Tag: 2009 NFL Draft (Page 17 of 26)

      King: Broncos not entertaining trade offers for Cutler

      March 18, 2009 /

      SI.com’s Peter King notes in his Tuesday edition of “Monday Morning Quarterback” that the Broncos aren’t currently entertaining any trade offers at this time for Jay Cutler.

      Jay CutlerHold off on the Jay Cutler trade talk — for now. A source close to one team that has inquired with the Broncos about the unhappy quarterback tells me the Broncos have told them they’re hanging on to Cutler and won’t entertain discussions for him at this time.

      That’s a natural thing for the Broncos to say. They can’t give Cutler or his agent, Bus Cook, a shred of evidence that they want to move him until coach Josh McDaniels is convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt the relationship with Cutler is not fixable. But it’s probably more likely than unlikely the Broncos will find the situation can’t be remedied, in my opinion. So I do expect Denver’s tune to change sometime between now and the April 25 draft, and I do expect Cutler to be traded.

      I expect the usual suspects to line up for Cutler — Detroit, Cleveland, San Francisco, Tennessee and perhaps Carolina, though the Panthers, without a first-round pick in the 2009 draft, will be at a severe disadvantage. But I don’t think he’ll end up in one of those spots unless Detroit offers the 20th and 33rd picks of the draft, and a player sweetener, straight up for him.

      I expect the most fervent suitors to be Tampa Bay and the New York Jets.

      I still think Detroit has the most to offer with two first round picks. Then again, they have a ton of holes to fill and giving up multiple draft picks for Cutler could be too much in the end when they could select Matthew Stafford with the first overall pick.

      My best guess is that Cutler gets dealt on one of the days leading up to the draft. But there’s a fair amount of time between now and then so maybe McDaniels can pull a rabbit out of his hat and remedy the situation before then.

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Bengals to take a look at Beanie Wells in first round?

      March 18, 2009 /

      According to the Dayton Daily News, the Bengals are believed to be high on Ohio State running back Chris “Beanie” Wells and could take him with the sixth overall pick.

      One impact player ranked high on the team’s list is Ohio State running back Chris “Beanie” Wells. The Bengals have a need for a playmaker at the running back position behind starter Cedric Benson and Wells is scheduled to visit the organization in Cincinnati the first week of April.

      Wells may have put himself back in the running as a potential Top 5 pick after an explosive performance at the school’s pro day on March 13, rebounding from a so-so showing at the Scouting Combine last month.

      The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Wells was clocked as low as 4.34 and as high as 4.42 in the 40-yard dash. I’m told that he also fared well during position drills, grabbing the attention of all 32 team representatives in attendance.

      The Seattle Seahawks with the No. 3 pick and Cleveland Browns at No. 5 have expressed interest in the running back. Other teams at top of the draft board expressing interest include Green Bay, Jacksonville, Denver and Cincinnati of course.

      Wells worked out privately for the Broncos on Tuesday, March 17. According to a source with knowledge of the situation, the workout went extremely well.

      Wells hasn’t showed any lingering affects from the injury he had early in the ’08 college season and he has absolutely blown away scouts in private workouts. He’s a big, strong back that can not only run effectively through the tackles, but also shows great speed in the open field.

      Surprisingly, there hasn’t been a lot of talk surrounding Wells so far. One reason could be the amount of depth there is at the running back position in this year’s draft. Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno, Pittsburgh’s LeSean “Shady” McCoy, Connecticut’s Donald Brown, N.C. State’s Andre Brown and Iowa’s Shonn Greene are all talented prospects that teams could land in any of the top three rounds.

      But out of that group, Wells still has the best combination of size, strength and speed. He shouldn’t be overlooked.

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Bears need dramatic upgrade at wide receiver

      March 18, 2009 /

      Earl BennettAccording to the Chicago Sun Times, the Bears are giving former third round pick Earl Bennett every opportunity to start at wide receiver opposite Devin Hester this season. Bennett, mind you, is the same dropped-prone receiver who didn’t catch one pass last year because he was inactive for seven of the 16 games and couldn’t beat out stalwarts Marty Booker, Rashied Davis and Brandon Lloyd on the depth chart.

      The Bears need to do something about their receiving corps and soon. Torry Holt has lost a step, but he would be an instant upgrade at the position and could serve as a tutor for guys like Hester and Bennett. Holt is apparently out of the country right now on vacation and won’t be visiting teams for the next couple days, but the Bears would be wise to get the 32-year old’s agent on the phone, like, now.

