Dezmon Briscoe was the third leading receiver in the NCAA in 2008. He finished with 1,407 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was Todd Reesing's top target, and primary deep threat. Briscoe is an explosive player with a knack for the big play, his campaign last season earned him All-American honorable mention. Looking ahead to 2009 I think that Briscoe might be able to eclipse his 2008 stats and catch the eye of NFL scouts.
Kansas has an offense that can put up points in bunches. They have a lot of threats at wide out. Kerry Meier was 28th in the nation in receiving yards and really opens up the game for Dezmon. Having another threat on the field will discourage teams from helping over the top on Briscoe, this could allow Dezmon to get down the field and make big plays.
Kansas is not known for having a great defense, but in the last couple of years they have had excellent offensive units. Briscoe, is a big physical receiver and can go up and get the ball. He flew under the radar nationally last year because of the other bignames at wide out. I see him getting a lot more attention this year because some of the big names left for the NFL.
Briscoe certainly has the skill set for the NFL game, I think that him having a good year in 2009 will be crucial for his draft stock. Having one good season can happen but two solid seasons in a row, that usually means you can play. Kansas will be scoring a lot of points and Dezmon will be involved in many of them. Expect to hear his name a lot this year as Kansas continues to prove they are not just a basketball school.
Major Wright is one of the nations premier safety's. Last year at Florida he was third on the team with sixty-six tackles, and grabbed four interceptions. Major Wright is a safety, but hits like a linebacker. He played free safety last year and was third on the Gators in tackles, that is saying something. Let's take a look at what Major Wright will be doing in the Gator's secondary this season.
Joe Haden and Janoris Jenkins are the two starting corners for Florida. Both of them have the ability to lock down receivers. At safety opposite Wright the Gators have Ahmad Black who was tied for the most interceptions in the country with seven. So it is safe to say that Florida has a loaded secondary.
This gives Wright the ability to truly roam the field at free safety. This is a very scary(just watch the play that starts at 25 secs) thought for Florida's opponents. If Major is confident that his teammates can handle their own, he will be able to help with run support, and come over the top on passing plays.
Wright enjoys contact and because of this he takes on the role of game changer for the Gator's. 51.1 points per game, that is how many points Oklahoma averaged per game last year, when they met Major Wright and Florida's defensive they scored fourteen in a loss.
Everyone knows about Tim Tebow and how good he is. The Gators are the team to beat this year. While you are watching their explosive offense make sure to keep you eyes on #21 Major Wright.
Jahvid Best finished last season with a 186 yard two TD performance against Miami in the Emerald Bowl. The scary part, the best might be yet to come. Jahvid will be a Junior this year and will be coming off a 1,580 yard season.
Want to hear a crazy stat line, 311 yards on 19 carries, and 4 TD's. That's what Best did against Washington in the final regular season game of last year. So clearly he has the talent to be on the early season Heisman watch list. Cal lost Alex Mack to the Cleveland Browns, someone is going to have to step up and fill the void.
Kevin Riley is going to need to show that he can be an accurate passing QB to give Best some breathing room. Jahvid will not need much room as he is one of the most explosive backs in the NCAA. Best is almost impossible to tackle in the open field so if Cal can give him some room, he will do the rest.
I see California as a top 20 team right now, but this all depends on Jahvid. He had a great O-line last year but his talent is undeniable. If Jahvid can get things going on the ground then other parts of Cal's offense should fall into place.
Look for Best to rack up the yards early in the season, other running backs took some of the spotlight away from him last year. This year he will start on top as arguably the best back in college football. Cal will have a good team this year so Jahvid should make a serious run at the heisman.
Matt Ryan performed as well as any Falcons fan could have hoped. The Falcons were in absolute turmoil (Mike Vick) heading into the season. Enter Matt Ryan, Atlanta finished 11-5, they were knocked out of the playoffs in the wild card round by the super bowl runner up Cardinals. Michael Turner came running out of Ladainian Tomlinson's shadow in San Diego, he finished with 1,699 yards and proved that he is one of the better backs in the NFL.
