Returners

The anticipation to the 2006 NFL Draft is heating up as the days until April 29 are winding down. Many draft analyzers are calling for one of the best groups of punt-returners in the draft.

One team in need of a quality returner are the Chicago Bears. "This is one of the best groups of returners I can remember," says Bears general manager Jerry Angelo.

Some of the special teams candidates that may potentially be drafted in the first few rounds include:
Boston College's Will Blackmon
Colorado's Jeremy Bloom
Virginia's Marques Hagans
Miami's Devin Hester
Fresno State's Adam Jennings

Other players that will be picked up later in the Draft include:
UCLA running back Maurice Drew
Kansas cornerback Charles Gordon
LSU wide receiver Skyler Green
Florida State wide receiver Willie Reid
TCU wide receiver Cory Rodgers
Wisconsin's wide receiver Brandon Williams

LenDale White Injures His Hammy

LenDale White of USC has been receiving criticism since he refused to run the 40 when he worked out for pro scouts. He has also been under the microscope for being, well, just plain fat.

Now LenDale has a legitimate excuse for not running; he has a tear in his hamstring. LenDale received results from an MRI test done on his right hamstring which showed a moderate tear near the pelvic region. LenDale will be unable to run until mid-May, which is after the April 29th draft. This seems like a recipe for LenDale to sit on his butt, eat food and gain even more weight.

White was projected to go somewhere around the 28th pick in the draft, but the running back who, according to NFL.com's Pat Kirwan, has never run a recorded 40, could drop even further now. Could he replace the fat bus in Pittsburgh?

Day Two for the Browns

With all the draft talk these days, many people aren't concentrating on Day Two of the 2006 NFL Draft. There are many players that seem to fit into the Cleveland Brown's 3-4 defense that are worth a look at on Day Two.

DL: Pat Massey, Michigan – Cleveland native and St. Ignatius grad is almost 6-foot-8 and 290 pounds, so he fits the mold of a 3-4 defense. He played many positions in college and didn’t post huge stats, but he’s smart and has potential to be a playmaker.

DL: Kyle Williams, LSU – Williams brings a high motor and high effort. He is not even the most popular player from his college defensive line. He definately qualifies as a reliable and proven football player. If the Browns pick him up, he could very well play tackle or end.

LB: Terna Nande, Miami (OH) – A physical monster who is definately strong and fast enough to compete at the professional level. He will be drafted because of his potential to make game changing plays. We will have to wait until Day Two (April 30, 2006) to see when exactly he’ll be drafted.

CB: David Pittman, Northwestern State – The only non-Division I-A player at the Senior Bowl made it clear he can hang with the heavy-weights. Because he isn't that big, he probably won't be drafted on the first day. Pittman could help the Browns out on special teams.

S: Trevis Coley, Southern Miss – After joining twin brother, middle linebacker Kevis, Trevis proved to be a leader on the tough Southern Miss defense. Trevis is 6-foot-1 and weighs 227 pounds. Coley performed well for scouts after skepticism during the 2005 season. He's a good player who wasn’t invited to the combine but should contribute in the NFL.

Tight Ends

In the 2005 NFL Draft, only three tight ends were picked on day one. But Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez and Jeremy Shockey have had such a great impact on the entire game, it looks like tight ends may be a hot commodity in the 2006 NFL Draft.

Vernon Davis of Maryland portrays what every team wants in an offensive player. Davis, who bench presses 400 pounds and runs 4.38 in the 40-yard dash, will be picked up the the first round. Davis will most likely be an early pick. Later in the first round, Leonard Pope from Georgia will also be picked up. Pope is 6-foot-7 and as a tight end running vertical routes, he is an excellent target.

Marcedes Lewis from UCLA and Anthony Fasano from Notre Dame will follow shortly after Davis, probably in round two.

Colorado's Joe Klopfenstein should lead off the tight ends in the third round, which looks to be when up to five tight ends could be drafted. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Klopfenstein had 27 reps on the bench and ran a 4.62 40-yard dash at 255 pounds. Along with Fasano, he's a combination of a receiver and a blocker.

Later in round three, USC tight end Dominique Byrd will be up for grabs after a stellar performance at the Senior Bowl. Tony Scheffler from Western Michigan ran the 40 in 4.54 at the NFL Combine. There are many skeptics of his skill and level of competition. However, there are a few teams that are seriously considering Scheffler.

As the third round comes to a close, David Thomas from Texas and Owen Daniels from Wisconsin will probably be late picks.

