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“Should” Mock 

 

Updated 4/16/10

 

65. St. Louis Rams- OLB Dekoda Watson (Florida State)

They traded Will Witherspoon midseason and replaced him with Paris Lenon and, no surprised, afterwards, their defense really sucked. Lenon is a free agent anyway. The Rams have bigger needs like their defensive line, but Watson has good upside and looked great at The Combine.

66. Detroit Lions- RB Jonathan Dwyer (Georgia Tech)

Sticking with best player available, the Lions take Dwyer, who could have gone in the first round before laying an epic stink bomb at the Combine, showing up out of shape, and running a much slower 40 than expected. He still has upside though and the Lions have a need at the position because they don’t have much behind Kevin Smith and even he didn’t have a good year last year.

67. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- DE Jermaine Cunningham (Florida)

No one on the team had more than 6.5 sacks last year, so a defensive end will be targeted early. Cunningham is my favorite sleeper prospect and he would fit their Tampa 2 scheme very well, assuming they switch back to the scheme.

68. Kansas City Chiefs- WR Demaryius Thomas (Georgia Tech)

The Chiefs went through about 8 wide receivers opposite Dwayne Bowe this season until they finally found Chris Chambers who worked for them. Chambers is now a free agent and might not be back and even if he is, they don’t have much depth below him. Thomas would fit the scheme well.

69. Oakland Raiders- QB Jarrett Brown (West Virginia)

Jarrett Brown ran a 4.54 40 at 6-3 224. This makes him a great quarterback in Al Davis’ eyes. He also has a cannon for an arm. He’s like JaMarcus Russell only less of a fat slob. The Raiders said they were sticking by Russell as their quarterback earlier this offseason, but after the rumors that linked the Raiders to Donovan McNabb, that is no longer true. It probably has something to do with the fact that Russell weighed in at 290 at offseason workouts. If they don’t trade for Jason Campbell, they’ll target a quarterback through the draft.

70. Philadelphia Eagles (via SEA)- G Vladimir Ducasse (Massachusetts)

Cutting Shawn Andrews leaves the door open for Andy Reid to draft one of his trademark fat offensive linemen. Ducasse fits that job description at 330 pounds.

71. Cleveland Browns- WR Jeremy Williams (Tulane)

The Browns swapped out all their crap quarterbacks for other crap quarterbacks, some spare change and a fullback. Now time to actually get their quarterbacks someone to throw to.

72. Buffalo Bills- OT Tony Washington (TCU)

In one of the most bizarre NFL draft stories in a long time, it was revealed that Washington once had consensual sex with his 15-year-old biological sister when he was 16 and had to register as a sex offender. Don’t you think if you were a registered sex offender, you might not want to be famous. Just a thought. Either way, as disgusting as that is, that has nothing to do with what kind of football player he will be and the left tackle starved Bills will reach for him here because the left tackle class is extremely thin this year and drops off right after him.

73. Miami Dolphins- RLB Ricky Sapp (Clemson)

The Dolphins passed on a rush linebacker in the first because the rush linebacker class is deeper than the nose tackle class, but they’ll need to take one here to replace the departed Joey Porter.

74. New England Patriots- 3-4 DE Mike Neal (Purdue)

Neal would be a good fit for their defense. They need a long term replacement for Richard Seymour and Neal is a prototypical 3-4 defense end.

75. Chicago Bears- S Myron Lewis (Vanderbilt)

Danieal Manning is a good kick returner, but they are kidding themselves trying to pass him off as a free safety. They need a true free safety. Lewis is a lot like Sean Smith, a defensive back prospect that can play both corner and safety, both of which the Bears need. Lewis is a better fit as a safety in the Bears’ scheme.

76. New York Giants- MLB Pat Angerer (Iowa)

Some guys have Anger, but this guy has angerer. Name jokes aside, the Giants just cut Antonio Pierce and need a longterm replacement.

77. Tennessee Titans- CB Chris Cook (Virginia)

Nick Harper was so bad last year that he may have to retire this offseason, against his will, because no one is interested in the soon to be 36 year old free agent. I don’t see why the Titans didn’t just bench him, but he’s gone now so they’ll need to get someone for the future to start across from Cortland Finnegan. Cook has good upside and a ton of experience in a scheme similar to Tennessee’s at Virginia.

78. Carolina Panthers- DE Corey Wootton (Northwestern)

With Julius Peppers gone, the Panthers are going to struggle to create quarterback pressure unless 2009 2^nd round pick Everette Brown has a huge breakout year. Take away Peppers’ 10.5 sacks and they had 20.5 sacks all last year. Even if Brown pans out, they’ll need a good left end opposite him. Wootton has a ton of upside as either a 3-4 right end or a 4-3 left.

79. San Francisco 49ers- CB Domonique Franks (Oklahoma)

Passing in their biggest need with their first 3 picks might have raised some eyebrows, but this cornerback class is extremely deep. Franks is a 2^nd round prospect available in the 3^rd. He has major upside and can be their future starter across from Shawntae Spencer.

80. Denver Broncos- RB Toby Gerhart (Baylor)

Correll Buckhalter isn’t a bad running back, but he’s 31 and injury prone and Gerhart is a great value here. He would do a very solid job backing up Knowshon Moreno. 

81. Houston Texans- RB Montario Hardesty (Tennessee)

The Texans made it pretty clear they aren’t satisfied with their running game so adding a zone style running back like Hardesty to the mix in the 3^rd makes a lot of sense.

