Tusekan Raiders

Lol. You’re a feisty little fella.

That’s a good pick, although I’d like to see them at a more intimate venue, like CBGBs. I don’t know if the Clash ever played CBGBs, so GNR there in 1987 would be on the list. Elvis with Johnny Cash opening for him at any random honky tonk in the South…or maybe Johnny Cash debut at Ryman in 1956, the night he met June. But if I only have one, it would be seeing the Beatles at the Cavern Club.

Get up to Chicago for Bears-KC game. I’ll have ticket for you and even wear my fftoday T-shirt. You skipped out on me for your cousin’s niece’s friend’s birthday last time I was in KC, if I recall...I have long memory TBT Geek Meet-Up

It was a dive bar by old Tiger Stadium. It must have been 1999 because we went to go there before it closed and they were playing the Red Sox. I encountered Bob by chance in the pisser and engaged him in a debate on whether or not he was an idiot. After vanquishing him in the debate, he was a sore loser and yada, yada, yada, my group was escorted out.

@Mike FF Today you dissed me man

Good to see some people haven’t changed since I’ve been gone. CH seems to be in same standing

There is no other place worthy of my FF wisdom This is still the best FF community around. Life just got in the way

Has anyone seen ditkanate? I dropped him off at the Sanctuary 10 years ago after a Bears game and haven't seen him since. I thought this would be a good place to pick up the search. I've admittedly only had a kind of O.J. Searching for Real Killer effort about it, but really starting to worry now.

Weak RB class. Mark Ingram is good, but number 1 by default. Ryan Williams is the most talented RB in the class. He battled injuries and had a down year, but he was amazing last year. Not as well-built as Ingram and Mikel LeShoure, so we'll see if he can bulk up and take the pounding w/o losing his quicks. LeShoure, just like Mendenhall, was waiting for his opportunity and blew up when he got it. He's not as fast as Mendenhall, so he might not have as much upside, but he's better between the tackles. Those are the top three. I'd probably put Demarco Murray next. He is the definition of injury-prone, but it's impressive how he has transformed from speed and quickness guy through the injuries into a solid pounder. Doubt he can hold up as a feature back. Daniel Thomas is a converted QB and runs like one. Still learning, but not a burner and I don't know if he'll take the punishment at the next level if he doesn't evolve. Interesting sleeper, but not top tier. I like John Clay. Clay isn't long for the league, but is a Brandon Jacobs type who could have a couple big years. Not as fast as Jacobs. Bilal Powell and Roy Helu have been moving up, interested to see their workout numbers. Shane Verneen is a typical Cal RB who be a back-up, spot starter. Haven't seen a lot of Jay Finley or Anthony Allen, they get mixed reviews. Noel Devine, Dion Lewis and JacQuizz Rodgers, great college players, but too small, Darren Sproles types and becoming a player like him is their ceiling. Lewis has a bit more bulk potential, maybe he could be a poor man's Ray Rice if I'm underestimating him. Kendall Hunter is decent, maybe a bit more upside, but I think that OK ST O was underestimated. I like Delone Carter best of the smaller backs in this class. He has some bulk and delivers the blow to finish the run. He's a really nice sleeper in this class.

Until you develop the powers to discourage a player from juicing and getting a four game suspension, intervene in an arguement with his baby momma and showing up for work any given Sunday without his head screwed on right, stop him from staying up until 4am at a strip club and spend more time on game film, prevent him from getting injured, improve his rehab with your medical techniques, decide playing time and call the plays for every team in the league, force a GM to tell a coach to play a guy more and make his draft decisions, referee the game, manipulate the standings to dictate which players need to play all out at the end of the season, do all this for all the players in the league and control the weather and edit the waiver wire in your league every week to get the top pick, the game is mostly luck. Just like many forms of gambling, there's a certain amount of skill that can improve your chances for success, but most of the result is dictated by events completely out of your control, aka luck. Two things aren't luck or skill and don't belong in this thread are the example of bad record and high points scored. That's poor league design. There's all kinds of leagues with double-headers, power standings or points-based leagues, leagues with playoff spots allocated to points leaders, etc. to mitigate match-up luck. If you play in a league where you think you got screwed by the design, blame your decision to play in the league, not luck. The second is quality of opposition. All the guys pointing to skill in their consistent success, honestly evaluate the quality of your leagues. That probably explains your success more than some imagined higher level of "skill". Which leads to not confusing skill with effort. The exact same information and exposure (i.e. ability to watch any games and highlights) are available to everyone and finite. Those who spend more time utilizing it will have an advantage. If you take 12 guys of similar mental capacity who put in the exact same amount of effort, the results would be consistently random, as somewhat demonstrated by the so-called expert leagues (although commenting on alleged experts is a whole 'nother topic of nonsense).

