Check out my NBA Draft Grades 

7:14 ET: Instead of doing a new redraft 30 minutes before the NBA Draft, I will do this Live Draft Blog, keeping you updated with everything to do with the draft.

7:22 ET: Blake Griffin will go #1 to the Clippers. Barring any massive changes, the Grizzles keep pick the 2nd pick and use that on Hasheem Thabeet. 

7:25 ET: Vince Carter has already been traded to Orlando, Shaquille O’Neal to Cleveland, and Richard Jefferson to the Spurs. Now the Suns and the Warriors are close to a deal that could send Amar’e Stoudemire to Golden State for Andris Biedrins, Brandon Wright, Marco Belinelli, and the 7th pick. More to come to this prominent rumor.

7:30 ET: David Stern takes the podium and the draft is underway.

7:34 ET: LA Clippers on the clock

PF/C Blake Griffin (Oklahoma) 

I don’t know exactly where the Clippers will put Griffin, maybe they trade Chris Kaman, or agree to a buyout with Zach Randolph, but Griffin is the best player in the draft and as the Clippers are a team that desperately needs a savior, they need to take him. It’s much a better decision than taking Ricky Rubio, who may never develop, especially since the Clippers already have Baron Davis at point guard.

NBA Comparison: Amar’e Stoudemire

7:39 ET: With the first pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Clippers select Blake Griffin, power forward, Oklahoma

Everyone knew this was happening. No surprise here. The Clippers will now have to move either Chris Kaman, Marcus Camby, and Zach Randolph to make room for their young phenom.

7:41 ET: Memphis on the clock

C Hasheem Thabeet (Connecticut)

The Grizzles have tried to move this pick, but attempts have reportedly failed. The Grizzles take the best available player not named Ricky Rubio, who doesn’t want to play for the Grizzles. I would be surprised if they took anyone other than Thabeet.

NBA Comparison: Dikembe Mutumbo 

 

7:47 ET: With the second pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Memphis Grizzles select Hasheem Thabeet, center, Connecticut 

I would have taken Jordan Hill because I think he has more upside and fills a bigger need at power forward, but there is no question that a Dikembe Mutumbo esque shot blocker like Thabeet will have a big impact on a team.

7:49 ET: Oklahoma City on the clock

SG/SF James Harden (Arizona State)

The Thunder think Harden is the perfect compliment to Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant and with Thabeet off the board, the Thunder take Harden year. This could be Rubio, but I don’t think they want to move Russell Westbrook to shooting guard 

NBA Comparison: Brandon Roy 

7:54:  With the third pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder select James Harden, shooting guard, Arizona State

This was the right move. Harden fits with Durant and Westbrook perfectly and adds young leadership to this young league. 

7:56: Sacramento on the Clock

PG Ricky Rubio (Spain) 

The Kings really need a point guard and a face of the franchise and Rubio would be both.

NBA Comparison: Steve Nash 

7:58: With the fourth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings select Tyreke Evans, point guard Memphis  

I don’t like this pick. Rubio has more upside and is more of a true point guard. 

8:00: Minnesota on the Clock 5th and 6th pick

PG Ricky Rubio (Spain) and SG Stephen Curry (Davidson)

Rubio gives the Wolves a passer point guard and Curry gives them a shooter as they add two nice pieces to their team. Their back court is very empty right now. 

8:11 With the 5th pick in the NBA Draft the Wolves select Ricky Rubio, point guard, Spain

8:11 With the 6th pick in the NBA Draft the Wolves select Jonny Flynn, point guard, Syracuse

I like the Rubio pick, but why take another point guard when you need a shooting guard. How will Rubio and Flynn co exist. 

8:13 Golden State on the clock

SG Stephen Curry (Davidson) 

Is this too high for Curry? Yes, but Nellie is picking. The man wants a roster of 12 scorers and is very close to having one. Curry could be that missing ingredient in Nellie’s recipe for disaster. Have fun stopping anyone.

NBA Comparison: Jason Terry 

8:16 With the 7th pick in the NBA Draft the Warriors select Stephen Curry, shooting guard, Davidson 

I knew I would happen, but I don’t think he fits. The Warriors need size and defense and Curry can’t do that for them. He will play shooting guard alongside Monta Ellis as the Warriors just finalized a trade where they send Jamal Crawford to Atlanta for Acie Law and Speedy Claxton. 

