You know he's 6'1 right? Barely taller than most of our corners....people were saying last year that Sidbury was undersized and he's 6'3. Graham may have plenty of natural talent but he just does not have the size to be a successful starting defensive end in the NFL.

Weaver and McClain picked as the All Pro fullbacks...not surprisingly, those were probably the two fullbacks that got the most touches. <_<

And there were certainly not 4 DT's better than Babs this year. Babs was tied for most sacks in the league among DT's and was a force on our top 10 run defense.

http://profootballta... team/?related=1

All of this is pretty reasonable I feel. I wanted to make sure I didn't have a bunch of unrealistic draft choices so the rounds in which players are picked are based on projections.

1. Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Missouri
Weatherspoon is a more all around playmaking linebacker than anyone we currently have in that department. He is constantly flying around the field to get to the ball, whether excelling in pass coverage, finding a hole to blitz through, or stuffing the run at the 2nd level of defense. He has great instincts and reaction speed, recognizes routes when in zone coverage, and can wrap up elusive ball carriers, making it difficult to get by or through him. While Stephen Nicholas has done an admirable job in his first season as a starter, he's not the difference maker that Weatherspoon would be. And with Mike Peterson likely not returning after the upcoming season, the trio of Weatherspoon, Nicholas, and Spencer Adkins would leave us plenty of serviceable options for the outer edges of the linebacking core.
3. Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia
An highly touted and impactful player like Devine may not be available at this spot, but he's currently projected to be an early to mid 3rd round pick if he decides not to stay at WVU for his senior year. With the possible, and maybe probable, departure of Jerious Norwood we are left without a change of pace back to compliment our dominating power running style. Snelling has proven to be an extremely valuable backup but with him hitting restricted free agency this year the most likely scenario for him is a 1 year tender. Noel Devine is one of the faster and more elusive backs in this draft class and would be a perfect compliment to Turner that Mike Mularkey would probably have an easier time finding touches for than he has Norwood.
3. Dennis Pitta, TE, BYU
Pitta piled up the touchdowns for BYU this season with 8 of them among his 829 yards. He doesn't have elite speed for a tight end, but his value as a receiver stems from his great hands, his long and tall frame, and an uncanny ability to create separation from defenders with physical play and crisp route running. Though his blocking abilities are above average, he has had trouble keeping low and lacks some upper body strength...nothing that can't be fixed with some professional training.
4. Alex Carrington, DE, Arkansas State
The past 2 drafts we have brought in undersized pass rushing specialists that seem to be progressing well. However with Abraham aging and seemingly digressing, there are still questions along the defensive line since those 2 players are very young and developing. Alex Carrington is a beast of a man at 6'5" and 284 pounds. He doesn't lack pass rushing ability however, having posted seasons of 10 and 9 sacks the past two years. In '08 he was named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and earned first team all-Sun Belt honors in both of his final two seasons. He can be a run stuffer as well, having totaled 53 tackles in '08. Think of this pick as a more athletic version of Chauncey Davis.
4. Marcus Easley, WR, Connecticut
Halfway between our two starting receivers in height, Easley may be shorter than Finneran, but he's obviously younger and more athletic, so this could be a good replacement for Finn, who is not likely to be around much longer even if he is resigned. Easley was a walk on at UConn that lit up the stat sheet this season after accumulating only 5 receptions his two previous seasons. He's got great speed, having posted a 4.39 at last year's pro day. His combination of size, speed, and ability to develop could make him a valuable prodigy pick.
5. Sherrick McManis, CB, Northwestern
At 6'1" McManis would be our tallest cornerback. Our corners, though talented, are small and have had plenty of trouble defending taller, more physical receivers, particularly in the end zone where it matters most. His 4.48 time is decent but not elite speed, however for a situational player that provides our secondary's depth with needed size, it will manage just fine. In 2009 he was awarded first team all-Big Ten honors by the media, all the while playing through a hamstring injury that didn't seem to affect his performance.
5. John Estes, C, Hawaii
This versatile combo center/guard set the NCAA record this season for career starts, with 54 in his four years at Hawaii where he received first team all-WAC honors for 3 straight years and was nominated for the Rimington Trophy in addition to being named his team's MVP for the 2009 season. This guy knows how to lead and how to win. He's a smaller, quicker type of center that is accustomed to snapping out of the shotgun, but a couple of years under Paul Boudreau and Todd McClure could certainly get him acclimated.
6. Josh Hull, LB, Penn State
We're set at the middle linebacker position for years to come, but with Tony Gilbert turning 31 this year and being a RFA as well, he may not be around to back up the position for much longer. Hull is not a widely known prospect, but he had an excellent senior season for the Nittany Lions this year, finishing with 116 tackles, a pair of sacks, and a pair of picks as well. There's not much he doesn't do well, which is what earned him all-Big Ten honorable mention for his standout season. He would be a valuable pick here, and you can never have too much special teams contribution.