82. Pittsburgh Steelers- OT Kyle Calloway (Iowa)

More offensive line help for one of the worst offensive lines in the league last year, Calloway is strictly a right tackle, but he’s one of the best right tackles in the draft class. He fits what the Steelers look for in a tackle, good mauling size, and good work ethic.

83. Atlanta Falcons- OLB AJ Edds (Iowa)

After signing Dunta Robinson, the Falcons don’t have a lot of needs left. Outside linebacker though is one of them as they need a solid starter to replace Mike Peterson. Edds can play on the strong side moving Stephen Nicholas to the weak side, where he is a better fit. Edds is a very good natural strong side linebacker who could be a starter for this team sometime during year 1.

84. Cincinnati Bengals- CB Javier Arenas (Alabama)

The Bengals are so desperate for a kick returner and cornerback depth that they are considering signing Adam Pacman Jones. Arenas is more talented and less crazy. Plus, he’s also Gilbert Arenas’ cousin and Gilbert Arenas could come shoot up the locker room if Arenas is on the team next year and the Bengals seem to like that element of danger in a player.

85. Cleveland Browns (via OAK, NE)- S Chad Jones (LSU)

They drafted Eric Berry to fix one safety spot, but they could draft Jones here to play the other safety spot. Abram Elam could be upgraded and Jones is a steal here.

86. Green Bay Packers- S Rashad Jones (Georgia)

Atari Bigby is a solid safety, but always seems to be hurt. Seems like all of the good safeties have injury issues. But that can’t be because they hit like linebackers at a smaller size. If that were true, then using a top 5 draft pick on a safety would be pretty stupid. But I digress.

87. Philadelphia Eagles- OT Ciron Black (LSU)

Despite all of the money they spent on the offensive line, they still couldn’t protect Donovan McNabb last year, especially late in the season. I highly doubt Shawn Andrews will play again and they need an upgrade over Winston Justice, who gave up 7 sacks last season. Black fits the Eagles weight requirements for offensive lineman, all of the Eagles offensive lineman are 320 pounds or heavier because Andy Reid is insecure about his own weight issues. Black is 320 pounds and can easily bulk up to 350 on Reid’s all fat diet.

88. Arizona Cardinals (via BAL)- RLB Thaddeus Gibson (Ohio State)

Joey Porter doesn’t solve their pass rushing issue because he, like all of their top rush linebackers, is over 33 years old. They need a rush linebacker like Gibson to pair with Cody Brown in the future.

89. Arizona Cardinals- NT Torrell Troup (Central Florida)

The Cardinals have the right personnel for a full switch to the 3-4, all they need is a true nose tackle like Troup. They are lucky to get him here. After him, the nose tackle class gets pretty ugly.

90. Dallas Cowboys- MLB Jamar Chaney (Mississippi State)

Keith Brooking had a good year last year, but he’s getting up there in age so one bad year and he could be cut. They need an upgrade inside next to him as well.

91. San Diego Chargers- 3-4 DE Tyson Alualu (California)

The Chargers never got a chance to replace Igor Olshansky after he left as a free agent.

92. Cleveland Browns (via NYJ)- G John Jerry (Mississippi)

Eric Mangini will be thrilled to be able to draft a right guard in the 3^rd round. Positional value is a myth. It’s all about centers, guards, kickers, inside linebackers, 3-4 defensive ends, and free safeties.

93. Minnesota Vikings- QB Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan)

Brett Favre could literally retire at any moment, and one of those timess he might stay actually retired. Unless they pull off a deal for Donovan McNabb, The Vikings would be smart to bring in a backup whose name isn’t Tarvaris Jackson through the draft.

94. Indianapolis Colts- CB Akwasi Owusu-Ansah (IUPUI)

AOA would give the Colts the dynamic kick returning option that they really lack right now and give them valuable depth at cornerback.

95. New Orleans Saints- S Darrell Stuckey (Kansas)

As of this moment, Darren Sharper is not a Saint. Even if he resigns, he’s going to be 34 soon, and might not have that many good years left in him. I’m assuming, considering he was drafted with the 14^th pick in 2009, that the long term plan is to move Malcolm Jenkins to cornerback, so they need a longterm free safety. Stuckey is a part of a great safety class and could be a steal at this point.

96. Cincinnati Bengals- WR Marshawn Gilyard (Cincinnati)

The Bengals have already brought in two receivers this offseason, Matt Jones and Antonio Bryant, but they are going to find it tough to pass on Gilyard here. He’s local. He’s a redemption story and he’s one of the best available. Plus, I don’t think Bryant will pan out now that he has a long term deal.

97. Tennessee Titans- OLB Perry Riley (LSU)

Will Witherspoon was a great signing as a weakside linebacker, but they still need help on the strong side. Riley can play there and also play some in the middle of their 4-3 which is also a bit of a need.

98. Atlanta Falcons (comp)- TE Dennis Pitta (BYU)   

Tony Gonzalez only has one year left on his contract and he’s also getting up there in age. With more picks than needs, the Falcons can afford to take a steal on a tight end here.

 

 

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By Dean Holden 

The Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers are probably looking at a mismatched game this Sunday. 

Aaron Rodgers against one of the worst back seven in the NFL. The Lions struggling, shorthanded offense against the Packers thriving sack-machine of a defense.

The Lions defensive line vs. the Packers offensive line.

Wait a minute. That’s actually worth watching.

Last year, the Lions dominated the Packers’ offensive line at Lambeau (while the Packers dominated everywhere else), bring Aaron Rodgers down five times in that game.

