I’m Calling Out Mel Kiper Jr

I don’t care if you read this, or even hear about it, im hoping someone on the NFL’s inside catches this though.

You have your own shows, commercials, ads, and your bad hair all over TV.

You probably live a very comfy lifestyle, you come out of your shell for three months to cover the draft, battle it out with Todd McShay, and offer us your precious insight on ESPN.

You even dupe some people into buying an ESPN insider subscription just so people can view your opinion further! Brilliant!

Now don’t get me wrong, you get a good portion of picks right, or at least can differentiate between whos going to go in the first round and who is not

I think a 10 year old could with all of the leaks and inside information you receive, but that’s beside the point

I recently came across a posting by NFC West blogger Mike Sando, who writes for ESPN. He was looking for 2009 NFL Mock Drafts who got the most first round picks guessed right, not necessarily who went where. I will dive deeper into those stats at a later time.

It stated you had gotten five wrong, getting 27/32 correct first rounders predicted.

I got 28/32.

I did better then you, without the inside information, without the fancy equipment, without the detailed scouting reports, without any of the advantages you are given.

A 17 year old who lives up in the forgotten corner of the most beautiful city in the nation, did better then the draft’s “top expert.”

The guy who only really covers the draft, that’s all he has to do, he cannot even best a 17 year old who doesn’t even have the worthless ESPN insider subscription!

If you could, I would love to hear you explain to your fellow analysts how a high school student could possibly do better then a millionaire.

I made sure I published my mock draft, and since it has been picked up by external sources, would be un-changed by my hand on those sites.

I would have a small dose of sympathy, but you had Mark Sanchez going to my Seahawks, until you changed your mind two minutes before the draft started, smart choice

Mel Kiper Jr, the millionaire who cannot even outdo a teenager, I’m loving it.

Here’s the mock by the way, any of you who can count can dig a little deeper yourselves.

Sam Bradford Seattle 2010!

2009 Draft Evaluation: New York Giants

The 2009 draft for the New York Giants seemed to satisfy one obvious need in getting WR Hakeem Nicks in the first round, as well as WR Ramses Barden in the third round.

At pick No. 29, the Giants found the best player on the board as well as WR who can fill a need. 

My biggest question about this pick, though, is the Giants are now dealing with a receiving corps with no one has who has proven anything in the NFL level.

QB Eli Manning misses high a lot with his throw and Nicks is only 6’0 3/4 inches, so while people are anointing him the replacement of Plaxico Burress, they have to realize the height disparity between the two players. 

His lack of height, though, doesn’t mean he can’t become a dominant WR in the league for the next 10 years.  Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers stands at only 5’9 and there is no one around the NFL that thinks his height is an issue.

My issue with the draft has nothing to do with either of the two WR selected, but simply that Jerry Reese wouldn’t part with a second-round pick and a player to get Anquan Boldin, a player who Hakeem Nicks could potentially turn into. 

The Giants need to sign a veteran WR such as Marvin Harrison in order to help these rookie WR develop.

Clint Sintim is going to be a Linebacker that could potentiall back up the aging Antonio Pierce at MLB or also step in at OLB.

This versatility to play multiple positions in multiple schemes is something that a GM in today’s NFL covets. Recent linebackers drafted by the Giants have all made a contribution on Defense or Special Teams in their rookie year.

William Beatty is a smart pick for the Giants because they desperately needed to address the lack of Offensive Line depth.  While the Giants have a dominant line right now, but when LT David Diehl left the game against Dallas in Week 15, Kevin Boothe looked like he had never played OL in his life.

  Now David Diehl could eventually move back to his natural position of Guard and have Beatty develop into Eli Manning’s blind side protector.

Ramses Barden will be a project but you have to love his dimensions (6’6, 229 lb).  In his rooke year he will probably be integrated into “The Green Zone” as Coach Coughlin refers to it.  The reason that K John Carney made the Pro Bowl last year was because the Giants often missed opportunities to score touchdowns and had to settle for field goals.  Giving Eli Manning a 6’6 WR makes it easy for him and Barden to play jump ball on a 5’10 cornerback. 

