Draft News and More
The Jacksonville Jaguars are likely to add a wide receiver in the NFL Draft, according to Michael C. Wright, of The Florida Times Union, but it isn’t likely to happen with their 10th overall pick in the draft. The Jaguars have had several bust wide receivers taken in the first round previously. According to multiple NFL sources, the Jaguars have eliminated Oklahoma State WR Dez Bryant from their draft board because of character concerns.
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Sixteen players are now confirmed to attend the 2010 NFL Draft festivities at Radio City Music Hall in New York next week, including Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, according to a league source.
Eight more players have accepted their invitation to attend in the past week or so, bringing the total number to 16.
Those new players are:
Bradford, Florida CB Joe Haden, Clemson RB C.J. Spiller, Wake Forest CB Brandon Ghee, Iowa OT Bryan Bulaga, Texas DT Lamarr Houston, Georgia Tech WR Demaryius Thomas, Cal RB Jahvid Best.
Those players join a list that already included: Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh, Oklahoma DT Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma State OT Russell Okung, Georgia Tech DE Derrick Morgan, Oklahoma OT Trent Williams, Tennessee DT Dan Williams, Tennessee S Eric Berry, and Penn State DT Jared Odrick.
Invites remain out to the other three top quarterbacks Jimmy Clausen, Tim
The NFL Draft is becoming as popular as chicken wings. The draftniks’ days of sitting around all day Saturday and Sunday are now a thing of the past; this first round of year’s draft will be shown during prime time on Thursday night. Perhaps it will take over for Leno next year.
NBC made Thursday nights famous for “must-see TV” several years ago. Back then, I would have never imagined that the possibility of watching the Cosby Show or the NFL Draft would be a choice I would have to make. With no TiVo back then, Dr. Cliff Huxtable would have taken a back seat to Pete Rozelle walking to the podium and announcing, “With the first selection…”. Those were words that brought you to the very edge of your seat every time.
Since NFL Draft publications and mock drafts have as much exposure as gossip
Santonio Holmes was shipped out of Pittsburgh late last night, sent to the New York Jets for a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft. Steeler fans wonder how their team got so little for the former Super Bowl MVP. The facts are these: Holmes has been in trouble—all of it his own doing—and has shown nothing but child-like behavior since he’s entered the league. He was not respected in the locker room and the Steelers organization decided enough was enough. Good for them. While it may hurt the team in the coming season, it will help them down the road. Mike Wallace showed flashes of brilliance in 2009 and he’ll now have his chance to step up in Holmes’ absence. New acquisitions Arnaz Battle and Antwaan Randle El, as well as former second round pick Limas Sweed, will help pick up the
Late last night news broke that Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes was traded to the New York Jets for a fifth round pick. Moves like this make one wonder what the value of a draft pick is…and how trades of this nature actually get finalized.
Waking up to the news this morning, I had a text from New York saying “Santonio Baby!” I also had one from the city of Pittsburgh which, for obvious reason, cannot be printed here.
When I heard the news, my biggest question was: Was this the most the Steelers could get for a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver?
Curious, I went back to 1992 to see which receivers had been taken in the fifth round of the draft and how they panned out.<br
Receivers Taken
NFL Draft Football Friday Spectacular Part IIThanks to everyone who participated in the Football Friday Spectacular for making it our most popular show ever! We are bringing it back again this Friday, bigger and better. Stay tuned for announcements on our special guests slated to appear throughout the course of the week. If you missed the show this past Friday, you can click here for the archive. What: The Football Friday Spectacular Part II When: Friday, April 16th 2010 Where: All Access Football Radio Sources: Marshawn Lynch & Ronnie Brown AvailableRunning back-needy teams need not just look to the draft for help. Two veterans — Bills RB Marshawn Lynch and Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown — are available on the trade market for mid-round draft picks, according to Yahoo! Sports and ESPN reports. The Bills have soured on Lynch, a ’07 first-round pick, after multiple off-field incidents and after he lost his starting job to Fred Jackson. Lynch rushed for only 450 yards last year in 13 games. * * * * * Top Teams Discuss Suh vs McCoy DebateWhat They Are Saying: “They were asked to do different things,” said Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz, adding that Suh would have been successful with Oklahoma’s attacking style and McCoy would have prospered in Nebraska’s two-gap defense. “You look for different characteristics, and I think both of those guys fit what we’re looking for, and I think both of them would do well in what we would ask them to do.” “You’re talking about two dynamic guys and two guys who bring dynamic aspects to the game,” Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris said. “You’re talking about two guys who are slightly different but are both dominant. They were asked to do two different things. (McCoy) might have the (run-stopping) power that Suh has, but he’s just not asked to do it.” “I think you can justify any position almost any position if you feel like Bradford Comparison To Aikman Not Far OffWhen former Cowboys executive Gil Brandt recently compared Sam Bradford’s pro day performance to that of Troy Aikman, the jaws of scouts collectively dropped. One of the most respected talent evaluators ever, Brandt was the one that scouted Aikman before the Cowboys took him in the 1989 draft. But the comparison between the two doesn’t end there. A lot of people don’t realize Aikman actually attended Oklahoma before UCLA. And just like Bradford, Aikman’s career there was ended by a devastating injury; Bradford tore up his shoulder on a sack in last season’s BYU game, Aikman’s ankle was snapped by the late Jerome Brown, which eventually led to his transfer. For the entire breakdown comparison click here Pro Day Recap: Ravens & Browns Watch CarringtonGil Brandt, of NFL.com, reports Arkansas State defensive end Alex Carrington (6-foot-5, 280 pounds), performing in front of defensive line coaches from Cleveland and Baltimore, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.97 and 4.93 seconds against and with the wind, respectively. He had a 33-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot-2 broad jump, a 4.81-second short shuttle, a 7.64-second three-cone drill, all things he did not do at the NFL Scouting Combine. Afterward, Carrington impressed as he went through a very tough workout that took 30 to 40 minutes. * * * * * |