a person's intelligence accurately, and how high scores don't always mean successful careers.

Regardless, the Carolina Panthers may be looking at the scores of two offensive linemen -- Vanderbilt's Chris Williams (32) and Boise State's Ryan Clady (13) -- from a slightly different perspective. Ryan Clady's low score may have nothing to do with his relative intelligence. That's not the point. The point here is that Clady's low score indicates he didn't study for the test.

Look, if you told me I had to take the SAT cold tomorrow morning, I wouldn't come close to getting the 1270 I got in high school. If, however, you gave me a few weeks to study and take some practice tests and such, I might surpass that score.

Ryan Clady knew this Wonderlic test was coming. He had plenty of time to take practice tests and get himself ready. That 13 indicates that he did not put in the necessary study time. If he didn't study for this, what else won't he study for?

While they've busied themselves with resigning Lance Briggs and signing second-tier wide receivers thus far this offseason, the Bears have ignored a pretty sizable need along the offensive line. Ruben Brown and Fred Miller, both starters last season, won't be back in 2008 and the in-house replacement options are limited in both quality and quantity. With most of the best free agents already snapped up, the draft looms as the last, best chance for the team to upgrade their talent.

In that spirit, coach Lovie Smith trekked out to the blue turf of Boise to put Boise State tackle Ryan Clady through his paces. Clady didn't work out at the combine but looked good at his pro day, leading Smith to take a look at him in a private workout on Monday. Clady is considered the second-best tackle in the draft after Jake Long and landing him would really help the Bears offense.

Because he's so highly regarded, though, it's hard to see him lasting until the Bears pick at 14. Two other tackles, Chris Williams and Jeff Otah, are ranked in the same neighborhood but mock drafters don't see the Bears heading in that direction. Instead both Todd McShay and Don Banks have the Bears taking Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall in the first round. That would likely thrill the local crowd but would he really be that much better than Cedric Benson if he's running behind Terrance Metcalf? The Bears have to get better up front in April.

Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney is a man in search of a bargain. He doesn't have a whole lot of money to spend on the free agent market, so he's pursuing quantity over quality.

Look at the names associated with the Panthers right now. Tyler Brayton? Ian Scott? Barry Sims? Our old pal Marlon McCree? And what about the deals? 2 years and $2 million for Keydrick Vincent? 2 years and $4 million to Ricardo the Fumble-riffic? 3 more years for Brad Hoover? This is not exactly earth-shattering stuff here. Hurney has clearly bypassed the upscale shops and headed straight for the Wal-Mart.

If Hurney will make a big move this year, it will be in the draft. As our pal Darin Gantt reminds us, Hurney has spoken at length at the "flexibility" Carolina has with the picks they got from the Kris Jenkins trade. Using our handy NFL draft points value chart, we can see that Hurney can package Carolina's #13 first-round pick with the Jets' 3rd-round pick (70th overall) and move up to #8. If Carolina kept the 3rd-rounder and packaged their 2nd-round pick instead, they could move up to #6.

Oh, by the way, Gantt is also reporting that Hurney traveled to Idaho to chat up stud Boise State tackle Ryan Clady. He's already guaranteed to make more than any free agent Hurney signs in the next few weeks.