Saturday, April 30, 2011

2011 NFL Draft: Rounds Two & Three

Rounds two and three in the bag, which threw up some surprises. I won't go into the details of all the trades as there were quite a few. In fact, let's crack on.

Round Two:

33. New England Patriots select; Ras-I Dowling, CB.
Despite sounding suspiciously like a character out of a Batman movie, Ras-I Dowling is a good pick. Good in coverage and physical (which means he can play special teams) Dowling will make a perfect compliment to Devin McCourty.

34. Buffalo Bills select; Aaron Williams, CB.
Overall very solid and well rounded corner, this is a great pick by the Bills. This is precisely the sort of thing they need. This is shaping up to be a good draft in Buffalo.

35. Cincinnati Bengals select; Andy Dalton, QB.
What? Looks like the Bengals are either sure that Palmer is headed out the door, or at least highly suspect it. I'm surprised actually. Ryan Mallett was still on the board and normally the Bengals aren't afraid of taking a player who has a few character concerns. Maybe they're learning? I think Dalton went a little early but the run on QB's put paid to that. I need to see more Dalton tape before I commit, but all that I've seen so far suggests that with a bit of work he'll be ok. I just hope this pick doesn't persuade doesn't the 49ers to do something stupid...

36. San Francisco 49ers select; Colin Kaepernick, QB.
... Oh you dicks! After all that good work yesterday with Aldon Smith? I really have zero faith in Kaepernick. He's another Cam Newton, a running back who occasionally throws the ball. If someone builds and offense around him and his skills then that's fine. It worked for Auburn with Newton. But trying to force a guy like Kaepernick into a pro offense usually doesn't work very well. God damnit!!!

37. Cleveland Browns select; Jabaal Sheard, DE/OLB.
Pick! The combination of athletic ability and technique will see Sheard through well. This is a great pick by the Browns and could be the kick start that their defense needs.

38. Arizona Cardinals select; Ryan Williams, RB.
Ken Whisenhunt is out to build a Cardinals O in the mold of his old Steelers by the looks of it. Couple Williams with Beanie Wells and you have a great pair of tough runners, who may not be the most dynamic in the world but they're going to run people over on the way to the end zone.

39. Tennessee Titans select; Akeem Ayers, LB.
Everybody loves Akeem, or at least did coming into this thing. Personally I think he's no way a second round pick, or even a third, fourth or fifth. That said, I'm still betting on the football gods to screw me over and hand Ayers 20+ sacks this season.

40. Dallas Cowboys select; Bruce Carter, LB.
As a tackler you have to appreciate Carter. But his pass coverage is nothing special at all and that's probably more of what Dallas needed. Can't say I like this pick.

41. Washington Redskins select; Jarvis Jenkins, DL.
Jenkins is one of those who I've missed out on so far so I can't add anything to this.

42. Houston Texans select; Brooks Reed, DL.
Another one that I need to go back and have a better look at later. Works hard, but suspicion that sacks come more through luck than judgement, though I except that hard work can often put you in a position to essentially "make your own luck".

43. Minnesota Vikings select; Kyle Rudolph, TE.
Captain Drop-tastic. Enjoy that pick.

44. Detroit Lions select; Titus Young, WR.
A little cocky, but as I've said before that's not necessarily a bad thing. Has lots of talent to bring to the Lions offense and will make a great compliment to Calvin Johnson. The Lions offense just got a heck of a lot more dangerous.

45. Denver Broncos select; Rahim Moore, S.
Playmaker for the Bronocs secondary. Might tally himself a few picks playing against teams like the Raiders and the Chiefs.

46. Denver Broncos select; Orlando Franklin, OG.
Excellent guard. Brings a lot to the table to be honest. Should help make a good offense even better. Can't argue with this pick.

47. St. Louis Rams select; Lance Kendricks, TE.
You know what they say about tight ends being a quarterbacks best friend. Well the Rams just picked up a new best friend for Sam Bradford. One of my top rated tight ends, easily out shines Rudolph with his versatility.

48. Oakland Raiders select; Stefen Wisniewski, OL.
I can see already I'm going to enjoy typing that name out through out the season, providing we have one (more on that later). The trouble with Stefen (ah-ha!) is that his pass blocking is good, but his run blocking is bad, which doesn't bode well for a team that will want to make use of a fairly solid ground game from last year.

49. Indianapolis Colts select; Ben Ijalana, OL.
Run of the mill tackle. Nothing special. Peyton Manning will make sure he ends up looking like a great pick.

50. San Diego Chargers select; Marcus Gilchrist, DB.
Range is good, but tackling and instincts leave a lot to be desired. Not that it really matters on the Chargers D which was number 1 ranked overall last year in the Regular season.

51. Tampa Bay Buccaneers select; Da'Quan Bowers, DE.
There was quite a stink up over Bowers because his knee is the subject of much intrigue. Particularly amusing was listening to Rich Eisen whine about why Bowers hadn't been taken already, despite Mike Mayock, Fran Charles and Brian Billick repeatedly telling him it was due to concerns over the injury. Anyway, somebody ultimately bit, and it was the Buccaneers. Good luck with that. Apparently he'll have to be managed closely through training camp and to be honest I don't rate Bowers all that highly. He has some talent when you get him out in the open, but get a block him and 99/100 times it's over.

52. New York Giants select; Marvin Austin, DL.
I'm still not sure about Austin, who's missed an entire year of football. Will he walk back onto the field and resume business as usual? He was superb in 2009, but that was a long time ago. At least he's landed in the best possible spot, with a strong Head Coach, talented D-coordinator, and plenty of good role models around him.

53. Chicago Bears select; Stephen Paea, DL.
Would have happily taken Paea in the first. This is another great addition to a defense that has been building since free agency last year. Julius Peppers and Israel Idonije on the outside, plus this beast up the middle means the Bears are going to be fielding a tough D-line.

54. Philadelphia Eagles select; Jaiquawn Jarrett, S.
"Scrabble" as I shall forever nickname him. Excellent safety fills a perfect role for the Eagles. Good pick.

55. Kansas City Chiefs select; Rodney Hudson, OG.
I've gone a little colder on Hudson recently, but I think it's just a case of being too nit picky. Overall I think Hudson is a solid guard.

56. New England Patriots select; Shane Vereen, RB.
Great pick. Vereen has the speed and agility to really add a change of pace to the Patriots offense. Like it.

57. Detroit Lions select; Mikel Leshoure, RB.
Leshoure is basically a complete all around back who should excel at this new level. Question mark over how many carries he'll get what with Kevin Smith and Jahvid Best currently leading the way in Detroit, but maybe that's Jim Schwartz's master plan, to run the ball more, take the pressure off Stafford and play solid D.

58. Baltimore Ravens select; Torrey Smith, WR.
For me, one of the best receivers in this draft. Very consistent from play to play, a great route technician, and I feel he'll cope much better than his peers with the transition to the higher level. At times he plays like a veteran receiver. And it fills a big position issue for the Ravens. Excellent pick.

59. Cleveland Browns select; Greg Little, WR.
A talented wide receiver, but I can see trouble ahead. Can't help finishing plays with a bit of smack talk or some insult or gesture. Which reminds me a lot of a young Terrell Owens. That's a double edged sword if ever there was one. Probably a little more physical than T-O and may yet pan out to be a great receiver.

60. Houston Texans select; Brandon Harris, CB.
Excellent all round corner. Just the recipe that the Texans needed. Made all the more fun if he succeeds because former Texans GM Charley Casserly derided him as being nothing more than a fourth string corner.

61. San Diego Chargers select; Jonas Mouton, LB.
Can run at times, but largely a non factor from my recollection. Not a fan of this pick.

62. Miami Dolphins select; Daniel Thomas, RB.
A weird player. Physically he doesn't bring much to the table, but just has an uncanny knack of finding holes and working his way through.

63. Pittsburgh Steelers select; Marcus Gilbert, OL.
Anyone would think that the Steelers have an O-linemen on their team who they're really happy about who used to play at Florida... I hate Gilbert. O-line hasn't exactly been the Steelers forte in recent years and it looks like it might stay that way.

64. Green Bay Packers select; Randall Cobb, WR.
Cobb is a smart, talented receiver. I pondered that if he was tied together with a good QB he could go on to great things. Well, he's got Aaron Rodgers which is a pretty good start. The Packers meanwhile get another weapon to play opposite Jennings. Obviously they're not that keen on bringing back their free agents at that position. Nor will they need to by the looks of it.

Round Three:

65. Carolina Panthers select; Terrell McClain, DL.
Impressive speed and agility for a big guy. He should benefit from the overall quality of the Panthers D-line.

66. Cincinnati Bengals select; Dontay Moch, DE.
Technically a D-linemen, but I can't see him having the strength to pull it off. He has speed, but once tackles get their hands on him I think he'll struggle.

67. Denver Broncos select; Nate Irving, LB.
Speed is a question mark, but tackling and instincts very good. Given the issues the Broncos have had with their linebackers, this should be a welcome addition. The Broncos are really pulling out the stops to mold together the base of a good defense in this draft.

68. Buffalo Bills select; Kelvin Sheppard, LB.
Honestly, no idea. Haven't seen more than a few snaps.

69. Arizona Cardinals select; Robert Housler, TE.
Not a bad overall tight end, but a little underwhelming. Everything is just, ok.

70. Kansas City Chiefs select; Justin Houston, OLB.
Needs to work on his technique against the run, but he provides buckets of speed to line up opposite Tamba Hali. Could become a deadly duo in short order.

71. Dallas Cowboys select; DeMarco Murray, RB.
Excellent back, really good. But I have to ask this question; why? The Cowboys have more running backs than Gods fantasy team. Why invest in yet another that they're not going to use because they only run the ball about ten times per game?

72. New Orleans Saints select; Martez Wilson, LB.
I think the Saints were hoping they would get a pass rushing beast. Wilson is anything but.

