NFL DRAFT 2012

nerd69

Stev_o wrote: »

Name the teams that are in desperate need of a MLB. Everyone had the Eagles take him but with Ryan going to them it's not a given.

i can see the eagles taking him and playing him olb

Stev_o

HigginsJ wrote: »

Fair enough but the guy cant fall just because teams are happy with their linebackers. Are you telling me there is no team between the Eagles and Giants that wouldnt take Kuelchy.

As I say i'd be over the moon for it to happen but it makes no sense. Cards, Broncos, Jets and Steelers are 4 obvious spots for him. Cant see that many teams passing on a guy who has great game tape and now great measureables to go with it. Ridiculous.

Nope I agree with you. It would be crazy for him to drop given the quality there but some teams will have their guy at MLB and pass on him in order to draft a position that they badly need to sort out.

JaMarcus Hustle

Kuechly won't be there at 32, he just won't. There are plenty of teams who draft best player available so Kuechly shouldn't slip past many of them. At the very, very latest he would go to the Lions. Doesn't matter that they resigned Tulloch, they go purely best player available (see Fairley when they had Suh, and LeShoure when they had Best).

HigginsJ

JaMarcus Hustle wrote: »

Kuechly won't be there at 32, he just won't. There are plenty of teams who draft best player available so Kuechly shouldn't slip past many of them. At the very, very latest he would go to the Lions. Doesn't matter that they resigned Tulloch, they go purely best player available (see Fairley when they had Suh, and LeShoure when they had Best).

I think that he wont get past the Jets and really can see him going to Cards and possibly Chiefs.

nerd69

as soon as you get out of the top 15 he become a very high value player and people consider trading up if the giants want him there going to have to giv up a fair few picks

HigginsJ

nerd69 wrote: »

as soon as you get out of the top 15 he become a very high value player and people consider trading up if the giants want him there going to have to giv up a fair few picks

Cost too much for the Giants to trade up for him. Its a position of need but we have plenty of needs this offseason so wont give up the farm for Kuelchy.

I only brought it up as have seen it a couple of times that he slipped that far and I couldnt fathom it.

Stev_o

Richardson clocks in the 4.45-50 range not really an elite speed and when you compare him to guys like Doug Martin and Robert Turbin you have to ask yourself what your going to get that you won't with these at latter rounds.

GoldFour4

I don't get all the hype around Richardson. If hes as good as people say then he wouldn't have been backup to Mark Ingram last year.

LuckyLloyd

HigginsJ wrote: »

In the past 2 days I have seen 2 mock drafts (charlie casserly nfl network, Evan Silva nbc) and both have Luke Kuelchy going 32 overall to the Giants.

Have I missed something here. Kuelchy is borderline top 10 player. I'd be delighted if it happened but can't see it.

Many NFL Franchises draft on the basis of need rather than BPA. Stranger things have happened on draft day.

HigginsJ

Stev_o wrote: »

Richardson clocks in the 4.45-50 range not really an elite speed and when you compare him to guys like Doug Martin and Robert Turbin you have to ask yourself what your going to get that you won't with these at latter rounds.

the best all-purpose back to enter the NFL since AP. He is plenty quick enough, very tough, hard to bring down, excellent pass catcher, excellent vision.

The guy is the whole package.

eagle eye

HigginsJ wrote: »

the best all-purpose back to enter the NFL since AP. He is plenty quick enough, very tough, hard to bring down, excellent pass catcher, excellent vision.

The guy is the whole package.

I gotta say I'm not so impressed. I think there is a very deep RB class this year and I don't see a whole lot between any of the top 5/6.

HigginsJ

eagle eye wrote: »

I gotta say I'm not so impressed. I think there is a very deep RB class this year and I don't see a whole lot between any of the top 5/6.

Everyone entitled to their opinion

He is class. He was brilliant in the 2 games against a class LSU D.

Syferus

LaMichael James was the workhorse of those championship contending Oregon teams of the past two years, he's undersized but whoever drafts him will be very happy with what they get.

