Tag: 2011 NFL Draft (Page 18 of 20)

      2011 NFL Draft Needs: AFC East

      February 16, 2011 /
      New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan reacts on the sidelines in the fourth quarter against the Buffalo Bills in week 17 of the NFL season at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on January 2, 2011. The Jets defeated the Bills 38-7 and advance to the playoffs. UPI /John Angelillo

      2011 NFL Draft Needs: AFC East | AFC North | NFC East | NFC North

      No. 3 Buffalo Bills
      Top Needs: DE, OLB, QB, OT
      When a team holds the No. 3 selection in the draft they usually don’t have just one need: they have multiple needs. That fits the Bills, who could stand upgrades at linebacker, offensive tackle, quarterback and defensive end. Linebacker is arguably their biggest positional need seeing as how Akin Ayodele is a free agent and Andra Davis (who was replaced in the starting lineup by Ayodele during the season) has just one year remaining on his current deal. Finding someone to play alongside Paul Posluszny in the middle is important but locating a solid pass-rusher is vital, whether that comes at defensive end or outside linebacker. If Buffalo thinks Shawne Merriman can resurrect his career, they can either invest their top pick in a D-end or a quarterback.
      Possibilities in the First Round: Da’Quan Bowers (Clemson); Cam Newton (Auburn), Blaine Gabbert (Missouri).

      No. 15 Miami Dolphins
      Top Needs: RB, QB, S
      Two years ago when the Dolphins were running the updated version of the single wing (or as the kids call it these days, “the Wildcat formation”), they had two capable runners in Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. But there’s a good chance that both have played their final downs in Miami. Brown can’t stay healthy through a full 16-game season and Williams is a free agent (who has also taken to criticizing his head coach and teammates). South Beach has been mentioned as a possible landing spot for DeAngelo Williams, which makes sense. But with the uncertainty of the CBA deal, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Dolphins took someone like Alabama’s Mark Ingram in the first round. If not, there’s no doubt that this team needs more consistency at the quarterback position, which is where a signal caller like Ryan Mallett of Arkansas makes sense. (Or Cam Newton if he falls.)
      Possibilities in the First Round: Mark Ingram (Alabama), Ryan Mallett (Arkansas), Cam Newton (Auburn).

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      External Sports, NFL

      2011 NFL Mock Draft 1.0

      February 14, 2011 /
      Missouri Tigers quarterback Blaine Gabbert runs onto the field for a game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri on October 23, 2010. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

      2011 NFL Draft Needs: AFC East | AFC North | NFC East | NFC North

      I usually don’t release my first mock draft until after the scouting combine, but if devote one more post to Albert Pujols’ contract situation I think my head will explode.

      This is an extremely rough draft, one in which I’m basically just trying to match needs. With it only being February 14, it’s hard to do much else at this point.

      1. Carolina Panthers: Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
      Carolina’s biggest need may actually be defensive tackle, which is why Auburn’s Nick Fairley is being talked about at this spot. But if you have the chance to draft a franchise quarterback with your first pick, you don’t pass on that opportunity. There have been reports that Gabbert’s stock is falling, but I don’t buy that. He’s got great size, a strong arm and is an accurate passer. What more do you want out of a quarterback prospect?

      2. Denver Broncos: Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn
      The Broncos’ top two needs are cornerback and defensive tackle, so with the Panthers passing on Fairley at No. 1, he’s a great fit for Denver at No. 2. The Broncos are expected to switch to a 4-3 under new head coach John Fox and what better way to usher in a new scheme than to add the best defender in the draft? Jamal Williams probably won’t be back because he’s not a great fit for the 4-3, while Marcus Thomas and Justin Bannan are fits for the scheme but not disruptive players. That’s where Fairley comes in.

      3. Buffalo Bills: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn Tigers
      The opinions on Newton vary. Some believe he’s sure to go in the top-10 while others think he’ll fall into the second round. I’m somewhere in between. He certainly has the size and athletic ability to be a top-5 pick but there are questions about whether or not he can run a pro-style offense. That’s why Buffalo is an intriguing landing spot for him. Chan Gailey likes quarterbacks who can run and are versatile, which obviously fits Newton. Will the Bills think highly enough of him to take him at No. 3 though?

      4. Cincinnati Bengals: D’aQuan Bowers, DE, Clemson
      The Bengals’ biggest needs are wide receiver and safety, so Georgia wideout A.J. Green is an option here. But if Bowers falls, I can’t see the Bengals passing on one of the best defenders in the draft. Carlos Dunlap is a fixture at one end spot and Robert Geathers is nice in a rotation, but Antwan Odom has been a major injury concern the last two years and Michael Johnson is still a project, so the team would find room for Bowers.

      5. Arizona Cardinals: Tyron Smith, OT, USC
      The Cardinals’ biggest need is at quarterback but many pundits believe they’ll look to add a signal caller through free agency. The Cardinals have drafted only one offensive lineman in the first four rounds since Ken Whisenhunt became head coach in 2007. They’re due to address the position and while Smith may be a reach at this spot, he’s an athletic marvel that could give the Cards options at tackle down the road.