73. New England Patriots select; Stevan Ridley, RB.
Who?

74. New England Patriots select; Ryan Mallett, QB.
Now here is a name I recognise. It seems a little odd but you have to remember a few things, such as Brady getting older and more injury prone, and the possibility of Belichick developing Mallett, showing him off in his shiny offense, then flogging him to the Raiders in two years time for a hoard of picks. Very surprised that Mallett fell though. Easily the best QB in this class, character concerns be damned. Bloody 49ers.

75. Seattle Seahawks select; John Moffitt, OG.
A great pick, good value for where they got him. Should especially help their rushing attack which became a focus later in the year in 2010.

76. Jacksonville Jaguars select; William Rackley, OL.
Couldn't find any film.

77. Tennessee Titans select; Jurrell Casey, DL.
I have to say it now but by my assessment, and I admit that I am a mere blogging goon, the Titans are having a crapper of a draft. Really bad. I got bored watching Casey's film because he did nothing and never remotely looked like he would.

78. St. Louis Rams select; Austin Pettis, WR.
As a catcher Pettis is very good, but I don't see many explosive plays on the board for him. More of a red zone guy perhaps. Still, another tool for Bradford to work with.

79. Washington Redskins select; Leonard Hankerson, WR.
Lot of respect for Hankerson. Great wide out who should make the Redskins a better offense, no matter who plays at the quarterback position.

80. San Francisco 49ers select; Chris Culliver, DB.
One of the many safeties I didn't get a decent look at. I just have this bad feeling.

81. Oakland Raiders select; DeMarcus Van Dyke, DB.
Surprise, surprise. Chosen for his speed no doubt, but lacks any form of physical presence on the field.

82. San Diego Chargers select; Vincent Brown, WR.
Great hands coupled with great route running equals another great weapon for the Chargers. Their passing game just got even more frightening, if that's even possible.

83. New York Giants select; Jerrel Jernigan, WR.
Very sound, very complete receiver. I have to question why the Giants went this way though. They have far more pressing needs, like linebacker for a start. Their depth chart is loaded with good receiving talent already. Ah well, just got a little better.

84. Tampa Bay Buccanners select; Mason Foster, LB.
Tackles well, but pass coverage is not much use, which could be problematic playing in the Buc's 4-3 scheme.

85. Baltimore Ravens select; Jah Reid, OT.
Reid is an excellent prospect who should help the Ravens shore up a line that has not pulled its weight lately. Drop him straight in at right tackle and away you go.

86. Kansas City Chiefs select; Allen Bailey, DL.
Quick, but a lot left to be desired technique wise. With guys like Christian Ballard still on the board I can't say I like this pick much.

87. Indianapolis Colts select; Drake Nevis, DT.
I have Nevis pegged as potentially being the B.J. Raji of this group. Quick, powerful, great use of the hands. Fitting into the middle of that D-line with Freeney and Mathis will make them better as he brings the heat up the middle.

88. New Orleans Saints select; Johnny Patrick, CB.
Excellent corner with plenty of potential still left in him for development. Put that alongside Tracey Porter and Jabari Greer and you have the makings of a great nickel package.

89. San Diego Chargers select; Shareece Wright, CB.
Not a bad little corner right there. That defense is a good fit.

90. Philadelphia Eagles select; Curtis Marsh, CB.
Pass coverage is ok. The Eagles do need help in the secondary.

91. Atlanta Falcons select; Akeem Dent, LB.
Haven't seen any film, can't comment.

92. Oakland Raiders select; Joseph Barksdale, OL.
Good run blocking, rubbish pass blocking, which for a tackle should be considered a significant problem.

93. Chicago Bears select; Chris Conte, S.
No film, no comment. Yet.

94. New York Jets select; Kenrick Ellis, DL.
Same as above.

95. Pittsburgh Steelers select; Curtis Brown, DB.
Haven't seen any film yet, but impressive in the drills at the combine for what that's worth.

96. Green Bay Packers select; Alex Green, RB.
Another "no filmer". Of all the bloody players I've watched, and now four in five picks that I haven't seen.

97. (compensatory) Carolina Panthers select; Sione Fua, DL.
Five out of six? Now you're just taking the piss.


Now earlier I mentioned about "if" we get football this season, because in case you didn't know, the lockout is back on again after an appeal by the NFL. They've been granted a temporary stay pending a more permanent decision on their appeal, which means that teams will be locking players out of their facilities once more.

Honestly, yes it is starting to get very tiresome. I was on the owners side to start with but now I'm starting to begrudge both parties. But still, I look at it this way; as a fan, it's in my long term interest and bizarrely the long term interest of about 60% or more of the current players to see the owners win, so anything that helps that should be seen as a bonus.

It's a messed up world when most of the less well off players in the NFL are relying on an ownership win to serve their best cause.

Friday, April 29, 2011

2011 NFL Draft: Round One

So round one is done and dusted. All the teams have now retired for the night to assess their strategies ahead of day two which will bring us rounds two and three. That gives us the opportunity to look back at how it all played out and for me to share my thoughts on the various picks, some of which were very surprising to say the least;

1. Carolina Panthers select; Cam Newton, QB.
I hate the Panthers, so I'm glad they took Newton number one overall. As it turns out they were on the phone already before they even officially came on the clock. I just think this is such a stupid pick. They already have Jimmy Clausen, who may not be the best in the world, but with time and some extra help could have developed. Now they've got a new boy in town and they're banking their future on the hope that his freakish athletic ability (which to be fair to him, is freakishly immense) will carry the day. Because his passing sure as hell wont.

2. Denver Broncos select; Von Miller, LB.
Part of the reason I hate the Panthers is because of John Fox so I'm glad he took Von Miller, because I don't like Miller either. I keep hearing about Miller as this elite NFL talent, but the tape tells a vastly different story, e.g. someone whose pass rush technique is really bad. With coaching his physical gifts may one day shine, but as a day one of the season prospect? Don't hold your breath Broncos fans.

3. Buffalo Bills select; Marcell Dareus, DT.
Now we're talking. A slightly lighter, less strong, but more versatile Ndamukong Suh type tackle to anchor the middle of the Bills line. If they can hang on to LB Paul Posluszny and corners like Drayton Florence then the Bills actually have the central core of what could be a good defense.

4. Cincinnati Bengals select; A.J. Green, WR.
Just about the one position offensively that the Bengals really didn't need any more help with. So naturally that's precisely where they go. To be honest, they've just picked up a great receiver in A.J. Green, but that kind of misses the point. They could have gone elsewhere. They'd better hope that Carson Palmer stays now or this pick is going to look kind of stupid.

5. Arizona Cardinals select; Patrick Peterson, CB.
My greatest fear coming into the draft was that the 49ers might take Peterson. Luckily our good friends in Arizona bit instead. I honestly can't understand the hype around Peterson. I don't see a lot on film that says to me "shutdown corner", or anything that would approach that level. Good luck propping up the NFC West for another year.

6. Cleveland Browns trade to Atlanta Falcons who select; Julio Jones, WR.
Mike Holmgren, the Dark Lord of the West Coast Offense, sits in his black tower on a throne of skulls and laughs at his pitiful victims for their greed. Namely the Falcons, who threw away the 27th pick overall, plus a second and fourth rounder this year and then their first and fourth round selections in the 2012 draft. A kings ransom indeed. And what for? Julio Jones, an average wide receiver at best. The thinking is obviously super Bowl this year, or bust. In which case someone needs to check the Falcons credit line to make sure they're good for what they just gambled, because I have a feeling they'll be paying up soon.

7. San Francisco 49ers select; Aldon Smith, DE.
I love Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke so much right now. I love Smith too. This is a great pick. He can play as a 3-4 DE opposite Justin Smith or stand up and rush as an Outside backer. Either way, Smith has the tools to be an outstanding first round pick that will provide the 49ers with the pass rush they desperately need.

8. Tennessee Titans select; Jake Locker, QB.
There was collectively a large gasp in Radio City Music Hall, and probably across the entire United States, as this pick was announced. Jake Locker? Really? Damn! The Titans obviously looking to put to rest the memories of a QB who made a college career out of his physical skills and not so much his passing... by selecting a QB who made a college career out of his physical skills and not so much his passing. Of course that's a little harsh, but broadly true. Titans fans are going to be missing Jeff Fisher badly come December time.

9. Dallas Cowboys select; Tyron Smith, OT.
Haha, nice one Jerry! The Cowboys haven't selected a tackle in the first round for about a million years or something, so I'm told. This is why; because Jerry can't spot a decent tackle despite the hours of tape that should have told him that there were a plethora of better options on the table. Expect Tony Romo to spend much of 2011 on his butt.

10. Washington Redskins trade to Jacksonville Jaguars who select; Blaine Gabbert, QB.
Just when you thought the Jaguars were on the road to recovery, this happens. Despite having two quarterbacks in David Garrard and Luke McCown who are both capable of battling for the starting job, they just felt compelled to go out and take the worst QB in the face of the pass rush that they could. Can't wait to see how he handles Freeney and Mathis twice a season. And they gave up a second rounder as well.

11. Houston Texans select; J.J. Watt, DE.
Will play either DE or OLB in their 3-4 scheme. Either way Houston has finally nailed a decent pick. They needed to go defense and they've just got a great pass rusher with an uncanny burst off the snap for a man his size. Well done Houston.

12. Minnesota Vikings select; Christian Ponder, QB.
People have been laughing at this pick. Minnesota fans at a large draft party booed their butts off at this. All the draft analysts called it a reach. But I think this is a great pick. Ponder is easily up there with guys like Mallett, Stanzi and Enderle as top "proper" quarterbacks in the draft, and in particular Ponders excellent footwork and rhythm will fit the system in Minnesota well. This could turn out to be the smartest "reach" in recent draft history.

13. Detroit Lions select; Nick Fairley, DT.
A surprising pick given the multitude of directions that Detroit could have gone, but I really like this pick. Fairley will make a great compliment to Suh and give the Lions a really stout, tough middle to their D-line. Adrian Peterson may have just been devalued as a fantasy player over night. Congratulations to Jim Schwartz and the Lions back office staff.

