West Virginia CB Brandon Hogan from a talent perspective in my mind is a 2nd round prospect and has some similarities to Texans second round slection, CB Brandon Harris. He’s tough, feisty, can run and will tackle in the run game. He fell to round four because of medical/character concerns. But the talent is there for this guy to start on the outside, play in the slot and could even see some reps at safety because of his tough demeanor.
Month: April 2011
Roddy White tells Julio Jones, "I like cheeseburgers on Wednesday"
After trading five picks to the Cleveland Browns—including a first round selection in 2012—for the right to move up and draft Julio Jones, you can bet the Atlanta fan base will be expecting big things from the former Alabama wide receiver.
Julio Jones will be expected to score touchdowns and deliver cheeseburgers.
Roddy White, on the other hand, is expecting donuts and cheeseburgers.
In a video recently made by Atlanta’s Pro Bowl wide receiver, White welcomes Julio Jones to the Falcons and discusses how explosive the offense should be now that another talented wideout has been added to the roster.
He also tells Jones, “I like donuts and stuff on Friday. I like cheeseburgers on Wednesday.”
Sleep easy, football fans. The lockout will apparently have no effect on rookie hazing.
Welcome to Atlanta, Julio.
Hit me up on Twitter: @JoeFortenbaugh
Ravens owner Bisciotti criticizes McCaskey family
All of a sudden the owners have been dragged into the botched trade that didn’t happen Thursday night.
Steaming from the refusal by the Chicago Bears to compensate them with the pick they promised in the trade, the Baltimore Ravens have raised the level of the feud.
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti is casting blame at the McCaskey family now after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell encouraged the Bears to make good on the trade and they declined, saying an apology should suffice.
“I’m disappointed in the Bears and the McCaskeys,” Bisciotti told Jamison Hensley of the Baltimore Sun. “It is in my opinion a deviation from their great legacy. They concluded that their heartfelt and admirable apology was sufficient for our loss. All of us at the Ravens strongly disagree … probably end of story.”
Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said it was the end of the story Friday night, a public embarrassment that has frustrated him twice with reporters. To review, the Bears agreed to trade the Ravens the 29th overall pick and their fourth-round selection (127th overall) for the 26th overall pick. Baltimore general manager Ozzie Newsome reported the trade to the NFL. The Bears never called in the deal and therefore time expired on the Ravens’ pick.
The Ravens got the player they wanted in Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith and the Bears got the man they wanted in Wisconsin offensive tackle Gabe Carimi. But the Ravens believed they were owed the fourth-round pick. The Bears turned around Friday and dealt that pick to the Washington Redskins to move up in the second round and draft Oregon State defensive tackle Stephen Paea.
“The only thing I am going to say is they have rules when you do something wrong,” Angelo said. “Not when people make mistakes. A mistake was made. No rule was broken, OK, so let’s just make that clear here. As I said last night, we made the proper amends from our part and certainly there was no intent other than to do the best we could and it just didn’t work out.”
Does Angelo fear this incident will affect his ability to make deals with other teams?
“No,” he replied. “There isn’t anybody in this room that hasn’t made a mistake. We made an honest mistake. No more than that. There was total transparency. You make your apologies and we did and if there are consequences, you accept those consequences and then you move on. So be it. It won’t be my last.
“Believe me, I am going into my 31st year in this league,” he said. “There has been a hell of a lot worse that has been done, believe me, on the clock and there have been things out there documented so let’s not get into judging souls here. If there is something that needs to be done, I trust the league will do their due diligence and so be it.”
Bisciotti can’t think of much worse at this point.
Follow me on Twitter: @BradBiggs
Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune
Best available for day three
A position-by-position look at the top prospects left on the board after three rounds.
Quarterback
ICONStanzi is the only “starting caliber' QB left on my board.
Ricky Stanzi: Iowa
He’s a savvy, tough signal caller who comes from a pro style offense and could mature into a starter with some time.
Tyrod Taylor: Virginia Tech
Think Seneca Wallace. More of a number two at the next level, but is a gifted runner who has really develop as a passer the past two seasons.
Greg McElroy: Alabama
Smart, accurate and looks like a solid backup who will play in the league for ten years.
Running back
Kendall Hunter: Oklahoma State
A little bundle of dynamite who is shifty in tight areas, can catch the football out of the backfield and will mature into a solid pass blocker as well.
Delone Carter: Syracuse
Built thick, runs with good patience and has the wiggle to make a man miss and accelerate.
Jacquizz Rodgers: Oregon State
Ultra quick, but undersized. More of a 3rd down back who has a place in the NFL.