That was with a defense that ranked 29th in sacks for the season, playing an offense that gave up a league-high 51 sacks on the season.

This year, the Lions rank third in sacks with 11 through three games. The Packers have given up three sacks all season.

Clearly, both teams have fixed their problems in that area. But now both units come to the test. The Lions are likely up against their toughest offensive line challenge yet, while the Packers come up against one of the league’s toughest defensive lines, backed by a shorthanded running game.

Both units appear improved, but which is more improved? That part could be fun.

Much of the Lions success on the pass rush last year was due to the Packers major injury concerns on the offensive line.

The line has some injury concerns again this year, but they seem to have stepped up their play, at least in pass protection. But just in case, the Packers also drafted Bryan Bulaga to spell and eventually replace oft-injured veteran left tackle Chad Clifton.

But neither Clifton nor Bulaga will be facing the Lions’ biggest threat on the line this year.

Ndamukong Suh, who has keyed a revival on the Lions’ front four, will lead the charge and attempt to slow Aaron Rodgers, who has never thrown for less than 300 yards against the Lions.

Granted, generating a pass rush against Rodgers didn’t help too much last year, but it did force the Packers into a lot of mistakes, and this year the Lions don’t have to trot out Daunte Culpepper, who went 0-for-the-Lions in his career.

Speaking of which, try to recall Culpepper’s 6-for-14, 48-yard performance against the Packers last year before you talk about how Shaun Hill isn’t any good.

The point is, the Lions will score more than zero points this Sunday, which theoretically gives them a chance to win.

It isn’t as though the game is riding on Suh and the pass rush, but he has the opportunity to make a big impact this week, especially with Packers left guard Daryn Colledge playing through a knee injury.

More importantly, this will be the matchup to watch this week. Not just Suh, but Corey Williams, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Cliff Avril, Turk McBride, Sammie Hill. All have been playing at a high level, any could find themselves plowing over Rodgers this weekend.

Most Lions fans are predicting doom, gloom, and Jason Hanson still not knowing what it feels like to win in Green Bay.

That may be exactly what happens. On paper, it’s certainly a mismatch of talent in all the wrong areas for Detroit.

But that battle up front will be an all-out war.

Can Suh fight through the doubles this week? Will Vanden Bosch be able to take advantage of a hobbled Clifton? On the other side, can the Avril/McBride combo get around 33-year-old right tackle (and perpetual underdog) Mark Tauscher, who has never played for a team at any level outside of Wisconsin?

Can those guys hold up against a strong defensive line even if the running game is ineffective and the pass rush intensifies?

Can you wait to find out?

http://bleacherreport.com/users/64307-dean-holden

CB Davon House UP

Very rarely does a player measure in taller than he was listed, but, listed at 6-0 175, this small school corner measured in at 6-1 200.

S Jeron Johnson UP

Excellent job bulking up. Johnson is a strong safety at the next level so getting up to 212 from the 190s is very helpful, of course, provided he runs well.

CB DeMarcus Van Dyke UP

This skinny corner, 168 at the Senior Bowl, put on 8 pounds in a month. Good for him.

WR Jonathan Baldwin UP

I think he’s shed his “possession receiver only tag.” Baldwin looked like an athletic deep threat today with a 4.45 40 at 6-4 228 and a 42 inch vertical.

WR Vincent Brown DOWN

4.66 at 5-11 187?! Yikes?!

WR Edmond Gates UP

Set the Combine on fire with his 4.35 and a 10’ 11” broad jump. The Johnny Knox comparisons make some sense. Like Knox, Gates went to Abilene Christian. Gates also was very good in receiving drills, earning praise from all the NFL Network commentators.

WR Julio Jones UP

Jones ran a 4.39 at 6-3 220 and an 11’ 2” broad jump. Amazing! He looked good in the gauntlet drill as well.

WR Jamel Hamler DOWN

Another 4.6, 4.67 at 6-1 193.

WR Jerrel Jernigan DOWN

He was supposed to run in the 4.3s. He ran a 4.47. That’s disappointing.

WR Jeremy Kerley DOWN

4.59 at 5-10 189? That’s not good.

WR Ricardo Lockette UP

A small school kid from Fort Valley State with a 4.35 at 6-2 211.

WR Denarius Moore UP

Another one of the few wide receivers to run a 4.3, Moore from Tennessee ran a 4.37 at 6-0 194.

WR Joseph Morgan UP

Another fast small school kid, 4.39 at 6-1 189.

WR Leonard Hankerson UP

A 4.45 at 6-2 209, for a kid who was supposed to be a little slower, in the 4.5s.

WR Dane Sanzenbacher DOWN

A 4.55 at 5-11 182 was not what I was looking for. He also measured in with 8 ¼ inch hands earlier this week.

WR Torrey Smith UP

As expected, Torrey Smith lit up today with a 4.37 40, a 41 inch vertical, and a 10’6” inch broad jump. The issues still remain, though. He has small hands, catching with his body, and had very inconsistent production in his career at Maryland and had most of his good games against bad teams.

WR Terrance Taylor UP

His 40, 4.52, at 6-2 220 wasn’t extremely impressive, but he leaped 41 inches and had a broad jump of 10’8” and it’s not like his 40 was bad or anything.

 

RB Mario Fannin UP

Fannin ran a very impressive 4.37 at 5-10 231. This back from Auburn didn’t produce a ton in his career, but he’s a solid pass catcher and clearly an athletic freak. He also jumped 37.5 inches.

