2010 NFL Draft transcripts: Anthony Davis, Mike Iupati, Trent Baalke and Singletary

As is the case for every team, the 49ers front office and new draft picks conducted various media conferences throughout the evening. The 49ers sent along transcripts for them and I thought they were worth posting. They consist of conference calls with Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati, Trent Baalke on KNBR, and the press conferences by Baalke and head coach Mike Singletary. Also, Davis and Iupati will both be at the team's Santa Clara facility for media conferences at 1:15. If they're streaming we'll link to it. If not, we'll get you transcripts later in the evening.

Obviously we get a lot of cliched comments out of these, but it's still nice to get a little more insight into each of the players. At the same time, we can get some pertinent information from these. For example, there is some concern over Anthony Davis' age and if he has the proper motivation to take care of business at the next level. Singletary had this to say:

"I talked to his mentor and he said, ‘Mike, the most important thing to do for him is to really, really surround him with the right people. He's a guy that doesn't really have a whole lot of people. He's not an entourage kind of guy. He's not a guy that likes to party. He's kind of a loaner. Make sure that you keep your hands on him. He's a kid that wants to learn. He loves football. He wants to work.' We just talked about a number of things. He may have one family member come out and live with him, we'll see. I know he has a younger brother that's playing and they're very close. We'll just see how it works out. Whatever it takes to get him where he needs to be, it will get done."

We've talked about Mike Singletary as a mentor/father-figure type of coach and while sometimes it becomes almost cliched, I do think I can see value in that role with a guy like Davis. It worked with our other Davis, so we'll see if Coach Singletary can make it 2-for-2.

T Anthony Davis
Conference Call - April 22, 2010
San Francisco 49ers

On when he knew he was going to be a 49er:

"About five minutes ago. They told me right before they made the pick. It's the best feeling in my life. It's the best feeling ever."

On the feeling that he got from the organization during his visit:

"It felt a lot different. That's why I was so big on the 49ers going through the process. Of course, I had to keep it to myself. It's great people in the building. The whole staff are great people. The team is a tight knit group. I like what Singletary is building over there. I can't wait to be a part of it and win some games."

On whether he had a dinner with Head Coach Mike Singletary:

"Yes."

On how the dinner went:

"He was straight forward with me. He told me what he expected out of me as a player and we just went back and forth a little bit. I can't wait to get a chance to play for him."

On what he expects out of him:

"To work, to want to be the best and that's what he got. He got somebody that wants to be the best."

On what it means for them to trade up for him:

"It's a great feeling. I can't even talk right now. It's an honor. He's a man of his word. We talked about some things and he made it happen."

On the knocks on him that he isn't committed to the game and what he has to say to them:

"We'll see. I love this game. We'll see. Everybody has negative things to say. I don't pay much attention to it, but I'm just ready to work, ready to learn and am ready to make myself the best tackle that I can be."

On where he is right now and how many people are with him:

"I'm in New Jersey at a restaurant, in a private room with a lot of people."

On who is with him:

"As far as family? I would say there's about 20 family members here and a bunch of guys I played with, coaches and high school coaches."

On where on the line he expects to play and how soon he expects to play:

"Wherever the team needs me to play. We didn't really talk about specifics. I'm ready to play wherever he needs me to play."

On where he played when he was at Rutgers:

"Right guard and left tackle."

On whether he played right tackle:

"Yes."

On the areas he needs to improve on to be the best:

"Little stuff like finishing my blocks, most importantly, playing with better knee bend, keeping my chest back, things like that."

On why he chose to attend Rutgers instead of Ohio State and other bigger schools

"I wanted to play in New Jersey, and I wanted to play in my home state. Also, I knew the coaches there would help me achieve my goals, as far as me wanting to be a good man in society and also a good football player. "

On where he thought he may be drafted and who the other teams were that showed interest in him:

"Oakland expressed a lot of interest, Buffalo, I talked to the Seahawks a couple of times. I was just going with the flow. It's a pleasure to be in this league, it's a privilege. I wasn't really concerned with which number. I was just honored to be a part of it."

On if he was nervous that those teams passed on drafting him that had expressed interest:

"No, not at all. Truthfully, I wanted to go to the 49ers. I really wanted to play for Coach (Mike) Singletary, and when I surpassed Buffalo, a smile came on my face. The people in the room were probably a little concerned , but I was excited to pass Buffalo."

On if there was more to meeting the great people with the 49ers that made him want to be here:

"It was my first time in California. I love the state, but most importantly it was the people that I met and the atmosphere in the building. It's a smaller place and more of a team atmosphere."

