Tag: NFL Draft rumors (Page 6 of 11)

      Seriously interested or smokescreen? Browns talk to Rams about No. 1 pick.

      April 15, 2010 /

      ESPN.com reports that the Browns have had discussions with the Rams about the No. 1 overall pick.

      “We’ve actually played a little phone tag,” Heckert said. “We’ve talked to them throughout the process and have been at workouts with the Rams people and kind of mentioned stuff to them. Just talks. We’ve talked to all the teams ahead of us and all the teams immediately behind us.”

      Mike Holmgren is a big believer in Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford, although he was quick to suggest that the Browns will likely go in another direction.

      “He’s the whole package,” Browns president Mike Holmgren said. “Whoever gets him is going to be a lucky team.”

      “Absolutely we love the player, as do a lot of people, but in the real world we’re probably going to go in a different direction there.”

      Teams rarely (if ever) divulge their draft plans, so it’s interesting that Holmgren would talk up Bradford this much. He must know that there’s no way the Browns will move up to get him, so it’s wise for him to talk Bradford up in order to generate more interest in the No. 7 pick.

      Think about it, if Holmgren makes other teams believe that he’s interested in taking a quarterback that high, he might be able to get a package deal for the seventh pick and move out of the top 10. Jimmy Clausen will presumably be available at No. 7 and if teams are worried about the Browns taking him, then maybe they’ll be willing to part with extra picks in order to jump ahead of the Raiders, Bills and Jaguars – three teams that may be interested in Clausen and that pick directly behind Cleveland.

      Holmgren has been known to deal first round picks in the past, so if he wants to do it again this year, he needs to use Clausen as bait. If he’s able to find a trade partner for the seventh overall pick, then he swap first rounders, pick up a cornerback, safety or offensive tackle later in the first and then still get a quarterback like Colt McCoy in the second. It makes sense – if he can find a trade partner, that is.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Will the Browns trade their first round pick?

      April 15, 2010 /

      Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository speculates that the Browns could wind up trading their first round pick (No. 7 overall) based on Mike Holmgren’s draft history.

      Is it a stretch to anticipate an 80-percent chance that Holmgren will pull off a trade involving the Browns’ first-round pick?

      Not necessarily. In Holmgren’s 10 years as head coach in Seattle, the Seahawks made eight trades involving Round 1 selections.

      Is that information deceiving in that Holmgren doubled as GM and head coach in only five of those years?

      Quite the contrary.

      In Holmgren’s first four seasons as GM, 1999-2002, he made five trades involving Round 1 picks — all involving first-round choices that hadn’t yet been made.

      Within his first three months with the Browns, Holmgren has traded out two past first-round picks, quarterback Brady Quinn and linebacker Kamerion Wimbley.

      It’s incredibly hard to trade out of the top 5, but it does get easier for teams that want to trade out of the top 6-10 picks. If the Browns want to trade down, quarterback Jimmy Clausen might be the key to them doing so. If a team wants to jump ahead of the Raiders, Bills and Jaguars in order to nab Clausen, the Browns are sitting in the perfect spot at No. 7. The only catch is that the Raiders (No. 8), Bills (No. 9) and Jaguars (No. 10) are the three teams that are most likely to pull the trigger on Clausen in the first round.

      In my latest mock draft, I have the Browns selecting Tennessee safety Eric Berry at No. 7, although Florida cornerback Joe Haden and offensive tackles Anthony Davis (Rutgers) and Bryan Bulaga (Iowa) are possibilities as well. (Assuming Russell Okung and Trent Williams, the top offensive linemen in the draft, are off the board.) If Holmgren chooses to stay put at No. 7, it’s very likely that he’ll land a prospect that can contribute right away.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Dez Bryant off Jaguars, Browns’ draft boards

      April 13, 2010 /

      The Florida Times Union reports that Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant has been removed from the Jaguars draft board due to character concerns, while SI.com’s Peter King says the Browns have also taken the wideout off their board.