I thought the combination of Martz and Cutler would either be a stunning success or a disaster. I never thought it would be just plain good. This team tried to play vertical early and after brutal loses at home to Washington and Seattle, I'm impressed how both adapted. They overhauled the offense and have made Cutler more of a game manager, which is counter intuitive to both coach and player, but resulted in a 6-1 record since. The OLine is the only significant problem on this team, unfortunately it's a big one. Cutler has had a ton of pressure this season and has responded well. After last year, I was fearing he was another coach-killer, Jeff George type, but he really seems to have matured this year and shown more fire and competitiveness then his normal uninterested facial and body expressions give the casual observer. The Lovie Smith sucks comment is interesting. I'm not a big fan, he's not a great coach per se, but in the face of what still seems to be the consensus opinion even in Chicago, I continue to respond with it's hard to argue with his results. Apparently it's been too easy for Bears fans to forget the Wanny/DickJar years. I know the problem in Chicago, it's impossible to get out of the Ditka shadow in this town, it would take at least 2 Super Bowls wins and needs to be done with more yelling, but I don't get it nationally. I'd expect a little more practical view from fans of other teams. There's 8 active coaches with 3+ division championships and at least 1 conference championship. Among those you have Mike Shanahan, whose made some of the worst decisions of his career in Washington and has unbelievably turned it in to even more of a mess than Dan Snyder achieves by himself. John Fox is another, and his coaching star has fallen. That leaves Belichick, Reid, Coughlin, Fisher and Tomlin. Obviously Belichick is in a class by himself and even though their fans try to run Reid and Coughlin out of town at the drop of a hat too, you have to give both their due. I like Tomlin, but he's in a bit of a George Seifert realm right now, he was handed the keys to a Lamborghini and so far has successfully kept it running. He's had to deal with some reloading, but let's see what he does once he gets some real adveristy, like losing some key coordinators and Roethlisberger finally going to jail. Fisher is the prime comp here for me. He's been doing it a hell of lot longer, but has had his poor seasons and his post-season success is no greater than Lovie's, yet I think he's generally respected and viewed as one of the better coaches in the league. I just don't get the overwhelming lack of respect for Lovie. Like I said, he's not a great coach and I can agree with not even liking him that much, but in this era of parity, it shows a complete lack of football acumen to say he sucks or dismiss his accomplishments.

