Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 1268 of 1503)

The Vikings landed former Chiefs’ defensive end Jared Allen for their first round pick (No. 17) and two third round picks (No. 73 and No. 82). Allen will receive a new contract worth $74 million over six years.

Unsuccessful in landing an edge pass-rusher early in free agency, Minnesota acquired one of the best in the business at an extremely steep price Tuesday night when it agreed to terms on a trade with Kansas City for Jared Allen.

This obviously weakens the Vikings’ draft, but Allen is a stud. With the addition, Minny might have the best defensive line in all of football, equipped to stop the run and rush the passer. This move might help mask some of the Vikings’ deficiencies in the secondary.

In looking at this weekend’s draft, the departure of Allen might mean the Chiefs (who have the fifth overall pick) will look at a defensive end like Chris Long or Vernon Gholston. That could cause a ripple effect for teams like the Jets and Patriots, two teams reportedly looking to beef up their defensive front seven. A quality offensive tackle like Ryan Clady could now fall, as well, seeing as how most mock draft publications had the Chiefs taking an OT at No. 5. Having the No. 17 pick also means that KC can still get a quality cornerback if they don’t chose one with the No. 5 pick.

According to sources at ESPN.com, the Miami Dolphins have reached a contract agreement with Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long and will select him with the first overall pick.

The announcement will come at a 1:45 p.m. ET news conference.

Despite speculation that Dolphins vice president of football operations Bill Parcells really had planned to select Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston or Virginia defensive end Chris Long, sources told ESPN’s Michael Smith that since the Dolphins opened negotiations with Jake Long they were talking to him exclusively.

So now the focus becomes what the Rams will do at No. 2. The talk thus far is that they’ll go with a defensive end (either Chris Long or Vernon Gholston), but reports surfaced last night that they might take DT Glenn Dorsey and move 2006 first round pick Adam Carriker back to his more natural end position.

Let the rumors fly!

Ben Roethlisberger on the Lions? Bob Sanders in San Fran? Bullz-Eye.com took the worst five teams over the past five years and re-drafted the first three rounds for them in years 2005, 2004 and 2003. What would these five habitual losers look like these days with a draft makeover?

Arizona Cardinals 2003 Draft Re-Do

No. 17 – Larry Johnson, RB, Penn State (Originally selected by Kansas City at No. 27)
Original Pick: Bryant Johnson, WR, Penn State”

No. 18 – Nnamdi Asomugha, CB, California (Originally selected by Oakland at No. 31)
Original Pick: Calvin Pace, DE, Wake Forest

No. 54 – Anquan Boldin, WR, Florida State (Originally selected by Arizona at No. 54)
Original Pick: Boldin

Instead of signing the over-the-hill Emmitt Smith in the 2003 offseason, the Cards could have drafted LJ (right) and kick- started his career two seasons earlier than it did in Kansas City. Plus, with their second pick in the first round, ‘Zona could have vastly upgraded a weak secondary with the incredibly well rounded Asomugha. The original selection of Boldin still makes sense given his amazing rookie season (101 receptions, 1,377 yards, 8 TDs) and the degree of success he’s had thus far as a pro.

That would have been one hell of a first day for the Cards back in 2003, assuming of course LJ and Asomugha panned out in ‘Zona like they did in Kansas City and Oakland, respectively.

The NFL Draft is just days away. Who are the Dolphins going to take first overall? Who will draft Darren McFadden? How long will Matt Ryan have to wait to hear his name called? I attempt to answer those questions by projecting the first round with my final NFL Mock Draft.

6. New York Jets
Team Needs: CB, WR, S
Bullz-Eye’s Pick: Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB, Ohio State
Gholston played defensive end at OSU, but he has the size and athleticism to make the transition to outside linebacker at the next level. The Jets could use him in the same capacity as the Cowboys use DeMarcus Ware and the Chargers use Shawne Merriman – as a sideline-to-sideline, pass-rushing monster.
Devil’s Advocate: If Darren McFadden slips past the Raiders at No. 5, it’s doubtful he’ll get past the Jets with this pick. The Jets could also look at a cornerback like Leodis McKelvin or Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

At least 30 of the 31 picks should be right, so you might want to check it out.

Photo Courtesy of Flickr