Brisiel has been an average to above average guard for Houston over the last few seasons, ranking 9th in 2010 and 35th in 2011. The Raiders are getting him at a reasonable rate (5 years, 20 million) and needed to make a cheap move like this with limited cap space and draft picks. There are some questions about his ability to play in a scheme other than Houston’s, but Oakland will be running a zone style scheme as well.
Grade: A
Offensive Tackle
Ohio State
6-7 323
Draft board overall prospect rank: #64
Draft board overall offensive tackle rank: #5
Overall rating: 73 (3rd round)
40 time: 5.40
Games watched: Michigan State/Ohio State, Ohio State/Miami, Wisconsin/Ohio State, Ohio State/Penn State, Ohio State/Michigan
Positives
· Excellent height (6-7)
· Huge (6-7 323)
· Long arms
· Massive hands (11 inches)
· Good hand use
· Physical freak
· Excellent feet for his size
· Mobile and athletic – played some tight end on unbalanced lines at Ohio State
· Size/athleticism combo
· Good 2nd level blocker
· Experienced out of a 3 point stance
· Good knee bend
· Wide base in stance
· Heavily recruited (#10 recruit in 2008, #2 offensive tackle behind Tyron Smith)
· Incredibly dominant at the Senior Bowl
· Flashes excellence
Negatives
· Incredibly inconsistent
· Allows way more sacks and pressures than he should
· Disappointing Combine (only 19 reps of 225, 5.40 40)
· Suspended on 2 occasions
· Has a prior arrest
· Failed The Combine’s drug test
· Past injury history
· Questions about motor and passion for the game
· Work ethic concerns
· Maturity concerns
· Not a ton of experience (due to suspensions and injuries)
· Has had some issues with speed rushers
NFL Comparison: Jared Gaither
Mike Adams has the talent to go in the top 5. He’s an absolute athletic freak who has mobile feet on the level of Matt Kalil, only he’s 20 pounds bigger. He’s 6-7 323 with 34 inch arms and massive 11 inch hands. He was the #2 ranked offensive tackle coming out of high school, in between Tyron Smith and Matt Kalil, both of whom went in the top 10.
However, he never lived up to this at Ohio State. He was in and out of the lineup with suspensions and injury and gave up way more sacks and pressures than you’d like. His senior year was especially disappointing. He only played in 7 games because of a suspension from the Ohio State tattoo scandal, and only faced two draftable pass rushers in those 7 games, Whitney Mercilus and Jack Crawford. He allowed 1.5 sacks to Mercilus and 2 sacks to Crawford, two speed rushers who were able to blow right past him and get the best of him.
He really just seems like one of those prospects that doesn’t get it. He has the off the field issues, a 2 game suspension in 2009 for breaking a team rule, a 5 game suspension in 2011 for the tattoo scandal, and a run in with the law in 2009 for drug possession (the charges were dropped). He also failed a drug test for marijuana at The Combine. The issue there isn’t that he smokes marijuana. It’s that he didn’t care enough about football to stop smoking marijuana in order to pass a drug test he knew was coming.
Going off the concerns about his passion for the game, his Combine workouts were really poor. For someone with his natural athletic gifts, 19 reps on the bench and a 5.40 40 with an awful 1.84 10 yard split, is incredibly disappointing. There are concerns about his ability to keep himself in elite football shape. Add in all this to his disappointing play on the field and you’ve got a prospect with serious passion and love of the game concerns, which is a huge red flag. He was a disappointing player for Ohio State in college and I have to think that he’ll continue to disappoint in the NFL as long as he’s drafted in the first 2 rounds.
My comparison for him is Jared Gaither. Like Gaither, Adams has elite physical abilities. Gaither was a high school tight end who came into the league at about 6-9 330. They both have excellent size/athleticism combinations, but Gaither fell into the 5th round of the supplementary draft because of his lack of consistency and his off the field issues, the off the field issues that made him have to join the supplementary draft in the first place. Gaither has exceeded his draft range as he’s been a good left tackle when healthy, but he’s been consistent and off injured.
Adams won’t go in the 5th round so I don’t like his chances of exceeding his draft range as much. He probably won’t go in the 1st round, which once looked like an option after a dominant Senior Bowl. In the Senior Bowl, he shut down both Melvin Ingram and Courtney Upshaw, as well as Quinton Coples on occasion. I argued he should have been the MVP as the North won. However, after failing a drug test at The Combine, that no longer looks like an option. He now has competition for the #4 tackle spot from Bobby Massie, Mitchell Schwartz, and Jeff Allen.
He’ll probably still go in the 2nd round because of his upside, but there’s a small chance he’ll last until the 3rd round. Both Justin Houston and Christian Ballard fell 2 rounds below their previously projected draft range last year after failing drug tests at The Combine, but the Vikings still took Percy Harvin in the first round in 2009 after a failed drug test, so there’s no clear rule with this type of thing. It only takes one team to take a chance on him and I think one will in the 2nd round, but there’s always a chance one doesn’t.
I have broken my sleepers into 4 categories this year. Mid Round Upside Picks, Mid Round Value Picks, Late Round Upside Picks, Late Round Value Picks. A Mid Round Value Pick, as I will list here, is anyone available in the mid rounds (8th-12th) of a 12 team draft, that doesn’t have the upside of a high upside sleeper, but is just flat out being overlooked. They are a relatively safe pick that you can count on to be worth slightly more than the round you draft them in.
All average draft position (ADP) stats are as of 9/1/10 and were found at ESPN.com. ADP stats serve to provide you an estimate of when you should take these players and when you can expect them to be off of the board and thus ADP stats are crucial when dealing with upside and value picks.