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      College Football, External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      Is Blaine Gabbert’s stock dropping?

      February 12, 2011 /
      Missouri Tigers quarterback Blaine Gabbert throws the football in the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma Sooners at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri on October 23, 2010. Missouri defeated Oklahoma 36-27. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

      Almost right on cue, the supposed No. 1 quarterback’s stock is starting to fall.

      Every year the media crowns someone the best quarterback prospect in the draft and every year that top signal caller’s stock starts to fall right around the combine. This year, the QB atop most pundits’ rankings is Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert, whose draft stock has begun “slipping” according to ESPN’s Mel Kiper.

      Rotoworld has the details:

      According to Kiper, Gabbert’s fall has occurred after NFL teams did “more film work” on the underclassman’s junior year. It’s true that Gabbert did not dominate his competition in 2010, throwing for 16 touchdowns compared to nine picks and averaging an unimpressive 6.71 yards per attempt. Gabbert was much better as a sophomore.

      I always find reports like these humorous because they’re so vague. How many teams are we talking about? Because there are five teams in the top-10 that could use a quarterback (Carolina, Buffalo, Arizona, San Francisco and Tennessee), seven if you believe the Bengals will trade Carson Palmer and the Redskins will dump Donovan McNabb.

      Have all those teams soured on Gabbert after watching more film? Have three? Have two? Have one?

      Or were these not the teams that Kiper was referring to? If they weren’t, then I wonder why Gabbert’s stock would fall just because teams that draft in the middle or bottom half of the first round didn’t like what they saw on film.

      I’m not trying to discredit Kiper’s report but without knowing what teams have soured on Gabbert, this news means very little. Plus, he’s a junior so he didn’t perform at the Senior Bowl, the combine is still over a week away and he hasn’t had his Pro Day yet. There’s still a lot of time before the draft, so I would take reports like these with a grain of salt.

      College Football, External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      Mike Mayock top-5 prospects at each position

      February 11, 2011 /
      Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett (15) is chased from the pocket by Ohio State defensive lineman Cameron Hayward (97) during first half action of the 77th Annual Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana January 4, 2011. UPI/A.J. Sisco

      Mike Mayock is one of the more respected NFL draft analysts in the business. Rotoworld does a great job following his rankings and they recently compiled his top-5 prospects at every position.

      Quarterbacks
      1. Blaine Gabbert, Missouri
      2. Jake Locker, Washington
      3. Cam Newton, Auburn
      4. Ryan Mallett, Arkansas
      5. Andy Dalton, TCU

      Comments: Mayock says he’s not done with his quarterback evaluation, but he’s made some changes since January. He’s now got Dalton alone in the five spot after the Horned Frogs’ four-year starter previously shared the position with Ricky Stanzi, Colin Kaepernick, and Pat Devlin. Devlin’s stock appears to have plummeted since a poor showing at the East-West Shrine Game. Senior Bowl MVP Christian Ponder remains absent from the list.

      Check out the rest of his positional rankings.

      It’ll be interesting to see if Newton eventually moves past Locker (or even Gabbert, for that matter) the closer we get to the draft. Locker was unimpressive during Senior Bowl week and Newton’s personal media workout on Thursday was reportedly “phenomenal.”

      Of course, the quarterback in this year’s class that intrigues me the most is Mallett. At 6’6” and 238 pounds, he certainly has the size to be a NFL quarterback. He also has great arm strength and he’s coming off a year in which he threw for 3,869 yards and 32 touchdowns.

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      College Football, External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

      Newton’s media day workout “phenomenal”?

      February 10, 2011 /
      Auburn Tigers Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Cam Newton warms up for the Tigers game against the Oregon Ducks at the BCS Championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ, January 10,2011. UPI/Art Foxall

      At least one analyst enjoyed Auburn quarterback Cam Newton’s media day workout.

      From Bruce Feldman’s Twitter page:

      Cam Newton session is done. Wow. Trent Dilfer: “That was phenomenal. If scouts saw this they’d have been slobbering.” More on ESPN.com later

      The workout was done in a controlled environment, so it’s not surprising that Newton impressed. But considering he’s been working on his footwork and trying to get acclimated to taking snaps from under center, this is a positive report.

      There’s no doubt that Newton has the physical tools to be a first round pick and maybe even a top-5 selection. He’s 6-6, 250 pounds, has tremendous athleticism and very good arm strength. You could make a case for being the best quarterback in this year’s draft class, which includes Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert (whom many pundits have listed as the top signal caller).

      Of course, the one question that often gets overlooked at this time of year as it pertains to draft prospects is whether or not they have the work ethic. Is Newton willing to put in the work to become great? Not every prospect has Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers’ natural abilities but devotion has nothing to do with how accurate or far you can throw a pass. JaMarcus Russell could throw a ball 50 yards from the seat of his pants but the guy never studied or had the desire to be any better than he was. Simply put, his work ethic stunk.

      Players find out rather quickly that their natural abilities will only take them so far in the NFL. It’ll be interesting to see if Newton has the work ethic to match his draft standing.

      College Football, External Sports, NFL, NFL Draft

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