25. OT James Carpenter F

This pick and Christian Ponder 12^th to the Vikings were the biggest reaches by my board in the first round. The Seahawks get the first round’s only F, unlike Minnesota, because at least Minnesota was taking a quarterback. The Seahawks were reaching for a right tackle. I don’t even care that this fills a need. Carpenter is a huge reach here. I thought he was a decent mid round prospect as a right tackle at Alabama and then he sucked in the Senior Bowl. How he ended up in the first round, I don’t know and neither does his former college coach Nick Saban. That’s a pretty bad sign.

75. G John Moffitt B+

Another offensive line upgrade, I’ll say this. At least they’re addressing the right part of the team. Moffitt is only a minor reach, though there were better guards available.

99. OLB KJ Wright C-

They could have maybe taken a linebacker late for depth purposes, but with all of their other needs (QB, WR, DT, CB, S), this was not a smart pick.

107. WR Kris Durham D

The Seahawks address a need here with a wide receiver, but Kris Durham in the 4^th round? I didn’t even have him in my top 300.

154. CB Richard Sherman A

Finally a nice pick. I think Sherman has great upside and he’s just learning the position as a converted former wide receiver. He fills a huge need and is a good value.

156. S Mark LeGree C

Safety was definitely a need, but I had LeGree rated at least 2 rounds lower than this so this was a reach by my book.

173. CB Byron Maxwell C

Another corner? Well I can’t say they didn’t need one, but I didn’t have Maxwell in my top 300.

205. DE Lazarius Levingston C-

Defensive end was not a need and this pick was a reach. This is a bad, bad draft for them, in my opinion.

242. OLB Malcolm Smith C

Another linebacker? Well Smith can play special teams, but they needed other things like a developmental quarterback or a defensive tackle in case Mebane leaves in free agency. The only reason this isn’t a D or an F is because Carroll coached Smith at USC so he knows his abilities better than any other head coach would.

Overall:

I think this might have been the worst draft. They started out with an F in the first round, which is tough to work back from. It didn’t get much better from there. Whether it was drafting a linebacker unnecessarily in the 4^th round or taking Kris Durham at 107 or making a bunch of late reaches, this was not a great draft. Only the John Moffitt and the Richard Sherman picks made any sense to me. They didn’t add a single quarterback. The only reason this draft is not an F is because they at least tried to build their line upfront, a huge need. By giving them a low grade, I’m not trying to say I’m smarter than Pete Carroll and the Seattle drafting staff. I’m just saying that think they’ll regret a lot of this draft in a few years. It happens every year, there are bad drafts. I’m just trying to predict them based on my assessments of team needs, my general drafting philosophy, and my draft board. What Seattle did, didn’t line up. I will be wrong with a few of my grades in a few years, which is why I not only regrade drafts down the line, but also grade my own grades.

Grade: D

Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7

St. Louis Rams- CB Jerome Murphy (South Florida)

Detroit Lions- WR Demaryius Thomas (Georgia Tech)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- OT Kyle Calloway (Iowa)

Kansas City Chiefs- NT Cam Thomas (North Carolina)

Washington Redskins- MLB Brandon Spikes (Florida)

Seattle Seahawks- RB Montario Hardesty (Tennessee)

Philadelphia Eagles- OT Jared Veldheer (Hillsdale)

Oakland Raiders- G Maurkice Pouncey (Florida)

Buffalo Bills- NT Linval Joseph (East Carolina)

Jacksonville Jaguars- C Erik Olsen (Notre Dame)

Chicago Bears- G Jon Asamoah (Illinois)

Miami Dolphins- MLB Joe Pawelek (Baylor)

Tennessee Titans- WR Andre Roberts (Citadel)

Carolina Panthers- DE Austin Lane (Murray State)

San Francisco 49ers- RLB Willie Young (NC State)

Denver Broncos- MLB Micah Johnson (Kentucky)

New York Giants- CB Rafael Priest (TCU)

Pittsburgh Steelers- OT Roger Saffold (Indiana)

Atlanta Falcons- WR Jacoby Ford (Clemson)

Houston Texans- CB Chris Cook (Virginia)

New England Patriots- TE Andrew Quarless (Penn State)

Cincinnati Bengals- DE Jason Worilds (Virginia Tech)

