Average total drafted in last 5 years: 4.0

1. Evan Rodriguez (Temple) 5-6

2. Bradie Ewing (Wisconsin) 6-7

3. Emil Igwenagu (Massachusetts) 6-7

4. Brad Smelley (Alabama) 7-U

5. Drake Dunsmore (Northwestern) 7-U

6. Cody Johnson (Texas) 7-U

100 Once in a decade prospect 
95-99 Elite talent 
90-95 Solid top 10 pick 
85-90 Solid first round pick 
80-85 Late 1st-early 2nd 
75-80 Solid 2nd round pick 
70-75 Solid 3rd round pick 
65-70 3rd-4th round pick 
60-65 4th-5th round pick 
55-60 5th round pick 
50-55 6th round pick 
45-50 7th round pick 
40-45 Undrafted, invite to training camp 
30-40 Career practice squader 
20-30 No NFL future 
0-20 No football future 

Trade for Washington: Considering they were thinking about just releasing Albert Haynesworth, getting something for him was a good move, assuming they didn’t pick up any additional of Haynesworth’s salary in the deal (I don’t know the full financials).

Grade: A

Trade for New England: If anyone can motivate Albert Haynesworth it’s Bill Belichick. If he can’t, who cares, it’s just a 5^th rounder. They will pay him 12 million over 2 years, but none of that is guaranteed, so this is a fairly low risk move.

Grade: A

Wide Receiver 

Illinois

6-1 219

40 time: 4.48

Draft board overall prospect rank: #72

Draft board overall wide receiver rank: #8

Overall rating: 74*

1/17/10: If he gets drafted high it will be on what he can do not on what he has done. He dropped way too many passes this season, looked timid going over the middle of the field and in the end zone, but he has an amazing physical build and coaching staff may look to bring a future #1 option out of him. Scouts could also blame his awful statistical season this year on the fact that Juice Williams was his quarterback. Williams is probably the worst quarterback to ever play the game. I’m barely exaggerating.

Update (11/2/09):  Awful production this year, former top receiver could slip to the 3^rd round. He looks slow and overmatched out there.

            6/20/09: Arrelious Benn is rated as the best overall receiving prospect in this draft class, and I definitely think he’s up there, though I’m not sure he is truly the best. However, this is a very weak draft class in terms of wide receivers. Its not going to be like 2008 when no wide receivers went in the first round, as I see 2 definitely going as first rounders, Benn being one of them, and 2 more than could possibly go in the 1^st round. However, in 2008, 10 went in the 2^nd round. This year, I can’t see more than 7 max going on day 1, unless some prospect shoots up the board, or teams completely start reaching for receivers out of need. The fact that Benn is the top receiver or near the top receiver doesn’t mean as much as would it in an average year. That being said, Benn is a fine prospect. He’s certainly a solid pickup in the mid 1^st round area, though he’s likely not going to slip out of the top 10 out of need. He has amazing hands and never drops passes. He’s big and strong and can run over smaller corners. He’s going to win a lot of jumpballs and runs excellent routes for a college kid. However, he doesn’t have breakaway speed, which is okay for someone of his size. However, what concerns me is his low touchdown total, as he only has 5 in 2 seasons, and you can only blame so much on the fact that he hasn’t played with a great quarterback. He has the size to be a red zone threat, but he hasn’t been one so far. That’s a bit of a red flag because of his lack of speed. You like guys to either be able to breakaway for touchdowns, or become big red zone threats, and so far Benn has done neither. He’s an excellent possession receiver and he’ll make all the catches and run good routes and get you first downs, but the touchdown numbers have to be a concern and you have to wonder if his athleticism is good enough for him to bring down balls in the end zone on a regular basis, or if he is just a smart route runner with good hands. Also, statistically, guys who get into the end zone more frequently in college, for whatever reason, have proven to have better pro careers. Of course, this could all change if he gets 10+ scores this year, and if that were to happen, he’d shoot up my board and likely cement himself as a top 5 pick. Getting an guy with the athleticism to be an end zone threat who also has the ability to run crisp routes and catch a lot of balls as a chain game possession receiver, in a weak receiver class, is going to be very enticing to a team in the top 5. But for now, the lack of TDs, coupled with his mediocre speed, for an NFL hopeful, is a huge red flag.

