Year: 2012

Ted Ginn 49ers

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Deal for 49ers: Ted Ginn is an awful receiver. He was tied for the league lead with 10 drops last year, despite having at least 23 fewer targets that the other three guys who had 10 drops. Despite his speed, he only averaged 1.4 YAC per catch. However, he’s an amazing kick returner and can help the Niners there in a big way. On 52 returns, he had 1296 yards and 2 touchdowns last year and for the Niners, who struggled in the return game, that could help them win games. Not bad for a 5th round pick, even if they have to pick up his salary.

Grade: B

Deal for Dolphins: They obviously were done with the 2007 9th overall pick. Ginn is a good kick returner, but there are plenty of other kick returners in the league they could use at a cheaper price. This deal is pretty much a wash for both sides.

Grade: B

 

TCU/Louisiana Tech

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Spotlight #1: TCU MLB Tank Carder

Spotlight #2: Louisiana Tech MLB Adrien Cole 

1st quarter

13:53: Carder comes up to hit the receiver in the backfield, forces the drop, could have been a tackle for loss if it had been caught.

12:54: Cole with a tackle on a short inside run.

11:04: Carder allows a completion.

9:36: Carder shoves the ball carrier out of bounds.

9:07: Carder in on a pile.

8:33: Carder in on an incomplete in coverage on a double team.

8:15: Cole just misses on a tackle.

7:31: Cole one of 4 or 5 guys helping take down a receiver, a bit timid before getting in on the pile.

6:59: Cole has trouble getting off a block, eventually gets the tackle downfield after a very long run.

5:26: Carder covers receivers against 4 or 5 wide receiver sets, doesn’t come off the field.

5:20: Carder stiff armed and knocked over after the catch.

4:57: Carder in on a short tackle on an inside run.

4:16: Carder pancaked over in the open field by a block.

2:27: Cole with a tackle after a catch.

1:22: Cole in on an open field tackle after a long gain.

2nd quarter

13:42: Carder has a back blow past him.

10:58: Cole in on a tackle up the middle.

9:39: Carder can’t get off a block on a run at him.

8:41: Carder in on a pile.

6:31: Carder explodes up, but just misses a tough off balanced tackle for loss. Slows ball carrier for a teammate to finish him off.

5:45: Cole disengages to get a shoestring tackle from behind.

4:19: Cole pushed back by a 2nd level blocker on a run.

2:44: Carder gets into the backfield and takes the ball carrier down from behind.

1:57: Carder misses a tackle on a quarterback run.

0:26: Cole blocked well off the play on an inside rushing touchdown.

 

3rd quarter

14:47: Cole misses a tackle on an off tackle run.

13:54: Cole can’t get off a block on an inside run.

13:36: Cole sheds a block up the middle on a blitz.

12:59: Cole in on a double team on a receiver over the middle, quarterback forced to put it in only possible spot, receiver can’t make play. Good coverage.

11:55: Cole gets a tackle finally after a very long run.

10:26: Cole gets a tackle after a completion in his space on 4th and 1, conversion.

9:59: Cole blocked off the play as TCU runs in for a goal line touchdown unblocked. Offense line manhandled them.

8:52: Carder almost allows a catch, too high a ball, incomplete right off receivers hands, but a tough catch.

8:49: Carder comes on a blitz and gets pressure unblocked.

8:41: Carder can’t change directions in the open field and slips.

7:39: Carder with a tackle right after allowing a catch, but not before allowing a first down after a nice move by the receiver to just convert the first.

7:18: Carder blocked off the play on a rushing touchdown.

5:20: Cole shows great sideline to sideline speed to get to the outside for a tackle on the quarterback after a short gain.

4:04: Carder a bit stumbly on an open field tackle, stiff armed, guy goes out of bounds. He was a bit off balanced here.

3:30: Cole with a poor effort, can’t disengage.

4th quarter

14:50: Cole allows a catch, lots of guys around the ball, makes no effort to tackle, leaves to someone else.

14:21: Cole gets over to the sideline and helps shove a guy out.

13:30: Cole disengages, gets a tackle.

9:04: Cole gets a big tackle for loss in the backfield on the goal line, big loss.