Along with Ryan and Turner, Roddy White also had an excellent year. He is a sure handed receiver and provides a deep threat for the Falcons. The Falcons have a very good offense, but lost games last year because of holes on the defensive side of the ball. The Falcons took defensive players with their first five picks, lets take a look at some of them.
With the 24th overall pick the Falcons took Peria Jerry DT out of Mississippi. Jerry is very agile for his frame (6'2" 300lbs), he moves well on the inside and shifts to his gap responsibility quickly. He uses his hands well on the line to defeat blockers and find the ball.
Not a lot of negatives with Jerry, sometimes he has the tendency to stand up and get pushed around by bigger lineman but this is something that he will learn quickly. Jerry has the talent to be a presence in the middle for the Falcons right away. His quickness should interrupt run lanes and he has the speed to get after the quarterback. Good pick here for the Falcons.
William Moore safety out of Missouri was the Falcons second pick. Moore is very athletic. He has great instincts and could be a solid cover two situation safety for the Falcons. I said "could" instead of "will" because Moore has some inconsistencies that lead to me not being totally sold on him.
Moore sometimes relies to much on his athleticism and forgets his technique, this can lead to him being susceptible to double moves. Moore also goes for the big crowd pleasing hit too often, leading to missed tackles. That being said, he remained one of the best prospects at safety because teams always feel that that can mold a player to succeed within their system. Moore is athletic enough to make the adjustments to be successful, and has the potential to be a game changer. I just think he might have been a slight reach 55th overall.
Christopher Owens (draft guys with the breakdown) was the Falcons next pick. Owens is 5'10" 181lbs, but plays bigger then that. Owens has a very physical style of play, he likes to be physical with the receivers on the line of scrimmage, and does not shy away from contact at the point of attack. I think that Owens can help right away in passing downs because of his physical style.
Only negative thing about Owens is that he is a smaller player, He plays hard and usually puts himself in a position to make a play. But sometimes he simply gets out sized by larger receivers. This means the Falcons will be careful leaving Chris on an island to defend a wide out one on one. Owens could make an immediate impact for the Falcons within the teams nickel and dime packages.
The Falcons only selected one offensive player (Garrett Reynolds) in this years draft. They needed to sure up their defense and taking seven defensive players is certainly one way to do that. I like Perry with the first pick and think that he can be productive. I am hesitant to commit on Owens and Moore, but they could both turn out to be good picks for the Falcons.
Player to Watch: Chris Owens is a spark plug and if he can learn the system quickly I can see him making some plays for Atlanta. Also, look for Jerry to be productive from day one.
Two sad story's today, the first, Phil Mickelson will be stepping away from the tour while his wife Amy battles cancer. The second story is even worse, Scott Schoeneweis' wife was found dead yesterday, at this time the cause of death is unknown.
The Yankees are on a tear, David Ortiz found the seats, and the Magicians stunned the Cavs.
(And your Vid...we will be talking about him a lot in 2009)
The Kansas City Chiefs had an awful season, and finished 2-14. If the Lions had won at least three games, we would be talking about the Chiefs and how bad they were a lot more. This off season they let go one of the greatest tight ends ever in Tony Gonzalez.
On a positive note they did win the Matt Cassel sweepstakes. Cassel had an excellent season for the Patriots replacing Tom Brady. This being said New England is the perfect place for a QB to succeed, Kansas City is anything but perfect we will just have to wait and see what he can do.
The Chiefs need help everywhere. Larry Johnson was hurt for part of the year but did shows sparks of the great running back he can be. Dwayne Bowe was a bright spot for the Chiefs and proved he can be a very good receiver in the NFL. It can't get much worst from 2-14, lets see what they did to improve.
The Chiefs had the third pick in the draft and with it they selected Tyson Jackson DE out of LSU. Tyson Jackson is big, 6'4" 295lbs and can be a force for the Chiefs.
He will be making the move from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 which the Chiefs primarily use. I do not see the move to a 3-4 being a difficult one for Jackson as he is strong enough and uses his hands very well. This was a good pick for the Chiefs because they got a player that can start, and make an impact immediately.
