NFL Draft News and Notes
The news is running rampant as we move closer to the draft and we’re here to keep you updated.
First up when you’re making your mock drafts consider a big defensive linemen for the Tennessee Titans, according to profootballweekly the Titans new defensive coordinator is looking to add size to the defensive line.
In an effort to avoid a repeat performance next season, GM Mike Reinfeldt has indicated that he intends to acquire some bigger bodies on the interior of the D-line.
Additionally, Tennessee’s defensive ends will be asked to line up more frequently as seven-techniques — across from offensive tackles and tight ends — as opposed to on the outside shoulder of the tight end as they have done in the past.
This also will require bigger linemen who can mix it up and overpower blockers rather than relying on edge speed to get up field.
What does this mean? It means a sneaky pick for the Titans in the early rounds of the draft could be Jarvis Jenkins of Clemson who is a big bodied run stuffer the Titans could be seeking. Or maybe a Marvin Austin, or Stephen Paea in the 2nd round.
WR Michael Floyd of Norte Dame has been suspended indefinitely. It seems that Floyd will still try to play at Norte Dame next year and not enter the supplemental draft, though that would actually make the supplemental draft interesting this year.
According to CBS Sports: Jake Locker has been excellent in his private workouts for teams.
Right now there are a lot of teams in the mix for Locker all over the first round: Tennessee Titans, Redskins, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, and Seattle Seahawks could all consider Locker in the first round (and according to sources in the league it appears Jacksonville is very intrigued with Locker) and I think a good landing spot. He has no character concerns and the Jaguars are not a team that would need to play him immediately.
What it means: Quarterbacks always get over-drafted sometimes that turns out to be a great thing (Joe Flacco and Josh Freeman are both recent examples of quarterbacks who many considered to be reaches, but have turned out very well). And sometimes that’s a bad thing.
All 32 teams were represented at Indiana’s Pro Day. The obvious player of intrigue at Indiana is WR Tandon Doss who seems slated to go anywhere from the 2nd to 4th round.
According to National Football Post
The Dallas Cowboys are interested in Aldon Smith (that now makes 6 players that seem to be in play for the Cowboys: Tyron Smith 1st, Aldon Smith, Watt/Jordan-more fan driven, and the two big cornerbacks PP and Amukamara).
My take: I like Aldon Smith and he’d make a very nice compliment to DeMarcus Ware. I don’t think he’ll make it past 15 in my final mock draft.
I respect Walterfootball.com’s stuff, but I think he’s wrong about Da’Quan Bowers falling far down the draft. Now, NFP is with me.
Talked with a scout Friday who believes that the idea of Clemson DE Da’Quan Bowers falling into the mid 1st is crazy. He said that it’s all about misinformation at this time and he believes the teams that really want him outside the top-10 are the ones at the head of putting all this information out there
I agree. Bowers is an elite talent. And the #1 player on my big board. Sure the knee injury worries me a little, bit but not a lot. This isn’t a guy with any major concerns and the interviews I’ve read with him impress me I imagine he’s blowing teams away in the interview process. I think his floor is 13 at the Lions, but I don’t think he’d make it past the Titans at 8th overall.
• Hearing from sources the Raiders have a legit interest in Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick if they decide to go signal caller early. He’s a tall, strong-armed kid who runs well for his size and fits the kind of prospect mold the Raiders like.
This one is interesting to me. They do need a franchise QB, but I like Campbell even if he can’t win you a Superbowl he can get you to the playoffs and the Raiders just need to get to the playoffs this year and worry about Superbowl moving forward, like the Bills. The fans need playoffs.
• A scout this week said he would take LSU CB Patrick Peterson over New York Jets star Darrelle Revis if he had to pick one of the two right now. Same scout also said he believes Peterson and Alabama DL Marcell Dareus are the two best defensive players in the 2011 NFL Draft.
There’s no denying Peterson’s talent. But that’s a BIG statement, that’d be like someone next year saying they’d take Andrew Luck over Drew Brees next year. Revis is one of the few shut down cornerbacks in the league and he’s still young. I’d take the sure great thing over the potential HOF thing.
On the injury front, hearing there is one highly rated prospect who is really liked by just about every NFL team and was at the NFL Combine that failed a number of medical evaluations because of a back issue, which was deemed potentially career threatening.
This-ladies and gentlemen will ruin more mock drafts than anything. Medical issues are the biggest thing in the draft to consider. I know I said I don’t buy the Bowers thing, but that’s because arthroscopic surgery isn’t nearly as big of a deal as it used to be. Maybe it takes two years as opposed to one. But bad backs are a terrible thing to have, they don’t go away and they don’t usually just get better-as someone who knows plenty of people who have bad backs.
Something not that important, but I’ll mention anyway is that Mark Ingram is shopping for a new agent (I could not care less).
Here’s an opinion of why the Bears should trade down in the draft (though the title of the article: Bears likely to trade down is misleading)
Follow us on our new (about a month old) twitter account @NFLmocks. For all the latest draft news and information. Also we’re always available to talk draft there and every now and then we like to do full round twitter mocks which you can make picks for yoru favorite team.
Have a nice day, everyone.