With the 5th pick in the draft the Washington Redskins select...

[JoeRedskin]

Originally Posted by 30gut

I've always considered 'safer' as a throw away claim when a draftnik likes a prospect.

My view of the draft is the best that can be achieved is the proper evaluation of players based on production and skillset then ranked against the other prospects based on their production and skillset.

To me all the prediction stuff is bunk, people are unpredictable.

Evaluate. Rank. Decide.

Then...cheer or cry but always hope.

Well, that's my point on Cooper - "based on [his] production and skillset ... ranked against the other prospects based on their production and skillset" Cooper is in a different tier of talent than the OLB's available. You can quantify it however you want - safe pick, high floor, higher ranked, etc. - bottom line is some guys "production and skillset" are clearly superior to others. The general consensus is that Cooper and Williams are the highest ranked non-QB's and that, "based on [their] production and skillset," all the OLB's are flawed in one way or another.

The consistent report on Cooper's "production and skillset" is that, when scouts watch his college tape, he demonstrates the skills of a polished three year pro with no identifiable weaknesses and his production has been excellent.

Originally Posted by 30gut

Then...cheer or cry but always hope.

Absolutely. As I have said, in Scot I trust. He's the man with the plan and has been scouting these guys all year for his own consultant's business. My faith in him at this particular point is pretty much at the "blinded by burgundy and gold" level.

I think Cooper is a solid pick and to bypass him only b/c he does not fit an immediate need is short sighted. McC, however, makes the big bucks for good reason and, if he thinks Fowler (Beasley/Ray/Gregory/??) is the man ... I am all good with that.