Archives
Multiple teams hope to snatch Blaine Gabbert or Cam Newton early in the draft.With the first overall pick, the Carolina Panthers might do that to solve their horrific QB situation.With Kyle Orton, Tim Tebow and Brady Quinn, the Denver Broncos will not …
The Detroit Lions have made a few subtle moves, that have many fans cheering for Mayhew, which to a extent is great seeing that fans are actually coming out and supporting the Lions for grabbing VandenBosch, Williams, Burleson, Hill, and Sims just to name a few, not to mention those all important special teamers (see what a bad one does, ask Hank Baskett) to the roster, Detroit is shaping up, to at least double wins to four.
But to get to the point, Detroit will HAVE to have a successful draft, to consider this off season a success, free agency, has yet to end, and with speculation to grab Adam Jones as one free agent linked to Detroit, but, for the sake of the article. The free agency period is over, and Detroit’s next stop is the draft, and here we go.
Detroit has a total of seven selections (2, 34, 66, 100, 213, 214, 255) in this years draft, and this is with no trades that likely will be made on Draft Day. And will again, need to make the best selections thus far in this years draft.
Round 1, Pick 2, the Detroit Lions Select Ndamukong Suh DT/Nebraska
The Detroit Lions, have made the obvious pick, and while many will argue the best pick being it for the best player (arguably) in this year’s draft. Suh, took a major amount of time to get and hit expectations at Nebraska, and mid-way through his junior season, he accomplished that. he became a top-notch pass rusher with ideal height and length to affect passing lanes and wrap up quarterbacks, and along with that would be known for breaking through guard/center double teams creating an opening for fellow Lions on the d-line. Could very well become the next Albert Haynesworth or Richard Seymour.
Round 2, Pick 2, 34th overall, the Detroit Lions Select Kareem Jackson CB/Alabama
Kareem Jackson, a player from Alabama, which to me is the fifth highest Corner on the board behind Wilson, Haden, Thomas, and McCourty, will be to me the best player available for Detroit in the second round. In Detroit he could provide a good, physical pop at the line of scrimmage and keeps his hand on the receiver down field to control and essentially shut down the receiver. While many say, he came out early and could have been a first rounder next year with a bit more development, Detroit sweeps him up in the second round, and has a steal at the pick.
Round 3, pick 2, 66th overall, the Detroit Lions Select Syd’Quan Thompson CB/California
Yes, I have the Lions selecting yet another corner, and keeping the defensive draft continuing. Thompson was the third rated corner in the PAC-10 last year, and very easily could be the next Antonio Cromartie and help the Lions, his size fools you being at 5 foot 9, but his ability to be tough on the line of scrimmage and was a punt returner for the Golden Bears and could help the Lions on the return game as well. His pro day made his stock fall enough that he will be available in the third round and the Lions could pounce on the opportunity for him.
Round 4, pick 2, 100th overall, the Detroit Lions Select Selvish Capers OT/West Virginia
Say hello, to heir of the LT position in Detroit, Selvish Capers. He gave good numbers at his pro day, and is the prototypical size for a LT in the NFL, and with a bit more grooming on run blocking could be a franchise tackle for years, being that he was a tight end throughout most of his career making the move from TE out of high school, and being that he player RT in college could take a year or two to get acclimated to what his natural fit would be at LT. Could be due to depth of this years class he is rated lower on the board on offensive line.
Round 7, pick 6, 213th overall, the Detroit Lions Select Rashawn Jackson FB/Virginia
Has anybody else missed Cory Schlesinger on Detroit, I know I have, Rashawn is this years best run blocking FB in the draft, and former Linebacker will indeed be to me the next coming of Cory for the Lions, with the failed Jerome Felton experiment, I see Detroit addressing the need for FB with this selection of Rashawn.
Round 7, pick 7, 214th overall, the Detroit Lions Select Freddie Barnes, WR/Bowling Green
The Detroit Lions showed up at Barnes’ Pro Day, showing that they do have interest in the receiver who caught 155 balls this season, leading all of the NCAA, the only flaw I have seen in film, is him being unable to block down the field to help runners, beyond that, his hands are one of the best if not the best in this years draft, and is a small school player, and still needs a few years to develop. And on top of that he wasn’t even given the chance at the NFL combine, not being invited to attend but Detroit, I think will take a chance on this guy and they wont regret it.
Round 7, pick 48, 255th overall, the Detroit Lions Select Hunter Lawrence K/Texas
Mr. Irrelevant is here, and for the second year in a row, the honors belong to a Kicker. Lets be honest, Hanson is no spring chicken, and while still able to perform, is almost in need to be replaced after this year, and I think the Lions should give him a chance to be on the market, not because they don’t want him, but for the chance for a ring, due to the loyalty he has paid being on this roster for all of his many years in Detroit. and Lawrence could be a adequate fit being that he was 88 percent on all his field goal attempts. Replacing Hanson will be tough, but hes up for the job, and if the Lions still keep Hanson another year, Lawrence should still be able to replace Hanson.