HigginsJ

Syferus wrote: »

LaMichael James was the workhorse of those championship contending Oregon teams of the past two years, he's undersized but whoever drafts him will be very happy with what they get.

LaMichael James will do a great job wherever he lands. He is very undersized however and struggled on the couple of occasions he came up against top college D's. Whoever gets him mid/bottom 3rd round will be delighted.

Paully D

I've seen lots of talk about Ryan Tannenhill going very early in the draft, but why wouldn't teams draft Brandon Weeden instead? Yes, he's 28, but that's still 7-10 years if he stays healthy (and there's no guarantee that any player will stay healthy).

He looks a better player from what I've seen.

HigginsJ

Weeden would still need 2/3 years to adjust to the pro game. In terms of ability right now he has very slight edge over Tannehill in my opinion.

But Tannehill is raw (only 20 career starts) and has alot of upside and flashes the ability to make all the throws. He needs to learn alot but you have time on your side. If you draft Weeden you really have to be confident he can start now. I wouldnt be. Thats why you get him in the 2nd round.

If Weeden was 23 he'd be a top 10 pick but he's not so thats why he slides.

LuckyLloyd

Syferus wrote: »

LaMichael James was the workhorse of those championship contending Oregon teams of the past two years, he's undersized but whoever drafts him will be very happy with what they get.

Meh, he'll be a pass catching role player in the NFL. Won't be able to carry an offense at that level. He could be a nice compliment, but won't solve any team's running back issues.

HigginsJ

Some interesting/incredible/unbelievable stuff here

Courtesy of walterfootball.com

The Texas A&M and Alabama Pro Days were today. Trent Richardson ran a 4.46 40. He also knocked over a Browns' running back coach in the drills. When asked about that, Richardson angrily said, "He was in my way." He's going to be awesome.

Ryan Tannehill, meanwhile, also looked great, but that's almost always the case when it comes to the Pro Days. The Browns, Seahawks and Dolphins had a huge contingent to watch him work out.

"It was a franchise quarterback workout," Mike Mayock said. "He can make all of the throws on the outside." Mayock doesn't believe Tannehill is ready to play, but because the Texas A&M product has the potential to be really good quarterback, Cleveland must strongly consider him at No. 4. Jason La Canfora confirmed that the Browns are "thinking of selecting" Tannehill next month.

Will Tannehill even make it to No. 4 though? That's a legitimate question. The Dolphins desperately need a quarterback, so they could move up to No. 3 to get him. Kansas City and Philadelphia will also be in the mix. The Vikings would love to move down because they have so many needs to fill.

As with many rookie quarterbacks, there are varying opinions. Mayock believes Tannehill will go third or fourth overall. Adam Schefter tweeted: "A lot of teams like him an awful lot."

On the flip side, Charley Casserly vehemently proclaimed, "NO WAY AT 4. TAPE IT - NO WAY AT 4." Brian Billick, meanwhile, didn't seem to understand why Tannehill is being considered in the top 10. He said that Tannehill would be a decent option for Cleveland at No. 22.

Tannehill is obviously not falling to No. 22. In fact, I'm inclined to agree with Mayock. Too many teams need quarterbacks, and like Schefter said, too many teams like him.

Chardee MacDennis

HigginsJ wrote: »

Some interesting/incredible/unbelievable stuff here

Courtesy of walterfootball.com

The Texas A&M and Alabama Pro Days were today. Trent Richardson ran a 4.46 40. He also knocked over a Browns' running back coach in the drills. When asked about that, Richardson angrily said, "He was in my way." He's going to be awesome.

Ryan Tannehill, meanwhile, also looked great, but that's almost always the case when it comes to the Pro Days. The Browns, Seahawks and Dolphins had a huge contingent to watch him work out.

"It was a franchise quarterback workout," Mike Mayock said. "He can make all of the throws on the outside." Mayock doesn't believe Tannehill is ready to play, but because the Texas A&M product has the potential to be really good quarterback, Cleveland must strongly consider him at No. 4. Jason La Canfora confirmed that the Browns are "thinking of selecting" Tannehill next month.