RB John Clay DOWN

Clay lost 20 pounds from the end of the season, but wasn’t any faster with a 4.77 40.

RB Matthew Asiata DOWN

Very few running backs do anything of note in the NFL after a 4.77 40 like Asiata. At 5-11 229, he doesn’t have the size to play fullback or anything.

RB Shaun Draughn DOWN

A 4.75 at 5-11 213 was probably not his plan.

RB Dion Lewis DOWN

When you’re trying to prove yourself as a 5-7 193 back, it’s best not to run a 4.59.

RB Jacquizz Rodgers DOWN

When you’re trying to prove yourself as a 5-6 196 back, it’s best not to run a 4.64.

RB Da’Rel Scott UP

Not necessarily known as an athletic blazer, but with his 4.35 at 5-11 211, he could start getting some day 2 looks. He was good in the Senior Bowl as well.

RB Jordan Todman UP

Put on the extra weight and carried it well with a 4.44 40 today at 5-9 203.

RB Shane Vereen UP

Put on the extra weight and carried it well with a 4.47 40 today at 5-10 210.

RB Noel Devine DOWN

Put on 19 pounds mysteriously in one month and then didn’t run. Interesting. I’m calling bullshit on this extra weight.

RB Ryan Williams UP

Williams was hurt this season, but looked really healthy today with a 40 inch vertical and he amazed in positional drills. He’s looking like a 2^nd round lock.

RB Anthony Allen UP

Allen is a bigger running back, but with a 4.54 40 and a 41.5 inch vertical, he’s proving himself to be more athletic than previously thought.

DT Jarvis Jenkins DOWN

17?! How do you only put up 17 reps when you’re 6-4 310 pounds?!

DE Ryan Kerrigan UP

Proving the 12 pounds he put on since the Senior Bowl were for real, Kerrigan put up a whopping 31 reps at 6-4 267.

DT Stephen Paea UP

49 reps of 225?!?! Holy Fucking Shit!

DT Marvin Austin UP

Austin, a known workout wonder, benched 38 reps today at 6-2 309. He’s also expected to run a fast 40. We’ll see.

DE Markus White DOWN

Already with a rep for being soft, White only managed 14 reps on Sunday.

DE Brooks Reed UP

So much for being weak and undersized. After measuring in at 263, rather than 257, Reed benched 30 reps today. He’s got an amazing motor and good TFL and sack production in his career and I think he could play both standing up and with his hand in the dirt.

DE Justin Houston UP

Proving his newly added weight is for real, Houston put up 30 reps today.

OLB Bruce Miller UP

Still probably can’t play on the line with his hand in the dirt at the next level at 6-1 254, but 35 reps is pretty impressive.

OLB Ross Homan UP

Homan came in here bigger this week, at 240 up from the 220s, and today he put up 32 reps.

WR Greg Little DOWN

Sports illustrated is reporting that Little has been “less than honest” in his interviews and that’s “putting it nicely.” Little already has a laundry list of character problems and he’s coming off a season long suspension and never really produced at the college level, but with his size and athleticism, someone will take a chance on him, probably too early. 

 

 

32(32). Indianapolis Colts 2-13

31(31). St. Louis Rams 2-12

30(30). Minnesota Vikings 2-12

29(29). Cleveland Browns 4-10

28(27). Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-10

27(23). Jacksonville Jaguars 4-10

26(22). Buffalo Bills 5-9

25(28). Miami Dolphins 5-9

24(25). Washington Redskins 5-9

23(26). Carolina Panthers 5-9

22(24). Kansas City Chiefs 6-8

21(18). Chicago Bears 7-7

20(21). Philadelphia Eagles 6-8

19(12). Tennessee Titans 7-7

18(16). New York Giants 7-7

17(20). Seattle Seahawks 7-7

 

16(19). Arizona Cardinals 7-7

15(14). Oakland Raiders 7-7

14(17). San Diego Chargers 7-7

13(15). Cincinnati Bengals 8-6

12(13). Dallas Cowboys 8-6

11(11). Detroit Lions 9-5

10(10). New York Jets 8-6

9(8). Denver Broncos 8-6

8(9). Atlanta Falcons 9-5

7(4). Houston Texans 10-5

6(6). Baltimore Ravens 10-4

5(5). Pittsburgh Steelers 10-4

4(7). San Francisco 49ers 11-3

3(3). New Orleans Saints 11-3

2(2). New England Patriots 11-3

1(1). Green Bay Packers 13-1

 

1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 

31. MLB/OLB D’Qwell Jackson (Cleveland)- Resigned 5 years 42.5 million with 16.8 million guaranteed

The NFL’s leader in tackles in 2008 with 154, Jackson played just 6 games combined in 2009 and 2010, but bounced back big time with 158 tackles this year. Jackson is no sure thing going forward, but he’s a talented linebacker, the leader of their defense, and doesn’t turn 29 until September so the Browns are expected to make a big push to resign him to a long term deal. 

32. DE John Abraham (Atlanta)- Resigned 3 years 21 million

I bet you’d never guess John Abraham is 16^th all time with 112 career sacks, most among active players. However, he’s 34 in May and he wouldn’t be a very good fit for a 3-4 so he won’t be on the radar of about half the league. The Falcons seem content to let him explore the open market in hopes he doesn’t find anything better than he can get in Atlanta. Atlanta has turned their focus to locking up younger defensive players like Brent Grimes, who is expected to be franchised, and Curtis Lofton. 9.5 sacks last year shows he can still play at a high level, but for how long? 