6:20: Cole struggles to take down a spinning ball carrier after a good gain. Not the surest tackle.

3:30: Cole with a tackle, again, could have been better.

3:22: Cole with a tackle after a run up the middle.

0:00: This game between two non-AQ teams featured two draftable middle linebackers, one on each side. This game gave me a good chance to compare the two. Carder had fewer tackles than Cole, 4 to 7, but I feel Carder had the bigger impact. Cole didn’t seem to be the surest tackle and got blocked off the play on two TCU goal line rushing touchdowns. Carder also did better in coverage and even stayed on the field against 4 and 5 receiver sets, lining up one on one with receivers in the slot and holding his own. He appears to be the better athlete.

On the season, Cole had 127 tackles, 13 for loss, 5 pass deflections and 2 sacks on the season. Carder had worse statistical production with 70 tackles, 4.5 for loss, and 3 deflections, but again appeared to be a better player in this one. He played tougher competition on a better defense and figures to be the better NFL player. The 6-3 237 pound Carder appears to be a mid round prospect, while the 5-11 250 Cole should go in the late rounds.

 

TCU/Baylor

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Spotlight #1: Baylor WR Kendall Wright

Spotlight #2: TCU RB Ed Wesley 

1st quarter

13:53: Griffin goes to Wright on his first two throws, good short possession receiver type catches

13:08: Wright on a trick play 40 yard touchdown THROW for a touchdown

4:49: 32 yard reception by Wright, good speed, excellent route run, thrown to 3 times, 3 catches

3:12: Excellent deep route by Wright, just blows past his man for the 35 yard score, whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct afterwards

2:51: Not spotlighting him or anything, but Greg McCoy has two big kick returns so far. The 5th year senior cornerback was solid in limited work on special teams over the past couple years and now he has returns of 73 and 68. Something to keep an eye on this season. He also had 30 tackles and 2 interceptions last season, but is undersized at 5-10 182.

0:29: Wright catches short pass, breaks tackle with quickness for first down

2nd quarter

14:25: Wright crosses field, catches ball, stutter step loses man, touchdown, 28 yards. He’s making Robert Griffin looks better than he is, but at the same time, Griffin hasn’t looked bad. Hit Wright at the perfect time there. 7-10 for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns, but only one completion (21 yards to Terrence Williams) to anyone other than Wright. Strong arm and a lot of promise. Interesting to see him next season as a senior. He probably won’t come out this year.

13:36: Speedy Skye Dawson on a long run. RB/WR/PR, but not a lot of experience. Great speed and track star though. 6.64 60 yard dash is a MWC track record. If he puts up big stats this year in any facet of the game, he’d be an intriguing name and he’s having a good night.

10:42: Only Ed Wesley’s 3rd carry, but unlike the first two he makes this one count, 24 yards, starts inside, goes outside, evades a few tackles.

8:40: Ed Wesley slips for short gain, almost fumbles, haven’t been impressed with him, 5 carries for 33 yards, but only one carry where he’s looked good, that 23 yarder, way too inconsistent.

5:59: Terrance Ganaway pushes pile for first down. Been really impressed by him. He takes over for Jay Finley as the starting running back. 74 yards on 13 carries tonight. Excellent size, north/south type runner, 6-0 240, but inexperienced. Need to see more of the senior this season before I can make a decision. TCU’s defense just hasn’t been good. Not even Tank Carder, a projected 2nd/3rd round pick.

5:18: Kendall Wright plucks the jump ball right through the defensive backs’ hands for another catcher. No idea how he ended up catching this ball. Puts Baylor inside the 5. He reminds me of Titus Young, another undersized, small school receiver who went in the 2nd round last year. 8 catches for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns. I definitely picked a good game to scout him. This is looking like his coming out party and a message to the rest of the NCAA by Baylor, this team is legit with Griffin, Ganaway, and Wright offensively. Defense is still a question mark.

4:51: Greg McCoy is the only TCU player I’ve been impressed with. Another big return for the senior CB/KR. Return brought back after block in the back, but he still ran well. 4 returns for 200 yards. This team would be getting killed if he wasn’t playing well. Andy Dalton’s replacement Casey Pachall is awful, stagnating the offense and their defense has been worse.