Wide receiver
Tandon Doss: Indiana
His lack of speed hurt his draft stock, but he’s a well-built kid who can catch the football and potentially mature into a starter.
Niles Paul: Nebraska
A talented wide out who is built like a running back. Needs to catch the football more consistently, but is powerful in all areas of the game.
Terrence Toliver: LSU
He’s a big, coordinated athlete who flashes on tape, but has some of the worst concentration I have seen this year and always puts the ball on the ground.
Tight end
Jordan Cameron: USC
A personal favorite of mine. Cameron can run down the seam, is fluid out of his breaks and will go up and get the football.
Offensive line
Jason Pinkston: Pittsburgh
A naturally thick kid with good body control in tight areas. Needs to play in a phone booth to be effective, but can create as an in-line guy.
Clint Boling: Georgia
A “do it all” type lineman who can play both inside and out. Isn’t physically dominant, but can bend and moves his feet well through contact.
David Mims: Virginia Union
My favorite “sleeper” of the class. He’s 6-8, 330 pounds, can bend and has NFL starting upside as a right tackle.
Defensive line
Greg Romeus: Pittsburgh
A boom or bust guy. Possesses a tall frame, great length and can fend his way off blocks. However, he’s a medical concern and his motor has a tendency to run cold at times.
Christian Ballard: Iowa
Runs extremely well in pursuit and is a gifted athlete for his size. However, plays a bit high and character concerns have caused him to fall.
Jerrell Powe: Ole Miss
A real plugger inside who is tough to move off the football and is an ideal nose for a 34 front.
Linebacker
K.J. Wright: Mississippi State
He’s well built, productive and can play a number of spots in either a 34 or 43 defense.
Quan Sturdivant: North Carolina
Isn’t as instinctive as he’s made out to be and needs to play on the outside where he doesn’t have to read off blocks as much at the next level.
Defensive back
Brandon Hogan: West Virginia
Has some medical and character concerns, but he’s a tough corner who can run, plays the football well and if healthy can certainly contribute to a roster.
Brandon Burton: Utah
He’s long, physical and can press off the line. However, plays too high and struggles in off man concepts because of it.
DeAndre McDaniel: Clemson
He’s coordinated in his drop, can get after the football, but his lack of straight-line speed definitely hurt his draft stock.
Quinton Carter: Oklahoma
Showcases natural thump at the point of attack, but doesn’t take great angles to the football and didn’t run as well as many expected at the Combine.
Follow me on twitter: @WesBunting
Breaking down the Day 2 quarterbacks
Let’s take a look at the three QBs that came off the board tonight and break down the value they bring to the NFL and how they fit offensively with their new pro teams.
No.35–Cincinnati: Andy Dalton, TCU
ICONDalton heads to Cincy.
Dalton didn’t play in a pro style system down at TCU, but we are talking about how he projects to the west coast offense in Cincy under Jay Gruden. Think of the route tree from this standpoint: inside breaking routes between the numbers and the hash. Because that is what Dalton will throw for the Bengals outside of the 3-step and vertical passing game. He is accurate with the football, brings intelligence to the huddle and getting him in the second-round (compared to the top 15 reaches for Jake Locker and Christian Ponder) gives the Bengals some value here. Could be the opening day starter for Marvin Lewis.
No.36–San Francisco: Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
I’m not sold on Kaepernick coming off the board this early in the draft. But with the Niners trading up to get the Nevada QB, they see a player that projects in Jim Harbaugh’s offense. There is no question he is athletic, can move out of the pocket, but he needs time to develop as a pro QB. His mechanics and footwork both need to be re-taught at the NFL level, plus the read option out of the “pistol” offense doesn’t translate to Sundays. However, if veteran Alex Smith comes back to play for Harbaugh in 2011, San Fran can buy that time for their rookie QB. We use the word “upside” with prospects all of the time, and I think that applies to Kaepernick. Give him some time and let’s see when he becomes the eventual starter for the Niners.
No.74–New England: Ryan Mallett, Arkansas
Did anyone see this one coming from Belichick and the Pats? I for sure didn’t, but when a QB with first-round talent (and arm strength) drops to the third round you take him off the board. This doesn’t involve the risk of a top 10 or even a top 20 pick—plus he isn’t going to see the field early in his career behind Tom Brady. What the Patriots have is a 6-6 QB that threw pro style route schemes at Arkansas. And he is a fit from a personnel and play calling standpoint in New England. From the perspective of Mallett, this isn't ideal to slide on draft weekend–because that limits the amount of opportunities to play. But working within the Patriots organization can teach him how to become a pro at the position.
