Month: April 2015

NFL Draft 2015: Round 1 Picks 1-16

Posted on | by The Sports Quotient | Leave a Comment on NFL Draft 2015: Round 1 Picks 1-16

   Pick (Rnd)

1 (1)

Tampa Bay

Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
No brainer here. The draft’s most talented player and a team in desperate need of a quarterback.

2 (1)

Tennessee

Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
Some thought a trade would happen, but Tennessee clearly does not have a ton of faith in Mettenberger for their future.

3 (1)

Jacksonville

Dante Fowler Jr., DE, Florida
With Clemons and now Fowler on opposite ends, the Jaguars’ pass rush is primed for a big 2015 season.

4 (1)

Oakland

Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
With Carr entering his second year at quarterback, the future looks even brighter for the Oakland passing game.

5 (1)

Washington

Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
A lock to start next year, Scherff will look to help a Washington line that gave up the second most sacks in 2014.

6 (1)

New York Jets

Leonard Williams, DE, USC
This will be a great building block for Todd Bowles’ defensive-minded team.

7 (1)

Chicago

Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
The Bears need defense, but with Brandon Marshall gone now, WR depth was a huge need as well.

8 (1)

Atlanta

Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
Tied for the second least amount of sacks last season, the Falcons defense needed a big boost in the pass rushing department.

9 (1)

New York Giants

Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami (FL)
After struggling to run the ball efficiently last year, NYG needed to add depth on their line, regardless of the exact position.

10 (1)

St. Louis

Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
As most teams use multiple running backs, Gurley will team up with Tre Mason to add some high quality depth for the Rams.

11 (1)

Minnesota

Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan St
Playing in a division that features two of the best passing teams, another quality corner was a must for the Vikings.

12 (1)

Cleveland

Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
Finishing dead last in rushing defense, the Browns were in need of someone to fill their gaps and improve their defensive line.

13 (1)

New Orleans

Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
Brees and the Saints are looking to rebound from a disspointing season, so improving the passing and rushing attack by adding depth on their line is a solid start.

14 (1)

Miami

DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
With Stills, Cameron and Jennings all joining the Dolphins passing gmae as well, Tannehill will have a lot of weapons to work with going forward.

15 (1)

San Diego

Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
Jumping up and trading with San Francisco to grab him, it is clear that the Chargers need a spark on offense.

16 (1)

Houston

Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest
The Texans needed to sure up their passing defense after finishing in the bottom half of the league.

Wes Welker gets good news medically

Posted on | by Aaron Wilson | Leave a Comment on Wes Welker gets good news medically

Free agent wide receiver Wes Welker has been cleared by a concussion expert, Dr. Stanley Herring, the veteran slot wideout told KUSA in Denver.
Welker has a history of concussions.
“I knew there were concerns out there but on top of that I wanted to know for my own peace of mind,” Welker said. “If there was something wrong, I wanted to know. The doctor said some people are able to take those hits. They get up and are able to come back from them. And there’s some people who get them and they’re never the same.
“For me, everything came out all good. My cognitive tests were good. All kinds of tests came out good. I had a trip to Miami and they’re doctors said everything looked good.”
Welker has visited the Miami Dolphins, but they signed Greg Jennings.
Welker caught just 49 passes last season, but intends to keep playing.
“I am 100 percent committed to keep playing,” Welker said. “I feel like every day that goes by, the chances are less so. But I want to play. I’ve enjoyed my time away. I’ve enjoyed spending time with my wife. But I’m itching. I miss the locker room. I know once the season starts I’ll be dying if I’m not playing.”
Follow me on Twitter: @RavensInsider
Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun

LSU offensive tackle La'el Collins remains in NFL draft

Posted on | by Aaron Wilson | Leave a Comment on LSU offensive tackle La'el Collins remains in NFL draft

LSU offensive tackle La’el Collins will not be allowed to be in the NFL supplemental draft, league officials determined that he wasn’t eligible for that.
Collins’ draft stock has been damaged badly by Louisiana authorities wanting to question him about the murder of a pregnant woman in Baton Rouge.
Collins isn’t a suspect, according to police.
Collins has said through his lawyer he isn’t the father of the baby or in the area when the woman was killed.
Collins was a projected first-round pick. Now, he might not even be drafted at all.
Follow me on Twitter: @RavensInsider
Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun

Source: West Virginia guard-tackle Quinton Spain worked out for Jets, Steelers, Bengals, Titans, Buccaneers, Falcons

Posted on | by Aaron Wilson | Leave a Comment on Source: West Virginia guard-tackle Quinton Spain worked out for Jets, Steelers, Bengals, Titans, Buccaneers, Falcons

West Virginia offensive lineman Quinton Spain worked out for the New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals and Tennessee Titans, according to a source.
He also worked out for the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at West Virginia, according to a source.
Spain was a starting left tackle for the Mountaineers as a sophomore when Geno Smith was the starting quarterback.
He’s also played offensive guard.
Spain has drawn some fourth-round grades from NFL teams.
Spain could start quickly in the NFL.
The 6-foot-4, 332-pounder was an honorable-mention All-Big 12 selection the past two seasons.

Spain ran the 40-yard dash in 5.04 and 5.02 seconds at his Pro Day workout. He had a 29-inch vertical leap, an 8-7 broad jump and bench pressed 225 pounds 28 times.

Follow me on Twitter: @RavensInsider
Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun
 

49ers sign Phillip Wheeler, cut Trindon Holliday

Posted on | by Aaron Wilson | Leave a Comment on 49ers sign Phillip Wheeler, cut Trindon Holliday

The San Francisco 49ers signed veteran inside linebacker Phillip Wheeler to a one-year deal.
They cut kick returner Trindon Holliday, offensive guard Fouimalo Fonoti and wide receiver Lance Lewis.
Wheeler, 30, was cut by the Miami Dolphins.
Wheeler was signed to a five-year, $26 million. He started only four games last season.
Wheeler has played for the Indianapolis Colts and Oakland Raiders previously.
Follow me on Twitter: @RavensInsider
Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun

Source: West Virginia outside linebacker Shaquille Riddick worked out for Cardinals, Giants, met with Eagles

Posted on | by Aaron Wilson | Leave a Comment on Source: West Virginia outside linebacker Shaquille Riddick worked out for Cardinals, Giants, met with Eagles

West Virginia defensive end-outside linebacker Shaquille Riddick had private workouts for the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants, according to a source.
Riddick had dinner with the Philadelphia Eagles prior to his Pro Day workout.
Riddick has drawn interest from 24 NFL teams.
He could go as early as the fourth round.
Riddick has drawn interest from 4-3 teams as a defensive end and 3-4 teams as a outside linebacker.
The 6-foot-6, 242-pound transfer from Gardner-Webb ran the 40-yard dash in 4.65 and 4.67 seconds at his Pro Day with a 36-inch vertical leap, a 10-4 broad jump and bench pressed 225 pounds 19 times.
Riddick had three sacks and four tackles for losses against Baylor.
He had 27 tackles, 11 for losses and seven sacks last season.
Follow me on Twitter: @RavensInsider
Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun

Dolphins exercise fifth-year option on Ryan Tannehill

Posted on | by Aaron Wilson | Leave a Comment on Dolphins exercise fifth-year option on Ryan Tannehill

The Miami Dolphins have exercised a fifth-year option for quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
It’s worth $16.2 million.
The Dolphins are expected to try to work out a long-term contract extension.
Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has a $28.6 million salary cap figure for 2016.
Tannehill passed for 4,045 yards and 27 touchdowns last season.
Tannehill is due $2 million this year.
For his career, Tannehill has passed for 11,252 yards, 63 touchdowns and 42 interceptions.
He was drafted eighth overall out of Texas A&M in 2012.
Follow me on Twitter: @RavensInsider
Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun

College Football Playoff to continue weekly rankings

Posted on | by Dave Miller | Leave a Comment on College Football Playoff to continue weekly rankings


