This is only 5 million over 2 years, but Barber is done so it doesn’t matter. Lingering hamstring injuries have sapped his explosiveness and caused him to average 3.3 yards per carry last year, though I guess that’s better than the 2.4 Chester Taylor averaged, so I guess they upgraded the #2 back position.
Grade: C
Last offseason, the 49ers did a good job of being patient in free agency and waiting for the bargains to come to them. They didn’t panic and they got guys like Carlos Rogers, Jonathan Goodwin, Donte Whitner, and Dashon Goldson for cheap later in the free agency period. They’ve done it again.
They knew it was a deep wide receiver market so instead of panicking and guaranteeing 14 million to Laurent Robinson or Robert Meachem or paying Josh Morgan 6 million per year, they waited for the odd man out (Mario Manningham) to be left without a home and got him for a bargain, 2 years 7.4 million with 2.45 million guaranteed.
Manningham, like Robinson and Meachem, is not a #1 caliber receiver, but the 49ers didn’t pay him like one. He’s a talented 2nd or 3rd receiver who caught 57 passes in 2009 and 60 passes in 2010, more than Robinson or Meachem ever caught in a season by the way. He had a down year in 2011 with injuries and the emergence of Victor Cruz opposite Hakeem Nicks, but he’ll still be a help to the 49ers with Michael Crabtree, Mario Manningham, Randy Moss, and probably a rookie receiver some point in the first 3 rounds.
Grade: A
By Vince Vitale
What is not to love, this quicker than fast playmaker has St. Louis Rams fans having visions of the (GSOT) Greatest Show on Turf. At 6’1″ 180 Mardy is not an imposing specimen, nor was his 4.56 combine speed anything to write home about but this kid is a playmaker. Over the course of his last two seasons as a Cincinnati Bearcat Mardy raked in 168 balls for 2467 yards and 22 touchdown receptions. In addition Mardy returned 92 kickoffs with a 28.9 average and 4 TD’s as a Bearcat. Mardy will bring this and more to the St. Louis Rams.
After the Dez Bryant controversy over carrying Roy Williams pads Gilyard was asked about carrying pads, his response,
“I’m okay with carrying the pads, combing hair, tying the shoes, whatever it
takes. I know my role, I’m a rookie and I know I can’t say too much. Actions
speak louder than words and in the words of my momma, ‘I can show you better
than I can tell you.’ I’m cool with anything, that’s my role as a rookie.
How refreshing is it to here those words from a rookie.
I think the St. Louis Rams absolutely stole Mardy Gilyard with 101st overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft. Although he does not have the speed and is not as much of a deep threat I hope Mardy Gilyard can bring to the St. Louis Rams what Desean Jackson brought the the Philadelphia Eagles a couple of years ago and that is a playmaker, a baller, a difference maker. I look for Mardy to occupy the slot in 2010 and return kickoffs over the smaller Danny Amendola.
While talking to St. Louis Rams tickets account executive Jon Kruse I was told recently Mardy Gilyard was at the Rams offices at the Edward Jones Dome helping with a promotional ticket event and asked if he could go down on the field. While Jon was reluctant, La’Roi Glover said it’s ok let him go. I was told Mardy ran all around the field in his dress clothes and had tears streaming down his face he was that happy. He asked Jon where he was standing and Jon said on the field and Mardy said “in the end zone.”
Look for many more reasons to love Mardy Gilyard every Sunday this fall.
Stroud adds to their veteran core on their defensive line and allows them to ease any rookie they draft into action. Stroud still has a little bit left in the tank at a cheap rate, but I don’t understand this being a 2 year deal.
Grade: B
Former first round pick Marcus Spears has disappointed in his 5 year career with only 8 sacks and was benched last year for Stephen Bowen, who recently signed with the Redskins. Needing a replacement, the Cowboys are giving Spears another chance, likely to start as that’s what this deal pays him like. Spears gets a deal worth 19.2 million over 5 years. It’s a mistake and a risk, but I don’t think it’s a huge one. It’s not completely farfetched that he becomes an average starting defensive end in this league.
Grade: C
Guard/Offensive Tackle
TCU
6-6 349
Draft board overall prospect rank: #104
Draft board overall guard rank: #10
Overall rating: 67 (early 4th)
40 time: 5.20
4/26/11: Cannon has been diagnosed with lymphoma and will undergo 12 weeks of chemotherapy. Best of luck to him in his recovery, but I’m moving him down for obvious reasons. 12 weeks puts us in late July, at best, and chemotherapy isn’t exactly something you can just come off of and be in game shape immediately. I had a late first round grade on him. I’m dropping him to the 3rd round because this really is a talented player and pro athletes have bounced back from lymphoma before (Jon Lester) and had great careers.