The Chiefs second pick was Alex Magee out of Purdue. The Chiefs went defense again with this pick, and again I think they were successful. Magee is strong where Jackson is weak, and vice-versa. Magee has the quickness off he ball to attack the QB on passing downs, where as Jackson is more of a run stopper.
Magee lacks certain things that make him a starter right away like Jackson, but he is the perfect player to spell lineman when tired. Magee made the switch from DT to DE his senior year because of injuries, and played well. Magee is a great guy for the Chiefs, because of his ability to play multiple positions.
Donald Washington CB out of OSU was the next pick for the Chiefs. Washington is an athlete (45 inch vertical), he left a year early and right now might be more of an athlete then a football player. His 40 yard dash was good (4.49) and he showed smooth straight drop backs in combine drills. He did however struggle a bit when changing directions but this can obviously be worked on.
He lacks upper body strength and this might be why he avoids contact at times. He will be a bit of a work in progress for the Chiefs. His immediate impact might be seen more on special teams then on defense, but with the raw talent that he has, I would not be surprised to see him work in on 3rd and long packages.
Quinten Lawrence was a late round pick for the Chiefs. He has good speed and quickness along with reliable hands. He was the go to receiver at McNeese State but will probably have to move into the slot in the NFL, where I can see him being productive. I could also see him returning kicks and or punts for the Chiefs.
The Chiefs had a very good draft, with their first two picks they got two players up front that can make an immediate impact. They also got some players to fill some holes later in the draft. They have a lot of work to do, but the draft was certainly a good place to start.
Players to Watch: I think both Jackson and Magee can make a difference on the front line. The D-line is certainly somewhere to start improving and these players are capable of making it happen.
Football players are different then normal people, normal people can not put up these numbers, these kids are absolute freaks in the weight room. Only thing in this story that should be taken with a grain of salt is the forty yard dash times, these are not combine times, and are probably a bit quick because of that, nevertheless these times are fast enough to still be ridiculous when slowed a bit.
The Buffalo Bills picked up Terrell Owens this off season, we all know his deal and what he is capable of. Because of this I will focus this post anywhere but TO. The Bills finished 7-9, they have Marshawn Lynch at RB, Lee Evans and you know who at WR, and Trent Edwards at QB. I see defense being more of an issue for the Bills, let's take a look at what they did to address their needs on Defense.
The Bills first pick was at eleven, with this pick they took DE Aaron Maybin out of Penn State. Maybin is a one trick pony, but he does that one trick very well. The Bills lacked a solid pass rusher and they got one in Maybin.
He is quick off the ball and quick up the field, this being said he lacks the upper body strength for a solid bull rush. His 38 inch vertical was very impressive for an end and that could help him to get up and deflect passes at the line of scrimmage. The needed someone to pressure the QB and Maybin can do that.
With the 28th pick the Bills selected C Eric Wood out of Louisville. Wood can play multiple positions on the offensive line, and is a proven hard worker. I think talent goes a long ways, but it is nice to see a blue collar guy with the talent.
He is 6'4" and had a strong bench press so he can certainly hold his own strength wise. Wood will have no objection moving around to help the Bills protect Edwards, for this reason I think Wood was a good pick here.
Jairus Byrd out of Oregon was the Bills next pick. What he lacks in straight line speed he makes up with instincts. He has the ability to adjust to passes and go up and get the ball. He could be used in nickel and dime packages for sure. He also performed well on special teams for the Ducks, so I could see the Bills taking advantage of this.
Player to Watch: Eric Wood (Offensive linemen are hard to watch, so watch and see if he can make the Bills offense better)
Mark Schlabach released his top 25 today, I will be taking some time to do mine so that I can feel confident about it. You have seen all these teams before, nothing too new here. Ole Miss, and Oklahoma State are different then you usually see in the top ten, but for good reason. Take a look and read it for what it's worth.
The Houston Texans finished the season with an 8-8 record, but won 5 out of their last 6, so things are looking up in Houston. Schaub played well at the end of the season, which can be easy sometimes when you are throwing to this guy. Steve Slaton had a great rookie season, and should continue to improve.