14. St. Louis Rams select; Robert Quinn, DE.
Well, the Rams have been looking to boost their defense, especially with a defense minded head coach. But Quinn is a dodgy pick. I'm not convinced with him as a first round talent, more so given that he hasn't played for a year. Has off the field issues to boot and I can see this pick blowing up in the Rams face. Which as a 49ers fan I'm delighted about.

15. Miami Dolphins select; Mike Pouncey, OG.
Bring back Bill Parcells. Mike Pouncey is not the player everyone seems to think he is. And the Dolphins, a very strong running team, had other needs besides their offensive line. Can't buy this pick.

16. Washington Redskins select; Ryan Kerrigan, DE.
The transition from 4-3 to 3-4 continues for the Redskins, and they've picked a great kid to play OLB. Kerrigan is a great pass rusher and should really give them a great help. Considering the 'skins traded back with Jacksonville to get this pick, I have to take my hat off to them. They've worked this well.

17. New England Patriots select; Nate Solder, OT.
This was the pick that the Patriots acquired from the Raiders last year and it was expected that they would use it on Mark Ingram, but instead they took Solder. Who I hate. He looked great in shorts at the combine, but on the field on gameday he looked distinctly average. Will probably fill the Right Tackle slot.

18. San Diego Chargers select; Coery Liguet, DT.
Liguet has potential, but I worry. Too often I saw him getting hung up amidst a sprawl of bodies and not really fighting his way out. Liguet could go either way. He'll either be a great addition to a great D, or he'll be a non existant ghost.

19. New York Giants select; Prince Amukamara, CB.
I'm not a huge Amukamara fan. But New York needs help at corner and Amukamara is not a bad pick. Could have taken Jimmy Smith instead who I'd have thought would have been more use against guys like Mike Vick and Tony Romo. Ah well. C'est la vie.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers select; Adrian Clayborn, DE.
Great pick. Put Clayborn alongside Brian Price at DT and opposite Gerald McCoy (who plays better at DE than DT at this level) and you may just have the makings of a great defense. If they get the balance on their D-line right, then exect Tampa to whoop some serious butt in 2011. Well done Tampa.

21. Kansas City Chiefs traded to Cleveland Browns who select; Phil Taylor, DT.
Cleveland swapped picks with Kansas and sent them a third round pick in order to trade up and grab Phil Taylor, the D-Tackle from Baylor. Probably looking at a Nose Tackle replacement for Shaun Rogers and I think they might be disappointed in Taylor. Rogers was so great because of his hard work and athleticism. Taylor stood out for me because of his lack of both of those.

22. Indianapolis Colts select; Anthony Castonzo, OT.
The Colts had better hope that Peyton Manning can keep his fast release going into 2011, if he even re-signs (he's a free agent remember, franchise tagged). If what I've seen holds up, Castonzo is not going to handle guys like the newly acquired J.J. Watt from Houston. Oh dear.

23. Philadelphia Eagles select; Danny Watkins, OG.
Will likely play guard in the the NFL, but I'd like to see him get a shot at Right Tackle where I think he will really excel. This is a good, solid, late first round pick either way. Got a great reception when he came onto the stage.

24. New Orleans Saints select; Cameron Jordan, DE.
I'm hesitant to comment on Jordan. He has strength and pursues the football well, but I noticed he spent a lot of time getting double teamed. In college he was more of tackle, but is listed now as a DE. Will he get that respect in the NFL or will he be left single blocked where he might have a chance to show his skills? The Saints will be hoping for number 2 because they could use the push up front.

25. Seattle Seahawks select; James Carpenter, OG.
What I saw was good, but I didn't get to see much. I've since got my grubby hands on some more Alabama film so I'll take another look. This is as good a time as any to point out I will also being going back and getting a closer look at many of the safeties I missed first time round. So I'll hold judgement on Carpenter for now.

26. Kansas City Chiefs select; Jonathan Baldwin, WR.
There was a bit of a hoo-hah about this one, because the Ravens were supposed to pick at 26. But they were on the phone to the Bears trying to work a deal out when time ran out. The Bears GM has since come out and taken ownership for that mistake. Ass hat. This was also the pick that the Chiefs acquired from the Browns, courtesy originally of Atlanta. As for Baldwin, everyone is raving about his pairing with Bowe. I'm less convinced. As I said before, maybe it was the poor QB play that mired his performance, but I really don't have a good feeling about Baldwin.

27. Baltimore Ravens select; Jimmy Smith, CB.
Pick and a half. This is exactly what the Ravens needed. Secondary, especially with the injuries they've had, has been a real problem and Smith is a great solution. When you're up against Roethlisberger, Palmer (possibly) and McCoy twice a season, it pays to have help on the back end. Really like this pick.

28. New England Patriots trade to New Orleans Saints who select; Mark Ingram, RB.
In exchange for this pick, Belichick receives a second rounder this year and a first rounder next year, the crafty old sod. And it was made all the more notable because the Saints selected Ingram in exactly the spot many believed the Patriots would take him. Ingram is a good back, perhaps not as wonderful as I initially believed, but good. And boy do the Saints need a strong back who can take the pressure off Pierre Thomas in the running game. It's also worthy of note that Reggie Bush tweeted later something along the lines of, "It's been fun New Orleans".

29. Chicago Bears select; Gabe Carimi, OT.
The blundering Bears were ringing Baltimore in order to trade up because they wanted to get their hands on Gabe Carimi. As it turned out, things went their way as it was and they got their man. Which is good, because Carimi is a good prospect at the tackle position and frankly, you could put an empty pair of shoulder pads and a hat at the right tackle spot for Chicago and it would be an upgrade over their performance in recent times.

30. New York Jets select; Muhammad Wilkerson, DT.
The ghost of the Temple defense. If you're not looking for him specifically, you'll probably miss him. I'm surprised the Jets didn't go for a fast outside backer to generate them some legitimate pressure, but each to his own. I can't see Wilkerson making much of an impact.

31. Pittsburgh Steelers select; Cameron Heyward, DT.
Flashes of potential, but I'm not a Heyward fan myself. To be fair, he's landed in just about the best possible spot. Pittsburgh don't need him day one, and he's going to have Mike Tomlin and Dick LeBeau all over his butt from now on. If he doesn't cut it here, there's no hope for him.

32. Green Bay Packers select; Derek Sherrod, OT.
I wasn't sure for a minute whether he would indeed make the first round. But he did. Green Bay are now pissing themselves laughing because Sherrod is an excellent tackle who somehow made it all the way into their lap. They can now stick him onto the line at right tackle, put Bryan Bulaga at the left tackle spot, then sit back comfortably and watch their O-line protect Aaron Rodgers from outside rushers for the next 10 years. Fantastic pick.


So, thats round one in the bag. Two more to come tomorrow and of course I'll be back to recap them all. Now if you'll excuse me, the Royal Wedding is on and as an Englishman I feel drawn to the telly by some absurd inner force that compels me to go and watch it, even though I hate weddings.

Just a quick comment on the draft

NFL.com

They're showing a live feed of the draft. Well, live for a few minutes at a time, at which point it just glitches out and stops for no reason.

Honestly, NFL.com is the worst website run by a big coporation I've ever known. It's an absolute clown operation which no other big business would stand for. Someone needs to get their ass fired.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

2011 NFL Draft Extra: Guards and D-line

Well, I've just scraped it in time. My eyes hurt. In the last month I've probably watched more snaps of football than the rest of my entire life before that. With the whole NFL Labor dispute still ongoing I'm at a point in time where I'm sick of football. Thankfully the draft starts tomorrow which I enjoy so I'll get back on the horse soon enough.

Until the players try and get the draft banned as a restriction of free trade, the fun killing assholes.

Guards:

- Danny Watkins. I know, left tackle. But I just managed to get a look at the kid. Of course I say kid, he’s 26. That might be an issue for teams because they might only get one or two contracts worth out of him. But as a blocker, especially in the passing game, he has undeniable talent. Strong and very technically sound, he’d make a fairly safe first rounder.

- Marcus Cannon. This is getting to be a running theme with the tackles, but hey. Cannon is a big man, strong. Saw plenty of one handed knockdowns. But a little clumsy at times. Struggles with balance. At the next level? I think speed rushers will beat him a little too easily.

- Clint Boling. Mixed bag. Not all that strong. Has his high points but gets stood up too often.

- Lee Ziemba. Continuing the theme of trawling up tackles. Not bad. Not great. Run of the mill blocker. Won an SEC award for his blocking, which makes me wonder about the overall standard.

- Stephen Schilling. Good. Run blocking perhaps a little better than pass blocking. Sometimes lets it slip, but mostly a solid standard.

- David Arkin. If you value your QB, don’t take Arkin. Half the time he doesn’t even know who he’s supposed to be blocking.

- Julian Vandervelde. Very solid inside. Technique is very good. Uses his hands really well and routinely handles defensive tackles one on one with relative ease.

- Thomas Claiborne. Run blocking very good, very strong and aggressive. Pass blocking sucks. Mainly a balance issue, or a lack there of. Over extension should be his middle name.

- Bryant Browning. Hilariously bad to watch. It’s like car crash TV. He looks like someone competing on a game show who has no idea what the hell the game is about.

- Michael Huey. Pretty good. Good vision, knows when to switch blocks. Technique is good, using the shoulder and head well to get between defender and gap. All over pretty solid. Destined to go middle to late, and at that price I’d be more than happy to take him.
 
 
DL:
- Greg Romeus. Defensive End. Had a back surgery which could hurt his stock, but if he can relive his 2009 season in the NFL then someone is in for a treat. Not exactly bursting with pace, but strong, uses his hands well, keeps going relentlessly towards the QB. Sometimes tricked out a little easily, so needs to work on holding the edge against the run, but otherwise a potential mid-round bargain.

- Pierre Allen. Speed is ok. Use of the hands was good. Has a spin move up his sleeve! Run support not bad as he tends to keep his eyes in the backfield and see what’s going on. Can shed blockers when he needs to. Came away with the impression he was holding a little back though.

