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Leinart and Cutler to fall?

ESPN.com’s John Clayton is reporting in his First and 10 column that surprises might await the highly touted quarterback prospects in tomorrows draft.

It appears that the Titans are leaning toward Vince Young, because as Clayton is reporting, they feel he could become a better quarterback than Matt Leinart. Apparently, the Jets are not interested in drafting a quarterback and are rumored to be after Virginia’s D’Brickashaw Ferguson.

What this means for Leinart and Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler is a potential fall out of the top 10. Although it’s doubtful that Leinart would fall past Oakland at No.7, if the Lions and Cardinals pass on Cutler, it could be a potential repeat of last year when California QB Aaron Rodgers fell all the way to the bottom half of the first round

The Raiders would take Young at No. 7 but there is no guarantee they would take Leinart over safety Michael Huff. The longest fall for Leinart could be to No. 13 in Baltimore. And what about Cutler? If Detroit at No. 9, Arizona at No. 10 and St. Louis at No. 11 pass on him, Cutler could drop to the Vikings at No. 17.

Other interesting notes out of Clayton’s rumor bin is the absolute lack of highly ranked wide receivers as well as what possible trades may occur once the top 10 are selected.

On a side note: Join me, Anthony Stalter right here at www.scoresreport.com tomorrow April 29th and Sunday April 30th for a full two days of NFL draft coverage. I’ll be providing updates on selections, trades and all things draft. So, feel free to post your opinions, comments or any questions you have for me relating to the draft. See you this weekend!

ESPN’s mock draft

ESPN writers John Clayton and Len Pasquarelli conducted an online mock draft of the first round. Here’s how they projected the first few picks to go:

1. Texans – Reggie Bush, RB
When you have the chance to get a once-in-a-generation player, and add him to one of the league’s worst offenses, money shouldn’t be the overriding factor. The Texans will take Bush.

2. Saints – Mario Williams, DE
Saints would prefer to move down and take someone like Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk, but aren’t getting many offers. Even with two former first-round ends on the roster, Williams is too good to pass up.

3. Titans – Vince Young, QB
Lots of intrigue in the Titans war room, with battle lines drawn between the Young and Matt Leinart supporters. The last time we looked, Bud Adams was still signing the paychecks, and the Titans’ owner is believed to favor Young.

4. Jets – D’Brickashaw Ferguson, OT
The fans might want Leinart, but it doesn’t matter who the quarterback is if you can’t protect him. Ferguson is one of the safest picks in the draft and he’ll help solidify a shaky line.

5. Packers – A.J. Hawk, LB
Hawk has been the main Packers target the entire offseason. He’ll add skill and leadership to their defense. While Hawk is the likely pick, don’t be surprised if general manager switches off to give Brett Favre tight end Vernon Davis.

6. 49ers – Vernon Davis, TE
The 49ers are fine whether they get Davis or Hawk. Figuring they would probably end up with Davis, the 49ers traded up with Denver to get the 22nd pick in the first round and be in position to get a defensive back or a linebacker. The 49ers just need starters.

7. Raiders – Matt Leinart, QB
Aaron Brooks was signed as a one-year fix at quarterback, so the Raiders can’t turn down a franchise quarterback, whether it’s Leinart or Young. Al Davis isn’t the biggest fan of left-handed quarterbacks, despite the success of Ken Stabler, but Leinart is too talented to pass up.

It’s interesting that Pasquarelli believes that the Titans will take Young over Leinart. Many think that Tennessee’s “internal dispute” over the two QBs is just a smokescreen to keep other teams from trading up to the #2 spot to grab Leinart. Teams would less likely to try to trade up if they believed there was a chance that the Titans would pass on Leinart. I’m guessing that Leinart will go to Tennessee and that Young will be the QB that will fall to Oakland.

Also, if the Jets do pass on Leinart (or Young for that matter), expect a lot of “boos” from the NY Jets faithful, who will no doubt be out in force at the draft.

