Today when I was rolling through my twitter feed, I came across an interesting tweet from NFL analyst and reporter Chris Mortensen:

“In a search for unique, intriguing draft stories, the status of Montana safety Jimmy Wilson jumped out bigtime”-@mortreport 

Jimmy Wilson is a defensive back from the University of Montana who spent 25 months in jail before he was finally acquitted of murder charges in 2009.  Per Mortensen, Wilson’s story goes like this:

The remarkable story of Wilson had its tragic chapter on June 2, 2007. Wilson’s confrontation with an alleged abusive boyfriend of his aunt resulted in the death of the boyfriend, Kevin Smoot, who was fatally wounded by a rifle shot after the two men scuffled.

On that fateful day, Wilson had stopped at the Lancaster, Calif., home of his grandmother before his scheduled drive to Missoula, Mont., to begin summer workouts. Before his departure, Wilson said his aunt, Opal Davis, called the house to complain that Smoot had been abusive, including urinating on her during a domestic dispute. Wilson said he drove to his aunt’s home with the intent of bringing her and two children fathered by Smoot back to his grandmother’s home.

Wilson said an intoxicated Smoot came out of the garage with a rifle. A struggle ensued, the rifle discharged and Smoot ran from the scene, believing he was being shot at. When he heard his aunt scream, he said he turned and realized Smoot was dead.

Instead of waiting for police, Wilson said he panicked and fled, driving all night to Montana before he realized he had made a huge mistake in leaving the scene. He called an attorney and returned to Los Angeles to turn himself in to authorities.

Wilson was charged with first-degree murder in a case prosecutors described as homicidal street justice. He sat in jail until his trial in November 2008 resulted in a hung jury with an 11-1 vote in favor of his acquittal. The judge declared a mistrial, but prosecutors re-filed the charges, adding voluntary manslaughter to the first-degree murder charge.

Wilson returned to jail for an additional eight months before the second trial, in which a 12-person jury that deliberated less than a day on July 10, 2009, acquitted him on both charges.

Now Wilson is putting his past behind him in hopes of being selected come draft day in less than two weeks.  He has already visited the Indianapolis Colts and the Seattle Seahawks and plans to visit the St. Louis Rams and Miami Dolphins later on in the week.  Teams will definitely interview Wilson about his past but from all reprorts he is a great person:

“Lot of credible people have spoken up for Jimmy Wilson. I’ve spoken to a few on background. Impressed when you speak w him, too”- @mortreport

I honestly can’t say that I had ever heard of Wilson before I read this article.  Had things gone the way they were supposed to, he would have been a part of the 2008 draft class but obviously, things didn’t work out.  I think this just goes to show us all that life can throw you a hurdle and in Wilson’s case this was a HUGE hurdle, but it’s how we handle the adversities that eventually makes us who we are.   I don’t know if he will get drafted or if he will ever hang around in the NFL, but one thing I do know: I’ll be rooting for Jimmy Wilson come draft day.

Well draft fans, the day of reckoning is almost here; just 15 days until the 2011 NFL Draft.  However, we still don’t know who’s going to be the number one pick.  In most cases, it’s pretty well known who the team picking first will be taking leading up towards the draft.  That’s because normally there is a clear cut #1 QB like Sam Bradford in 2010 and Matt Stafford in 2009.  Had Stanford, QB, Andrew Luck, declared for this draft than Carolina would have taken him as it’s already been stated.    But after an abysmal season going 2-14 and no clear cut guys at QB, the Panthers could go in a number of directions with the number one overall pick.

Looking at the QB position, the Panthers could still reach for someone like Missouri, QB, Blaine Gabbert even after selecting Jimmy Clausen in the 2^nd round last season.  I don’t think that Panthers owner Jerry Richardson is a fan of a guy like Cam Newton and Gabbert is the only other pro caliber QB worth drafting with the top pick.  Gabbert kind of came out of nowhere when he declared for the draft and some people not have seen him play but he does have the build of a future franchise QB.

Another player that some people have been mocking to the Panthers for a while is A.J. Green, WR, Georgia.  Regarded by many as the top prospect   in the draft, the Panthers definitely have a need at the WR position, having virtually nothing after aging veteran Steve Smith.