33. MLB David Hawthorne (Seattle)

The Seahawks got an undrafted steal with Hawthrone, who has 338 tackles in the last 3 years and turns 27 in May. However, they seem content to let him go if he can find someone who will overpay. The Seahawks seem to have made Red Bryant and Marshawn Lynch their offseason priorities.

34. G Ben Grubbs (Baltimore)- Signed with New Orleans 5 years 36 million with 15 million guaranteed

Another player who could go elsewhere, Grubbs, who was the 10^th best guard in the league last year according to ProFootballFocus, wants a contract bigger than teammate Marshal Yanda got last offseason (5 years 32.5 million). Yanda actually ranked 2^nd according to ProFootballFocus and Grubbs is not expected to get that kind of money from Baltimore, who has other free agents to resign. Grubbs, however, is only 28 in March and is a nice above average option at guard for the right price.

35. WR Brandon Lloyd (St. Louis)- Signed with New England 3 years 12 million

This is an interesting one. Brandon Lloyd actually led the league in receiving in 2010 with 77 catches for 1448 yards and 11 touchdowns and was no slouch in 2011 with 70 catches for 966 yards and 5 touchdowns. However, he turns 31 in July and has always struggled outside of Josh McDaniels’ system. He wasn’t that great in 4 games with Denver last season without McDaniels before getting traded to St. Louis and reuniting with McDaniels. In St. Louis, he put up good numbers in 11 games despite inconsistencies at quarterback. McDaniels is in New England now and Lloyd has smartly said he’d like to follow him. If he’ll take a discount, he’ll be a Patriot. If he won’t, he could go elsewhere, but might not have a ton of success.

36. DE Jeremy Mincey (Jacksonville)- Resigned 4 years 27.2 million with 9 million guaranteed

Jeremy Mincey came out of nowhere to have 8 sacks and 38 pressures this season and also was above average against the run at 6-3 270. ProFootballFocus rated him as their 12^th rated defensive end. The Jaguars need to retain him because he’s the only player on their roster who can consistently get to the quarterback. 28 until December, Mincey should get a solid payday this offseason.

37. DE/RLB Mark Anderson (New England)- Signed with Buffalo 4 years 27.2 million with 8 million guaranteed

Mark Anderson has played 6 seasons since being drafted in the 1^st round in 2006 and he’s had 2 good ones and 4 bad. In 2006 as a rookie, he had 12 sacks for Chicago. And this past year, he had 10 sacks for New England. In between, he managed just 13.5 sacks in 4 seasons for Chicago and Houston. He’ll be risky to give a long term deal to and if he’s smart, he’ll take a hometown discount in New England, where he really seems to fit the scheme well. Anderson turns 29 in May.

 

38. C Scott Wells (Green Bay)- Signed with St. Louis 4 years 24 million with 13 million guaranteed

Scott Wells has emerged as one of the best centers in the league, 4^th rated by ProFootballFocus this last season, but the Packers are playing hardball with him, offering him 4-5 million per year when he wants 7.5 million. He could end up elsewhere, especially since the Packers have been linked to Chris Myers. However, if Myers signs elsewhere, Wells would have a lot more leverage. The Packers don’t have a clear successor on the roster and there isn’t anything other than over the hill veterans on the market after Myers and Wells.

39. RLB/OLB Jarret Johnson (Baltimore)- Signed with San Diego 4 years 19 million with 7 million guaranteed

Not much of a pass rusher, in fact, he’s only had 20 sacks in 9 seasons and never gone over 6, Johnson is one of the better run stuffing linebackers in the league and plays both the 3-4 and 4-3 in Baltimore. He could follow Chuck Pagano to Indianapolis and would have value as a 2 down run stuffing linebacker for either a 4-3 or a 3-4 team on the open market. Resigning in Baltimore is also an option for Johnson, who turns 31 in August.

40. CB Carlos Rogers (San Francisco)- Resigned 4 years 29.3 million

Carlos Rogers broke out last season, his first in San Francisco, and rightfully made the Pro Bowl. He allowed a 52.8% completion percentage and 7.2 YPA with 3 touchdowns to 6 interceptions. However, I’m always worried about players who have their best season in a contract year after age 30 (31 in July), especially underachieving former first round picks like Rogers. He’s also got a history of injury problems. I’d be worried about giving him a big long term deal and it sounds like the 49ers might be as well. They’re refusing to give him the 4-5 year deal he wants.

By Michael J Morris 

As the pre-season comes to a close – even though I think it should be over with already – the San Francisco 49ers look to take care of a few things before week one kicks off.

DT Aubrayo Franklin was an instrumental part of the 49ers defense last year and ended up being an integral part of the 49ers frontline.  The 6-foot-1 317-pound Franklin plugged up the line last year recording 36 tackles, two sacks and found himself an interception.  Un-like the departed Kentwan Balmer, Franklin’s hard work is what has brought him to this league and it is what will keep him on the 49ers.

“It’s the work ethic. It’s the intelligence. It’s the physical work combined with the mental work,” said D-line Coach Jim Tomsula. “The guy’s a worker. I mean, he works, he’s in here, he’s on film, he’s on scouting reports. He’s on everything. He just works.”

Franklin has been a valuable piece to the growing 49ers defense, but there is one area of 49ers training camp that has yet to be decided, and that’s who will be returning kicks come the start of the season.  The 49ers return game has struggled in recent years with players like Allen Rossum and Arnaz Battle filling in for one another for special teams. 

