2019 Oakland Raiders Discussion

NFL.com reports:

Bear Goggles On.com reports:

Maybe the best take is he's a versatile player with a high upside who will need to be stashed and brought along slowly.

 

Remaining Picks:
Round 4: #128 John Feliciano, OG (and some T), Miami.
Round 5: #140 Ben Heeney, LB, KU
Round 5: #161
Round 6: #179
Round 7: #218
Round 7: #221
Round 7: #242

Heeney is a 6', 231# LB from Kansas.
NFL.com rates him as a 5.26, special teams/backup player. He was first team all-big 12 in 2k14 and was second team in both 2k12 and 13. Here's some bad news: he missed more tackles than any other player in the NCAA last year.
Has been projected from 3rd to 4th-5th round, or as low as 6th. High motor. "Plays pissed off with a chip and violent, competitive nature." Honestly, I loved reading that. Undersized, plays too high, too aggressive. Picked up 12 TFL as a senior. He totaled 327 tackles over the last three seasons (213 solo), 4.5 sacks, 35 tackles for loss, 4 INTs for 71 yards, 5 passes defended, and 3 Forced Fumbles. Top 15 career (Big 12) in Solo Tackles, Assisted Tackles, Total Tackles, and Tackles for Loss.

Last Word On Sports rates him:
Athleticism D+
Run D: B-
Coverade: D-
Tackling: B-
Intangibles: B+
Grade: 7.6 (5th round)

Pro Football Spot: "If scouts can just look past the 40 yard dash time and other combine tests, Ben Heeney could really be a steal in this year’s draft. Coaches during the Shrine Game practices spoke very highly on how Ben Heeney approaches the game and his stats are there as well. Having a total of 127 tackles last season is certainly not a fluke."

Raiders fans will absolutely love him.

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^I read a blog [who doesn't?] that Feliciano could be a Raider pick. It seems that all the negatives are more about athleticism than the un-measurable intangibles such as work ethic and competitive motor. Heeney? Ooohh, that bold part makes me smile. I think the missed tackles can be corrected by coaches who can teach him to slow down and read better. Romanowski 2.0?

 

Day Three Picks:
Round 4: #128 John Feliciano, OG (and some T), Miami.
Round 5: #140 Ben Heeney, ILB, KU
Round 5: #161 Neiron Ball, OLB, Florida
Round 6: #179
Round 7: #218
Round 7: #221
Round 7: #242

Neiron Ball
6'2", 236 pounds
Even Gators sites had him going 6th or 7th round. Similar size and performance to Paul Posluszny. Knee injury as a Senior. Then microfracture surgery. Hmm. Has overcome lots - the knee injury, death of both parents, and brain surgery. Slow to react on D.

He improved each season, posting 49 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 defended pass, and a forced fumble as a Senior.

NFL.com had him as a priority FA. Was shown as going undrafted by some, 6th to 7th round by others. Has played both ILB and OLB, SAM and WILL. Talent and potential are high, but his injury concerns are severe.



More about his life-threatening illness:
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Heeney also ran a faster 40 and did far better in the athletics drills than was expected.

 

We hittin' the Florida pipeline... A Seminole, two from the "U" and now a Gator. And what the PuffMeister said... Thanks! August seems so far away and yet so close.

 

He reminds me a bit of two DBs who were oversized - Tom Zbikowski from UND and Oakland's Stuart Schweigert - the passion and the flying all over the field. He's 20-30 pounds heavier, mind you.

 

Time for a DB or two; right? And possibly a burner/physical specimen at WR for old time's sake

 

Safety and another lineman...either side. Can never have enough road pavers and cats who can blow up offenses.

 

DAY THREE DRAFT
Round 4: #128 John Feliciano, OG (and some T), Miami.
Round 5: #140 Ben Heeney, ILB, KU
Round 5: #161 Neiron Ball, OLB, Florida
Round 6: #179 Max Valles, OLB, Virginia
Round 7: #218
Round 7: #221
Round 7: #242

6'5" 251 pounds. Was Third-team All-ACC last year.
Senior year: 24 solo tackles, 31 assists, 12.5 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 8 passes defended, 3 Forced Fumbles. Needs lots of work though. One scout said that if things don't click, he's a backup; if things do, "Look out, buddy." He's so raw, it's tough to project. 4.83 40, 36.5" vertical, 121" broad jump. Will need time, but could become a potent pass rusher. Some had him as high as 3rd round talent; others had him going undrafted.

He's the youngest player in the draft. 19 years old.

 

^19? Then Buckeye Michael Bennett out there? Wut? Shakes head... Three in the 7th.

 

Two Oakland picks coming up shortly.