Travis Beckum who was taken with the 100th overall pick will be able to give Eli Manning a vertical target which will enable the big play offense.  Despite his poor blocking skills this will help the run game because opposing defenses will not always be able to place a safety in the box to stop the running game.

Andre Brown is a pick that was made because of the loss of RB Derek Ward to free agency.  Hopefully Brown can contribute as either the third RB or on special teams.

The pick of Rhett Bomar really is a head-scratcher.  The Giants have an able back up in David Carr who showed in Week 17 with the Vikings playing for a playoff spot that he is able to run the offense and distribute the ball. 

The Giants had also been grooming Andre Woodson who was a 6th round pick last year.  Taking another QB especially in the fifth round, in which the Giants have found players such as Kevin Boss in 2007 who can contribute right away doesn’t come across as a smart move. 

Bomar was a top recruit when he entered Oklahoma for his freshman year, so the logic is that Jerry Reese took the best player on the board.

Deandre Wright was the only player of the draft picks that I have seen play live.  As a junior in 2007 he came to Arizona Stadium and defeated the Wildcats in a game in which he defended future 2009 fourth-round WR Mike Thomas as well as NFL prospect TE Rob Gronkowski. 

He should be able to compete for a roster spot as a special teamer and could be a work in progress.

Stoney Woodson is another pick that the only justification that I can make would be him being the best player on the board. 

The Giants are loaded with young talent at CB with Aaron Ross, Corey Webster and Terrell Thomas as well as Deandre Wright. 

The bottom line is that you can’t evaluate a draft class as a whole for another 3-4 years to see how these players play at the NFL level.

Originally posted from blognyg.com

Philadelphia Eagles Soar in NFL Draft

The NFL draft has concluded.  At the end of Day One, the Eagles left me cautiously optimistic.  On one hand, they got what many considered to be a top 10 talent at pick No. 19 in Jeremy Maclin.  On the other hand, was Maclin really what they needed?

Their second pick of LeSean McCoy at pick No. 53 had me excited.  I think he was the second-best running back in this draft.  He will provide not only a backup to Brian Westbrook, but possibly his future replacement as well.  I was shocked that he fell so far and that the Eagles were able to snatch him up.

Initially, Day One may have left me a bit bewildered.  On the second day of the draft, the Eagles’ plan came more into focus and left me more excited about their first two selections.

The Eagles did a lot of wheeling and dealing on the second day.  They stockpiled extra picks for next year and did not make an actual pick until the fifth round when they selected tight end Cornelius Ingram out of Florida. 

Ingram has huge upside.  He is a tremendous athlete with soft hands.  The only reason he fell to the fifth round was because he sat out all of the 2008 season recovering from an ACL tear.

Ingram played basketball in 2004 for the Florida Gators.  There have been a few other tight ends in the NFL who were good basketball players that had pretty good careers.  Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates come to mind.

Obviously, it is ridiculous to compare Ingram to Gonzalez or Gates at this point, but at 6′4″ and 245 pounds the Eagles may have found that dangerous Red Zone target they have been desperately needing.

At pick number 157, the Eagles selected cornerback Victor Harris out of Virginia Tech.  Harris could give them some depth at cornerback, but he also projects as a possible free safety in the NFL.  The Eagles could be looking to groom a possible replacement for the departed Brian Dawkins.

Speaking of their secondary, the Eagles also made a trade with the New England Patriots on the second day of the draft.  Philadelphia sent two fifth-round picks in exchange for cornerback Ellis Hobbs.  Hobbs will give the Eagles a good nickel or dime back.  It also opens the door for the Eagles to possibly ship off disgruntled cornerback Sheldon Brown.

Sheldon Brown took the news as a step in the right direction for him being moved out of Philly.