0:13: Terrence Ganaway with another great run. 17 carries for 105 yards and a score, but most importantly, has gotten positive yardage on almost every, if not every carry. Knew nothing about him coming into tonight, I’m definitely making it a priority to watch another of his games, spotlighting him inside of Kendall Wright.

 

3rd quarter

8:57: Another touchdown by RG3, a pretty looking dart downfield to Lanear Simpson. He’s looking like a legitimate NFL QB prospect, 15-18 for 281 yards and 4 touchdowns.

6:10 Another touchdown by RG3, a pretty looking dart downfield to Terrance Williams. He’s absolutely on fire.

4th quarter

14:30: Casey Pachall touchdown to Logan Brock. Brock, the senior tight end, has great measurables, 6-3 260 4.6 40, but only caught 6 passes last season. He’s got 4 tonight and 2 scores. He’s a big target and mobile and could be someone to watch this season.

10:11: Another catch by Wright on a nice comeback route. That gives him 11. Hell of a night.

6:54: Fumble by Robert Griffin on a run. Bad fumble, TCU somehow has a chance down just 47-45 deep in Baylor territory. First turnover for either team tonight.

4:22: First real Griffin to Wright mistake. Miscommunication when Griffin threw into double coverage, deflected and almost picked. Baylor offense struggling since TCU switched to zone.

4:12: Wright throws another pass, complete to…Robert Griffin for a first. Wright’s 10th throw in his college career, completed 4 in a row. Maybe there’s something to that. At the very least, it’s good to know.

3:43: Short dump off to Wright in space, quick burst of speed for the first, hurts his hand/wrist on the play. Nothing serious. 12 catches for 189 yards and 2 scores.

0:02: Pachall interception. Game over. If you’re wondering what happened to Ed Wesley, he got just 6 of TCU’s 38 carries, a very bad sign. However, Kendall Wright showed himself to the world as the stud he is and I got new names in Logan Brock and Terrance Ganaway to monitor into the future and possibly spotlight at a later date.

 

Taylor Mays Bengals

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Trade for Cincinnati: I’m hearing the undisclosed pick is a 5th round pick, though nothing is certain. However, Mays was a 2nd round pick just last year. He’s a perfect fit for the Bengals defense. Roy Williams played well in their system so if anyone can get the most out of Mays, essentially a younger Roy Williams, it’s the Bengals. They also had a huge need at safety. This is an excellent trade for them.

Grade: A

Trade for San Francisco: Mays was one of Mike Singletary’s guys. GM Trent Baalke didn’t want him. New Head Coach Jim Harbaugh was obviously not impressed with him. However, they could have handled this better and gotten more for him. The 49ers essentially put him up on Ebay by sending out an email to everyone that he was available. Of course they weren’t going to get much more than a 5th for him.

Grade: D

 

Taylor Mays

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Safety

USC

6-3 230

40 time: 4.31

Draft board overall prospect rank: #35

Draft board safety rank: #3

Overall rank: 82* 

3/2/10: First he came out and ran an unofficial 4.24, tying Chris Johnson’s record and making Al Davis rise from his grave a few months early. However, officially he was listed at 4.41. Now, thanks to some work with modern technology, comparing Mays’ run side by side with other low 4.3 high 4.2 runs, it’s apparent that both times were wrong and Mays really did run somewhere around a 4.31 (ish?). This is good, but this was exactly what we were expecting from him.

1/30/10: He looked alright against the pass in this game and actually had a nice interception, which is good because one of the big knocks against him is he doesn’t make enough plays on the ball in the air. However, after a dismal week in practice, I can only categorize his entire Senior Bowl week as neutral. I still think he’ll go in the first round.

1/27/10: He has only backed up what we’ve seen from him this year. He can’t cover anyone. He doesn’t play the air in the ball and he doesn’t wrap up his tackles. Some have said he may have to move to linebacker at the next level. 

