Check out James Wisniewski’s hit on Brent Seabrook in a recent Ducks-Blackhawks game:
I’ve watched the video several times now and I still can’t tell if Seabrook was selling the hit or not. If he was, give the man an Oscar because that was some fine acting.
The full mock is finally completed!
I waited a lot longer than I normally do to compile my first mock draft of the year. Normally I whip up my first batch of mock draft right after the scouting combine, but this year I wanted to see what happened at the start of free agency before I even remotely considered whom teams would select in April.
I get as excited as any true draftnik about mock drafts, but how could anyone venture a guess at what player a team will select without knowing what big free agents signed where? It’s like taking a long road trip to a place you’ve never been before without your GPS. (Wow, have the times changed. A couple of years ago, I would have ended that sentence with “without your map” but that damn technology continues to track us down like a bear preying on an injured deer.)
Below is my first crack at predicting the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. As usual, feel free to argue my picks as much as you like but please, debate with some dignity. Don’t be the doucher that ruins the fun of mock drafts by spewing venom in the comments section of a sports blog. There may not be anything more pathetic.
1. St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
I have Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh rated as the unquestioned best player in this year’s draft. (Well, I don’t have an official ranking per se, but in my head he’s No. 1.) But that doesn’t mean I think the Rams will take him. Teams usually get funny about the No. 1 overall pick. They feel as though they have to match the contract with the position in order to justify the player they’re taking, which is completely backwards when you think about it. A team should be most concerned with taking the right player that matches their scheme. But I digress. Bradford is the top rated quarterback and the Rams have a major need at the position with Marc Bulger proving over the past two years that he’s better suited to run the scout team offense in practice and then the first unit on Sundays. The Rams feel as though they need to breathe some excitement into their dull franchise and taking Bradford should do the trick. Is he the right player? That’s debatable.
If the Seahawks still had hopes of acquiring receiver Brandon Marshall from the Broncos, they just made things more difficult on themselves.
Seattle swapped second round picks with San Diego in order to acquire quarterback Charlie Whitehurst on Wednesday and also gave up a 2011 third round pick in the process. The price for Marshall has always been a first rounder, but if the Broncos decided to back off their demands and accept less, the Seahawks just lost a lot of bargaining power by moving 20 spots back in the second round.
That said, they still have two first round picks. If they wanted to get creative, they could convince another team to get involved by trading the No. 14 overall selection for a later first round pick, then attempting to work out a deal with Denver for Marshall. Seattle seems reluctant to part with the No. 6 overall pick, but they could do a lot with their selection at No. 14.
Of course, this is only relevant if the Seahawks still want Marshall. Just because they brought him in for a visit at the start of free agency doesn’t mean they’re serious about signing him to an offer sheet. As of right now, they don’t have to do anything because they’re the only ones that have even brought Marshall in for a visit. They can stand pat at the moment and not have to worry about competing with themselves if they do want him.
This will continue to be an intriguing storyline to follow throughout the offseason, as things are starting to heat up in Seattle.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
There are several intriguing rumors floating around the NFL blogosphere about John Fox’s future. And one of those rumors has the current Carolina front man heading to Cleveland next year in order to reunite with quarterback Jake Delhomme, whom the Browns recently signed to a two-year deal.
There are several interesting connections between Fox and the Browns, which were all highlighted by ESPN’s Adam Schefter:
“Think about this: Panthers coach John Fox is a huge Delhomme supporter. Browns general manager Tom Heckert is an equally big supporter of Fox. Fox’s contract is up after this season. Agent Bob Lamonte represents Heckert, Fox and Browns president Mike Holmgren. Cleveland gave Delhomme a two-year deal, long enough to carry him over until the time when Fox will become free. I’m not saying, I’m just saying …”
It’s not a crazy notion. Holmgren is already in the process of tearing down the Browns’ roster and rebuilding it from scratch. Just based on some of the moves that Holmgren has made, if I were Mangini I wouldn’t get the walls in my office re-painted quite yet, because there’s a good chance he’ll be gone in 2011. Whether or not Fox replaces him is another question, but as Schefter points out – it’s certainly a possibility.
Considering the success Fox has had in Carolina, this news should have a lot of Browns fans excited. Tempered, but it excited. Personally, I think he’s a little overrated myself (the Panthers have been the model of inconsistency under him during his tenure and they never shy away from failing to live up to expectations), but he’s a better football coach than Mangini is. Fox gets the most out of his players on Sundays and he relates well to them, which is why they always play hard for him. I know this would be a ways down the road, but if Holmgren were to hire Fox, he’d be giving Cleveland the competent coach the team has needed for years.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
The Seahawks must be betting that Charlie Whitehurst will be their quarterback of the future, because they paid quite a price to acquire him from the Chargers on Wednesday night.
Seattle and San Diego swapped second round picks in this April’s draft and the Chargers will also get the Seahawks’ 2011 third round pick in exchange for Whitehurst, who has compiled a grand total of zero pass attempts in four seasons. While it’s important to remember that Philip Rivers is the main reason Whitehurst hasn’t seen the field, it’s also noteworthy that the former Clemson product couldn’t beat out Billy Volek for the No. 2 job.
That said, Whitehurst certainly has all the tools necessary to succeed as a starter. He has ideal size (6’4”, 227 pounds), good athleticism and decent arm strength. The problem is that he doesn’t have any experience, so it’s tough to know at this point what the Seahawks are getting. Either way, with the amount of compensation they gave up to acquire him from San Diego, it’s clear that Whitehurst is Pete Carroll’s quarterback for the future and the team considers him a valuable addition to its roster. If he winds up playing well in Seattle, then the compensation will turn out to be a bargain.
As for the Chargers, they got quite the haul here. Moving up 20 spots in the second round and acquiring a third rounder in 2011 is great deal for a player that was never going to see the field. San Diego did very well here and now it has plenty of pieces to make more moves on draft day.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
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