Category: NFL Draft (Page 28 of 101)

Nevada’s Kaepernick drawing rave reviews at Senior Bowl

Out of the six quarterbacks on both Senior Bowl rosters, Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick seems to be drawing the most attention this week.

This is what FOX Sports.com’s Adam Caplan had to say about Kaepernick’s performance thus far:

What I liked: Kaepernick was terrific from the start of Monday’s practice and he really didn’t let up. He was quite accurate on most of his passes up to 30 yards. And his touch was terrific. He throws with very good timing and anticipation for such a young signal caller. I also liked that he was willing to throw the ball into tighter areas. That’s something most young quarterbacks won’t try to do. And his athleticism is outstanding. He’s clearly the best quarterback out of the six and it’s not even close. If he has a great performance during February’s NFL Combine, it’s not out of the question that Kaepernick goes in the first round.

What needs improvement: There is one small issue. He has a slightly long release point, which causes his passes to be a little late every now and then. That’s something that can be adjusted by his quarterback coach in the NFL.

Caplan wasn’t the only person impressed by Kaepernick’s performance either. One scout told the Sacramento Bee that Kaepernick “might have made the most money of any Senior Bowl player this week.”

Considering he’s been performing against the likes of Jake Locker and Andy Dalton, it’s surprising that Kaepernick drew the best reviews, although not altogether shocking. He has great size, speed and athleticism, but according to reports his accuracy has been better than expected and his arm strength is superb. NFL Network’s Mike Mayock even said of Kapernick: “It’s like watching Nolan Ryan [throw].”

It’s too early yet to being projecting where guys will fall in the draft – especially with the scouting combine still a couple of weeks away. But given the type of offense that Chan Gailey runs in Buffalo, I wonder if Kapernick would be a good fit for the Bills in the second round.

Mel Kiper releases first 2011 NFL Mock Draft, has Fairley going No. 1

For Steeler, Jet, Bear and Packer fans, the 2011 NFL Draft doesn’t exist.

For the rest of us, it’s the only thing that exists.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper has released his first mock draft for 2011 and at least for the time being, he sees Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley coming off the board to the Panthers at No. 1.

The No. 1 overall player on the Big Board, and one who can pay immediate dividends. Fairley isn’t just a safe pick because of his excellent burst, violent hand action and ability to effectively penetrate and be a constant nuisance against both the run and pass; he also has the chance to be a dominant player regardless of system. Detroit and Tampa Bay drafted the top defensive tackles at Nos. 2 and 3 last year. Carolina should start earlier in 2011. A slight mean streak in a DT isn’t the worst trait. Even Ndamukong Suh showed a bit of one this season.

Kiper has LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson going to the Broncos at No. 2, Alabama defensive end Marcell Dareus going to the Bills at No. 3, Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers going to the Bengals at No. 4 and Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert going to the Cardinals at No. 5.

Regular readers know that I’m a draft nut and I will surely release several mock drafts before April 28 rolls around. I need to compile my notes from the bowl season, however, so I’m not ready to break out my mock 1.0 at this time.

That said, with the way Fairley dominated the BCS title game this year, I can definitely see the Panthers taking him at No. 1. (Don’t forget that new head coach Ron Rivera has a background in defense, so if he’s given his say on draft day, he may want to go with the best defender on the board.)

If you believe the reports, Carolina was set to take Stanford’s Andrew Luck with the top overall pick but now that he’s decided to return to school, who goes No. 1 will be discussed ad nauseum for the next three and a half months.

Newton to enter NFL draft – is he a first rounder?

Auburn Tigers quarterback Cam Newton enjoys his teams 22-19 victory over the Oregon Ducks in the NCAA BCS National Championship college football game in Glendale, Arizona, January 10, 2011. REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

Let the months of speculation begin.

Auburn quarterback Cam Newton has announced that he will forego his senior season and enter the 2011 NFL Draft. The Heisman Trophy winner finished his junior season with 2,854 passing yards, a 66.1 percent completion rate and 30 passing touchdowns to go with 1,473 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns.

Oh, and he also led the Tigers to a national championship victory over Oregon.

Now comes the fun and nauseating part: Where will he fall in the draft? Is he a clear-cut first round pick? Is he a top 10 pick? Is he even projected to be a quarterback at the next level?

Most people would undoubtedly answer “yes” to that last question, although some pundits believe Newton will have to make the transition to tight end in the NFL. He certainly has the arm strength and size to be a great quarterback, but can he succeed in a pro-style offense? Can he be a leader? Can he read a defense? Does he have the accuracy to make all of the throws in a NFL offense? How is his football IQ?

