Category: NFL Draft (Page 63 of 102)

      Mel Kiper is losing it

      April 13, 2009 /

      During one of his recent chats on ESPN.com, Mel Kiper answered a reader’s question about the quarterback class of 2010 and listed Central Michigan’s Dan LeFevour as the next best signal caller behind Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford.

      Jeff, Mpls: Looking ahead, will next years QB class be a lot better than this years?

      Mel Kiper: Next year’s QB class will have Sam Bradford as the No. 1 guy. After that, you’d be looking at Dan LeFevour out of Central Michigan. Bradford should be the No. 1 overall pick. LeFevour in the top 10-15. Colt McCoy. Then Tim Tebow will factor in. And Pike out of Cincinnati.

      I love Dan LeFevour. I’m a CMU grad and credit him for making the Chips relevant again in the MAC. He’s fun to watch and I’ll root for him no matter where he winds up. But I want some of whatever Kiper is smoking because there’s no way LeFevour is the second best quarterback behind Bradford in the 2010 draft class.

      First and foremost, LeFevour rarely takes a snap from under center and he plays in the spread offense. He’s mobile, tough and he has decent size at 6’3″, 229 pounds. But he doesn’t have great arm strength or accuracy, doesn’t play against top competition in college and one has to believe that he would struggle trying to grasp a pro style offense. Kiper is nuts if he sees LeFevour as a top 15 pick.

      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

      Are the Browns getting close to trading Quinn and Edwards?

      April 12, 2009 /

      According to a report by the National Football Post, the Browns have received offers for quarterback Brady Quinn and wideout Braylon Edwards and are likely to eventually move both players.

      The Cleveland Browns have been engaging in talks to trade quarterback Brady Quinn and wide receiver Braylon Edwards, according to our own Michael Lombardi of the National Football Post.
      Lombardi reports he is hearing from multiple league sources that the Browns have a first round pick on the table for Quinn, but may be looking for more. Two teams are currently interested in Quinn’s services.

      In addition, Lombardi is hearing that the Browns have a first round pick on the table for wide receiver Braylon Edwards and will most likely trade him before the start of next season.

      One other note: Lombardi is hearing the Browns are very interested in Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree.

      What’s interesting about the speculation surrounding Cleveland trading Quinn and Edwards is that it isn’t dying down. Even though these are still only rumors, at this point you have to kind of buy into the notion that new head coach Eric Mangini and GM George Kokinis want to blow up the roster and start fresh. They want their own players and that means guys like Quinn, Edwards and Kellen Winslow (who was already dealt this offseason to the Bucs) will eventually be sold to the highest bidder. The Browns are going to be one of the most interesting teams to follow leading up to the draft.

      For what it’s worth, I had the Browns taking Crabtree with their first round pick in my second mock, assuming that Edwards would be dealt on or around draft day. But they could also be looking at USC quarterback Mark Sanchez at No. 5 so he could groom under Derek Anderson for a year or two.

      NFL, NFL Draft, Rumors & Gossip

      Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft: Sanchez goes no. 13 to the Skins

      April 11, 2009 /

      Mark SanchezMel Kiper dropped his latest mock draft this week on ESPN.com (first 16 picks free, next three and a half rounds Insider only).

      It’s similar in most ways to what he’s been saying over the past few months, with Matthew Stafford going no. 1 overall to the Lions and Jason Smith and Aaron Curry going 2-3 to the Rams and Chiefs, respectively.

      A couple of wrinkles made it in, however. For one, he has the Bills taking DE Robert Ayers of Tennessee with the 11th pick. How this guy is shooting up so many draft charts is beyond me – he played average for a crummy team last year and had sub-par workouts. He certainly doesn’t seem to be in the same class as Aaron Maybin, Brian Orakpo, Everette Brown and Tyson Jackson.

      Mel also has Mark Sanchez sliding all the way to the Washington Redskins at no. 13. Three teams that could use a quarterback (the Jaguars at no. 8, the 49ers at no. 10, and the Broncos at no. 12) pick before then. Kiper has said repeatedly, and with good reason, that none of this year’s quarterbacks are ready to start right away, but Sanchez is more than worth a flier for a team lacking long-term stability at QB. The USC man has a chance to be a franchise saver in the mold of Matt Ryan, perhaps even more so than Stafford.

      Lastly, what is the reason for the sudden drop by Percy Harvin? Kiper himself calls the Florida Gator a Reggie Bush-type player, with running and pass-catching abilities. Bush went no. 2 overall, and while injury-prone throughout his short career, has certified himself as one of the league’s best playmakers. If Harvin is the same type of guy, I don’t see how Harvin would last past the first 15 picks.

      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

      Should the Lions pass on No. 1 pick?

      April 10, 2009 /

      There’s a notion currently making its rounds on the net that the Lions should allow the time to expire on draft day and pass on the No. 1 pick, essentially relieving themselves of the financial burden that comes along with having the top overall selection.

      Given how ridiculous the rookie salaries are these days in the NFL and the fact that it’s a weak draft class, the idea makes sense. If the Lions allow the Rams, Chiefs or Seahawks to select before they do, then they’ll be on the hook financially for the No. 2, No. 3 or No. 4 pick and not the top spot.

      But while in theory it makes sense, realistically Detroit could lose more than it gains in the end. First of all, the Lions have holes all over their roster and they need to address those needs by getting quality players. And if they do strike gold with those selections, whether they pay now or later, they’ll eventually have to pay. To be clearer, if they allow the clock to expire and take Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford at No. 3 instead of No. 1 and he becomes a Pro Bowler over the next couple years, his next contract is going to be hefty regardless of what he signed his rookie deal for. So again, whether they pay now or later, they’ll have to pay if they wind up getting a good player.

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      NFL, NFL Draft

      Athlete Profile: Brian Orakpo

      April 9, 2009 /

      265

      I remember back in high school when I discovered Final Fantasy 7 and my life changed forever. 10 years later I’m better than all my friends at riding chocobos and using potions. Hooray. I suppose we could compare my gargantuan accomplishment with Brian Orakpo’s if I try really hard. Seems Orakpo started as a mere basketball star, and by the time he matriculated, had discovered he was in fact one of the best defensive football players in the country. Big whoop.

      Facetiousness aside, it takes a hell of a lot of work to reach the level that Orakpo has, especially in so short a time. According to Orakpo’s high school teammate Drew Kelson in an article on Inside Texas.com:

      “Freshman football was merely about playing in front of all your classmates right on the campus football field. Simply having a uniform and getting a chance to play was cool.”

      That is not the kind of atmosphere I have been led to expect from Texas high school football. Shame on you Friday Night Lights. No, I take it back; I can’t stay mad at you.

      So Orakpo spent his first couple of seasons at Lamar High School in Houston impressing the ladies and looking good. Not too shabby. But there came a time for the young Orakpo when he realized that he could actually make something out of this football thing, perhaps a big something. By the time high school was over, Orakpo had been recognized throughout the country as a defensive prospect and had been recruited to play for the University of Texas.

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