Tag: Michael Crabtree (Page 9 of 11)

      2009 NFL Mock Draft Version 1.0

      March 19, 2009 /

      It would probably be good for me to do an intro to this piece, but I’m going to skip all the foreplay and just get right to the action. And let’s be honest – you probably wouldn’t have read the intro anyway.

      Below is my first mock draft of the year. You can disagree all you want, but just make sure you go into detail in the comments section so I know you care. I hate those bastards that trash my work and don’t have the common courtesy to tell me how much of a moron I am in print…

      Let’s mock!

      1. Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia
      Jason Smith (Baylor), Eugene Monroe (Virginia) and Aaron Curry (Wake Forest) are all possibilities for new GM Martin Mayhew with this pick. But the offensive tackle and linebacker positions are deep in this year’s draft – the quarterback position is not. Mayhew can get his franchise quarterback in Stafford, select an offensive tackle at No. 20 and then fill the middle linebacker need in the second or third round. There, I just fixed the 0-16 Detroit Lions in less than 100 words.

      2. St. Louis Rams: Jason Smith, OT, Baylor
      If Smith goes No. 1 to the Lions, then I fully expect the Rams to take Virginia offensive tackle Eugene Monroe. With the jettison of long-time veteran Orlando Pace this offseason, St. Louis needs to address their need at left tackle and they’ll do so with either Smith or Monroe depending on who’s available. If it’s Smith, then they land one of the most athletic offensive lineman in the draft.

      3. Kansas City Chiefs: Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest
      The Chiefs could really use a right tackle to pair with last year’s first round pick, Branden Albert, but Curry would be too good to pass up here. GM Scott Pioli put a premium on versatile defenders while he was in New England, and that’s exactly what Curry is. The Wake Forest product could play either outside or inside in a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme and is easily the best defensive prospect in this year’s draft.

      Continue reading »

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Athlete Profile: Michael Crabtree

      March 13, 2009 /

      What do you dream about? NBA Finals Game 7 with five seconds left, you catch the pass at the top of the key and…swish. Lottery numbers dropping into place on your winning ticket while you sip a martini next to Minka Kelly? Not Michael Crabtree. He doesn’t dream about being the next big NFL star or driving a Ferrari around Milan.

      Michael Crabtree dreams of routes, pass coverages, and catching, catching, catching.

      Growing up in Dallas, Texas, Crabtree has always had an intensity bordering on the surreal. Because of his size and physicality, Crabtree’s father chose to have him play football in leagues above his age.

      “I actually cried the few times he made me play against people my age,” Crabtree said. “I was like, ‘Dad, I don’t want to hurt those little kids.”

      After dominating the youth leagues, Crabtree continued showing his phenomenal ability at Carter High School by playing both basketball and football. In fact, his first scholarship offer from Texas Tech, his future university, came in the form of a basketball scholarship. In his senior year, Crabtree averaged more than 20 points a game. This is not to say he was slacking on football during his high school career. He was one of the best football players in the state as a quarterback. As a matter of fact, he only had one reception his senior year, but rushed for 646 yards and nine touchdowns on 100 total carries. He also added an interception, as well.

      After high school, Illinois, Michigan State, and Kansas all offered him scholarships as a quarterback. It was Crabtree’s decision to accept the scholarship to Texas Tech after coming to the conclusion that wide receiver was a better fit. With hands nine inches across and a 34-inch vertical, he seemed to have made the right choice.

      Crabtree’s style of play was perfect for head coach Mike Leach’s spread offense at Texas Tech. With four or five receivers on any given play, it’s natural that there would be a lot of passes, and that a hefty number of those would be flying towards Crabtree. Over the course of just two seasons in a Tech uniform, Crabtree had 231 receptions for 3,127 yards and 41 touchdowns. He averaged 120.3 yards and 1.6 touchdowns per game. Although he decided to enter the draft after his sophomore year, there would have been a pretty good chance that he’d have broken almost every major reception record in the NCAA. His numbers for the first two seasons alone were enough to net him a pile of awards and accolades, among them were the Biletnikoff award (for the best collegiate receiver) for two straight years, All Big 12 first team, All-American, and the Scout.com Freshman of the Year award.