Philadelphia Eagles- QB Colt McCoy (Texas)

Green Bay Packers- OT Selvish Capers (West Virginia)

Arizona Cardinals- QB Bill Stull (Pittsburgh)

New York Jets- 3-4 DE CJ Wilson (East Carolina)

Dallas Cowboys- MLB Jamar Chaney (Mississippi)

San Diego Chargers- G Mitch Petrus (Arkansas)

Seattle Seahawks- S Major Wright (Florida)

Minnesota Vikings- G Sergio Render (Virginia Tech)

Indianapolis Colts- WR Dorin Dickerson (Pittsburgh)

New Orleans Saints- DT Geno Atkins (Georgia)

Cincinnati Bengals- QB Zac Robinson (Oklahoma State)

Go on to Round 5

Or go back to the “Will” Mock Draft

Or check out other mock drafts

Or make your own

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And Daniel Snyder was doing so well this offseason. He got Josh Wilson, Santana Moss, and Barry Cofield for either market value or below market value. I guess it was only a matter of time until he did something like this. Bowen had a nice season last year, but that the only even good season he’s had in his career. He has 11 career starts and rewarding guys, especially defensive linemen, after one good year in a contract year has a way of coming back to bite you in the ass. Stephen Bowen is only 27 so this isn’t a terrible move, but paying him 27.5 million over 5 years with 12 million in guarantees looks pretty stupid.

Grade: D

Running Back/Full Back

Baylor

6-0 241

Draft board overall prospect rank: #116

Draft board overall running back rank: #9

Overall rating: 63 (4th round)

40 time: 4.63

Games watched: TCU/Baylor, Texas A&M/Baylor, Oklahoma/Baylor 

Positives

·         Powerful runner

·         Good vision

·         Great downhill runner

·         Huge (6-0 241)

·         Very tough to tackle

·         Runs guys over in the open field

·         Scary when he gets a head of steam in the open field

·         Impressive athleticism for his size

·         Very good senior season (1547 yards and 21 touchdowns on 250 carries)

·         Good short yardage runner

·         Has the size and ability to play fullback if running back doesn’t work out

·         Not a lot of tread on his tires (364 career carries)

·         Good size and technique as a blocker

Negatives

·         Poor outside runner

·         Poor 40 (4.63)

·         Takes a while to get up to full speed

·         Not a lot of burst or acceleration

·         Useless as a pass catcher (6 catches as a senior)

·         Came out of nowhere – one year wonder

·         Not good in the open field

·         Minimal wiggle and elusiveness

·         One speed runner

·         Not a lot of speed to burn

NFL Comparison: LeGarrette Blount

As a prospect, Ganaway reminds me of LeGarrette Blount. Like Ganaway, Blount is a big, powerful back, but only a one year wonder, though Blount’s reason for being a one year wonder has more to do with getting suspended for his senior season. Ganaway doesn’t have Blount’s off the field problems so he’ll probably get drafted unlike Blount. However, like Blount, I expect Ganaway (a projected late round pick) to exceed his draft slot.

The first and biggest obvious comparison between Blount and Ganaway is their size, but both are also poor pass catchers who will be pretty useless on 3^rd down in the NFL. Both are mobile for their size and are scary in the open field when they get a head of steam. Blount had one fantastic season in the NFL as a rookie, but showed his true colors in his 2^nd season.

He really failed to impress as a lead back and will be best off as a tandem back who plays mostly on 1^st and 2^nd down, which he will be in his 3^rd season as the Buccaneers are expected to draft another running back to pair with him. Ganaway will be good as part of a tandem in the NFL, used in a similar fashion. He also has some ability to move to fullback if he doesn’t pan out as a running back.

() FA Rank 

QB Kerry Collins

FB Ahmard Hall

WR Randy Moss

TE Bo Scaife

OT Mike Otto

G LeRoy Harris

DT Marques Douglas

DE Jason Babin (#35) 

He had 12.5 sacks this season, but his previous career high was 5 and he’s 31 in May. Giving longterm deals to 30+ year old defensive ends after one year of success is normally a bad idea.

DE Dave Ball

DE Jacob Ford 

OLB David Thornton

OLB Tim Shaw

OLB Colin Allred 

MLB Stephen Tulloch (#20)

Tulloch broke out in 2009 and has 280 tackles in the last 2 tackles. He was 2^nd in the league with 159 this year. He struggles in coverage occasionally, but I’m nitpicking.

