Kubiak "could use an impact player at LB and on the backend..." [ESPN.com blog]
 

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afcsouth/...ye--Brown.html

btw, "backend" presumably means a defensive back.

I think the needs at LB are obvious, but I still shake my head at the team's apparent disregard for a third down pass rushing RDE. Maybe they don't think they need to spend a first rounder on one, or maybe Kubiak is purposefully forgetting to include that here in his answer.

I think he is right though that a jump for Okoye means a jump for the team.

I think a good year from Okoye and a healthy year from schaub are what determines if we win 10+ games or not.

Translation: If Cush and Matt are gone, Beanie's a Texan...

Hard pressed to take a RB or WR? Gee, Knowshon, Beannie, Donald Brown, Hakeem Nicks, Maclin, and Harvin are now off our board. I wonder if that makes other team more or less likely to trade up for those guys?

I'd love to select Clay Matthews, but I can't shake the feeling that Maclin or even Donald Brown may be more "valuable" in terms of draft day. If we couldn't trade down and all three were still on the board, I'd be hard pressed in taking Matthews over the offensive players.

Im a little confused why he adds "(but) we'd be hard-pressed to take a receiver or a running back in the first round.".

Where does that come from? It wasnt part of the question. Why throw that out there. :confused:

I don't think Mario wants to make LDE his main position, and I can't blame him. He was brought in to be a premier pass rusher and he has been the last couple of years. That would mean that any rush end we take would be a specialist, and since he was talking about the 1st round I can understand not wanting to take a specialist in the first round. I think there's a chance they go that route later in the draft though, and it is a need. However, I can see not wanting to take a guy who may or not work out, and moving my best player to a different position. If they take a guy in the later rounds and he shows that he can be pass rushing force and be an every down end...then start to look into moving Mario.

Just remember that Gary Kubiaks ability to articulate his thought process is much more comparable to that of the last resident of the WH than it is
to the one who was just elected.

Actually, I don't think he said anything that wasn't obvious. It's unlikely we are going to take a RB and pay him bigger bucks than Slaton. It's very unlikely we take a QB after we signed Orlovsky. And its not particularly likely we take a DE after we just signed one for starter's money. A run stopping DT might be a possibility, but there doesn't appear to be a good choice in the middle of the first round. So that leaves just OL and the positions Kubiak mentioned.