2011 NFL Draft

[Ruhskins]

Originally Posted by Dirtbag359

What about Aubrayo Franklin of the 49ers? The Guy is 6'1 317 and is considered an elite Nose Tackle. Jay Ratliff is also barely over 300 pounds yet he's easily one of the few Cowboys that actually deserved to go to the pro bowl over the course of the last couple years.

Everyone wants Vince Wilfolk but the fact of the matter is that 3-4 teams are having no trouble plugging inplayers that are less then 320 pounds.

I wouldn't call Franklin elite, but he seems to be one of the lighter true NTs in the league, I would say he's an exception to the typical 3-4 NT. Ratliff thrived in Wade Phillips' version of the 3-4, which we are not running, and now Rob Ryan wants to turn him into a DE.

I would rather for the team to pick up a NT that already has the built to be an NT and learn the position, rather for someone needing to bulk up and learn the position. That's just my personal preference. BJ Raji was already 330ish pounds when the Packers picked him up. Wilfork was also at around 350 I believe when he was drafted. In the end, we need a good player for that position, but I don't want to see a player built for another scheme (i.e. a 4-3 DT) shoved into a 3-4 NT role.