Richard Marshall actually had a great season in 2011. Among cornerbacks who played at least 60% of their team’s snaps, he was 12^th in QB rating allowed, allowing a 51.9% completion percentage, 7.3 YPA, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He’s had a pretty up and down career. He was ProFootballFocus’ 98th ranked cornerback out of 100 in 2010 and only got a one year deal as a free agent.

However, he’s only 27 and he was named his team’s defensive MVP by Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton this season with his ability to play outside at cornerback, line up inside on the slot, and also play safety. The Dolphins have a major need at slot cornerback and safety and they’re getting him at a pretty good deal, 3 years, 16 million, with 6 million guaranteed.

Grade: B

Wide receiver

LSU

6-3 210

Draft board overall prospect rank: #44

Draft board overall wide receiver rank: #6

Overall rating: 77 (2nd round)

40 time: 4.55

Games watched: LSU/Mississippi State, LSU/Florida, LSU/Alabama, Arkansas/LSU, Georgia/LSU, LSU/Western Kentucky, LSU/Alabama (Part 2)

Positives

·         Great size

·         Physical with cornerbacks

·         A good blocker

·         Reliable hands

·         An end zone threat

·         Pro style experience

·         Solid route runner

·         Played against top competition

·         Good production in conservative offense in 2011 (53 catches for 917 yards and 8 touchdowns)

·         Wide catch radius

·         Good outside receiver

·         Tough to tackle

·         Solid speed for his size

·         Flashes elite abilities

Negatives

·         Only one season of strong production

·         Never had elite production

·         Really struggled against Dre Kirkpatrick in their 2 matchups (5 catches for 32 yards)

·         Incredibly inconsistent (7 games of 3 catches or fewer in 2011)

·         Still raw

·         Not smooth out of breaks

·         Lacks top end speed

NFL Comparison: Brandon LaFell

A prospect getting some late 1^st round buzz is Reuben Randle. The big 6-3 receiver has good size and speed and had good production even in a conservative offense at LSU last season. He certainly looks like a first round talent at times, but after watching a lot of LSU’s games, it’s clear that he’s incredibly inconsistent. There are some games like the Arkansas game where he is incredibly dominant. Randle caught 9 passes for 132 yards in that game, over 50% of his team’s aerial production.

However, he also had 7 games where he had 3 or fewer catches. Some of this has to do with the inconsistencies of quarterbacks Jordan Jefferson and Jarret Lee, but some of it was also his fault. Against Georgia, Randle really struggled against Brandon Boykin, a much smaller cornerback. The 5-9 Boykin is a good player who is expected to go in the 2^nd or 3^rd round, but it was a matchup he should have won and he didn’t.

Jordan Jefferson played awful in that game, but Boykin blanketed Randle, holding him to 2 catches for 15 yards. He was targeted early and often, but he just wasn’t open. The smaller cornerback was in better position all night and timed his leaps better, getting 2 pass deflections. Randle also really struggled against Alabama’s Dre Kirkpatrick, combing for 5 catches for 32 yards in 2 games this season against Alabama.

Randle compares to another former LSU wide receiver, Brandon LaFell. LaFell is a big receiver and a good blocker like Randle and had good production in LSU’s conservative offense. There was a time when LaFell had some first round buzz, but he eventually went in the 3^rd round. He’s now a solid, but unspectacular #2 receiver in Carolina. In just his 2nd season, he had 36 catches for 613 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2011.

Randle figures to go in the 2^nd round, with an outside shot at the end of the 1^st round if there’s a run of receivers. Either way, he figures to be the 5^th wide receiver off the board behind Justin Blackmon, Michael Floyd, Kendall Wright, and Stephen Hill. That puts him securely in the top 40 picks. Options for him include Houston (26), New England (27 or 31), St. Louis (33 or 39), Indianapolis (34), Minnesota (35), Cleveland (37), and Jacksonville (38).

Outside Linebacker 

Georgia

5-11 235

40 time: 4.72

Draft board overall prospect rank: #205

Draft board outside linebacker rank: #16

Overall rating: 53*

3/1/10: Put on some weight which led me to move them up my chart. However, didn’t carry the weight well. Ran a 4.72 so I’m moving him back down.