Will Tannehill even make it to No. 4 though? That's a legitimate question. The Dolphins desperately need a quarterback, so they could move up to No. 3 to get him. Kansas City and Philadelphia will also be in the mix. The Vikings would love to move down because they have so many needs to fill.

As with many rookie quarterbacks, there are varying opinions. Mayock believes Tannehill will go third or fourth overall. Adam Schefter tweeted: "A lot of teams like him an awful lot."

On the flip side, Charley Casserly vehemently proclaimed, "NO WAY AT 4. TAPE IT - NO WAY AT 4." Brian Billick, meanwhile, didn't seem to understand why Tannehill is being considered in the top 10. He said that Tannehill would be a decent option for Cleveland at No. 22.

Tannehill is obviously not falling to No. 22. In fact, I'm inclined to agree with Mayock. Too many teams need quarterbacks, and like Schefter said, too many teams like him.

is Mayock getting a cut of his salary or something?

LuckyLloyd

Tannehill will be a bust.

eagle eye

Nearly all the draftniks seem to like Tannehill and so I'd guess he is better than us amateurs think. I don't think theres ever been 3 QBs taken with the first three picks in the draft so if it happens they are going to be compared game by game, season by season for a long time I think.

Here is an article about the workout, pretty impressive stuff from Tannehill it seems.

There is a possibility that quarterbacks could be selected with the first three picks in next month's NFL draft after Ryan Tannehill's successful pro day at Texas A&M on Thursday afternoon.
The quarterback completed 65-of-68 passes and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.62 seconds, slightly faster than the scouting combine performance of Stanford's Andrew Luck (4.67) but slower than Robert Griffin III (4.41), who are projected to go 1-2 in the draft.

STORY:Weinke teaching QBs one throw at a time
Among the teams represented were the Miami Dolphins with coach Joe Philbin and general manager Jeff Ireland. The Dolphins have the eighth overall pick in the draft.
Tannehill told USA TODAY he felt his Wednesday night dinner with Philbin and Ireland, "went well.''
"I felt great about the workout,'' said Tannehill, who showed he's fully recovered from January surgery on a broken foot. "I've been waiting a long time for this day. To finally let it fly… I felt really comfortable, confident.
"A lot of scouts, coaches said, 'Congratulations!' ''
Perhaps that's because any team coveting the mobile passer might need to trade up for the No. 3 pick, held by the Minnesota Vikings who took Chirstian Ponder in the first round last year.
"That's what I'm thinking,'' said Tannehill's quarterback coach Chris Weinke, who scripted the workout. "If there were any questions out there, Ryan answered them."
The Cleveland Browns, who select No. 4, were represented by offensive coordinator Brad Childress. The Seattle Seahawks (No. 12 pick) had coach Pete Carroll, general manager John Schneider and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell in attendance.
"He's got the physical stature, the strong arm, been coached by a good coach in (new Dolphins offensive coordinator) Mike Sherman and he's made NFL style throws,'' said Carroll, who could view Tannehill a future face of the franchise despite signing Matt Flynn to a three-year, $26-million deal.
Tannehill said he has "a few'' private workouts and team visits scheduled.
"People walked away pretty impressed with his ability,'' said Weinke, director of IMG Madden Football Academy. "It was fun to watch.''

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2012/03/ryan-tannehill-texas-a38m-quarterbacks-nfl-draft/1#.T3ZIJtUjkTg

JaMarcus Hustle

Here's another episode of The Depth Chart, this time focusing on Arkansas. Not particularly relevant to this draft, but still a great show and a good look at Tyler Wilson who should go high in the draft next year. I'll see if I can find the Auburn and Wisconson episodes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OOrR_BsNU0

Syferus

It's more to do with a need for a potential answer at QB than it is Tannehill's abilities or tape, if he's shoved into action next season you can see him going down the drain like Gabbert did last season.