Going into training camp my thought was that the acquisition of Ted Ginn Jr. was meant to fill that void, but by the looks and sounds of it, the 49ers are hesitant to give him the gig.  The question isn’t whether he would be able to handle it, the 49ers would just rather he be the third wide-out for the offense.

In last week’s game against the Vikings Bobby Guillory handled the five punts and both kickoff returns during the Sunday night game.  Ginn, Dominique Zeigler, nor 6^th-round pick Kyle Williams touched the ball on special teams.  If the 49ers refuse to let Ginn handle the return game in pre-season he won’t be ready during the regular season and for a team looking to improve an area that has suffered, they’ll need to figure it out within the next two weeks. 

I would look for Williams and or Zeigler to return kicks this weekend in Oakland, as Guillory failed to impress a week ago.

According to Phil Barber of the Press Democrat, Frank Gore, Brian Westbrook, and Michael Crabtree are all expected to play. Alex Smith and his starting offensive line are believed to play the entire first half.  Singletary was uncertain as to who would be coming in for Smith.  Nate Davis has looked good in camp so my guess is that he’ll be the first replacement for Smith on Saturday.

Summary of injuries: CB Shawntae Spencer (hamstrings), C David Baas (stinger) and T Alex Boone (dehydration) returned to practice but Vernon Davis (knee), ILB Matt Wilhelm (headaches), T Barry Sims (oblique), TE Tony Curtis (quad) and OLB Brandon Long (knee) will remain on the sidelines.

http://michaeljmorris.wordpress.com/

Spotlight #1: Alabama S Mark Barron

Spotlight #2: Alabama WR Marquis Maze 

1^st quarter

14:27: Richardson with such strong hands to catch an inaccurate ball out of the backfield.

13:44: Maze in on the wildcat as a quarterback, takes the direct and and is stuffed in the backfield.

13:00: Maze targeted, but not open. McCarron forces it and senior middle linebacker Austin Johnson picks it off. The 6-2 240 pound linebacker has 40 tackles in 6 games coming in.

11:42: Dont’a Hightower with a pass deflection at the line on 4^th and 4.

10:48: Maze targeted, catches it, but can’t keep it in bounds. Tough catch, good job just catching it. Dragging a toe would have been near impossible.

9:34: Josh Chapman gets a tackle for a loss as the nose tackle. Tennessee has a talented fringe draftable running back prospect in Tauren Poole, but he hasn’t gotten anything on the ground today.

8:27: Barron can’t quite get an arm tackle on a 15 yards run by Poole.

6:04: Barron sticks his nose in on a tackle against a fullback dive for a short gain.

4:57: Barron in on a tackle after the back bounces out of one pile. Good instincts and quickness.

4:23: Barron with an awesome play to make a play on the ball, but he needs to catch this one. He should have had a red zone pick and not just an awesome deflection.

4:17: Barron gets pressure on a blitz, forces a quick decision on 3^rd and 9. Did not convert.

3:54: Maze muffs a kickoff, recovers it, but doesn’t go very far.

3:41: Maze catches a deep ball in stride, finally tackled by the last man to beat after a gain of 69 yards. Maze just blew past single coverage.

2^nd quarter

13:00: Richardson catches a pass short of the sticks, drags the pile at least 3 yards for the first. Nice, strong hands on the catch as well as it wasn’t the most accurate pass.

10:42: Hightower in on a big pressure on the quarterback. Huge hit too.

10:36: Barron on a tackle 13 yards away from the line.

9:01: Barron in on a tackle after the opposite cornerback allows a big gain.

6:05: Hightower is standing out today. Huge hit to force a drop.

5:40: Maze catches the ball in stride on a slant, good run after the catch for a sizeable gain. Brought back by a penalty before the throw.

3:38: Maze over the middle for a 4 yard catch on first down.

1:31: Barron in on a tackle for little to no gain.

0:19: Malik Jackson, a transfer from USC, with a sack. He’s athletic and he’s had a couple good games in a row.

 

3^rd quarter

14:08: Kirkpatrick with a nice, quick tackle.

13:28: Barron with pressure on a blitz.

12:01: Maze isn’t the tallest guy, but he makes an excellent catch to pluck it out of the air against crowded coverage.

10:52: Courtney Upshaw on a strip sack, recovered by Tennessee.

9:27: Hightower is having a huge game. Another quarterback pressure here.

7:57: Hightower in on a sack, Upshaw also giving chase.

4:18: Malik Jackson has had a few good pressures, a sack, and now draws a hold on Alabama’s William Vlachos, one of the better centers in college football.

3:51: Maze catches a short pass for a few.

3:19: Richardson somehow scores a touchdown, looked like he was going to be stopped on several occasions, but great patience, vision, toughness, and power to get it in.

2:32: Barron in on a short tackle.

4^th quarter

11:03: Hightower with a pick off a deflection by another Alabama defender. Hightower looked like a running back on the return. He didn’t look like a 260 pounder there.

0:00: Mark Barron wasn’t as good as he was against Vanderbilt, but he still had a solid game. He had a pass deflection and should have had a pick and he was around the ball quite a bit. This was a pretty neutral game for him and it should keep his stock around late 1^st or early 2^nd round. He remains the top safety in a very weak safety class.

Ironically, I was spotlighting Hightower against Vanderbilt when Barron had his awesome game. Hightower was fairly neutral in that game, but tonight he made all sort of plays. He had several pressures, a couple big hits, a quarterback hit, a sack, and a pick and I wasn’t even watching him on every play. He’s finally healthy and he has first round talent, but injuries are the issue for him. I think he’s a 2^nd rounder because of his history of knee problems.