2/27/10: Expected to weigh in at 225 pounds, Curran weighed 239 and appears to have bulked up in a good way since the end of last season. If this doesn’t effect his 40 time, this will help him because it increases his scheme versatility.

1/23/10: Nothing but potential right now, he’s a prototypical cover 2 linebacker, but he needs to get bigger than 5-11 225. He moves well and is all over the ball with 231 tackles over the last 2 years, but he is not big enough for the NFL, which is why I was puzzled by his decision to declare this year at only 21. He’s probably looking at the 3^rd round as a project or maybe round 2 if some cover 2 team falls in love with him.

            11/18/09: Rennie Curran is a very fast and athletic outside linebacker who takes good routes to the ball, but he’s extremely raw and needs to add some bulk without losing speed. He’s listed as 222 pounds and while that’s a cut 222 pounds, he’ll need to add at least 10 pounds to be anything other than a safety in the NFL. At 230 pounds, he would make an excellent cover 2 linebacker and since he may be forced out this year as a junior due to the threat of a 2011 rookie pay scale, I would definitely take the risk on him and trust that he would put on the necessary weight if I were a cover 2 team or any team that uses a zone defense drafting in the early 2^nd round or maybe even late 1^st. He is hurt some by his position, but he’s a tackling machine and can cover a zone very quickly. He has shown great skill in zone in college and he takes excellent routes to the ball. He’s a good fundamental tackler, but he needs to add bulk otherwise running backs are just going to break him with ease. There are plenty of running backs in the NFL that weigh more than 222 pounds, that have much stronger, more explosive legs and core, and that are also faster than him. He doesn’t have great hands, or at least not that I can tell. He doesn’t have an interception in college. His drop back into a zone is good though and he’s a pretty good cover linebacker for his age, just turned 21 last week. The Derrick Brooks comparisons are very premature. Even if he puts on the 10 pounds, he is not as good of a cover linebacker as Brooks was. Brooks was a superb leader and one of the best fundamental tacklers of the decade and he also fills space faster than almost any linebacker I’ve ever seen. Curran does those things well, with the exception of maybe the leadership, but he’s not on Brooks’ level. He is only 5-11 which hurts a lot more than it helps in the NFL. However, he’s an excellent prospect if you run any type of zone defense, though he’ll really struggle in man defense because he’s way too small.

NFL Comparison: Jamar Williams

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

Well this is surprising. For weeks we thought Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne were a package deal. Today when I found out that they weren’t necessarily, some speculated that Arizona, Denver, or Miami could sign him in order to increase their chances of signing Manning. I don’t think anyone saw him going back to Indianapolis.

Wayne is an aging player who turns 34 in November, but he’s still a very talented wide receiver whose streak of 7 straight 1000 yard seasons ended last season when he put up 960 yards with Curtis Painter, Kerry Collins, and Dan Orlovsky, which is still impressive. He’s not going to get any better, but the Colts were so thin at wide receiver that they almost had to make this move otherwise Andrew Luck would have no one to throw to. Wayne provides him a reliable veteran target and is signed at a reasonable rate (3 years, 17.5 million, with 7.5 million guaranteed).

Grade: A

Nelson is a solid safety who rated 28^th on ProFootballFocus. 18 million over 4 years might be a slight overpay for someone who doesn’t tackle particularly well, but the Bengals don’t have a lot of choices in a weak safety draft class and free agency class.

Grade: B

Trade for New Orleans: They were likely just going to cut him for nothing so credit the Saints for getting a pick and a player in return. I don’t know much about Amaya, but if he can make the roster, he’ll be an added bonus in this deal.

Grade: A

Trade for Miami: All in all, the Dolphins are giving up 10 million over 2 years, a late rounder, and a reserve safety for Bush. I think they overpaid. Bush has never proven he can stay healthy and he’ll just be a backup running back to rookie Daniel Thomas. They gave up too much, particularly in terms of money, to get him.

Grade: C

By Eric Karkovack 

The news of Reggie Bush breaking his leg during Monday night’s win in San Francisco certainly puts a little damper on a 2-0 start to the season.  But, if any team is capable of moving on successfully, it’s the New Orleans Saints.