“I think it’s great,” Brown told The Associated Press. “I look at it as great news in terms of me being traded.”

So far, the Eagles are not saying they have any plans to move Brown.  It will be more likely they give him the same treatment Lito Sheppard received last year after voicing concerns over his contract.  Mr. Brown, meet Mr. Bench.

With their final pick in the fifth round, the Eagles took Oregon offensive tackle Fenuki Tupou.  At 6′5″ and 315 pounds, he has good size to play on the outside.  I don’t see him as a starter, but he could become a quality backup.  No harm in taking him this late in the draft.

In the sixth round, the Eagles selected Washington State wide receiver Brandon Gibson.  Gibson showed decent skills as a junior.  His stock dropped as a senior, but look at the team he was stuck on. 

Like Tupou, he could develop into a decent backup on this team.  How many studs are you really going to find in round six and seven?  Not many.

Round seven saw the Eagles taking Arizona State guard Paul Fanaika and outside linebacker Moise Fokou from Maryland.  Both players are seen more as a project than possible impact players for 2009. 

Fanaika has great size and could develop into a similar player to Max Jean-Gilles in 2-3 years.  Fokou has good speed and is athletic.

He struggles getting away from blocks and is a little slow to react to the ball.  What do you want in a seventh-round pick though?

Coming into the draft the Eagles had needs at running back, tight end, wide receiver, and cornerback.  They addressed all of their needs. 

Maclin has explosive speed and could develop into threat to score from anywhere on the field.  McCoy gives them a running back with a very similar skill set to Brian Westbrook. 

Cornelius Ingram to me is one of the most exciting picks of the draft.  If he is fully recovered from his ACL injury, the Eagles got the Red Zone threat that has been glaringly missing from their offense the last two years. 

They have also been missing a consistant receiving threat at tight end since Chad Lewis retired.  At cornerback, they pickup Ellis Hobbs in a trade that cost them nothing more than two fifth-round picks, of which they had six at the time of the trade.

Overall, on paper, this looks like one of the best Eagle drafts during the Andy Reid and Joe Banner era to go along with a fantastic off-season.  The 2009 NFL season can’t get here soon enough.

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Breaking Down the New York Giants’ Draft

The New York Giants went into the draft knowing what they needed. They needed to fill two huge losses at the Wide Receiver Position.  They also wanted to beef up their line-backing core. The Giants needed this draft to be a big one if they want to be successful in the upcoming 2009 season.

The Giants had nine picks in the 2009 draft and they selected wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, linebacker Clint Sintim, tackle William Beatty, wide receiver Ramses Barden, tight end Travis Beckum, running back Andre Brown, quarterback Rhett Bomar, defensive back DeAndre Wright, and defensive back Stoney Woodson.

The Giants are hoping these nine selections lead them deep into the playoffs and hopefully to the Super Bowl.

The Giants selected Hakeem Nicks with the 29th pick in the draft. Nicks is a 6-foot-1 212 pound wide receiver out of the University of North Carolina. The Giants selected Nicks hoping he could fill the huge hole at wide receiver left by the departure of Plaxico Burress and Armani Toomer.

Nicks received for 2,840 yards and 21 touchdowns during his career at UNC. Nicks could become a star in the NFL with his big play capability and good hands. Nicks is a decent leaper and could fill the role in the Giants famous fade play.

Nicks is a good selection for the Giants, the pick was obviously between him and Kenny Britt. Either receiver would have been a suitable and supported pick. Nicks could be stepping into the Giant’s number one receiving slot in his rookie season.

Giants fans hope that Nicks will be a dominant receiver and help Eli Manning out.

Clint Sintima 6-foot-3 256 pound linebacker out of the University of Virginia was selected with the 13th pick in the second round received by the Giants from the Saints. This is a good second round pick for the Giants.

Although the Giants have one of the better defences in the league you can never have enough, we all know the saying, “Defence wins championships.” Sintim had 246 tackles in college and can really stop the run.