Best free NFL draft information on the net. I don't include a site if most of their draft content is premium (e.g. ESPN). The first post has general links and resources. The second has all-star game coverage. The third has Combine and Pro Day/individual workout coverage. NFL DRAFT LINKS Profiles See FFToday section below for profiles from Wright, Waldman, and I. NFL.com: http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles NFL Draft Countdown (on right): http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/sub/rankings.html OTC: http://2006.ontheclockdraft.com/group_list...method=position Football's Future: http://www.footballsfuture.com/2006/prospects/ Rob’s Scouting: http://www.robscouting.com/2006/Teams.htm NFLfans.com: http://www.nflfans.com/x/2006/showoffense.php?xnumber=50 DraftStock: http://www.draftstock.com/site_main/index....files&Itemid=32 About.com: http://football.about.com/od/playerprofiles/ The best NFL draft blog http://nfldraftreview.blogspot.com/ NFL.com Draft Central http://www.nfl.com/draft Draft information on the NFL’s official websites. The Combine updates and Pro Day tracking by Gil Brandt are one of the best annual features. Lots of analysis and profiles. FFToday.com Matt Waldman’s profiles: Samples: http://www.fftoday.com/articles/waldman/05...ng_profiles.htm Portfolio: http://www.fftoday.com/scouting/index.htm Robert Wright's Positional Breakdowns: OL: http://www.fftoday.com/articles/wright/06_rookie_ol.htm My RB series: 06 RB class Final: http://www.fftoday.com/articles/idptony/06draft_rbs_v6.htm 06 RB class pre-Combine: http://www.fftoday.com/articles/idptony/06draft_rbs_v5.htm 06 RB Class end of regular season: http://www.fftoday.com/articles/idptony/06draft_rbs_v4.htm 06 RB Class late season update: http://www.fftoday.com/articles/idptony/06draft_rbs_v3.htm 06 RB Class early season update: http://www.fftoday.com/articles/idptony/06draft_rbs_v2.htm 06 RB Class spring preview: http://www.fftoday.com/articles/idptony/06draft_rbs_v1.htm NFL Draft Countdown http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com For one-stop shopping of NFL draft information, Scott Wright has one of the best independent free draft website. Nice layout, easy navigation, solid rankings, decent profiles, and Scott produces one of the better independent mocks every year. Also has a nice draft blog: http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/blog/wrightstuff.html Sports Illustrated Draft Central http://quicktime.cnnsi.com/football/nfl/specials/draft/2006/ The link isn’t working this year, so it looks like SI won’t have profiles and rankings, which have historically been good. There are plenty of articles… Tony Pauline: Combine Preview: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/foot...view/index.html Combine Wrap: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/foot...wrap/index.html 3/10: http://quicktime.cnnsi.com/2006/football/n...ders/index.html 3/24: http://quicktime.cnnsi.com/2006/football/n...ders/index.html 3/31: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/foot...ders/index.html USC Pro Day: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/foot...apup/index.html 4/14: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/foot...ners/index.html Don Banks Mock: #1 http://quicktime.cnnsi.com/2006/writers/do...ft.1/index.html #2 http://quicktime.cnnsi.com/2006/writers/do...art1/index.html #3: http://quicktime.cnnsi.com/2006/writers/do...art1/index.html #4: http://quicktime.cnnsi.com/2006/writers/do...art1/index.html Stewart Mandel’s Top 20: http://quicktime.cnnsi.com/multimedia/phot...ft/index.1.html Dr. Z Top Prospects: http://quicktime.cnnsi.com/2006/writers/dr...raft/index.html Collegefootballnews.com http://www.collegefootballnews.com/default.htm Not an NFL draft site, but the best college football website on the net. Early entry discussion: http://www.collegefootballnews.com/2006/Dr...arlyEntries.htm Pete Fiutak Mock Draft: http://www.collegefootballnews.com/2006/Draft/MockDraft.htm Great Blue North Draft Report http://www.gbnreport.com/ Best feature of Canuck Colin Lindsey’s site is the running news updates on the main page. Other nice features are the frequently updated Declared Underclassmen list: http://www.gbnreport.com/juniors.htm and his updates from Next Level Scouting. Next Level Scouting NEW: http://www.nextlevelscoutinginc.com/ OLD: http://www.nextlevelscouting.com/index.htm Home of site mentioned above. John Murphy writes in a stream-of-consciousness method at times, but has a lot of new or interesting tidbits, especially combine and pro day coverage. KFFL Draft Central http://www.kffl.com/static/nfl/features/nfl_draft/ The full package is pay, but they have a lot of nice free features this year, including a running notebook (NFL Draft Grapevine) and a compilation of draft order by position. Yahoo – Charles Robinson draft coverage http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/expertsarchive...harles+Robinson On The Clock http://www.otcdraft.com/ Nice running draft news stories on main page and decent profiles by Greg Benjamin. Draftdaddy.com http://www.draftdaddy.com/ First turned on to this site for their undrafted free agent coverage, but they have all kinds of draft content. By far the best feature is their draft blog: http://www.draftdaddy.com/blog/blog.cfm Football’s Future http://footballsfuture.com/ One of the more improved sites the last couple of years. Famous for their extensive listing of mock drafts from across the net: http://www.footballsfuture.com/2006/mock.html They also have comprehensive and original profiles and team needs analysis. Fox Sports Rising/Falling 3/12: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5408684 3/24: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5438526 