NFL Draft News Feed – Page 144 – Priced Out of the Citi

Johnson, Tate Likely Out for the Year

Tennessee’s Stafon Johnson and Houston’s Ben Tate both suffered brutal injuries Saturday night that will in all likelihood prematurely end their respective seasons.

Mancini’s Take: Johnson’s injury in particular (a dislocated ankle) is most unfortunate when you factor in his improbable comeback from a crushed larynx he experienced last year. The USC product was just battling for a reserve spot, but showed signs of being a productive player in Saturday’s game versus Seattle by gaining 23 yards on three carries, including a 17-yard run. During his college years, Johnson was known to be a patient back with good vision. Some have already speculated that the rookie’s latest setback may signal the end of his days as a football player. To Johnson’s credit, he’s shown that he has a lot of heart, so we would be jumping the gun if we didn’t think he could reemerge from his severe ankle

Johnson, Tate Likely Out for the Year

Tennessee’s Stafon Johnson and Houston’s Ben Tate both suffered brutal injuries Saturday night that will in all likelihood prematurely end their respective seasons.

Report: Top Prospect Suffers A Heart Attack

Grambling defender Christian Anthony, the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s preseason defensive player of the year, was hospitalized after suffering an apparent heart attack Thursday afternoon. He is listed in stable condition at Northern Louisiana Medical Center, university officials said. Anthony suffered chest pains around 4:30 p.m. after practicing with the team from 8:30-11 a.m. GSU Director of Public Relations Vanessa Littleton said there was no indication that the incident was heat-related, and that Anthony showed no signs of distress when the team went to a meeting room to cool down and hydrate around 11:30 a.m. Anthony, a 6-foot-4, 275-pound defensive end, was a dominant defensive force in 2009, finishing 10th in the league with 76 tackles and third overall in both sacks (8.0) and tackles-for-loss (15.0). As a defensive lineman he recorded five interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns for the Tigers. He led the league

Agents Litter Jared Crick With Brochures

NFL teams obviously are well aware of Jared Crick. The Sporting News rates him as the nation’s top college player, regardless of position. Agents send the Nebraska junior defensive tackle brochures and letters touting their services. He’ll look at the letters at the end of this season, Crick said Friday. For now, preseason camp is his priority, he said, along with winning a national championship and graduating. But he made it clear Friday he may face a tough decision after this season — although he insists he hasn’t thought much about the NFL to this point. “At the end of the year, I’ll have my talks with coach Bo (Pelini) and coach Carl (Pelini) about what I want to do, and especially my family,” Crick said. “Right now, it’s not even certain whether I’m going to leave after this year. I may stay for my senior year.”

Backup Mitch Mustain Has NFL Aspirations

Quarterback Mitch Mustain estimates he got 10 phone calls from other programs after NCAA sanctions were announced two months ago. Everyone knew the senior was blocked by sophomore quarterback Matt Barkley and probably would play his entire USC career as a backup, so some coaches used the cover of the Trojans’ bowl ban to do a little late-career recruiting. His decision to stay was a calculated one. Mustain has hopes of playing in the NFL and USC runs a pro-style offense. “You’ve got to be able to get on the board in front of GMs and coaches come January, February and March and explain what you’re doing, explain protections, that you understand where the O-line is going, that you can command an offense,” Mustain said. “I feel like this is the best place to learn that.” Mustain, once ranked as one of the top high school player in

Two-Sport Athlete Stays Non-Commital

In 2009, Matt Szczur (pronounced “Caesar”) was a force to be reckoned with on the football field. He tallied 2,239 all-purpose yards 816 as a kick returner, 813 as a running back and 610 as a wide receiver. The cherry on top of this all-around offensive onslaught was being named MVP of the national championship game, catching two touchdown passes and running for 159 yards as the Wildcats eked out a 23-21 victory over Montana. A similar performance in his senior year would almost certainly result in an NFL Draft selection, with NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock recently projecting that he would be chosen as high as the fourth round. Szczur, perhaps not surprisingly, was non-committal when asked which sport he was leaning toward playing professionally. “We’ll make those decisions after the football season,” he said. “Right now the focus is on football, to be

An In-Depth Look At The New Look NY Jets

The New York Jets made an improbable run to the AFC Championship Game last season while leading the league in rushing and total defense. Now, fans, players, and analysts alike have all joined in on the Jets’ fun, projecting them as one of the favorites for Super Bowl XLV. Before they get to that February 6th game though, they have some lofty regular season goals to take care of.

The last five seasons have seen four different teams lead the league in rushing—the Atlanta Falcons repeated in 2005 and 2006, but failed to make the playoffs both seasons. Similarly, four different teams have led the league in total defense—the Pittsburgh Steelers led the league (yards given up) in 2007 and repeated in 2008 on their way to a Super Bowl victory.

Repeating at the top of the league in any category is difficult to

Golden Tate Taking Seattle by Storm

According to sources, Seattle’s rookie wide receiver Golden Tate has “made big plays just about every day” in training camp.

Mancini’s Take: While Tate isn’t your prototypical big receiver that so many teams seem to covet these days, the former running back’s quickness of the line, strong hands and ability to go up for the ball at its highest point make him a tough cover for most defenders. What truly makes him a special is what he does with ball after its caught. He features tremendous balance and has the strength to break tackles. Tate finds himself with a great opportunity to earn himself some serious playing time right off the bat. There are no Calvin Johnson or Brandon Marshall types blocking his path. Seattle’s new regime will go by what it sees and start the best players. Pete Carroll won’t bow down to veterans because of their past accomplishments

Perry Riley Drops the Hammer in Debut

Mancini’s take on rookie linebacker Perry Riley following Washington’s 42-17 drubbing of the Buffalo Bills on Friday night: Riley is a player, a smart defender who helps you win games…period. You saw that in his first preseason game as he flashed the ability to quickly diagnose plays, fight his way through blocks and deliver solid tackles that stop ball carriers dead in their tracks. The former LSU Tiger has powerful hands to beat his opponents in traffic and is bright enough to line up his teammates. He loves playing football and works hard at his craft, not to mention the fact that he’s an excellent special teams player. Riley will probably have to take a back seat to starters London Fletcher and Rocky McIntosh this year, but the intense 22-year-old believes he can also play outside just as he did back in college. Riley isn’t one of those guys

Austin Howard Pancakes the Jaguars

Mancini’s take on rookie tackle Austin Howard following Philadelphia’s 28-27 preseason win over Jacksonville: The undrafted lineman put his stamp on Friday night’s victory by sealing the edge on Michael Vick’s 10-yard touchdown run in the second quarter by overpowering the helpless Larry Hart and burying him into the ground. The block opened up an outside rushing lane that Vick accelerated through on his way to paydirt. The Northern Iowa product flashed his brute strength and impressive technique throughout the game. Howard has already earned the backup left tackle spot behind Jason Peters with his exceptional play in OTAs and in training camp. If he continues to play like he did yesterday, he’ll not only keep his job, but may even see some action during certain packages in the regular season. The former tight end’s long arms and fluid drops in pass protection make him a natural at