Category: NFL Draft (Page 44 of 102)

      Rams leaning towards Gerald McCoy at No. 1?

      March 2, 2010 /

      John Czarnecki of FOXSports.com writes that Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo would take Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy with the No. 1 overall pick if the draft were today.

      If the draft was today, the Rams would select Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy because he is the player that head coach Steve Spagnuolo likes better. Fortunately for Rams fans who want a quarterback after passing on Matt Ryan and Mark Sanchez the past two Aprils, the team has seven weeks to change Spags’ mind. McCoy’s OU teammate, quarterback Sam Bradford, plans to throw and show off his surgically repaired right shoulder on March 25. A year ago, Bradford was the consensus top quarterback, ahead of Matthew Stafford, but he opted to return to play college football.

      Right, and last week the Rams were all set on Sam Bradford. Next week, someone will report that the Rams are desperate to trade out of the top spot and the week after that they’ll be set on Dez Bryant.

      I’m not ragging on Czarnecki’s report, but it is that time of year (i.e. the time of year in which all information must be taken with a grain of salt). There’s a very good chance that the Rams don’t know who they’re going to take and why should they? The draft is still roughly two months away and I’m sure Spagnuolo and GM Billy Devaney are pondering all of their options – as they should.


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      Taylor Mays improving his draft stock?

      March 2, 2010 /

      Entering Senior Bowl week, Taylor Mays was drawing comparisons of Panthers’ defender Thomas Davis, which is both good and bad.

      The good is that Davis has developed into one of the better outside linebackers in the NFL. He can play the pass just as well as the run and he’s a solid all-around playmaker and tackler.

      The bad is that Davis was a safety in college, which is the position Mays played at USC. Mays would like to stay at safety, but reports have surfaced that pro teams view him as an outside linebacker or even a hybrid OLB/S in a 3-4 scheme. The reason for the potential position change is because Mays displayed poor ball skills in college and has trouble matching up with receivers in man coverage. He also plays too tall, doesn’t move his hips well and struggles in space.

      That said, Mays is turning heads at the scouting combine. He ran an unofficial forty time of 4.24 on Tuesday, which would make him the fastest player at this year’s workout. He also turned in a 41-inch vertical and 10’5-inch broad jump, which are equally impressive. If he wanted to prove to teams that he can play safety at the next level, he’s certainly making a strong case at the combine.

      Of course, the combine can only help a player so much. Once teams review film on him at Southern Cal, they’ll still see Mays’ weaknesses and might draft him as an OLB regardless of how he performs this week. Still, his numbers are impressive and he certainly didn’t hurt his draft stock in Indianapolis.


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      Rams’ second round pick could be extremely valuable

      March 1, 2010 /

      The SI.com duo of Don Banks and Peter King make a great point about the Rams’ second round pick being the most valuable first pick of a second round in NFL history.

      Here’s why:

      Think about being the Rams: In a very good year for draft prospects, teams will reset their draft boards after the first round, look up and see that one of their top 12 or 14 players is still on the board. Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen. Cal running back Jahvid Best. Texas pass-rusher Sergio Kindle. Idaho guard Mike Iupati. One of the leftover good tackles — maybe Anthony Davis of Rutgers.

      The desperado Rams will need the pick, obviously, because they need players. But some teams will want that pick badly; I’m sure of it. And some team just might pay through the nose to get it. You only have to look at last year to see how this could develop.

      King goes on to write that the Jets paid dearly (a third, fourth and seventh) to move up 11 spots in order to select running back Shonn Greene with the first pick in the third round last year. The Rams hold the first pick in the second round, which is obviously more valuable and thus, should be more sought after.

      As King points out, the Rams would certainly love to hold onto the pick and select a future starter at No. 33. But most teams that have had success in the NFL have done so by moving down in the draft, not up. Assuming they won’t be in love with a prospect at No. 33, the Rams could move down in the second round and pick up multiple selections from a team desperate to move up. After all, St. Louis would still be able to get a good player at some point during the second round.

      This could be an interesting development on the second night of the draft.


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      Are the Browns targeting Joe Haden?

      March 1, 2010 /

      Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that Florida cornerback Joe Haden could be a perfect complement to Eric Wright in the Browns’ secondary. ESPN’s Mel Kiper agrees.

      ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. predicts the Browns will take Haden in his current mock draft, compiled before the Combine.

      “Joe Haden makes the most sense, in terms of value,” Kiper said on a conference call. “We don’t know if he’s going to be Darrelle Revis [of the Jets] or [Oakland’s] Nnamdi Asomugha. They’re the two best cover corners in the NFL right now. They didn’t [get drafted] in the top 10. But Haden will.

      “Haden has potential to be an elite corner. He’s a complete corner, effective on the blitz, outstanding in coverage.”
      “I haven’t done a lot of work on him yet, but obviously he’s highly regarded, so we’ll look seriously at him,” Browns coach Eric Mangini said at the Combine.

      Browns General Manager Tom Heckert has studied him enough to be impressed.

      “He’s a heckuva football player,” said Heckert. “He’s one of the top corners, if not the top corner in the draft. He’s played at a big-time program and they won a lot of games. He’s going to go early.”

      Some people absolutely love Haden and say that he’s the safest pick in the top 10. Others, like the NFL Network’s Mike Mayock, believe he’s a borderline top-ten pick and that there’s some concern about Haden’s forty time. (Haden ran a 4.34 in high school, but Mayock says that he might only run a 4.52 or 4.55.)

      That said, there’s no question that Haden is the top corner in this year’s draft and reminds me of Darrelle Revis. He racked up a ton of experience playing against top competition while at Florida and he has the ability to be a shutdown corner if he can develop. While having a good forty is important for defensive backs, it’s not everything and I doubt that teams would pass on him just because he ran a slower time (although if molasses beats him, then there could be a problem).

      He seems like a perfect fit for the Browns.


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      Teams concerned about Bryant’s behavior?

      February 28, 2010 /

      Yahoo Sports’ Jason Cole writes that teams might be concerned about NFL draft prospect Dez Bryant given his behavior while at Oklahoma State.

      Three sources with direct knowledge of Bryant from his days in college, where he missed the final 10 games last season because of lying to NCAA investigators, said Bryant’s antics were “consistently irresponsible.”

      “I wouldn’t draft that kid unless I had someone to wake him up in the morning to get to meetings, someone to wake him up for practice and someone to wake him up for games,” one source said.

      A second source said Bryant’s reputation was earned because he was consistently late to team activities. That included showing up late for games.

      “We’re not just talking about being a little late for warmups, but like being late for the actual game,” a source said with a chuckle. “When you start to hear some of the stories of there, you go, ‘He did what?’ ”

      If I were a NFL GM, coach or owner, I’d have a hard time paying a player millions of dollars when he couldn’t handle responsibility in college. I understand we’re talking about kids in their young 20s and a lot of players do mature when they get to the pros. But what makes anyone think that Bryant will act appropriately after he gets paid?

      That said, he is a great talent and there are plenty of coaches in the NFL that know how to work with a player that needs a kick in the rear. Organizations like the Steelers, Patriots, Colts, Eagles and Packers have proven that with a good support system, most players can develop into responsible men off the field.

      There was plenty of bad press about Michael Crabtree and his diva attitude last year and after his contract situation was settled, he turned out to be a solid rookie. I’m willing to bet that Mike Singletary had a lot to do with that and I’m sure Bryant will get the wake up call he apparently needs if he winds up with a good organization.


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      NFL, NFL Draft

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