The College Football Playoff management committee, which consists of the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conference commissioners as well as Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, approved the use of weekly rankings once again this upcoming season following a gathering in Irving, TX.
However, the committee did not come to a conclusion on how to handle Army and Navy, which play each other the Saturday after the final rankings are released. The committee essentially needs to come up with a plan if either Army or Navy is in the running for a slot in one of the New Year’s playoff bowls. The Midshipmen will no longer be independent as they move into the American Athletic Conference, so it could be problematic if Navy wins the conference title and is the highest-ranked Group of Five team entering a closing game against Army. The commissioners plan to meet again in June, so perhaps we will get some clarity then.
The CFP selection committee will release its first Top 25 of the 2015 season on November 3 following the ninth week of the season. The final rankings will be unveiled on December 6, which is the day after the regular season concludes outside of the Army-Navy tilt.
CFP executive director Bill Hancock said that commissioners of the FBS decided that it was in the best interest of the sport to not alter the system after a successful debut in 2014, which saw No. 4 seed Ohio State beat top seed Alabama and No. 2 Oregon en route to claiming the first-ever College Football Playoff national championship. The playoff set television ratings records last season, and bowl games paid more than a half-billion dollars to conferences and schools last season — the largest payout ever.
In its second year of existence, the semifinals of the CFP will be played in the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve. The winners of those two contests will play at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ, on January 11 for the national title.
Dave Miller, the college football editor for the National Football Post, is on Twitter @Miller_Dave.

NFP 2015 NFL Draft Room

Posted on | by National Football Post | Leave a Comment on NFP 2015 NFL Draft Room

http://twitter.com/nfldraftupdate/status/593979568354103296

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Not surprisingly, Tampa Bay chose Jameis Winston with the first overall pick. Our scouting report on Winston paints a less than perfect picture for the Bucs, who have struggled at the position for years. Winston was, by far, the obvious choice. I’m not sure why this took 10 minutes to announce.

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Welcome to our one-stop draft room, where we’ll have a live blog from our staff throughout the weekend. Chime in with your thoughts and comments below or on Twitter! Our draft board with scouting reports is here! Picks and Scouting Reports below!

2015 NFL Draft Preview: OT Andrus Peat

Posted on | by The Sports Quotient | Leave a Comment on 2015 NFL Draft Preview: OT Andrus Peat

The Sports Quotient’s annual Draft Preview series returns! Over the course of the 10 weeks leading up to the 2015 NFL Draft, we will take a look at the top NFL prospects at each position. This final week we take a look at any players we might have missed. Today’s prospect is former Stanford OT, Andrus Peat.

College Career

Peat started the last 27 games of his collegiate career, missing just one during his junior season (his last). Peat was voted to the AP’s second-team All-American, and was named second-team All-Pac-12 after his sophomore season. 

On top of entering his tenure at Stanford as a five-star recruit, he played in 40 of Stanford’s 42 games over the course of his three seasons at the school. He averaged 20 snaps per game as part of a rotation at left tackle.

Pros

The ex-Cardinal is a well-rounded lineman. Peat uses his wide base and powerful, well-proportioned frame (namely his legs and hips) to get good drive. He reacts quickly and instinctively to twists and other defensive moves. Peat understands protections at an above-average level. Finally, he has the anchor and power to drop into pass protection or secure down-blocks. 

Cons

Although there are few knocks on Peat, they include: struggling with speed rushers on the edge, holding the first block too long (allowing potential tacklers in the secondary to get over the top of his position) relying on his hands to defuse the opponent’s speed, having trouble changing directions in open space and not improving his position when blocking laterally.

Grade

It seems as though ex-Iowa Hawkeye Brandon Scherff is the top lineman in the 2015 NFL Draft, but Peat should be the second or third lineman taken. He is considered pro-ready, and is projected to go as high as ninth (to the New York Giants) or as low as 25th (to the Carolina Panthers).

Best Fit

Peat would fit on any team in need of an offensive tackle. In terms of a best fit, Peat is perfect for the St. Louis Rams (who pick 10th). However, it is unlikely that he will go this high in the draft, as there are players at other positions that are more valuable. 

Expect Peat to be selected in the first round between picks 10-25 to a team that is in dire need of an offensive tackle or guard (i.e. the St. Louis Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions or Carolina Panthers).