- Ricky Elmore. Fantastic speed off the edge. Runs quite deep, but has the agility to turn at the top and come back down on the quarterback. Has shown a variety of pass rush moves on film. Strong, hard working Defensive end. Have barely heard his name mentioned which is very surprising now I’ve seen the tape for myself.

- Karl Klug. Wasn’t hard to spot; he was the one constantly getting stood up and blocked.

Ugh. All done! At last! Remind me why I do this again?

That's right, because I'm such a nice guy. And the hope that one day someone will bother to click one of my adverts and make me a whole 50p.

And yeah, because I basically love football and wake up each morning trying to run certain plays through my head. Which can be frustrating in it's own right.

Anyway, I do have some more players to look at but they're likely undrafted prospects and I frankly can't be arsed right now. I'll be back tomorrow to recap the first day of the draft and give you my thoughts on it. Till then...

... stick the kettle on someone. I'm dying for a cuppa.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

2011 NFL Draft Extra: Centers

Well, I've managed to trawl through and take a look at some Centers, but it looks like the guards might have to be thrown into a bumper post tomorrow with the extra defensive linemen. Anyway, on with the show:

- Mike Pouncey. Touted as a first round pick. He’s good, but not that good. Gets some nice push, has good leg drive, but technique is not well rounded enough. Anyone shopping for this Pouncey hoping he’ll be a repeat of his brother in Pittsburgh is in for a rude awakening I feel. That said, he‘s not bad. Just not as good as currently advertised.

- Kristofer O’Dowd. Pass blocking is ok, run blocking is bad. Seems to really lack any appreciable strength, wouldn‘t want him as the anchor of my O-line.

- Jake Kirkpatrick. Big, strong, mean - all valuable tools for a center, really pushes hard and works hard. Good pass and run blocking.

- Tim Barnes. About average. Some good plays, some bad. Not very strong for his size it would appear.

- Jason Kelce. Below average. Really seems to lack balance which is a key attribute for offensive linemen. Not a strong punch (related to the balance issue). Sometimes looks very confused.

- Alex Linnenkohl. Pretty good. Stout up the middle. Sometimes was shrugged off by good swim moves, but generally pass protection was good and run blocking was aggressive.

- Ryan Pugh. Either he’s bad or he was a paid shill for the other team in the game I watched. Beaten so easily at times. Not my cup of tea at Center to use a turn of phrase. Also got more of a chance to watch Cam Newton at the same time. Even more convinced now he will be an "epic failure" in the NFL.

- Colin Baxter. Tries hard, but just sucks. Lacks balance and punch, gets knocked back too easily. Shame, puts in a lot of effort.

- Ryan Bartholomew. Pretty strong, certainly had plenty of practice run blocking! Generally good pass protection, leverage is good. Has a great burst off the line to get to the second level when needed. Has promise with a bit of coaching.

- Chase Beeler. Strong. Technique is outstanding in all phases, run and pass. Great awareness of what’s happening around him. Blocking technique demonstrates the nuance of understanding where he fits in to each play. Head and shoulders the best technical blocker in this entire draft. Fantastic player.

- Ryan McMahon. Bad technique, one of the dreaded “waist benders”. Gets pushed around far too easily.

- Beau Warren. Technique was shoddy, beaten far too often. If he makes it into the pros, he’ll be a magnet for holding flags.

Update 04/27/11

Currently working on Guards and Centers extra. Will be done later tonight. Then D-line to follow tomorrow.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

2011 NFL Draft Extra: Offensive Tackle

Time to take a look at a few offensive tackles who I missed the first time around:

- James Carpenter. Didn’t see much. Looks solid at first glance, technique is pretty sound, but without seeing more of him I couldn't commit to anything more than a "good" rating.

- Jason Pinkston. Watched a game where the rest of his O-line was terrible and the offense as a whole sucked, but Pinkston was great, a shining beacon of hope for his otherwise distrought Head Coach. Has a great first step which is very important to all O-linemen, solid punch, good understanding of the pass rush he was facing. Committed blocker. Excellent.

- Joseph Barksdale. Run blocking is generally good, pass blocking is pathetic, half the time he doesn’t seem to know who he’s supposed to be blocking.

- Jah Reid. Played Right Tackle. Very stout, run blocking very good, pass blocking pretty good as well. Difficult to beat and holds his ground well. Very good prospect to start at Right tackle and develop, much the same as the approach the Packers are assuming with the guy who's name I can't remember this second to save my life. Bryan Bulaga!

- Chris Hairston. Not bad. Footwork is usually pretty good, run blocking is good, but has a tendency to be a “waist bender” at times. Gets good extension of the arms in pass blocking, overall pretty sound, but needs some work to smooth those rough edges.

- Marcus Gilbert. Quite strong but that’s about it. Unbalanced, bad footwork, not very alert to the defense, beaten easily by speed. I'm sure the fact he plays for Florida has absolutely nothing to do with why people seem to rate him so high.

- Derek Hall. Run blocking is okay, but pass technique is dubious. Doesn’t punch particularly well either.

- Josh Davis. Terrible. Technique is awful, every snap looks like he just woke up and has no idea what’s going on. Really vomit worthy watch. Al Davis and the Raiders are welcome to him!


So, it might seem that was a rather brief foray, but let me just point out that I often have lists with 30 odd names on it, the trouble is finding the film. I've given up mentioning all the people whose names I have but can't find a morsel of game tape to watch.

But something far more interesting has happened today that I need to mention quickly. The lockout is over.

Judge Susan Nelson has ruled that the Leagues 'lockout' of the players is 'enjoined' whatever the hell that means. Essentially 'over' is what I imagine. Anyway, the players can now go back to work at their facilities, the coaches can discuss stuff with their players and the league year can finally kick off.

Sort of.

The draft will go ahead as planned but anyone that thinks unrestricted free agency is about to commence should think again. The most likely outcome is that the league will impose the same rules as last year on the players, starting from some as yet unknown date that is likely to be after the draft has finished.

Then the legal battle really heats up. The owners just lost a huge chunk of leverage which they'll be hoping to get back from an appeals court ruling. As yet I'm not sure the league has appealed, but it most definitely will in due course.

Already the players and their supporters will be cracking out the champagne I'd imagine, but if I were them I would stick it on ice and wait. There is still a long legal war to be fought and that is by no means destined to end in the players favour. The owners, if they're smart, will be working the angle with the poorest end of the player scale, where 80% or so of the players fit, essentially hinting at them that if the legal case goes through and the minimu salary restriction is removed, their paychecks are going to get a LOT smaller.

I'll try and keep you posted on what I find out as when that information becomes available.

Currently watching.....

..... some more O-linemen, predominantly tackles. I'll probably post regarding the tackles seperately from Guards/Center's, depending on how the time passes.

Expect the fruits of my unpaid labor either later tonight or tomorrow.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

2011 NFL Draft Extra: Tight Ends

If this was a wrestling show, the crowd would be chanting; "Holy sh*t, Holy sh*t," because I have indeed, for the first time in a while, posted on time! Here's a round up of some of the additional tight ends I've had a look at from this years draft;

- Luke Stocker. Not exactly the fastest tight end in the world, but pretty strong and has good balance. Gets yards after contact and has pretty good hands. Not bad.

- Virgil Green. Good hands. Run blocking good. Route running is ok. Stays low on and after contact to get more yards.

- Jordan Cameron. Hands are pretty good. Route running is ok.

- Rob Housler. Hands not bad. Route running ok. Run blocking mostly good.

- Charles Clay. I'm pretty sure there must be at least 50 tight ends in the country better than Clay who won't get drafted. His run blocking was average at best, route running was suspect, was once the target of a screen play but didn't seem to realise he was the receiver.

- Julius Thomas. Run blocking is suspect. Route running lacks polish, but good hands.

- Andre Smith. Hands are ok. Not much else to say. Average.

- Collin Franklin. Better pass catcher than run blocker, pretty quick, good hands, ok routes.

- Jeffery Anderson. Speed is not exactly Anderson's strong point and he spent most of his time split out in a spread offense so didn't get to see any blocking (I imagine it's dubious) but hands are very good and his route running isn't bad either, especially over the middle.

- Colin Cochart. Aggresive run blocker, just relentless, with plenty of pancake blocks. Excellent route runner, clever (sitting down against zones etc), especially so with his movement when his QB is in trouble. Great hands. All around an excellent tight end.

- Daniel Hardy. Good hands. Great route running. Has some speed. Plays superbly over the middle. Should be a great prospect at the next level.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Information on Mediation

Yes the NFL Labor dispute comes up again. Turns out the parties have broken up mediation for a while... about 4 weeks to be a little more exact. Classic. No free agency then until well after the draft is done.

It gets worse though; at least for the players. Apparently Mike Vrabel has dropped a clanger. The NFLPA is supposed to be decertified but the league is contesting that the union did that as sham to gain bargaining leverage (which they most likely did) and are still operating in the normal fashion, just not by name.

So you can imagine every ones surprise when Vrabel publicly spoke about procedures relating to the NFLPA, essentially hinting that it's business as usual, just don't tell anyone in case it gets back to the judge. Not a smart move.

It also turns out that as many as 70 other players may be about to jump in and throw their names into the main lawsuit. Most of them are expected to be lower tier players, who've only just realised that no salary cap means no salary floor and no guaranteed veteran minimums, which means that the vast majority of the leagues players who the (ex)NFLPA are supposedly fighting for, will lose out.

It's a wonder that it took them this long to realise.

Of course the grand irony of this case is that the 10 named plaintiffs, Brady et al, are complaining about rich men hoarding all the money and not sharing it around, while blithely ignoring the fact that if they win, most of the money dished out to players in the future will be hoarded by the rich men and not shared around.

Which is what I've been saying all along, for about 6 months or more. You almost couldn't make it up!

