It looks very unlikely that Goldson would return to San Francisco in 2011, but his starting opportunities had dwindled to none so he can no choice but to come back to San Francisco on a cheap one year deal, 2 million, and compete for the starting free safety job, one he’ll probably win. He’s familiar with the team and the personnel and is more talented than Reggie Smith and Madieu Williams. 2 million dollars is cheap for a starting safety.

Grade: A

Outside Linebacker/Middle Linebacker

TCU

6-2 229

40 time: 4.57

Draft board overall prospect rank: #59

Draft board outside linebacker rank: #4

Overall rating: 76* 

            3/27/10: Daryl Washington is an undersized, but extremely smart, extremely instinctive, and extremely fluid linebacker. He has great speed, with a 40 time of 4.57, and moves even faster than that on the field, in pads, as I have seen him chase down running backs from behind on several occasions. He has great acceleration and freakishly long arms that allow him to close gaps and cover space in a hurry. He takes very instinctive and natural routes to the ball carrier and is a very solid fundamental tackler who shouldn’t need a lot of coaching in that area. Despite his small size, he is in good shape and hits fairly well, but he needs to bulk up some to avoid being taken out of the game by blockers. He has had a lot of trouble in the past disengaging from 2^nd level blockers and guys who are trying to keep him out of the backfield. He doesn’t blitz up the middle very well, but he can run blitz from the outside fairly decently and get into the backfield. He’s a leader on the field and was voted team captain. He looks very fluid and natural and athletic dropping into coverage and can guard running backs out of the backfield fairly effectively and use his long arms to break up passes. His back pedal is very mature for his age and he has the speed to run with most guys. He is very adapt at rerouting smaller receivers, but because of his lack of size, there are issues with how well he will be able to do that at the next level. He did struggle a bit with assignments in zone last year, but because of his fluidity, he should make a very natural zone style linebacker, either as an outside linebacker or a middle linebacker. If he bulks up, he should be able to fit in any 4-3 scheme, but he doesn’t have the explosive size/burst combination to be a gap filling 3-4 middle linebacker which will limit his draft range. He probably won’t start out as a starter right away because he actually is very inexperienced as a starter, but he has a ton of success on special teams in the past and should be very productive there to start his career. He played a lot of special teams at TCU and was a standout and because of his humble nature, he shouldn’t have an issue with playing extensive special teams early on. As with any TCU player, level of competition is a bit of an issue, but I’ve seen all the raw talent and attributes that a starting caliber linebacker needs in the NFL and have I no doubts about his ability to put on the necessary weight. He’s a mid-to-late 2^nd round prospect with very good upside. Teams like Indianapolis and Philadelphia who love speedy linebackers will love him in the late 2^nd round range and I would be very surprised if he fell to the 3^rd.

NFL Comparison: Will Witherspoon

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

Well it didn’t take them long to replace Reggie Bush, bringing in Darren Sproles on a 4 year, 14 million dollar deal, with 6 million in guarantees. Sproles is a nice 3^rd down back, but he’s 28 and speed is his only asset so signing him until he’s 32 doesn’t make a lot of sense. He also has never had more than 90 carries in a season and running back wasn’t a huge hole for the Saints with Mark Ingram, Chris Ivory, and Pierre Thomas, but I don’t hate this deal.

Grade: B

Defensive End

Clemson

6-3 277

Draft Board Overall Prospect Rank: #54

Draft Board Overall Defensive End Rank: #11

Rating: 77 (mid 2nd round)

40 time: 4.95

4/17/11: Bowers’ stock is dropping like a lead balloon. His medical recheck with the NFL did not go well. His knee has been described as “arthritic” and will probably need surgery some day and could significantly reduce the length of his career. This is not a guy you take a risk on in the 1st round, especially after only one good year of production. He could easily drop out of the first round. Some teams might just have a “do not draft” label on him. 

4/17/11: Once a potential #1 pick, Bowers’ stock is now slipping like a rock. He says his knee is 100%, yet he ran a 4.95 at 6-3 276. He hobbled around in drills and looked terrible on the field. The injury concerns, combined with his “one year wonder” label, make him someone who would scare NFL scouts to death when it comes to using a top 10 pick on him, and I don’t blame them. He could fall to Minnesota at 12 or Detroit at 13 now. 