TE Zach Miller- OAK
ADP: 117th
Jason Campbell loves to throw to his tight ends. In his first 2 years with Jason Campbell at quarterback, Chris Cooley had yards totals of 786 and 849, both of which were career highs at the time. He only managed 1 touchdown in 2008, but with 8 the year before it’s safe to say 2008 was a fluke in terms of touchdowns. In 2009, despite leaving midway through his 7th game with an injury and going down for the season, Cooley still had 29 catches for 332 yards and 2 scores. In 2009, despite not playing extensively until Cooley got hurt midway through his 7thgame, Fred Davis had 48 catches for 509 yards and 6 scores. Combine those stats with Cooley’s and Washington tight ends had 77 catches for 841 yards and 8 scores last year. Not bad. With Jason Campbell now in Oakland, Zach Miller figures to have a great year. Miller is as talented, if not more talented than Davis and Cooley. In his last 2 years, despite playing with an ugly mix of JaMarcus Russell, Charlie Frye, and Bruce Gradkowski at quarterback, Zach Miller has averaged 61 catches and 792 yards per season. With Jason Campbell at quarterback now, he has a chance to approach 900 yards. Zach Miller has never been much of a touchdown threat, but that’s not really his fault. He may only have 4 touchdowns over the last 2 years, but that’s because the Raiders have only had 23 receiving touchdowns over the last 2 years. In fact, Miller was actually 2nd on the team in touchdowns last year with 3. Now that they have a quarterback who can actually lead and complete drives to the end zone, Miller should be more in that 5-7 range. At 6-5, you’d figure he’d be their best goal line threat.
TE Greg Olsen- CHI
ADP: 135th
I had Greg Olsen as a potential top 5 tight end last year. That didn’t happen, he was 10th, but I’m not giving up on him this year. Jay Cutler loves to throw to his tight ends. In Cutler’s last two years in Denver, tight end Tony Scheffler had a total of 89 catches for 1194 yards and 8 scores. For comparison’s sake, he had 31 catches for 416 and 2 scores last year with Kyle Orton. Cutler is now in his 2nd year in Chicago, with Chicago’s receivers, and that can only help Olsen this year. Also, Mike Martz is now Chicago’s offensive coordinator, so Chicago should be throwing a bit more this year, also a good thing for Olsen. Olsen is the type of vertical threat tight end that is built to succeed in Martz’ scheme. He’s also only 25 so the former 1st rounder probably hasn’t reached his full potential yet. Expect him to increase the 60 catches for 612 yards and 8 scores he has last year.
WR Mohamed Massaquoi- CLE
ADP: 148th
8/31/10: Delhomme has actually looked decent this preseason and while I don’t recommend drafting Delhomme, it definitely a good sign for Massaquoi, Delhomme’s #1 receiver.
Someone has to lead the Browns in receiving yards…right? Massaquoi was that guy last year and with a full season as their #1 receiver, he should increase his stats. He wasn’t their number one until week 4 last year. Take his stats from the last 13 games and extrapolate them across 16 games and you get 39 catches for 735 yards and 4 scores. I think that’s his floor. He, essentially, had those stats as a rookie with crap at quarterback. This year, he’s not a rookie and there’s a slight chance the Browns won’t have crap at quarterback this year. I mean you never know. Maybe Jake Delhomme will find his old form. It’s highly unlikely, but Massaquoi looks like a guy with a floor of about 700 yards, 4-6 scores, and a ceiling that’s higher than that. That makes him a WR4 with upside and a guy who can be plugged into your lineup on occasion. He’s not being drafted as that.
WR Lee Evans- BUF
ADP: 108th
Lee Evans was awful last year with a career low 44 catches for a career low 612 yards. However, that’s because he was the #2 receiver to Terrell Owens on an awful offense. TO is now gone and Evans is the main man again. I know getting Buffalo’s “main man” shouldn’t should too exciting because, yes, Buffalo is going to suck this year. However, they’ve sucked all of Lee Evans career, particularly at the quarterback position. That didn’t stop him from getting 1292 yards in 2007, 849 yards in 2008, and 1017 yards in 2009. He could pass that 1000 yard mark again.
RB Tim Hightower
ADP: 121st
8/31/10: For the 3rd straight week, Hightower was the Cardinals’ starter at running back. Even if he isn’t the starter during the season, in favor of Chris Wells, he should get his fair share of carries because Coach Ken Whisenhunt loves his pass catching and pass blocking skills. Love him as a high upside RB4.
8/24/10: Hightower got the start again but only managed 3 yards on 5 carries. Still, the start is more important for fantasy purposes.
8/15/10: For his value, Hightower is a solid pickup as he’s going in the 110s on average. I wouldn’t mind having this guy as my RB4 in the 9th or 10th round. Wells is injury prone which means Hightower could get a start or two this season and the Cardinals made it clear in their first preseason game that they plan on using Hightower in some significant form this year. He’s a great pass catcher and Matt Leinart loves to checkdown.
WR Jabar Gaffney
ADP: 139th
8/24/10: Gaffney has been used in the #1 receiver role in Denver this preseason and had 6 catches for 98 yards on 7 targets in his 2nd preseason game. It appears it will be him, not Demaryius Thomas or Eddie Royal who is the impact receiver in Denver this year. Gaffney had 21 catches for 282 yards and 2 score in his final 2 regular season games last year.
WR Derrick Mason
ADP: 118th
8/24/10: Despite all the new weapons the Ravens gave Joe Flacco this offseason, he’s still doing what he knows how to do best in the preseason, throwing it to Derrick Mason. Mason only has one season of 1000 yards or less in the past 10 years and could challenge for another 1000 yard season this year, even with all these new weapons around him. Even if he doesn’t get 1000 yards, he’ll be close and he’s extremely undervalued this year.