4/7: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5483180 4/13: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5503168 DraftStock.com formerly NFL Draft Showcase NEW: http://www.draftstock.com/ OLD:www.draftshowcase.com/ Allen Trieu doesn’t spend as much time on compiling draft links anymore, but he has his own site highlighted by a limited, but growing, collection of in-depth profiles and some video highlights of prospects. Fantasy Football Toolbox Draft Index http://fftoolbox.com/nfl_draft/index.cfm A lot of comprehensive profiles, including of future prospects (ineligible underclassmen). List of mock drafts from around the net: http://fftoolbox.com/nfl_draft/2006_mockdrafts.cfm Draft Board Insider http://www.draftboardinsider.com/ Decent layout and navigation. Some pretty in-depth and original profiles and articles. Rick Gosselin (Dallas News) Draft Page http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/football/nfl/?nl Rob’s Scouting http://www.robscouting.com/ I’m never a big fan of his rankings and the site is a little rough, but Rob McCartney has been around for a while, does his own scouting, and writes his own in-depth profiles. He made them hard to find this year. Go to ‘Teams’ to see the list of teams he scouted and scroll down to find links to the players he has profiles for. College Sports TV (CSTV) Division I-A: http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/cs-m-footbl-body.html# Division I-AA, II, III, and NAIA: http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/cs-m-f...-more-body.html Website of college network with tons of articles on college teams and players, the same ones you’d find in the news section of many college team’s football websites. Pro Sports Daily NFL Draft News http://www.prosportsdaily.com/nfl/nfldraft.html Daily links to draft-related stories from newspapers across the country. Google News on NFL Draft: http://news.google.com/nwshp?hl=en&tab=wn&q=nfl%20draft Profootballtalk.com Rumor Mill http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm The infamous rumor mill has been known to break stories before the mainstream media. Only draft info would be stories of prospects as far as they relate to NFL rumor and speculation. Pro Football Weekly http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFLDraft/default.htm Nolan Nawrocki is no Joel Buschbaum. Content remains embarrassing since Joel’s passing. 2006 draft stuff isn’t even up yet in site linked above, but there was draft talk in the weekly college notes during the season: http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Colle...tes/default.htm Houstonprofootball.com NFL Draft War Room http://www.houstonprofootball.com/draft/ Obviously the slant of the content is related to the Texans, but the best draft information on a team’s fan website. The profiles are in-depth, but they only select five at a position, and make the selections early, so a few are no longer (or sometimes never were) top prospects by the time football season is over. Newspaper-quality articles are the other main content. NFLFans.com (formerly The Draft Exchange) http://www.nflfans.com/x/ Quirky site whose brutal layout is rough on the eyes. Scroll down and look on the left for prospect rankings and profiles. Forums seem to find some unique and hard-to-find information, especially during the Combine and workouts. Draftdatabase.com http://www.draftdatabase.com/ Replaces draftbook.com, and openly admits it, an independent site that closed down a few years ago. Like draftbook.com, they compile prospect profiles and reviews from a handful of other sources. About.com NFL Draft home http://football.about.com/od/nfldraft/ Draftseason.com http://www.draftseason.com/ Nice layout, easy navigation. Brief bios on prospects and not much in-depth or unique content, other than some fluff interviews. theHogs.net Draft Section http://www.thehogs.net/Draft/index.php Washington fan site isn’t Redskin-centric with their draft information. Big database of prospects with profiles, albeit brief ones. hR mock draft links http://www.hailredskins.com/MockDraft.htm Nice compilation of mocks from around the net by Hail Redskins. Football.com Draft Home http://www.football.com/cgi-bin/posters/pr...at=draft1.shtml Draft notes and rankings is about it. Loss of D.J. Boyer’s content is irrelevant; I thought their rankings actually look a little better without him. NFL Draft Forecast http://www.nfldraftforecast.com/ Decent layout and navigation, but some pretty whack rankings and outdated profiles. A collection of original articles and interviews, but not much substance. Sportsnutz.com Draft Coverage http://sportznutz.com/nfl/draft/ Rankings and the few profiles they provide (they promise more to come) are mediocre, but the Team Needs section was actually decent. Horrible layout and navigation (scroll down and look on the left to find the links to content). D2football.com 2006 Pro Hopefuls http://www.d2football.com/index.php?fuseac...home.proHopeful One of the top websites covering NCAA Division II football reviews some dark horses. Pre-Combine rankings: http://www.d2football.com/index.php?fuseac...ooks®ionID=6 RESOURCES Historical NFL draft information http://www.drafthistory.com/ http://www.nfl.com/draft/history NCAA Football statistics (all divisions) http://www.ncaa.org/stats/football/footballMenu.html 2006 Traded draft picks http://www.draftinsiders.com/8.html 2006 Free agents http://www.theredzone.org/2006/freeagents/ Official Site of NFL Combine http://www.nflcombine.net/ The Huddle Report Mock Draft scores (still has 2005 rankings, obviously) http://www.thehuddlereport.com/top100/index.shtml Average measurables of first round picks the last five years http://www.ourlads.com/DraftAverages.html