On where Coach Singletary took him on his visit.

"I don't remember. I don't remember the name of it, I'm sorry."

On if Coach Singletary was the one who called him:

"Yes."

On what Coach Singletary said when he made the phone call:

"I was talking to him. I can't even talk right now. I don't even remember what he said. He asked me if I remembered what we talked about and if I was ready to be a 49er. I said, ‘Yep, I can't wait to be a 49er.'"

Director of Player Personnel Trent Baalke
San Francisco 49ers
2010 NFL Draft, KNBR Radio Interview- April 22, 2010

On whether he knew what other teams were offering Denver for the No. 11 pick:

"You don't. You just set your limits. You get a feel for what you're willing to go, and we felt by giving up the pick that we gave up to move up the two spots, we felt very comfortable with that. There was no guarantee that we were going to get him if we sat at 13. So, we made the move. We guaranteed the opportunity to get the player we wanted."

On whether there's a big difference between left tackle and right tackle for a young guy coming in:

"I think there's always a little bit of an adjustment, but I don't think it's a big adjustment. Really, with the infrastructure that we have and the coaching staff that we have, I'm not concerned with that move. They'll get Anthony [Davis] right. We've got to remember one thing: These are young guys. They've got to come in and compete for the job. It isn't a situation here where we draft, we plug them and put them in. We've got some good football players on this team, and they're not going to roll over and give these guys the job. They're going to have to earn it."

On whether when T Anthony Davis said he wanted to play for Head Coach Mike Singletary, if it gave the team a different perspective on him than some of the things that had been said:

"I'll say this, we've done our homework on these guys, and if we didn't feel comfortable with them in terms of their physical talent or their intangibles or their character, we wouldn't have made the decision to draft them. So, we have no issues. We feel very comfortable with both of these guys. We think they're going to come in and represent the 49ers on the field and off the field very well."

On whether two offensive linemen say anything about him as a personnel person:

"I think we have an identity in this building, on this football team that we're trying to build. And, whether it be offensive linemen, linebackers, running backs, we're looking for certain characteristics in these players. These two players have the characteristics we're looking for. Physically, they're able to impose their will on other players. They've done it at the college level, and we expect them to do the same thing at the pro level. As far as how I view it and the things that I look for, this is an organizational decision. I think both of these guys are going to be very good football players."

On G Mike Iupati not playing at a high-profile school and becoming a big-time first round draft pick:

"Well, good football players come from all levels. Obviously the Division I level, the big schools, the big conference schools, they're going to put out more big time players. This is a young guy who fell through the cracks in the recruiting process. He ended up at the University of Idaho, and the one thing you look for in a smaller school player now, this is still Division I football, but in a lower level Division I, you look for players who dominate. I don't care what film you turn on, this is a dominant football player. We expect him to come here with some seasoning and some reps and learning of the pro game, we feel he's got the ability to do that at this level."

 G Mike Iupati
Conference Call - April 22, 2010
San Francisco 49ers

 On who called him to let him know:

"I got a text from - I was so excited I don't even know. I was so excited though. It was great, I talked to [head] coach [Mike] Singletary and stuff like that."

On the vibe that he got from the 49ers:

"It felt like home. It felt very old school style, but a hard working group."

 On the 49ers drafting T Anthony Davis and whether he thought that ended his chances of coming here:

"Yes, kind of, but I still ended up at 17, so I was hoping for that."

On whether he sees himself playing right tackle:

"Yes. I can play anything. I just need repetition. I know I played guard in college and in high school, but I know that I can transition outside if they need me to. So, anywhere the coaches want me to play, I can play for them."

On whether left guard is where he feels most comfortable right now:

"Right now, if I come in and start at left guard I can go. I just need to get repetition at right tackle. I know I can get good enough to play those other positions."

On whether he was getting worried the further he slipped down the board after Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable passed on him:

"Yes, I knew I could be picked eighth and all the way to the Cowboys, so I wasn't nervous going into the draft, but once I sat down and after the eighth, I felt like..."

On his playing style where he attacks off the ball:

"Yes, I come off the ball fast and physical, so I try to attack my opponents."

On one of his greatest assets being that he is fast and physical with a mean streak:

"Yes, sir."

On how he ended up at Idaho:

"I was a Prop 48. I wasn't a qualifier for my school so either I choose the junior college route or take that Prop 48 which means I don't get my first year of school."

