Tag: Atlanta Falcons (Page 40 of 66)

      NFL Draft: 5 Second Day Steals

      April 26, 2009 /

      What constitutes a second day steal in the NFL draft? Well, opinion of the evaluator above all else, I guess. But if a player was projected to be taken higher than he was, then that plays into the notion that a team got somewhat of a steal for that selection. Below are five players that were selected on Day 2 of this weekend’s draft that I thought were decent steals.

      1. Carolina Panthers No. 163, Round 5: Duke Robinson, G, Oklahoma
      I was flat out flabbergasted that Robinson fell to the fifth round. Not that this holds much water because I’m not a scout, but I projected Robinson to go to the Steelers with the last pick in the first round in each of my three mock drafts. He was arguably the best guard prospect in the draft and instead of being a first day lock, he fell all the way to No. 163 for reasons unbeknownst to me. He has the talent to be a future starter and maybe sliding this far will motivate him to succeed.

      2. Chicago Bears No. 119, Round 4: D.J. Moore, CB, Vanderbilt
      The only reason Moore slipped to the fourth round is because of his size (5’8”, 192 pounds) – or lack thereof. If he were two inches taller and 10 pounds heavier, he would have been a second round pick and maybe the fourth corner taken overall in this draft. Moore has tremendous athleticism, good speed and is an aggressive player. Nathan Vasher has struggled the past two seasons for the Bears and I wouldn’t be surprised if Moore challenges for the starting cornerback job opposite Peanut Tillman in training camp. If he doesn’t start, he’ll certainly see some time in nickel packages as a rookie.

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      NFL, NFL Draft

      Was Glenn Dorsey almost a Falcon?

      April 26, 2009 /

      One of the more intriguing rumors that circulated before the draft was one involving the Chiefs trading former 2008 No. 5 overall pick Glenn Dorsey to the Falcons in exchange for Atlanta’s first and third round picks in 2009. Apparently as part of the deal, Kansas City would have also been on the hook for the guaranteed portion of Dorsey’s contract, which would have been roughly $18 million.

      From the Falcons’ position, this would have been a phenomenal trade. Dorsey struggled last year as a rookie, but most defensive tackles usually do in their first year. He would have filled a major need for Atlanta, who almost took Dorsey last year but decided instead to select Matt Ryan with the No. 3 pick.

      The Falcons eventually wound up filling their defensive tackle need with Peria Jerry, who they chose with the No. 24 pick in the first round of this year’s draft. Jerry isn’t the prospect Dorsey was and it’s questionable if he can play nose in the 4-3, but obviously his selection means that Atlanta won’t continue their pursuit of Dorsey (if they ever did in the first place, that is).

      For Kansas City, this would have been a brutal trade outside of the fact that Dorsey doesn’t fit in their new 3-4 defensive scheme. Acquiring another first round pick and an addition third would have been nice, but they would have been giving up on a player in Dorsey who has tremendous upside. Plus, and this is the killer, they still would have had to pay $18 million in guaranteed money to Dorsey. I don’t see how that deal would have been good for KC in the long run although again, they have a player in Dorsey that doesn’t fit their new scheme.

      It’ll be interesting to hear if this was just a major rumor or if this was a deal that fell apart on draft weekend.

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Official 2009 NFL Draft Post & Rumor Mill

      April 25, 2009 /

      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.

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      Fantasy Football, MLB, NFL, NFL Draft

      Falcons trade 2010 second round pick to Chiefs for Gonzalez

      April 23, 2009 /

      According to FOXSports.com, the Falcons traded their second round pick in the 2010 draft to the Chiefs in exchange for tight end Tony Gonzalez.

      This deal works well for all parties involved. The Falcons wanted to give quarterback Matt Ryan a target that could attack the middle of the field in the passing game and presumably didn’t want to use their first round pick on a tight end prospect like Brandon Pettigrew with so many needs on the defensive side of the ball.

      Gonzalez made it obvious after last season that he didn’t want to play for a team in rebuilding mode. While Atlanta still has a long ways to go in filling holes on the defensive side of the ball, its postseason run last year indicates that they have enough talent to win now – especially on the offensive side of the ball.

      At 33 years old, Gonzo is no spring chicken but he hardly shows signs of slowing down after hauling in 96 receptions for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. And that was with Tyler Thigpen taking most of the snaps under center. He might not be as involved in the Falcons’ offense as he was in Kansas City because Atlanta relies so much on Michael Turner and the running game, but he no doubt makes Ryan and receivers Roddy White and Michael Jenkins better around him.

      The Chiefs wanted a second round pick as compensation for Gonzo and although they didn’t get it for this year’s draft, they ultimately got what they were asking for. And considering the Falcons have never had back to back winning seasons in franchise history, there’s a good chance that their second round pick will be higher next year than it is this year.

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Kiper’s latest mock has Sanchez falling to Redskins

      April 23, 2009 /

      In Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft, he has USC quarterback Mark Sanchez falling to the Redskins at No. 13.

      5. Cleveland Browns (4-12)
      Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech: The stress fracture in his left foot shouldn’t affect his draft status. He’s a big-time player who should have a Larry Fitzgerald-type career in the NFL.

      13. Washington Redskins (8-8)
      Mark Sanchez, QB, USC: Sanchez definitely is one of the top five to eight players available in this draft, and getting him here would be a bit of a steal, because had he returned to USC for his senior season, he likely would have been the No. 1 overall pick.

      14. New Orleans Saints (8-8)
      Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State: Wells is a nice fit for the Saints after they let running back Deuce McAllister go in the offseason. He could be a perfect complement to Reggie Bush.

      19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7)
      Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State: Freeman is an interesting prospect because he throws a great ball and has imposing size at nearly 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds. However, his inconsistent play puts him in the boom-or-bust category.

      24. Atlanta Falcons (11-5)
      Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State: Pettigrew remains the No. 1 tight end on the board and would be a help to young Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.

      It’s easy to disagree with someone’s mock just days before the draft, but the above are the projections I find the most fault in.

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      NFL, NFL Draft

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