2/20/11: Time travel with me for a second. It’s 2006. The debate for the #1 pick is between Vince Young and Reggie Bush and all of a sudden, the Texans shock the world and announce that they’re going with an athletic (6-7 295 4.65) defensive end from a school in Carolina, Mario Williams out of NC State. Now back to 2011, the debate for the #1 pick seems to be between Nick Fairley and AJ Green. However, with the Combine coming in a few days, we could see a similar performance to Williams’ from Da’Quan Bowers and that could propel him to become the #1 pick.

Bowers was the #1 high school prospect in 2008, after Julio Jones, thanks to his 4.6 40 time at 6-4 280. That’s not quite Mario Williams’’ 6-7 295 4.65, but it’s pretty damn close. Bowers struggled in his first 2 years, but burst onto the scene with 16 sacks, 24 tackles for loss, and 17 quarterback pressures as a junior this year.

The one year wonder label could easily be slapped on him and he did produce a lot of bad tape before this season. However, he was so dominant this year and I think it’s possible that the light really just did turn on for him. His dad died right before the season started and he frequently mentions that as the reason for his strong play this season. He was playing inspired football and I think it’s very possible he plays inspired football for his entire NFL career.

His upside is off the charts. He has that type of athleticism combined with production in college that you only see every 5 or so years. Williams had the 4.65 at 6-7 295 in 2006, with 14 sacks as a junior. Julius Peppers in 2002 with a 4.68 at 6-7 292. Peppers was 2nd North Carolina’s history with 30.5 sacks, in just 3 years. He, of course, went #2 overall in 2002 and has had an amazing NFL career that could land him in the Hall of Fame if he keeps it up.

A lot of people like to hate on Bowers because of the measurable. They say that makes him a high bust type player. They like to remember Derrick Harvey, Jamaal Anderson, Vernon Gholston, and Gaines Adams and not guys like Williams and Peppers and even Dwight Freeney (6-2 270 4.48). I think Bowers fits better with the latter.

I’m not saying Bowers will definitely be the #1 pick, in fact, my money’s still on Green, but he definitely could be a possibility after The Combine. I doubt he falls out of the top 4. The Bengals will love putting him next to another freak athlete, Carlos Dunlap, to help shore up their pass rush.

I don’t think he’ll go #3 to the Bills. I don’t think he’s a 3-4 end. That just doesn’t utilize his pass rushing skills well enough, part of the reason why I don’t like the Texans are moving to a 3-4 and putting Super Mario at 3-4 end. However, the Panthers and Broncos (coached by John Fox who drafted Peppers 2nd overall with his first pick after he became the Panthers coach in 2002) will definitely take a good look at him.

NFL Comparison: Courtney Brown

Nose Tackle/Defensive Tackle

Tennessee

6-2 327

40 time: 5.17

Draft board overall prospect rank: #20

Draft board nose tackle rank: #2

Overall rating: 86*

            3/23/10: Dan Williams is, as funny as it may sound, a do everything nose tackle. There are very few nose tackles in the NFL as versatile as he could be. He can play both the 4-3 scheme as a defensive tackle and the 3-4 scheme as a nose tackle. He gets a very powerful push off of the line and is in great physical shape. He has a very low body fat percentage for his weight and is just pure initial explosion. He is an amazing athlete for his weight. He moves extremely well for his size and has great quickness and lateral mobility, though his pass rushing repertoire is fairly limited. He has great instincts against the run and can really stuff holes in an instant. He also defends the pass well and has a knack for knocking the ball down at the line of scrimmage and can even defend guys out of the backfield, which makes him a very intriguing fit for a zone or Tampa 2 team needing a big run stuffing defensive tackle who can also pick up a man out of the backfield. He does a great job of collapsing the pocket and, though he had very few quarterback sacks in his career, he creates very good pressure in a hurry. He doesn’t have a great 2^nd burst after his first initial burst and he tends to wear down late in games. He is a bit of a one year wonder and wasn’t regarded very highly until this season when he excelled in Monte Kiffin’s zone style scheme. He has some issues with lack of motivation in the past, though he had no issues with that this year, a very good sign. He draws double teams often and is very capable at shedding and stacking and opening up holes for smaller, less physical ends, which would make him a great fit for a zone scheme, yet another reason why he would fit a zone scheme despite his size. I think he’s regarded overall as the best nose tackle in this class, though I have him 2^nd behind Terrence Cody because of Cody’s potential. However, there is no denying at Williams is a very versatile nose tackle who can play any scheme. With the vast amount of teams now switching to the 3-4, Williams will be in high demand on draft day and I would be very surprised if he fell to the 2^nd round. He could possibly go as high as 9 to Buffalo, the way BJ Raji did last year, going 9 to the Packers as a nose tackle.