8:19 New York on the clock

SG Demar DeRozan (USC)

Right now the Knicks just have Quentin Richardson and Larry Hughes at shooting guard. Let me rephrase that, right now the Knicks just have Quentin Richardson’s expiring contract and Larry Hughes’ expiring contract. Both will be gone in 2010 as the Knicks go after LeBron. DeRozan is the perfect athletic player to play in D’Antoni’s system and would fill what is soon to be a need at shooting guard.  

NBA Comparison: Vince Carter

8:21 With the 8th pick in the NBA Draft the Knicks select Jordan Hill, power forward, Arizona

I predicted DeRozan here, but I like Hill as a fit more. The Knicks need bigs badly and Hill can run D’Antoni’s system. Think Chris Bosh

8:24 Toronto Raptors on the clock

SG Demar DeRozan (USC)

Jason Kapono is gone via trade so the Raptors now have a huge hole at shooting guard. DeRozan might not be NBA ready get, but they can’t ignore his Vince Carter esque athleticism. Hopefully he’ll work out better than Carter did in Toronto.

NBA Comparison: Vince Carter

8:27 With the 9th pick in the NBA Draft the Raptors select Demar DeRozan, shooting guard, USC

Slam Dunk pick here. The Raptors need a shooting guard and take a huge upside shooting guard.

8:29 Milwaukee Bucks on the Clock

F Earl Clark (Louisville) 

The one good thing about the Bucks’ horrible trade of Richard Jefferson to the Spurs is that they can resign either Ramon Sessions or Charlie Villanueva, whereas both were likely gone before. The Bucks will likely take the best available player at either power forward or point guard and resign Villanueva if they take a point guard and Sessions if they take a power forward. Clark’s the best available at either of those positions. Scott Skiles will love his toughness and versatility.

NBA Comparison: Boris Diaw

8:33 With the 10th pick in the NBA Draft the Bucks select Brandon Jennings, point guard, Italy

Apparently the Bucks are not as sure that they will bring back Ramon Sessions as I thought. Jennings has higher upside than anyone on the board, but won’t do a lot for them next year.  

8:35 New Jersey Nets are on the clock

F Earl Clark (Louisville)

New Jersey hopefully has realized that Bobby Simmons is not a longterm answer at small forward. Clark is NBA ready now and can play small forward as that do everything kind of guy. He also can move to power forward if needed.

NBA Comparison: Boris Diaw

8:38 With the 11th pick in the NBA Draft, the Nets select Terence Williams, shooting guard, Louisville

Nets messed this one up. I was afraid they’d do this. There was a rumor that the Nets gave him a guarantee, which i didn’t believe. Williams will likely replace Vince Carter at shooting guard and could play small forward, but Clark would have been a better fit. 

8:41 Charlotte Bobcats are on the clock

SG Wayne Ellington (North Carolina)

The Bobcats need a set up scorer and a shooting guard as they have lacked both of those since Jason Richardson was traded. Raja Bell only has one more year on his contract and is better suited as a stopped and a shooter. The Bobcats will have their choice between Gerald Henderson and Wayne Ellington. I have Henderson higher rated, but I don’t think that UNC alum Michael Jordan over a Dukie. Now you might be thinking that Jordan wouldn’t just pick someone over a better player just because of college allegiances, but this is also the guy who drafted Kwame Brown #1, Adam Morrison #3, and took DJ Augustin last year when he already had Raymond Felton. Look at Jordan’s drafting record in Charlotte and you’ll see that he has already taken 2 former Tarheels, Sean May and Raymond Felton in his short time.

NBA Comparison: Richard Hamilton

8:47 With the 12th pick in the NBA Draft, the Bobcats select Gerald Henderson, shooting guard, Duke

Hey, Michael Jordan didn’t mess this one up.  

8:49 Indiana Pacers are on the clock

PF DeJuan Blair (Pittsburgh)

The Pacers need an athletic big who can help with interior defense. Blair fits.  