It only took one man to believe that Tim Tebow was capable of developing into a starting quarterback for a team to select him in the first round. Granted, that man (Josh McDaniels) is now searching for work, but that’s more because he managed to trade away his two best offensive players (Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall) in two years and gave away Peyton Hillis for a third-string quarterback in Brady Quinn. Only some people criticize him for trading away draft picks in order to select Tebow…

Getting back to Newton, he’s going to wow scouts with his athleticism in pre-draft workouts but he’ll have to convince a team that he has the intelligence and work ethic needed to become a quarterback in the NFL. Because if he can’t, then he’s going to fall in the draft and he may be forced to switch positions in order to make it at the next level.

In other Auburn-related news, defensive tackle Nick Fairley is expected to announce Friday that he too is foregoing his senior year and entering the draft. If that’s the case, there’s no question that he’s a top 5 pick.

Are the Panthers already set on Andrew Luck at No. 1?

Stanford Cardinals quarterback Andrew Luck (12) completes this first half pass against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the 77th Annual Discover Orange Bowl at Sun Life stadium in Miami on January 3, 2011. UPI/Michael Bush

If the 2011 NFL Draft were to start in 20 minutes, the Carolina Panthers would already know whom they’d select with the No. 1 pick.

According to NFC South beat writer Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com, Carolina has already decided to select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick if the redshirt sophomore enters April’s draft. Luck torched Virginia Tech for 287 yards and four touchdowns in Monday night’s Orange Bowl, but has yet to state his intentions about next season.

If Yasinskas’ report is accurate, then the Panthers obviously have decided that Jimmy Clausen was a waste of a second round pick in last year’s draft. Some regarded Clausen to be the most NFL-ready quarterback because he ran a pro-style offense for Charlie Weis at Notre Dame. But the rookie struggled mightily this year with his decision-making, his accuracy, his pocket presence, his leadership skills, with making the morning coffee for team meetings, with buckling his chinstrap and with parking in between the lines when he arrived to Bank of America Stadium on Sundays.

Making matters worse for the 2-14 Panthers is that they don’t have a second round pick after trading up for receiver project Armanti Edwards last year. He was a healthy inactive for most of the season and wound up hauling in a whopping zero passes for zero yards and zero touchdowns. The former Appalachian State star has plenty of raw talent and athleticism but given the current state of the Panthers, it’s fair to say that they made a bad decision in reaching for him last April.

Getting back to Luck, if he decides to return to Stanford then the Panthers can’t draft a quarterback at No. 1. Jake Locker had a brutal senior season, Christian Ponder didn’t even make it to halftime before being benched in Florida State’s bowl game last Friday and Blaine Gabbert of Missouri isn’t No. 1 material. Carolina will still get a great prospect with the top pick but it won’t be a quarterback if Luck stays in school.

Bears nab Unga, Cowboys select Price-Brent in the NFL supplemental draft

SEATTLE - SEPTEMBER 6:  Harvey Unga #45 of the BYU Cougars runs with the ball during their game against the Washington Huskies on September 6, 2008 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. The Cougars defeated the Huskies 28-27. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

It took seven rounds before the two most popular players in this year’s NFL supplemental draft were selected, but BYU running back Harvey Unga and Illinois defensive end Josh Price-Brent eventually found homes.

The Bears selected Unga in the seventh round of today’s draft and the Cowboys took Price-Brent in the same round. The Bears and Cowboys will each have to forfeit their seventh round picks in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Unga rushed for 1,087 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2009 while becoming BYU’s all-time leading rusher with 3,455 yards. He earned first-team All-MWC honors following the season, although on April 16, 2010, he voluntarily withdrew from the school after violating its honor code.

The Rams were rumored to have been interested in him as a potential complement to running back Steven Jackson before the draft. But Unga wasn’t able to contribute in any offseason practices due to an ankle injury and St. Louis’ interest cooled off. He’ll now join Matt Forte and Chester Taylor in a crowded backfield in Chicago.

Price-Brent totaled 71 tackles, five sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles in his two years as a starter with the Illini. But he was declared academically ineligible this past spring and also spent 30 days in jail for a DUI last year. Scouts like his size, but his strength has been a question mark after he only had 31 reps on the bench during his private workout. That was the lowest amount of reps by a defensive tackle over 295 pounds that was invited to this year’s scouting combine.

That said, he’s a good fit in Dallas (who runs a 3-4) because he’s projected as a nose tackle at the next level.

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