Ditkanate and his funnier brother.

The Bears line sucks and Cutler has horrible pocket presence. Lions line looked better, but Cutler ran right in to Suh when he could have stayed in the pocket and another time he held on to the ball way to long and got strip sacked from behind.

Yeah, they have a plan. They have the underpants gnome business plan from South Park. Phase 1 - Dismantle team, draft crap Phase 2 - ? Phase 3 - Victory!

This will be a full article after the draft, but here are some of my first impressions after last night of how these guys should be viewed in dynasty rookie drafts. Blue Chips Sean Weatherspoon, ATL – OLB I had a first-round grade on Weatherspoon coming out of the season and listed him as such going back to my first mock, pre-Combine. He is the most talented all-around linebacker in this class and will be a stud WLB for years. Eric Berry, KC – S Universally recognized as one of top talents in the entire draft, Berry lands in an ideal situation. A struggling offense will give him plenty of time on the field and a weak front seven should give him plenty of tackle opportunities. Berry could play either safety, but should start at strong safety and be an impact player from Week One. His nose for the ball in the air and ability for big returns after the pick are the reasons for comparisons to Ed Reed (BAL). DC Romeo Crennel knows how to utilize a multi-talented safety. Rodney Harrison had two of the best statistical seasons ever by a safety the two years he played all 16 games under Crennel (2003 and 2004). Ndamukong Suh, DET – DT A rare talent, Suh can be the rare player to make a fantasy impact on the interior line like Albert Haynesworth. You don’t want to draft him like a top defensive end, but especially in a league that segregates tackles and ends, you don’t want to ignore him like you might most rookie DTs. Overvalued Rolando McClain, OAK – LB Until the linebacker situation in Oakland is sorted, McClain has to be considered overrated. As the first interior linebacker selected in the actual draft, he jumps to the top of IDP draft boards in most tackle-based leagues, which means he’ll be going too early for me until we know what is happening with the Raiders. What I think this means, and it’s not great for McClain, is that the Raiders are definitely heading towards a 3-4 defense. While the team continues to talk about their players in a 3-4 and pundits continue to ignore the clues, the evidence seem to be overwhelming. The move of DE Trevor Scott to SLB last year was the harbinger. The addition of tweeners Kamerion Wimbley and Quentin Groves, as well as the apparent willingness to part with two of their starting linebackers (Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard, both given just mid-level tenders) in the offseason makes it seem more evident. Now with the addition of McClain, who many evaluate as his best fit a 3-4, I really think this is what is being set up. You have an experienced, and successful, 3-4 end in Richard Seymour and with Tommy Kelly a player who is probably better suited as a five-technique DE. Wimbley, Scott, Groves and Sam Williams (another player who has probably been miscast in a 4-3) are all ideal fits for the outside in a 3-4. That leaves the inside, and where I see bad news for McClain. He is probably best suited as the SILB, since he doesn’t project strongly as a pass rusher or in coverage, making him the odd man out in the nickel and dime. Morrison or Howard remain as the WILB, and probably the best fantasy producer. McClain can still be a tackle-machine, but predominantly just a run-stuffer with Earl Holmes as his ceiling. Even in the best case scenario, the Raiders remain a 4-3 and Morrison is moved, to the outside or off the team, McClain doesn’t have the elite athleticism to project his value coming from more than tackles. That still makes him valuable, but not if you are taking him expecting the next Patrick Willis, like some will expect because of his high position in the NFL draft. Brandon Graham, PHI – DE With all due credit to HC Andy Reid and talent evaluation capabilities of his staff, I don’t like this pick. Even though it would appear to mean less fantasy appeal, I would have preferred to see Graham as a 3-4 OLB. Graham confirmed the Eagles told him he would be playing DE. I like him even less in the extensive rotation Philly uses in the front four, i.e. it will limit his snaps. His speed and quickness is solid, for a bigger end, but not at the freakish level of a Dwight Freeney to overcome being undersized. Also, his arms are shorter than Freeney’s, which means offensive linemen can get to his body quicker and/or easier, the other reason I would have preferred to see him get an opportunity in a 3-4. Earl Thomas, SEA – S There is a lot to like about a guy who should be a ball-hawking immediate starter at FS with the potential to be a top corner, as well. However, a few things concern me enough to not suggest reaching for him. He’s a bit undersized for safety and while he generates some big hits with his speed and timing, he needs to bulk up to be a sure tackler at this level and I worry about his durability if he doesn’t. While he is lauded equally for his potential as a corner due to his coverage skills, this usually ends up as an albatross for a player of his profile because if he isn’t an impact player from day one, a coach is tempted to bounce him around and inhibit his development, see Michael Huff and Reggie Nelson. I see more boom or bust than lock to be a success. Gerald McCoy, TB – DT I think he can be a great player, but the comparisons to Warren Sapp are inaccurate and unfair. He doesn’t have the bulk or strength yet to handle NFL offensive linemen. He isn’t as good as Tommie Harris was coming out in 2004, a more realistic expectation for the type of player he could become. Devin McCourty, NE – CB Corner has been a fantasy wasteland in New England lately. Now mostly that’s been due to quality of players at the position recently, but the rotation HC Bill Belichick uses and the schemes he employs doesn’t help their stats. McCourty will need to be the next Ty Law or Asante Samuel to standout, which is asking a lot. I like him significantly more in leagues that count return stats. He should earn their primary kick and punt return duties, as well as be a gunner on punt coverage. Dan Williams, AZ – NT Most people aren’t in leagues deep enough to need to draft nose tackles, but if you are, I wouldn’t bother with Williams. Nothing to dislike about his potential, but considering he went from late round grade to first rounder based on one season, why bother assuming even this small amount of risk? Undervalued Jerry Hughes, DE – IND If the Ravens, Pats or Dolphins took him, I’d classify him as a blue chipper. I like his potential enough in a 3-4 to be the next Terrell Suggs. Despite being drafted by a team with a 4-3 base, he fell in to the ideal situation. No team is less concerned with size at end than the Colts and GM Bill Polian. He’ll learn the position from two of the best undersized ends in the league. Jason Pierre-Paul, DE – NYG Not sure how to classify him because it is hard to predict where people will draft him. I assume he’s going to be overlooked because he doesn’t appear to have an easy path to a starting job (unless Osi Umenyiora is moved before the season). Pierre-Paul gained notoriety as a physical freak, because he didn’t have much of a resume after being a JUCO transfer and playing just one year in Division I. However, he didn’t perform off the charts at the Combine. So Pierre-Paul is all about the dreaded p-word, potential. While I think he is a boom or bust prospect, the main reason I liked him more on April 23rd was because the Giants had drafted him. They rarely make mistakes in their DLine evaluations. While opportunity is not there now, Umenyiora has not shown a return to form from injury and is likely not long for this team regardless, while Mathias Kiwanuka’s contract is up next year. I wouldn’t reach for him as if he were a lock to be an elite DE, but I think most leagues will see him slip beyond the territory where the potential reward exceeds the risk. Joe Haden, CLE – CB This guy took a beating for an unimpressive 40-time at the Combine and now ends up out of the limelight in Cleveland. He is flying under the radar despite being an excellent technician at corner and a guy who is not afraid to stick his helmet in there to make tackles. Look for him to be a gunner on punt coverage too, offering an extra tackle or two here and there. There are sexier picks out there at corner, so Haden can make an excellent value pick in leagues that segregate corners and safeties. Expect Sheldon Brown to move to free safety, clearing the way for Haden to start opposite Eric Wright and opposing offenses to pick on him as a rookie. Kareem Jackson, HOU – CB Lacks the name recognition outside draftniks and ‘Bama fans that should allow him to fall down drafts despite being a lock to start as a rookie and great upside in run support. Patrick Robinson, NO – CB I’m higher than most on Robinson, giving him a borderline first-round grade as I moved him in and out of the round as my mocks progressed. After flashing skills of an ball hawk in the secondary his sophomore year, he digressed the next few years, but I think that has more to say about the quality of those Seminole defenses in having offenses choose to avoid Robinson, rather than a decline in Robinson’s skills. Look for last year’s first-round pick, CB Malcolm Jenkins to shift to FS to make room for Robinson in the top three rotation at corner. Tyson Alualu, JAX – DT A shocker with the 10th overall pick in the draft, this reeks of a panic pick by GM Gene Smith when Rolando McClain or C.J. Spiller failed to fall to them and they weren’t able to trade down. That said, Alualu is a solid player with decent potential to have the rare ability to post sacks as an interior player and should have the opportunity with predominantly one-on-one match-ups as the future under tackle who eventually replaces John Henderson. He also offers the flexibility to work at end in certain packages, bolstering his value. Market Performers Value should be commensurate with where they are drafted in fantasy leagues. Derrick Morgan, TEN – DE I think most share my opinion that Morgan is a tremendously solid player who should put up decent numbers, but doesn’t have the ceiling of a special player at the position like Simeon Rice or Julius Peppers. And I expect he’ll be drafted as such. I can’t get that Orange Bowl film where he matched up against Bryan Buluga out of my head. Kyle Wilson, NYJ – CB While drafted in the first round, I don’t expect many to reach for him in fantasy drafts because he is initially slated for a slot corner role with starters Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie in place. I like him to have a very productive rookie year as he’s targeted quite frequently with teams looking to avoid throwing at their starters. He could be a starter sooner than later, as Cromartie could implode off the field at any time. Jared Odrick, MIA – DE Going to Miami means he’s going to be a five-technique DE and hence of limited fantasy value. I do think he has the potential to be more of a playmaker than your typical converted DT who is asked to occupy blockers in a 3-4, but that just means his upside is the next Aaron Smith (PIT). More value in real NFL terms than fantasy, but not the wasted fantasy pick most 3-4 ends turn out to be.