1/23/10: Would have been a lock to go #7 to the Raiders last year, assuming his 6-3 230 4.3 measurables lived up to their expectations at the combine, but returned to school and that may have been a mistake. He was really exposed in coverage this year and will need Al Davis bailing him out to go in the top 15, though I think he stays in the first round. National media has come down on Mays this year, but not enough. He plays way too out of control and doesn’t wrap up tackles well and his coverage skills are very poor. Unless he gets some good coaching, not out of the question, his upside may be as a Roy Williams type safety or a cover 2 linebacker. His potential though is that of a bigger Troy Polamalu though.

Update (11/2/09): Unless he learns to play the ball or defend guys man on man he may be Roy Williams 2.0.     

5/23/09: Taylor Mays is an interesting and rare prospect. He’s an athletic freak of nature, which means he’ll probably be a Raider. He is 6-3 and change, 230 pounds, but runs a 40 in the 4.3s. He hits like a ton a bricks, sometimes even a little too hard, just ask Penn State wide receiver Jordan Norwood, who was knocked out of the Rose Bowl when Mays laid him out. He plays with a mean streak and loves to put on the big hit, maybe sometimes even so much that he forgets to wrap up a ball carrier. However, for that athleticism, he should be playing wide receiver or tight end. But, he isn’t. He has horrible ball skills. He doesn’t intercept many passes. He has horrible hands. He isn’t going to break up a lot of passes and struggles with the fundamentals of man-to-man coverage, even though he has great recovery speed, which is why he isn’t a cornerback. He might be better off as a run stopping safety or a safety in a zone coverage scheme. You can definitely put him up in the box and he’ll essentially be another linebacker. He may end up playing linebacker in the NFL, as an extremely fast outside linebacker, but he doesn’t offer a ton in pass rush. He is too small to play middle linebacker. He’s essentially a man without a position unless he improves in coverage or pass rush or bulks up or finds a team with a perfect scheme. Still, his freakish athleticism will get him drafted in the top 10, which is extremely rare for a safety. His 40 time could drop into the 4.2s as he is supposedly faster than anyone on the USC team, including running back Joe McKnight, who could be a first round pick based almost purely on his speed. That kind of 40 would be amazing for someone of his size. You can’t pass on someone that big with that kind of speed even if he is a project.

NFL Comparison: Roy Williams

*=for a breakdown of what this rating means, click here

 

 

Tarvaris Jackson Seattle

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I can kind of understand letting Matt Hasselbeck leave to allow Charlie Whitehurst to start. They spent the equivalent of two 3rd round picks to get Whitehurst and paid him like a starting quarterback. It makes some sense to see what he can do as the starter for a full year, although he hasn’t ever done anything to suggest he can succeed. However, letting Hasselbeck go to bring in Jackson to compete with Whitehurst? That doesn’t make any sense. If you didn’t want to hand over the keys to Whitehurst, at least resign Hasselbeck. Jackson isn’t a starter in this league. He would be a solid backup, but he’s not a starter. The positive, however, is that we can all look forward to a Tarvaris Jackson/Charlie Whitehurst/Matt Leinart quarterback battle in training camp, which could rival Arizona’s Matt Leinart/Derek Anderson/Max Hall/John Skelton battle from last year as the worst quarterback battle in NFL history, so there’s that.

Grade: D

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Debate the Buccaneers off season in the Football Fan Forum

2010 Preview:

If I had to pick one of the three rookie quarterbacks who started last year, Matt Stafford, Mark Sanchez, and Josh Freeman, as the most improved this offseason, I’d have to go with Freeman. Reports out of Tampa rave about Freeman’s work ethic this offseason and how he’s spent a good majority of his offseason in the film room, studying last year’s film, and on the field, getting into better shape and improving his throwing mechanics. Unless he spent all that time at the Buccaneers’ facilities inefficiently, doing things other than becoming a better football player, I think he’ll be a much better football player this year. Remember, even Peyton Manning struggled as a rookie, but if you can improve in your sophomore year, no one will remember your rookie year.

That being said, that improvement might not translate to the stat sheet and the win loss record quite in the way one would expect. I expect his picks to decrease this year (18 picks in 290 throws last year), but his supporting cast isn’t as good as Mark Sanchez’s, or even Matt Stafford’s. He doesn’t have Sanchez’s amazing supporting cast. He doesn’t have Calvin Johnson. I’d even go as far as to say that Detroit’s running game and defense are better than Tampa’s. This defense should be better this year, especially against the run with the additions of Gerald McCoy and Brian Price in the first two rounds of this year’s draft, but they still lack a strong pass rush, and overall they lack talent on the defensive side of the ball.

