Dreessen is one of the more underrated players in the league. He’s a fantastic run blocker on two-tight end sets in Houston, but he’s also stepped into the lineup and done well as a receiver when Owen Daniels has been hurt over the last 2 seasons. He’s also a great end zone threat. I think he can be a #1 tight end and in Denver, he’ll compliment Jacob Tamme, more of an h-back, well. This is a good value, 3 years 8.5 million, but I question adding Dreessen over Dallas Clark, who Peyton Manning is more familiar with. Maybe Manning knows something about Clark that we don’t know.

Grade: B

Defensive End/Rush Linebacker

Georgia

6-3 267

Draft Board Overall Prospect Rank: #20

Draft Board Overall Defensive End Rank: #6

Rating: 85 (mid 1^st)

40 time: 4.57

4/26/11: Houston failed a drug test for marijuana at The Combine. This is more of a stupidity test than anything. You know you’re going to be tested. I’m not dropping him too far. Remember Percy Harvin’s failed drug test? Unless it’s a quarterback, this isn’t a major issue. 

3/23/11: Down 3 pounds from The Combine, Houston looked even more athletic, running a 4.57, with a 1.62 10 yard split, and moving well in the drills. 

3/14/11: Justin Houston is an intriguing prospect. We all know he can get to the quarterback with 17.5 sacks in a major conference in the last 2 years. He’s got a good motor and a clean history, but before The Combine, everyone saw him as a prospect similar to Jerry Hughes, the 31^st overall pick in 2010, almost solely a 3-4 player at under 6-3 and under 260 pounds, with the ability to fit into selective 4-3s (for instance the Colts who drafted him).

However, Houston surprised everyone at The Combine, not only by measuring in at 6-3, but also by showing up at 270 pounds. That certainly helps his stock as a 4-3 player, which means he could go as high as #20 to Tampa Bay, #24 to New Orleans, #25 to Seattle, and almost certainly won’t fall past the Falcons at #27. However, some say it ruined him as a 3-4 player.

I am not of this opinion. I believe that by running a 4.67 and looking fluid in drills that he didn’t completely ruin his stock as a 3-4 player. People like to use Robert Ayers as a cautionary tale. Ayers, as a 272 pound end/linebacker, was drafted with the 18^th overall pick in 2009 and two years later has not even blossomed into a consistent starter for Denver.

I see several differences between Ayers and Houston. For one, Houston played some linebacker in college as the Georgia Bulldog use more 3-4 than most teams (with California and Alabama being the other 2 notable 3-4 college teams). On tape, he looked very fluid in coverage and as a pass rusher in the two point stance. Granted, this was all when he was 10-15 pounds lighter, but the experience, at the very least, is going to help him at the next level.

Houston’s 40 time, 4.67, was better than Ayers’ 4.78 and Ayers didn’t look as fluid as Houston on tape. Finally, Houston is the better pass rusher. Ayers is definitely the better run stopper of the two and with only 7.5 sacks in his final 2 seasons at Tennessee, Ayers was much better known for being a run stopping left end than a pass rushing right end. Houston is the opposite. He is significantly better as a pass rusher with 17.5 sacks in his last 2 years, but doesn’t have Ayers’ ability as a run stopper.

3-4 teams will definitely have to examine him more closely in individual workouts, unable to purely rely on the tape after his weight gain, but teams like Kansas City at #21, Baltimore at #26, and New England at #28 will all give him a close look needing rush linebackers.

In the end, I love Houston as a prospect. I have a flat mid 1^st round grade on him and think he should come off the board in the first 15-20 picks. In reality, he’ll probably go a little bit lower (though you never know with Jacksonville at #16, they always seem to make one pick per year you never see coming).

I love Houston’s motor, Houston’s experience and proven track record in both a 3-4 and a 4-3, his athleticism, and his overall mature pass rushing repertoire. I think he compares well to Calvin Pace, an athletic pass rusher in the high 260/low 270 pound range throughout his career, who has had success as a good, but not great pass rusher in both a 3-4 and a 4-3 scheme in his career.

NFL Comparison: Calvin Pace

Vanden Bosch only had 7.5 sacks over the last two years, but he’s thrived in Jim Schwartz’ system before when the current Lions head man was a D-Coordinator in Tennessee. He had 12 sacks under him in 2007. 26 million dollars seems like a lot over 4 years for a 31 year old defensive end, but he has a huge motor and he’s a perfect fit for the scheme. I like how the Lions are building in the trenches this offseason (Schwartz definitely following the Titans’ mold) adding Vanden Bosch and Williams to a D-Line that already had Sammie Lee Hill and Cliff Avril. I can’t hate this deal too much.