3.12 Major Wright, S No surprise here. I think most targeted a safety at this pick and Angelo loves FLA players. Missed Morgan Burnett by 4 picks, but Wright has been a late riser after his development went in reverse to a job share last year. He is pure centerfielder and not a hitter, but that's fine, we have enough slow-footed hitters to play SS. Guys we might regret passing on: CB Brandon Ghee, OT Bruce Campbell and a sh!t ton of decent WR prospects 4.11 Corey Wootton, DE Clearly not a position I was hoping they'd address, but probably a case of BPA, so it's hard to be too critical. Wootton was projected as a first rounder before blowing his knee in 2009 Alamo Bowl. He returned in time for the 2010 season, probably too quickly, and wasn't the same player last season, hence why he fell. He had 10 sacks as a junior, but doesn't project as a top pass rusher. Most saw him as five-technique in 3-4, so he's slotted for anchor end on the left, which would be a nice fit opposite Peppers, if he pans out. Guys we might regret passing on: DB Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, OLB Thad Gibson, DT Geno Atkins, OT Jason Fox, CB Dominique Franks, CB Perrish Cox 5.10 Joshua Moore, CB Hopefully this is Angelo's annual hidden defensive gem. Came out early for money, not b/c of talent. Brutal at Combine, but played well on the field, especially in big games. Definitely a project, they just missed on Franks or Cox passing them in the previous round. Guys we might regret passing on: DE Greg Hardy, WR Carlton Mitchell 6.12 Dan LeFevour, QB Home town product was productive winner in MAC. Appeared to have helped his stock w/strong Senior Bowl performance, still fell, could be a steal as a nice career back-up. Mobile QB, good athlete, offers potential in gimmick packages. 7.11 J'Marcus Webb, OT And here's where Angelo goes deep again. Took some searching to find something about this guy. 6'8" 330lbs w/36" arms, cousin of former Dolphin Richmond Webb, lettered as a freshman at Texas, but couldn't cut it academically. Went on to be a JUCO AA and then was headed to Arizona, but was short on credits. Finished as one of the top DII tackles at West Texas A&M. Fred Mitchell and David Kaplan of the Trib nailed this call a week ago, saying Mike Tice coveted this guy as a prospect. He must be a box of rock and/or have some character concerns for no one to touch him, b/c he sounds like a fairly exciting prospect for a 7th rounder. Pretty typical Angelo draft. Heavy on DLine and DBs, no skill players to get excited about. If Wright can be a solid starter at S and Wootton a quality part of the end rotation, this draft was a success. Anything else is a bonus.