NFL Comparison: Mohamed Massaquoi 

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

Bears offense vs. Bills defense

The Bears offense has been an utter disappointment in the past two games, both losses at home. The offensive line has allowed Jay Cutler to get sacked 10 times and they’ve turned the ball over six times. What’s worse is that they’ve rushed the ball just 30 times for 127 yards. If they did that in one game alone for a 4.2 average, I’d say that was a good game plan. But Cutler attempted 39.5 passes per game and the Bears lost both games by only a field goal. What’s more discouraging is that neither game was ever out of reach, as out of the eight quarters they played, only half of one were they ever trailing by more than a touchdown. After being neglected for a few games prior to their two-game losing streak, Johnny Knox has come on as of late catching 11 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown against Seattle and Washington. His success led to Cutler targeting him too many times against Washington because three of Cutler’s four interceptions were intended for Knox. Earl Bennett had quietly amassed 7 receptions for 131 yards the past two weeks. I’d like to see the Bears target him more when passing. Against Buffalo, however, I’d like to see more running than passing. The Bills have the No. 6 pass defense but the league’s worst run defense. They are allowing 188.7 rushing yards per game and 5.0 yards per carry. The heart of the Bills defense lies in the secondary. Safety Donte Whitner leads the team with 65 tackles. Cornerback Leodis McKelvin is ranked third on the list. The Bills operate out of a 3-4 defense with ends Marcus Stroud and Dwan Edwards and tackle Kyle Williams. Their linebackers are suspect, hence the chance they took on acquiring Shawne Merriman after he was waived by the Chargers. Inside linebacker Andra Davis is out with a shoulder injury. Akin Ayodele should fill his place and is joined by outside linebackers Reggie Torbor and Chris Kelsay. Inside linebacker Paul Posluszny is second on the team in tackles. I have a hard time believing that, despite Mike Martz’s stubborn nature, the collective minds at Halas Hall will neglect the opportunity to run the ball and exploit the Bills’ biggest weakness. I imagine this game will be much like the Carolina game, only that the Bears will have Cutler under center to make a few plays and complete more than six passes, instead of the woeful Todd Collins.

Advantage: Bears

Bears defense vs. Bills offense

The wild card in this game is the Bills’ offense. In their last two games following their Week 6 bye, the Bills have taken two pretty good teams — the Ravens and Chiefs — into overtime. They lost both games by late field goals, but they proved that despite their winless record, they’re not too far from winning their first game. Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, he of the Harvard education, completed 53 of 91 passes for 605 yards, 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in those two losses. We know the weakness of the Bears’ defense is their pass defense, so the success of the Bills offense will rest on Fitzpatrick’s shoulder. The Bills also run the ball fairly well as they rank 13th in that department led by Fred Jackson and rookie C.J. Spiller. Both backs average over four yards per carry. Despite early skepticism, the Bears’ run defense still ranks in the Top 5 and they should be able to contain the Bills’ ground game, especially if Lance Briggs’ ankle has healed sufficiently during the bye week. The best opportunity for the Bears to win this game on the defensive side of the ball rests up front in the battle along the line of scrimmage. The Bills had four offensive linemen show up on the injury report, although three of them are listed as probable. Still, they’re banged up, particularly their tackles, and it provides a golden opportunity for Julius Peppers and Israel Idonije to get after Fitzpatrick and try to force a turnover. Fitzpatrick is not particularly careless with the ball. He’s thrown just five interceptions and has fumbled twice. For the Bears, they bye week came at a perfect time as they needed to rest some injuries. Briggs, of course, had to leave the Redskins game in the first quarter after his ankle failed to hold up. After two weeks of rest, he should be ready to go. Rookie safety Major Wright should also see his first action of the season after missing the last five games with a hamstring injury. He’ll provide good depth in the secondary where Danieal Manning and Chris Harris have been playing fairly well.