Couch Potato Alert

The NBA playoffs continue this weekend, with a total of 11 games on four different networks. The NFL Draft starts Saturday and continues on Sunday, with coverage provided by ESPN and ESPN2. NBC has two NHL playoff games – one on Saturday and one on Sunday. There is only one nationally televised MLB game, the Texas/Cleveland tilt on ESPN Sunday night.

NBA
Fri, 8 PM: Cleveland @ Washington – ESPN
Fri, 10 PM: San Antonio @ Sacramento – ESPN 2
Fri, 10:30 PM: Phoenix @ LA Lakers – ESPN
Sat, 3 PM: New Jersey @ Indiana – TNT
Sat, 5:30 PM: Dallas @ Memphis – TNT
Sat, 8 PM: Detroit @ Milwaukee – ESPN
Sat, 10:30 PM: LA Clippers @ Denver – ESPN
Sun, 1 PM: Miami @ Chicago – ABC
Sun, 3:30 PM: Phoenix @ LA Lakers – ABC
Sun, 7:30 PM: Cleveland @ Washington – TNT
Sun, 10 PM: San Antonio @ San Antonio – TNT

NFL
Sat, 12 PM – 8 PM: NFL Draft – ESPN
Sat, 8 PM – 10 PM: NFL Draft – ESPN2
Sun, 11 AM – 6 PM: NFL Draft – ESPN

MLB
Sun, 8:05 PM: Texas @ Cleveland – ESPN

NHL
Sat, 3 PM: NY Rangers @ NJ Devils – NBC
Sun, 2 PM: Philadelphia @ Buffalo – NBC

Playoff Update 4/28

The Cavs/Wizards, Spurs/Kings and Suns/Lakers play tonight. Here’s what happened last night:

Indiana 107, New Jersey 95 (Indiana leads series, 2-1)
Now they’ve done it. They’ve gone and pissed Jermaine O’Neal off. Who is “they,” you ask? I’m not exactly sure, but after being fined for comments about the officiating, O’Neal filleted the Nets for 37 points and 15 rebounds in Game 3. The Pacers enjoyed 25 points, eight assists and five boards from Anthony Johnson, who seems to be perennially underrated. I’m not sure why Indiana keeps going with Jamaal Tinsley when AJ is the better guard. The Pacers held the Nets to just 39% shooting and only allowed double-figure scoring from the Nets’ “Big 3.” Game 4 is pretty much a must-win for the Nets, who don’t want to go home down three games to one.

Chicago 109, Miami 90 (Miami leads series, 2-1)
The Bulls are not dead yet. Chicago capitalized on one of Shaquille O’Neal’s worst games, blowing out the Heat and embarrassing them in the process. O’Neal had just eight points and four rebounds and went 0-6 from the free throw line. In fairness, he was plagued by foul trouble and only played 24 minutes. Chicago’s balanced attack – which included four players scoring 19+ points – was too much for a Miami squad that was without the Diesel. Chicago is not going to roll over in this series, so the Heat better use this game as motivation if they want to avoid turning this into a three-game series.

Denver 94, LA Clippers 87 (LA leads the series, 2-1)
This game wasn’t about who played better, it was about who played worse. The Clippers missed a golden opportunity to effectively win the series. Tied 70-70 going into the fourth quarter, the Clippers just looked out of synch, scoring only 17 points in the final period, going a miserable 5 of 16 (31%) from the field while committing four turnovers. Elton Brand didn’t play his normal game, but did manage 17/8 before fouling out, which shows you just how consistent of a player he is. Denver didn’t exactly play well either, but they did enough to get the victory. Five Nuggets scored double-digits, led by Carmelo Anthony’s 24 points.

I want to ride my…

…badass Supercross bike, baby!

Okay, normally we don’t use this blog to promote stuff the way that the publicists would like us to, but this one seemed too cool to pass up. and we’re not even Supercross guys at heart. Amp’d Mobile is giving away two Chad Reed motorcycles (full disclosure: I have no idea who Chad Reed is), along with some other stuff. And as daredevil Lance Murdoch said on “The Simpsons,” bones heal, chicks dig scars, and the US has the highest nurse-to-patient ratio in the world. You’d be crazy not to enter this contest. Just don’t tell your wife until after you’ve won.

To enter the contest, click here.

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