The Texans have a nice young offense and should put up points in 2009-10. This being said they were 8-8 for a reason, most problems start with defense, if you can not stop your opponent then you can not win. They went defense with their first pick lets see who it was.
With the 15th overall pick the Texans took LB Brian Cushing out of USC. Cushing is a great pick for Houston. He was the leader of an elite linebacker core at USC, and is very versatile.
Houston has a couple different holes in their defense where they would like to use him, and Cushing has the speed (4.74 40 yard dash) and strength (30 reps in the bench press) to fill them. I look for Cushing to be used right away on passing situations as he has the speed to run with tight ends, and eventually play himself into a starting role.
The Texans went defense again with their second pick taking the speedy Connor Barwin of of Cincinnati. Barwin has good straight line speed for an end (4.66 forty yard dash), and uses it on the field as he is all over the place making plays.
He is a non stop pursuer to the ball and often makes tackles from behind. I mentioned he has good straight line speed(this is why I use combine times), he does struggle at times changing directions. Another negative is that the Texans play a 4-3, Barwin will be out of place a bit in this defense but is athletic enough to adjust. I can see Connor making an immediate impact on special teams due to his versatility.
Antoine Caldwell C out of Alabama was the Texans third pick. He is a solid player that has proved to be durable. He has quick strong hands that allow him to control defenders, and has a nice wide base. We will have to see if he can work his way into a starting role.
The Texans needed to address their defense and they did. I think Houston has a chance of making some noise next year, and these players will certainly help.
Player to Watch: Brian Cushing
Overall Draft Grade: B
(Draft Party with the vid)
(Pursuit I mentioned can be seen in the first play)
Greg Paulus is officially headed to Syracuse to tryout for the football team. He is going to need to add some bulk right away. I am interested to see how this plays out, this is my second post about Paulus, the first is here.
The Cardinals had an amazing season last year, they made the playoffs, then beat the Falcons, Panthers, and Eagles before losing in the Super Bowl to the Steelers.
The only thing they truly lacked was a dominant running back. Edge played well especially during the end of the season, and Hightower scored most of the rushing touchdowns for the Cardinals. Edge is creeping up in years, and Hightower, simply put is not a number one back in the NFL. The Cardinals Defense was good enough but could use improvement, and at wide out they should be just fine. Let's take a look at what they did in the draft.
With the 31st overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft the Arizona Cardinals took Chris "Beanie" Wells. Wells was arguably the best pure running back in the draft this year.
Let's start with the negatives because their are so many positives. Durability is his main flaw, he was hurt a couple time during his career and missed major time last season. Also at times his blocking can be lackluster, he is capable of being a solid blocking back, so with this being stressed in the NFL he will probably improve.
Wells is a large RB at 6'1" 235lbs, and with 25 reps in the bench he is also strong. This said he maintains a low pad level when he runs, allowing him to run through tackles and break through the line of scrimmage. He also used his strength to deploy one of the best stiff arms in college football. Along with his strength he has great breakaway speed (starts at 22secs) and rarely gets caught from behind.
Cody Brown OLB out of UConn was the Cardinals second pick. He is 6'2" 244lbs and uses his hands well, but he is undersized to play DE in the NFL that is why he is already listed as an OLB. He shows good busts of speed off the ball, which he uses to get around offensive linemen. Brown is athletic enough to drop back into coverage, and also could be used on special teams right away.
The Cardinals also picked up arguably the best safety in the SEC in Rashad Johnson. I watched his combine and along with his 4.53 second forty yard dash he moved very fluidly through drills and rarely wasted steps. He has great instincts and gets to the ball very quickly. His only downside is his size, he only put up 225lbs 15 times, he is going to need to add bulk if he wants to get off blocks in the NFL.
All being said I like what the Cardinals did, They picked late and picked well. I do worry about Brown and Johnson because they are both going to have issues with size in thew NFL, but if they can handle the adjustment and Wells can stay healthy this could prove to be a very good draft for the Cardinals.