Anyway, onto the draft and I plan to have my further review of the Tight Ends up by Friday Night/Saturday Morning; but the way things have gone lately I'll expand that to say somewhere between Friday Night/Monday Morning. Then it's offensive line and finished off with defensive line.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

2011 NFL Draft Extra: Quarterbacks, Running Backs and Wide Receivers

Right then, here we are. With an extra dose of Quarterbacks, Running Backs and Wide Receivers. Starting with:

Quarterbacks
- Kevin Riley. I covered him at the end of the original Running Backs post, but I'll go back over it here. Not the greatest QB in the world, but talented. If that makes sense. Nice footwork, a pretty good arm, good touch and accuracy. This might just be me. I have these moments sometimes when I get caught up watching a player and all the pieces of the jigsaw seem to be fitting in place. I may be wrong. And we may never know. Riley is unlikely to get drafted, but maybe he will work his way up through someones practice squad. I'm rooting for him, and I'm probably going to sneak him on to my 2011 rookie watch list.

- Scott Tolzien. Ball placement is sometimes questionable, but overall not a bad QB. Stands in the pocket well and decision making is pretty good.

- Greg McElroy. Moves well in the pocket, accurate, pretty good arm, good decision making.

- Nathan Enderle. To be fair to Enderle, his O-line in college was terrible and his wide receivers often let him down badly. Plenty of times he hit them in the hands and they dropped it anyway. That said, very good footwork, made some great throws - NFL caliber throws into tight windows. Ran a pro style offense and demonstrated the ability to make solid checks at the line. Would have been much more succesful with better receivers.

- Pat Devlin. Some errant throws at times. Ball placement was not great. Was 30 minutes late for his own college pro day. How do you do that?

- Jerrod Johnson. Mixed view. On the one hand he has great numbers and seems on the face of it to be a very good QB. On the other hand, you notice that most of his big completions involve wide open receivers who have clearly outclassed their coverage men. I don't see any of the tough, tight window throws that will be the bread and butter at the next level.

Running Backs
- Mark Ingram. Seems odd, starting with a player I've already covered. But having watched Dion Lewis I was prompted to go back and check Ingram out again. Previously I had called him “Without question the best back in draft. Just… no arguments,”. But now I'm not so sure. Compared to guys like Lewis and Shane Vereen, his speed and agility look pedestrian. His vision looks average. Starting to doubt whether he's even a first rounder.

This seems like an odd thing to say now, but I think part of the problem is that when I first sat down to watch Ingram, I was expecting everything to be great and that may have clouded my thought process a little. The expectation got ahead of the reality. On that note.

- Jacquizz Rodgers. Kendall Hunter. Jordan Todman. Having gone back and watched these three as well, I'm beginning to have doubts about them to, mainly for the same reason as each other. On further review they all seem to lack that patience and vision that becomes so important to backs at the next level.

- Daniel Thomas. He's not the fastest back in the draft, nor the most agile, but he has a knack of slithering through space and getting the yards. Could be a handy late round pick for someone

- Damien Berry. Pretty darn quick and had some nice open field moves, especially when getting downfield as a receiver so might be one to consider.

- Brandon Saine. Quick, low pads, good vision and good burst in the open field.

- Ryan Williams. Vision is sometimes questionable, but power and playing with low pads is undeniable. Has a nice turn of speed for his size once he hits the open field.

- Mikel Leshoure. Quick feet, tough, agile, excellent vision, good burst, drives feet hard on contact and fights for every last yard. An excellent all round back.

- Delone Carter. Quite a stout back. Not the quickest, but strong. Utility in pass protection will be a bonus. Cuts well inside to find a path through traffic.

- Dion Lewis. Quick and agile. Consistency from down to down is superb. Finds the gap and snakes his way through, with some nice moves to boot. Breaks tackles well and for a little guy can run hard between the tackles. A truly excellent back.

- Derrick Locke. Some nice patience at times. Has a good turn of speed. A good receiver out of the backfield.

- Johnny White. Not bad. Speed is a bit of a question mark though.

- Roy Helu. Pretty strong. Pass protection is good. Speed and vision a little dubious though.

- Bilal Powell. Good agility. Vision ok. Has a great turn of speed in the open field. Likes to drop his shoulder and deliver a hit on the defender which is always a good thing.

- Noel Devine. Great speed and agility, but worried by his tendency to just run down the line. Not sure how well he'll make the transition to the next level.

- Mario Fannin. Big, strong, but that's about it. As far as vision goes he's "blind".

- Da'Rel Scott. Slow in pads. That is all.

- Nic Grigsby. Cutting ability is excellent. Open field speed is a problem though, gets caught far too easily.

- Allen Bradford. Strong back. Has a surprising turn of speed and agility for his size. Looking good as a late round/FA prospect.

- Vai Taua. Good speed and cutting in the open field. Benefited perhaps from playing in an option heavy system, but overall skill set should transfer well to the pro's.

- Graig Cooper. Not bad. Pretty quick. Has utility on special teams as well. Vision is pretty good.

- Armando Allen. Average back.

- Barron Batch. Lame. Slow.

- Donald Buckram. Not bad, pretty quick, lateral speed is good.

- C.J. Gable. Average back.

- Gino Gordon. Patience, speed and agility were all good.

Wide Receivers
- Edmund Gates. Pretty good footwork, fast, agile. Makes some good adjustments under the ball, but not the greatest attacker of it. Route running is a little sloppy.

- Austin Pettis. Great ball handling and concentration. Not very "field quick". Run after the catch is highly questionable.

- Dwayne Harris. Not bad hands. Not particularly quick or agile. Limited route running. Average at best.

- Greg Salas. Very fluid movements. Very good hands. Tough as nails, reminds me of Anquan Boldin/Hines Ward.

Jeremy Kerley. Not bad. Quick, hands are ok. Route running I saw was very limited. Supposed to be an elite returner but decision making in the return game was highly questionable. Doesn't look like an NFL receiver.

- Ronald Jackson. Excellent route running and route adjustments. Pretty tough. Good hands.

- Denarius Moore. Some nice catches. Route running technique is very good. Again, not the fastest in the world but a pretty solid receiver.

- Tori Gurley. Reasonable hands. Big body. Makes some good adjustments to the ball. It's hard to explain, but I think he'll do well.

- DeAndre Brown. Some nice catches. A little clumsy looking at times. Terrible run blocker. Not the greatest route runner either. Seems a little afraid of contact.

- Dane Sanzenbacher. Nice routes. Great hands. Will be a late round/undrafted bargain.

- Mark Dell. Not a bad route runner. Has some nice moves.

- Lester Jean. There are technicians like Jerry Rice, then there are just physically gifted individuals like Jean. Outstanding over the shoulder catcher. Can see him as a Randy Moss style, "only runs three routes but runs them really well" type of guy.

- Jock Sanders. Size will probably preclude him from being anything more than a slot receiver, but has good balance and speed.

- B.J. Frazier. Tough kid. Greasy fast. Great route technique. Great under the ball. Could come from nowhere to have a great career.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Update

As is common for me, I've got my dates wrong. The Draft doesn't begin until Thursday the 28th, about 10 days away. The good news is then that I should be able to squeeze out my roundup post ahead of the draft. I'm looking at doing it in chunks with Quarterbacks, Running backs and wide receivers first up.

The bad news is it proves that I'm completely disorganised when it comes to dates.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

2011 NFL Draft: Safeties

This is going up much quicker than I'd previously imagined and there is a very good reason for that which I'm going to get to in just a moment:

- Quinton Carter. Chris Conte. Joe Lefeged. Chris Culliver. Shiloh Keo. Da'Norris Searcy. Deunta Williams. Jeron Johnson. Jerrard Tarrant. Chris L. Rucker. Jermale Hines. Eric Hagg. Nate Williams. Dom Decicco. Will Hill. Duke Honcho. Dejon Gomes. Colin Jones. Brian Lainhart. Eugene Clifford. Zac Etheridge. Tejay Johnson. Johnathan Nelson. Brett Greenwood. Jai Eugene. Jay Valai. Troy Woolfork. Fon Ingram. Antwine Perez. Donovan Fletcher. No film. No comment. I'm stunned. I could not find a scrap on most of these and those that I could, it wasn't really worth watching (too short/specific).

- Rahim Moore. Good open field tackling. Good instincts. Plays the ball well in the air really well. Looks destined to earn the second most annoying generic moniker in football after "Dynamic Playmaker", that being "Ball Hawk".

- Tyler Sash. Good tackler. Some nice positioning. Seems to get lucky more often though than making his own luck. A little dubious.

- DeAndre McDaniel. some good instincts and plays the ball well in the air, but tackling is a little underwhelming.

- Jaiquawn Jarrett. Seriously, where do people get some of these names for their kids? It looks like they just chucked a bunch of scrabble letters onto the board and went "Jaiquawn. That looks fairly difficult to spell. Let's roll with it". Anyway, excellent tackler. Pure form tackling, the best I've seen in years and that most definitely includes the NFL. Range is good as well. A very strong candidate at the strong safety position.

- Ahmad Black. Good tackler, reads the play well, breaks on the ball in the air and plays it well. A solid overall pick.

- Robert Sands. Great speed, range, instincts, tackling, determination and ball play. Highly impressed. Can't go wrong with this pick I feel.

- Mistral Raymond. Good tackler, not afraid to throw himself in harms way. Coverage is ok.

- Chris Prosinski. Very "field quick", play recognition is off the charts. Committed tackler. Excellent prospect.

- Mark Legree. I'm going to use a word that I've only heard used once to describe a player, and that was by Bill Walsh talking about Jerry Rice. The word I'm going to use is "Phenom". Great speed, amazing vision and great instincts. Blew me away on film. Truly wonderful.

- Michael O'Connell. Good tackler, good run support, pass coverage is ok.

- Davonte Shannon. Tackling is very good, as is run support. Pass coverage however is a problem. doesn't read the play very well, always looks likes he's a step behind everyone else.

- Byron Lander. Excellent. Quick, tackling was superb, saw the plays developing early and closed well. A very good prospect considering he's billed as a 7th rounder/Free Agent. Probably a little more suited to strong safety than free safety. Really good though, thoroughly impressed.