On this team, the talented Bush is just one of many options quarterback Drew Brees has at his disposal.  Still, Bush does fill an important role on this team and his loss will make some adjustments necessary.

Bush is known for his blazing speed and is very dangerous when given a little space.  His touchdown reception on Monday night against 49ers Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Willis was proof of that.  He faked out one of the best linebackers in the league and made it look easy.  Willis wreaked havoc against the rest of the Saints offense all night long.

The Saints simply don’t have another back who can do the things Reggie Bush can do.  For all of the criticism that he’s not a “between the tackles” runner, his abilities in other areas are what make him such a valuable contributor to this team.

He’s been famously called the league’s “highest paid decoy”.  But think about what that does for coach Sean Payton’s offensive scheme.  Bush is often used as a decoy, but the opposing defense must account for him on every play.  Leave him out in space just once and it could mean trouble.  Bush takes attention away from guys like Devery Henderson, Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey, freeing them up a little bit and allowing Drew Brees to find them down the field.

The decoy scheme won’t work nearly as well with Ladell Betts or Chris Ivory on the field.  Not to take away from their talents, but Bush presents a unique set of problems for an opposing defense.

I have no doubt that the Saints’ offense will miss Reggie Bush.  But I also feel like there is no team better equipped to handle such a loss.  Payton and Brees still have plenty of weapons available.  They’re just going to have to find some new ways to open things up for them.

One area where I don’t think that the Saints will miss Bush as much:  punt returns.  Reggie is certainly a threat in that area, but he’s often an all-or-nothing proposition back there.  If you watched Monday night’s game you saw both ends of the spectrum.  Receiver Lance Moore should fit into that role nicely.

The good news is that Bush should be back on the field this season.  When he returns, he makes the Saints that much more of a threat in the NFC.

http://www.nosreview.com/ 

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9/3/11: Holy crap Mike Shanahan has turned Rex Grossman into a passable signal caller. He’s done this before with Jake Plummer and while quarterback isn’t their only problem, I won’t pick them to be a laughing stock anymore. 

Rex Grossman predicts the Redskins will win the NFC East. Rex Grossman is wrong. Don’t get me wrong, I love that he made that prediction. I love unfounded confidence in sports. I love when a team down 3-0 in a series predicts a series win. I love when a team currently out of the playoff race predicts they will win the championship. I love when an underdog predicts a big upset. What else are they going do to? Admit defeat?

However, Grossman is wrong. Hell, he might not even be the team’s starting quarterback if he gets beat out by John Beck. If that happens, that would be the most embarrassing moment of Rex Grossman’s career and that’s saying a lot. When Mike Shanahan first called Beck his starter in the offseason, before the team resigned Grossman, I assumed that Beck was only going to start to give the Redskins a better chance to get Andrew Luck. I mean if you were trying to get the #1 pick, starting John Beck would be what you would do right?

However, the Redskins spent a lot of money this offseason so it appears as if they’re not going to just throw the season. They didn’t really overpay anyone like they normally do and they added a lot of talent, adding guys like Barry Cofield, Josh Wilson, OJ Atogwe, Stephen Bowen, Chris Chester and resigning Santana Moss and Jammal Brown. However, given their quarterback situation, they won’t make the playoffs. All those signings can do is get them to 6 wins and blow their chances at getting not only Andrew Luck, but maybe Matt Barkley as well.

Of course, if they can get a quarterback next April, he is going to have a good supporting cast to work with after all of these financially smart signings. Moss, a veteran receiver, is 32, but had 1115 receiving yards last year when they didn’t have the best quarterback situation. He’s dealt with crappy to mediocre quarterbacks his entire career so this year will be nothing new for them.

Moss will line up across from either Anthony Armstrong, a decent player and their #2 receiver from last year, Jabar Gaffney, the Broncos’ #2 last year, acquired in a trade from Denver, or rookie Leonard Hankerson, drafted in the 3^rd round. Hankerson has the worst shot as getting the job, based on what I’m hearing right now. At tight end, Chris Cooley is a talented veteran, but he could miss the start of the season with an injury which means Fred Davis, who played well in Cooley’s absence in 2009, would get the start.

