Page 1742 of 2957

Official 2009 NFL Draft Post & Rumor Mill

As the NFL draft rolls on over the next two days, I’ll post picks, thoughts and stay on top of any rumors that I hear and post them here. Enjoy.

2:55PM ET: Mike Mayock of the NFL Network claims that his “cell phone is blowing up” with reports that the Jets are trying to trade up to No. 2 for USC quarterback Mark Sanchez.

3:19PM ET: According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Dolphins will select Connecticut cornerback Darius Butler at No. 25.

3:22PM ET: The Rams could trade back into the first round for middle linebacker Rey Maualuga according to NFL Network’s Steve Wyche.

3:38PM ET: I’m shocked the Chiefs passed on Aaron Curry, but all the pre-draft rumors that said Tyson Jackson would be their pick were obviously dead on. Jackson is the best 3-4 end in the draft and obvious was a commodity.

3:40PM ET: The Browns got exactly what they wanted with this trade. They weren’t in love with anyone at No.5 and managed to trade out. Great move – I wonder what kind of ransom the Browns got.

3:42PM ET: Mike Mayock just made a great point about the Jets trading up to No. 5. What team did they want to get ahead of to go all the way up to No. 5?

3:45PM ET: DE Kenyon Coleman, QB Brett Ratliff, S Abram Elam No. 17 and No. 57. A sleeper in this deal is Elam, who is one of the more promising safeties in the draft.

3:52PM ET: The Bengals select OT Andre Smith – another low character guy for their low-character roster. He is a tremendous talent, but he comes with a ton of baggage.

Continue reading »

Your 2009 Rumor Riser: Tyson Jackson

Every year a rumor emerges in the days leading up to the NFL draft that sends all the talking heads in the media into an absolute frenzy.

This year’s rumor? LSU defensive end Tyson Jackson moving into the top 10, no wait, the top 5! Wait! Late word is that the Lions have scratched their choice of Matthew Stafford and are now taking Jackson with the top overall pick!

A month ago, Jackson was projected to go in the top 20, but no higher than No. 13 to Washington. Scouts dumped on his pass-rushing ability, but said he would be a nice addition to a team that needed a big-bodied run-stuffer on their defensive line.

But just less than a week ago, the National Football Post ran a story that the Chiefs were reportedly “in love” with Jackson and could take him No. 3 overall. Then Gil Brandt of the New York Daily News wrote that Jackson’s stock was rising and that KC was “smitten” with the defensive end. Now, fading (and I do mean fading) draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. has the Chiefs slated to take Jackson in his latest mock draft.

Continue reading »

Curry, Lawson and Ellington enter loaded pool of guard talent in NBA Draft

Stephen Curry

As all eyes turn to today’s NFL Draft, why not take a moment for a little speculating about June’s NBA Draft.

Three significant underclassmen guards announced their entry into the NBA Draft this week – Davidson’s Stephen Curry and North Carolina’s Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson – joining a talent pool already loaded with guards.

Here are list of a few more who figure to be in the running to be top 20 picks in this year’s draft:

Ricky Rubio, Spain

James Harden, Arizona State

Tyreke Evans, Memphis

Brandon Jennings, Italy

DeMar DeRozan, USC

Eric Maynor, VCU

Gerald Henderson, Duke

Jrue Holliday, UCLA

Terrence Williams, Louisville

Jonny Flynn, Syracuse

Jeff Teague, Wake Forest

Patrick Mills, St. Mary’s

The question is, where are these three newcomers going to go? ESPN’s Chad Ford doesn’t even have Ellington in his top 30 available prospects, and while he did come up big in the Tar Heels’ championship run this season, he had to withdraw from the draft last year because of a lack of interest from NBA teams.

Lawson’s stock is up this year, and he has the reputation of being one of the fastest end-to-end point guard prospects in the draft. But will NBA GMs side with him over the just-as-quick and better-shooting Jonny Flynn, Eric Maynor or Jeff Teague?

Same goes for Curry. From a production standpoint, he’s light years ahead of everybody on this list except perhaps Lawson or James Harden. But he would likely enter the NBA as the league’s skinniest player, and given teams’ tendencies to let workouts and physical potential rule the day, it may be tough for them to take Curry over say, a DeMar DeRozan, Tyreke Evans or even a Jrue Holliday – all players with NBA-ready bodies and major upside.