NBA Comparison: Craig Smith 

8:51 With the 13th pick in the NBA Draft, the Pacers select Tyler Hansbourgh, power forward, North Carolina

Hansbourgh is a good college player, but he doesn’t fit with the Pacers and their needs. 

8:54 Phoenix Suns are on the clock

PG Ty Lawson (North Carolina)

Steve Nash is sadly not going to be able to play forever. I’ve been saying that they should take a point guard for the past few years, Taureen Green in 2007 and Mario Chalmers last year, but they haven’t yet. However, they get their best opportunity to do so here. Lawson is one of the best players available. He would be one of the fastest players in the league as the Suns move forward with the run and gun offense once again under Alvin Gentry. He also, as did both Green and Chalmers, won a national championship so he is very experienced for a college kid and is a poised leader.

NBA Comparison: Jameer Nelson 

8:56 With the 14th pick in the NBA Draft, the Suns select Earl Clark, small forward, Louisville

Clark fits for the Suns very, very well, but they need a true point guard of the future so I’m not too excited about this for the Suns. 

8:59 Lottery is over I’m out. I’m tired.

If anyone listened to me, send me an email at stevenlourie@yahoo.com and tell me what you thought of the idea, because I kind of did improv the idea. Thanks.  

 

 

2011 NBA Mock Draft

NBA Mock Draft Database 

2010

2009 

 

 

Offensive Tackle

Colorado

6-8 307

Draft board overall prospect rank: #43

Draft board overall offensive tackle rank: #7

Overall rating: 79 (Early 2nd)

40 time: 4.97

3/11/11: Solder lost 12 pounds off his already skinny frame in 2 weeks, a very bad sign. He’s at 6-8 307 now and may have maxed his frame after putting on 25-30 pounds in the last 3 years to convert from tight end to left tackle.

2/15/11: Nate Solder is a very interesting prospect. He is a former blocking tight end who put on about 30-35 pounds over 3 years to become Colorado’s starting left tackle. He was the only underclassman on the Big 12 first team’s offensive line in 2009 and he was a consensus All-American in 2010, despite being so new at the position. He still maintains a lot of his athleticism from his tight end days and should run a 40 in the 4.8-4.9 range.

He has long arms, which suggests he still has room to put more weight on his frame, which could be necessary. 315 pounds is still fairly skinny for 6-8 1/2. He was compared to Tony Boselli several times during the Senior Bowl and is the consensus top tackle right now. He’s my #2 tackle. I think Anthony Costanzo is more polished, but he’s definitely got the bigger upside.

He was very inconsistent at The Combine, looking extremely athletic and overpowering at times during practice, but struggling his technique against more polished defensive linemen in the game. He gets too high and doesn’t bend his knees naturally, but he just needs some coaching. In my opinion, he’s best starting off as a right tackle, where he won’t have to deal with such polished pass rushers. He definitely has left tackle upside and the potential to be one of the best at the position someday. 

NFL Comparison: Robert Gallery 

 

By Paul Smythe 

One thing the Miami Dolphins don’t have a shortage of is young, talented CBs.

The most recent to emerge is Nate Ness, who had a very good outing during the Dolphins preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Saturday.

He made a bunch of great plays, including a stop on 4th and goal late in the game. And, while the preseason doesn’t matter that much, the Dolphins would have probably lost if Ness hadn’t made the play.

Along with that play he also forced two fumbles and had multiple tackles and broken up passes. Ness showed he is a very good player with a lot of potential. My hope is that he stays with the team, and hopefully works his way up.

Miami already has 4 very good cornerbacks, so there is a possibility that Ness doesn’t even make the team. But, I think it is only a very slight possibility. In all likelihood Ness continues to do well and makes the cut. 5 cornerbacks may seem like a lot to some people, but it is necessary because injury problems can really drain a team.

Dolphins fans don’t have to be really concerned when one of our starting CBs goes down now, because we will have others to take their place and do just as well.

Anyways, Ness looks really good, and you should definitely watch out for him. He has already improved a lot from playing on the practice squad last year. He can (and will) only get better from here.

http://www.dolphinshout.com

 

First of all, Happy Birthday to Nate Livings. For his 30^th birthday, the Cowboys rewarded him with a 5 year, 19 million dollar deal, with 6.2 million guaranteed. While the Cowboys needed guard help, I think this was a mistake. Livings is not a starting caliber player. ProFootballFocus ranked him 56^th among eligible guards last season with Cincinnati and this deal almost definitely means he’ll start for the Cowboys.

