NFL Draft

Returners

2006-04-23T14:08:00.000-07:00

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

2006-04-17T21:07:00.000-07:00

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

2006-04-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

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

2006-04-06T00:07:00.000-07:00

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

2006-03-29T19:35:00.000-08:00

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

2006-03-21T15:39:00.000-08:00

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

2006-03-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

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).

NFL Combine

2006-02-22T21:32:00.000-08:00

Now that the 2006 Senior Bowl is over, it is time for the top NFL draft prospects to concentrate on the NFL Combine . The NFL Combine is a showcase for draft bound players from 107 universities, taking place Feb. 22-28 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.

Arizona State University has three players participating in the combine. Derek Hagan finished his career as a Sun Devil as possibly the best wide-receiver to ever play for ASU. Hagan is the Pac-10's all-time leader in career receptions with 258, and finished second in conference history with 3,939 career receiving yards. Derek Hagan is a very talented player with good hands and great athleticism. He could be compared to Braylon Edwards, of the Cleveland Browns this year because of his natural talent ability to take over a game. Edwards was Cleveland's first draft pick last year from the University of Michigan.

Dale Robinson is the second Sun Devil headed to the combine. Robinson was a junior transfer who I think proved to be one of the best linebackers in the country. I see Robinson being selected in the second round, perhaps by the Oakland Raiders .

Jamar Williams is the final Sun Devil headed to the 2006 NFL Combine. Williams was a three year starter as a linebacker for ASU. Williams started 35 of 48 career games, had 256 career tackles, 25 tackles were for a loss of yards, seven interceptions and six sacks. I think Williams will still be up for grabs probably until the 4th round.

Quarterbacks and all the hype

2006-02-15T21:21:00.000-08:00

Matt Leinart, Vince Young and Jay Cutler have been getting all the quarterback publicity for the 2006 draft. They are not the only talented quarterbacks entering the draft. The media has seemed to forget all about Clemson's Charlie Whitehurst.

This is a quarterback who is gifted with physical and athletic talent, along with the essentials a coach looks for in a leader. Whitehurst has the size, mobility, and exudes the confidence in the pocket to carry his men down the field on a consistent basis. He is a pocket passer more than anything else right now in his career. With a fast release he has the mobility and arm strength to throw on the run, and has the the ability to scramble once he is outside the pocket.

Whitehurst doesn't scramble out of the pocket upon pressure either. He is willing to stay in the pocket to complete the pass, even when the hit is coming. I think this is an important quality to possess as a quarterback. As a passer he is not terrified to make an error, which I find critical, because to develop into a successful quarterback, you've got to be willing to go with your gut and take some risks. While moving in the pocket Whitehurst maintains eye contact with his receivers down field to allow him to make plays.

Whitehurst brought an uncommon maturity and knowledge of the game as the son of former NFL quarterback David Whitehurst. Charlie's father spent seven years as a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers.

The Cleveland Clowns, I mean BROWNS!

2006-02-09T10:14:00.000-08:00

There are many versatile young men in this years draft that can greatly help the struggling Browns.

Devin Hester, who introduced himself as "Hester" @ this year's Senior Bowl, is a player who came into last years college football season all the hype as a clutch playmaker, particularly as a punt returner. Him, along with his entire team, had a lackluster season, and even though another year in school may have helped him, he decided to enter this years draft.

Check out his player page: Devin Hester

He has a great deal of of athleticism. The downside is that he might not have a real position after playing a little on defense and a limited role on offense at UM.

He knows he probably won't follow in the recent Miami tradition of early picks who get drafted in the first round, he has chosen the position of cornerback and said he is "ready to contribute in any way possible."

"I'll bring a spark to special teams," he said. "I know that special teams is a key aspect to the game. When I return punts I feel like I can set my offense up with good field position every time I get my hands on the ball. And on defense I'm going to work to become a lockdown corner."

That work began a couple of weeks ago in Orlando, with a cornerback you may have heard of once or twice, Deion Sanders. Sanders and Hester have known each other for years, and Sanders is helping Hester "turn his raw physical talents into skills that will help him succeed in an NFL secondary."

"I look at (Sanders) as my Godfather," Hester said. "There's a lot I can learn from a guy like that, on and off the field."

Another player with many talents, but didn't shine brightly @ Kansas, is Charles Gordon. Also an early entry, Gordon played on both sides of the ball at Kansas and proved to be a dynamic playmaker. He had seven interceptions in 2004, tied for most in the nation, and two more last fall for a Kansas defense that didn't recieve the attention they deserved.

Check out his player bio: Charles Gordon

Gordon leaves a Kansas’ all-time punt return leader and totaled 106 catches for 1,232 yards, including nine touchdowns, as a receiver.

Defensive end Mario Williams from North Carolina State looks like he'll be a high pick. Williams led his team to #8 in defense this past year. At 6-foot-7, 290 pounds Williams holds a great advantage over other prospects that are smaller than him. Although, I see Williams going as the 6th pick to the Oakland Raiders, so the Browns probably won't even get a chance.

Another few players the Browns are considering for later in the draft:

Boston College’s Will Blackmon : cornerback

Missouri's Brad Smith: Looked at as either a QB or runningback

Texas A & M's Brad Smith: Looked at as either a QB or runningback

Reggie Bush

2006-01-31T15:53:00.001-08:00

Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush has a great shot at going as the first draft pick.
Check out his stats: ESPN

NFL Draft

2006-01-26T14:18:00.000-08:00

Who will be the #1 Draft pick?