- Marcus Gilchrist. Good range, but doesn't really have the instincts. Tackling is also dubious.

- Collin Zych. Not bad. Tackling is ok. Comes up quickly in run support. Reads the quarterback reasonably well.

- Alex Johnson. Good speed, good range, hard hitter. He's likely to end up as a Free Agent and I think it's worth a shot for some team to bring him into camp.

So that's the safeties and indeed every position has now been covered ahead of the draft. That gives me now about four or five days to go back and just review some positions a little more in depth. For example I already have ten names that I'd like to add on to the receivers list. So that should keep me busy until the big days, and of course I'll be recapping each day of the draft to see how the teams got on.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

2011 NFL Draft: Cornerbacks

Right, finally, eventually, better late than never, here's my take on some of the Corner Back class for the 2011 draft. In no particular order:

- Patrick Peterson. As a punt/kick return man, I'm very impressed. As a corner? I just get the feeling we're going to be hearing a lot of "Pass interference, Defense, number...". Not a bad corner, but I'm really struggling to find where the justification as a first round pick comes from? Compare to Chiefs Safety Eric Berry from last years draft, who was head and shoulders above the other safeties and clearly stood out as a first round pick. I don't think Peterson is on that level.

- Prince Amukamara. Lacking a little in strength, but not afraid to get stuck in. Play recognition is pretty good and he he's pretty quick. Might make a good zone corner. But playing in the trail position in man coverage he often looks outclassed even at the college level. Most of the time he doesn't look back for the ball until it's too late and again I can see him drawing more than a few flags. Mixed bag really. I'm not convinced.

- Jimmy Smith. Tackling in the open field is hit and miss. Run support - how do I put this politely - needs some work, mainly learning how to shed blocks from receivers. Pass coverage on the other hand is head and shoulders above anything else I've seen from this group. Had some character concerns early in his career but has apparently put all that behind him, learned from it and moved on, even assuming something of a leadership role this past year. Better than Amukamara and Peterson.

- Aaron Williams. Good mix of pass coverage and run support. Good tackler, physical, prepared to get stuck in and help out his team when needed. Pass coverage was generally very good. A solid pick.

- Brandon Harris. Quick feet, excellent play recognition, good pass coverage, excellent run support, high effort. Another corner who - like Williams and Smith - should be above Amukamara and Peterson. Draft analyst and former Texans GM Charely Casserly has supposedly rated Harris as nothing more than a fourth corner, which by my book means he should make a fine starter.

- Davon House. Good pass coverage, gets his hands to the ball well, comes down well in run support, tackles well and is overall a good corner.

- Ras-I Dowling. Good coverage, a hitter, plays very well in run support and looks back for the ball well in man coverage. Impressive.

- Curtis Brown. Was impressive in the drills at the combine, but couldn't get any film so can't really comment.

- Brandon Burton. Excellent open field tackler, though perhaps gets blocked a little too easily. Tracks the ball well in the air and has excellent timing on his jumps. Solid overall.

- Johnny Patrick. Fast, strong, generally good in pass coverage, good break ups. Probably a little better in zone than in man. Run support is good. Has the talent to be used as a blitzer off the edge. Seems more versatile than most of his fellow prospects. With a little bit of coaching will become an excellent corner.

- Kendric Burney. Tackling is a major issue, far too inconsistent. Surprisingly good in pass coverage despite his smaller size.

- Curtis Marsh. Pass coverage not bad and has good speed.

- Jalil Brown. Maybe I just got unlucky and saw all his low lights, but he looked awful. Pass coverage was bad, as was tackling.

- Shareece Wright. Good run recognition. Good tackler. Pretty smart. Another probably better suited to zone coverage than pure man. Under those conditions, I think he'll do well.

- Rashad Carmichael. Rubbish tackler - like Antonio Cromartie bad. Coverage not great, looks unbalanced in his back pedal and often gets lost.

- DeMarcus Van Dyke. Disgustingly skinny, your sister could have him in a fight. I'm interested to see him play just because I want to see him try and tackle someone like Brandon Jacobs... and get trucked.

- Buster Skrine. Very impressive tackler. Fast, agile, great concentration, possibly something of an overlooked little diamond. Had a great time in the field drills at the combine.

- Brandon Hogan. Pretty physical. Decision making ok. But I don't see much else. Pass coverage is average at best. Multiple character concerns.

- Byron Maxwell. Pretty good instincts, physical, tough, closes quickly, not a bad late round prospect at all.

- Anthony Gaitor. Looks a little slow in a straight line (beware the pro day 40), but play and route recognition is excellent. Shining example of "game speed" versus "track speed". Solid tackler. Plays the ball really well in the air. Will probably go late in the draft and be an absolute steal. A good example of everything that is wrong with NFL scouting. Should be a top 5 corner.

- James Dockery. Excellent coverage. Sticks with the receiver all the way down the field. Plays the ball well in the air. It should be noted here that I have no problem with corners batting down passes that appear very difficult to catch - and would in fact encourage it - but everyone else seems to get upset by that. Quick, agile, reads the play really well. Should be up there with Gaitor.

- Darrin Walls. Didn't see a whole lot. Seems quite good at adjusting to the ball in the air.

- Darian Hagan. Good speed, good recognition, plays the ball well in the air. Generally a good corner.

- Da'Mon Merkerson. Not bad in the trail position. Sometimes loses receiver a little but seems to recover well. Breaks up plenty of deep passes.

And there you go. There's your corners for 2011. There's probably some names I missed, but tough. Next up is the safeties, then hopefully a bumper post which will go back and look at some of the names I missed in other early groups that have since been rustled up. That last one will depend on if I can squeeze it out in time for the draft which draws ever closer!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

The situation now

I've managed to recover almost all of my files. The Cornerbacks preview is now set for delivery in the next 24 hours or so. Barring anymore major mishaps.....

(some) Good News

I've found the file with the list of all the corners I need to look into.......

...... I've lost all my bloody notes. That's not so bad in some cases because I can remember pretty much off the top of my head what I think of them. Some of the others are going to be a lot harder to remember. That means in a lot of cases I'm going to be going back to square one again.

Awesome. Love it. Article delayed. Yet a-fucking-gain.

I hate computers so much right now

So... my computer was knobbled by a virus yet again, requiring me to do a restore which has basically fucked a lot of files on my computer. That means that my look at the Cornerback prospects, along with all my notes will bascially have to start from scratch again. I'm not even sure if I can be fucked.

I hate computers with a passion right now. And if you asked me whether we should introduce the death penalty for people that make computer viruses, my answer would be; yes.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

2011 NFL Draft: Linebackers

Finally, finally got through them all. I'm also going to briefly throw in some of the players I covered the other day in the D-line section who I think might have a shot as linebackers.

It should be noted these players are presented in no particular order, except that I've put the D-line/OLB prospects first. As for the rest, I just collected the names and went through them:

- Aldon Smith. Covered him the other day with D-linemen. Some think he might have a future as a 3-4 OLB. I can see that. Excellent player.

- Ryan Kerrigan. Ditto above. Has that burst in his first step that could prove very useful as a pass rushing OLB.

- J.J Watt. Literally the same as above, right down to the burst.

- Allen Bailey. Speed to burn might find a use as a rushing linebacker.

- Justin Houston. Very well suited to OLB role. Speed is plentiful. Needs to work on run technique.

- Jabaal Sheard. With his speed and technique, could pull off being an OLB.

- Chris Carter. I compared him a little to DeMarcus Ware, which says it all.

- Dontay Moch. Probably more suited to being a 3-4 OLB than he is a D-end.

Now the proper linebackers:

- Jeremy Beal. Definitely suited as an outside rushing linebacker. Fast and strong, he just keeps on fighting to get to the quarterback. He tracks very well down the line. Causes a ton of mayhem. An excellent prospect.

- Von Miller. Strong and quick, but gets blocked too easily. On pass rushing downs he takes far too wide a line. It's almost like he's trying to run right around the tackle without ever making contact and against good tackles and good quarterbacks that simply wont work. He needs to be coached out of it, and if that's possible then in all likely hood he will make a terrific pass rusher, but that's still an "if".

- Akeem Ayers. Has more fans than Justin Bieber, but I don't understand why. He's not especially strong or quick, technically not all that proficient and just generally seems to spend a lot of time watching the game go by. Occasionally he gets a pure stroke of luck and ends up with a sack, but very much more by chance than effort. Really can't understand it. He'll probably notch 20 sacks in his rookie year now just to prove me wrong.

- Bruce Miller. Probably should have been in the linemen section to be honest. Average at best. Painfully slow off the snap.

- Kenny Rowe. Quite lively, keeps running all the time. Uses his hands well. Nothing sensational, but with time and coaching has potential to grow. Might be a product for the future.

- Bruce Carter. Tackling is normally very good, especially in the open field. Pass coverage leaves quite a bit to be desired though.

- Mason Foster. Again, tackling is pretty good but pass coverage is very average.

- Ross Homan. Not the greatest linebacker. Pass coverage is ok. Reacts quite quickly to what he sees though. Lot of work physically to make him into a high level prospect.

- Lawrence Wilson. Solid open field tackler. Good lateral movement and pursuit across the field. Pass coverage is not bad. Little too keen though to come downhill in the run game, where he often takes a bad angle and gets shut out of the play. Overall reasonably solid, if not spectacular.

- Doug Hogue. Not the strongest, but pretty nifty on his feet. Not sold at this moment in time. His career will depend heavily on the level of coaching he receives.

- J.T. Thomas. Not the worlds greatest tackler due to being a little under sized, but very fast and incredibly smart. The way he sniffs out screen plays you'd think he was in the offensive huddle. Great pass defense. A leader. Flows to the ball brilliantly. Holds the point of attack when required. Fights hard to get to the ball carrier. Pursues from behind really well. Can play inside or out, and special teams. I think it's safe to say there will be a place on my 2011 watch list for Thomas. Excellent prospect.