Follow me on Twitter: MattBowen41</a>
Stay granted: lockout back on
The most unique and unprecedented offseason in NFL history continues its roller coaster ride. In the midst of the second round of the NFL draft, a 3-member panel of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals (the Court) granted the NFL's motion to temporarily stay (delay) Judge Nelson's preliminary lockout, thus re-instituting the lockout for the near future.
Immediate impact
Thus, there will continue to be no signings, no trades, no workouts and no contact between players and their teams. Although the NFL hasn't formally announced that team facilities will now close again to players, I highly doubt they would keep them open to players — that would make the court's recent order irrelevant (and a waste of judicial time and resources).
Moreover, in the immediate future — tomorrow — there will be no signings of undrafted free agents, an annual ritual that uncovers gems for NFL teams among the approximately 400 players that would normally be signed in the hours after the Draft.
The decision
Two members of the panel — Justices Colloton and Benton — found in favor of the NFL and granted the temporary stay. On the other hand, Justice Bye voiced an emphatic dissent.
As a result of this decision, the NFL is shut down again, for about a week, while the Court evaluates whether to grant a longer stay (about 6-8 weeks), at which time the Court will review Judge Nelson's grant of a preliminary injunction.
The Opinion
According to the Court, the purpose of the temporary stay “is to give the court sufficient opportunity to consider the merits of the motion for a stay pending appeal.”
Men of few words, the foregoing sentence represents the extent of the majority's reasoning.
Vigorous Dissent
Justice Bye's views diverged significantly from his two counterparts. According to Judge Bye's interpretation, temporary stays are granted only for “true emergencies” — typically death penalty and immigration cases where significant liberty interests are at stake.
Also, Judge Bye explains that the NFL, in its brief, had claimed post-injunction operations were “a complex process that requires time to coordinate” — yet he could not reconcile this statement with the fact that within one day, the NFL had planned post-injunction operations allowing players into team facilities.
The more important decision
Next week, the same 3-member panel of the Court will decide whether or not to grant the NFL a stay pending appeal of Judge Nelson's preliminary injunction order. In other words, the same judges will decide whether the lockout will stay in place through an appeals process that could take several weeks.
In order to achieve a stay pending appeal of Judge Nelson's grant of preliminary injunction, the NFL must demonstrate the following:
(1) a strong showing of success on the merits
(2) irreparable harm without a stay
(3) the players are not substantially harmed by a stay
(4) public interest favors the stay
Forecasting
Although it is difficult to handicap the bigger stay decision based upon this ruling alone, a couple things to note. On the one hand, it will be the same judges, and two of the three have showed some initial leaning to the NFL. However, the dissent stands out. If Judge Bye is not even willing to grant a temporary stay, it is also likely that he is not willing to grant a stay that has the potential to last two months.
Justices Colloton and Benton thus will play the deciding roles in next week's stay decision.
Pardon the pun, but stay tuned.
Follow me on Twitter at adbrandt.
Colts land DT who plays with BAD intentions
LSU DT Drake Nevis is undersized and underrated, but has the ability to develop into one of the leagues better interior pass rushers. In my view possesses the best first step of any DT in the draft, exhibits a great motor and plays the game the way it’s supposed to be played, with bad intentions.
He’s a perfect fit in the Colts one-gap scheme and should make an impact inside vs. both run and pass in year one.
Third round steal at wide out?
Leonard Hankerson is a tall, well-built wide out who has the ability to separate off the line vs. press, quickly get into his route and go up and get the football. He doesn’t play as fast as he times. However, he will give the Redskins the kind of physical element their offense has been missing and should assume a stating role early in his NFL career.
Ryan Mallett in New England could work
Ryan Mallett is as talented as any prospect in this year’s class. He has a great arm, can make all the throws, but character concerns have caused him to fall into round three. However, he lands in a great situation in New England with a strong locker room, a brilliant head coach and a quarterback in Tom Brady that he can sit and learn under.
If Mallett is going to make it in the NFL, this is the ideal place for him to do it, as he can be brought along slowly, learn what it means to be a professional and then unleash his freakish ability a couple years down the line.
Because if he ever does put it all together, the Patriots yet again might have come away with another steal at the QB position.
Talented edge rushers fall to round three
Nevada OLB Dontay Moch is a gifted straight-line athlete who the Bengals landed with the 66th overall pick. He possesses the speed to rush off the edge, is fluid enough to drop into space and Buffalo fans can look at him as a poor man's Von Miller, who went second overall to Denver.
Kansas City nabbed Georgia DE Justin Houston only three picks later. Houston possesses a great first step, can threaten the corner, but is limited when asked to drop his pad level. He's more of a one-trick pony and needs to develop a counter if he hopes to mature into an upper echelon pass rusher in the NFL.
However, both are solid 3rd round values.