What will the Rams do at No. 2?

Now that the Detroit Lions have settled on quarterback Matthew Stafford with the top overall pick, the NFL draft world turns its attention to the St. Louis Rams, who for the second year in a row hold the No. 2 selection.

The latest buzz coming surrounding the Rams is that the team purchased a plane ticket for Mark Sanchez to fly to St. Louis on Sunday. But does that mean that they’ve settled on the former USC quarterback or is it a move generated to lure a team into trading up to their spot?

Marc Bulger is still the starter in St. Louis for now, but after signing a six-year, $65 million contract extension in late July of 2007, he has seemingly mailed it in the past two seasons. And considering Bulger has compiled a QB rating of 70.3 and 71.4 respectively the last two seasons, maybe the Rams really are set to take Sanchez so that they can develop him for the future.

But chances are the purchase of the plane ticket was just a bluff that other teams are going to call. Bulger is set to make a base salary of $6.5 million in 2009, $8.5 millon in 2010, $9 million in 2011 and 2012, and $11.5 million in 2013. Granted, only (only, ha!) $27 million of his contract is guaranteed, but still, it’s doubtful that they draft Sanchez soak that much money into the quarterback position.

The most logical pick for the Rams at No. 2 has been and still is offensive tackle Jason Smith of Baylor. After releasing Orlando Pace this offseason, left tackle remains a huge need and considering the Rams’ offense revolves around keeping Bulger upright and giving franchise running back Steven Jackson room to run, Smith seems like the most logical selection.

Top 10 active RBI leaders

You want a telling statistic in baseball? How about the good ol’ run batted in (RBI)? This is a stat usually dominated by home run hitters, but it’s also a good indicator of productivity at the plate. The guys on this list have been doing it over time, as well, whether they have been chemically enhanced or not, and to qualify, they must be currently on a major league roster:

1. Ken Griffey, Seattle Mariners (1774)—I can’t think of a classier player in the last 20 years. And how about these numbers….from 1996 to 1999, the last four years of Griffey’s first tenure with Seattle, he had 567 RBI. That’s an AVERAGE of 142 per season. Just sick.

2. Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers (1738)—For all the fun we poke at Man Ram for being a goofy, lazy, eccentric superstar, we always temper our joking with “but the guy sure can rake.” You want sick numbers? From 1995 when Manny began playing regularly (okay, it was technically 1994 but that season was cut way short) through 2008, he has averaged 111 RBI per season. Think about that.

3. Gary Sheffield, New York Mets (1634)—It’s hard to believe this guy has been in the big leagues longer than Griffey. And unlike some of the other guys on this list, Sheffield’s 1634 RBI is more about longevity, as his career high is only 132.

4. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees (1606)—A-Rod is almost a lock to pass 2000 RBI, and when you hear the other three names that have done that, it will blow your mind….Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Cap Anson.

5. Carlos Delgado, New York Mets (1504)—Another guy with a nice, long career, and he’s topped 100 RBI nine times….so far.

6. Jim Thome, Chicago White Sox (1498)—38 years old and he’s still mashing. I know I’ve written this before, but it’s hard to believe the Indians had Thome and Man Ram in the lineup as well as Albert Belle and Eddie Murray, and didn’t win like five titles.

7. Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves (1378)—Come to think of it, it’s hard to believe the Braves didn’t win more than one World Series after winning fourteen straight division crowns. But don’t blame Chipper.

8. Garret Anderson, Atlanta Braves (1292)—He’s lost some pop the last few seasons, but still a solid, productive player.

9. Jason Giambi, Oakland Athletics (1285)—He juiced, he admitted it, and everyone still loves this guy. Maybe that’s because he didn’t lie about it. And Giambi’s 32 homers and 96 RBI last year at the age of 37 proves he didn’t need the juice to begin with.

10. Vladimir Guerrero, Los Angeles Angels (1271)—Another freak of nature type hitter who has averaged 117 RBI per season over the course of his career. And Vlad is still only 34.

P.S. Did anyone else notice there are no Red Sox players on this list?

Source: Baseball Reference

« Older posts Newer posts »