3/15/11: Marcus Cannon has been TCU’s left tackle for a few years, protecting Andy Dalton’s blindside for one of the most explosive offenses in the league. However, with his weigh in the 360s and 370s, it looked as if he would have to move inside at the next level. Cannon has done a good job of losing about 20 pounds this offseason to get to 349. He ran very well at The Combine for his size and looked to be in very good shape for his weight both in his weigh in and during drills.
He looks sluggish on tape, but not incredibly sluggish and I think this guy could be a right tackle in the right scheme. If not, he’s a guard and most teams will still look at him as a guard. He’ll be a dominant run blocker and an immovable object no matter where he plays. I think he has a very solid future in the NFL.
NFL Comparison: Leonard Davis
3-4 Defensive End/Defensive Tackle/Nose Tackle
Alabama
6-3 319
Draft Board Overall 3-4 Defensive End Rank: #1
Draft Board Overall Prospect Rank: #6
Rating: 96 (elite)
40 time: 4.92
Marcell Dareus is regarded as the safe pick of the three top defensive linemen in this class (Dareus, Fairley, and Bowers). This doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Dareus hasn’t even played a full season as starter. He put up amazing stats as a backup rotational player in 2009, with 6.5 sacks at 300 pounds at age 19 and then in 2010, when he finally got a starting job, he missed 2 games with a suspension. Dareus is as boom or bust as any of the three elite defensive linemen in this class. He also has as high of an upside. This kid has barely scratched the surface of his talent.
He’s an athletic freak with a 4.92 40 at 6-3 319. He’s about 30 pounds heavier than Fairley and runs almost as fast and the 10 second splits between the two are nearly identical. He’s better coached than Fairley, coming from Nick Saban’s program at Alabama. He plays more contained and doesn’t have the same “dirty” label as Fairley. He has experience in a 3-4 scheme and it’s easier to convert from a 3-4 end to a 4-3 tackle than it is for a 4-3 tackle to do the opposite. Just look at Tyson Alualu, the 10th pick in 2010 as a former 3-4 end out of California moving into Jacksonville’s 4-3. He’s almost more well rounded than Fairley. Fairley is the better pass rusher, but Fairley is the better run stopper by far.
At his best, this is an absolutely dominant lineman in all facets of the game. However, he only has 15 career starts. He didn’t produce on Fairley’s elite level, against the same competition in the SEC. This isn’t a Suh/McCoy debate where Suh was the more athletic, more productive, and more well rounded player. Fairley was more productive, but Dareus is more athletic and more well rounded. Dareus had 6.5 sacks in 2009, in 13 games, 4 starts. He had 5.5 sacks in 2010, in 11 games, 11 starts.
Dareus can really play any position on a 3-4 line. He lined up inside at the 3-4 nose at times last year and weighing in at 319 pounds, he can definitely play that position in the NFL if a team chose to play him there. I wouldn’t play him there full time as it doesn’t best utilize his skills, but he could move inside on passing downs. He can also play the 4-3 tackle position, either of them.
He can take on multiple blockers and plug up multiple gaps and free up other players to roam around and make tackles and he can also play the one gap, as a pure interior rusher. He’s very versatile. He’s just not as good of a pass rusher as Fairley, as proven against the same competition. When it comes to the Fairley/Dareus debate, it’s so close. I take Fairley for a 4-3 team and Dareus for a 3-4.
NFL Comparison: Haloti Ngata
Let’s play a game, which one of these is not like the other? 13, 37, 41, 32, 58. How about these? 126, 391, 489. 518, 700. How about these? 1, 2, 2, 2, 10. Those numbers are Lewis’ reception totals, yards totals, and touchdown totals by year. Lewis is a former first round pick who never played well until his contract year. You can’t know for a fact that he was only trying hard because it was a contract year, but it is at least ominous. That’s why I liked that they franchised him. They were making him prove it again.
Now they have decided to resign him long term, 5 years, 35 million, with 18 million guaranteed. He’s getting paid more than Zach Miller. You have to admit it’s at least risky. I’m not even sure he’s worth that money even if he does play like he did last year for 5 years. He’s still a non-elite (Dwight Clark, Antonio Gates, Jason Witten, Vernon Davis) tight end.
Grade: D
Lawson’s never been much of a pass rusher which is why he was never great as a former first round pick in San Francisco’s 3-4 as a rush linebacker. In a 4-3 as a strong side linebacker in Cincinnati, there’s a good chance he fares much better. If not, he should at least be a solid starter and keep the seat warm for rookie Dontay Moch and this was only a 3 million dollar deal for 1 year.
Grade: A
Floyd isn’t a great receiver, but he’s starting caliber, he knows the system and he’s familiar with the system. He’s better than anyone else the Chargers could have gotten to replace him and he’s well worth the 5 million over 2 years they gave him.
Grade: A
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