Advantage: Bears

Special Teams

Special teams should be an intriguing part of this game as both teams possess a pair of good kick returners. The Bears’ Danieal Manning is arguably the best kick returner in the league and he’s averaging 25.5 yards per return. The Bills’ Spiller is a notch below him with a 25.4 average and has also returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown this year. Devin Hester has returned to prominence returning punts. He leads the league — among those who have returned at least 10 punts — with a 16.7-yard average and has scored two touchdowns. His fellow University of Miami alum, Roscoe Parrish, has returned 11 punts for 125 yards for an 11.4-yard average. He, too, is a dynamic returner who can take it to the house if given a small crease. Buffalo punter Brian Moorman is like the Bears’ Brad Maynard in that they’ve both had long, successful careers and now their legs are wearing down. Moorman, however, is not quite the directional punter that Maynard is, but he does have a higher average than Maynard, by about 6 yards per punt. Robbie Gould has converted more field goals, and at a higher percentage, than his kicking counterpart, Rian Lindell. Both teams have good coverage units.

Advantage: Bears

Intangibles

Lovie Smith’s teams have been average in the games following their bye week. But if ever there was a reason to feel good about their chances of success, this is the year and this is the opponent. Sure, the fact that the Bills took two of the AFC’s top teams into overtime — on the road — in back-to-back weeks is a reason to give you pause. But that’s simply the sign of a bad team that doesn’t give up easily. If the Bears play a full 60 minutes, they don’t have much to worry about. If they run the ball more and control the clock and if they protect the football and get more takeaways than the Bills do, everything else will take care of itself. There were rumors this week that the Rogers Centre in Toronto was having trouble selling tickets to this game. Although the Bills don’t play too far from Toronto, they’re still a winless, out-of-town (and out-of-country) team, so I can understand why the tickets are ice cold. That, paired with the fact that Bears fans always travel well, ought to make this a comfortable away game for the Bears. The stadium features a retractable roof, so the Bears don’t have to worry about elements. Prior to this year’s baseball season, the stadium installed a newer version of AstroTurf, which is less like the original, cement-like version and more like the softer Field Turf. Regardless, the fact that it’s not grass ought to be an advantage for the Bears, who rely on their speed on both sides of the ball. After seven weeks, this much we know about the Bears: they’re a talented football team with glaring holes at certain positions. We also know that they have a lot more coaching experience now than at any other point in Smith’s tenure with the organization. And as such, I have a hard time believing that with two weeks to prepare for arguably the worst team in football, that the Bears don’t walk away Sunday with a win and a 5-3 record.

Advantage: Bears

Final Score: Chicago 24, Buffalo 13

http://www.bearsbeat.com/

Go back to Bears Fan Spot 

By Sean Geddes 

So after 4 weeks of exile, Steeler Nation welcomes back our quarterback this week. I think we surprised the football world, and most likely some members of our own fan base, with the way we played weeks one through four. I also think it’s a safe statement to make that this team will only get better with Ben under center, and I think it will be interesting to see just how well Ben rebounds from his time away.

Ben worked with quarterbacking coach Greg Whitfield in his time away from Steelers’ headquarters, as well as former NFL wide out Devard Darling.  He’s been passing to area high schoolers, in an effort to both stay fresh and rehab his image a little in the area.

Since I was not writing here when the Georgia incident transpired, I thought I’d provide a brief once-over of what my impression of this incident was, without rehashing too much of the incident itself.

It’s fairly common knowledge now what Ben was accused of. He was rumored to have had sexual contact with an area college student which may or may not have been consensual. No criminal charges were ever officially filed against Ben, despite the local district attorney taking him to task in a public forum.

