Fletcher Cox ran a 4.79 40 at The Combine at 6-4 298, displaying tremendous mobility for a man of his size. This, among other reasons, was part of why the Eagles traded up 3 spots to the 12th overall pick to grab Cox. Cox filled a need for them at defensive tackle, but creative defensive line coach Jim Washburn plans to use him in various ways this season. At rookie camp, Cox has seen some snaps at defensive end. He certainly has the athleticism to play there, but with Trent Cole, Jason Babin, Brandon Graham, and fellow rookie Vinny Curry in the mix at the position, it remains to be seen how many snaps there actually are for Cox on the outside.
Month: May 2012
Rams are very excited by Brian Quick’s performance in rookie camp
The Rams made the surprise selection of Brian Quick at 33rd overall bigger names like Rueben Randle and Stephen Hill still available to mixed reviews. Depending on who you ask, Quick either has more raw talent than any wide receiver in this draft class or is a major project from a small school who may never develop the ability to play major NFL football.
The Rams, obviously, agree with the former. They had him ranked higher on their board than Michael Floyd, who went 13th overall, and have been singing his praises frequently this offseason, saying they see him contributing in a big way early and that they are “insanely excited” by his progress in minicamp.
The Rams have plenty of depth at wide receiver, but don’t have any proven receivers to man the two starting jobs for them. Brian Quick and fellow rookie Chris Givens seem like the early favorites to be Sam Bradford’s starting receivers. The Rams obviously think higher of Quick than Givens, a 4th round pick, and Sam Bradford would be thrilled if he were as good as advertised given the lack of receiving help he’s had so far in his short career. Whether or not he is as good as advertised remains to be seen, but he definitely has plenty of upside in fantasy circles. He’s a nice late round sleeper, if you can get him there, but I wouldn’t reach for him. He’s no sure thing, obviously.
49ers are pleased with Alex Smith’s improvement on his delivery
Last season, Alex Smith finally had a season where he showed why he was worthy of the #1 overall pick in 2005. He wasn’t flashy, but he throw a mere 5 interceptions, far fewest among starting quarterbacks, and led a 49ers team built on defense and running the football to 13 wins and 2 plays away from a Super Bowl appearance. The 49ers seem to think he can improve even more in his 2nd season in Jim Harbaugh’s system.
Harbaugh commented on Smith saying that he has made “dramatic improvements” to his delivery, working out two mechanical flaws with “motion specialist” Tom House. Whether this will translate to improved play on the football field remains to be seen, as quarterbacks tend to revert to their old habits under pressure. It’s something we’ll have to wait and see on.
Raiders not expected to sign Cedric Benson
When healthy, the Raiders’ Darren McFadden is one of the most dynamic running backs in the NFL, but, for the 4th overall pick in the 2008 draft, healthy seasons have been hard to come by. In fact, he’s only surpassed 113 carries in 1 of his 4 career seasons. The Raiders have always had a solid backup for him, with the most recent being Michael Bush.
However, Bush signed in Chicago this offseason to provide insurance for Matt Forte, leaving the Raiders with undersized 2011 4th round pick Taiwan Jones and Mike Goodson, who the Raiders traded for this offseason, behind McFadden. Goodson didn’t get a carry in 2011. Some expected they’d go after a veteran running back like Cedric Benson, most recently of the Cincinnati Bengals, but the Contra Costa Times disagrees, reporting that they “don’t see” Benson signing with the Raiders.
Benson has had 3 straight seasons of 1000 yards as the lead back in Cincinnati’s offense, but he has been one of the worst starting running backs in the league over that time period. At age 30 in December, with a history of off the field troubles, the league seems to think he’s not worth the trouble anymore. He has yet to go on a single team visit and the Raiders were the most obvious landing spot remaining for him.
Raiders’ Terrelle Pryor to play another position in 2012?
The Raiders’ selection of Terrelle Pryor in the 3rd round of the 2011 NFL compensatory draft was the last official pick made by the late Al Davis and it was the exact type of player Al Davis liked, big, strong, athletic. However, Pryor didn’t see a snap at quarterback at all in 2011 and with Davis gone and a completely new regime in, it’s unclear where Pryor fits, especially after the Raiders signed Matt Leinart to be the primary backup to Carson Palmer. The Contra Costa Times suggests that his role could be somewhere other than quarterback, as an athlete wildcat/tight end/wide receiver type. Whatever his role, it’s expected to be limited at best once again in 2012.
Giants’ Rueben Randle impressing in rookie camp
When Rueben Randle, who some mocks had going in the first round, fell to the Giants with the 63rd overall pick, the last pick of the 2nd round, many felt the defending Super Bowl champs got a steal. The Giants have to be feeling the same right now as Randle is reportedly dominating in rookie camp. GM Jerry Reese compared Randle to Hakeem Nicks and Head Coach Tom Coughlin said of Randle that he was “very impressed.” Randle obviously won’t start behind Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz on the depth chart, but they run a lot of 3-wide receiver sets and needed a #3 receiver with Mario Manningham signing in San Francisco. Randle seems like the obvious choice to be the #3 receiver. He’d line up outside in 3-wide receiver sets with Victor Cruz moving to the slot, where he’s most dangerous.
Zac Robinson Scout
Quarterback/Wide Receiver
Oklahoma State
6-2 214
40 time: 4.71
Draft board overall prospect rank: #127
Draft board quarterback rank: #8
Overall rating: 64*
1/30/10: Though he still may ultimately end up at wide receiver, Robinson showed he can throw by throwing for 175 yards on 12-21, with one touchdown and one pick. He showed a much stronger arm than he did in Oklahoma State’s offense this year, which was centered around the short pass. He really looked like the 3rd round prospect he was last year before going into this season without his top two receivers from 2008 and struggling. He really showed what he can do with a good supporting cast.