      Despite these incredible accomplishments, Crabtree’s best asset is his playmaking ability – something that shines through in any offense. It was this same ability that led him to make one of college football’s biggest plays last season. The play in reference was the game-winning touchdown reception he had against rival Texas at home late in the year. A game between the No.1 (Texas) and No. 2 ranked teams in the country. Crabtree caught an outside pass on the edge of the field, tip-toed along the sideline, broke two tackles, and ran into the end zone with a single second remaining in regulation. Needless to say, Tech fans went wild.

      It’s that kind of clutch play that really makes Crabtree a valuable commodity. Entering the upcoming draft, most invision Crabtree as a top 10, if not top 5, selection. Only his top end speed and blocking ability have been questioned. And while speed is hard to dramatically increase, the latter can be remedied by a good pro coaching staff.

      So look out NFL – here comes Michael Crabtree. People don’t often have dreams simple enough to accomplish on a daily basis like Crabtree – nor do they have the arena to change the humdrum to amazing. Crabtree has been doing it for years at the most crucial times in the biggest games. But don’t ask him about those pressure moments, heated rivalries, and upcoming games. As he said recently after a game, “I just see balls in the air.”

      Latest on Michael Crabtree

      Crabtree’s Stock is Dropping
      It seems that despite prior announcements, Crabtree was unable to run at the NFL combine. His ranking in the top 10 picks for the draft appears to be falling.

      Career

      WikiCollegeFootball Michael Crabtree
      For a complete list of career statistics, awards, and personal information.

      News and Commentary

      70 Receptions, 17 Touchdowns and 2 Sports
      A great article about Michael Crabtree

      Crabtree Zone
      A frequently updated website devoted entirely to Michael Crabtree.


      Michael Grabtree Grabs His Second Biletnikoff
      The first player to ever receive the award twice.

      Crabtree Says

      On not competing in the Texas State Championship while in high school
      “From my years in high school, I feel like I didn’t give it all I could give,” Crabtree said. “I feel like I could have gone to state if I would have given it my all. I didn’t want to feel like that again – should’ve, could’ve, would’ve. I’m at that time right now that I’m remembering that, so every time I go on the field, it’s like I’m giving it my all because I’m not going to feel that same way I felt in high school. I don’t want any regrets.”

      Sources and Links

      Rivals.com
      WikiCollegeFootball.org
      NFL.com
      ESPN.com

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Don Banks Mock Draft 3.0

      March 12, 2009 /

      SI.com’s Don Banks has the Lions taking Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith with the first overall pick in April’s draft.

      1. Lions – Jason Smith, Baylor
      With six weeks and two days remaining before the draft, I’m still not buying that the Lions are going to take their $30 million-plus gamble on Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford, a junior who looks like anything but a sure thing. I reserve the right to read the tea leaves differently at some point, but the Lions’ smart play to me would be to play it safe at No. 1 with either Smith or linebacker Aaron Curry, and then explore getting a quarterback like Kansas State’s Josh Freeman with a slight trade down from No. 20, or with their second-rounder at 33.

      2. Rams – Eugene Monroe, Virginia
      No Orlando Pace in Rams horns any more should make this the biggest no-brainer of the top five. St. Louis badly needs an offensive tackle, and it picked the right year to be in that position.

      3. Chiefs – Aaron Curry, Wake Forest
      The Chiefs can’t possibly miss in this slot. If the Lions go quarterback at the top, K.C. will have their pick between Curry, the draft’s cleanest prospect, and one of the top two offensive tackles. If Detroit goes for Curry, the Chiefs still get the tackle they need in either Smith or Monroe. And if the Lions and Rams both go offensive tackle, Kansas City winds up with the defensive play-maker it lacks in Curry.

      4. Seahawks – B.J. Raji, Boston College
      This is how free agency and the draft are supposed to work in tandem. The Seahawks signed T.J. Houshmandzadeh this month, so they don’t have to take Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree any more. And they added ex-Packers defensive tackle Colin Cole to replace the departed Rocky Bernard, so Raji isn’t a must-have either. But quality defensive tackles are always prized and much tougher to find than starting receivers.