Grade: C

 

 

The Bengals needed another cornerback with #2 cornerback Johnathan Joseph going to Houston. Clements was being paid like a #1 cornerback in San Francisco, so naturally he underachieved and was cut. However, in Cincinnati, he’ll be paid like a #2 cornerback and he’ll have Leon Hall opposite him, so he’ll probably play better. He’s older, but this is only a 2 year deal, worth 10.5 million with 6 million in guarantees, which sounds about right.

Grade: A

 

I don’t find it much of a coincidence that Burleson just had a career year in his contract year. Almost seems like he was playing well just to get paid (but no one does that right?). Well he got paid, 5 years 25 million, and I think what the Lions are going to get out of him is far less than what they paid for. This seems like one of those deals that’s going to get terminated midway.

Grade: C-

Spotlight #1: North Alabama CB Janoris Jenkins

Spotlight #2: Delta State CB Dominique Davenport 

(Note, since this was a D-II game, the telecast did not have a clock on the scoreboard, so I only knew what quarter it was and not the exact time).

1^st quarter

1- Davenport in on a run stop

1- Jenkins thrown on, tight completion for 3^rd down stop, just short.

2^nd quarter

2- Jenkins gets into the backfield, gives great chase and a tackle for a loss.

2- Jenkins with a weak effort to tackle, easily juked in the open field.

2- Davenport allows a catch

2- Jenkins can’t quite disengage from a block on 3^rd and short on an outside run.

2- Quarterback keeper, Jenkins with an excellent job to get into the backfield after a change of direction run, tackle for loss.

3^rd quarter

3- Receiver gets the ball in the flat, Davenport shakes off a block and explodes into the backfield for a 4 yard tackle for loss.

3- Davenport thrown at, could have allowed a completion, but the receiver drops it, right off his hands.

3- Davenport dives for a near interception on an underthrown in the end zone. Nice effort.

3- Jenkins can’t wrap up a ball carrier before a touchdown.

3- Jenkins ejected after the touchdown. This is not good. I haven’t seen enough from Davenport to suggest that this game is worth watching just to see Davenport so I’m done here.

0:00: If Jenkins had declared for the 2011 NFL Draft, he could have been the 2^nd cornerback off the board after Patrick Peterson and a top 15 pick. However, he returned for his to Florida senior season and was arrested twice in a span of 3 months for marijuana, bringing his lifetime total to 3 drug related arrests.

This was enough for Florida, who dismissed him, and rather than declare for the supplemental draft where he could have been a 3^rd round pick, he enrolled at Division-II North Alabama and joined their football team, trying to prove himself to pro scouts for another year. Delta State represents the toughest competition he’d have all year and scouts were very interested to watch this game to see if Jenkins could redeem himself. Obviously, the fact that he got ejected from this game is not a good thing.

Jenkins showed flashes of dominance tonight and looked like a first round pick among Division-II competition. He allowed one completion all night and it was a short completion on a 3^rd down stop. He had two explosive tackles for loss and Delta State only threw on him once all night. However, he looked lazy and disinterested against the run on several occasions, like he knew how much more talented he was than everyone else and so he wasn’t trying as hard. For a guy with character red flags, that’s not a good thing.

He’s got first round talent. I’m not denying that, but all of his drug arrests suggest at the very least this is a guy who isn’t fully committed to football, at most he’s someone that is going to have future disciplinary problems in the NFL, like Tampa Bay’s Aqib Talib, who had several drug arrests in college as well. Couple that with an ejection and he’s lack of interest in this game and you’ve got someone I wouldn’t take a chance on in the first 2 rounds of the draft. I think he’s getting a 3^rd round grade.

As for Dominique Davenport, I was looking for him to dominate. He’s a division-II player. If he wants to go to the NFL, he has to dominate. He didn’t dominate. He wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t good enough. That’s why I stopped watching this game after Jenkins was ejected. I wasn’t here to see Davenport and he didn’t give me any reason why I should stay just to see him.