 

Adding in CBS's Draft Grades
(Round 1: #4 Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama (B)
Round 2: #35 Mario Edwards Jr., DE, FSU (C)
Round 3: #68 Clive Walford, TE, Miami (B)
Round 4: #128 John Feliciano, OG (and some T), Miami (B-)
Round 5: #140 Ben Heeney, ILB, KU (B+)
Round 5: #161 Neiron Ball, OLB, Florida (C)
Round 6: #179 Max Valles, OLB, Virginia (B)
Round 7: #218 Anthony Morris, OT, Tenn State (C+)
Round 7: #221 Andre Debose, WR, Florida (B-)
Round 7: #242

Anthony Morris is 6'7" 303 pounds. NFL Draft Scout had him as a Free Agent, not being drafted.

Andre Debose "was supposed to be the next Percy Harvin." Mayock calls him one of the premiere receivers in the nation. Injuries but "scary" upside.

I'll be back with more when I find out more.

 

Andre Debose is a burner. Ran a 4.38 40 at Gators Pro Day.


Career at UF: 79 kick returns, 26.7 per return, 4 TDs; 34 punt returns, 12.4 average, 1 TD. Added 30 receptions for 540 yards and 3 TDs.

Goodness. Look at him:

 

Anthony Morris is listed at 6'6, 290 on NFL.com. Played tackle as a Senior. Still don't have much info on him.

 

Adding in CBS's Draft Grades
*Roster Body
**Special Teamer/Role Player
***Spot Starter
****Adequate Starter
*****Quality Starter
******Excellent Starter
*******Game Changer

Current/Upside
Round 1: #4 Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama (B)****/******
Round 2: #35 Mario Edwards Jr., DE, FSU (C)**/****
Round 3: #68 Clive Walford, TE, Miami (B)**/***
Round 4: #128 John Feliciano, OG, Miami (B-)*/****
Round 5: #140 Ben Heeney, ILB, KU (B+)**/****
Round 5: #161 Neiron Ball, OLB, Florida (C)**/****
Round 6: #179 Max Valles, OLB, Virginia (B)*/****
Round 7: #218 Anthony Morris, OT, Tenn State (C+)*/**
Round 7: #221 Andre Debose, WR, Florida (B-)*/***
Round 7: #242 Dexter McDonald, CB, Kansas (B)*/***

Dexter McDonald, CB, Kansas
Started 24 games at Kansas, picked off 4 passes, forced a fumble, defended 23 passes, and picked up 65 total tackes over those last two seasons. Ran a 4.42 40 (of course). He's huge for a CB (6'1", 200 pounds). Needs to step it up against the run, lay off the interference calls.

Draft Insider ranked him 50th among CBs.

 

*Roster Body
**Special Teamer/Role Player
***Spot Starter
****Adequate Starter
*****Quality Starter
******Excellent Starter
*******Game Changer

Adding in some more Grades
Current/Upside
(Round 1: #4 Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama (B/A+/B+)****/******
Round 2: #35 Mario Edwards Jr., DE, FSU (C/A/B-)**/****
Round 3: #68 Clive Walford, TE, Miami (B/A/B+)**/***
Round 4: #128 John Feliciano, OG (and some T), Miami (B-/B+/D)*/****
Round 5: #140 Ben Heeney, ILB, KU (B+/S/B+)**/****
Round 5: #161 Neiron Ball, OLB, Florida (C/S/D)**/****
Round 6: #179 Max Valles, OLB, Virginia (B/S/B)*/****
Round 7: #218 Anthony Morris, OT, Tenn State (C+/S/D)*/**
Round 7: #221 Andre Debose, WR, Florida (B-/S/B+)*/***
Round 7: #242 Dexter McDonald, CB, Kansas (B/S/C)*/***

 

BTW, Oakland was ranked "Most Improved Offense" by NFL.com after the draft.

Undrafted FA Signings
Cody Fajardo, QB, Nevada */*
-QB who can do it with his legs. Backup at best.


Josh Harper, WR, Fresno State */**
-6'1, 191 WR who does it after the catch. B2B 1000 yard seasons (was Carr's WR at Fresno State).


Mitchell Bell, OG, La. Tech */*
-6'3, 350-pounder from C-USA


Josh Shirley, EDGE, UNLV
-6'3" 230, 29.5 TFL, 20 sacks, and 9 forced fumbles


Leon Orr, DT, Florida */**
-6'5", 323 pounder, missed a ton of games (quit team, liver problems, etc.)
Fast and versatile DL. 4.5 sacks in 31 starts.


Terrell Pinson, S, La. Tech */**
-6'2", 214, who picked up 9.5 tackles for losses in two seasons, added 3 picks. He's a SS/LB kind of player.


Jimmy Hall, LB, Northwestern */**
-6'2" 205, had 58 tackles, 5.5 for loss, 2 INTs as a Senior.


Jacoby Hale, LB, Utah */**
-6' 230, had a solid JR season with 37 tackles, 10 for loss, and 6.5 sacks.

 

Robertson Daniel, CB, BYU added, too