As for Maze, he had one of his better games of the season, catching 5 balls for 106 yards. On the season, he has 39 catches for 482 yards and a touchdown in 8 games. He looks like a decent player. He’s not particularly big or fast, but he understands how to get open and he has good hands and at worst, I think he can stick as a 4^th receiver and a return man at the next level. He could be a solid slot receiver at the next level. He looks like a mid to late rounder.

As for other Alabama players, Richardson had another great game of tape. He’s so big and powerful and has great hands and always makes at least 2 or 3 highlight reel plays in every game. He only had 77 yards on 17 carries with 2 scores, but as far as bad games go, this was a pretty impressive one. Courtney Upshaw had another strip sack. Dre Kirkpatrick wasn’t thrown on a lot, which is a good thing. That helps his stock as he’s struggled when thrown on in past games. He’ll have a tougher matchup in LSU’s Reuben Randle in his next game.

Tauren Poole had a decent game for Tennessee, rushing for 67 yards on 19 carries against an Alabama defense that doesn’t give up a lot of rushing yards. This game will help him get drafted, but he’s been just too inconsistent this season to be anything more than a 6^th or 7^th rounder. He had 7 yards against Georgia and 18 against Florida. Inexcusable.

Another Tennessee guy, Malik Jackson, had a good game. At 6-5 270, he’s playing defensive tackle for Tennessee. He helped Tennessee hold Richardson to 77 yards. Tennessee’s defensive line as a whole played well against Alabama’s defensive line, which is part of why Richardson had his 2nd lowest rushing total of the year. Jackson is extremely athletic and belongs at defensive end at the next level, but he’s put together 2 good games in a row and if he keeps this up, with his athletic ability, he’ll be intrigue someone in the mid rounds.

 

Spotlight #1: Arkansas WR Jarius Wright

Spotlight #2: LSU WR Rueben Randle 

1^st quarter

6:12: Randle takes a short, quick pass for 4 yards.

2^nd Quarter

14:54: Jarius Wright with a nice route over the middle for a touchdown.

14:45: Rueben Randle with a first down gain on a curl route, fights before he goes down.

12:11: Tramain Thomas with a huge hit, forced fumble, popped up in the air, recovered by another Arkansas defender in the air, returned for a touchdown.

10:01: Randle takes one in the flat, tries to go somewhere after the catch, but is gang tackled after a couple yards after.

6:56: Randle on a short slant for a few.

4:07: Joe Adams matched up with Morris Claiborne in the slot, beats him inside, Claiborne slips, Adams goes outside, goes up and catches a high ball for 20 yards.

3:43: Wright beats Claiborne, who slips again, catches it, hit hard and drops it.

1:24: Rueben Randle catches one over the middle for a first down, breaks a tackle, gets to the outside for some more yards, breaks another tackle, ends up turning it into a gain of 18. He’s very tough to bring down in the open field.

1:09: Randle putting on a show, this time a 22 yard gain, catching a very contested ball against tough coverage and then putting up a big fight against multiple defenders before finally going down.

 

3^rd quarter

14:07: Randle catches a 14 yard pass for a first down, tackled immediately, but a good job of ignoring the footsteps of the closing defender and hanging onto the ball.

11:34: Randle with great instincts, going deep as the quarterback rolls out to his side, beats his man, catches a high, back shoulder throw in stride for 37 yards before getting tackled.

10:53: Tramain Thomas with another big play, a red zone pick. This guy always makes plays when I watch him. In a weak safety class, I can’t wait to spotlight him to get a better feel for his abilities. His stock could be on the rise.

2:19: Randle open in the end zone, but just overthrown. Made a good effort at it, however.

4^th quarter

12:42: Randle overthrown again.

10:57: Claiborne on Wright, picks it off. He’s having yet another good game. This one was more on the quarterback.

7:58: Randle keeping it up despite a big lead, 15 yard reception.

5:49: Randle almost catches one in the end zone for a touchdown, but catches it out of bounds. Would have been a very tough catch to keep in bounds.

4:26: Jairus Wright catches one short and takes it for 12 yards.

0:00: Morris Claiborne came into this game as a potential top-10 pick as the top cornerback in this draft class. However, this would be Claiborne’s toughest test yet as Arkansas has 3 senior receivers who could get drafted next April, as well as a potential future first round pick throwing them the ball at quarterback.

Claiborne allowed 1 catch in the game, a 20 yard gain by Joe Adams, on a play in which Claiborne slipped. Claiborne almost allowed another reception on the very next play when he slipped again, but a good hit by another LSU defense forced Jarius Wright to drop the pass. Claiborne also had an interception in the game on a deep ball by Tyler Wilson to Jarius Wright. It was a great play by Claiborne which killed any chance of a comeback for Arkansas. The interception was Claiborne’s 5^th of the year after 5 last year. His 5 this year are more impressive because he’s being thrown on significantly less. Last year he was thrown on often with Patrick Peterson opposite him. This year he’s the #1 guy and he’s holding up well.

Claiborne matched up against all 3 of Arkansas’ receivers, Jarius Wright, Joe Adams, and Greg Childs, at one point during the game, but he was on Wright for the most part. Jarius Wright came into the game with 61 catches for 1002 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. He’s also Arkansas’ all time leading receiver. Wright was held to just 2 catches for 27 yards and a touchdown. Neither of those catches were against Claiborne. His touchdown was over the middle out of the slot for 13 and his 14 yard reception was a dump off against prevent defense late.