      From the Florida Times Union:

      “I would say that we remain open-minded,” Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said. “Like running back, we’d take a receiver. I think we could use a guy to bring into the mix to compete. So I wouldn’t rule out that position.”

      But it might be safe to do so in the first round. According to multiple NFL sources, the Jaguars eliminated Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant – widely regarded as the top receiver prospect in this year’s draft class -from their draft board because of concerns about his character (Bryant missed 2009 because of an NCAA suspension for violating NCAA rules).

      “I just made a mistake,” Bryant said. “Dez Bryant’s a great person to be around. He loves the game of football. He can’t wait to get back on the field and do whatever to help the team.”

      The reports about Bryant’s character appear to be all over the board. There have been some that claim he has a “diva” attitude, while others suggest that his character flaws have been overblown.

      Rest assured, talent will win out – it always does. Randy Moss was still taken in the top 25 (No. 21 to be exact), even though he had more character concerns than Bryant did entering the 1998 draft. Michael Crabtree was still taken in the top 10, even though reports surfaced that he too had a “diva” attitude. I’m not suggesting that Bryant will become the next Moss, but he certainly has as much potential as Moss and Crabtree did when they entered their respective drafts.

      In my latest mock draft, I have Bryant going to the Dolphins at No. 12. That’s the lowest I see him dropping later this month, regardless of whether or not some of these reports are true that he has questionable character.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Rams’ second round pick could be extremely valuable

      March 1, 2010 /

      The SI.com duo of Don Banks and Peter King make a great point about the Rams’ second round pick being the most valuable first pick of a second round in NFL history.

      Here’s why:

      Think about being the Rams: In a very good year for draft prospects, teams will reset their draft boards after the first round, look up and see that one of their top 12 or 14 players is still on the board. Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen. Cal running back Jahvid Best. Texas pass-rusher Sergio Kindle. Idaho guard Mike Iupati. One of the leftover good tackles — maybe Anthony Davis of Rutgers.

      The desperado Rams will need the pick, obviously, because they need players. But some teams will want that pick badly; I’m sure of it. And some team just might pay through the nose to get it. You only have to look at last year to see how this could develop.

      King goes on to write that the Jets paid dearly (a third, fourth and seventh) to move up 11 spots in order to select running back Shonn Greene with the first pick in the third round last year. The Rams hold the first pick in the second round, which is obviously more valuable and thus, should be more sought after.

      As King points out, the Rams would certainly love to hold onto the pick and select a future starter at No. 33. But most teams that have had success in the NFL have done so by moving down in the draft, not up. Assuming they won’t be in love with a prospect at No. 33, the Rams could move down in the second round and pick up multiple selections from a team desperate to move up. After all, St. Louis would still be able to get a good player at some point during the second round.

      This could be an interesting development on the second night of the draft.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL, NFL Draft

      Lions actively shopping the No. 2 pick?

      February 23, 2010 /

      According to NFL network’s Jason La Confora, the Lions are actively shopping the No. 2 overall pick and have already been in contact with several teams.

      I sound like a broken record every year, but it’s a must that I write this: Trading out of the top of the draft isn’t easy. Unless there’s a can’t miss prospect in the top 3, then teams selecting that high have a difficult time finding a trade partner. The Browns were able to do it last year at No. 5, but the Jets desperately wanted Mark Sanchez so it was a perfect match.

      There might be a team that wants to move up in order to nab Ndamukong Suh or one of the quarterbacks (Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen), but even when teams are motivated to move up it’s still hard to put a trade package together. It was easy for the Browns and Jets to work out a deal involving draft picks and players because Eric Mangini was already familiar with New York’s roster and knew which players he wanted.

      We’ll see. I’m certainly not suggesting that the Lions won’t have success trading the pick, but again, the odds are against them. But teams usually have success when they trade down, so Detroit fans have to at least appreciate the fact that their team is trying to maximize its selections on draft day.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL, NFL Draft

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