1/16/10: Really struggled this year compared to last year, but that’s understandable as he was without his top two receivers from 2008, Brandon Pettigrew (NFL), and Dez Bryant (suspension). I don’t think he’s a quarterback at the next level, though he may prove me wrong. He’s probably better off as a wildcat or a wide receiver at the next level, a la Josh Cribbs, but he could surprise some people and turn into a decent signal caller as well.
Update (11/2/09): Only time will tell if he’s a legit quarterback or just a slow receiver, but he’s doing a great job this year and is worth in shot in the 3rd round.
6/13/09: Zac Robinson is one of the more intriguing quarterback prospects in the draft class. His throwing numbers last year as a junior, 3064 yards passing 65% completion 25:10 TD:INT ratio, were could be not great for a spread offense quarterback and teams would much rather take Colt McCoy if they were to take a spread quarterback. However, what Oklahoma State runs is not a pure spread. Yes, they pass a lot, use the option, and make short passes, but unlike Colt McCoy and a lot of the spread quarterbacks who went on to be busts, Robinson takes the majority of his snaps from under center, instead of in shotgun. He has experience with 3, 5, and 7 step drops, although a lot more experience with 3 step drops. Also, if he doesn’t pan out as a quarterback, he has the speed and athleticism to try another position. Last season he ran for 562 yards and 8 touchdowns and the season before he ran for 847 yards and 9 scores. His frame is too small to play running back in the NFL, but he can play some receiver. His 40 is a little high for a receiver, but he has good height. He also would be a very interesting option for teams wanting to use more of the wildcat offense. I actually like him more than Pat White. White is faster, but Robinson has a much greater chance of catching on as a quarterback somewhere and Robinson is a lot bigger than White. He should be available in the 3rd round. If I were a team who can some questions at the quarterback position and could afford to take a quarterback prospect, I would rather than him that someone like Tim Hiller or Max Hall, even though those two guys are higher rater on my board as throwers, because Robinson can play another position if he proves he cannot play quarterback, but still has a very good chance of making it as a quarterback in the NFL.
NFL Comparison: Julian Edelman
*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here
Zach Miller Seahawks
Zach Miller is a good tight end, but I disagree on principle with the Seahawks giving Zach Miller and Sidney Rice a combined 78 million over 5 years (35.5 million guaranteed) when they don’t have a good quarterback. They won’t be getting as much value out of those two without a good quarterback. Also, unlike Sidney Rice, I don’t think Miller is quite worth this even with a good quarterback. This contract is worth more per year than the franchise tag value for a tight end, with half of that guaranteed. I don’t think Miller deserves to be paid like a top 5 tight end.
Grade: D
Zach Brown Scout
Outside Linebacker/Middle Linebacker
North Carolina
6-1 244
Draft board overall prospect rank: #14
Draft board outside linebacker rank: #1
Overall rating: 88 (Solid first round prospect)
40 time: 4.44
Games watched: North Carolina/Louisville, Clemson/North Carolina, NC State/North Carolina, Virginia Tech/North Carolina
Positives
· Incredibly athletic
· Long arms
· Fast sideline to sideline ability
· Excellent timed speed (4.44)
· Unofficially clocked at 4.28 before the season
· Great burst and explosiveness
· Moves like a defensive back
· Covers tight ends and backs out of the backfield very well
· Had tight one on one coverage with Dwayne Allen in their matchup
· Makes a lot of splash plays
· An excellent blitzer
· Great quickness of the edge
· Incredibly productive in 2011 (105 tackles, 13.5 for loss, 5.5 sacks, 4 deflections, 3 interceptions)
· Could project to 3-4 as a middle linebacker
· Great ball skills
· Reads quarterbacks’ eyes ball
· Dangerous in open field after interception
· In great shape
· Puts forth good effort on the field
Negatives
· A little undersized
· Needs to be more reactive
· Relies more on his physical abilities than technique
· Reportedly has attitude issues and had problems with his coaches
· Only a one year starter
· Goes for the big hit rather than the safer tackle
· Unrefined as a big rusher
· Technique in coverage could use some work
· Doesn’t always take the best route to the ball carrier
NFL Comparison: NaVorro Bowman
Brown reminds me of NaVorro Bowman. Bowman fell to the 3rd round in 2010 even though he had 1st round talent because of character concerns and attitude problems. He was incredibly athletic, but unrefined. The 49ers took a chance on him in the 3rd round and he’s fallen into the perfect situation in San Francisco, even though many thought he wouldn’t fit in a 3-4. He’s become one of the best middle linebackers in the league as Jim Harbaugh and his staff have brought the most out of him.
If Brown lands with a coaching staff that can bring the most out of him, he can be just as good of a player. Conversely, if he lands in the wrong place, he won’t be nearly as good as he could be. He’s a fantastic athletic and even better than Bowman. He showed it with a 4.44 40 at 6-1 244 at The Combine and can fit into any scheme because, at his best, he’s got such versatile abilities and athleticism.
He’s still unrefined, but he’s a 3 down linebacker who can drop into coverage and cover fast tight ends and running backs and he is a very effective blitzer when called on. He always seems to make splash plays when I watch him and he had such a productive 2011 season, though his play trailed a bit as the season went on. He is only a one year starter, but he had a good 2010 season as a reserve who made a few starts.
Brown will probably go in the 2nd round, but I have a 1st round grade on him. I think he is such a rare athlete and with some good coaching, he can be a special player. I agree there’s some boom or bust to him with the rawness and the rumored attitude problems, but I think the positives outweigh the negatives with him. He is in excellent physical shape and puts forth good effort on the football field on tape.
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