NFL Comparison: Casey Hampton

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

Guard

Baylor

6-3 310

Draft Board Overall Prospect Rank: #64

Draft Board Overall Guard Rank: #6

Rating: 75 (late 2^nd/early 3^rd)

40 time: 5.28

2/19/11: Danny Watkins has an interesting story.  He grew up loving hockey in Canada and became a fire fighter rather than going to college. Then at age 22, he decided to further his education at Butte College in California. That’s where he found football. He played 2 years there as a walk on, showing his natural talent and improving to the point where Baylor, of the Big 12, gave him a scholarship.

He played there for 2 years, all over the line, including at left tackle and became a potential NFL prospect. After only one year at Baylor, he was drafted with the 4^th pick in the CFL Draft, but turned them down to stick around at Baylor. Moving to guard, he went to the Senior Bowl, where he proved himself as a potential 2^nd round prospect. He is 26 years old, but only has 4 years of experience.

Watching Watkins in the game and more impressively in one-on-one, he was hands down the most polished technician there. He didn’t do a single thing wrong in one on ones. He got good leverage. He used his hands extremely well, better than 95% of college offensive lineman I’ve watched. He looked like a man among boys, which makes sense because at age 26, he literally was. However, with only 4 years of experience, he’s still relatively raw and has upside.

His versatility on the line will only work on his favor. If he was 22, he’d probably be a top 40 pick, at the very least, and possibly a first round. However, at age 26, his career is going to be shorter. I think he makes most sense for a team in the 2^nd round, a good team that needs guard help, but would prefer someone who can help right away because they’re built to win right away. Atlanta, New England, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Green Bay all make sense.

NFL Comparison: Stephen Neal

Quarterback 

Central Michigan

6-3 228

40 time: 4.66

Draft board overall prospect rank: #166

Draft board overall quarterback rank: #13

Overall rating: 57*

1/30/10: I really didn’t like him going into this game, but he proved to me that his arm is a lot stronger than I lot and a lot more accurate on deep balls than I thought. He had a lot of nice deep throws, which surprised me because he comes from an offense that focuses on short throws. His footwork was still bad and he messed up a few easy throws, but he has some potential in the 4th or 5th round.

7/29/09: Some self proclaimed “experts” are calling LeFevour a sleeper prospect. Mel Kiper, who I have a ton of respect for, is calling LeFevour a prospect on the level of Tebow and Bradford. I’m going to be controversial. I wouldn’t use any more than a 7^th round pick on LeFevour and that’s only if I had absolutely no other depth needs. He’ll probably go in the mid rounds, 3^rd to 5^th, but if I were picking there, he wouldn’t be on my radar unless I ran a team that used a college style offense. LeFevour is getting noticed by scouts as a player who can run and throw with great touch. However, all I see is a spread offense quarterback, playing in the MAC, who has a weak arm. He put up very average stats last season where it counts, YPA, 7.4. YPA is the most effective statistic, and this has been proven, in determining whether or not a player has a good pro future. He has a poor YPA, for a pro prospect, against average competition, in a very simple offense that teams simply don’t use in the pros. He has a very weak arm, good accuracy on short passes, but a weak arm. His footwork is awful. I say about almost every quarterback that I scout that a quarterback’s footwork needs work. Well, this guy’s is just plain awful. He has little to no experience playing under center and in a pocket. He’s Alex Smith 2.0 at best. He is mobile and good at throwing, or at least checking down, on the run, but there aren’t very many quarterbacks who can make a living out of that. Scouts like his speed. However, his 40 is going to be in the mid 4.7s and he averaged 3.5 yards per carry last season, as a quarterback, playing from the spread. He runs far more than necessary, in fact, it looks like his first instinct is to run, which is bad for a quarterback. Running should only be a 2^nd option. You don’t see guys like Ben Roethlisberger taking off with the ball, without making reads , moving way outside of the pocket, scrambling unnecessarily, and throwing without planting his feet. Big Ben, and Florida’s Tim Tebow who I like, take the snap, make the read, and then make the decision to move with the ball or plow forward when it’s the right decision. LeFevour doesn’t do that. He’s also injury prone on top of all of this. Now, this isn’t to say that I hate him. I was in a bit of a bad mood while writing this which may make it seem like I think this guy is garbage. I might give him an invite to training camp as a 4^th quarterback, which is more than a can say about the majority of the players in college football. He could fit as a backup in a gimmick system or maybe play some sort of wildcat, though I’m not sure he’s fast enough. He has good touch on short throws, but overall I see him as a huge project, like the kind of project that will have offensive coordinators pulling their hair out. Unless you want a bald offensive coordinator, NFL teams should stay away from him. He may have a future in the UFL or CFL though.