- Brian Rolle. Pretty quick physically, but mentally seems to be a step behind everyone else. Not a bad linebacker. The question will be what his coaches can do with those physical skills. Can they teach him how to read the plays better?

- Jonas Mouton. Has a bit of speed, but spends most of the game watching. Might as well charge him for a front row seat, it can be that bad at times.

- Adrian Moten. Tough guy, pretty smart and reasonably quick. Reads the play well which helps. Overall pretty handy.

- Michael Morgan. Quick off the snap, has a really good burst. Tackling is ok. Another rushing linebacker.

- Malcolm Smith. Quite tough and a surprising turn of speed with the ball in his hands. Has patience to not dive straight into the wash and get shut out which is rare among young players. A good prospect at inside linebacker.

- Martez Wilson. Fairly highly touted but seems very reluctant to make contact. Not sure if "scared" is really the right word, more just a little hesitant. Seems to be waiting always for someone else to make the first hit, and even then not overly keen to pile in and help. Makes some tackles, but only just. Always displays body language that to me suggests relief when he's blocked. It might all just be down to confusion, possibly just not sure of what is happening in front of him. Wouldn't touch him.

- Quan Sturdivant. Pretty strong. Sees things happening early and reacts quickly to it. Good pass coverage skills. Run defense needs work. Not an outstanding prospect I think, but pretty solid. Would make a good 3-4 round pick.

- Casey Matthews. Shares many of the traits with his brother. Tough. Great speed coming downhill. Smart and reacts quickly to what he sees. Good pass coverage. Relentless. Watching him reminds me most of Patrick Willis which is obviously a good thing. I can see him as an inside backer in a 3-4. Excellent.

- Kelvin Sheppard. Didn't get to see enough so not really placed to comment.

- Greg Jones. Same as above.

- Nate Irving. Not the fastest or the strongest, but smart, very instinctive, with quick reactions. Normally a sure tackler. Brains make up for what he lacks in physical skills. With a bit more time in the weight room will only get better.

- Colin McCarthy. Bit hold and cold. Sometimes sees something and comes roaring down hill to break it up. Sometimes however he can be very slow to react. Pass coverage is not great. Get's stuck on blocks too easily.

- Mario Harvey. Run of the mill linebacker. Sometimes not very aware of what's happening around him. Some good tackles, but all too often finds himself stuck on a block somewhere. I heard him described somewhere as being great at shedding blocks; either that guy was high or he caught him on a great day.

- Mark Herzlich. Ultimately a mixed bag. If you want a great pass defending linebacker who can play well in space, Herzlich is definitely your man. But if you want a run stopping/pass rushing beast then leave well alone. Quite the Jekyll and Hyde player, more so than I previously had thought.

- Scott Lutrus. Not the greatest pass rusher in the world. Pretty mobile sideline to sideline. Good in pass coverage. Good, physical tackler. He's the kind of player I can see the Texans taking in the later rounds to boost their badly flagging pass defense.

- Mike Mohamed. Pass coverage is ok. Closes well on intended receivers. Sometimes gets good penetration into the backfield. I thought he had a good combine as well. Overall though you're just left with this underwhelming feeling. It's difficult to explain.

- Chris White. Can burn some when he chooses. Often quick play recognition. Not bad pass coverage. Overall not as polished as some of the other prospects, but could make a nice late round/undrafted player.

- Alex Wujciak. At times he looks hilariously slow but oddly enough that often seems to work in his favour, as he's too slow to get caught out fully by misdirection. It's kind of an enforced sense of patience. He's pretty smart and alert to what's happening around him and in front of him. He's a good tackler. I could see Wujciak as the kind of guy that will go undrafted but you'd want to bring along to camp just to get a closer look for yourself. There's potential in there, as strange as that may sound.

- Obi Ezeh. Is pretty quick in sideline to sideline terms. Quick play recognition. Hard tackler. Not really much of a pass rusher.


Phew! Finally made it all the way through them. Next up is the final group, which will probably be the toughest; defensive backs. That will include both Corners and Safeties. I'm probably just gonna bung them into one post, but I might split it for ease and to get the first post out a little quicker for you all.

After that I have one last nefarious plan before the draft. I'm collecting up a list of all the extra players that I'm seeing along the way, as well as looking deeper at some of the areas previously covered like wide receivers. I'm gonna hopefully crank out a final post that will include all of those and it'll be a mixed bag so it's gonna end up being quite huge. But hopefully worth it.

Expect then either;
a) the first post on Corners by Wednesday/Thursday or,
b) the whole defensive backs some time over the weekend.

Update: Linebackers

About ten more players to check out, then the write up begins. It might be up by the time those of you in the US wake up. You might have to wait another "sleep" as my Nieces and Nephews like to say. Some good players, but a general abundance of just very average guys on display right now. Not looking good. I will also throw in briefly those prospects who I covered under D-linemen but are likely/could be under consideration by teams as 3-4 Outside Line Backers.

Thursday, April 07, 2011

2011 NFL Draft: Defensive Linemen

I'll get round to the D-linemen in a bit.

But first I want to tackle an issue that keeps raising it's head as part of the ongoing labor dispute between the artists formerly known as the NFLPA and the NFL. It's the idea that the NFL is a monopoly.

Now my understanding of Monopoly is that you have complete control over some resource - knowledge or bread for example - or you have complete control over the means of delivery such as a pipeline for oil for example. From this we get the phrase "to monopolise" a commodity.

But here's the thing; we have the Arena Football League and the United Football League currently in operation. Alright so one league only has like four teams and the other is an indoor league, and they're certainly not on the scale of the NFL. But the point is players have a choice coming out of college. If Von Miller wants, there is nothing to stop him ignoring the NFL team that eventually drafts him and signing with a UFL team. If Peyton Manning wanted to, there would be nothing to stop him (as a free agent) from signing with an Arena team.

The only reason that no player will sign for those leagues unless it's a last resort is because they know that the NFL pays much better. That's not a monopoly. It's not exactly the widest of choices, but it's by no means a monopoly.

What is also starting to bug me is this question "Where are all the practice squad and backup players?" Do these guys not understand that any court ruling in favour of the players that threatens the salary cap will leave them absolutely shafted? There is almost no chance that these players - who make up the majority of those affected - will get a good deal out of this. Sure Peyton Manning and Tom Brady will benefit from a player friendly deal such as "true" free agency, but the players at the bottom of the pile won't. The only thing that surprises me more than their lack of understanding is that the league hasn't latched onto this and gone after the little fish, failing to realise that they could be the key to breaking the back of the "union".

Anyway, onto (finally) my take on the D-line class for this years draft. Once you've seen the size of this lot you'll understand why it took so long to watch all the tape;

- Nick Fairley. Let's start with someone controversial shall we. The case with Fairley is simple; he had a great year, but is he a one season wonder? Well, I've watched some of his games and I'm pretty convinced by what I see on the field. I had the same worry as mentioned above about him being a one hit wonder, but then I remembered the lesson of Jason Pierre-Paul from last year. I was also a little worried that it might have just been his size and power compared to college linemen, but then I remembered the lesson of Ndamukong Suh from last year. On that note, I'm backing Fairely to do well. I think...

- Marcel Dareus. Talking of comparisons to Suh, it's Marcel Dareus. Quick feet, quick hands, keeps his head up and is alert to what's happening in front of him. Might not be as strong as someone like Suh, but possibly a little more versatile. I like him.

- Da'Quan Bowers. Plays pretty smart, aware of reverses and things like that, pretty quick and pursues well. He has some nice moves in the open field at times. But here's the thing. Sometimes he seems to get stuck to blockers like he was glued to them. I just worry that Bowers is one of those guys who only makes plays when you let him, as opposed to forcing the issue himself.

- Robert Quinn. Fast, reasonably strong, sometimes can get great leverage positions on linemen. But I'm not sold. He has off the field issues stemming from an incident involving him and some fellow team mates taking jewellery and trips from agents, which he then lied about to investigators, and then tried to dodge around during a public interview at the combine where he claimed he didn't realise what was happening. He's only played two seasons of football and hasn't played at all in the last year. I'm also concerned that he inflated his stats in a game against Virginia, which isn't truly representative of how he'll perform at the next level. Sorry, but wouldn't touch him. Let someone else take the risk.

- Cameron Jordan. Not bad at all. Pretty strong and very relentless in pursuit, but spent a lot of time in college getting double teamed. The fact that he did so well in spite of that tells you a lot, but it's still a little risky. Might fall as a result.

- Aldon Smith. There's going to be a lot of fans who don't follow the college game going "who?". Smith isn't getting much attention which surprises me, because I came away very impressed from watching his tape. quick, very hard working, technically very sound in terms of hands and footwork and tracks well across the field from sideline to sideline. Expect good things for Mr. Smith.

- Adrian Clayborn. Strong, quick, sheds blocks beautifully. I think the term I would use is block destruction. Technique is very sound and he rides the hip of blockers going away from him very well. Sneaking suspicion he may just be the best D-linemen in the draft this year, so odd that he's not getting more attention. Keep an eye out for Clayborn and hope that he's coming to a city near you.

- Ryan Kerrigan. Pretty quick, gets a great burst of speed going at the snap. Has good use of the hands and at times looks like he has the decision making skills of a seasoned pro D-linemen. Very good. Very impressed.

- J.J. Watt. Incredible speed off the snap. Just ridiculous for a man of his size. Has nice moves and chases every play hard. Tackles well and isn't afraid to put his head in harms way for his team. It's that explosive start that sets everything up though. Will likely do well in the league.

- Corey Liuget. Pretty strong and occasionally gets some nice leverage on O-linemen. Sheds one on one blocks pretty well, but not really mobile enough. Keeps getting caught up in the wash around the line of scrimmage.

- Cameron Heyward. Quite strong and occasionally flashes some good technique, but all too often seems to be running around flapping his arms and not contributing much. Too inconsistent I feel.

- Drake Nevis. Great speed for his size. Powerful. Uses his hands very well. A great all round inside linemen. Could be the next B.J. Raji.