Grade: B

QB Drew Stanton

RB Kevin Smith

FB Jerome Felton

WR Brian Clark

OT Corey Hilliard

C Dylan Gandy

DE Cliff Avril

DE Turk McBride

DE Jared DeVries

DE Copeland Bryan

DT Andre Fluellen

OLB Julian Peterson

OLB Landon Johnson

OLB Ashlee Palmer

OLB Bobby Carpenter

OLB Zach Follett (exclusive rights)- tendered

OLB Caleb Campbell (exclusive rights)

MLB Vinny Ciurciu

CB Chris Houston

CB Tye Hill

CB Brandon McDonald

CB Eric King

S CC Brown 

Offseason moves:

Cut Julian Peterson

Tendered Zach Follett

Signed Erik Coleman

Cut Eric King

Draft 

Wide Receiver 

Cincinnati

6-0 187

40 time: 4.56

Draft board overall prospect rank: #80

Draft board wide receiver rank: #9

Overall rating: 74*

2/28/10: I have a feeling Gilyard was just having a bad day, he looked WAY faster this season than the 4.56 he ran today. However, I’m moving him down my board a little until he runs a faster time at his Pro Day.

1/30/10: He was the North’s leading receiver with 5 catches for 102 yards and a score and made some very impressive catches against tough coverage. These catches were ones where the defender didn’t give him a ton of room, but he either was able to create just enough separation to get the ball, or able to make an acrobatic catch away from his body. He also was one of the better kick returners in this game as well. I think he dispelled the concerns about his size from earlier this week (weighing in at 8-10 lighter and 2 inches shorter than he was listed), and actually got a comparison to DeSean Jackson by the commentators. I wouldn’t quite say that, but he certainly has the look of an NFL wide receiver and also a kick returner.

1/26/10: Measuring 2 inches shorter than what you were listed at is never a good thing. 

1/17/10: Needs to bulk up, but he projects as a nice slot receiver at the next level. He has very good agility and would be a welcome addition to a team as a punt returner as well and he runs fast straight line like a gazelle, but he comes from a spread offense so he may be a system player that doesn’t translate well to the NFL. 

            9/6/09: Marshawn Gilyard is a long lanky wide receiver with excellent quickness and elusiveness. While he needs to work some on his route running, as do most wide receivers his age, and he needs to lower the amount of passes he drops and the amount of balls he fumbles, he still has an extremely bright future in NFL scouts’ eyes. He put up amazing numbers last year at Cincinnati with almost 100 yards per game played despite playing without his starting quarterback for several games. He also caught 11 touchdowns and, with his combination of long arms and height, established himself somewhat as an endzone threat. He has extremely long legs and gets faster the long he runs, which is why is 40 time is not a great indication of his speed. He’s elusive in the open field and on kick/punt returns, where he was one of the best in the country. His only issue on kick/punt returns is the same issue he has at wide receiver, his hands. He fumbled too many punt returns and kickoffs last season, but when he did maintain control of the ball, which was still a good percentage of the time, he made the most of it. He has an extremely wiry frame and is not a good blocker. He can get out muscled by a lot of cornerbacks. He’s a great jumper and wins a lot of jump balls with jumping ability, long arms, and height. He has shown amazing endurance in the past, living out of his car in 2006 because he got his scholarship taken away from cheating during his freshman year. He has built tremendous character and emerged in 2007, after getting his scholarship back as a better man and a more gracious football player. He’s not the diva wide receiver that is so common in the NFL. Unless he bulks up some he’s not going to be a star in the NFL, but he has great quickness and can be an asset to a team on special teams and as a slot receiver. His ceiling appears to be a #2 receiver and that’s enough to earn him some looks in the middle of the 2^nd round in a draft thin at wide receiver.

NFL Comparison: Steve Breaston

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

1^st quarter

14:55: Ball with a good explosive run, initial explosion and then runs through a guy for a gain of 8.

14:20: Ball finds a hole, converts 2^nd and 2.

13:31: Ball with a decent 4 yard run.

13:09: Ball with a big hole, nice cut back, doesn’t go down for first contact.

11:28: Ball with a powerful 7 yard 1^st down run.

10:28: Ball to the outside, waits for a block and then north to south for a decent pickups. Decent explosion and speed. 7 yards.

9:30: Ball up the middle against a stacked box, still able to get 4 yards somehow, though his offensive line had a lot to do with it.

8:29: Ball to the sideline, forced out of bounds after about 3.

7:42: Ball powers straight down the middle for a sizeable touchdown, 9 yards.

6:20: Cunningham goes up and gets one. Nice hands and vertical ability.

1:54: Ball up the middle on 3^rd and 4 on a draw, converts, explosive run.

0:25: Trenton Robinson, Michigan State safety, with an interception. Great ball skills, horrible ball skills by Wisconsin wide receiver Nick Toon on that one. Looked like a miscommunication between him and Russell Wilson, who made a poor decision throwing into to coverage and not the most accurate throw. Nice hustle by Wilson, however, to actual be the one to chase down Robinson and tackle for him for no gain. You don’t see quarterbacks do that very often.