In 2008 he also proved he can get to the quarterback producing 10 sacks. The downside to Sintim is that he is not a good coverage type linebacker and will have trouble  covering tight ends and halfbacks in passing situations.

The bad part about this is that Mathias Kiwanuka is also a weak coverage linebacker and you don’t want two on the field at the same time. Sintimcomes into this season with a good chance to start and accumulate a good amount of tackles.

He will probably get most of his opportunity in running situations or blitzing the quarterback, but he could be targeted as a weak spot in the defense when he drops back into coverage. He will probably sit behind Danny Clark until he proves himself.

The Giants selected William Beatty with their second round Pick. Beatty is a 6-foot-6 307 pound offensive tackle out of UCONN. Beatty is a big man witha lot of raw talent. He couldn’t be falling into a better situation.

He has the opportunity to be tutored by a line, who some experts, consider to be the best in the league. He is agile, has good length, and is a very good pass blocker. He is very raw at this point in his career and if he started now he would be way overmatched by any defensive lineman in the NFL.

If he sits on the bench for a few years he could learn from the starters and eventually take over for the aging Kareem McKenzie.  

In the third round the Giants picked another wide receiver. This 6-foot-6 229 pound receiver out of Cal Polytechnic named Ramses Barden is a good pick for the Giants. This could be the New York’s smartest pick during this draft.

After losing Eli Manning’s favorite target, 6-foot-5 receiver Plaxico Burress, they may have drafted his replacement. Bardenis a tall receiver with pretty good speed. His ability, which Manning will really like, is his jumping ability. He has the ability to catch the touchdown pass which is what the giants need.

He caught 50 touchdowns in his career at Cal Poly. He has good control and knows how to catch a ball at its highest point.  He doesn’t have the greatest speed so he will be more dependent on his jumping abilities in the NFL.

He seems to be one of the more underrated receivers in the draft. The draft saw two similar receivers to him go in the first round. Bardenwill probably start as the Giants third receiver but by the end of the season he may surpass Steve Smithfor the number two spot on the depth chart.

With their compensatory third round selection the Giants drafted Travis Beckum, a 6-foot-3 243 pound tight end who played for Wisconsin University. He will be a good tight end to play opposite of Kevin Boss.

He is a good receiving tight end, whose speed could be compared to a young Jeremy Shockey at this position. He has good catching ability and continues to run hard after the pass. He had 2,149 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns in his four years at Wisconsin.

One downside is that he only played six games in his senior year, and could be injury prone, much like Jeremy Shockey. Beckum will fall into the number two tight end spot opposite of Boss quite well, and don’t be surprised if you see him make a few big catches this year.  

In the fourth round the Giants selected running back   Andre Brown out of North Carolina State. This 6-foot 224 pound running back could be Derrick Wards replacement. Brown will probably fall into the role that Ahmad Bradshaw had last season.  He will get into the No. 3 running back position for the Giants. 

Brown consists of both good size and speed. Along with this he is extremely hard to take down in open-field situations.  All these qualities gives him a very similar running style to Derrick Ward. He is a good pick in the fourth round and does have a shot to play for the Giants this season.

The Giants selected former Oklahoma University quarterback Rhett Bomar. This 6-foot-2 225 pound quarterback finished his colligate career at Sam Houston State. Rhett Bomar was once a Hiesman Trophy candidate who was compared to John Elway until he encountered some problems in his career.

In August of 2006 he was dismissed from Oklahoma after he received payments for work not completed from a car dealership owned by Oklahoma University donors. Bomar is a sneaky pick and could be a sleeper pick in the 2009 draft. If he gets the opportunity to play he could put up numbers in the NFL.

In three years at Sam Houston Bomar threw for 7,632 yards and 47 touchdowns. He did this at a division 1-AA school so he had less receiving, but also less defense. There are reasons to be skeptical about Bomar, he has not played a good defense since his freshman year.