RB Leon Washington
ADP: 143rd
9/3/10: Washington has been Seattle’s best runner this preseason and sat for rest purposes in the Seahawks 4th preseason game. They have big plans for him and I expect him to be their lead back, though they will use 3 different backs frequently this year. He’s also a great pass catcher.
I have broken my sleepers into 4 categories this year. Mid Round Upside Picks, Mid Round Value Picks, Late Round Upside Picks, Late Round Value Picks. A Mid Round Upside Pick, as I will list here, is anyone available in the mid rounds (8th-12th) of a 12 team draft, that has the potential to be a lot more productive than where they are getting drafted. They aren’t guaranteed to be great players, but they have the potential to be starting caliber fantasy players at their position and they are getting drafted too low.
All average draft position (ADP) stats are as of 9/1/10 and were found at ESPN.com. ADP stats serve to provide you an estimate of when you should take these players and when you can expect them to be off of the board and thus ADP stats are crucial when dealing with upside and value picks.
WR Malcom Floyd- SD
ADP: 121st
9/2/10: If Jackson has truly played his last game as a Charger, Floyd’s value goes up even more. He has certainly looked like a #1 receiver this preseason and could match Jackson’s 2009 numbers, 1167 yards and 9 scores.
7/24/10: While Jackson is out, Floyd has even more time to build a bond with quarterback Phillip Rivers. If he doesn’t have 1000 yards this year, I would be shocked.
7/9/10: I had him as a sleeper based on the potential that Jackson would get suspended. Now Floyd will be the Chargers #1 receiver for at least 3 weeks next year. This guy already had 34 catches for 525 yards in his 8 starts last year as their #2 receiver, now he has at least 3 weeks of being the #1 guy in that offense and 3 weeks of no Vincent Jackson to take away red zone looks. This guy is a major sleeper and could be a top 15 fantasy wide receiver if Jackson gets traded.
Malcom Floyd broke out last year at age 28. He had 41 catches for 776 yards and 1 score. That 1 score looks like a fluke because he’s 6-5. I expect more touchdowns for him. Facing his first full season as a starter, 40 catches for 750 yards and 5 scores looks like the floor for him. His ceiling is a lot higher. In his last 8 games, after Chris Chambers’ release officially made him a starter, Floyd had 34 catches for 525 yards. Over 16 games, that’s 68 catches for 1050 yards. Add in the fact that Vincent Jackson could be facing a 4 game suspension to start the season, making Floyd Phillip Rivers’ #1 receiver, and you’ve got yourself a fantasy sleeper.
RB Michael Bush- OAK
ADP: 97th
8/31/10: Bush broke his thumb in his 3rd preseason game and his status for the Raiders first 1-3 weeks is in doubt.
8/24/10: Bush has taken advantage of McFadden’s injury and looks in line to win the starting running back job in Oakland. He’s a very talented back and will almost certainly be a 1000 yard guy if given 250+ carries. He also has decent hands and good size near the end zone, provided the Raiders make it to the end zone with more consistency this year than years past.
Clearly Oakland’s most talented back, averaging 4.8 YPC last year, despite running behind a crappy line with a fat pile of crap at quarterback. With an upgraded line and a drastically upgraded quarterback, Bush should have no problem getting to 1000 yards with enough carries. The enough carries is the hard part. He only got 123 last year and I think he needs at least 90-100 more to get past the 1000 yard mark. The coaching staff is still invested in Darren McFadden because of his salary and is still invested in Justin Fargas for god knows why. Bush is taking all the 1st team snaps in OTAs, which is a good sign, but there’s still a long way to go.
QB Chad Henne- MIA
ADP: 126th
Henne had 274 completions in 451 attempts for 2878 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 14 picks last year, in 13 and a half games. Do some crazy math and you get 331 for 535 for 3411 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 17 picks. How much better could Chad Henne be this year than last year? Take a look at Kyle Orton. Going from Chicago to Denver, Orton went from a mediocre receiving corps, to a mediocre receiving corps plus Brandon Marshall. Orton threw for 830 more yards, 3 more scores, without having any more picks. There are plenty more reasons why Henne should improve with Marshall than was the case with Orton. Henne has a stronger arm to hit Marshall downfield. Henne isn’t learning a new scheme. Henne is going into only his 2nd year as a starter, 3rd year in the league, and figures to get better simply from experience. Now, some of you may say, yeah, but Orton threw 76 more times between 2008 and 2009. This is true, but this is also a result of playing with Marshall. When you have a true deep threat, teams tend to pass more. Miami will pass more this year, which means more attempts for Henne. More attempts, more experience, better effectiveness, Henne should definitely be on your high upside list. I don’t have him listed as a top 15 quarterback, but he could end up there and if you have a low end QB1 (McNabb, Eli Manning, Cutler), Henne would make a nice backup.
QB Mark Sanchez- NYJ
ADP: 126th
Sanchez struggled in his rookie year, statistically, though he did lead his team to the AFC Championship game, but he had 20 picks in 364 attempts, which is not good by any stretch of the imagination. That being said, he was a rookie and we’ve seen rookies bounce back from bad rookie years to have good sophomore years before. Sanchez has the talent and he certainly has the supporting cast, so he has the potential to be a low end QB1. Pair him with another low end QB (McNabb, Eli Manning, Cutler).
QB Matt Stafford- DET
ADP: 128th
Basically the same story with Sanchez, but I think Stafford is more talented and has less of a supporting cast. A full season of the Megatron helps though. Calvin Johnson missed time and was relatively ineffective while on the field thanks to injuries last year. He could break out so he has some upside as a high upside QB2. His potential is as a low end QB1 so pair him with another low end QB1 like I said with Sanchez and Henne (McNabb, Manning, Cutler, you know the drill).