The other position people seem to be mocking to the Panthers is defensive line.  For a while people had also been mocking Da’Quan Bower, DE, Clemson to them.  Bowers was regarded as the top rushing prospect in the draft in a league that values guys who can get after the QB.  However, recently there have been rumors that there have been “signs of potential long-term arthritis and some weakness” in his left knee.  This essentially has moved Bowers down many people’s draft boards and probably the Panthers as well.  Marcell Dareus could be another serious option as the Panthers could use help at DT or DE.

At this point I honestly couldn’t say where the Panthers will lean but I’m going to go out on a limb and say they choose the safe pick in Marcell Dareus to bolster that defensive line.  Vote in my poll to tell me who you think the Panthers will take in just a few weeks.

It’s no question that the most controversial player in this years NFL Draft is Heisman Trophy winner and 2010 BCS National Champion quarterback, Cam Newtown.  There is a lot to be said about Cam Newtown.  He is one of the most difficult guys to evaluate because he comes from a spread offense in a run first option.  He has a strong arm and can make some nice throws but he lacks accuracy and some question his effectiveness in a pro offense.  Then there is the intangible aspect to look at.  Newton is obviously a high-caliber QB who was able to lead his team to a national championship.  But then there is also his troubled past where he stole a laptop at the University of Florida.  Then there were the numerous allegations of cash for play deals between his father and Mississippi State.  For all these reasons, Newton becomes a super tough guy to evaluate.

Warren Moon

Today Warren Moon came to the defense of Newtown and released a statement in which he talks about Newton. “A lot of the criticism he’s receiving is unfortunate and racially based,” said Warren Moon.

In an ESPN article they talked about an account of another draft evaluating site that labeled Newtown as “disingenuous with a fake smile”.  Moon took great offense to that saying that Newton is being targeted this way only because of the color of his skin.  He says that they are attacking his intellict specifically and that it is blatant racism.  He also pointed out that people only want to compare him to Jamarcus Russell because he was another big, storng, black quarterback coming out of college.

 

A fake smile?

I don’t completely agree with everything Warren Moon is saying but I absolutely understand where he is coming from.  I know that a lot of people today will point and say how many black quarterbacks have ever won a Super Bowl?  That is just not a fair statement.  Doug Williams is still the only black quarterback to win a Super Bowl but that doesn’t mean that others aren’t at a disadvatage or uncapable.  The fact is that the posistion has been dominated by white men for years until they started letting black players actually play the toughest position on the field.  So inevitably they are going to be behind but even today we see some of the best QB’s are black; case in point Michael Vick.

The problem comes with the fact that some of the assessments of Cam Newton are fair.  He does have a troubled past and it’s fair to bring that up.  Whether he’s black or white has no difference when evaluating a crime he has committed in the past.  You also can’t get offended and say its blatant racism to question his football I.Q.  When drafting a player in the top 5 you want to be more than positive that you’re getting one of the smartest, hard working guys you can find, especially when you’re paying them millions of dollars.

I would say to Mr. Moon that he might have a point and that certainly some people see race as a factor but when it boils down to it most people will look at Cam Newton for the football player and man that he is when evaluating his ability at the next level.

 

 

Hey  everyone, I know it’s been a while but I’m back from spring break and ready to get back into some NFL Draft discussion.  The draft is right around the corner, we’re almost into April and only 30 days away from the first day!  I was invited by Steve Shoup at Fanspeak to do a write up about the prospective players from West Virginia and thought that that was a great idea.  In years past the Mountaineers have put some pretty big name guys in the league like Pacman Jones, Chris Henry and Steve Slaton but WVU has never had more than 3 players drafted in the same year this past decade.  However, this year the Mountaineers could see as many as six players drafted into the NFL.  Here is a short review of some of the WVU players looking to make an impact at the next level.

Noel Devine

Noel Devine is the headline of this West Virginia class and rightfully so.  The 5-8′ 180 pound, lightning fast running back from Fort Meyers, FL was one of the most heavily recruited players in the country as a high school senior.  Many thought he would end up at FSU where his mentor Deion Sanders attended but he eventually decided to don the old gold and blue and became just the second five star recruit to attend West Virginia in the football programs history.  Devine came in as a freshman and immediately showed flashes of what all the hype was about.  Many WVU fans probably remember his breakout performance against MD where he rushed for 136 yards on just 5 carries!  He finished his stellar career with 4,315 rushing yards with 29 touchdowns to go along.  Now he will look to make an impact as a special teamer and change of pace back in the NFL.