2^nd quarter

13:56: Montee Ball with a run up the middle. Jerel Worthy, a non factor to this point, hits ball in the backfield. Ball is strong, but Worthy is stronger and had momentum. Tackle for loss. Worthy needs to make more like this to maintain his status as a mid first rounder. He had been dominated by Wisconsin’s awesome offensive line to this point.

12:59: Cunningham with a 9 yard gain on a short, quick slant. Kirk Cousins was not accurate, but Cunningham bails him back with nice hands to catch a ball behind him.

10:39: Ball up the middle against a stacked box for 4.

10:05: 2^nd bad mistake of the game by Nick Toon. False start as a receiver. Bad. Bad bad bad.

7:50: Poor blitz pickup by Ball.

7:34: Ball cuts, nice patience between the tackles, cutting in and out a few times to make something out of nothing. He does leave with a head injury, though.

1:20: Cousins over the middle to Cunningham, awesome route run, nice hands and an even better run after the catch to break free for a 35 yard touchdown with several defenders in the area when he caught it.

3^rd quarter

10:21: Ball wide open out of the backfield for a sizable gain on the outside. 22 yards, forced out of bounds eventually.

9:43: Trenton Robinson, a former cornerback and a rising prospect at free safety for Michigan State, gets a nice tackle for loss on a Russell Wilson outside run.

9:03: Ball, back in the game, up the middle against a blitz, a lot of space, but only 4 yards. Good closing speed by Michigan State’s defense.

8:33: Ball on a nice chip block.

7:33: One play after recording a sack, Wisconsin middle linebacker Chris Borland has a tackle for a loss. The sophomore is having a huge day after 15 tackles last week. He’s really coming into his own and is someone to look out for down the road.

4:24: Ball with a short inside run.

2:03: Cunningham with another 3^rd down catch, nice hands to catch it in a tight window.

1:33: Cunningham on a quick slant, able to get a few yards after the catch. 8 yards on 1^st down.

4^th quarter

14:55: Cunningham with a nice run block on an inside run. He’s had a few nice run blocks tonight and has shown a good willingness to block on the outside, which is half the battle with receivers.

12:15: Aaron Henry, one of the top safety prospects this year, with a tackle for loss.

10:58: Cunningham blanketed, but makes an awesome catch in the corner of the end zone for a 2 point conversion. Awesome leaping catch.

10:00: Ball targeted, but inaccurate under pressure. Ball could have made a better play on the ball.

8:31: Ball with a ton of space, explosive 21 yard run.

7:59: Cunningham targeted, but he wasn’t open. Not a good throw either. Cunningham did the best he could.

6:54: Ball with an excellent block in the backfield to give Wilson time to throw.

4:23: Ball takes a ton of room to the inside and turns it into 11 yards. Nice cut back, but this was almost all on the line.

3:12: Ball stuffed in the backfield on an outside run. Excellent penetration by Michigan State.

3:07: Ricky Wagner with a poorly timed and costly holding penalty.

1:39: Nick Toon hasn’t done much tonight, at least not much positive, but he does an excellent job to come back to his quarterback on a deep go route and catch it for 43 yards. Also, great job by Wilson of surviving under pressure and still making an awesome deep throw, right on the money.

1:26: Wilson dumps it off to Ball, who runs in untouched for a 2 yard touchdown.

0:36: Cunningham catches underneath for about 13 yards.

0:04: Aaron Henry with a clutch coverage to force an incompletion with 4 seconds left in the game.

0:00: Montee Ball finished with 115 yards and a score on 18 carries with 2 catches for 22 yards and another score in this game, which is very impressive considering how good Michigan State’s run defense is, even without William Gholston, who was suspended for this contest after trying to rip Denard Robinson’s head off against Michigan. Wisconsin’s offensive line certainly helped, as the stud inside duo of Kevin Zietler at guard and Peter Konz at center absolutely dominated potential first round pick Jerel Worthy, with the exception of a few plays. Konz and Zietler are both rising prospects and are in the discussion to be among the first interior linemen off the board.

Back to Ball, as good as his line was, when Ball left the game a little bit with a concussion, their offense really sputtered. Ball’s backup James White, a talented back in his own right, was only able to rush for 42 yards on 11 carries, which helps Ball’s stock. Ball runs bigger than the 5-11 215 he is and he has decent, but not great breakaway speed. He can pass block and pass catch and figures to compete with Lamar Miller and Chris Polk to be the first back off the board after Trent Richardson.