Right from day one, I assumed there would be some form of punishment for this. At first, I thought a two game suspension would be handed down, when taking into account the active civil suit in Nevada. Ben could not afford any more interactions with the law, flat out. The way I saw it, if you have one pending legal claim against you for something, and you’re accused of it again while the first one is up in the air, there is no way Commissioner Goodell would tolerate this sort of thing, especially from the quarterback of one of the league’s flagship franchises. While I didn’t think punishing a man who was not found guilty of any crime was necessarily the most ethical thing to do, I still thought it would be done, based on the severity of the alleged crimes.

As we all know, Ben was indeed suspended, but for what was originally six games with a possibility of lowering his abeyance to just four games. “Just four?” I thought. Four games is a quarter of a season, and that’s an awful long time. This was after it was found out no charges would be filed in Georgia, and that the incident in question had so many variables of uncertainty, that no one would even be pressing charges, much less facing charges. I thought this penalty was a little steep at first, especially since the organization and Rooney family were so deeply involved in the league’s handling of the situation.

In absolute fairness, I thought Ben was in the wrong in Georgia. I didn’t believe however, based on what I read, that a crime was committed. I thought it was just terrible, absolutely terrible, decision making by Ben. When you’re a franchise quarterback in the NFL, a man with a 100 million dollar contract (not to mention a man who had prior legal troubles stemming from female interactions), why would you go to a college bar in Milledgeville, GA to celebrate your birthday? There must have been some high end nightclubs with actual security guarding classy V.I.P. rooms somewhere in Atlanta or Macon even… why not there?

Then, to legitimize to yourself, that you can take a girl (who was underage to drink, though I fault her and the bar owners 100% on that detail, and don’t blame Ben) who was as intoxicated as she was into a bathroom while having your security keep her friends at bay (also, I don’t blame Ben entirely for that, as they’re doing their jobs, and I don’t think you can prove he “ordered” them to do it), is fairly telling of personality.

Before I lose too much ground on this with the reader, I have to say, that if Ben wants to do these things, that’s fine. Go to a college town for your birthday, have relations with women anywhere you want. It’s your life, and I would never tell him how to live his life. But at the same time, recognize that you, as a multi-million dollar, championship caliber athlete should, by the age of 28, be above the antics of a 20 year old. Do as you wish, but beware of the dangerous consequences that could potentially be brought about by your choice (consequences potentially far worse than what ended up coming out of this incident). 

This is where my past impressions of Ben come into play with the unfortunate situation at hand. I had heard many a story about Ben acting like, well to put it simply, a total jerk to some people in and around the city of Pittsburgh. I heard former players, namely Mike Logan and Najeh Davenport come out and say that Ben thought he was above the team. Former Steeler center Chukky Okobi once said he thought his friend Ben had been “big-timing” him once his celebrity grew. Roethlisberger himself took a Steelers PR person to task for not stepping in when a TV interview ran over the agreed-upon five minutes. Jerome Bettis told a reporter that the Steelers “have some young guys who don’t know what it means to be a Pittsburgh Steeler” while looking squarely at Ben early on in his tenure as a Steeler. These were all documented instances of a bad attitude, not just rumor (like when Ben had apparently given local hero Arnold Palmer a hard time while golfing one of Arnie’s area courses, which I don’t believe was ever verified to be fact).

Then suddenly, it struck me. Perhaps Ben’s suspension was as serious as it was because of the hands on assistance of the Rooney Family. Admittedly, I have no proof of this, but this is my impression and opinion, gathered from statements made by the Rooney Family, Steelers staff, and Ben himself. 

Is it possible that the Rooney’s saw their largest ever single player investment going down a dangerous path? Did they think that Ben had himself grown too large of an ego, as a result of the absolutely fantastic displays of athletic prowess he had performed? Did they see an awful situation brewing, and do their best for both their organization, and more importantly Ben Roethlisberger, in an attempt to make the ultimate lemons to lemonade story out of this?