Although Devine might be the most recognizable WVU player in the draft, it’s unlikely that he will be the first one off the board.  A lot of red flags were raised at the senior bowl when he weighed in at just 160 pounds, ant like by NFL standards.  Devine has risen his weight back to 180 and attributes the low weight to being sick but teams will definitely still be thrown off by his lack in size.  At the senior bowl QB’s couldn’t see him over bigger players sometimes in the flat and he was often ineffective when running between the tackles.  Devine’s strengths however are in his lateral agilities, he runs best when he can get to the outside or making a one cut north and south run like in a Mike Shanahan offense.  He can stop on a dime and is more quick than fast.  He doesn’t have the greatest top end speed but in the first 10-15 yards he is as fast as you will see.  I think that lack of size and durability will scare some traditional teams off but with the way NFL offenses have been shifting to a more spread like system for example the Chiefs and Patriots, I could see one of those teams drafting Devine to be a scat back, slot type receiver in the mold of Dexter McCluster.  Most mocks I have been looking at have Devine going in the later rounds 6-7 but as high as round 3.  In my opinion he falls somewhere in the middle and is likely to get drafted around round 5.  I just think that in the end his body of work stands for itself and after running in the low 4.4’s at his pro day, some questions have been answered and Devine is still only at 80% health.  I think in the end Devine will be a nice role player in the NFL who could have a similar career to San Diego Charger, Darren Sproles.

 

Robert Sands

Robert “The Sandman” Sands or “The Predator” as some call him, saw his fandom at WVU blowup in his sophomore season.  Unlike Devine, Sands was not highly rated coming out of high school but he did have some pretty big offers from schools like Miami and rival Pittsburgh.  Sands is a rare physical specimen at the safety position.  Standing at an enormous 6-5′ 220 pounds, you would think he was a linebacker but when looking at him you can see that he has a tall, agile body.  In his sophomore campaign Sands used his rare height to his advantage and was able to grab a career high 5 interceptions while also making 31 tackles.  WVU fans were more than ecstatic to see what Sands would do his junior season and although it wasn’t what some might have expected, he did not disappoint.  Sands racked up a career high 46 tackles to go along with 2 sacks but just one intercepton, although teams did try to stay away from Sands and his ability to pick the ball off with his long arms.

As far as a draft prospect goes, Sands will probably be the first guy off the board for WVU.  This draft class is very thin at the safety position and it’s very possible that the first one wont come the board until round 2.  Sands had the best combine performance out of all the mountaineers running a very respectable 4.53 40 while looking pretty athletic in most drills.  Some teams scouted Sands at his pro day as a OLB and some kept him at his traditional safety position.  I think he still works best as a SS and special teams player but OLB could be a possibility if he can bulk up without losing agility.  Sands is very good in run support, adequate in the pass with good ball hawking skills but a questionable back pedal.  In all, I think a team will take Sands in the 3rd round and see him going no lower than the 4th.

 

Other Notable Players:

Brandon Hogan– A very good cover corner with great ball skills.  However, teams will certainly look at his DUI and public urination charge and that will cause him to drop quite a bit.  If not for that, he could be a 3rd round talent but likely drops to rounds 5-6.

Jock Sanders- Noel Devine’s partner in crime.  Another short knocker who compiled a ton of yards during his career at WVU.  He has more experience at Devine at the slot position and teams like the Chiefs have said to be interested in him.  It wouldn’t surprise me to see him go before his counterpart somewhere in round 5.

Chris Neild- Was the unheralded anchor of the 2nd ranked defense in the country, manning the nose tackle position in the 3-3-5.  Neild controlled the line of scrimmage throughout his career and is what you would call a blue-collar player.  Not the most physically gifted guy but he has a tremendous motor and will appeal to 3-4 teams as a backup/role player.  Prediction, 5th or 6th round.