On the 49ers taking two offensive linemen in the first round and if he things they are making a physical statement:

"Yes, sir. Anthony Davis is my good friend that I met at the combine. I was very happy that I came here to the 49ers so that way we could work together and work as a team."

On if he has talked to Anthony Davis since the combine:

"No, but I think I have his number. I haven't talked to him lately. He's a great guy."

On what [head] coach [Mike] Singletary said he expects of him:

"He said, ‘You've got to learn the book, be on your game all the time and work hard.'"

On if he was worried that going to a small college would affect him being drafted in the first round:

"Yes, kind of. It's hard to tell because some people do competition level and stuff like that, but it's wherever you can play."

On what he thinks about blocking for [RB] Frank Gore:

"I would love to. I watched him a little bit. Coach Brown showed me one of his clips and I would really like to block for him."

On if he is from Anaheim

"Yes."

On if he is in Anaheim right now

"Yes, I am here right now."

On if it means anything to stay in his home state

"Yes, it does mean a lot. Especially since all of my relatives are big football fans. I'm very glad that I have them right here, right around the corner."

On what he learned from [offensive line] coach [Mike] Solari about the 49ers blocking schemes:

"I learned a lot from him. We spent at least a few hours in that room, just talking about plays, learning the defense and the plays that they run. If it were up to me, I would want to get coached by him. He's a great coach and he knows a lot."

On how many hours he spent with Solari:

"About three hours in there."

On how he pronounces his last name:

"YOU-pah-tee

On the worst way that he's heard it pronounced:

"Lu-pot-tee or eye-you-pot-tee."

Head Coach Mike Singletary
Press Conference - April 22, 2010
San Francisco 49ers

Opening comments:

"First of all, I'm just really excited about the first day. I think it's been a while, doing all of the work that we needed to do, to get to this point. [Director of player personnel] Trent [Baalke] and I talked a lot last night about hopefully having the opportunity to take both of these guys today. We didn't know if it was going to work. We didn't know how it was going to work. We certainly didn't think [T] Anthony] Davis would be there, but fortunately things worked out and he was there. We traded up a couple of picks to get him. We didn't feel at that time the teams that were in front of us, we didn't feel that they had a need for tackles. We also knew that there was going to be a lot of teams that wanted to trade up, maybe Dallas who likes [Mike] Iupati, who likes [Anthony] Davis. So, there were several teams. We had no idea of knowing who could move up in front of us. Trent and I just felt that rather than sit there and twiddle our thumbs and hope that we got the number one need that we had, we felt let's just take all of the excitement out of it and let's move up and if he's there we're going to take him.  That's what we did. Iupati, we felt hopefully he would be there and thankfully he was. To me, this guy is a devastating, physical blocker, both of these guys are. Iupati is a little bit of a different style, extremely physical. He's going to be quite interesting. I know [offensive line coach] Mike Solari and [assistant offensive line coach] Ray Brown are very excited about getting their hands on both of those young men and being able to work with them and implement them into our offense. I know we have [G] David Baas and [T] Adam Snyder and they did a good job this year. We're going to just have to compete and work through it, and may the best man win. We're excited about what we have. Our number one priority was to upgrade our offensive line to allow us some flexibility in terms of what we wanted to do offensively."

On if he see's Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati being starters in week one:

"Possibly. No, I wouldn't  expect them to be starters week one. I would say for both of these young men we don't just want to throw them in there. We're hoping that soon they can work their way in there.  That's why we brought them in here. We see those guys as possible starters at some point in time. As far as when, that will be a work in progress."

On if it was the goal to get these two offensive linemen:

"It was these two offensive linemen. The only other, not the only other, but the other offensive linemen that we felt was a really physical guy was [T] Trent Williams. Those three guys really, we felt, fit the identity of what we're trying to do here."

On when he realized that Anthony Davis could fall to them:

"Well, when Oakland passed on him, we felt pretty positive about it at that time. We knew that Buffalo that it was a possibility for him, but we felt that they were pretty strong on [RB C.J.] Spiller. The opportunity was there and we felt let's move up, let's do it."