The Bengals had a horrible season, they finished 4-11-1, Carson Palmer was hurt, Chad Ochocinco (really weird typing that) was a distraction, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the Bengals leading receiver is gone. The Bengals have a reality show coming out which should be interesting, but that is about the only positive news coming out of Cincinnati this off season. The Bengals could use help at pretty much every position, let's take a look at what they did on draft day.
Cincinnati took Andre Smith with the sixth overall pick. If you have heard of him it is probably for the wrong reasons. Simply put since missing the most important game of his college career, he has done almost everything wrong.
Don't get me wrong Smith has an incredible skill set. Smith has quick long arms and a gigantic frame that makes him very hard to get around. Andre only gave up one sack all of last year, this in itself is enough proof of how good he is. If not for all of his off the field problems he could of gone number two instead of Jason Smith. Andre Smith will only add to a locker room that is in as much disarray as any other in the NFL. The Bengals leading rusher was Cedric Benson, and Chad Ochocinco is about to be the go to receiver, enough said.
Rey Maualuga was the Bengals second pick. Maualuga had a great college career, and is a very good player. He has great instincts, and he is an explosive hitter. Maualuga should be able to help the Bengals sure up the middle of their defense right away. The only thing that concerns me is his forty yard dash time, at 4.91 seconds he was one of the slowest LB's in the draft. Experts always have a million reasons why players run fast or in this case slow in the forty yard dash, because of this I am willing to let it go.
I think the Bengals have two possible great players, but Andre Smith is certainly a question mark at this point, and Ray has had antics of his own. It will take a while to see these two players feel out the system and see what they can do within it, but don't hold your breath on Smith. I can see him being a very troubled player if he does not right the ship soon.
The Titans had a really good season last year, they finished 13-3, but lost to the Ravens in the first round of the playoffs. They had a great defense, and an excellent run game(if you don't like the happy dance something is wrong with you). They lacked a premier pass receiver, and sometimes struggled to score because of this. Depth at wide out is certainly something they wanted to address going into the draft.
Kenny Britt was the titans first pick, 30th overall. Britt has average straight line speed (4.56), and above average route running skills. Britt blocks corners very well because of his large frame 6'3" 218lbs, the Titans definitely like this because they run the ball so often. Britt benched 225lbs 23 times, this is another good thing for Britt as it means he can also block linebackers. It will be interesting to see how the titans use Britt, but he was their first pick so he should be used a lot.
The Titans took Sen'Derrick Marks of out Auburn with their second pick. Marks is a work in progress. He has the potential to see a lot of minutes as a run stuffer if he can improve in a few areas. He needs to add some bulk to the top of his frame, and needs to work on his cardio. Marks does have potential, as he is built from the bottom up and has very strong legs, he also moves quickly for a big guy and can out quick offensive linemen at times. Titans should not need him right away so he should have some time to improve on these things.
I like what the Titans did with their 5th round pick. Javon Ringer out of Michigan State is good. He just might not be NFL good right now. The Titans do not need a running back right now, so might as well take someone they can work on. Ringer is a short, compact runner and was very successful at MSU. He runs well inside the tackles but struggles when he gets on the outside. Javon could be good in certain situations down the road, we will see how he is used, he did return kicks at MSU so that is always a possibility, even though he lacks explosive speed.
Just some links to get you through the rest of the work day, and of course a nice video for your viewing pleasure. I will be posting another draft update tonight so look for that.
The Denver Broncos came out of the gate last season looking like a team that could go deep in the playoffs. They started out 3-0 and had put up 114 points through those games. So why did the Broncos finish 8-8, defense, they had none. They gave up 30 points 9 times, you can't be successful in the NFL when you give up that many points week to week (unless your the 2007 patriots).
So going into the draft they knew that they had to pick up some players that could help them on the defensive side of the ball. They took Knowshon Moreno RB with the 12th overall pick, after that it was all defense. I have already posted about Moreno, so I will focus on the Broncos defensive picks in this post.