Paully D

JaMarcus Hustle wrote: »

Here's another episode of The Depth Chart, this time focusing on Arkansas. Not particularly relevant to this draft, but still a great show and a good look at Tyler Wilson who should go high in the draft next year. I'll see if I can find the Auburn and Wisconson episodes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OOrR_BsNU0

Quality stuff again Cam, that is superb, a great insight.

I think the backup QB came across very well too. It would have been easy for him to throw the towel in when Wilson got the starting position but he comes across as a great guy.

irish_man

It will be very interesting to see where Weeden goes. He's arguable the most NFL ready of all the QBs. Highly unlikely that he'll be drafted in the first 32 but he'd be a great 3rd round pick up for the browns, dolphins or even the bills.

eagle eye

irish_man wrote: »

It will be very interesting to see where Weeden goes. He's arguable the most NFL ready of all the QBs. Highly unlikely that he'll be drafted in the first 32 but he'd be a great 3rd round pick up for the browns, dolphins or even the bills.

He certainly is not the most NFL ready but I think he could be very good.

Syferus

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Meh, he'll be a pass catching role player in the NFL. Won't be able to carry an offense at that level. He could be a nice compliment, but won't solve any team's running back issues.

Meh? Could you imagine the damage he could cause in a pass heavy team? James can be what Darren Sproles is to the Saints and then some if he's used correctly. A James may prove to be alot more valuable to a team than many higher ranked backs and traditional starters. In a passing league where the short pass is becoming almost a replacement for rushing James can solve alot of problems for teams.

DDC1990

Do you think James would be useful at the Bucs?

I don't think TRich will fall to them at 5, but if he did I'd still consider Claiborne a slightly better option.

Barber will be gone next year, Wright is unknown, Talib may or may not be around and Biggers gets beat 9 times out of 10.

Anyway, I think Blount has potential to be a Good RB, if he fixes his Fumbling issues, and a speed guy like James, with good hands would compliment him very well in certain packages.

He'd be available certainly in the 2nd Round, possibly early 3rd round.
Was a big fan of his big play ability at Oregon.

I think Tampa go Claiborne, ILB and then RB, and as a 3rd Round pic, James would be a nice pickup.

JaMarcus Hustle

I agree with Lloyd, can't see James amounting to a whole heap in the NFL. He's way too small, is made of glass and linebackers will kill him. Yeah, there's the Darren Sproles argument, but Sproles is the exception. There's undersized speed demon running backs in the draft every year who tore it up at college and you never heard of them again. Only reason James is getting attention is because of where he went to college and their gimmick plays suiting his speed. Would be shocked if he even got a single TD in his rookie season, let alone became a "star".

There are so many more better running backs in the draft, personally I wouldn't even have James in the top 7/8.

FreeOSCAR

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/04/03/claiborne-gives-birth-to-a-four-on-the-wonderlic/

I know it's only the Wonderlic and should be taken with a pinch of salt but a 4 is down right ridiculous.
It won't affect his draft spot but I'd put this down as a watch this space.

The NFL has kept the Wonderlic results under tighter wraps than usual this year. Or maybe the media has had enough other things to keep itself occupied.

Regardless, the first eye-opening score has leaked from the 2012 edition of the 50-question Wonderlic test. Per multiple league sources, LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne scored a four.

Yes. A four. Out of 50.

Six years ago, quarterback Vince Young initially got a six. Re-scoring of the test bumped it to a seven. A next-day Mulligan moved it to 13.

Finally, Young has someone at whom he can point and laugh.

The joke, however, continues to be on anyone who thinks that all college athletes are also students. Plenty of them aren’t. They’re minor-league football players who have no choice but to wait at least three years until they get a shot at joining the NFL.

How else can anyone explain a person who presumably has found a way to avoid failing out of college getting such a low score on a basic intelligence test?

And that gives rise to a more important question. What did LSU actually do to keep Claiborne from failing out of school?