On Davis feeling his visit to San Francisco was different and he wanted to be a 49er:

"I can't tell you that I did anything else, anything special or anything like that. I just felt I was talking to a young man that I had done a lot of homework on. I talked to a number of people, coaches, mentors. When we finally had the opportunity to sit down and talk with him, I just sat him down and talked to him about what he wanted to do, what he wanted to be. He's an extremely young man. Just sitting there looking at him, I just felt we had a chance to touch on some things, maybe some misunderstandings, maybe some things that people don't understand about him, maybe some things that he wants put behind him and move forward. I told him about what we were doing here. There's no ambiguity about what the 49ers are about. We were able to walk him around and kind of look at who we are and the identity, that's what we're about. Did he like that? Was that something that interested him? Was that something that would excite him about being a part of something like that? He told me before he left. He may be the kind of kid that told that to everybody, but I didn't feel that. He said, ‘Coach, I've been in a number of places and I really like what's happening here.' I really think he liked talking to coach Solari and coach Brown. I really think he enjoyed that. Having the opportunity to be able to be coached by those guys, Ray Brown with the unbelievable experience he had in playing the game and of course Mike Solari. I'm sure when Mike Solari sits there and talks to him about some of the guys that he's coached and the resume that he has in terms of what he's done. I'm sure it was exciting to the kid to know that, ‘If I can come here and be a part of this. The way the coach teaches and the way he talks. If I can do that, I think that would be something special.'"

On Anthony Davis being only 20 years old:

"I talked to his mentor and he said, ‘Mike, the most important thing to do for him is to really, really surround him with the right people. He's a guy that doesn't really have a whole lot of people. He's not an entourage kind of guy. He's not a guy that likes to party. He's kind of a loaner. Make sure that you keep your hands on him. He's a kid that wants to learn. He loves football. He wants to work.' We just talked about a number of things. He may have one family member come out and live with him, we'll see. I know he has a younger brother that's playing and they're very close. We'll just see how it works out. Whatever it takes to get him where he needs to be, it will get done."

On why he was labeled being lazy:

"I don't know. I think sometimes whenever you hear of a young man with a weight problem, he comes in and he's overweight, sometimes you can get a label and it's hard to get rid of. So many people that I talked to that I have tremendous respect for just said, ‘Mike, this kid is special. He has a tremendous amount of upside. Every day he goes out to practice, he works hard. He gets after it. He's your kind of guy, I'm telling you, your kind of guy.' Guys that know me pretty well, I got that information from and I trust that.

On how many people he spoke with to gain background information on Davis:

"I would say three. Three, and three in-depth. Having some in-depth conversation, three."

On whether drafting two offensive linemen in the first round signals that the team might not go with as much spread next year:

"This is what we're going to do. I want to say this again. We want to have a balanced attack. When we want to run the ball, when we need to run the ball, run the ball. We're going to run the ball. But, we want to have a balanced attack. We're not just going to be run the ball, three clouds... We're not going to do that. We want to play good, solid football. We feel that we have good personnel to do that. We can pass the ball with [WR] Michael Crabtree, the addition of the new wide receiver. I just feel like [WR] Josh Morgan is continuing to grow and develop, and we made add another receiver before it's over. [RB] Frank Gore and [RB] Glen Coffee - we may add another running back. We'll just see how it goes, but I think first and foremost, we want to be a versatile offense that can do what we need to do in order to win the game."

On how much the two new linemen help QB Alex Smith:

"Well, they help our offense. Any time that you can help protect a quarterback, it gives him that much more confidence in what he's doing. It gives him a little more time to think about, ‘Where do I go with the ball,' rather than, ‘Where do I run?' I think it's going to help Alex Smith a lot. I think it gives him an opportunity. The more weapons we can give him, the more protection we can offer him, I think it's going to make a big difference."

On whether there is any trepidation that offensive line coach Solari and Ray Brown have to coach up two young rookies:

"No. There was a lot of conversation that went into these young men. Mike Solari and I have talked extensively about what it would take, the preparation. That's why we brought them in, so that Mike could put them on the board and really go over all of the finer parts of the game and talk about where there knowledge level was. Iupati, bringing him in and just putting him on the board and really going through almost a full day of coach Solari being on the board and talking about the different protections, talking about the different plays and talking about our style of offense and then going on to some other things and then coming back and putting him on the board and saying, ‘OK, we want to know how much information he can retain.' So, when that session was done, the question that I had for coach Solari, ‘Do you think he can do it? Do you think this young man can do it?' He said, ‘Yes. It's going to take a little work, just like it's going to take everywhere else. But, I do feel very confident that he can do it.'"