RB Montario Hardesty- CLE
ADP: 128th
7/24/10: Every news source in Cleveland is reporting that 2nd round pick Hardesty will be the lead back for the Browns this year and that he’s getting the bulk of the 1stteam carries already. If he gets 200 carries, he could be good for 800 rushing yards, 1000 total yards, and a few scores.
WR Johnny Knox- CHI
ADP: 112th
8/31/10: After 3rd preseason games, Knox is clearly the top wide receiver in Chicago’s offense.
8/12/10: I’m hearing from many sources that the 2nd year receiver is playing amazingly in camp and looks like the favorite to win the #1 receiver job over Devin Aromashodu and Devin Hester. He won’t be a true #1 because the Bears will throw the ball all over the field, but with his speed he’s perfect for Mike Martz’ scheme and he looks like the favorite to lead the Bears in receiving.
Updated 4/4/12
QB RB FB WR TE OT G C DE RLB DT NT 3-4 DE OLB MLB CB S K P
Scoring System
100 Once in a decade prospect
95-99 Elite talent
90-95 Solid top 10 pick
85-90 Solid first round pick
80-85 Late 1st-early 2nd
75-80 Solid 2nd round pick
70-75 Solid 3rd round pick
65-70 3rd-4th round pick
60-65 4th-5th round pick
55-60 5th round pick
50-55 6th round pick
45-50 7th round pick
40-45 Undrafted, invite to training camp
<40 No NFL Future
1. Luke Kuechly (Boston College) 91
2. Dont’a Hightower (Alabama) 84
3. Mychal Kendricks (California) 72
4. Tank Carder (TCU) 63
5. Audie Cole (NC State) 57
6. James-Michael Johnson (Nevada) 57
7. Chris Galippo (USC) 56
8. Jerry Franklin (Arkansas) 51
9. JK Schaffer (Cincinnati) 49
10. Austin Johnson (Tennessee) 46
11. Vontaze Burflict (Arizona State) 45
Updated 4/9/11
QB RB FB WR TE OT G C DE RLB DT 3-4 DE NT MLB OLB CB S K P
Scoring System
100 Once in a decade prospect
95-99 Elite talent
90-95 Solid top 10 pick
85-90 Solid first round pick
80-85 Late 1st-early 2nd
75-80 Solid 2nd round pick
70-75 Solid 3rd round pick
65-70 3rd-4th round pick
60-65 4th-5th round pick
55-60 5th round pick
50-55 6th round pick
45-50 7th round pick
40-45 Undrafted, invite to training camp
30-40 Career practice squader
20-30 No NFL future
0-20 No football future
1. Greg Jones 83 (Michigan State)
2. Martez Wilson 83 (Illinois)
3. Casey Matthews 78 (Oregon)
4. Kelvin Sheppard 74 (LSU)
5. Josh Bynes 73 (Auburn)
6. Nate Irving 71 (NC State)
7. Mike Mohamed 69 (California)
8. Quan Sturdivant 68 (North Carolina)
9. Colin McCarthy 63 (Miami)
10. Chris Marve 61 (Vanderbilt)
11. Mario Harvey 59 (Marshall)
12. KJ Wright 58 (Mississippi State)
13. Chris White 55 (Mississippi State)
14. Alex Wujciak 54 (Maryland)
15. Scott Lutrus 51 (Connecticut)
16. Greg Lloyd 50 (Connecticut)
17. Orie Lemon 48 (Oklahoma State)
18. Nick Bellore 47 (Central Michigan)
19. Elijah Joseph 44 (Temple)
20. Obi Ezeh 41 (Michigan)
QB RB WR TE OT G C NT DT 3-4 DE DE RLB OLB MLB CB S K P
Updated 4/17/10
100 Once in a decade prospect
95-99 Elite talent
90-95 Solid top 10 pick
85-90 Solid first round pick
80-85 Late 1st-early 2nd
75-80 Solid 2nd round pick
70-75 Solid 3rd round pick
65-70 3rd-4th round pick
60-65 4th-5th round pick
55-60 5th round pick
50-55 6th round pick
45-50 7th round pick
40-45 Undrafted, invite to training camp
30-40 Career practice squader
20-30 No NFL future
0-20 No football future
1. Rolando McClain (Alabama) 92
3-4 middle linebackers prospects rarely go top 10, but McClain might be an exception. At age 21, McClain is drawing some pretty warranted, though still premature, comparisons to Ray Lewis. In 3 years, McClain has 270 tackles, 5 picks, and 8 sacks. Beyond the numbers, I haven’t seen a linebacker as big as him move as well as he does. At 258 pounds, he was able to chase Tim Tebow down from behind and he could run a low 4.6 40. He’s a huge thumper and a great fundamental tackler. 270 tackles in 3 years doesn’t seem like much for a middle linebacker, but when you consider he’s a 3-4 middle linebacker and those 3 years were freshman-junior and not sophomore-senior, that’s impressive. Of all I have seen of him, he hasn’t done one thing one. He drops back into coverage with great skill already at his young age and he’s a former defensive end so he’ll be excellent on blitz packages in the NFL. Because he already has experience in a 3-4, there will be no major learning curve for him when a 3-4 team drafts him, but I do have some concerns about which positions he can play in a 4-3. I’m pretty sure he’ll fit as a 4-3 middle linebacker, but not sure about 4-3 strong outside linebacker.
2. Sean Weatherspoon (Missouri) 88
3/1/10: A very good day for him, shaving about .1 second off of his projected 40 time with a 4.57, and also recording a 40 inch vertical leap and 34 reps on the bench press.