 

Wide Receiver 

Buffalo

6-0 189

40 time: 4.60

Draft board overall prospect rank: #236

Draft board wide receiver rank: #26

Overall rating: 50*

3/15/10: I still would draft him if given the chance, but a 4.60 at 6-0 189 doesn’t help him. He could have trouble getting drafted now, after a down year last year, but I like his hands and his upside. He could be a decent slot guy at the next level.

            7/25/09: Naaman Roosevelt knows how the fill the stat sheet. He had 104 catches for 1402 yards and 13 touchdowns last season as a junior at Buffalo. However, he is ranked as a mid round prospect at best right now for a few reasons. He’s very thin at 6-0 185 and does not have good timed speed. He also hasn’t played against the best competition, though he did have a good game last season against Missouri. He doubles as a good kick returner, despite his lack of timed speed. He’s very quick and can break long gains in the open field. He runs good routes and has very sure hands. He projects as a sure handed slot receiver in the NFL. Though he’s very weak and has a small frame, he isn’t necessarily short. At 6-0, he is going to be more of an end zone threat than most slot receivers. He’s a horrible run blocker and very injury prone because of his small frame. In a league where you can never have too many pass catchers, a sure handed receiver like Roosevelt is going to be heavily sought after in the mid rounds by almost all teams. Though I never see him as a starter in the NFL because of his frame, he can be a nice 3^rd or 4^th option/kick returner and that’s all you really expect out of a 3^rd or 4^th round pick.

NFL Comparison: Greg Camarillo 

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here

 

Safety 

Florida State

6-2 215

40 time: 4.68

Draft board overall prospect rank: #91

Draft board safety rank: #10

Overall rating: 75*

3/2/10: He had two questions around him coming into this draft preseason: is he committed to the sport and how would he fare after a year away from the game? He answered the first questions alright and, from his interviews, appeared committed, but a 4.68 40 at 6-2 215 shows he may not be quite in football shape yet.  

1/30/10: He didn’t play a ton or have any signature moments, but he really did show that he is still in great shape on the plays when he did play and in his interview he really seemed committed to the sport. Both of these are good things for him. There was never an issue about his ability to play the game, just about how he would bounce back physically after a year off, and about his commitment.

1/26/10: Good to see he stayed in shape in his year away from football. 

1/23/10: A big question mark after taking a year off of football to study at Oxford. He has top 15 pick talent, but taking a year off of football, isn’t unclear how he’ll respond. We’ll get a chance to see him at the Senior Bowl next week and his stock could end up anywhere from a 2^nd to 5^th round prospect based off of the results of his Senior Bowl week, his combine, and his workouts. There’s also a possibility that he’s not fully committed to football as he has aspirations of being a neurosurgeon (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and that’s a red flag to NFL scouts, but just showing up to the Senior Bowl could cool that red flag a bit.

            7/23/09: Myron Rolle is a complicated prospect. On paper he should be a first round lock. He’s big, 6-2 218, fast, mid 4.4s 40, smart and a great leader on the field from the safety position. There are no holes in his game. However, I don’t think he is going to go in the first round. Rolle skipped his senior season of college, though he had already graduated, and his last season of NCAA eligibility, to go attend Oxford, after winning the Rhodes Scholarship, in hopes of being a neurosurgeon. Not that this is a bad thing at all, but he has shown on several occasions that academics means more to him than playing football. While the average person would say that he is a good kid with his priorities in order, NFL scouts see that as a red flag. Does he really want to play in the NFL? Is he committed to the game? On one occasion, he skipped a game to interview for the Rhodes Scholarship. Who’s to say that he won’t retire after 2-3 years in the league to become a neurosurgeon? If you use a first round pick on him, that could happen and you’d essentially be out a pick. Also, if he actually does declare for the NFL draft, as that is not a given at this point for him, he will have been out of football for a year, and who knows what that could do to him. I am giving him a 2^nd round grade for now, as I see him as a game changer who could be a real steal in the 2^nd round, but the risk is definitely still there. He has top 10 pick talent, the question is, is he committed to using it on the football field? 

NFL Comparison: Brian Dawkins (if Rolle commits to football, this is the type of special player he could be)

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here