This is why he was a fifth round pick, if he remained at Oklahoma he could have been number one.

Although he has a chance to have a good career, he will probably spend most of it as a backup. In his rookie season he probably will only make the Giants practice squad, but does have the opportunity to play as high as second string.  

In the sixth round the Giants elected to choose DeAndre Wright. This defensive back out of New Mexico weighs in at 5-foot11 198 pounds. Wright has very good talent, natural ability, and ball hawk skills, but he is very undersized. He will most likely only make the practice squad because the secondary is already good in New York.

With their final selection the Giants selected 5-foot-11 195 pound defensive back Stoney Woodson out of South Carolina.  Woodson is similar to Wright. He has good ability, but is undersized.

He posseses good speed, but does not have the ability to change directions. One upside is that he has the skill to play safety as well as defensive back. Woodson is not likely to play a big role in this season for the Giants. Presumably he will only make the practice squad.

This year’s draft was a good draft for the New York Giants. They both filled roles they needed as well as thought ahead to the future. The receivers were the most needed position for the Giants and they went out and completed their goal to find good receivers. In the end the Giants draft deserves and A.

The only thing they could have done to better it would have been to trade up for Hayward-Bay or Crabtree.

The 2009 NFL Draft: Ooops…the Lions Did It Again

The 2009 NFL Draft has now been completed for the new-look Detroit Lions.  No team has ever approached the draft as the Lions have. The team needed people everywhere in moving away from last season’s 0-16 debacle. 

Yet the actual choices by the football brass of the Honolulu Blue present another year of the Lions passing up quality players to pick their guys instead.

The worst kept secret in the draft was the signing of Matthew Stafford.  Even though it was only known a day before the draft of the six-year deal with $47.1 million guarenteed of $72 million total, the decision to pick him was decided long ago. 

When the trade for Julian Peterson occured in March, the Lions paved the way for the Seahawks to pick up Aaron Curry.  

Matthew Stafford in truth may be a stroke of genius for the Lions.  Unlike the quarterbacks coming out next season, Stafford is not a spread QB so there won’t be a lot time spent teaching him to go under center. 

Since the combine, Stafford has been preparing himself to be drafted first and know who will draft him first.   He also doesn’t have the Heisman and or national championship clout that the QB’s coming out next season would have led to a lot more haggling for the contract.

Also with Culpepper signed, Stafford will not have to start immediately so he will have room to learn and grow as a pro QB.

The 20th pick was a shocker.  With a host of offensive tackles as well as Rey Maualuga and James Laurenitis still avaible, the Lions instead chose Brandon Pettigrew, tight end out of Oklahoma State.

He is massive at 6-foot-5, 263 pounds. He can line up along side Cherlius or one of the other tackles to keep people away from Stafford, lead block for when Kevin Smith is running his way and since he caught 42 passes last season for the Cowboys he can be another weapon for Culpepper now and later for Stafford. 

In reality, the Lions already have five TE’s on the roster.  Are the Lions trying to have a TE controversy?  They needed linemen and linebackers, not another guy to catch passes.

The 33rd pick was a surprise at first.  Maualuga and Laurenaitis were still on the board and the Lions instead went local and picked up safety Louis Delmas out of Western Michigan.  He is really a good pick since he had a whopping 111 tackles last season for the Broncos. 

He can take on the Troy Polamalu-Ed Reed Thunder & Lightning role.  The thunder is from his hard hits and the lightning is from his speed-4.5/40 is great for a position in which he will be facing the million dollar arms of Aaron Rogers in Green Bay and Jay Cutler in Chicago twice a year as well as catching Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson before he goes anywhere significant.

At No. 82, wide receiver Derrick Williams out of Penn State and later at #192, running back Aaron Brown from TCU will be part of a newly rebuilt return game. 

Derrick Williams had 1,095 return yards for the Nittany Lions in his career so he is more than ready to take on the role of returning the football back for the Lions. 