1/30/10: If there were a co-MVP, it would be Weatherspoon. He played middle linebacker for most of the game and that was where he indicated in an interview that he has best fit, but he really can play any 4-3 linebacker position, in addition to 3-4 middle linebacker, because hustle and vocal leadership don’t necessarily have a position and those are his signature traits. His coaching staff was raving ability his leadership ability all week and his hustle showed through on the field. On one play, Weatherspoon, a 241 pound linebacker, ran step for step with Mississippi’s Dexter McCluster, a 5-8 165 running back/wide receiver who is projected to run a 40 in the 4.3s, and trapped him in the corner of the end zone and broke up and almost intercepted the pass. He also had a late interception. His efforts were a huge part of the North’s front 7 domination and I think he has solidified himself as a 1st round prospect.
3 very solid years during his time at Missouri with 376 tackles, 12 sacks, and 4 picks in his last 3 years. His a very smart player on defense and a good leader on what was not supposed to be a good Missouri defense this year. He doesn’t play the most important position which will keep him out of the top 20, where he deserves to go, but he’s a solid athlete with good fundamentals and instincts, and can play both 4-3 outside linebacker spots, plus some 3-4 middle linebacker, so the versatility is there as well. He could be one of the best linebackers in the league in the near future.
3. Sean Lee (Penn State) 78
Another one of those guys who can’t stay healthy, so that’s a red flag for a guy with 1st round talent. Despite all the games he has missed, he does have 313 tackles, 8 sacks, and 3 picks in the last 3 years. He has great fundamentals and is a stereotypical big 10 linebacker (see James Laurinaitis, Paul Posluszny, and AJ Hawk), but he could drop the 3rd round because of concerns about his athleticism and health.
4. Roddrick Muckelroy (Texas) 78
Doesn’t get huge hype, but he was the leader of Texas’s defense this year and he’s a tremendous athlete. He has 182 tackles, 2 sacks, and a pick in the last 2 years, but he showed me a lot more than his statistics when I saw him on the field. He moves well and has great instincts. He can play middle linebacker in all schemes in addition to outside linebacker.
5. Daryl Washington (TCU) 76
An excellent refined linebacker for one of the most surprising schools in the country over the past two years, he will fit into any 4-3 scheme, but he’d be best in a cover 2 or zone. However, his lack of elite size 6-3 235, won’t allow him to play in a 3-4. He can play both weak outside linebacker and middle linebacker in a 4-3 and had by far his best year of his career this year with 109 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 picks, and a pick six.
6. Perry Riley (LSU) 74
Could run a low 4.5 40 at 6-1 245 which could make Al Davis draft him in the 2nd round if he decides he needs linebacker help. Riley comes from a physical system at LSU and though he hasn’t tapped into all of his potential yet, he has very good upside. His size should allow him to move to 3-4 middle linebacker if needed, though his coverage skills are really raw. Riley finished his senior year with 97 tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception.
7. Pat Angerer (Iowa) 72
Some players play with anger, this guy plays with even more anger than anger. You don’t want to mess with Angerer. In all seriousness, Angerer is a legit middle linebacker prospect known for making all the stops on defense for a very surprising Iowa defensive unit this year. He had 135 tackles this year, and over the last two, since he’s been a starter, he has 242 tackles, 2 sacks, and 6 picks. He’s not going to be anything special, but I see him being a solid starting middle linebacker at the next level and he can play both the 4-3 and 3-4 schemes.
8. Brandon Spikes (Florida) 70
3/18/10: He had looked slow this year in games, but I was waiting to see him run a 40 before I called him slow because he has run 4.6s in the past. I thought the projected 4.75 was outrageous. Turns out it was, outrageously low that is. Spikes ran a 5.03 at Florida’s Pro Day. He was regarded as slow and complacent before his Pro Day and he certainly did nothing but back either of those things up. He’s now solely a 3-4 middle linebacker and could slip out of the 2nd day all together. No one wants a middle linebacker that slow and complacent. He has upside, but he no longer appears to care.
Spikes could slip out of the first round because of his position. He may have made a mistake by returning to school this year. Not only did his tackles total drop for the 2nd straight year, from 131 to 87 to 52, he was also exposed in coverage a lot, though he did have two picks, and he had some injuries issues, as well as one character red flag when he tried to poke out the eye of an exposing player through his facemask. He may just be a 2 down run stopping middle linebacker at the next level unless he can improve in coverage.
9. Joe Pawelek (Baylor) 68
Check out these stats, in his 4 years at Baylor, Pawelek has 423 tackles, 6 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and 9 picks. He will fit in both a 3-4 and a 4-3 scheme at the next level, but his timed speed will hurt his draft stock.
10. Micah Johnson (Kentucky) 66
3/1/10: He hurt his knee late last season, but chose to run the 40, which appears to be a mistake after he ran a 4.99. He can make that up with his Pro Day, but questions about the health of that knee are going to be there, which hurts him a lot because he’s a mid round prospect and, as a mid round prospect, you’re one flaw away from going in the 6th or 7th or even undrafted. For what it’s worth, 31 reps on the bench press showed his strength and what kind of player he can be when healthy.
He could have gone in the 2nd round, because of his size, 6-2 258, experience in a 3-4 at Kentucky, and the fact that he was coming off of an amazing season for a 3-4 middle linebacker with 105 tackles and a sack, but then he got hurt in his bowl game and may miss both the combine and his pro day. How teams view his injured knee could determine if he gets drafted in the 2nd or 3rd round or the 4thor 5th. He’s a prototypical 3-4 middle linebacker, but his agility and timed speed aren’t good, projected 4.74-4.78 40, so I’m not sure what other positions he’ll be able to play or if he’ll fit a 4-3 at all.