NFL Comparison: Marques Tuiasosopo

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

The Patriots really need interior line help. Brian Waters is 35, Dan Connolly is mediocre and Logan Mankins had ACL surgery after the Super Bowl and is no sure thing going forward. Koppen, their starting center in 2010, will definitely help fill the need. He should be an upgrade over Connolly at center and Connolly will be freed up to provide much needed depth at guard, his natural position.

However, considering Koppen missed all of last season and turns 33 in September, they slightly overpaid. 6 million over 2 years doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you compare it to what other centers have been getting this offseason: Todd McClure (1 year, 1 million at age 35 for the 6^th ranked center on ProFootballFocus in 2011), Jeff Saturday (2 years, 8 million at age 36 for the 5^th ranked center in 2011), Matt Birk (3 years, 8.5 million at age 35 for the 9^th ranked center in 2011), it’s a slightly overpaid for someone who missed all of last season. Though the 10^th ranked center in 2010 could definitely regain his old form and the long time veteran adds needed continuity and leadership on the Patriots line.

Grade: B

Daniel has been a passionate Browns and NFL fan since he was born in the late 1970’s.

His discontent of unoriginal Browns coverage, opinions and subpar information online are what led him to the idea of starting up a Browns blog and he began building a site for his idea in early to mid-July of 2009. That site is now Dawg Scooper.

Currently living in Lakewood, OH, with his girlfriend and two cats that love to play fetch—Daniel is the Team Leader and Assignment Desk Editor for the AFC on the site Bleacher Report, along with being a Featured Columnist for both the NFL and the Browns on the site too.

He was a guest writer/contributor on the site National Football Post until the site dissolved having freelance writers in July 2010.

Daniel is a double-major in digital media and journalism at Cleveland State University (’11) and in August of 2010 he will be the Editor-in-Chief and Sports Editor for CSU’s newspaper,The Cleveland Stater.

Daniel also runs and writes for another blog called Batman 3 Film Blog. 

Running Back

Kansas State

6-0 230

Draft board overall prospect rank: #52

Draft board overall running back rank: #4

Overall rating: 77 (2nd round)

40 time: 4.60

4/12/10: Daniel Thomas is one of the few running backs in this draft class I could see being a legitimate feature back at the next level. Mark Ingram and Mikel Leshoure are the top 2, along with Ryan Williams if he can stay healthy. DeMarco Murray could be a Matt Forte type lead back and then there’s Daniel Thomas.

Thomas is a load to bring down at 230 pounds. He was extremely productive in Kansas State over the last two years with 545 carries for 2850 yards and 30 touchdowns, as well as 47 catches, in a tough Big 12 conference. He still has a lot of upside as a running back because he was a quarterback just 3 or so years ago.

He came to Kansas State after playing in Junior College as a mobile running quarterback. He also was a quarterback in college. Kansas State converted him full time to a running back in 2009 and it certainly paid off as Thomas became the school’s #2 all time leading rusher in just 2 years at the program.

His biggest flaw is that he has a very upright running style and we’ve seen guys struggle in the NFL with upright running styles before. Upright runners tend to be more injury prone, break less tackles, and have more fumble problems. Fumbles were a particular problem for him as he fumbled 11 times in 2 years, and 7 times in 2009. Of all the running backs in this draft class, he is one of the more fumble prone.

His upright running style and fumble problems are probably left over from his quarterback days. I think he can improve on both of these as a pro, with proper coaching and more experience at the position. Speed is another issue of his. At 230 pounds, speed is not necessarily needed, but he doesn’t have a great initial burst like Mark Ingram and he’s not someone who is going to beat you on the outside. His 4.60 40 is not ideal.

In the end, there are few major flaws with Thomas, but he’s been incredibly productive in 2 years at Kansas State and he’s still learning the position and he’s very tough to bring down in the open field, often requiring 2 tacklers to stop him. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he were a feature back by year 2 or 3 of his career.