Williams will also compete for a spot on the receiving corps, however he is only 6’0″ and 194lb. so he will only be used when the Lions go to a four-WR set.  

Aaron Brown has too steep a climb to be the next running back.  However as a running back he will be built well enough to handle the requirements to be on special teams either in the role of blocking/tackling or even in receiving kicks or punts if Williams gets called up to be a starting receiver.

At No. 76, the Lions selected linebacker DeAndre Levy out of Wisconsin.  He is 6’2 236-pound which means he will probably start his career on special teams.  He did have good enough speed to be a quality blitzer for the Badgers. 

He will need to add on more weight to be able play linebacker in the pros.  His experience on the special teams in terms of tracking and attacking opposing kick returners will prepare him to take the reins in the future as an outside linebacker for the Lions.

At No. 115, defensive tackle Sammie Lee Hill out of Stillman may be the steal of the draft for the Lions.  He comes from a small school in Alabama but he is not small. 

At 6’4″ and 329 pounds, he will be a great presence as a tackle that the Lions are looking for.  He will learn a great deal from and compete with current DT’s Grady Jackson and Chuck Darby.

At No. 228, the Lions drafted offensive tackle Lydon Murtha from Nebraska.  He is 6’7″ 306 pounds whch puts him at nearly the same size as 6’7″ 319-pound Gosder Cherilus. 

At such a size he could be a bookend to Cherlius on the line if he beats out current tackle Jeff Backus who will then move to guard. 

He is a Husker and there is another Husker on the Lions, Dominic Raiola who will take him under his wing to help him adjust.  If Murtha doesn’t play right away, he will at least be on a learning curve to be the tackle of the future.

At No. 255, the Lions ended their weekend by drafting linebacker Zach Follet from California.  At 6’2″ 236 pounds, he, like DeAndre Levy, will start his Lions career on special teams.  He will need to add weight to be able to take on the added weight of opposing pro players.  

In review, the Lions did typical in their draft strategy.  They got their quarterback, but they passed on a quality inside linebacker to pick up a tight end who is not as important in the scheme of things. 

They did get a quality safety but then picked up another receiver, running back and two undersized linebackers.  Their choice for a DT came from a small school very late in the draft when they could passed on the TE and picked up a big school DT early on.

Time once again will tell how this draft works itself out.

Derrick Brooks: A Seahawk

With Seattle releasing LB Leroy Hill, allowing him to walk for no compensation, one would assume they have something up their sleeve to get him back, or replace him.

Maybe we will see a Ray Lewis/Ravens deal go down; Lewis balked at the Raven’s three year $24 million dollar offer thinking he could get more money. The market was frozen for him, so he returned.

That was awhile ago.

Since then a lot of free agent dollars have been allocated elsewhere. The draft has been concluded; many teams have filled out their rosters with their fill of the FA’s they desired, and the draft picks they coveted.

The Seahawks current offer is for 6 years and $36 million, probably somewhere in the neighborhood of a third in guarantees.

Leroy, if you don’t like it, fine, go elsewhere, and you will see they are offering you a good deal, unless you would take less.

They now have 8.3 million dollars off our books; none has to go to signing top draft pick LB Aaron Curry because of the rookie pool.

They would not have let him walk if they did not need to use the money, in other words, Ken Lucas, welcome back, finally.

I don’t expect them to use even half the amount to snag Lucas, and with WR, OL, and a QB drafted, it appears they are fairly solid across the board except at Hill’s now vacant spot.

There should be one name that is blatantly obvious that would be a perfect fit.

That would be former Bucs’ LB and future HOF Derrick Brooks.

The Tim Ruskell tie, the Casey Bradley tie, the mentoring possibilities of Curry, even Lofa Tatupu, all make it a tempting proposition. Who better to learn from then a Super Bowl winning future HOF LB?

Heck, in the short time, he would be more useful then Hill, he has the experience and leadership qualities you cannot teach, and that Hill does not even possess.