Ben has been through a lot as a result of his actions (and alleged actions) that night in Georgia. He has himself said he needed to do some growing up, and that his ego had grown too large for his own good. He said that “Big Ben” had overtaken Benjamin Roethlisberger. I heard an interview where Ben mentioned that his father had said that he wanted his son back; alluding to the fact Ben had become a different person than he once was.

I think the only thing that anyone involved could have hoped for with this, was that somehow, someway, some good would come of it. And if that good wasn’t Ben Roethlisberger taking the steps to become a better person, then I don’t know what else could have come to fruition. I can only hope for Ben’s sake that this “new Ben” is for real and here to stay.

Sorry for opening up what was once a long healed wound for some, but with Ben due for his first appearance in a Steeler uniform since his suspension, I thought I’d take a moment to both state my opinions on the situation, and wish Ben the very best of luck in this upcoming game, and more importantly his personal life. Ben is a great player, always has been, but hopefully this was a potentially terrible situation that resulted in some good for the main focal point of the media’s intense scrutiny. 

By all accounts that I’ve read, Ben has looked sharp in his practices with Mr. Whitfield, and even better in practices back with his team mates, reportedly not letting a ball hit the ground in his very first practice back. He came in to training camp in better shape than he has any year since he was a rookie. He was noticeably thinner, and more trimmed than he had looked in the years prior. I am hopeful the Ben Roethlisberger we will see this Sunday is the Ben Roethlisberger we have come to expect every Sunday afternoon, if not better. I don’t expect him to be as crisp and sharp as he would be with four weeks of play under his belt, but I do expect Ben to be Ben, and be the quarterback that won us two championships when it matters most.

I am hopeful Ben’s return will show an improvement in Mike Wallace’s all around receiver play. I think with Ben we will see more of Hines Ward and Heath Miller, two players who we need to be more involved in the offense. I would also love to see some glimpses into the future talent we have in Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders. Imagine Rashard Mendenhall with more space to run, as a result of Ben’s passing threat, not allowing defenses to stack 8 in the box. If we can couple a defense like ours has been playing with an offense that meets the potential I see, we will be a force with deep playoff potential in our future.

Welcome back Ben, it’s time to put this whole thing behind us as best we all can individually, and get back to business. 

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/

Brad Smith is a nice player. He can do all sorts of things and can score from anywhere on the field with his speed. He can run the ball. He can catch some passes. He can even throw out of the wildcat and he returned two kickoffs to the house last year. However, the Bills already have someone who can do what I just said. They spent the 9^th overall pick on him a year ago, CJ Spiller. I don’t hate the move, but Smith just seems redundant and the Bills are not in a position as a franchise to be doubling up on accessories like Spiller and Smith. Maybe they’re going to have Spiller focus more on offense and make Smith their primary kick returner, to keep Spiller healthy, but if that’s the case then they just gave a 4 year deal to a kick returner and kick returners have notoriously short shelf lives.

Grade: C

OT Mike Adams (Ohio State)

DT Armond Armstread (USC)

WR Justin Blackmon (Oklahoma State)

DT Michael Brockers (LSU)

CB Morris Claiborne (LSU)

QB Kirk Cousins (Michigan State)

OLB Lavonte David (Nebraska)

WR Michael Floyd (Notre Dame)

CB Stephon Gilmore (South Carolina)

G Cordy Glenn (Georgia)

TE Ladarius Green (LA-Lafayette)

CB Jayron Hosley (Virginia Tech)

OLB Bruce Irvin (West Virginia)

MLB James-Michael Johnson (Nevada)

DE Chandler Jones (Syracuse)

OLB Josh Kaddu (Oregon)

OT Matt Kalil (USC)

RB Doug Martin (Boise State)

OT Jonathan Martin (Stanford)

DE Whitney Mercilus (Illinois)

RB Isaiah Pead (Cincinnati)

DE Nick Perry (USC)

RB Trent Richardson (Alabama)

OT Mitchell Schwartz (California)

G Amini Silatolu (Midwestern State)

P Brian Stahovich (San Diego State)

OT Donald Stephenson (Oklahoma)