11. Jamar Chaney (Mississippi State) 64
3/1/10: He’s got 3-4 middle linebacker size at 242 pounds, but after running a 4.51, he’s also got 4-3 outside linebacker speed. He can really play anywhere as a linebacker in either scheme, 3-4 middle, 4-3 middle, and 4-3 outside. He also had a 39 inch vertical and a 26 reps on the bench, putting together one of the most impressive athletic displays of the day.
A very fundamentally sound linebacker who can play anywhere in a 4-3, as well as in the middle in a 3-4. He also looked extremely athletic at his Combine. He should, at the very least, be a good depth linebacker with versatility.
12. Donald Butler (Washington) 59
A very fluidly athletic linebacker who showed his versatility and ability in the Senior Bowl. His tape was a bit inconsistent last year and he won’t fill gaps like necessary in a 3-4, but he could fit anywhere in a 4-3 as a depth linebacker guy, especially as a middle linebacker.
13. Reggie Carter (UCLA) 57
A big thumping middle linebacker who seems like a natural fit for a 3-4. Despite his lack of lateral mobility, he still managed 269 tackles in his career at UCLA, but I’m not sure he fits a 3-4 scheme well. He doesn’t have a ton of versatility position wise.
14. Darryl Sharpton (Miami) 52
A very smart middle linebacker who should be able to fit most schemes at any positions, or also as a special teamer, but his upside isn’t great and there isn’t much special here.
15. Boris Lee (Troy) 52
A small school kid with 338 tackles, 9 sacks, and 8 picks in 4 years. He has good size and should fit into a 3-4 nicely, but the lack of elite competition is there and his timed speed isn’t rather. He’s not a fluid athlete, but he’s shown good hands and good pass rushing moves. He’s an interesting prospect to say the least.
16. Ryan D’Imperio (Rutgers) 49
17. Alex Joseph (Temple) 48
18. Kion Wilson (South Florida) 46
19. Josh Hull (Penn State) 43
20. Travis Goethel (Arizona State) 42
1st quarter
14:55: Ball with a good explosive run, initial explosion and then runs through a guy for a gain of 8.
14:20: Ball finds a hole, converts 2nd and 2.
13:31: Ball with a decent 4 yard run.
13:09: Ball with a big hole, nice cut back, doesn’t go down for first contact.
11:28: Ball with a powerful 7 yard 1st down run.
10:28: Ball to the outside, waits for a block and then north to south for a decent pickups. Decent explosion and speed. 7 yards.
9:30: Ball up the middle against a stacked box, still able to get 4 yards somehow, though his offensive line had a lot to do with it.
8:29: Ball to the sideline, forced out of bounds after about 3.
7:42: Ball powers straight down the middle for a sizeable touchdown, 9 yards.
6:20: Cunningham goes up and gets one. Nice hands and vertical ability.
1:54: Ball up the middle on 3rd and 4 on a draw, converts, explosive run.
0:25: Trenton Robinson, Michigan State safety, with an interception. Great ball skills, horrible ball skills by Wisconsin wide receiver Nick Toon on that one. Looked like a miscommunication between him and Russell Wilson, who made a poor decision throwing into to coverage and not the most accurate throw. Nice hustle by Wilson, however, to actual be the one to chase down Robinson and tackle for him for no gain. You don’t see quarterbacks do that very often.
2nd quarter
13:56: Montee Ball with a run up the middle. Jerel Worthy, a non factor to this point, hits ball in the backfield. Ball is strong, but Worthy is stronger and had momentum. Tackle for loss. Worthy needs to make more like this to maintain his status as a mid first rounder. He had been dominated by Wisconsin’s awesome offensive line to this point.
12:59: Cunningham with a 9 yard gain on a short, quick slant. Kirk Cousins was not accurate, but Cunningham bails him back with nice hands to catch a ball behind him.
10:39: Ball up the middle against a stacked box for 4.
10:05: 2nd bad mistake of the game by Nick Toon. False start as a receiver. Bad. Bad bad bad.
7:50: Poor blitz pickup by Ball.
7:34: Ball cuts, nice patience between the tackles, cutting in and out a few times to make something out of nothing. He does leave with a head injury, though.
1:20: Cousins over the middle to Cunningham, awesome route run, nice hands and an even better run after the catch to break free for a 35 yard touchdown with several defenders in the area when he caught it.
3rd quarter
10:21: Ball wide open out of the backfield for a sizable gain on the outside. 22 yards, forced out of bounds eventually.
9:43: Trenton Robinson, a former cornerback and a rising prospect at free safety for Michigan State, gets a nice tackle for loss on a Russell Wilson outside run.
9:03: Ball, back in the game, up the middle against a blitz, a lot of space, but only 4 yards. Good closing speed by Michigan State’s defense.
8:33: Ball on a nice chip block.
7:33: One play after recording a sack, Wisconsin middle linebacker Chris Borland has a tackle for a loss. The sophomore is having a huge day after 15 tackles last week. He’s really coming into his own and is someone to look out for down the road.
4:24: Ball with a short inside run.
2:03: Cunningham with another 3rd down catch, nice hands to catch it in a tight window.
1:33: Cunningham on a quick slant, able to get a few yards after the catch. 8 yards on 1st down.
4th quarter
14:55: Cunningham with a nice run block on an inside run. He’s had a few nice run blocks tonight and has shown a good willingness to block on the outside, which is half the battle with receivers.
12:15: Aaron Henry, one of the top safety prospects this year, with a tackle for loss.