At running back, another offseason acquisition, Tim Hightower, is expected to be the lead back. Hightower is not a great running back or anything, but he fits the scheme and I think he’s very underrated. He’s also a good pass catcher. Behind him, the Redskins have Roy Helu, a 4^th round pick rookie, and Ryan Torain, the incumbent starter who can’t stay healthy. Keiland Williams, who started some games last year, is also in the mix.

On the offensive line, they resigned Jammal Brown to start opposite Trent Williams. Williams, the 4^th overall pick in 2010, allowed 11 sacks in 2010, but figures to be better in his 2^nd season. He’ll once again be the left tackle, while Brown, who played better down the stretch as he recovered from a hip injury that cost him all of 2009, will start on the right side. Chris Chester is a solid free agent signing at center, but they once again figure to get poor play from their guards, Kory Lichtensteiger and Will Montgomery.

On the defensive line, two more free agent acquisitions, Barry Cofield and Stephen Bowen, will play next to Adam Carriker. Carriker, after struggling for 3 years in St. Louis in a 4-3, after being drafted high in 2007, did alright in a 3-4 in Washington last season. However, like Cofield and Bowen, he doesn’t offer much pass rush. Bowen and Cofield are studs against the run, though. They will both be upgrades over Albert Haynesworth and Vonnie Holliday.

However, there are questions with each. Bowen played well last year, but only has 11 career starts. Meanwhile, Cofield has never played in a 3-4 and players often have trouble adjusting to a new scheme, particularly at first. He won’t be helped by a shortened offseason as he tries to adjust to a new scheme.

The pass rush will be coming primarily from the rush linebackers. Brian Orakpo had 8.5 sacks last year after 11 sacks as a rookie in 2009. However, the Redskins only managed 29 sacks as they couldn’t get a consistent pass rush besides Orakpo. No one else on the team had more than 2.5 and their other starting rush linebacker Andre Carter really struggled in their new 3-4. The Redskins will hope Ryan Kerrigan, the 16^th pick in April’s draft, can be an upgrade, but he’ll be hurt, at least right away, by the lockout and the fact that he’ll have to learn a completely new position, rush linebacker. He also wasn’t graded as a good fit for a 3-4 coming out.

Inside at linebacker, the 36 year old London Fletcher is an ageless wonder. He had 136 tackles last year and should post a similar total this year. However, Rocky McIntosh really struggled in their new 3-4 last season. He was still resigned and is expected to once again start next to Fletcher, a questionable move. 2010 4^th round pick Perry Riley was supposed to step into the lineup this season, but he’s apparently disappointing. He’s listed as a 3^rd stringer.

Another free agent acquisition is Josh Wilson, a cornerback. Wilson came out of nowhere to become one of the best cornerbacks in the league last year. I’m curious to whether or not he can keep that up now that he’s switching teams and now that he’s gotten paid. Wilson allowed just a 46.9% completion percentage and 3 touchdowns to 3 interceptions.

He’ll start opposite DeAngelo Hall, whose 2010 stats are inflated by a 4 interception game against Jay Cutler. He allowed 8 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 73.7%. At safety, another free agent signing OJ Atogwe, a solid free safety, will start opposite LaRon Landry, an overrated player who struggles against the pass, though he’s a beast against the run.

As I said earlier, the most all of these free agent signings can do is get them maybe 6 wins and blow their chances at Andrew Luck. They were, for the most part, financially smart deals, but in the grand scheme of things, they could end up looking very stupid. Rex Grossman and John Beck at quarterback are both terrible and they don’t protect their quarterback or get after the opponent’s quarterback very well either. They also lack continuity with a new starting quarterback and so many new free agents coming in. Their defense will be better, but not that great this year and the offense will be stagnated by poor quarterback and offensive line play.

Quarterback: C-

Running backs: C

Receiving corps: C

Offensive line: C

Run defense: C+

Pass rush: C

Pass coverage: C+

Coaching: B

Projection: 6-10 4^th in NFC East