Notre Dame RB Cierre Wood is having an outstanding season. At 5'11 215, he's got prototypical size and he should run well. If he production stays the same, he'll leave early and be a relatively high pick.
I like Broyles, but I just don't see him as the type of receiver we're going to be looking at in next year's draft. You might not agree with my logic but if we wanted a small receiver across from Holmes, I just don't think we would have been so interested in getting Burress to play across from him this year. The good news is that even if you have a late 1st round pick next year, you can still get a legit talent at wide receiver (similar to 2009). I've seen every Notre Dame game so far this year and Michael Floyd has simply been unstoppable. The only concern I have with Floyd is the off the field baggage (which I assume was at least part of the reason we let Edwards go). If that's a problem, Jeff Fuller is another option (albeit a slightly less talented one). Another option would be to do what the Falcons did last year (which would be to trade up for an elite receiver prospect). Justin Blackmon and Alshon Jeffery are the two names that will probably be floated around before the draft but unless we can add a legit pass rusher before the draft, I don't think we can afford to make a move for either of those two players.
Wideout could be our biggest need in 2012. If Burress and Mason both leave, we'll have Santonio Holmes and Jeremy Kerley on the roster. We have a bunch of stop gaps at the position - it's time to get younger there. Our chances of landing a big time wideout are much greater than landing an elite pass rusher at the back end of the first.
I see your point but we're also probably going to need a new OLB next season. This is the final year of Bryan Thomas contract. He'd more than likely be a goner after this season anyway since his name has been mentioned so many times in regard to possible release. This is a good thing IMO since it finally forces us to try to upgrade the OLB spot opposite Pace. Now if I didn't like the WRs available in the late 1st/2nd round so much I'd probably be more eager to trade up for one of the elite prospects but if it's between that and getting two good prospects at two positions of need, I'll always go with the latter. Of course, this is all dependent on what happens during free agency but assuming our needs stay the same, we're going to need our 1st and 2nd round picks to address the WR and the OLB position.
The WR class is so deep this year, especially if Jeffrey and Blackmon leave early, that we can get a good WR in the mid to late 2nd. OLB is a bigger concern that we should focus our 1st on. Not to say that I wouldn't mind a WR in the first if its too good to pass up (Jeff Fuller?).