10:58: Cunningham blanketed, but makes an awesome catch in the corner of the end zone for a 2 point conversion. Awesome leaping catch.
10:00: Ball targeted, but inaccurate under pressure. Ball could have made a better play on the ball.
8:31: Ball with a ton of space, explosive 21 yard run.
7:59: Cunningham targeted, but he wasn’t open. Not a good throw either. Cunningham did the best he could.
6:54: Ball with an excellent block in the backfield to give Wilson time to throw.
4:23: Ball takes a ton of room to the inside and turns it into 11 yards. Nice cut back, but this was almost all on the line.
3:12: Ball stuffed in the backfield on an outside run. Excellent penetration by Michigan State.
3:07: Ricky Wagner with a poorly timed and costly holding penalty.
1:39: Nick Toon hasn’t done much tonight, at least not much positive, but he does an excellent job to come back to his quarterback on a deep go route and catch it for 43 yards. Also, great job by Wilson of surviving under pressure and still making an awesome deep throw, right on the money.
1:26: Wilson dumps it off to Ball, who runs in untouched for a 2 yard touchdown.
0:36: Cunningham catches underneath for about 13 yards.
0:04: Aaron Henry with a clutch coverage to force an incompletion with 4 seconds left in the game.
0:00: Montee Ball finished with 115 yards and a score on 18 carries with 2 catches for 22 yards and another score in this game, which is very impressive considering how good Michigan State’s run defense is, even without William Gholston, who was suspended for this contest after trying to rip Denard Robinson’s head off against Michigan. Wisconsin’s offensive line certainly helped, as the stud inside duo of Kevin Zietler at guard and Peter Konz at center absolutely dominated potential first round pick Jerel Worthy, with the exception of a few plays. Konz and Zietler are both rising prospects and are in the discussion to be among the first interior linemen off the board.
Back to Ball, as good as his line was, when Ball left the game a little bit with a concussion, their offense really sputtered. Ball’s backup James White, a talented back in his own right, was only able to rush for 42 yards on 11 carries, which helps Ball’s stock. Ball runs bigger than the 5-11 215 he is and he has decent, but not great breakaway speed. He can pass block and pass catch and figures to compete with Lamar Miller and Chris Polk to be the first back off the board after Trent Richardson.
Now back to Jerel Worthy, this game certainly didn’t help his stock. He was a non factor for most of the game and while Wisconsin’s offensive line is very, very good, so are most of the lines in the NFL. Worthy finished the game with 4 tackles, 2 for loss, but really didn’t make an impact with Zietler and Konz able to double team him with Gholston out. This game won’t hurt his stock too much, but he still looks like just a bottom half of the first round type guy, even in a weak defensive tackle class.
Russell Wilson had his first bad game of the season going 14 for 21 for 223 yards, 2 touchdowns, but 2 costly picks. At 5-11, he isn’t a prototypical quarterback, but he’s a leader and he throws the ball at a good angle. He also has a good arm, especially for his size and he’s mobile. I think he’s got a lot of developmental tools and looks like a mid rounder, a la Troy Smith, a very similar player also out of the Big 10, but this wasn’t his best game. He gets a bit of a pass because Michigan State has an awesome defense, but he remains a 4th rounder or so in my book.
Speaking of Michigan State’s awesome defense, safety Trenton Robinson had yet another good game for Michigan State and is rising up into the day 2 range possibly in a weak safety class. In 7 games, he has 32 tackles, 2 picks, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, and 1 pass deflection. Wilson’s top receiver, Nick Toon didn’t help his stock either. He had two really bad plays, a miscommunication and a lack of awareness on Russell Wilson’s pick and a false start. He also only caught 2 balls, but had a very nice 43 yard catch in the 4th quarter. He’s a rising prospect who could be in the round 2 range now, but this game at least halted his rise.
As for BJ Cunningham, he looked very good on short, intermediate and deep routes. He has very nice hands and bailed out his quarterback on a couple occasions. He had 6 catches for 106 yards and a touchdown, not including an awesome catch for a two point conversion. He’s got solid breakaway speed and nice size at 6-2 210. In 7 games, he already has 48 catches for a career high 723 yards and 3 touchdowns. He looks like a potential day 2 prospect and could find himself in the first 2 or 3 rounds if he keeps this up.
Cunningham’s quarterback, Kirk Cousins, had yet another solid game. He went 22 for 31 for 290 yards and 3 touchdowns with no picks. He led an awesome game winning drive, Hail Mary touchdown and all. Cunningham bailed him out on a few plays and he still isn’t the most consistent, accurate, or dominant player, but he still is a solid day 2 pick because of his leadership, his arm strength, his experience, and his flashes of brilliance. All the tools are there, but he’s not the most consistent player and he doesn’t stand out on tape.
Spotlight #1: Nebraska CB Alfonzo Dennard
Spotlight #2: Michigan State S Trenton Robinson
1st quarter
12:58: Cousins throws into double coverage. Dennard in there. Good recovery speed to make a play on the ball.
12:01: Cousins throws into tight coverage. Cunningham is beat to the ball by a linebacker, picked.
11:07: Robinson does a good job of finding the ball. Good speed and wrap up on a tackle.
10:20: Robinson with a solid tackle on a quarterback run.
8:12: Dennard knocked off the play well on a screen.
7:12: Robinson takes a poor angle to the ball, shoved off the play easily.
0:41: Dennard beats Cunningham to the ball on a slant. Deflection.
2nd quarter
12:17: Dennard with a tackle for no gain on an outside run.
12:01: Cousins throws to Cunningham into double coverage, Dennard with a play on the ball. Pass deflected.
11:00: Dennard gets into the backfield on an outside run. Pushed off the play well by a blocker.
