A sister of former South Florida defensive back Mistral Raymond, who’s projected to be a late-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, was found dead Monday in Bradenton, Fla., The Tampa Tribune reported.
Category Archives: NFL Draft
Team Needs: Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers: Team Needs Rookie Review On The Clock Insider Podcast
2011 NFL Draft–
- QB – After drafting quarterbacks Jimmy Clausen and Tony Pike in last year’s draft, the Panthers have depth at the position, especially if they re-sign Matt Moore. However, the one thing they are lacking is performance. Carolina ranked last in the league last season averaging less than 150 passing yards per game. With new offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski added to the coaching roster, changes seem to be looming. Chudzinski may try to lure Chargers backup Billy Volek, who is a free agent. The 35-year-old veteran would provide guidance for the young Carolina quarterbacks, having run Chudzinski’s offense in San Diego.
- WR – With 11-year veteran Steve Smith leading the team with only 554 receiving yards last season, it’s obvious the Panthers are in desperate need of some more
Rookie Review: Pittsburgh Steelers
2010 NFL Draft Class–
(1-18) Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida: The former Gator has not only started every game but was also selected to the AFC Pro Bowl squad. Pouncey’s incredible upper body strength helps him blow people off the line. Grade: A+
(2-52) Jason Worilds, OLB, Virginia Tech: As part of Pittsburgh’s next generation of linebackers, Worilds spent most of his first year learning the system and playing special teams. The college end did flash some of his quickness and strong hands on two quarterback sacks during the regular season. Grade: C+
(3-82) Emmanuel Sanders, WR, SMU: Sanders really came on during the second half of the season by confounding opponents with his speed, as well as his quickness in and out of cuts. The dynamic receiver was also a dangerous returner and hard-hitting coverage man on kickoffs. Grade: A-
(4-116) Thaddeus Gibson,
Poll: Aaron Williams | Corner or Free Safety?
The NFL Draft Bible recently conducted an internal organizational poll, which asked: “Should Texas defensive back Aaron Williams remain at cornerback or switch to free safety at the NFL level?” The Results: Tie 3-3
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Ric Serritella Free Safety
Daniel Mogollon Cornerback
Ross Mandel Cornerback
Ralph Mancini Free Safety
Bo Marchionte Free Safety
Joe Everett Cornerback
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Pro Cornerback:
Understandable why teams are viewing Aaron Williams as safety but it makes sense to see what he can do as a cornerback first. Sure, there may not be a “Williams Island” anytime soon but he can be a very good corner at the next level. His fluidity in coverage would be somewhat wasted at the safety position.
Pro Free Safety:
Free safety. He allows too much
Team Needs: New York Jets
New York Jets: Team Needs Rookie Review On The Clock Insider Podcast
2011 NFL Draft–
OLB – The Jets have to find a way to get to the passer more often without elaborate schemes and disguises. Veteran Calvin Pace has been effective in his outside linebacker role but he’s been injury prone and needs help on the opposite side to generate more pressure on the quarterback. This defense is not far off but they definitely need more edge rushers to make things even more difficult on the rest of their division.
NT – New York is strong up front but they have some key pieces that they’ll need to replace soon and one of them is Kris Jenkins. Jenkins was lost for the season due to another knee injury and the club has all but sapped the life out of Trevor Pryce.
Poll: Akeem Ayers or Justin Houston?
The NFL Draft Bible recently conducted an internal organizational poll, which asked: “Which outside linebacker will be selected first in the 2011 NFL Draft?” – Akeem Ayers of UCLA or Justin Houston of Georgia. The Results: 4-2 for Justin Houston.
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Ric Serritella Houston
Daniel Mogollon Houston
Ross Mandel Houston
Ralph Mancini Houston
Bo Marchionte Ayers
Joe Everett Ayers
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Pro Ayers:
Ayers versatility will result in more teams taking a gander at him, while Houston is more pigeon holed as a 3-4 OLB type. Ayers can do more things and has more hype.
Pro Houston:
While Akeem Ayers is the more well-rounded player at this point, again it is about getting to the quarterback with many of these prospects and that plays into Justin Houston’s strength.
Rookie Review: Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers: Team Needs Rookie Review On The Clock Insider Podcast
2010 NFL Draft Class–
(2-48) Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame: Statistically, the blond bomber was the worst player at his position among quarterbacks with at least 250 pass attempts. He failed to establish any sort of rhythm with his receivers and his pocket presence was beyond awful. His inability to step forward in the pocket under pressure really hampered the entire offense. Then again, Clausen was nowhere near ready to start when he declared for the draft last year. Grade: D-
(3-78) Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU: He showed that he belonged from the get-go. The big receiver really turned it on in the second half of the year, as he began coming down with tough catches on third down. LaFell has the size, speed, hands and run-after-catch skills to flourish as
Team Needs: Pittsburgh Steelers
2011 NFL Draft–
- OG – One of the main reasons for the team’s success this past season was the added protection for Ben Roethlisberger. However, he was still sacked more than forty times. Chris Kemoeatu is one of the strong points of the line but there was fluctuation at the other guard position. Doug Legursky provided key backup at the center and guard positions throughout the season, most notably filling in for rookie Maurkice Pouncey. The Steelers have been without stability at the guard position since Alan Faneca played for them and they may search for some added depth in the draft.
- CB – Both Ike Taylor and William Gay are up for free agency this offseason and re-signing both should be high priority. If the Steelers feel they are unable to retain both, the cornerback position could become top priority.
- OLB – LaMarr Woodley and James
Broncos set to host Alabama DL Dareus, LSU CB Peterson
John Elway, Denver’s executive V.P. of football operations, announced Monday that the team’s facility will have plenty of foot traffic ahead of this month’s draft. “We’ll have 13 more draft prospects visiting us over the next 10 days, including (Alabama) DL Marcell Dareus and (LSU) CB Patrick Peterson,” Elway tweeted.
NCAA to undergrads: Don’t accept benefits during draft week
The NFL forwarded a letter from
the NCAA on Monday to players invited to this month’s draft that warns
underclassmen about potential rules violations for attending draft parties.