Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 872 of 1503)

Lions still planning on signing No. 1 pick before draft

April 21, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

The Detroit Lions fully plan on signing the No. 1 pick before the NFL draft kicks off on Saturday. Who that No. 1 pick will be is the question.

General manager Martin Mayhew said today the Lions are “moving forward on getting something done” and there is a “very good” chance they will sign the No. 1 overall pick before the NFL draft starts Saturday.
“That was our plan,” Mayhew said at his pre-draft news conference. “We talked about that back at the Combine. That’s very important, and we plan on getting something done prior to making that selection.”
Mayhew said the list of candidates has “narrowed down pretty dramatically.” But he declined to name the candidates or discuss specifics.
The Lions have been talking to the agents for Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford, Baylor left tackle Jason Smith and Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry.
Negotiations are more complex this year because of new rules relating to the last year of the salary cap. The Lions started preliminary negotiations with candidates in March.
Mayhew said the Lions could agree to the parameters of a deal with multiple players, but ultimately, they would agree to a deal with one player. He said they would make an announcement shortly after agreeing to terms.

This is nothing new – the Lions have said all along that they wanted to sign the No. 1 pick before the draft. But what is getting ever more interesting is the fact that this pick remains as much of a financial decision as it does drafting the right player. And if this is a financial decision for the Lions, then Aaron Curry should be their pick.

Curry is the best prospect in the draft, he would be cheaper than Stafford or Smith and he fills a need for Detroit. The only drawback in taking him No. 1 (besides the massive need at quarterback), is the fact that the Lions already have a decent amount of money wrapped up in their linebacker corps already, with former top 10 pick Ernie Sims and newly acquired Julian Peterson on the roster. Plus, even though scouts believe he can play inside, would Curry’s best position be at middle linebacker? Because that’s where he would play for the Lions.

But again, if the Lions are really putting a lot of stock into the financial hit that they’re about to take then Curry should be their guy.

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Marvin Lewis: Chad Johnson won’t be traded

April 21, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

Marvin Lewis reiterated on Tuesday that wide receiver Chad Ocho Cinco ~~Johnson~~ will not be traded.

From Rotoworld.com:

Coach Marvin Lewis said at the Bengals’ pre-draft presser Tuesday that Chad Johnson will not be traded.
“Chad’s not getting moved,” Lewis said. “I don’t know why people continue with the speculation.” The Bengals reportedly haven’t even been offered a third-round pick for Ocho, who is allegedly “crying” again to get out of Cincy.

There’s a good chance that the Bengals can’t move Ocho Cinco because nobody wants to give up a second or even third round pick to acquire him. And if a team did cough up a second or third rounder for him, they’d have to hope that he stays motivated enough to win.

The bottom line is that Ocho Cinco’s trade value has never been lower. He’s 31 years old and is coming off a poor year. If you were the GM of an NFL team, would you want to give up a second round or even third round pick for him? I wouldn’t, especially considering the draft is deep at the receiver position this year.

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Chad Johnson Chad Johnson rumors Chad Ocho Cinco Chad Ocho Cinco Johnson

Seahawks to take Crabtree at No. 4?

April 21, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News seems to believe that the Seahawks will take either USC quarterback Mark Sanchez or Texas Tech wideout Michael Crabtree with the No. 4 pick in this weekend’s draft.

Vacchiano also had some other interesting tidbits in his “draft hints” article.

• LSU DE Tyson Jackson will go in the Top 5. Not might. Will. This qualified as the biggest shocker, to me, since almost every mock draft I looked at pegged Jackson to be a mid- to late first-rounder at best. I thought the Top 5 was pretty locked in, too. But, of course, I shouldn’t have doubted Mr. Brandt. I asked around after the show to see if I could confirm it, and sure enough one NFL source I know did tell me he’s heard the Kansas City Chiefs might take Jackson at No. 3, or trade down and take him a few picks later.
• The Seattle Seahawks, at No. 4, will likely select either Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree or USC QB Mark Sanchez.
• The Saints, at No. 14, are looking for a big cornerback, and Ohio State’s Malcolm Jenkins is a good bet to be their guy.
• The New England Patriots, at No. 23 will take a linebacker.
• Oklahoma T Phil Loadholt (6-7, 332) will go in the first round of the draft. His teammate, G Duke Robinson (6-5, 330, and the top-rated guard on most boards), will not.

These are some interesting thoughts and while I don’t disagree with any of Vacchiano’s tidbits, a lot of these seem to be a stretch. Tyson Jackson will definitely go in the top 5? Phil Loadholt will be a first rounder?

The most noteworthy item in Vacchiano’s article is that the Seahawks will take either Sanchez or Crabtree at No. 4. Taking Sanchez makes sense for Seattle because Matt Hasselbeck is aging and is coming off an injury-plagued season. Crabtree makes sense because even though the Hawks signed T.J. Houshmandzadeh to a huge contract this offseason, Housh is 31 and would benefit from having another playmaker on the opposite side of him. (Crabtree would also arguably be the best player available at that spot.)

But does Seattle really want to sink that much money into one position? Generally speaking, NFL teams don’t like to do that – especially at the wide receiver position. I’m sticking to my guns in saying that Seattle takes offensive lineman Eugene Monroe at that pick, but I’m not shooting down anything Vacchiano wrote.

NFL, NFL Draft

2009 NFL Draft Duke Robinson Malcolm Jenkins Mark Sanchez Mark Sanchez draft rumors Mark Sanchez rumors Michael Crabtree Michael Crabtree draft rumors Phil Loadholt Seattle Seahawks T.J. Houshmandzadeh Tyson Jackson

Will the Chiefs trade Tony Gonzalez by draft weekend?

April 21, 2009 / Anthony Stalter

One of the more interesting situations that has been brewing for the past couple months is what the Chiefs are going to do with tight end Tony Gonzalez, who appears to desperately want out of Kansas City.

Since February of this year, several media publications have speculated that Gonzalez has made it clear that he doesn’t want to be a Chief any longer. Yet every time a new rumor hits the web, Gonzo usually denies the claim within a few days.

But he failed to report to KC’s voluntary minicamp last Saturday and his absence would seem to indicate that he does want out, or else why wouldn’t he be spending this time getting acquainted with new quarterback Matt Cassel? Gonzo is the consummate pro, so even though the workouts are voluntary, one would think that he would want to spend as much time as possible getting in sync with Cassel.

New GM Scott Pioli has already stated that he doesn’t feel obligated to trade Gonzalez this offseason, yet he might consider it if the right deal comes along this weekend during the draft. Several teams could use Gonzalez’s services, most notably the Falcons (who have already been linked to Gonzo-internet rumors, although they proved to be false), Bills, Jets, Eagles and Browns.

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