Now back to Jerel Worthy, this game certainly didn’t help his stock. He was a non factor for most of the game and while Wisconsin’s offensive line is very, very good, so are most of the lines in the NFL. Worthy finished the game with 4 tackles, 2 for loss, but really didn’t make an impact with Zietler and Konz able to double team him with Gholston out. This game won’t hurt his stock too much, but he still looks like just a bottom half of the first round type guy, even in a weak defensive tackle class.

Russell Wilson had his first bad game of the season going 14 for 21 for 223 yards, 2 touchdowns, but 2 costly picks. At 5-11, he isn’t a prototypical quarterback, but he’s a leader and he throws the ball at a good angle. He also has a good arm, especially for his size and he’s mobile. I think he’s got a lot of developmental tools and looks like a mid rounder, a la Troy Smith, a very similar player also out of the Big 10, but this wasn’t his best game. He gets a bit of a pass because Michigan State has an awesome defense, but he remains a 4^th rounder or so in my book.

Speaking of Michigan State’s awesome defense, safety Trenton Robinson had yet another good game for Michigan State and is rising up into the day 2 range possibly in a weak safety class. In 7 games, he has 32 tackles, 2 picks, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, and 1 pass deflection. Wilson’s top receiver, Nick Toon didn’t help his stock either. He had two really bad plays, a miscommunication and a lack of awareness on Russell Wilson’s pick and a false start. He also only caught 2 balls, but had a very nice 43 yard catch in the 4^th quarter. He’s a rising prospect who could be in the round 2 range now, but this game at least halted his rise.

As for BJ Cunningham, he looked very good on short, intermediate and deep routes. He has very nice hands and bailed out his quarterback on a couple occasions. He had 6 catches for 106 yards and a touchdown, not including an awesome catch for a two point conversion. He’s got solid breakaway speed and nice size at 6-2 210. In 7 games, he already has 48 catches for a career high 723 yards and 3 touchdowns. He looks like a potential day 2 prospect and could find himself in the first 2 or 3 rounds if he keeps this up.

Cunningham’s quarterback, Kirk Cousins, had yet another solid game. He went 22 for 31 for 290 yards and 3 touchdowns with no picks. He led an awesome game winning drive, Hail Mary touchdown and all. Cunningham bailed him out on a few plays and he still isn’t the most consistent, accurate, or dominant player, but he still is a solid day 2 pick because of his leadership, his arm strength, his experience, and his flashes of brilliance. All the tools are there, but he’s not the most consistent player and he doesn’t stand out on tape.

Cornerback

LSU

5-11 188

Draft board overall prospect rank: #6

Draft board overall cornerback rank: #1

Overall rating: 91 (Top 10 pick)

40 time: 4.47

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

Positives

·         Great athlete

·         Ball skills (11 interceptions in 2 years)

·         Deadly with the ball in his hands (274 INT return yards and a touchdown)

·         Also a deadly return man (568 yards and a touchdown on 22 returns)

·         Former quarterback and wide receiver

·         Excellent man to man cover corner

·         Rarely thrown on

·         Productive even though rarely thrown on (6 picks and 6 deflections)

·         Held up well when thrown on more often in 2010 (offenses were throwing away from Patrick Peterson)

·         Great hips

·         Mirrors extremely well

·         Smooth in and out and breaks

·         Long arms (33 ¼ inches)

·         A lot of upside

·         A solid and willing tackler

·         Well coached

·         Great in both zone and man/man press schemes

Negatives

·         Only average size (5-11 188)

·         Not a superb 40 time (4.47)

·         A little high in backpedal

·         Slips more often than you’d like

·         Not quite an elite, shutdown cornerback

NFL Comparison: Joe Haden

Morris Claiborne isn’t as good as his former teammate Patrick Peterson, who came out late year. Peterson went 5^th overall and was my top rated prospect (an opinion I was not alone in). However, he compare favorably to Joe Haden, who went 7^th overall in 2010. Haden might have even had more of an immediate impact in coverage (though he has nothing on Peterson’s 4 punt returns for touchdowns). Peterson has more upside though, but Claiborne should still be a very good cornerback.

He doesn’t quite have Peterson’s measurables and return ability and there’s a reason he was the #2 cornerback to Peterson in 2010. Peterson is much more physical and a better cover cornerback. Claiborne, however, is a very good man cornerback as well, and he can also play zone effectively, but his gifts are best utilized in a man or man press scheme. He’s also got average size (5-11 188) and speed (4.47), but he does have very long arms to make up for his lack of height. His ball skills are off the charts, probably because he’s a former quarterback and wide receiver (in High School). He’ll make a very good pick in the top 10, probably 5^th to Tampa Bay, he’s just not quite elite.

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl, as I predicted last August (just saying), last year despite having many players on IR, including several key players. Among those were Ryan Grant, their lead back, Jermichael Finley, their stud tight end, Morgan Burnett, a talented rookie starter at strong safety, Nick Barnett, a… (read more)