J.T. Thomas– Very productive linebacker in his time at WVU and a consistent leader on that 2nd ranked defense.  Has some nice speed off the edge and actually showed some nice ability in the positional drills at the combine.  Thing is LB is one of the deeper positions come draft time and he does a lot of things good and not one thing extremely well.  He could be a dime a dozen WILL in a 4-3 but his career of work says that he can play in the NFL.  7th rounder to undrafted.

As most NFL fans know the league officially locked out the players last Friday after the two sides were unable to come to a deal to extend the current collective bargaining agreement.  Check out my last post that explains this a little more.  Right now in the lockout the players are no longer employed by their teams and players aren’t even allowed to return to their old facilites, the Titans are one team who have already locked their doors.

At first it was reported that the NFLPA wanted all draft prospects to boycott the draft to spurn the owners.  Today the NFLPA executive director Geogre Atallah tweeted “The NFL Draft is special. Players and their families will be in NYC. It just maybe different. We will provide details when we can.”  Things will be different though.  Instead of walking across the stage at Music City Hall it is thought that players will be invited to an alrernate event so that the NFL can’t get the access to the players they would want.

The whole situation is ridiculous.  The ones who really lose in this situation are the draft prospects who are unfairly being put in the middle of this whole mess.  I don’t think it’s right that a player who has dreamed his whole life to be the number one pick and to hear his name and walk across that stage to shake the commissioner’s hand is having that taken away from him because of someone else has an agenda.  The draft prospects are put in a weird situation because they will be interviewing with owners who they are currently locked out against.  They will definitely have pressure to side with the players wishes since they will be joining their side in the lockout.

Ultimately the draft will still go on although in a new light.  It is still unclear what the 17 prospects who have been invited will decide to do.  I think that most will ultimately side with the players but it is still possible that a couple of prospects could be swayed to still take the NFL stage.  We will have to wait to see how this unfolds to see.

George Atallah

NFL Labor team

Today the NFL Owner’s lead labor negotiator declared that the NFL Players Association (NFPLA) had more than enough financial evidence presented to them finally.  If you have been following this whole labor negotiation thing you know that the biggest snag in getting a deal done is the money.  I think they players have realized they will have to go to an 18-game schedule and it’s much more than that as the players want to see better healthcare plans in the future but the main thing holding a deal back is money.

The NFLPA has stated vigilantly that the owners are not opening up all their financial statements to legitimize them taking out $2 billion dollars off the top of the $9 billion dollar revenue that the league earned in 2010.  The rest would be divided amongst teams and players but the NFPLA claims they haven’t seen enough numbers to warrant the owners taking the $2 billion off the top.  Today they finally claimed they had provided more than enough evidence.  The NFPLA declined to comment stating they had been told not to do so by their lead negotiator.

So what does this all mean?

If a deal doesn’t get done by the deadline on Friday they can extend the negotiations one more time but after that if a deal isn’t done they officially head into a lockout when the CBA expires.  The threat of no football in 2011 exists and it would not be wise as the NFL is enjoying its highest ratings ever coinciding with their highest earnings ever.  The NFL hasn’t had a work stoppage in over a quarter century.

How does this affect the draft?

Quite frankly it doesn’t.  Even if they two sides can’t come to an agreement on a new CBA the NFL Draft will still be held.  Players won’t be able to sign with teams until a new collective bargaining agreememnt is in place but none the less they will still be eligible to be drafted which is great for us draft nuts!  Ultimately, I’m praying that the deal gets done by Friday because I couldn’t live without the NFL but the ways things are now, that might be where we’re headed.

By now most draft fans are pretty familiar with the crop of players that will be drafted in the first round and more dedicated geeks like myself know the prospects in the 2nd and later rounds.  However, the average football fan who doesn’t really follow the draft may not know about some of the smaller unheralded players in the draft that could become starters and potentials stars down the line.  I always say that the 2nd and 3rd rounds is where your team is built.  Here are some of the lesser known guys who I think will make an impact in the future, and let’s pray that there is one with labor negotiations ongoing…

Brooks Reed, OLB, Arizona

Reed played DE at Arizona but at the next level he projects to a 3-4 OLB.  He is one of my favorite prospects for the 2nd round.  He has underrated athleticism and really gets after the QB.  He has drawn comparisons to All-Pro OLB Clay Matthews and I tend to agree.  He is dominant off the edge and plays with a high motor.  I think he has a chance to come in right away and vie for playing time and will likely have a nice career in the NFL.

Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut

Todman led the NCAA in rushing yards last season and yet he is still somewhat of an underrated prospect as far as the draft.  One of the reasons why might be due to his 5’8″ height but that doesn’t really bother me.  The kid is built very solidly and flat out knows how to play the game.  He may not posses great quickness but he doesn’t lose speed in the long run which is important.  He had a pretty impressive combine and ran a 4.4 40 weighing in at 203 lbs.  Todman projects to the third round where I think he will be a steal looking for a 3rd down back that could eventually carry the entire load.

Brandon Harris, CB, Miami

The next great Miami CB?  Harris had a very impressive combine and looked like the most fluid cover corner in all the positional drills.  He has fluid hips and has great instincts on the ball.  The one big setback with Harris is that he came in at only 5’9″ and 191 lbs which is pretty small for a CB.  1o years ago that might have been ok, but in today’s NFL the corners are getting bigger every year because their counterparts, the WR’s are bigger than ever.  Harris is going to be at a huge size disadvantage when playing against guys like Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, and Andre Johnson and he is not the greatest in run support either.  However, Harris is an ideal #2 CB and for teams that move their CB’s around instead of locking them down on one side where teams would be able to take advantage of him, I think he will be a very intriguing 2nd round pick.

 

 

Today marked the conclusion of the 2011 NFL Combine. As always, there were guys who helped their stock and some guys who hurt their stock.  Now, one problem I have with the Combine is that sometimes draft fans will overreact to somebody’s 40 time or how many reps they had and immediately after just vault someone up their board because they had a great workout.  You have to remember that these guys train for this stuff year round and some guys truly are just ‘workout warriors’.  The number one thing you still have to evaluate when looking at draft prospects is GAME TAPE.

Now, running a really good 40 time when you might have questions with speed definitely helps, but it doesn’t make a player a better football player.  One guy who I think sums this up this year is Demarcus Vany Dyke, CB out of Miami.  He ran the fastest 40 time this year out of anyone at the combine with a 4.28, talk about speed!  However, he measured in at a slight 176 lbs.  He might have blazing speed which is important at the corner position, but he is known for being pretty bad at tackling and run support.  Teams will see this as a red flag for sure and as much as they will love his speed they need guys out on the field who can tackle and make plays.

I was really impressed with the rest of the corners in this year’s draft.  Amakumara ran a 4.37 which was much faster than I expected and pretty much makes him a top 12 pick lock.  Patrick Peterson didn’t disappoint either running a 4.34 after making claims he would run in the 4.2’s.  He weighed in at 219 lbs so that is pretty special for the corner back position.  He has a safety’s body and elite speed and play-making abilities.  He also will help a team in the return game right away and at this point I see him as a top 5 lock.

If you’re a draft fan you probably know by now that this defensive line class is LOADED.  The lineman did not disapoint either at the combine this week.  Nick Fairley and Marcell Dareus both looked very impressive in the positional drills and even ran pretty fast 40 time’s with good 10 yard splits, which is a way to determine initial quickness and burst off the line.  Other guys like Ryan Kerrigan, Sam Acho, Cameron Jordan and others really showed good athleticism and why this class is so highly thought of.  One guy who continues to struggle though is Oklahoma’s Jeremy Beal who just doesn’t fit the mold of any position at this point.  He has slipped to the mid rounds after a very poor combine.

Every year somebody just lights up the combine at every drill and blows people away with their athleticism.  This year the award for ‘workout warrior’ has to go to Julio Jones the WR out of Alabama.  He came in at 6’2 and 1/2, 220 lbs and ran a 4.39 40.  He also sported a 38 inch vert which is a little lower than I expected but very good none the less.  From a physical standpoint, Jones might be the most NFL ready player available in the draft.  His frame is thick, sturdy and built to play football.  The guy is a freakish athlete, if I had to compare him to anyone it would probably Terrel Owens at this point.  A.J. Green still remains my #1 WR however even though he didn’t have the bomb combine like Jones did.  Green is just simply a better player at this point and his game film proves that.