DB Akwasi Owusu-Ansah - this guy has Angelo written all over him. I don't think Morgan Burnett falls to 3.11. He'd be my top pick. They can't be serious about Craig Steltz starting. OT is so deep, there could be a solid, but unspectacular option still there in the third. I'd like to see a flyer on a tall WR like Carlton Mitchell, Eric Decker or Marcus Easely later.

The cost may have been a little high, but w/o a third round pick and competition from the Cardinals, they had to pay a bit of premium. Perhaps they had to beat the Cardinals offer. That aside, I like the move. I don't like either Bradford or Clausen. I like the trade a whole lot better than the possible alternative of drafting one of those two high in the first, plus the opportunity cost of who else they could have drafted w/the sixth pick (and whatever it might have cost to move up to get one of them). Whitehurst has the tools, his decision-making and consisency were the knocks coming out of college. He's had four years learning from a great offensive mind. Matt Hasselbeck was a 6th round pick who had 29 career attempts over a couple of years when Holms acquired him for a swap of first-round picks and a third rounder. This could turn out to be a very shrewd move.

1. Ryan Matthews, RB 2. CJ Spiller, RB 3. Dez Bryant, WR 4. Jonathan Dwyer, RB 5. Montario Hardesty, RB 6. Golden Tate, WR 7. Arrelious Benn, WR 8. DeMaryius Thomas, WR 9. Sam Bradford, QB 10. Javhid Best, RB 11. Jimmy Clausen, QB 12. Jermaine Gresham, TE 13. Ben Tate, RB 14. Toby Gerhart, RB 15. Damian Williams, WR 16. Tim Tebow, QB 17. Anthony Dixon, RB 18. Brandon LaFell, WR 19. Joe McKnight, RB 20. John Skelton, QB