While these picks are no lock, but I based my selections if the Lions were to not sign or trade for any other players or trade up or down in the draft. I feel these would be the best fits for the team, and for the selection the best player to select at that positional need.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
…Carlos Dunlap, defensive end from the University of Florida.
But the choice wasn’t as cut and dried as Eagles fans might think.
As it stands, the Eagles’ biggest needs are on defense. They want a complement for sack machine Trent Cole on the other side of the defensive line, need a true SAM linebacker, and, even with Marlin Jackson aboard, could use another safety.
So when we got to around No. 22, the team (myself and fellow Eagles FCs Will Holt and Gary Suess) began debating heavily and came up with some interesting possibilities. Figuring both New England and Green Bay would be looking for rushers for their 3-4 schemes, we put together a board.
Dunlap was our No. 1 choice, as DE seemed the biggest need—but we had contingency plans. USC safety Taylor Mays was in the convo as he has been for weeks, and I suggested Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews, who could be the dominant inside runner the Birds desperately need.
Gary thought Florida center Maurkice Pouncey could be a good grab given the offensive line flux, and Will–possibly taking a page out of Andy Reid’s playbook — suggested taking a flyer on Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford or Maryland OT Bruce Campbell if the scenarios worked out.
But when we finally got on the clock, the three of us agreed that Dunlap was the guy because he could be more than a complement to Cole—he could be a monster.
See, Dunlap has a rare combo of size, speed and strength that has drawn comparisons to former No. 1 overall picks Mario Williams and Julius Peppers. Not bad company, considering Williams has 35 sacks the last three seasons and Peppers has six double-digit totals in eight years.
Granted, Dunlap’s hard numbers won’t jump out at you; during his career in Gainesville, he “only” recorded 19.5 sacks (leading the Gators in both 2008 and 2009) and 26 tackles for loss. Surely not the highest of totals, but when you factor in that he’s an early-entry junior who only started 15 games, that’s still an impressive haul.
Clearly he’s a pass rusher, but more importantly, he has good peripherals.
Dunlap greatly improved his awareness in the passing game at large last year, notching six passes defensed in 2009 after only recording two in his first two years. That could be huge for the Eagles, especially if they’re forced to suffer through 2010 with Chris Gocong, Moise Fokou or some other stiff at the SAM spot.
Gator No. 8 was also a force on special teams. In 2008, he blocked three punts in 2008 and stymied a huge Oklahoma field goal attempt in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game.
That last one leads to my third “strength” of his, namely that Dunlap has shown that he can shine in a big moment. That BCS title tilt was perhaps the best game of his career, as his line of four tackles (1.5 for loss), half a sack and that blocked FG earned him Defensive MVP honors.
Seems like the perfect choice, but of course there are knocks on him.
Specifically, he has character issues” because of a poorly-timed DUI (is a DUI ever really well-timed?) and scouts feel that his lack of improvement (his sack and TFL totals were basically static despite an “increased” role as a starter in 2009) signifies that he’s a comfort guy who won’t try to live up to his full potential if he’s performing well enough.
Well, good for them.
Numbers wise, his per-game sack totals from college would roughly average out to 13 or so a season, which would have put him in the Top 5 in the NFL last year…and as far as character goes, Warren Sapp was the devil coming out of college and Ben Roethlisberger was a choir boy, so image isn’t always everything.
Andy Reid’s system doesn’t tolerate slackers, as even outstanding performers can get benched or cut in the blink of an eye, and his potential outweighs the off-field issues that Urban Meyer deemed out of character. Even if that doesn’t seem to mean much given Urban’s own eccentricity as of late, you have to take that as face value, right?
We think so. And with that, Carlos Dunlap is an Eagle and our closest neighbors to the south, the Baltimore Ravens, are on the clock at No. 25.
Previous Picks:
23. Packers Select Sergio Kindle
22. Patriots Select Jared Odrick
21. Bengals Select Jermaine Gresham
19. Falcons Select Sean Weatherspoon
18. Steelers Select Mike Iupati
17. 49ers Select Trent Williams
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
With the 22nd pick in the 2010 NFL (Mock) Draft, the New England Patriots select Jared Odrick, defensive lineman, Penn State.
At pick 22, the New England Patriots are stuck in that awful “orange” zone of picks.
Most of the elite, proven athletes are off the board. So, too, are the workout warriors who blew everyone away in private session and at the NFL Combine. There are a ton of guys with top-tier upside still available, but now the question marks start pouring in.
This guy didn’t have a great combine. That guy didn’t have a great senior year. That guy has an injury history. This player is making a position change.
Odrick, for example, is a do-it-all defensive lineman out of Penn State. He’s a smart kid, who has experience playing everywhere along the defensive line, as well as working with the 3-4 and 4-3—rare for a college player.
His workout numbers don’t leap off the page, but he’s a smart bet in a draft loaded with defensive talent.
He’s obviously got way more experience in the 4-3, as does just about everyone in college, but as a 3-technique defensive tackle, or even wider as a 3-4 defensive end, he could give the Patriots a great deal of flexibility along the defensive line, along with guys like Mike Wright and Myron Pryor.