They’ll be better this year, especially through the air offensively, but the talent isn’t there in Freeman’s supporting cast. Freeman won’t look as good as he should this year, even though close examination may show Freeman as the best quarterback in the 2009 draft class this year. Some teams have to be the worst and the Buccaneers, because of their overall lack of talent, look like a team destined to be among the lowly of the league.

Projection: 4-12 4th in NFC South

Power Ranking: 27 

Last Season: 3-13

Draft:

#3 DT Gerald McCoy (Oklahoma)

Normally I am against using a Top 3 pick on a defensive tackle, but when you have your franchise quarterback and left tackle already in place and there are no franchise defensive ends available in the draft range, and you were the worst team in the league against the run last year, and it’s a player like Gerald McCoy, I say it’s a great pick.

Grade: A

#35 DT Brian Price (UCLA)

Very interesting pick, he is definitely one of the best available and when you are dead last against the run, you need all the help you can get, but something about seeing a 3-13 team go DT-DT doesn’t seem right. One upgrade at defensive tackle would have been sufficient this year for a team that needs DE, WR, S, CB, LB, etc, but it’s not an awful pick.

Grade: B-

#39 WR Arrelious Benn (Illinois)

There were certainly better wide receiver options on the board, but Benn is one of the highest upside wide receivers available and the Buccaneers’ don’t need a #2 or #3 guy. They need #1 guy and Benn could be that guy in the future, though I would have taken Damian Williams.

Grade: B+

#67 CB Myron Lewis (Vanderbilt)

I like Lewis a lot and I guess former defensive backs coach Raheem Morris did too. They need a successor for Ronde Barber and Lewis can certainly be that in time, but I’m not convinced this was the best pick they could have made with guys like Everson Griffen on the board.

Grade: A-

#101 WR Mike Williams (Syracuse)

Williams has a huge list of character issues, not caring about school, getting kicked off the team, quitting on his team, showing up out of shape to the Combine, but he has 2nd round talent. I don’t love the idea of this team going with 2 boom or bust WRs, but it could definitely work out for the best.

Grade: B

#172 P Brent Bowden (Virginia Tech)

Yeah, they needed a punter, but with other needs, why would they take one before the 7th round. Bowden wasn’t even the best punter available.

Grade: B-

#210 S Cody Grimm (Virginia Tech)

Grimm was a linebacker in college, but because of size he’ll have to move to safety. He’s a project, but Raheem Morris knows a thing or so about defensive backs and he fills a need. At the very worst, he’s a solid special teamer.

Grade: A

#217 OLB Dekoda Watson (Florida State)

I don’t know if there was a bigger steal or a better fit all night. Watson is built in the mold of Buccaneer great Derrick Brooks and he was a legitimate 3rd round prospect available in the 7th for a team that badly needs linebacker help. I would be very surprised if Watson wasn’t a main stay on this defense for years to come. You don’t get that type of player in the 7th round very often.

Grade: A

#253 DE Erik Lorig (Stanford)

Lorig should not have been drafted. He doesn’t offer a pass rush like the Bucs need and he doesn’t fit the speed to fit the scheme. This is one of the worst 7th round picks of the day.

Grade: D

Overall:

It’s hard to give a bad grade to a team that could legitimately come away with 7 future starters in one draft, but considering those guys are DT, DT, WR, WR, CB, OLB, P, they probably could have done some better things with positional value and gotten some pass rush help, though this was a weak DE class.

Grade: B

Key undrafted free agents:

QB Jevan Snead (Mississippi)

K Hunter Lawrence (Texas)

OLB Rico McCoy (Tennessee)

OT James Williams (Harvard)

G Sergio Render (Virginia Tech)

OT Derek Hardman (Eastern Kentucky)

TE Jeron Mastrud (Kansas State)

DE James Ruffin (Northern Iowa)

Positions of need:

Defensive Tackle:

The Buccaneers were extremely weak through the middle of their defensive line last year and couldn’t stop anyone on the ground. Ranking dead last in the league against the run last year in almost every major category. This will have to be improved if they are going to improve.