He fits the style of the Seahawks defense; obviously, it’s going to be the Tampa Cover Two.

He has three to four years left in the tank, and paired with a Ken Lucas signing, makes this defense solid on all fronts.

Ruskell, bring back one of the ones you hand molded to Seattle, sign Derrick Brooks.

Three ex-Iowa Hawkeyes Ink Free-Agent Deals; Four Drafted

Seattle Seahawks: Sign Ken Lucas

The Seahawks recently rescinded the franchise tag on LB Leroy Hill. I have been critical of the move, but it does open up 8.3 million dollars in cap room.

They have already met with former Seahawks CB Ken Lucas, who was cut by the Carolina Panthers in a cost cutting move earlier this offseason

The Seahawks currently have Pro Bowl CB Marcus Trufant. Besides that, they have CBs Kelly Jennings, who in three seasons has had only one interception, and Josh Wilson, who is incredibly inconsistent, but showed brief flashes of being a playmaker.

Wilson had four INTs last season, but two came in a 13-3 defensive beatdown of the playoff hopeful New York Bretts.

The Seahawks ranked dead last in pass defense in 2008, giving up 259.3 yards per game. While injuries plagued the secondary as well as the entire team, that is (and should not be) the sole blame for a dismal season of coverage and tackling.

The Seahawks did not add any CB’s in the draft, and added one S, Courtney Green, out of Rutgers.

Lucas has plenty left to offer and could pick up right where he left off starting opposite of Marcus Trufant. That would allow the Seahawks to slide Wilson and Jennings to the nickel and dime slots, it’s a toss up between those two and those two spots.

Lucas has also visited the Chicago Bears, whom he met with before his trip to Seattle, but said a contract was not even brought up: “To be honest, we never spoke contract at all, it was me really just coming to Chicago just to get a feel for the coaches, the personnel department. Contract was not even spoken or talked about.”

The Bears also just recently gave up a bunch of assets by trading for whinging QB Jay Cutler, sending two first-round picks, (2009, 2010), a third-round pick, and starting QB Kyle Orton, while also receiving a fifth-round pick along with Cutler.

(And one of those 2010 picks belongs to Seattle, thanks McDaniels, Bowlen, Xanders!)

On an interesting side note, Orton has a record of 21-12 in games he’s started, Cutler has a 17-20 record.

They also signed one of the other players who was present when Lucas was visiting, Pro Bowler T Orlando Pace, to a three year $15 million deal. That signing gives the Bears a good offensive line to block for their new franchise QB.

With what the Bears have given up, and the money put forward for Pace, it seems less likely the Bears will pursue Lucas anymore.

The Bears already have Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher; if Lucas was brought in, he would most likely have to fight for Vashers’ spot.

If he went to Seattle, he would be a virtual lock for a starting CB spot. Wilson and Jennings are not at his level, and I think anyone could agree with that.

Lucas also has the familiarity factor in Seattle since he had previously played their. Seattle would also be able to offer more then the Bears could probably.

With the 2010 first round pick we got in a steal of a trade with Denver, we could be looking at drafting S Taylor Mays out of USC, a secondary of Trufant, Lucas, Mays, and a healthy Deon Grant would be formidable

It’s looking as if a deal will get done, they would not release Hill if they were not going to use the money.

They addressed LB, OL, WR, in the draft, leaving only DB to fix up in free agency.

Bring back a familiar face Ruskell, sign Ken Lucas.

 

Miami Dolphins Sign Four Undrafted Rookies (So Far)

Jared Bronson

The first report of an undrafted rookie signing by Miami has come out, and the player is Central Washington tight end Jared Bronson.

The 6-4, 250-pound Bronson finished his collegiate career with 63 catches for 979 yards and eight touchdowns in 22 games.

He was ranked the 14th tight end prospect in the draft by Draft Countdown, who projected him as a late-round pick or undrafted free agent.

Bronson becomes the fifth tight end on Miami’s roster and the second rookie added today, joining fifth-round pick John Nalbone from Monmouth.