O, and in case you missed it, Stephen Paea destroyed the old bench mark record of 46 with 49. He repped 225 lbs 49 times!  That’s a total of  11,025 lbs.  Talk about strength…

It’s that time again.  Scouting Combine week!  This is literally the best week besides the draft for NFL Draft fans.  While some will say that the combine is just a bunch of numbers that actually have nothing to do with football, there is a lot to be learned from certain drills.  This is the first time a lot of coaches get to meet these players and interview them which is one of the biggest tests for players.  A great interview could make or break a prospects stock.

Then we have the 40.  The holy grail of the combine.  Nothing is more important to some people than how fast you can run 40 yards in.  While too much stock shouldn’t be put into this number, it is a good indicative of a player’s overall speed and ability to get off the line.  Wide Recievers and running backs can see their stock soar with a 40 in the 4.3’s or below for example, Chris John and Jacoby Ford.  One guy I will have my eye on for the 40 is actually a Quarter Back, Cam Newton.  He will be participating in all the drills this week and as far as his 40 I’m going to predict his best time at 4.57.  If he runs in the 4.4 which might be possible, I don’t see him getting past the top 5.  Here are some of the players I will be watching this week heavily at the combine.

I will be watching the combine all week and updating when I can how players did and who helped or hurt their stock the most so be sure to check back in.

 

This week he had to create a map that had to do with our topic.  I created a map of some of the various sites a prospect would visit when trying to enter from college to the NFL via the draft.  Enjoy!

 

Today I wanted to talk about this draft class RB’s or lack there of.  When looking around at mock drafts, you might notice that a lot of first round mocks only have 1 RB, Mark Ingram.  So what gives?  The fact is, this class just doesn’t have that great of high quality depth.  That probably wont change after the combine much either because none of the 2nd tier guys are expected to light up their 40 times.  A guy like Derrick Locke out of Kentucky might be able to run in the 4.3’s but he is only a mid round selection at best due to his size.  Scott Wright at DraftCountdown wrote a great article recently about the dangers of taking a RB too high in the first round.  He refences guys like Knowshown Moreno who was selected 12th a couple years ago, and C.J. Spiller who was taken 9th overall last year by the Bills.  Plain and simple these were big time reaches.  When you’re drafting that high, no matter what your biggest need is you have to also take into account value.  Spiller is not an every down back and more of a weapon at the position and in the return game.  It was a mistake to take him 9th overall with much bigger needs and already having a proven veteran RB on the roster in Fred Jackson.

The point is, unless you are getting the next Barry Sanders or Adrian Petersen, you probably shouldn’t be taking a RB in the first 10 picks.  A guy like Mark Ingram will probably fall between 15-25 which is right where he should go.  He had top intangibles, vision, and cutting ability and will be a very good pro but due to the lack of elite qualities it just does not make sense to take him in the top 10.

There will be a number of guys who teams will likely be targeting in rounds 2 or 3, the best proven time to find a back for the right value seeing as it is the easiest position to transition from out of college.

Mikel Leshoure, Illinois

Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State

Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech

Jordan Toddman, Connecticut

DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma

 

 

Alright,we finally have reached the final division in our review of division by division team needs, so without further adieu, the NFC West.

NFC WEST

ARIZONA CARDINALS– The Cardinals have some talent on both sides of the ball but they are young and the lack of a true Qb after Warner’s retirement and Leinart’s disappointments leaves this team without a signal caller.

1. QB

2. CB

3. OLB

4. LT

5. TE

SAN FRANCISCO 49ER’s– The 49er’s just couldn’t get it done under Mike Singletary which led to the hire of Stanford HC, Jim Harbaugh.  Harbaugh is a QB guru and this is another team without a signal caller.  The question is whether or not Harbaugh will see a guy he likes with the #7 overall pick.

1. QB

2. CB

3. OLB

4. FS

5. OG

ST.LOUIS RAMS– The Rams actually had a shot to make the playoffs towards the end of the season.  That was due to the great play of rookie sensation QB, Sam Bradford.  This division lacks QB’s but the Rams have found theirs after taking Bradford #1 overall last year.  The next thing to do will be to add playmakers around him.

1. WR

2. OLB

3. DE

4. RB

5. OG

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS– The Seahawks enjoyed some success under their new head coach Pete Carroll after a nice draft in 2010.  I think it’s time to start looking to upgrade the QB position as Hasselback is declining.