Drafted Gerald McCoy (#3), Drafted Brian Price (#35) 

Defensive End:

They only had 28 sacks last year and no one had more than 6.5 so an elite #1 pass rusher for the future will be a necessity.

Drafted Erik Lorig (#253) 

Wide Receiver:

I’d say there’s a good chance that Antonio Bryant won’t be brought back as a free agent this offseason, and even if he is brought back there’s a good chance that once he gets a longterm deal he turns back into a sloth, and even if he doesn’t becomes a lazy primate, they still could use an upgrade opposite him. Michael Clayton isn’t going to live up to his contract so they can just forgot that happening. Big mistake. They need to get Josh Freeman better receivers to throw to.

Drafted Arrelious Benn (#39), Drafted Mike Williams (#101), Traded for Reggie Brown 

Outside Linebacker:

One the first thing Raheem Morris did when he was higher as a coach was to cut everyone older than him. If he were Mike Martz or Al Davis this would be an okay strategy, but Morris was 33 at the time. Both Derrick Brooks and Cato June were cut and replaced with the oft injured Angelo Crowell and a former safety. Gee, I wonder why the Bucs were awful on defense last year. They need to get a real outside linebacker.

Drafted Dekoda Watson (#217) 

Safety:

As I’ve said before, the Bucs simply lacked talent on defense at almost every position. Safety is no exception. In fact, they haven’t had a good safety since Dexter Jackson in 2005.

Signed Sean Jones, Drafted Cody Grimm (#210) 

Cornerback:

The one area the Bucs were actually decent at defensively was against the pass, but that could change if Ronde Barber decides to retire or gets cut because Morris realizes he is older than him. Aqib Talib looks like a good #1 cornerback of the future, but they have no depth behind him and Barber currently so if Barber is gone, they won’t have a good #2 corner.

Drafted Myron Lewis (#67) 

Offensive Tackle:

Both of their starting tackles will be free agents this offseason. I expect Penn to be brought back because he’s doing a good job for them, but Trueblood was one of the worst starting tackles in the league last year so even if he returns, he could be upgraded.

 

Free agents:

QB Jevan Snead 

RB Cadillac Williams (restricted)- resigned 1 year 2.3 million

RB Clifton Smith (restricted)- resigned 1 year

FB Byron Storer (exclusive rights)

FB BJ Askew 

#9 WR Antonio Bryant- signed with Bengals 4 years 28 million

The talent is there, 1009 yards in 2005 and 1248 yards in 2008, but is the motivation? Chances are, if you give him a longterm deal, it won’t be. He’s still young, 29 in a couple of weeks, but you have to worry about his character concerns plus past concerns about injuries.

WR Maurice Stovall (restricted)- resigned 1 year, 1.1 million

WR Brian Clark (restricted)- not tendered, signed with Lions 1 year

WR Mark Bradley- signed with Saints

OT Donald Penn (restricted)- resigned 6 years 43 million

OT Jeremy Trueblood (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.7 million

G Arron Sears  

DE Jimmy Wilkerson- signed 1 year

DT Chris Hovan- signed with Rams

OLB Angelo Crowell 

OLB Jermaine Phillips

OLB Matt McCoy (restricted)- not tendered, signed with Seahawks 1 year

MLB Barrett Ruud (restricted)- tendered (1st/3rd)

MLB Rod Johnson (restricted) 

CB Elbert Mack (restricted)- tendered

CB Torrie Cox 

S Will Allen- signed with Steelers 3 years

P Josh Bidwell

P Dirk Johnson 

Offseason moves:

