Date Archives April 2012

2012 Post-Draft Skill Player Impressions Part-I

Find out why Browns WR Carlton Mitchell is potentially a beneficiary of the Browns draft. Photo by Hank.

I don’t believe in grading the draft. Many of my colleagues, ones I respect a great deal, will be providing draft grades this week. Some of them will say that they don’t believe a draft can be graded accurately for a few years, but two paragraphs later they are grading away like they’re teaching middle school. The reason is they believe they are giving readers what they want, and they’re right.

In this case, I don’t care. I’m not indulging in that practice. Although some may want to read it, perpetuating a practice that none of my writer brethren believe in but do it anyway is not something I have to do here. This is when I love having my own blog. I’m going to try something a little different and discuss what I think teams are trying to do with certain picks and whether I can see the logic. Continue reading

Need a Laugh?

Go here to see the “fan reactions” to each first-round draft pick. “Alex,” a forum participant from NFL Draft Countdown created this post with the lead-in: Do you really want to read blocks of text breaking down each pick for you? Of course not, you want something short and sweet. Which is why I give you my first round analysis, presented in the form of animated gifs. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

It’s brilliant.

Even Browns and Seahawks fans will get a laugh.

Reads Listens Views-NFL Draft Day 1 Edition 4/27/2012

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If you can look at Irvin’s game through the lens that he can learn better technique to stay low, learn a change-up move, and learn to diagnose run plays with extra work, the physical talent is evident. Read more below.

Views

That was quick. And as someone who loves evaluating players and has less patience for waiting on picks, I loved how fast the first round flew by. I’m going to share some takes, but in case you’re new to this blog, here’s a list that includes seven first-round picks that I’ve analyzed in detail in recent months so I don’t have to rehash anything.

While I’m not a huge fan of Brandon Weeden, I see the logic Continue reading

With the draft almost here, I thought I place this at the top of my blog again for easy access. I added my No-Huddle Series links as well.

NY Times Fifth Down Series: Luck and Griffin

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Can a team really go wrong with Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin? Of course they can, history shows that top quarterback prospects bomb year after year. Do I think they can go wrong with either one? Not unless something horrific happens.

Trent Richardson, Luck and Griffin are a great trio at the top of this draft class and arguably its three best players. While hard to predict whether Richardson will burst onto the scene like Adrian Peterson or Luck or Griffin will match Cam Newton’s first season, all three are within the same hemisphere of talent and potential. Here’s hoping they fulfill that promise.

Here’s the link to my thoughts on Griffin as published by the New York Times Fifth Down blog. Here’s some of my thoughts on luck with a link to the rest of the piece at the bottom.

1.    Andrew Luck, Stanford (6-3, 234)

I have no problem with anyone ranking Robert Griffin III of Baylor as the top prospect in this quarterback class. (See my scouting report here.) Griffin has great athleticism, intelligence and charisma to pair with good technique at the position. I wouldn’t be surprised, for example, if he has a better fantasy season as a rookie than Andrew Luck. But for the long haul, I still give the edge to Luck.

Luck has one of the most refined, polished games I have seen from a college quarterback entering the N.F.L.

It begins with his strong internal clock for pressure. He consistently does a good job of adjusting his location in the pocket at the right time so he can avoid the rush, keep his eyes down the field and get rid of the ball. Because he’s adept at using his eyes to manipulate coverage and displays an understanding of how to adjust his formations to get a mismatch before the snap, he’s well ahead of the game as an  N.F.L.  prospect. The fact that he does this in a pro-style offense is a bonus.

The ability to manipulate a defense extends to his play fakes, ball fakes and bootlegs to create open windows, and he does all of it with fantastic rhythm and timing for a young player. He’s smooth and controlled, and he throws off a defense before delivering the football on time and with great location to his receivers. He has a highly nuanced underneath game, and when defenses try to stop it, he can throw the deep ball as the counterpunch. [Read the rest here]

While listening to talking heads tell you about the draft is sometimes enjoyable, own the document that gives you the literal book on the skill positions that matter to your fantasy league. Get the 2012 Rookie Scouting Portfolio today and then get the May 6 update at no extra charge. If you listen to my readers it’s money well-spent.

Get Acquainted With These Future Prospects

I’ll be doing much more on these prospects in the coming years, but while I’m getting ready for the 2012 NFL Draft, here’s a peek to the future – 2013 and beyond. Some of these guys are future stars, others I’m just intrigued with their potential.

Enjoy tonight. I’ll be on with Jene Bramel at 8pm on the Audible sponsored by Footballguys.com and then later in the evening with Bill Smith at Frying Pan Sports.

Clemson WR Sammy Watkins

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Boston College RB Montell Harris Continue reading

Walk on the Wildside: My Draft to Mock-Part II

I guess tattoos are okay for the field hands, but not for the workers in the big house. Find out who passes Jerry Richardson’s eye-ball test in My Draft to Mock – Part II. Photo by PDA.Photo

After the response I got from last night’s Draft to Mock, apparently there’s a side to many of you that have also grown a little bored of mock drafts. So here’s Part II of My Draft to Mock. For those of you with the scanning virus, this is not a real mock.

Carolina Panthers select DT Fletcher Cox, Ole Mississippi: “Fletcher” is just a good, old-fashioned name. Continue reading

No-Huddle Series: New Mexico State RB Kenny Turner

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I came home from work today and watched an E:60 segment about Titans running back Chris Johnson and his best friend Kenny Turner. If you haven’t seen the segment, you can read the full story about their friendship and the events that transpired that led to a felony conviction and five years in jail. If you ask Johnson or neighborhood friend Mike-Sims Walker, Turner was the best football player in the neighborhood.

Turner played for the New Mexico State Aggies and, like his best friend, was switched from running back to receiver, back to running back. I only had a chance to watch a half of a game tonight against Georgia, but here are three notable plays the reveal some good things about his game. All of them Continue reading

Walk on the Wildside: My Draft to Mock – Part I

The official moving company of the Colts heading for Texas, but which quarterback’s furniture are they grabbing? Find out in My Draft to Mock, Part I. Photo by cogdogblog.

Everyone is doing mock drafts. I’m waiting for President Obama to do one on ESPN any minute now – especially with the ladies of The View likely scheduled to do one on Wednesday. For fear that my football card might be taken away, I thought it was time I do one.

Like Greg Cosell, I plead ignorance on the machinations of teams’ draft boards. In fact, I’ll go a step further and plead insanity. Continue reading

Monday Reading

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Charlier Garner was a fun runner to watch. Despite his array of moves, he had a knack for getting down hill. A tough, undersized runner that I believe Reggie Bush probably should have studied earlier in his career.

I had something written for this morning but wisdom prevailed and I decided not to post it. So here’s some good football reading to check out if you haven’t already.

Chris Brown’s Griffin III and Luck piece on play-action at Smart Football

Cripes! Get back to fundamentals

Word of Muth (Dive into the details of offensive line play with a former all-PAC-10 left tackle): Scouting the Lions

My Future’s column – A Peyton Manning Transcription – should also be up sometime this afternoon