COLLEGE SCOUT COLE PROCTOR
(opening comments)
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You're looking at a guy that is a special football player. The first thing everyone talks about his is height but he's a powerful package, a very instinctive football player. He's a guy that is ranked top in the SEC for the last two years in tackles. He was the spark plug of that defense down there and just a very solid football player. Just wish he was taller. He certainly is a productive guy, a smart guy and he's a leader. He's going help us on special teams. I just think he is going to be quite a pick.
HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER
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(on if he can play inside or outside)
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He can play both. He can play inside and play outside and get a little beef there, stay on the field in passing situations, a sideline-to-sideline guy. He's kind of unique. Even though he doesn't have the ideal height, he's a long strider so he covers a lot of ground. He has a real good change of direction and balance. He's very explosive.
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(on where he anticipates starting him off)
Outside.
GENERAL MANAGER MIKE REINFELDT
(on if he can play inside or outside)
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He plays very fast, very active. He kind of fits the mold of what we look for in a linebacker.
(on if he compares to Stephen Tulloch)
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There's some similarities. They are both active players, both aggressive, body type. There's some similarities.
(on where he was rated)
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He's a guy that we thought would go right about the third. So at that point in time you look at the board and how everybody is rated and we felt he was a third round pick. You look at our needs, we had the kid in, we interviewed him. He was a great kid. Cole watched him a lot. It was all positive. It seemed like he fit what we do really well.
(on how he feels about the draft picks so far)
I think we've made some positive steps. I think the return thing is good. We have a receiver who has a chance to be a number one. We have an active linebacker that can play inside and outside both. I think we accomplished some good things today. The good thing is we have six picks going in tomorrow. There's fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh round picks playing and starting in this league so we have some opportunities to get some good players. If you look at the board, there is still some guys up there that we like.
(on wide receiver Williams having a chance to be a number one)
I think he has the skills. I'm not sure what type of time frame that would be.
(on the run of defensive backs and if there are still some available)
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I think there are. I think there are some we liked, but when it came to our turn to pick there were some people left that we thought were better picks in the fourth and fifth that would make more sense for us. We thought that they would still be there, but still come in and contribute and be members of our team.
(on looking at potential scenarios to get back into the second round)
We looked at scenarios. We talked about moving up, we talked about moving back. I think we are pretty active. We had some discussions but at the end of the day there were a number of people we liked and we felt confident we would get what we wanted to get and it turned out that way.
(on if there is some potential to package some picks to move up tomorrow)
We have had some discussions with teams already about moving up and it is a possibility. The good thing is having six picks, it gives us the flexibility to do that.**
HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER
(on 11 picks in the division with only two on the offensive side of the ball)
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It seemed like that was the case across the board. We knew going in it was going to be a strong defensive draft, probably one of the best that we can ever remember. It seemed like the defensive players just kept coming off the board. Teams in the division have identified needs trying to bolster their defense. I know their needs in the division but the appropriate players weren't there when the pick came. We saw that several times.
GM MIKE REINFELDT
(on drafting to face the weapons in the division)
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I think it is more of the strength of the draft itself. Where you look at where the strengths are it is top heavy on the defensive side, so that is why I think you saw people go there.
(on whether it will even out tomorrow)
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I'm not surely it fully evens out but it will flow back the other way. I think you will see teams jump back to the offensive side.
(on picking Damian Williams and starting a run of receivers)
** You could see it coming. We had a lot of receivers ranked in that range and I think Williams was the fifth receiver off the board, which in the third round is kind of an amazing thing. Once you take one of those guys and think that is what happens, people see it and say we better jump in there because they are going. And that is kind of what happened.