Buccaneers waive QB Jevan Snead

Buccaneers re-sign OT Donald Penn

Buccaneers sign G Keydrick Vincent 

Buccaneers cut OLB Angelo Crowell

Buccaneers cut WR Mark Bradley

Buccaneers re-sign RB Cadillac Williams

Buccaneers re-sign OT Jeremy Trueblood

Buccaneers re-sign RB Clifton Smith

Buccaneers cut DT Chris Hovan

Buccaneers cut G Arron Sears

Buccaneers cut FB B.J. Askew

Buccaneers trade QB Byron Leftwich to Steelers for a 7th-round pick 

Buccaneers re-sign WR Maurice Stovall

Buccaneers re-sign OLB Angelo Crowell

Buccaneers re-sign WR Mark Bradley

Buccaneers sign S Sean Jones

Buccaneers sign OLB Jon Alston

Buccaneers acquire WR Reggie Brown from Eagles for 2011 6th-rounder

Buccaneers tender RB/KR Clifton Smith

Buccaneers tender CB Elbert Mack

Buccaneers tender WR Mark Bradley

Buccaneers cut CB Torrie Cox

Buccaneers cut P Josh Bidwell

Buccaneers cut P Dirk Johnson

Buccaneers tender WR Maurice Stovall

Buccaneers tender ILB Barrett Ruud

Buccaneers tender OT Jeremy Trueblood

Buccaneers tender OT Donald Penn 

# refers to unrestricted free agent rank

Tamba Hali Chiefs

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Hali had 14.5 sacks last year and though that was his career high, he’s far from a one year wonder. He’s had success in a 3-4 and in a 4-3. He might have been the safest elite defensive player on the market other than Nnamdi Asomugha. They might have paid him a lot, 60 million over 5 with 35 million guaranteed, but there’s a good chance he’s worth it.

Grade: A

 

Takeo Spikes Chargers

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Spikes may be turning 35 this season, but he’s not showing any signs of age and he rejoins his former defensive coordinator Greg Manusky in San Diego and 3 million a year for 3 years is a bargain for a player who is still an above average starting linebacker. The Chargers have 3 free agents at linebacker and while Spikes might not be as good or as young as Kevin Burnett, he’s too good of a value to pass on. Now San Diego has Spikes, 2011 2nd rounder Jonas Mouton, and 2010 3rd rounder Donald Butler at middle linebacker and the available cap space to sign one of their veteran free agents. Considering San Francisco shelled out 20 million over 5 to Ray McDonald, not even a starter, I am puzzled why they didn’t resign Spikes.

Grade: A

 

Taiwan Jones Scout

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Running back

Eastern Washington

6-0 194

Draft board overall prospect rank: #113

Draft board overall running back rank: #17

Overall rating: 65 (early 4th)

40 time: 4.29

4/23/11: When Taiwan Jones, a productive small school back from Eastern Washington, ran a 4.29 at his Pro Day, along with a 39.5 inch vertical and an 11 foot broad jump, it definitely turned some heads. Here’s a small school kid with amazing speed. He naturally got Chris Johnson comparisons. I’m not going that far.

Jones rushed for 2955 yards and 29 touchdowns on 383 carries in two years as the starter at Eastern Washington. That’s an average of 7.7 per carry. He had 1742 yards and 14 scores on 221 carries this year, an average of 7.9 per carry, despite missing 3 whole games with injury, including the last two with a broken leg as Eastern Washington won the Division I-AA championship without him. That broken leg prevented him from working out publicly until his recent Pro Day and, of course, you already know what happened there.

The main difference between him and Chris Johnson is pad level. Chris Johnson runs with great pad level and Jones runs too high. He’s too skinny and top heavy at 6-0 194 to be as explosive as Chris Johnson at the next level, even with his amazing speed. He’s more like a Felix Jones or a CJ Spiller type, a change of pace back with special teams ability and good hands out of the backfield. In 2 seasons, he had 64 catches for 903 yards and 7 touchdowns so he has good hands and he can make big plays out of the backfield through the air. He also has some experience on special teams as a return man, so he has a role at the next level.

The problem is that this is a very crowded draft class when it comes to 3rd down backs. I’d rather have someone like Derrick Locke or Jacquizz Rodgers who play with a better pad level and are more explosive initially. I’d rather have a more natural pass blocker like Kendall Hunter or someone bigger like Shane Vereen. In the end, the NFL is going to fall in love with his speed. He’ll probably go before all of those running backs I just named in either the 2nd or the 3rd round.

NFL Comparison: Felix Jones