1. QB

2. DT

3. DE

4. WR

5. RB

 

Here is my map.

 

This was actually a really cool assignment. I have been anti-twitter for a while but now I am already deep in. It’s such an easy way to get information from people you actually care about.

Now I don’t have to sift through sites for information I can just check my live feed and get instantly informed and it’s so easy.

I also like how easy it is to express yourself with the hashtags and it’s fun to see what the top trends are.

It was real cool to have kids across the country looking at me and @bostonkid124 ‘s pictures and seeing their comments. I also really liked some of the results from their scavenger hunt, this was a great idea. I definitely am pro-twitter after this assignment.

A.J. Green….the #1 pick???

NFC SOUTH

CAROLINA PANTHERS– When you have the #1 pick in the draft, there is obviously a lot to correct.  Had Luck come out, he would have definitely been the pick, now Carolina looks to upgrade the defensive line or possibly go after A.J. Green.

1.       DT

2.       WR

3.       QB

4.       OT

5.       DE

TAMPA BAY BUCANEERS– The Bucs made some big strides in 2010 thanks to the play of Josh Freeman and some surprise rookies in LaGarrette Blount and Mike Williams.  They still have work to do in one of the toughest divisions and will look to add speed on the defensive line.

1.       DE

2.       MLB

3.       FS

4.       OL

5.       RB

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS– The defending champs had some struggles and lost their spot on top to the Falcons due to some injuries at the RB position and a lacking pass rush.  With Bush possibly gone and Thomas often injured they will look to add some depth there.

1.       DE

2.       OLB

3.       DT

4.       RB

5.       SS

ATLANTA FALCONS– The new kids on top in the topsy-turvy division that is the NFC South.  An unstoppable team at home, I thought they would make it to the NFC championship but ran into a red hot Aaron Rodgers who had the performance of a lifetime.  After some busts in the past at DE, they will likely try their luck again in a deep class.

1.       DE

2.       OT

3.       WR

4.       TE

5.       S

This was definitely my favorite Super Bowl commercial from Sunday.

 

NFC EAST

DALLAS COWBOYS– The Cowboys who had expectations of playing in the Super Bowl in their own stadium saw their season crumble pretty quickly.  In the draft they’ll look to upgrade a porous secondary and retool the offensive line.

1.       CB

2.       S

3.       DE

4.       C

5.       OT

WASHINGTON REDSKINS– Where do I begin?  The Redskins could use help at every position except TE basically but Shannahan like to rebuild early in the draft with lineman and backers.  The only problem is is this team still will be looking for their signal caller after botching the trade for McNabb.

1.       QB

2.       DL

3.       WR

4.       OLINE

5.       OLB

NEW YORK GIANTS– The Giants are one of the few teams with good depth across most postions.  However, with the importance they place on the defensive line they will likely look to upgrade the DT position.

1.       DT

2.       OT

3.       LB

4.       CB

5.       RB

PHILIDELPHIA EAGLES– The Eagles made some big strides with Vick this season and I think they will be looking to upgrade their secondary while adding some depth along the offensive line to protect one of the most valuable players in football.

1.       CB

2.       OT

3.       LB

4.       SS

5.       RB

So it’s Monday and the blog a day social media challenge has officially come to an end.

I actually kind of enjoyed doing a blog per day but I definitely found it difficult to stay on task.  I forgot to do a post of Friday which I’m really mad about.  It just goes to show how dedicated you have to be to be able to update your blog at least once a day if not more.

I know the best blogs update at least 3 times a day, in my opinion, and I have a new found respect for the creators of those blogs.  This assignment has kind of inspired me to do as many blog posts as I can however I have to make sure that the content is strong because I don’t want my blog to become watered down.

Overall, this was a fun assignment and a good experience in blogging!

 

Hope everyone is getting ready to enjoy Super Bowl Sunday!  I can’t wait to see some commercials and the expected Captain America spot.  Lets take a quick look at the team needs for the NFC North.

NFC NORTH

MINNESOTA VIKINGS– With the 200^th Brett Favre retirement, the Vikings will likely be looking to find their next signal caller in the draft.