- Allen Bailey. Pretty quick kid, but only ever seems to have an impact when he's left unblocked. Otherwise has a tendency to just run around ineffectually.

- Stephen Paea. The strength he displayed at the combine (I think it was 49 reps of 225 lbs) is for real. Sometimes he'll just barely get a hand on a running back and yet bring them crashing to the ground. Quick and has pretty good technique. All that helps him to shed blocks. Might slip down because people think he's just a workout warrior, but that's a big mistake. I'm going to put my neck on the line and say he's a worthy first round talent.

- Muhammad Wilkerson. Was very impressed at the combine with Wilkerson. Less impressed now. All hype, no action. If I wasn't specifically watching him I'd barely notice he was on the field.

- Justin Houston. Not exactly what you would call technically gifted. But has speed to burn. Will likely fit in very well as a 3-4 pass rushing outside linebacker, but will need to work a lot on his run technique.

- Sam Acho. Boring film. Nothing remarkable.

- Christian Ballard. Uses an unconventional four point stance, but whatever works for him I guess (it does!). He gets great leverage on a consistent basis, driving up under the pads of the O-line. Great footwork. Keeps his head up and his eyes on the play, staying aware of everything happening in front of him. Drives hard. Excellent linemen.

- Marvin Austin. One of the fellow team mates of Richard Quinn caught up in the same scandal and was indeed kicked off the team as a result. On film he looks like an excellent inside linemen, but how much will the absence from action affect him? Sorry but wouldn't take the risk. If he goes undrafted then definitely give him a shot in camp.

- Phil Taylor. Demonstrated a lot of strength at times, but that only made what often followed all the more frustrating. He would get caught on a block and just give up. No pursuit. Lacks that relentless drive that is so essential.

- Jurrell Casey. Watched about 30 snaps then got bored of watching him get blocked. Might have gone on to take over the game single handed, but I doubt it.

- Brooks Reed. Had a great combine in the drills by my measure and plays like a classic 4-3 DE. But seems to get sacks more through fortune and not endeavour (when QB steps up for example). Works hard though, so maybe it's simply a case of getting his just rewards? I'll have to have another look later, possibly after the draft. Tentatively going to suggest he might be sneaky bargain.

- Jabaal Sheard. Character question over involvement in a fight, but appears to have eaten humble pie over that issue and put it behind him. Otherwise strong, quick, has fantastic technique, and pursues hard. Might end up slipping quite a way because of the character issue and end up as an absolute bargain. Will make an excellent NFL DE if he pays attention and puts the work in.

- Chris Carter. Very quick and agile. Gets a great body lean "turning the corner" on an offensive tackle. Not the strongest or most technically sound. Reminds me a lot of DeMarcus Ware, but perhaps not quite on that level.

- Cliff Matthews. Pretty quick, technique is not bad, a good tackler and chases plays well. Maybe more of a low round prospect.

- Terrell McClain. For his size has impressive speed and agility. Not a bad late round pick.

- Dontay Moch. Very quick and has plenty of energy for bounding around the field, but not all that strong. Another who will be more suited as an outside linebacker in a 3-4.

Right, that's that lot then. Two things though just quickly. I was gonna look at Jeremy Beal, but given that he spent most of his time in an upright stance, I'll cover him in the linebackers post. And then there is Miami Hurricanes running back Damien Berry.

I didn't cover him in my post on running backs, because I've only just stumbled across him. He was pretty darn quick and had some nice open field moves, especially when getting downfield as a receiver so might be one to consider.

Next up for me is the Linebackers, which I hope to have posted by Sunday night. There's quite a few names to look at...

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Update

I still haven't been arrested yet (there's still time though, the night is young. Actually it's 3am here).

I still haven't finished watching all the film I need to. In particular I'm having trouble making a decision on Robert Quinn. It might be up later today, which means those of you in the states will probably wake up to it, or it might be delayed yet again.

I hate delays, but I want to get it right, which I feel is the important thing. Of course at this rate the draft will have happened alreay before I get round to making a choice.

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Where things stands

Mike Vrabel of the Chiefs has been arrested for allegedly stealing eight bottles of beer from a Casio in Indiana.

Louis Murphy of the Raiders has been arrested for allegedly failing to obey instructions from a Police officer.

And I haven't been arrested. I have been watching lots of D-line film ahead of this years draft. I'm not finished yet though so my post will be up tomorrow.

Sunday, April 03, 2011

2011 NFL Draft: Tight Ends & Offensive Linemen

Okey Dokey, so I finally solved my editing problem. It turns out that the problem I was having with Blogger (not recognising the use of the Enter/Return key) coincided time wise with the introduction of their new post editing function. A more cynical person than me would hasten to suggest that this was done to deliberately force people to use the new editing layout, but like I say, I'm not that cynical......

Anyway. The first thing that you might notice is the font of the text changing. Until I can figure out what a) works best and b) I like best, you might find the font changes every now and again. Tough, is the word I'm looking for, (you don't come here for my charm, I know that much).

Now onto business. I've spent the last few days pouring over the Offensive Line prospects for the 2011 NFL Draft (and often getting side tracked by future players as well, such as Aaron Murray & Matt Kalil). I'm not sure if I posted the other day my thoughts on the Tight Ends so I'll throw that in first, though to be honest I haven't given them that much attention. I present to you now, as promised, my findings thus far;

Tight Ends:
- Kyle Rudolph. Not a bad route runner if I'm honest, but I have a question mark over the safety of his hands. Playing down the middle, Tight Ends often serve as a conveniently observable outlet, but Rudolph doesn't inspire much confidence as a pass catcher. Distinctly over rated I feel.

- D.J. Williams. Conversely, Williams has pretty darn safe hands. Couple that with good run blocking skills and you have the makings of a pretty solid Tight End. Unfortunately he's not the fastest in the world and his run after the catch ability leaves a lot to be desired. He's one of those players who will make a great catch and then disappear under a pile of linebackers.

- Weslye Saunders. Haven't really seen enough of Saunders, but what I did see was about average. Can't make a definitive statement at this stage, but it's likely he'll be just another run of the mill Tight End.

- Lance Kendricks. Very strong, good run blocker, pretty good routes, nice hands and ploughs over people after the catch. My top rated Tight End thus far. Easily out shown the other three above.

Offensive Linemen:
- Nate Solder. I Remember being very impressed with Solder at the combine. Then I watched him in an actual game(s) and was very disappointed. There were some nice flashes at times, but way too many occasions where he just get beaten straight off the snap. I'm not sure how he ended up rated so highly. People must be watching way different tape than me.

- Anthony Castonzo. My lasting memory of watching Castonzo is seeing him get continually beaten around the edge by Robert Quinn. On this evidence, guys like DeMarcus Ware are going to tear him to pieces. I really, really would not want to pick Castonzo.

- Tyron Smith. If I was hauling Smith in for an interview and medical, I'd want his hearing checked because he must be deaf. The guy misses probably 75% of all snaps. God knows what he's waiting for. He's also far too eager to hit the turf and try a cut block when things look a little tough. Very worrying.

- Gabe Carimi. By this point you're probably worried that this isn't the year for Offensive Tackles. But there is hope and Gabe Carimi represents a fair chunk of it. Generally a very solid player, strong, technically sound, and with a surprising burst of speed when he needs it, Carimi is definitely a top tackle. He reminds me a lot of Bryan Bulaga who I was pretty high on in 2010 and who went on to have an excellent season in Green Bay.

- John Moffitt. A guard by trade, Moffitt thoroughly impressed me. Strong, with very good technique, good awareness generally of what was going on around him, and flips his hips into the hole nicely. A great inside talent, I hope Moffitt gets the recognition he deserves.

- Mike Pouncey. The Center for Florida and brother to another famous Center called Pouncey. What surprised me is how little footage there is available, anywhere! The little that I did get to see wasn't all that, but I didn't get a good enough look to make any judgement. I'll have to sit on this one for now.

- Derek Sherrod. Up there with Carimi, easily. These two would probably be my top two tackles. Sherrod was very sound technically, had great awareness of what was happening around him, great footwork, great use of the hands, and just generally a badass Offensive Tackle. Will probably make it out of the first because he doesn't have enough hype, but is easily a first round talent.

- Benjamin Ijalana. I've heard some rave reviews on Ijalana, but I was honestly left unimpressed. Just an average College tackle. Not bad, but nothing special.

- Rodney Hudson. My highest rated inside linemen. Strong, technically very gifted, happily throws himself into blocks and has no fear. Runs like a demon (for an O-linemen) and always seems to have a ton of energy. In my humble opinion, an easy first round pick.

- Stefen Wisniewski. I hate it when players have difficult names. Why can't every player just be called John Smith? Nice and easy. But I digress. Wisnie-whats-his-name is a Guard/Center prospect, who does one thing really well and one thing really badly. Pass Protection; very good, very stout. Run Blocking; terrible, gets dumped most of the time. It's probably just a question of over extending in the run game and with a bit of work could be solved. More of a project though. Would fit the Colts/Texans ideally.

- Orlando Franklin. Excellent Guard. Very stout in both phases, good technique, and has an aggressive streak which I like in an Offensive Linemen. Again I'm not hearing too much about him, but a good player in the making.

- Joel Figueroa. What was I saying earlier about names? Guard, and a very good one at that. Highly likely to go undrafted, you might never even hear his name again, but I was impressed and I hope someone (*cough* 49ers) pick him up and give him a shot.

- Justin Boren. Another potential undrafted Guard. But again I hope he gets a shot. Strong, gets some great leverage at times, and finishes every block hard. I was very impressed.

So that's what I've come up with so far. Now all this throws up something of a problem. Because essentially I'm backing a lot of players who don't get much air time on the networks, while laughing in the face of some of the most touted prospects. Someone has to be wrong. That means I'm either a secret genius of the draft, or I'm a complete raving fool.

I'll let you know the answer just as soon as I finish building my patented death ray...

... and I'll be back either Monday or Tuesday to start giving you my thoughts on the Defensive side of this years draft.