Bronson faces an uphill battle to make the team as a reserve tight end, but will be a candidate for the practice squad.

Mark Lewis

The Miami Dolphins have signed undrafted free agent guard Mark Lewis (Oregon), per KFFL.com. As you may recall, Lewis worked out for the Dolphins earlier this month.

Lewis (6-4, 300) played in 35 games for the Ducks over four seasons, initially playing offensive tackle before sliding into guard.

Lewis will compete with Ike Ndukwe, Joe Berger and Shawn Murphy for a backup right guard job, but has an extremely uphill battle to make the team.

Ryan Baker

The Dolphins have added their third undrafted free agent of the 2009 offseason, inking Purdue defensive end Ryan Baker to a contract.

A perennial Academic All-Big Ten selection, Baker (6-4, 295) appeared in 51 games over five seasons for the Boilermakers and amassed 88 tackles and eight sacks.

Baker is a prototypical 3-4 end and will attempt to earn a reserve spot ahead of guys like Lionel Dotson, Tony McDaniel and Rodrique Wright.

Orion Martin

KFFL.com reports the Miami Dolphins have signed undrafted fee agent linebacker Orion Martin (Virginia Tech).

A college defensive end, Martin appeared in 54 games for the Hokies and recorded 166 tackles, 26.5 tackles for a loss and 15.5. He set career highs in both TFL (13) and sacks (7.5) as a senior in 2008.

Martin will play outside linebacker in the Dolphins’ 3-4 scheme. Of the four undrafted free agents signed by Miami thus far, I’d say Martin has the best chance to make the team based purely on talent. However, he’ll have to beat out a handful of guys for a job, including but not limited to Quentin Moses, Erik Walden and Tearrius George.

 

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Chris Nelson is a journalism major at Georgia State University. He operates his own Miami Dolphins blog, which can be found here.

How Did My Team Do in the 2009 Draft?

How did your team do in the 2009 NFL draft?

Obviously, it takes about two or three years to objectively analyze a draft. Our immediate analysis reflects a draft’s potential.

As expected, the Detroit Lions selected Matthew Stafford No. 1 overall.

As unexpected, at least by me, via a trade with Cleveland, the New York Jets selected QB Mark Sanchez from USC.

Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree surprisingly fell to No. 10 in round one. Crabtree joins a San Francisco 49ers team in need of a big-play receiver.

Recall that Crabtree was unable to run for scouts due to a stress fracture in his left foot that was repaired surgically. He is expected to be fully recovered by the start of training camp.

The last pick, Mr. Irrelevant, is South Carolina Gamecocks placekicker Ryan Succop,who went to the Kansas City Chiefs with the 256th pick, the final selection of the 7th round.

How did my team, the Carolina Pantehrs, do in the 2009 draft?

I think that the Carolina Panthers drafted significant value despite not having a first-round pick, and therefore, they had a very good couple of days.

The Panthers prudently moved up to the No. 43 spot in the second round in order to select FSU DT Everette Brown. Brown is not a sure thing but he has strong reputable character and will look good as a pass rusher opposite Julius Peppers.

Corvey Irvin, DT, Georgia, was Carolina’s third-round pick. He is a solid pick but he may not be ready to start in his rookie season.

Texas A&M RB Mike Goodson was an interesting pick in round four, given that the team passed up local talent, Andre Brown of N.C. State, to take a player who will be no better than a third-stringer.

With their next pick, the Panthers made Tony Fiammetta from Syracuse the first fullback selected.

The fifth-rounder Duke Robinson of Oklahoma can play all three offensive line positions and he is likely to play a role with the Panthers reasonably soon.

The Panthers wrapped up their draft by taking South Carolina cornerback Captain Munnerlyn in the seventh round. Carolina had traded their sixth rounder for this pick with the Oakland Raiders. Munnerlyn also returned punts and kickoffs for the Gamecocks.

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