On whether he can compare the pluses and minuses between the two draft picks:

"I think Iupati, simply by some of the things that he's been through, coming over and trying to learn the language and adapting to a couple of new different coordinators, being a defensive tackle first, and then becoming an offensive tackle, but, at the same time, really understanding the concepts. He's a very proud young man. He wants to do things for his parents and his family. He's very appreciative. He knows exactly where he's come from. He's a guy that wants to give back to the community. He wants to give back to his family. He's all about giving. There's a tremendous amount of maturity there. On the other side, when you look at Anthony Davis, the other gentleman that we drafted, it's a different set of things that are there, but I just feel that we're going to get our hands on a young man that we're going to surround him with the right people. Both of them are going to be in great shape simply because of who they're going to be coached by. I am so thankful to have coach Solari and Ray Brown being the two guys who are going to coach and teach and train these young men how to be football players at this level, doing the things that they have to do in order to be successful. Not just teaching them how to be football players, but how to be men. I'm very excited about that combination."

On what level of temptation he had to use one of the first round picks on a quarterback:

"Very little. That's about the best answer I can give you."

On whether Davis was gone would CB Joe Haden be a possibility:

"Now you're starting to talk about a whole other can of worms. If Davis is gone, if this guy's gone, now we're back to the cheat sheet, and we've got to look at who's there. But, it didn't happen that way. And, if you know me, I don't want to talk about possibilities. I want to talk about what happened."

On whether CB Joe Haden being selected earlier helped Davis get to the 49ers:

"I think there were a number of things that helped him get to us. You could say when Haden was gone, when [S Eric] Berry was gone. Anytime an offensive linemen wasn't picked, that helped to bring him to us a little bit more. I'm just thankful of how it worked out. I'm not smart enough to figure out all the other stuff."

On whether he was prepared to take Iupati at No. 13:

"Possibly."

On his feeling of valuing guards in the first round or the middle of the first round:

"All I know is when I turn on film, what I see. There are a lot of teams that talk about the value of a tackle, the value of this and the value of that. Can the guy play? That's all I want to know. Can he play? Can he play physical? Is he going to come to practice every day and is he going to work hard? Is he going to get better? Is he going to make us better? Is he going to help our locker room? That's the only thing I want to know because at the end of the day, you've got 32 picks up there, but they are going to be a small percentage of these guys who are going to be great players. Hopefully we got two of them today."

On whether it's a priority to get the two linemen to start this year:

"Yes, hopefully. Anytime you draft someone in the first round, you draft them to play. But, at the same time, I believe that you want these guys to compete. I don't want to give anything to anybody. When you come in, you've got to earn it. But, do I expect them to start? Yes, I do."

On what he sees at the top priority in the next two days:

"There are a number of things that we want to look at, but I think on the defensive side, there are a couple of things that we need over there - and I really don't want to get into it. And, on the offensive side, we still have some work to do on the offensive side. Certainly, before it's all said and done, there are just a couple of key positions that we have pegged that we need to go after. I'll tell you after tomorrow what they are. Thank you very much."

Director of Player Personnel Trent Baalke
Press Conference - April 22, 2010
San Francisco 49ers

On the players they talked about and whether these were the two they had targeted:

"Well, we talked about a lot of people for a long time, but going back a week ago, these are two guys that we had targeted and we feel awfully good to have them on this team right now."

On why he traded up to get T Anthony Davis:

"I wasn't worried about the teams in front of us at all. The concern was in order to get tackles, obviously they are high-value players in this league. I was more concerned about who else may come up and jump ahead of us because they knew what our needs were at the time. It had nothing to do with the two guys ahead of us or the two teams ahead of us. It had more to do with the teams that were behind us."

On whether he went into the draft planning to take two offensive linemen with the first two picks:

"Honestly, we were prepared for that. Right now it's draft talk, but like I said, going back a week ago, we targeted these two players and we said, you know what, if we came out of the first round like this, it would be the perfect storm. We feel good. These are two good football players. More importantly, they're not only good football players, they are good people and they fit the identity of the type of players we want on this football team."

On what he means they fit their identity:

"Everyone here knows how coach wants this program to run and how this organization wants to be looked at. These are two guys that can play physical football and we are confident that they are going to come in here - they are guys that obviously have the size, the strength and the athleticism to play the position and play it well."

On whether there were any concerns about Davis with his work ethic or character:

"First of all, as far as the concerns, we've addressed the concerns, whether it be character or whatever you are referring to. We have no concerns. We did our homework. We felt good about it. Coach [Singletary] did a lot of background work. The scouting staff did a lot of background work. Our staff did a lot of background work. We don't have any issues with that whatsoever."

On whether the concerns he may have about a player are eased because Singletary is someone that can motivate a player like that:

"No question. You never want to deal with too many problems, but once again, we addressed the concerns and having a coach like coach Singletary that does a great job of working with all the players, that certainly helps when you make decisions."