QB Ryan Tannehill (Texas A&M)

OLB Bobby Wagner (Utah State)

QB Brandon Weeden (Oklahoma State)

RB David Wilson (Virginia Tech)

WR Kendall Wright (Baylor)

Offensive Tackle

Levi Brown and Brandon Keith have been awful at offensive tackle for forever. This season, Levi Brown allowed 11 sacks and 40 pressure, while committing 6 penalties. At right tackle, Brandon Keith, combined with Jeremy Bridges, to allow 12 sacks, 40 pressures, and commit 5 penalties. I have no idea why they’ve never bothered to upgrade them. Maybe with a big money quarterback under center in Kevin Kolb (or maybe even Peyton Manning), they’ll see the need to upgrade this crucial position. Maybe Levi Brown, a first round pick in 2007, can have his career salvaged by a move to right tackle (if they can agree to a restructured contract), but either way they at least need a new left tackle. Jonathan Martin won’t fall past them at 13.

Middle Linebacker

They signed Stewart Bradley to a 5 year deal in the offseason, despite the fact that he was coming off a season ending injury, to be the long term solution inside next to Daryl Washington. However, Bradley really struggled and barely saw the field by mid October. Veteran stopgap Paris Lenon stepped in for him, but he’s a 34 year old career journeyman so they still need a long term solution inside next to Washington.

Cornerback

Patrick Peterson struggled in coverage as the 5^th overall pick in last April’s draft, but he was so good on special teams that it might not have even mattered. Besides, cornerbacks always take a year or so to develop. However, after him on the depth chart, Richard Marshall is a free agent and Al Jefferson struggled in coverage. They could use one more cornerback in the mix.

Wide Receiver

Larry Fitzgerald has said on multiple occasions that he misses having someone like Anquan Boldin opposite him drawing the coverage away from him (at one point he even offered to take a paycut for the Cardinals to resign him, but they still traded Boldin). Neither Andre Roberts nor Early Doucet have been able to fill Boldin’s void. The Cardinals listened to Fitzgerald’s desires when he said they should trade for Kevin Kolb and then they paid him 120 million over 8 years so why wouldn’t they bring in another receiver opposite him. This is a strong wide receiver class in free agency and receivers like Kendall Wright, Alshon Jeffery, and Michael Floyd will be in consideration at 13.

Guard

Offensive tackle isn’t the only position on the offensive line that can be upgraded. Right guard Rex Hadnot could be upgraded too. They could take a guard if the value makes sense, which it might with David DeCastro at 13.

Rush Linebacker

Clark Haggans and Joey Porter seem done. They have used 4^th round picks on rush linebackers in each of the last two drafts, O’Brien Schofield and Sam Acho. Both were solid last year, but they might want another player in the mix.

3-4 Defensive End

Calais Campbell is their best defensive player. Aside from Ray McDonald and Justin Smith in San Francisco, no team has a better 3-4 defensive end duo than the Cardinals with Campbell and Darnell Dockett. However, Campbell is a free agent. He’ll need to be resigned and the Cardinals have already said they’ll use their franchise tag on him so I don’t think he’s going anywhere. Depth might be nice though. Top reserve Nick Eason was awful last year.

Quarterback

I expect the Cardinals to sign Peyton Manning this offseason. It might seem stupid for the Cardinals to release Kolb just one year after trading Dominique Rodgers Cromartie and a 2^nd round pick for him, but it’s even stupider to overpay Kolb when you could have had Peyton Manning.

Charles Johnson had 11.5 sacks last year, but only 10 in his first 3 years and yet the Panthers give him Julius Peppers money. Peppers got 6 years 92 million with 42 million guaranteed. Johnson gets 6 years 72 million with 30 million guaranteed. Why didn’t they just resign Peppers (89 sacks in 9 years) last offseason? I guess I shouldn’t expect any better from the same franchise who gave Jake Delhomme 5 years 42.5 million 3 months after he turned the ball over 6 times in a playoff game.

Grade: F