This game really helped solidify Claiborne as a top-10 pick and the top cornerback in the draft class. Claiborne now has a pick against Alabama and against Arkansas, LSU’s two biggest games of the season. He also had a kick return touchdown in another big game against West Virginia in West Virginia. He’s played his best football in LSU’s biggest games.

Meanwhile, this game hurts Jarius Wright’s stock. 2 catches for 27 yards and a score was not the type of performance he needed against tough competition to boost his stock. He’s undersized at 5-10 180 and not the most athletic player either. He’s got great stats, but he’s also got a great quarterback and almost a 4^th of his receiver yards on the season game in one game against Texas A&M. Consistency is not his strong suit. He looks like a fringe day 2 prospect at the next level.

Joe Adams, meanwhile, had 3 catches for 35 yards, including that one impressive 20 yarder against Claiborne. A poor statistical game against a tough defense like LSU won’t hurt him as much as it will for Wright because Adams has his athleticism and special team abilities to fall back on. He should get drafted higher than Wright, a statistical more impressive player on the season. Like Wright, Adams has 3 years of good production. He looks like a 3^rd rounder.

Cobi Hamilton actually led Arkansas in receiving yards with on 2 catches, however, 60 of those yards came on one big play. The junior Hamilton will get a chance to be the #1 receiver next season and could have a very good year if Tyler Wilson returns for his senior season. After Hamilton, Greg Childs actually led the way with 3 catches for 40 yards.

Childs is still not 100% after a bad knee injury last season. He once again was not in the starting lineup and though he flashed some of his abilities, he still didn’t play very many snaps and didn’t have a ton of explosiveness when he was on the field. If he gets drafted, it’ll be a mid to late day 3 pick as a flier by a team that hopes he can return to full strength and become the type of player he was last season when the 6-3 Childs got 46 passes for 659 yards and 6 touchdowns in 8 games.

The reason for low receiving totals all around did have a lot to do with Arkansas’ game plan. Arkansas ran the ball on 28 of their 50 plays and that ratio was even higher before they got down big late and had to pass. On top of that, LSU ran 77 plays to Arkansas’ 50, controlling the clock with a good running game and keeping Wilson off the field. Wilson went 14 of 22 for 205 yards, a touchdown, and a pick in the 41-17 loss. That’s actually pretty good considering that his offensive line wasn’t giving him anytime and considering how good LSU’s secondary is. Wilson took 4 sacks, but showed good pocket presence as he could have been sacked 7 or 8 times.

LSU ran on the majority of their plays as well, as is normal for them. They had 46 runs to 29 passes and were able to establish all 3 of their running backs. Quarterback Jordan Jefferson played the whole game, going 18 of 29 for 208 yards, 1 touchdown, and a pick. Considering their conservative game plan, the numbers that leading receiver Rueben Randle put up were even more impressive.

Unlike Arkansas’ receiver, Randle had a huge game, catching 9 passes for 134 yards. He didn’t score, but he was overthrown in the end zone twice and almost made a very tough catch to bring one in from out of bounds. He had half of Jefferson’s completions, 9 of 18, and more than half of his yards, 134 of 208. He showed great physicality and great hands. He was very tough to bring down in the open field and made tough catches all game. He showed a good catch range as well.

At 6-4, his height will be very valuable at the next level. He’s having a very good year with 48 catches for 889 yards and 8 touchdowns on a conservative offense, but he really struggled against tougher competition in Alabama’s Dre Kirkpatrick. He’s had 4 games of 2 catches of fewer so consistency is something he really needs to work on. He has the whole package, but with just one year of good production and lack of consistency, his stock would really prevent from him returning for his senior season and having a good year. If he does that, he could be a first rounder. If he declares after his junior season for the 2012 NFL Draft, he looks like a day 2 pick.

LSU’s game plan was to pick on Arkansas’ weak cornerbacks. They felt they had the advantage against their pass defense with Jordan Jefferson throwing to Rueben Randle and they were right. Arkansas’ secondary is very good. However, one standout from the bunch is Arkansas safety Tramain Thomas.

Thomas was involved with both of Arkansas’ forced turnovers, a forced fumble and a pick. Those 2 turnovers led to 10 of Arkansas’ 17 points, included a forced fumble returned for touchdown. Thomas had 73 tackles coming into the game, including 2.5 for loss, and 6 pass defections. That pick was his 5^th of the season. He’s always making plays when I watch Arkansas and given that this is a weak safety class, I can’t wait to spotlight him. He could grade out as one of my top 3 or 4 safeties in this class after Mark Barron, Harrison Smith and behind Markell Martin.

Arkansas has two other draftable prospects on defense, middle linebacker Jerry Franklin and defensive end Jake Bequette. Bequette has 8 sacks on the season, including 7 in the last 4 games and was gaining some steam as a day 2 pick, but he didn’t have a sack in this game. He was double teamed for most of the night and was part of the reason why the opposite defensive end was able to abuse LSU’s right tackle Alex Hurst for a couple of sacks. Hurst is trying to get drafted so this game doesn’t help his stock.

Against the run was where Bequette really disappointed. Arkansas’ front 7 as a whole struggled to contain LSU’s grind it out run game. They ran 46 times for 285 yards and 3 touchdowns. Keeping up a 6.2 YPC on 46 carries, despite a few sacks, was very impressive. Bequette and the rest of this Arkansas defensive front was getting manhandled by this LSU offensive front. Middle linebacker Jerry Franklin didn’t help his stock at all in this game either, though he did show up with a few nice plays.