With the 18th overall pick the Broncos took Robert Ayers, DE out of Tennessee. Ayers was a first team All-SEC selection his senior year while recording 49 tackles (15.5 for loss). He does not have top pass rusher speed, but he has been surprising people his entire career so I would not bet against him. He will bring a lot of versatility to Denver. I think that this is a solid 18th pick as Ayers was one of the best available.
I also like the Broncos 3rd pick, Alphonso Smith CB out of Wake Forest. Smith ran a 4.51 second 40 yard dash, but more importantly he shined during the coach run drills. I watched all of the defensive backs run through these drills, and I was thoroughly impressed with Smith, he has smooth quick movements and does not waste steps. The only knock on Smith is his height, Smith stands 5'9", but don't let that fool you, smith is a true play maker and left Wake Forest as the teams career leader in interceptions with 21.
You hear about it on TV, there have been movies made about it. It is discussed all the time and sometimes even joked about. But it does not really happen does it? Well it does happen, and this latest case is a big wake up call. This case is different then others, in a bad way. Six players were involved and two different sports. Check out the story here, story's like this are certainly a black eye for the sport.
With the 9th overall pick the Packers took B.J. Raji, defensive tackle from Boston College. Raji is a run stuffer, he tipped the scales at 337lbs and benched 225lbs 33 times. Simply put Raji is a big dude. He will bring immediate help to the Green Bay front line. The packers need help on defense, so I like what they did here getting Raji. Raji will be getting time early on in Green Bay, so we will be able to see what he can do right away. I can definitively see B.J. making an immediate impact for the Packers.
With their second pick they took Clay Matthews LB out of USC. Clay Matthews was one of the three highly touted LB's coming out of USC this year along with Brian Cushing, and Rey Maualuga. Matthews ran an impressive 4.67 second 40 yard dash and benched 225lbs 23 times(with the help of Chuck Berry). He is a hard working player and really gets after it in the weight room. Matthews speed could really help the Packers on the outside and be a good compliment to A.J. Hawk in the middle. I think they had to go defense with this pick and Matthews should fit in nicely.
The Bowl Schedule for the 2009-10 season was just released. No major changes this year, a couple of different sponsors but that's about it. Games start on December 19th and the BCS national championship is January 7th.
Julio Jones standout wide receiver from Alabama recently had sports hernia surgery. It typically takes about 6 weeks to return to full speed from this injury, so no need to worry tide fans. He had a great freshman year and should be a force next season.
Derek Anderson lead the Browns to a 4-12 record last season. This opens the door for Brady Quinn to contend for the starting role. Both QB's have shown flashes, Anderson was even a pro bowler 2 years ago. So first things first they need people to protect these guys. Their were three solid centers in this years draft, this does not happen very often. These centers were, Alex Mack from California, Eric Wood from Louisville, and Max Unger from Oregon. The Browns took Mack with their first pick, 21st overall. Mack is a very solid player and should be able to help right away. He won the Morris Trophy which is given to the best offensive lineman in the Pac-10, it is voted on by Pac-10 defensive lineman, pretty impressive. Center is a crucial position on the front lines and the Browns hope that he can help give their QB whomever it is some extra time in the pocket. Strength is key for offensive lineman, he set a record at California cleaning 374 pounds. Braylon Edwards is good, one of the better wide receivers in the game, last year he had a case of the drops. He is still one of the best but when Donte' Stallworth (17 catches, 170 yards, 1 TD) is your second best, you have some work to do. With their second pick they took Brain Robiskie out of Ohio State. Robiskie is a good possession receiver, he has above average hands and for that reason could become a favorite for the QB on third downs. He ran a 4.59 second forty yard dash which is about what I figured he would run, its not a blazing time but he runs good routes which helps a lot. This is a good pick for the Browns because they lack a receiver like Robiskie.
They took another WR with their third pick, Mohamed Massaquoi out of Georgia. They need help at the position so I don's see this as a bad pick. Massaquoi could help the Browns a bit in their short passing game, he ran a 4.66 second 40 yard dash and they have Braylon Edwards so I don't see him getting a lot of work deep down the field.
