I have two things to say about this video: 1) I have no idea why they are high-fiving each other and yelling to people off camera just because there was some breaking news, and 2) this has to be one of the most awkward transitions ever. They go from a joyful celebration into a somber “the families are affected” mode. Odd.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter predicts that Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen will fall to the bottom of the first round, where the Vikings will take him at No. 30.
Dallas Morning News columnist Rick Gosselin (who annually puts out some of the most accurate mock drafts) predicts the same thing.
The Vikings were hoping a cornerback would slide to them but instead hit the jackpot with the slide of Clausen. He gives them their QB of the future when Brett Favre finally does retire, probably in 2011.
Well, my final mock just got blown to hell. I have Clausen falling to the Bills at No. 9 and I even had him as high as No. 4 to the Redskins before they acquired Donovan McNabb. Schefter is one of the most reliable NFL media members around and as previously noted, Gosselin is well respected around this time of year too.
I guess it wouldn’t surprise me to see Clausen fall. In fact, nothing would surprise me. The media tries its best to predict what will happen, but in reality, not even the teams know how things will play out. A team like the Vikings have an idea about who will be left on the board when they pick later tonight at No. 30, but really, they have to wait to find out just like everyone else. Players that they thought would be there won’t be, while a player they may have rated higher on their board will still be available. It happens every year.
Last year, linebacker Rey Maualuga was supposed to be a sure-fire top 20 pick and he fell all the way to the Bengals in the second round (No. 38 overall). In 2008, receiver Devin Thomas was supposed to be a first rounder and he too fell into the second round at pick No. 34 (Washington). So nobody knows.
It’ll be interesting to see how far Clausen falls, because he’s the one quarterback at the top of his position class that actually played in a pro style offense. Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow, Tony Pike and Dan LeFevour all played in the spread, which scares a lot of scouts because it takes time for those quarterbacks to develop. One would think that Clausen would be a top 15 pick, but maybe not.
Let’s start with the St. Louis Rams. They have the No. 1 pick, and many people believe St. Louis likes Suh more than McCoy. Here’s the problem: Drafting Suh No. 1 when the franchise is without a true starting quarterback doesn’t make much sense, particularly if the Rams don’t bring back Marc Bulger.
The problem facing the Rams is that they aren’t one defensive tackle away from being competitive. They went 1-15 this past season. Adding Suh without a top quarterback might keep the Rams in double-digit loss territory.
Dominating defensive tackles can make an impact on good teams, but they don’t always change the fate of bad teams. Former Steelers coach Chuck Noll built his Steel Curtain defense around Mean Joe Greene, but that team was loaded with Hall of Famers. Defensive tackles who go to bad teams can do only so much.
The Seahawks got a Hall of Fame career from defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy, the third pick in the 1990 draft, but Seattle had only one playoff appearance during his great career. Glenn Dorsey, the fifth pick in the 2008 draft, didn’t stop the downturn of the Kansas City Chiefs. Steve Emtman (Colts) and Dan Wilkinson (Bengals) were top picks, but they didn’t turn around bad teams. The Cleveland Browns drafted Gerard Warren No. 3 in 2001, but the team struggled throughout the 2000s.
That’s why I predict the Rams will draft Bradford instead of Suh.
Click the link above to check out Clayton’s entire piece – it’s a good read.
Clayton’s colleague, Adam Schefter makes the same prediction for the Rams: that they will/should take Bradford. Given the money that will be invested with the No. 1 pick, it makes sense that the Rams would take a quarterback over a defensive tackle.
However, that doesn’t mean that they should. The key for teams in the draft is to select the right player that fits their scheme, regardless of position. If they draft Bradford just because it makes fiscal sense and he winds up being a bust, they could set themselves back years in the process. If they take Suh and he turns out to be a Pro Bowler, then they made the right decision, regardless of how much money they invest in his position.
The idea makes sense on the surface, but this is the same line of reasoning as a team drafting a quarterback or running back just to sell tickets. While Clayton is right in saying that Suh (or McCoy, or Eric Berry, or whoever) won’t turn a 1-15 team into a 15-1 team, at least they would be heading in the right direction by making a sound football decision.
We’ll see. If Bradford (or Jimmy Clausen) is high on the Rams’ draft board and he develops into a great quarterback, then St. Louis wins on all fronts. Again, the key is drafting the right player.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter told a St. Louis radio station that the Rams will select quarterback Sam Bradford with the No. 1 overall pick this year. The caveat is that Schefter wasn’t reporting the news, but merely making a prediction.
Schefter is always good for information around this time of year, so I wouldn’t doubt it if the Rams did take Bradford No. 1. After all, they do need a quarterback and if Steve Spagnuolo and his staff feel as though the Oklahoma product is a franchise-type signal caller, then it will be hard for them to pass.
Schefter also noted that St. Louis is reluctant to pay No. 1 money to a defensive player such as Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh or Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy. Of all the Rams’ many needs, defensive tackle isn’t necessarily a high priority so it makes sense that the Rams would pass on Suh and McCoy and take Bradford or Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen.
That said, GM Billy Devaney is familiar with former Falcons quarterback Michael Vick from their days in Atlanta. It’s not a stretch to believe that Devaney will send a draft pick to Philadelphia for Vick and then take Suh or McCoy with the No. 1 pick, seeing as how those two players are the best on the board. Drafting in the top 5 is a different animal, as teams usually throw out the word “need” and just try to acquire talent to restock their roster.
We’ll see if Schefter called this one come April, but as of right now there’s still a lot of mystery and intrigue involving the No. 1 pick.
Is it just me or was this a fairly useless clip? The only possible nugget of information is that the Broncos are working harder behind the scenes to move Marshall than they’ve been letting on. (But isn’t this fairly intuitive given all the trouble Marshall has caused over the last couple of weeks?) This is supposed to be the latest news on Marshall, but he only rehashes everything we already know (that the Jets are interested, that the Broncos are interested, and that the money could be a hold up).
Schefter says that if the Jets offer the Broncos a package that meets their expectations, then the Broncos will move Marshall. Isn’t this the crux of any trade in any sport? One team has a player and is given an offer that they think is worthwhile, so they pull the trigger on the trade. This isn’t very insightful.
How about discussing exactly what the Broncos are looking for? Is it still a 1st and a 4th, or have they changed their tune? What kind of contract is Marshall expecting if he’s moved? Is the money reasonable or would his asking price dissuade potential suitors?
The bottom line is that, given a camera, a backdrop and a satellite hookup, Anthony Stalter and I could have produced the exact same clip without the sources available to Schefter. It’s almost as if ESPN called up Schefter and told him he was on the air in five minutes and ignored his pleas for more time to call his sources, so he could only speak in generalities.
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