That’s especially going to be important because the Patriots’ previous jack-of-all-trades Jarvis Green is now going to be his old versatile self in Denver. Though the Patriots solidified the centerpiece of their front seven by re-signing Vince Wilfork, they’ll need a great deal of flexibility up front with Richard Seymour and Green now both playing for other teams.
Odrick’s got a great, stable base, though he’s not terribly explosive. The Patriots don’t need a slam dunk here, they just need a good solid athlete who can contribute at a variety of positions right away, especially with Green now out of New England.
A lot of drafts have them going after a “tweener” who can make the switch from 4-3 defensive end to 3-4 outside rush linebacker. Those are high-profile picks and they’re extraordinarily valuable, but they’re incredibly difficult to project.
I think the Patriots will trade out of this spot, ultimately, even if it’s only to move down to 26 or 27 where they can still land a guy like Odrick and pick up a second-day pick to solidify their roster a bit.
This is a deep draft and with the (incredibly likely) possibility of a rookie wage scale coming and the fact that, according to several reports I’ve read, there’s close to 45 guys who would rate at a first-round level in this draft, I think the second round is the place the Patriots want to be, more so than late in the first.
They could also trade up if they get a good enough offer from a team looking to bail out of the first round and they see somebody they’re willing to pay the premium money for.
Either way, I’d expect to see some movement by the Patriots. That’s certainly been their M.O. in the past.
At pick 23 last year, for example, the Patriots traded their pick to the Ravens who used the chance to draft Michael Oher, the raw physical tackle who was surprisingly still on the board. The Patriots passed on Oher, who ended up being the best performing rookie tackle. Of course, they then picked up Sebastian Vollmer 35 picks later and he ended up being the second-best performing rookie tackle at a fraction of the price.
Was it worth it? Only time will tell, but it just goes to show how difficult picks 20-60 are to project, even in a year when every junior in the country isn’t jumping at the chance of landing the last big rookie contract.
The fact that this is a draft flooded with first-round talent looking to be the last class to cash in on big money before a rookie wage cap hits and that there’s a plethora of top-drawer defensive linemen means the Patriots will be as cagey as ever come draft day.
Would you expect anything else?
With the 23rd pick in the 2010 NFL Featured Columnist Mock Draft, the Green Bay Packers.
Previous Picks:
21. Bengals Select Jermaine Gresham
19. Falcons Select Sean Weatherspoon
18. Steelers Select Mike Iupati
17. 49ers Select Trent Williams
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
The Cincinnati Bengals entered the 2010 offseason knowing the top priority was to figure out a way to improve last season’s 26th-ranked passing game.
While the release of Laveranues Coles and the recent signing of free agent wide receiver Antonio Bryant give Cincinnati a deep threat in the passing game, Carson Palmer could still use another effective weapon to throw to.
With the 21st pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, I selected Oklahoma Sooners tight end Jermaine Gresham. He’s arguably the top player at his position in this year’s draft and the Bengals could use a pass-catching tight end to help improve the passing game.
Most teams seemed hesitant towards Gresham considering he missed all of 2009 after having surgery on his right knee to repair torn cartilage. Many wondered if his draft stock would slide if the knee injury was still having an effect on his performance.
Instead, Gresham has been nothing short of impressive while working out for interested teams. Not only did he amaze scouts at Oklahoma’s Pro Day earlier this week, but Gresham performed well at the NFL Combine as well on his way to a 4.73 40-yard dash time.
The tight end position is an area the Bengals have struggled to stay consistent in over the last couple of seasons. After Reggie Kelly ruptured his Achilles tendon during training camp last season, Cincinnati was hoping for rookie Chase Coffman to step it up at tight end.
Instead, Coffman struggled throughout training camp to make the adjustment from playing at a college level to a professional level—especially when it came to blocking. His rookie season consisted of him inactive for 12 games before eventually being placed on season-ending injury reserve.
Injuries prevented Coffman from living up to the pass-catching tight end the Bengals drafted out of Missouri during his rookie season. If he can find a way to bounce back and become an effective part of the offense in 2010, Palmer may have two solid options at tight end if Cincinnati ends up selecting Gresham with the 21st pick.
In the two seasons prior to his knee injury, Gresham led the Sooners in receiving during the 2008 season. From 2007-08, he finished with 156 catches for 1,664 yards and 20 touchdowns.
The Bengals are an effective passing game away from being considered one of the top teams in the NFL. With a strong defense and a powerful running game led by Cedric Benson, Cincinnati could be one their way to a second-straight AFC North title with an improved wide-receiving core.
Bryant was signed this week to play alongside Ochocinco to use his height and speed to be an effective deep threat in the passing game. With arguably the best pass-catching tight end in Gresham, the Bengals are right where they need to be to improve the passing game for the 2010 season.
With the 22nd pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots are on the clock!
19. Falcons Select Sean Weatherspoon
18. Steelers Select Mike Iupati
17. 49ers Select Trent Williams
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