S Donnie Nickey

P Brett Kern- resigned 4 years 5.2 million 

Offseason moves:

Resigned Brett Kern

Draft

By Michael J Morris

With both teams licking their wounds to kill time on the flight to England, it was anyone’s game Sunday between the 49ers and the Denver Broncos.  The Broncos, coming off their embarrassing 14-59 performance against the Oakland Raiders a week prior and the 49ers losing to the Carolina Panthers.

Last week, David Carr was given an opportunity to take the reins as the quarterback of the quarterback-less 49ers, but failed to meet expectations similar to those of the team at the start of the season.  Although his time under center was forced because of an injury to Alex Smith late in the game against Carolina, it was enough to see that his decision making was too much like Alex and it was time to give plan C a try.

Plan C goes by the name of Smith, Troy Smith, the Heisman winning quarterback that was drafted out of Ohio State in 2007.  The same Troy Smith that had a website made for him by Browns fans urging Cleveland Browns management to take him in the draft.  Browns management failed to listen but the poll is still out to whether or not that decision will be a costly one. Smith would be drafted in Day 2 at the end of the fifth round.

Don’t get me wrong, Troy Smith didn’t have a great game, as he only passed for 197 yards and a score, but he did get the job done, completing 8 of 10 passes for 110 yards with a late touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree that put them ahead.

You couldn’t expect a guy who a week ago was third in line, but to see that he took advantage of his opportunity and kept from making a mistake that those ahead of him would most likely have made gives a little hope to the quarterback situation.

The defense was able to keep Kyle Orton and the Broncos out of the red-zone, allowing them only 16 points on the day despite a 369 yard outing by Orton. Frank Gore made Smith’s job a lot easier as well, carrying the rock for 118 yards and a touchdown.

“Our receivers just told our coaches, ‘you know, let’s play,’” Gore said. “We can’t try to hold stuff back. You know our coaches called it and Troy did a great job … he made big plays when it counted and when we needed it.”

I’m sure the bye week couldn’t have come soon enough for Coach Singletary and his staff.

“We’re going to continue to go forward with Troy Smith right now,” Singletary said. “We’re going into the bye week and as far as Alex Smith is concerned, it’s a week-to-week deal. I’ll wait and talk to our doctors, trainers, whatever. But we’ll make those decisions when we need to.”

Go back to 49ers Fan Spot 

http://michaeljmorris.wordpress.com/ 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers came into the free agency period with more cap space than any team in the league and they are expected to be big players in free agency to patch holes on a team that was a mere 4-12 last season. They’ve started out by signing arguably the best free agent not named “Peyton” or “Mario,” signing Vincent Jackson to be their #1 wide receiver and much needed deep threat (career 17.5 YPC). Jackson will start opposite Mike Williams, more of a possession receiver. If new Head Coach Greg Schiano can get Williams into shape, Josh Freeman has a pretty solid receiving corps to work with in Vincent Jackson, Mike Williams, and Kellen Winslow.

Did the Buccaneers overpay by giving Jackson 55.5 million over 5 years with 26 million guaranteed? Maybe a little, but not as much as the Redskins did giving Pierre Garcon 42.5 million with 21 million guaranteed over the same time period. Garcon has never had 1000 yards in a season. Jackson has done that 3 times, including 60 catches for 1106 yards and 9 touchdowns last season. Besides, the Buccaneers had the money to spend.

There are a few concerns here. How will Jackson do without Philip Rivers, ones of the game’s best? Secondly, free agent wide receivers never seem to do as well in their new venue as their old. Thirdly, Jackson is 29 so this contract (assuming he plays the entirety of it out) takes him into his age 33 season.

Finally, how will Jackson respond to a large amount of money? He’s been wanting to get paid for years and rightfully so. He deserves it. However, he held out for most of the 2010 season after not being given a long term deal. There was also some speculation that he would hold up the lockout by demanding the Chargers couldn’t franchise tag him. Combine those 2 things with the fact that Jackson had no problem leaving San Diego for 4 win Tampa Bay and you’ve got a guy who may just be chasing the money. For a Buccaneer team with a lot of money and a lot of help needed, I think Jackson is worth the risk.