      The draft is also littered with receivers and while I certainly don’t advocate the Bears taking one in the first round (everything GM Jerry Angelo touches in the first round turns to rabbit turd anyway), prospects like Hakeem Nicks (North Carolina) and Brian Robiskie (Ohio State) should be there in the second.

      I had a chance to watch the scouting combine on the NFL Network in February and Robiskie was impressive. Out of all the receivers who worked out, Robiskie seemed to run the smoothest routes and was very fluid in his motions. He’s not the fastest prospsect (his 40 is a good but not great 4.51), but Robiskie is the son of an NFL assistant (Falcons’ wide receiver coach Terry Robiskie), so you know he’s received a fair amount of coaching throughout his playing career. The Ohio State product looks like one of the more polished receiver prospects in the draft.

      Whatever route the Bears want to take in acquiring a receiver doesn’t matter. But they dramatically need to upgrade the position this offseason because I highly doubt Hester and Bennett give quarterback Kyle Orton the best chance of succeeding.

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Jay Cutler the Lion?

      March 16, 2009 /

      Let me state for the record that I’m just speculating here, but if the Broncos do eventually decide to trade disgruntled quarterback Jay Cutler, the Detroit Lions seem like a perfect fit.

      The Lions are in obvious need of a quarterback and currently hold the No. 1 and No. 20 overall picks in next month’s draft. If they’re interested in Cutler, they could offer the No. 1 pick, assuming that Denver also swings Detroit a mid rounder as part of the package.

      The quarterback class in this year’s draft is awfully weak. Assuming of course that the Broncos would be willing to trade Cutler, wouldn’t the Lions be better off with him than Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez? Even if they do give up the No. 1 pick for Cutler, they still have the No. 20 pick to address their need at left tackle (Michael Oher, anyone?).

      Cutler hasn’t won anything yet and has proven to be an arrogant crybaby at times, but there’s no denying that he has the physical tools to succeed in the NFL. That’s not to say that Stafford or Sanchez don’t, but at least Cutler already has experience under his belt and 25 (he’ll be 26 at the end of April) he’s still awfully young.

      I guess what it boils down to is how much the Lions value Stafford and Sanchez. If they have their hearts set on drafting a quarterback at No. 1, then pursing a trade for Cutler seems like a no-brainer. He can start now – Stafford and Sanchez can’t. But if they feel that left tackle is a bigger need and have players like Baylor’s Jason Smith and Virginia’s Eugene Monroe rated significantly higher than the other offensive tackle prospects, then their quarterback need could be placed on the backburner.

      The Lions need everything, but quarterback, offensive tackle and middle linebacker are their three biggest question marks. Out of the three, offensive tackle and linebacker are deeper positions than quarterback. If Detroit swings a deal for Cutler, they could still get a good offensive tackle or linebacker with their No. 20 pick, as well as with their second and third round selections. (Another possibility is the Lions could trade the No. 20 pick and maybe a third rounder for Cutler if they feel as though giving up the No. 1 pick would be too steep.)

      As for Denver, head coach Josh McDaniels has already stated that the team has no intentions of trading Cutler. But the situation seems to be getting much worse and maybe soon the Broncos won’t have a choice but to seek out a trade. But obviously McDaniels would have to feel that either Stafford or Sanchez are better fits for his offense then Cutler is. It wouldn’t make any sense to give up a young starting quarterback to get the No. 1 pick if there isn’t a prospect that McDaniels doesn’t believe that he can develop.

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Seahawks trade Julian Peterson to Lions for Cory Redding

      March 15, 2009 /

      The Seahawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson to the Lions for defensive tackle Cory Redding and a fifth round pick according to FOX Sports.com.

      The deal raises questions about Detroit’s draft-day plans. The Lions hold the top overall pick and Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry had been suggested as a candidate for that spot.

      The Seahawks gave Peterson a $54 million, seven-year contract three years ago after their Super Bowl appearance in Detroit. Peterson became an expensive asset because linebacker Leroy Hill got $8.4 million guaranteed this year with a franchise tag and Lofa Tatupu signed a $42 million contract a year ago.

      Peterson will team up with Ernie Sims and give the Lions a solid outside linebacker duo. They still need to find a middle linebacker, however, and now address the hole they’ve created on their defensive line after trading Redding.

      As the article suggests, this move probably means that Curry won’t be the top pick. Unless there’s a sleeper candidate out there (B.J. Raji?), the Lions will probably choose between Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford and Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith.

      NFL

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