      5. Browns – Everette Brown, Florida State
      This is much higher than I had Brown going in my last mock (to Miami at No. 25), but Cleveland’s need is for an edge pass-rusher at outside linebacker in the 3-4 defense, and there just aren’t that many choices to be had in that department. Plenty of mocks have the Browns going for Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo, but I hear the Browns don’t like him all that much.

      That’s a pretty solid top 5, although Brown is a major reach at No. 5. Still, as Banks notes, the Browns are in desperate need of a pass rusher and need one, if not two starting linebackers for next season.

      Banks has Michael Crabtree falling to the Raiders at No. 7, which certainly makes sense given Al Davis’s desire to land the flashy pick. Banks also has Mark Sanchez (No. 8 to Jacksonville) being selected before Matthew Stafford (No. 10 to San Francisco), which is sure a trend that other mock drafts will surely to follow if they haven’t already. (If you’re looking for my two cents, I don’t think there’s any way Sanchez goes ahead of Stafford, but crazier things have happened.)


      Click here to check out the rest of Banks’ mock      .

      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

      Teams would be wise not to pass on Crabtree

      February 24, 2009 /

      One of the bigger stories surrounding the NFL scouting combine this week (besides the ongoing antics of Alabama’s Andre Smith, that is) is the foot injury that has caused Texas Tech wideout Michael Crabtree to skip workouts. He’ll need to have surgery to repair the slight fracture in his foot and therefore won’t be able to run the 40-yard dash at his Pro Day in March.

      When players require surgery before the draft, the notion among some pundits is that their stock will fall. Hopefully teams aren’t that stupid in the case of Crabtree because anyone that has seen him in game action knows how dynamic he can be.

      We live in a time where the 40-yard dash seems to rule all. A couple pundits were sporting wood last week when Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith ran a 5.22 forty, which blew away every O-linemen at the combine. Besides displaying great athleticism, I don’t know why anyone would get overly excited about an offensive tackle running a fast forty. Unless a team plans on him being a combo left tackle/tight end, nobody should flip their lid over Smith (or any offensive tackle for that matter) running a 5.22 forty.

      That said, Crabtree not being able to run the forty means very little. He wasn’t even supposed to run a fast time anyway, so nothing changes. He’s still a top 10 pick, he’s still one of the best overall prospects in the draft and he’ll still be the best wideout available come April. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Percy Harvin and Jeremy Maclin are all fantastic receiving prospects. But Crabtree beats them all – good 40-time or not.

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Michael Crabtree to have foot surgery

      February 21, 2009 /

      Texas Tech wide receiver Michel Crabtree will not be able to work out for the next 10 weeks after being required to have surgery for a stress fracture in his foot.

      Michael CrabtreeThe injury and surgery is expected to sideline Crabtree for at least 10 weeks, jeopardizing his NFL pro day, which now is expected to be cancelled, and raising questions about when he will be healthy again. Doctors believe that with the precautions the All-American wide receiver is willing to take, Crabtree will be sufficiently recovered in time for training camp this summer.

      After doctors found the slight stress fracture on Friday they conducted more testing on Crabtree, including a bone scan that revealed that the injury happened only recently, possibly during training for the combine. Since finding it, Crabtree has been investigating the best and smartest way to treat the injury.

      Crabtree also measured slightly shorter than expected, coming in at 6-foot-1 3/8 and weighing 214 pounds. Most teams thought Crabtree was 6-foot-3. But as Seahawks head coach Jim Mora pointed out, Crabtree had the longet arms of any receiver in the draft, and it easily would cancel out whatever the wide receiver was missing in height.

      The only two-time Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation’s top wide receiver, Crabtree was regarded as a surefire top-five pick. He still is expected to be a top pick, but how his injury will affect his draft status will be one of the most hotly debated questions.

      If Crabtree falls in the first round because of this injury, whatever team snags him will get a steal. Regardless of his size and the fact that he had to have surgery – the kid can play. He draws comparisons to Larry Fitzgerald for a reason and if he falls out of the top 5, I highly doubt Al Davis passes on him at No. 7.

      College Football, NFL

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