Q: Opening Statement
McKay: In my mind, it was a predictable for the first eight picks. Once OL Joe Thomas went off the board at three, we had a sense of where it was going to fall out. We had a couple players that we liked, and we had three basic players were ready to take, and Jamaal Anderson was certainly one of them. We felt like going into the Draft the defensive end was at the top of our need list based on the departure of Patrick Kerney. Jamaal was a guy that we liked from his play on the field. From the measurables, he is one of those guys you like because his measurables match up with his production. He is 6'5', 288-pound guy that also ran very fast, did all the tests well, but, also played very well. That is a good combination. Sometimes you get guys that have good measurables that didn't do much in college and you're betting that they will get better at this level. Jamaal is a guy that has both of those aspects in his favor. We had all intentions going into the Draft to get bigger physically on both sides of the line, and this gives us an opportunity to do that. Also, I think the last two seasons we struggled with injuries and specifically, creating pass rush. He gives is another pass-rusher and one at the left side, which is a good fit for us.
Q: Do you feel Jamaal is a rotational-type player?
Petrino: In general, the defensive lines positions you're going to have rotational guys. However, we are bringing Jamal in to start at left defensive end position. I think that was what excited us about him. Not only does he play the run well, but he also provides pass rush. Last year he had 13.5 sacks, which shows he can do both.
Q: On Jamaal and gaining 65 pounds during his three years in college?
McKay: What you would like to see when a guy has added the weight he has is what happens to his athleticism? In his case, he has remained a very good athlete at 288 pounds. Some guys lose their athletic ability as their weight increases. If you looked at just his combine measurables; there is a test called the three-cone, and he ran the drill in 6.8 seconds. For a guy his size, that is a phenomenal number. It means nothing at the end of the day, but it shows he's kept his athleticism. It also shows he is able to bend and change direction, which separates him from other players. Most guys at that size do one thing; run right up the numbers up on the offensive tackle and try to get push. In our mind, he is a three-year player that does more than that, and he's only going to get better.
Q: Were there any intentions to trade up from the eighth-pick?
McKay: We made some phone calls and we always think it is worthwhile to consider. There isn't a day that we're not motivated to move down, but I never saw anything that was very serious in that respect. There will be questions asked about the Detroit pick for Calvin Johnson, but there were several calls made and they never showed interest in trading that pick. We also had some other teams call us about their picks, but in reality, what they wanted would have wiped out day one of our Draft. This is a draft where we have to get players that can start for us, help us win, and build a football team. This wasn't a draft that we were going to mortgage the future.
Q: On adding depth to the defensive line
Petrino: On the defensive line, we have a number of veteran guys so it is important to add some youth. One thing about Jamaal; is that he is young at playing the position. Jamaal is a guy that has been playing the position for three years, and to know the production he has already had is very exciting. The ceiling is very high for Jamaal.