On whether his first day managing an NFL draft went as well as it could have:

"I think we're thrilled. I'm more nervous now than I was during the draft. I think when you look back on it, like I said, I answered the question earlier, we targeted these two guys. These are two guys that we wanted on this football team. It just so happened that the draft board fell our way."

On whether he tried to go higher than No. 11:

"We had gone into the draft thinking that we would go as high as 10. We started making calls at 10 when the player was available. Jacksonville was at 10. They didn't want to make the trade. They had a guy targeted, which I felt good about because they drafted two offensive tackles a year ago. So, once they said they had a player they had targeted, I was pretty comfortable we could move up to 11 and still get the player. Once again, I was looking more at it from who was behind us trying to come up more than the teams in front of us."

On which teams concerned him:

"I guess I can't recall all the teams that had that need. Green Bay had the need. They addressed it with a nice player that fell to them. But, there were other teams that needed tackles, and I just wasn't willing to sit there, nor was coach [Mike Singletary], to sit there and let a good player go when all we needed to do was make a simple trade and get the guy we wanted."

On whether quarterback was an option at either selection:

"No."

On whether this is a signal to the fans of the confidence the organization has in QB Alex Smith:

"We've said all along that Alex Smith is our guy. I don't know how else to phrase it. Coach [Mike Singletary] has said it. I've said it. The organization stands behind him. These are two good players that are obviously going to be thrown into the mix and are going to add some strength in areas that we felt we needed to address."

On whether the team will take a quarterback tomorrow:

"I can't say that."

On whether he had seen T Anthony Davis or G Mike Iupati in a game:

"I didn't see either one of them play live. Obviously, one's a junior who came out early. The other one is a senior. In terms of seeing them in person, I saw both of them in person, but not live at a game."

On whether he would have taken G Mike Iupati at 13 if T Anthony Davis would have been gone:

"No question. Definitely."

On whether these picks were drafted out of need:

"No, I think this was, once again - I keep going back - a perfect storm, whatever you want to call it. These were two players that we had valued very high. We had placed first-round value on both of them, and high first-round value on both of them. It just so happened that they were players at need positions."

On the new format of the NFL Draft:

"I love the new format. It makes for a long three days, but it also give you time to sit back, reflect on what happened in the first round, sleep on what you want to do in the second and third round and then catch your breath for the finale on Saturday."

On trading for WR Ted Ginn, Jr.:

"We like Ted and obviously we liked him enough to trade for him. The one thing that you can never have enough of is speed and we feel that by adding him to the mix, he not only does he help in the return game, but also gives us a vertical threat to help take the top off of the defense. And when you do that, you hope to not see as many eight-guys in the box from a defensive standpoint. It opens up the field for the other playmakers."

On if there is enough ammunition to go get someone in the second round:

"There's always ammunition because there's always next year. Are we afraid as an organization, if there's a guy we see and we have targeted to use next year's picks to move up? No, we'll do whatever it takes to get the players on this team that we believe in."

On what is given up with the fourth round choice traded to Denver:

"Who knows what you give up. You can't worry about what you don't have. You've got to worry about what you got. I do it 100 times out of 100 I'd make that trade."

On possibly moving Offensive Tackle Adam Snyder inside:

"The one thing we've got to keep in mind is these are young guys. Obviously, when you take high picks, you want them to be starters. As far as their potential, we love their potential. These guys in the locker room are fighters too, they're good football players. It's not like they're just going to roll over. What this does create is good competition. On any good football team, that's what you've got, you have a lot of competition. We'll throw these young guys in the mix and we'll let them go play ball."

On if this closes the door of going after Chester Pitts:

"We don't discuss any trades that we're going to do or not going to do. Does it close the door? Anything's a possibility for us."

On what will be addressed in the next few rounds:

"I'm not going to address the needs that we'll be looking at. I will say this: we're going to go after good football players whether they're defensive or offensive. We're looking to get a starter out of this next pick and we're confident that on our board there's a couple players that we have targeted. If we need to move up to get them, we'll move up to get them."

On if the first round progressed like they had envisioned it:

"I think we had a fairly good read on the picks that took place as far as the players. I think that addresses the question."

On the biggest surprise in the first round:

"I think when you say, ‘what's the biggest surprise?' you're kind of taking a shot at another organization. So, I don't want to do that. We felt that all of the players that went had value, and high value. It's hard to look at it and say, ‘I was shocked that this guy went there.' Everybody's board is set up for themselves. I don't want to devalue anybody else's picks."