Category: NFL Draft (Page 46 of 102)

Is Tebow making the right decision not to work out at combine?

It’s ultimately up to him and his agent to decide what the best course of action is in terms of how to approach April’s NFL draft. But it’s disappointing to say the least that Tim Tebow won’t partake in any drills at the NFL’s scouting combine this weekend.

It’s one thing if Tebow doesn’t want to throw. He’s been working on a new throwing motion and after a brutal showing at the Senior Bowl and it makes sense that he wouldn’t want to show pro scouts an unfinished product at the scouting combine. He’s probably hoping to unveil a more polished look at his Pro Day to up his draft stock, which is certainly understandable.

But unless he’s hiding an injury, it doesn’t make sense that he’s choosing not to run the 40-yard-dash, bench press or do any of the agility drills. I applaud his determination in wanting to prove to teams that he can be a quarterback at the next level. But the reality is that teams want to see if he can play another position and they can’t do that if he doesn’t workout this weekend. (Although again, teams will still have a chance to see him run at Florida’s Pro Day, albeit on his own terms in a comfortable setting.)

Tebow is a great guy who has tons of character and who is one hell of a football player. But scouts already know that he’s a good humanitarian and will no doubt impress them with his interview skills this weekend. What they want is whether or not he has a place in the NFL at another position and his decision not to work out puts the clamps on scouts’ evaluation process. As a football fan and someone who appreciates athletes that are good both on and off the field, I hope Tebow succeeds. But I wonder if he’s screwing himself with this latest decision.

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Troubling sign? McCoy won’t throw at combine.

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was hoping to use the NFL scouting combine this weekend to show scouts that his injured right shoulder won’t be a problem come OTAs this spring. But as ESPN’s Chris Mortensen is reporting via his Twitter page, McCoy has opted not to throw at the combine, which could send his draft stock plummeting.

After injuring his shoulder in the BCS title game in January, McCoy visited the acclimated Dr. James Andrews, who gave the quarterback a two-week recovery period. Early last week, McCoy told the media that he planned to participate at the combine, but Andrews has advised him not to throw this weekend, which means the signal caller has either been slow to recover or the injury is worse than the good doctor initially thought.

Granted, McCoy still has his Pro Day to prove to scouts that his shoulder is fine. But even though he’s only following his doctor’s advice, his inability to throw at the combine sends up red flags to NFL scouts about his overall health. He presumably was already behind other quarterback prospects Jimmy Clausen and Sam Bradford, but he may slip further down teams’ draft boards if he can’t throw at his Pro Day.

That said, he might become a steal in the later rounds, which could work out in his favor. I’m getting a little ahead of myself here, but if he’s taken late in the draft, he’ll be able to heal without having the pressure that comes with being a high draft pick. He could allow himself to heal 100% and use the draft as motivation to prove teams that passed on him wrong.


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Lions actively shopping the No. 2 pick?

According to NFL network’s Jason La Confora, the Lions are actively shopping the No. 2 overall pick and have already been in contact with several teams.

I sound like a broken record every year, but it’s a must that I write this: Trading out of the top of the draft isn’t easy. Unless there’s a can’t miss prospect in the top 3, then teams selecting that high have a difficult time finding a trade partner. The Browns were able to do it last year at No. 5, but the Jets desperately wanted Mark Sanchez so it was a perfect match.

There might be a team that wants to move up in order to nab Ndamukong Suh or one of the quarterbacks (Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen), but even when teams are motivated to move up it’s still hard to put a trade package together. It was easy for the Browns and Jets to work out a deal involving draft picks and players because Eric Mangini was already familiar with New York’s roster and knew which players he wanted.

We’ll see. I’m certainly not suggesting that the Lions won’t have success trading the pick, but again, the odds are against them. But teams usually have success when they trade down, so Detroit fans have to at least appreciate the fact that their team is trying to maximize its selections on draft day.


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Is LeFevour making the right decision by not throwing at the scouting combine?

Depending on whom you ask, Central Michigan quarterback prospect Dan LeFevour is anywhere from a third round pick to a late round selection. And due to scouts’ concern about his lack of arm strength, the latter is probably more realistic.

After a lackluster week of practice leading up to the game, LeFevour threw for 97 yards and a touchdown on ten attempts in last month’s Senior Bowl. In effort to ride that success, he has decided not to throw at the NFL scouting combine, which kicks off Wednesday, February 24 and runs through March 2.

After racking up 12,905 passing yards, 2,948 rushing yards, 149 total touchdowns and a completion percentage of 66.4, his collegiate numbers speak for themselves. But is he taking a major risk by not throwing at the combine? Does he need to prove to scouts that he can make all the throws?

To gain a better perspective on the topic from someone who watched LeFevour play in college, I asked Central Michigan beat writer Drew Ellis of the Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun about the benefits and risks of LeFevour not throwing at the combine.

“The strategy behind not throwing at the combine could simply be to try and give LeFevour the best chance to impress scouts when he finally does throw in front of them,” said Ellis. “LeFevour has chemistry with Bryan Anderson and Antonio Brown and if threw at the combine, he could be throwing to some guy he has never met or worked with.”

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St. Louis Rams 2010 Team Needs

As part of our 2010 NFL Draft coverage, I will be breaking down positional needs for all 32 teams, starting in reverse alphabetical order. Next up is the St. Louis Rams. Check out other team needs by clicking here.

1. Quarterback
A team doesn’t land the first overall pick in the draft without having a ton of holes that need to be addressed before the start of a new season. But even with all the areas of need that the Rams have, it all starts with the quarterback, which should be the Rams’ top priority this offseason. Marc Bulger turns 33 in July and ever since he signed a six-year, $65 million contract extension in 2007 he’s been worthless. Whether it comes in free agency or the draft, the Rams must upgrade the quarterback position this offseason and close the book on the Bulger era in St. Louis. They can’t possibly head into 2010 with Bulger at the top of the quarterback depth chart, especially considering they select at the top of each round in April and seeing as how Michael Vick could probably be had via trade. Rams GM Billy Devaney is familiar with Vick from their time together in Atlanta and Steve Spagnuolo has had nothing but positive things to say about the troubled quarterback so far this offseason. Vick could be acquired for cheap and while he certainly wouldn’t be a long-term answer, he would bring some excitement to the position and give the Rams more playmakers on offense. If not, the Rams could look at drafting a signal caller in one of the first two rounds.

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