Q: Are you comfortable with T Branden Albert playing a position other than left tackle? Can he play left guard or right tackle?
PIOLI: “Branden’s our left tackle. Obviously in the past he’s played other positions. We haven’t spent a lot of time playing him at other positions or practicing him at other positions. He’s our left tackle and he does a good job for us. And he improved a lot last year. Obviously, before I got here I watched all the tape from his rookie season and watched everything from last year and there was truly progression over the course of the season.”
Q: When he mentioned something to you about S Eric Berry at the number five pick, Peter King quoted you as saying…
PIOLI: “No, Peter King quoted Thomas Dimitroff.”
Q: Let me rephrase. Do you believe that there are any positions that you can’t take with the number five pick?
PIOLI: “No, I don’t. Other than kicker, I think I’d probably leave that position alone at number five. It’s a broader question that really comes down to or has something to do with economics and I think that’s what a lot of the discussion is that’s out there when people talk about what positions are acceptable, what positions aren’t acceptable. What we’re concerned about at five this year, which is where we’re at right now, as we were last year is finding a good player that’s the right player. I think the question you’re asking is ‘Can you take a certain player at a certain position at that spot.’ And there’s the economic question that has to do with what the general salaries are for players at different position, but Nick, I think there is also something else that has to be taken into consideration and I will always take into consideration which is that is a position that there will be a great deal of financial resources that are given to the player at that spot. So the type of person and the person that you’re picking at that spot is exceedingly important. I don’t know if it’s a matter of the position as it is the person that you’re taking when you’re high up in the draft because there is a commitment the club has to make.”
Q: When you look at the financial commitment, do you look at the financial commitments that you already have for players in that position or group of players?
PIOLI: “How much can you commit to a group or position? It’s absolutely something you have to take into account. Generally speaking, depending on the phase that your organization is in, there are different times where you say the philosophy we want to have from a model standpoint is that we want to put this amount into certain skill positions and this into non-skill positions or this into the offensive line. You set the model and you head in that direction but inevitably what happens is if you have a team that improves, sometimes players that are key players and key contributors tend to screw that model up, in a good way. That’s a good problem to have. What happens then is you have to go through and find a way to make it all fit. You set out with a model, it’s just like any business, here’s the model – here’s how we want to do things, but different dynamics affect it in different ways and that’s the beauty of building a roster of 53 players is at different times and different parts of a player’s career, their earning potential is different or what they’re earning is different and that impacts what’s happening positionally. You start out with a model and based on how your team evolves, you have to react to that because if you stay entrenched in one way of doing things, you potentially set yourself up for failure.”
Q: Based on the economic stuff, with a top pick in the draft, would you ideally like to trade down?
PIOLI: “I’ve mentioned this before. In terms of trades, we’re open for business.
Q: With the economic commitment of drafting at number five, does it make you think and pick more conservatively because you know that you’re committed for a large chunk of guaranteed money?
PIOLI: “A smart thing. Which goes back to what I was stating before, that’s why I don’t want to corner this organization into positions – saying you can or can’t do it based on a position. To me, there is so much you have to take into account with every pick you make: it’s the skill set of the player; the mental makeup of the player; it’s the fit of the player; it’s who the player is that is exceedingly important. These are young men, it’s not just number five, there is a lot of money that these players are going to get and who you’re giving that money to as a person is very important.”
Q: Going back to last year when you drafted DE Tyson Jackson, you said he could be kind of like a DT Russell Maryland type of guy, maybe not a Pro Bowler but a solid guy. Do those kinds of thoughts make you conservative when you are drafting this high, trying to stay away from the boom-or-bust picks?
PIOLI: “By nature I’m not much of a risk-taker, if that’s the question. I don’t like to, and there are people who have been very successful being risk-takers. Personally, that’s really not in my makeup. I think that has something to do with it, as well. I’m not crazy about the boom-or-bust concept – understanding that there has certainly been times in the past where I’ve done that and been a part of it, not generally in a place where you’re going to expose your club or the entire organization to something that has the potential for too big of a bust.”
Q: Outside of quarterback, what positions in the draft would you say are loaded this year?
PIOLI: “I don’t think there’s a position that’s weak. I’m not sure what the definition of ‘loaded’ is, but there are certainly a lot of players that we feel and I feel can help this football team.
Q: What are your thoughts about the new format of the draft this year?
PIOLI: Talking to a lot of other people around the league, they like the idea because I think it’s going to be a lot more conducive to a lot more movement in the second round.
Q: Are there certain positions that are naturally less risky than others?
PIOLI: “I think it is more that there are certain individuals that are more risky than positions. I think generally speaking, and there are always exceptions to the rule, offensive linemen are generally less risky. That being said, I think you have to go back to the individual. You can say, ‘oh he is an offensive lineman, he is a tackle, a solid pick, conservative pick, good idea.’ But let’s talk about the individual then. How is that person from a makeup perspective? To reiterate, by nature I am not a risk taker.
Q: There has been some discussion of DE Glenn Dorsey possibly playing nose tackle. Is there any truth to that?
PIOLI: “I think Glenn is a unique player. He has the physical skill and body type to play numerous positions.
Q: Do you feel like drafting players is your biggest strength?
PIOLI: “I don’t know what my reputation is, but this is what I do. It is my job to evaluate players, not only on the field, but who they are, which is an important part. I believe that player personnel is not only the evaluation of the skill-set and playing ability, but is the makeup of the player and who the player is as well as trying to determine his fit.
Q: Can you talk about the right side of your offensive line and T Ryan O’Callaghan?
PIOLI: “The way the season ended is the way it is right now. The right tackle is Ryan O’Callaghan. I thought at the end of the season we were getting better on offense. I am pretty comfortable with Ryan O’Callaghan, I think we are pretty comfortable with Ryan O’Callaghan. That doesn’t mean that we can’t get more good players, but I think Ryan O’Callaghan did a nice job when he came in here.”
Q: Do you think G Ryan Lilja can play on the right side? How difficult is that?
PIOLI: “Yes. We think he has the skills to be able to do what we want out of the right guard. It is not always guard, guard because certain players for whatever reason can’t always make that transition. Ryan has enough versatility and flexibility physically and mentally where we think he is going to be able to do that. The other thing is, G Brian (Waters) is good enough and there are a lot of things that can be done with that group of offensive linemen.”
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