Category: NFL Draft (Page 59 of 102)

      Seahawks to take Crabtree at No. 4?

      April 21, 2009 /

      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.

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      Will the Chiefs trade Tony Gonzalez by draft weekend?

      April 21, 2009 /

      mill

      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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      Ravens willing to give up first rounder to acquire Boldin

      April 21, 2009 /

      According to the Baltimore Sun, the Ravens are reportedly willing to give up their first round pick (No. 26 overall) in order to acquire Cardinals’ wide receiver Anquan Boldin. Arizona is asking for a first and a third, but according to the report, the Ravens would also be willing to give up a second round pick and a veteran player.

      My cohort John Paulsen and I got into a discussion recently about whether or not it would be worth it for the Ravens to give up their first round pick in exchange for Boldin. My first question would be: What position(s) is Baltimore targeting at No. 26? They have an obvious need for wideout with Derek Mason turning 35 in January and it appears that Mark Clayton is already at his ceiling in terms of potential. An argument could be made that they need a safety to replace Jim Leonhard (who signed with the Jets this offseason), as well as defensive end to eventually replace Trevor Pryce.

      But if the Ravens have their sights on drafting a receiver at No. 26, then they should definitely trade for Boldin if they have the opportunity. Granted, it might cost them two draft picks in the process, but Boldin is already proven and even though he turns 29 in October, he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down and has at least four or five more productive years left in the tank. Plus, recent history has shown that receivers aren’t the safest picks in the first round, which also plays into the argument that the Ravens would be better of trading for a sure thing like Boldin.

      Conversely, if Baltimore is targeting another position in the first (i.e. a defensive starter), then they would probably be better served passing on Boldin and keeping their draft picks. Even though it would be nice for Joe Flacco to have a legit No. 1 receiver like Boldin to throw to, defense comes first. Teams like the Steelers, Patriots and Colts are competitive every year because all of them draft well. Even though Boldin would be a sure thing, the Ravens have to trust Ozzie Newsome’s scouting and rely on him to get an eventual starter at No. 26. The Steelers didn’t win two Super Bowls in the last five years because they traded for sure things. They relied on their scouting and built their roster through the draft.

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      Jaguars sign Holt – how does it affect their draft?

      April 21, 2009 /

      The Jacksonville Jaguars signed wide receiver Torry Holt to a three-year, $20 million contract.

      Holt’s better days are definitely behind him but he can still contribute, especially on a team that was ready to get buy with Dennis Northcutt and Mike Walker at receiver. Over six million a year is a little steep for a 33-year old, but the Jags had to outbid the Titans, a team that seemed to have the early edge in negotiations.

      What will be interesting to keep an eye on is how this signing will affect Jacksonville’s draft. They’re slated to select No. 8 and a lot of draft pundits figured they would go with one of the top wideouts at that spot. But with Holt on board, one would have to believe that they’ll either wait to select a receiver in the later rounds or bypass one altogether and go with what’s currently on the roster.

      In my latest mock, I have the Jags drafting Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji. If he gets past Cleveland at No. 5, Raji would be a great complement to John Henderson on Jacksonville’s defensive line. The Jags traded Marcus Stroud to Buffalo before the 2008 season and Rob Meier clearly wasn’t up to the task of being a full time starter. If Raji is selected, Meier could go back to being No. 3 in the defensive tackle rotation, which was a role he excelled at before being tossed into a starter last season.

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      2009 NFL Mock Draft Version 3.0

      April 20, 2009 /

      This is it – the week NFL draft nuts have been waiting for. Soon enough, prospects will know what cities they’re headed to and draft mock experts everywhere will look like idiots when less than half of their predictions are correct despite spending hours of time researching the picks.

      I say it every year – the NFL draft is a crapshoot in terms of trying to make predictions. Nobody knows how high prospects are rated on draft boards around the league except the teams themselves. So while it’s fun to project who will go where, nobody has a clue – not Mike Mayock, not Mel Kiper and certainly not Anthony Stalter. (Did I just refer to myself in the third person? What a joke.)

      The following is my third and final mock of the first round. In my previous two mocks, I had some fun by predicting potential trades that could play out, but I won’t do it here. I’m playing this mock “straight up” because predicting trades in the first round is harder to do than predicting what kind of mood Billy Bob Thornton will be in when he sits down to give an interview. Zing!

      Some of you will inevitably feel as though that I have teams reaching with their picks. That’s fine, but realize that reaches are going to happen come Saturday because they’re just a part of the draft. If you disagree with any of my picks, go ahead and let me hear about it in the comments section. After all, the NFL draft is a spectacle and it’s supposed to be fun for fans. Enjoy all the action on Saturday and good luck to your favorite team on draft weekend.

      (Click here to see Mock Draft Version 1.0 and Mock Draft Version 2.0)

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