Breer On NFL Draft: Leonard Williams, Amari Cooper Are 'Sure Things'
BOSTON (CBS) - Bob Socci, the voice of your New England Patriots, takes to the Sports Hub airwaves to discuss prospects, scouting reports, team needs, welcome special guests and everything else you need to know ahead of the 2015 NFL Draft every Sunday at 8am through the end of draft season!
98.5 The Sports Hub regular and NFL Network reporter Albert Breer joined the voice of the Patriots, Bob Socci, on Sunday morning for the latest edition of the NFL Draft Preview Show.
He works for the NFL Network, but Albert Breer is very tied into the college game as well. Breer talked about some of the college programs that get the most respect for their ability to develop talent.
"Alabama has obviously produced a lot of volume. One thing that you need to be careful with is with Alabama players the coaching is so good that to some degree they're maxed out, so what you see is what you get. In a lot of cases because the program is so demanding those guys can be beat up. We've seen it with Trent Richardson, he's the one that kind of sticks out, but there have been other players that have had injury problems in the pros," said Breer.
"Some of the Texas players have had a reputation of being coddled before Charlie Strong got there. Stanford and David Shaw, the players that come out of there are pretty safe. They're pretty clean. They generally recruit the right type of kids. USC is a program generally where players can contribute early on. You've seen it with some of the receivers that have come out of there in recent years.
"Alabama has the numbers, but I don't know that there's one that sticks out as a factory where everyone is a hit. But there are different reputations for different programs out there, and sometimes that can help or hurt a kid as he goes through the draft process."
Quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota will likely be the first players taken off the board, but Albert Breer says it is another player who is the safest pick at that spot.
"Leonard Williams from USC can play a bunch of different positions along the defensive line. He's a freak athlete. I mentioned the youth in this draft; he's a young junior. He's a guy who you've already seen a lot of potential from. There's a thought out there that because he's a younger player he's only going to get that much better. Because the quarterbacks are going to go one and two, and because Jacksonville doesn't necessarily have a need there [at pick No. 3], I certainly think he could wind up falling to No. 4, or there could be a team that comes up and gets him.
"The other player that is seen as fairly a sure thing is Amari Cooper. He doesn't have that wow factor like Kevin White of West Virginia does, but it's a good solid bet if you draft him you're getting Reggie Wayne for the next 12 years. You're getting a Torry Holt for the next 12 years. [Williams and Cooper] are the two guys that stick out."
With Sebastian Vollmer over the age of 30 and Nate Solder entering a contract year, Albert Breer thinks the Patriots could draft an offensive tackle with the 32nd pick in the first round, or a cornerback depending on if certain players fall. If there's a run on cornerbacks and offensive linemen early on, Breer believes New England could be primed to take a defensive lineman at that spot.
Breer also touched on Nick Caserio's influence in the draft room and much more.
Listen below for the full interview:
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