1.       QB

2.       OL

3.       CB

4.       S

5.       LB

DETROIT LIONS– Detroit came out with one of the best players in the draft last year in Suh.  I think they will look to upgrade their line backing core in a LB heavy class.

1.       OLB

2.       CB

3.       C

4.       DE

5.       OT

CHICAGO BEARS– Jay Cutler was constantly on the ground this season due to the Bears having one of, if not the worst offensive line in football.  If the value is right, they will definitely take an OT.

1.       OT

2.       OG

3.       C

4.       DT

5.       CB

GREEN BAY PACKERS– Super Bowl XLV champs?  We’ll see tonight but I think the Packers will have the luxury to go either offense or defense with their first pick.  Another OLB to go along with Clay Matthews woud be nice.

1.       OLB

2.       OT

3.       CB

4.       RB

5.       WR

AFC WEST

DENVER BRONCOS– The #2 overall pick will most certainly be a defensive player.  The Broncos could use help at any position on the defensive side but I think Denver will look to address the trenches first with no real playmakers to speak of, unless Dumervil is moved to DE.  A CB like Prince Amukamara or Patrick Peterson is definitely not out of the realm of possibility.

1.      DL

2.      ILB

3.      CB

4.      OLB

5.      S

OAKLAND RAIDERS– The Raiders made some improvements this year but they won’t progress much further until they find their QB of the future.  It really hurts that the Patriots own their first round pick, #17 overall, due to the Seymour trade.

1.      QB

2.      OL

3.      CB

4.      WR

5.      OLB

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS– Chargers are a tough team to mock right now because I think they could go in a number of directions but I think they definitely need to find a playmaker for Rivers and someone in the front 7 of the 3-4 in the first two rounds.

1.      ILB

2.      WR

3.      OLB

4.      DE/DT

5.      RT

KANSAS CITY CHEIFS– The Chiefs were the surprise team of the year after having one of the better drafts last year.  This year I think they will look to solidify the offensive line or add a playmaker opposite Bowe but the value might not be right unless Julio Jones slips.

1.      OLB

2.      WR

3.      RT

4.      NT

5.      ILB

Also check out this video that one of my buddies just showed me.  It’s a documentary called ‘Year of the Bull’ that follows one player, Taurean Charles, being highly recruited by some of the top schools in the country.  The 4:50 mark is just amazing, let me know what you think.  FYI, there is a lot of cursing.

Today I was checking out Mockingthedraft from my blog roll and noticed an article they had about the Dolphins QB situation.  Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland was quoted as saying:

“Right now, until we have the opportunity to address it, (Chad Henne) is our quarterback,” Ireland said. “I’m not giving up on the guy.”

Well my rebuttal to that would be the “opportunity” to address it would most certainly be the draft where I could see them flirting with a guy like Cam Newton.  I would not go as so far to say that they are set with Henne for the 2011-2012 season.

Now onto the AFC South division review.

AFC SOUTH

TENNESSEE TITANS– The Titans are actively trying to trade Vince Young so QB immediately becomes the number one need after the former first rounder just didn’t work out in Tennessee.  I could see the Titans making a play for Blaine Gabbert out of Missouri with the 8^th pick.

1.       QB

2.       C

3.       TE

4.       DE

5.       SS

HOUSTON TEXANS–  The Texans need a ton of help in the secondary and would love for a guy like Prince Amukamara to fall to the 11^th pick.  If not they will probably look to take the best player available to fit Wade Phillips’ new 3-4 scheme.

1.       CB

2.       FS/SS

3.       DT

4.       OLB

5.       WR

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS–  The Jaguars are another team that needs a lot of help on defense and will have a lot of options at the 16^th pick to upgrade the defensive line or their line backing corps.  Would they dance with a guy like Newton if he were to fall to them?

1.       DE

2.       FS

3.       QB

4.       CB

5.       OLB

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS– The Colts’ struggles along the offensive line have been occurring for a couple of years now and when you have arguably the best QB in the game you need to do anything and everything to keep him upright.  On the other side of the ball the Colts have had one of the worst run D’s in the league and has greatly held them back in my opinion.  It is especially tough when you have to play Chris Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Arian Foster a combined six times per year!

1.       LT

2.       DT

3.       FS/SS

4.       OLB

5.       CB