Resignings:
- Harvey Dahl, OG (4 years)
- Tyson Clabo, OT (1 year RFA tender if UFA status is lost)
- Jason Snelling, RB (1 year RFA tender)
- Brian Finneran, WR (1 year)
- Michael Koenan, P (6 years)
- Antoine Harris, FS (3 years)
- Tony Gilbert, MLB (1 year RFA tender)

Free agent losses:
- Jerious Norwood, RB
- Chris Redman, QB
- Marty Booker, WR
- Quinn Ojinnaka, OG
- Jamaal Fudge, S
- Verron Haynes, RB
- Charlie Peprah, S

Free agent acquisitions:
- Von Hutchins, CB (2 years)
- Charlie Batch, QB (2 years)
- Jason Spitz, OG (3 years)

Roster cuts:
- Chris Houston, CB
- Tye Hill, CB

Updated 53 man roster:

QB - Matt Ryan, Charlie Batch, John Parker Wilson
RB - Michael Turner, Jason Snelling, Noel Devine
FB - Ovie Mughelli
TE - Tony Gonzalez, Justin Peelle, Dennis Pitta
OT - Sam Baker, Tyson Clabo, Will Svitek, Garrett Reynolds
OG - Justin Blalock, Harvey Dahl, Jason Spitz
C - Todd McClure, John Estes, Brett Rhomberg
WR - Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, Harry Douglas, Brian Finneran, Eric Weems, Marcus Easley

DE - John Abraham, Kroy Biermann, Lawrence Sidbury, Chauncey Davis, Alex Carrington
DT - Jonathan Babineaux, Peria Jerry, Thomas Johnson, Trey Lewis, Vance Walker
MLB - Curtis Lofton, Tony Gilbert, Josh Hull
OLB - Mike Peterson, Sean Weatherspoon, Stephen Nicholas, Coy Wire, Spencer Adkins
CB - Chris Owens, Brent Grimes, Chevis Jackson, Von Hutchins, Sherrick McManis
FS - Thomas DeCoud, Antoine Harris
SS - Erik Coleman, William Moore

This may be a good time to trade him since he's coming off a pretty good season. I like him, but Moore was brought in here to be our SS of the future.

Do you think counting on Moore to stay healthy enough to be the starter is too risky? In his college and pro career, he's had injuries to his hamstring, foot (he has a screw in it), shoulder, and knee...and in two of his seasons at Missouri he was hurt in the season opener.

Some people probably think we should keep him and let the two compete for the job, but I don't think Coleman deserves to be relegated to 2nd string if Moore were to take over the position.

- We are the only NFC team with a winning record not to make the playoffs.

- We finished with the league's 10th best run defense while playing 7 of the top 10 rushing teams...also allowed the 8th fewest YPC average and the 7th fewest rushing TDs.

- Our defense forced the 5th most fumbles, and recovered the 5th most fumbles.

- Curtis Lofton finished 6th in the league in tackles.

- Jonathan Babineaux led the league in sacks among DTs.

- Brent Grimes finished 5th in the league in INTs.

- Erik Coleman was 2nd in the league in tackles among DBs.

- We faced 8 of the top 15 defenses, which comes out to 9 total games since we played the Panthers twice. We played 10 games against the top 15 pass defenses.

- We allowed the 8th fewest sacks in the league.

- We committed the 5th least amount of penalties.

- We finished 10th in 3rd down conversion % and 4th in 4th down conversion %.

- We made the 4th fewest punt attempts, and caused the 7th most fair catches.

- Special teams had the 2nd highest kickoff touchback % in the league and allowed the 2nd fewest kick return yardage.

- Eric Weems finished 5th in the league in total return yardage.