Grade: B

Week 13 Pickups 

Week 13 Injury Report 

WR Nate Burleson (Detroit)

Percent owned (ESPN): 26.6%

Burleson deserves to be owned in all leagues. He, not Brandon Pettigrew, is Matt Stafford’s #2 target after Megatron. He was in the preseason and he was in the opener. He had 5 catches for 60 yards in the opener and Detroit’s passing offense looks like one of the better ones in the league this year.

RB Cadillac Williams (St. Louis)

Percent owned (ESPN): 6.8%

Steven Jackson will not play against New York this week. Cadillac Williams, who rushed for 91 yards on 19 carries after Jackson went down week 1, figures to be the lead back. He’s especially valuable in PPR leagues because he’s a hell of a pass catcher. He caught 5 passes for 49 yards week 1.

WR Devery Henderson (New Orleans)

Percent owned (ESPN): 6.0%

Marques Colston is out for at least 4 weeks. Henderson, who caught 6 passes for 100 yards and a score in the opener, will step into the starting lineup for him. I don’t know to tell you how explosive New Orleans’ offense is, so this is very good for his fantasy value.

QB Cam Newton (Carolina)

Percent owned (ESPN): 23.7%

Cam Newton threw for 422 yards and 2 scores in the opener. He won’t do that every week and he’ll have his share of inconsistencies as a rookie, but he’s definitely got the upside to be worth a spot on your bench for now.

WR Brandon Gibson (St. Louis)

Percent owned (ESPN): 1.4%

Danny Amendola is out at least and a week and likely longer. Someone has got to catch the passes for Sam Bradford. Brandon Gibson, who led the way with 3 catches for 50 yards against Philly’s tough pass defense, figures to be the guy along with Mike Sims Walker, who was blanketed in the opener by Nnamdi Asomugha.

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (Buffalo)

Percent owned (ESPN): 25.2%

Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t going to throw for 4 touchdowns every week, but in his first full season as a starter, he looks to have settled into his role and provides for a decent QB2. He’s especially valuable if you have a starting quarterback who had an iffy week 1 performance (Eli Manning).

QB Rex Grossman (Washington)

Percent owned (ESPN): 3.5%

Like Fitzpatrick, Grossman shouldn’t be started yet, but if you have an iffy starting quarterback and are looking for a backup with some upside, I’d go Cam Newton, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Rex Grossman 3^rd. Hell, I might pick up one of those 3 if I wasn’t satisfied with my backup situation and just wanted to keep them away from an opponent. The former first round bust has revitalized himself in Mike Shanahan’s offense with 305 yards and 2 touchdowns in the opener.

RB Deji Karim (Jacksonville)

Percent owned (ESPN): 8.5%

With new quarterback Luke McCown, the Jaguars figure to run a lot. This is nothing new for them, but Maurice Jones Drew is on a play count, something he’s not happy about, thanks to his less than 100% injury situation. Karim only had 31 yards in the opener, but it’s the 14 carries I like to see. He’s a nice handcuff for MJD, an injury risk, and a high upside player for your bench for non-MJD owners.

TE Ed Dickson (Baltimore)

Percent owned (ESPN): 1.2%

Ed Dickson looks like Flacco’s favorite of his two tight ends, Dennis Pitta being the other one. Without a ton of talent at wide receiver (two decent veterans and a pair of raw rookies), the Ravens look to feature a lot of two tight end sets, much like New England does with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Dickson had 5 catches for 53 yards and a touchdown in the opener.

TE Fred Davis (Washington)

Percent owned (ESPN): 1.3%

Fred Davis caught 5 passes for 103 yards in the opener. The reason he’s so low on this list is because Chris Cooley wasn’t playing at 100% in their first game. The veteran Cooley will be better as the season goes on, but even then, Davis might be Washington’s most talented tight end.

TE Scott Chandler (Buffalo)

Percent owned (ESPN): 0.3%

Scott Chandler had 1 career catch going into this season. He caught 5 passes for 63 yards and 2 touchdowns in the opener. He’s not a particularly talented player, but Ryan Fitzpatrick showed comfortability throwing to him in the preseason and in the opener. The 6-7 263 Chandler is a hell of an end zone target and the Bills lack a true #2 receiving threat after Stevie Johnson.