Draft Quickly Approaching

The 2006 NFL Draft is less than a month away and it seems that most people have no idea of the team order. The draft is on April 29-30. The order of the top 20 picks (non-playoff teams) is determined by record. Draft-order ties are resolved by the cumulative record of each team's opponents. The team with the weaker opponents receives drafting priority. Because the draft is quickly approaching, I am going to list the 32-team line-up, along with their 2005-2006 season record:

1. Houston 2-14
2. New Orleans 3-13
3. Tennessee 4-12
4. New York Jets 4-12
5. Green Bay 4-12
6. San Francisco 4-12
7. Oakland 4-12
8. Buffalo 5-11
9. Detroit 5-11
10. Arizona 5-11
11. St. Louis 6-10
12. Cleveland 6-10
13. Baltimore 6-10
14. Philadelphia 6-10
15. Denver (from Atlanta) 8-8
16. Miami 9-7
17. Minnesota 9-7
18. Dallas 9-7
19. San Diego 9-7
20. Kansas City 10-6
21. New England 10-6
22. Denver (from Washington) 10-6
23. Tampa Bay 11-5
24. Cincinnati 11-5
25. New York Giants 11-5
26. Chicago 11-5
27. Carolina 11-5
28. Jacksonville 12-4
29. N.Y. Jets (from Denver through Atlanta) 13-3
30. Indianapolis 14-2
31. Seattle 13-3
32. Pittsburgh 11-5

Cleveland's Free Agency and Draft Options

Needless to say the Cleveland Browns took full advantage of their resources during free agency. Because this blog is about the 2006 NFL Draft,the positive news has created even more talk about the countdown to the draft than already existed for the Browns. If you aren't up to date on my hometown Brownies, take a look at the new signings and what it means for the team's draft plans.

The signings of LeCharles Bentley and Kevin Shaffer on the offensive line make the offensive line a less important area on draft day. Both these additions are athletic 26-year old players, adding great depth to the team. This doesn't mean the Browns won't draft an offensive lineman. In the third and forth rounds there should be very capable guards and centers available to pickup. Bentley is a Cleveland native and played ball at The Ohio State University.

How excited am I that we drafted DaveZastudil? Very! Him and I attended the same high school just outside of Cleveland. Having a hometowner will sure rally the dawgpound this coming season. As for the draft, this means the Browns will not be using their first round choice on USC punter Tom Malone.

While I'm ranting about how excited I am for next year, I can't forget to mention yet another Clevelander that has been added to the roster, Joe Jurevicius. Jurevicius is a spectacular widereceiver. He has played in three Super Bowls in his eight NFL seasons, one with each of his previous teams: the Giants, Bucs and Seahawks.

Speaking of hometowners, Barry Cofield of Cleveland Heights is a nose tackle who is projected as a middle-round pick. Cofield was a defensive lineman at Northwestern University. Cofield has made it clear he would love to play for the Browns, and the Browns have made it clear over the last few weeks they love players with Cleveland roots.

Getting back to the draft, the Browns have traded Chris Crocker to the Falcons. From this trade the Browns acquired an extra fourth-round draft choice, just two spots after the fourth rounder they already owned. This leaves the Browns with oh, so many options.

Combine is over...But evaluation is not

NFL prospects are going to be scouted, timed, stretched, measured and put on display for every team in the league. The NFL is looking for the top collegiate talent, and for several weeks following the Scouting Combine, individual schools will showcase their best and brightest. The results are compiled by NFL.com.

Linebackers shine at the NFL Combine
The linebackers produced an unbelievable group of fast men. This has been looked at as possibly the fastest group ever. There were three prospects that ran under 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash: Thomas Howard of UTEP (4.46), Jon Alston of Stanford (4.45) and Ernie Sims of Florida State (4.46).

Former Ohio State linebacker, A.J. Hawk, is a tremendous player and competitor. He is one of my all-time favorite collegiate athletes. His performance was a memorable one and he turned in a time 4.59. Hawk has a chance to be drafted higher than any linebacker since 2000. The Green Bay Packers are thinking about him at No. 5. The Ohio State University's football's head coach, Jim Tressel loves A.J. Hawk.

Hawk was joined by three other athletes who also ran under 4.6: Brandon Johnson of Louisville (4.51), Miami's (Ohio) Tarna Nande (4.54) and Miami's (Fla.) Leon Williams (4.59).