9:38: Robinson in on a pile near the line of scrimmage.
6:55: Cousins takes a coverage sack from Baker Steinkuhler, a talented junior defensive tackle who probably won’t come out this year.
5:39: Dennard almost has in pick in double coverage. He hasn’t done a lot of one on one covering tonight, but he has 4 pass deflections in almost a half in double coverage. He’s the one making all the plays. Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins keeps throwing deep into double coverage. Very poor decision making.
4:33: Dennard blocked off on an outside run.
1:43: Cousins has a pick dropped. He’s having a terrible game.
3rd quarter
14:49: Robinson in on a short tackle.
10:24: Robinson pancaked on a reverse.
9:36: Robinson run over.
8:18: Dennard on Cunningham again, he almost gets his 5 pass deflection, but instead it’s just incomplete. Kirk Cousins is 4 of 16 so far tonight.
6:10: Coverage sack by Nebraska again.
5:58: Robinson with a tackle for a gain of 3.
3:02: Robinson in on a tackle on the outside.
1:38: Robinson brings the ball carrier down from behind after a big gain. Play called back after a penalty.
1:19: Robinson whiffs on a tackle for loss.
4th
13:12: Dennard with a nice open field tackle.
12:11: Dennard and Lavonte David doubling a receiver. This time David almost picks it off. Pass deflection.
12:02: Coverage sack for Nebraska.
11:16: Dennard allows a short catch on 4th and 13. He kept the play in front of him in coverage. That’s what he was supposed to do, but he missed the tackle. First down.
9:59: Dennard blocked with an excellent block on a reverse.
8:23: Lavonte David with a tackle for a loss.
4:45: Another coverage sack.
2:46: Robinson in on a short tackle.
1:46: Robinson with a tackle for loss.
0:00: Nebraska had a very simple game plan. Take away DJ Cunningham. In 7 games coming in, Cunningham caught 48 balls for 723 yards and 3 scores. He’s by far his team’s leading receiver and Kirk Cousins loves throwing to him. They had double coverage on him all night. Alfonzo Dennard, once a consensus first round pick who has been slowed by injuries this season, was the cornerback on him on almost every play. In addition, Nebraska always put a safety or a linebacker on him as well. Lavonte David, a day 2 prospect and one of the best cover linebackers in college football, was that linebacker on several occasions. That game plan worked. BJ Cunningham didn’t have a catch.
Kirk Cousins seemed completely lost without Cunningham. I noted earlier this season that Cunningham often would try to force things to Cunningham, his favorite target. It had been working to this point. Cunningham was one of the Big 10’s leading receivers and Cousins looked like a day 2 prospect going 136 of 204 (66.7%) for 1707 yards (8.4 YPA), 11 touchdowns, and 4 picks in 7 games. However, tonight Cousins went a miserable 11 of 27 for 86 yards and a pick in a 24-3 loss.
Cousins seemed determined to force it to Cunningham even though Nebraska was focused on stopping him. He refused to check down, in favor of forcing it to his favorite receiver deep against double coverage. He may have only had 1 pick, but Nebraska’s defenders got their hands on at least a half dozen balls, probably around in the 7-8 deflections range. He really displayed poor decision making and it should drop his stock into the early day 3 range.
Cunningham should also see his stock fall a bit. Cunningham looked like a breakout star coming into this game, but he couldn’t do anything against double coverage even though he was targeted so many times. He was getting beat to the ball by linebackers and cornerbacks alike and Alfonzo Dennard flat out outplayed him.
Dennard had the type of awesome game we were expecting him to have coming into the season. He had 4 pass deflections and only allowed one catch, a short catch on 4th and 13, though he did whiff on the tackle and allow the first down. Yes, he did have help all game, but he was the one making all the plays and he really showed everything you like out of a cornerback in coverage. Not only did he have 4 deflections, his tough coverage helped force at least 3 or 4 coverage sacks against Kirk Cousins.
He struggled a bit against the run, but if he keeps playing like this, he’ll move himself back into the top 15 range. He finally looks healthy after struggling with injuries to start the season and now has half a season to prove himself as the #1 cornerback. Remember, he was the #2 guy last year to Prince Amukamara, though Dennard played very well in that role.
The other spotlight in this game was Trenton Robinson. The former cornerback looks finally healthy after a history of leg injuries. He had 8 tackles in this game and looked sharp in coverage, though he is only 5-10 195 and it showed against the run. He had a good number of tackles, but he didn’t look like a strong tackler and he did miss a few tackles. Unless he can convert back to cornerback, he won’t be anything higher than a late round pick. On the season, he has 39 tackles and 2 picks.
Did the Eagles overpay Vick? 100 million dollars over 6 years with 40 million guaranteed is a little much for him. The only quarterbacks making more than him are Tom Brady and Peyton Manning and he’s not on that level. He’s on roughly the same level as Philip Rivers and Ben Roethisberger, both of whom are making noticeably more than him. He’s won 2 career playoff games and no Super Bowls. He’s injury prone and teams were able to slow him down late last season as the once dominant Eagles lost in the first round of the playoffs to Green Bay and lost week 16 to Minnesota.
He’ll be 37 at the end of this deal and won’t have the same speed he has now then. This deal also limits what they can do with DeSean Jackson as it looks like he’ll have to be franchised after the season and a deal will have to be worked out with him then. Considering how much money they have given to outside players this offseason, he can’t be too happy about that and that’s never a good thing. Also, in order to resign Jackson at the end of the season, they’d probably have to move Asante Samuel. However, that shouldn’t matter to them much now since they’re going all in this season and if Michael Vick wins one Super Bowl over the course of this contract, he’s worth this deal and I think that’s certainly possible.
Grade: B
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