Collection of the best free NFL draft information on the net. I don't include a site if most of their draft content is premium (e.g. ESPN). The first post has general links and resources. The second has unclassmen declared. The third has all-star game coverage. The fourth has Combine and Pro Day/individual workout coverage. NFL DRAFT LINKS FFToday.com Draft Tracker FFToday's Draft Contest Mock Draft Version 3.0 - from yours truly Draft websites NFL.com Draft Central Draft information on the NFL’s official website. Mike Mayock's analysis and the Combine updates and Pro Day tracking by Gil Brandt are the best features. Some 2010 articles in link, but still mostly 2009 draft stuff. Draftguys Premier ff podcast pioneers and draftniks Cecil Lammey and Sigmund Bloom began this site a couple years ago and dropped "nfl" from the front of the site name last year. CBS NFL Draft home - CBS partnered with Frank Cooney's NFLDraftScout.com and now provides some fantastic free content, including lots of Rob Rang's stuff. A lot of the detailed NFLDraftScout.com stuff is still pay, but their stuff for the current class is great and free. I'm not a big fan of CBS due to their price gouging of fantasy, but this is top notch content. NFL Draft Countdown For one-stop shopping of NFL draft information, Scott Wright has one of the better independent free draft websites. Nice layout, easy navigation, solid ranking, decent profiles, and Scott produces one of the better mocks every year. Also has a good blog. Sports Illustrated Draft Central - not up yet SI.com has been the best in class of the big box brands, and continues to be free. Their ranking (link by position) are typically excellent and include video clips. Look for Tony Pauline stories (click here), he is one of the best guys out there covering NFL prospects and the draft. TFY Draft - Mostly premium content, but I include it b/c it's Tony Pauline's site and he provides great free content to SI (see above). NFL Draft Bible - John Murphy, one of the better draft experts out there, left Yahoo! last year and is now affiliated with this site, so it becomes worth visiting for that. National Football Post - hot new addition launched by a collection of former scouts, execs, and players last year. They had a dedicated draft site last year, currently it is just mapping to their main page. Draft Daddy First turned on to this site for their undrafted free agent coverage, but they have all kinds of solid draft content. I'm a big fan and by far the best feature is their blog, the best one out there for a constant stream of draft info. Football's Future One of the more improved sites the last couple of years. Originally known for their mock draft links, they also have comprehensive and original profiles and team needs analysis.- Rankings and prospect profiles New Era Scouting Bloom turned me on to this site and I was an instant fan. Solid rankings, in-depth profiles with original content (still growing) and some other good stuff. Dallas News NFL Draft Home - featuring Rick Gosselin, one of the most respected newspaper draftniks. Gosselin rankings - Gosselin archive - Dallas Morning News college football blog Great Blue North Draft Report Best feature of Canuck Colin Lindsey’s site is the running news updates on the main page. Another nice feature is the frequently updated Junior Scoreboard, tracking the status of underclassmen. Pro Football Weekly NFL Draft Home Nolan Nawrocki and this site grew on me for the first time last year since the Joel Buschbaum days. Free content is a little more robust. NOTE: also prospect talk in the College Notes and College Football Extras sections. Rivals.com NFL Draft home - some great free articles and all-star coverage. Frank Coyle, who I'm not the biggest fan of, is the main contributor to the rankings, though. ScoutNFLExperts.com - part of Scout.com network. In-depth stuff and profiles are not free, but rankings and enough good articles are. Fox Sports is partnered with Scout.com, so most is pay, but their partnership with CFN.scout.com is free and in Pete Fiutak's articles you can find draft content. War Room Report hR mock draft links - Nice compilation of mocks, bills themselves as the largest such resource on the net. Consensus Draft Services NFLfans.com (formerly The Draft Exchange) Quirky site whose brutally crowded layout is a sensory overload. Look on the left for prospect rankings and profiles. Forums seem to find some unique and hard-to-find information, especially during the Combine and workouts. Fantasy Football Toolbox Draft Index Busy site with a lot of adds and occasional pop-ups, but a lot of content, especially mock drafts from their writers and around the net. Rankings with a lot of profiles, but some lacking content and/or out-of-date. KFFL Draft Central WalterFootball.com - not too in-depth, but solid rankings and quick bios. The Z Report - Houston Chronicle blog - Chronicle draft/ff blog writer Lance Zierlein has sporadic, Texan-focused coverage. AOL Fanhouse NFL prospect blog entries - AOL blogs filed under 'NFL prospects' keyword AOL Fanhouse NFL Draft blog entries - AOL blogs filed under 'NFL draft' keyword Draftboard Insider - mostly a blog w/good Senior Bowl coverage and some other basics. NFL Draft Dog - started in 2008, pretty basic. The NFL Draft Site - blog with some pretty basic stuff. Houston Texans 2009 Draft Central - good coverage for a team site, but obvious focus on Texans. Not updated for 2010 yet. About.com NFL Draft home - hit or miss quality, as you know if used about.com to ever find any kind of info. Draft news ProSportsDaily.com NFL Draft News Google news on NFL Draft Profootballtalk.com Rumor Mill - infamous rumor mill has been known to break stories before the mainstream media. This is all NFL news, but I've found interesting draft stuff on here too. COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS College Football News.com I'm rather disappointed collegefootballnews.com mergered with scout.com (now cfn.scout.com). The content is more or less the same, the best college football website on the net. However, the layout suffers from merging with the crowded scout.com format, as well as their pop-ups. Although almost all the content remains free, scout.com is fee-driven, so we could be losing another great free site soon. Look for articles by Pete Fiutak who covers draft stuff there. College Sports TV (CSTV) USA Today conference reports TSN D-IA Coverage TSN D-IAA Coverage College Sporting News (CSN) Top D-IAA football website. The former I-AA.org merged with them. D2football.com One of the top websites covering NCAA Division II football reviews some dark horses. Pro hopefuls is their preseason review of top DII NFL prospects. RESOURCES DraftHistory.com NFL.com Draft History CBSSportsline.com Draft History Wikipedia entry for NFL Draft Official NCAA football statistics (all divisions) 2010 traded draft picks (courtesy of Draft Insiders' Digest) 2010 free agents (courtesy of Football's Future) 2010 free agents (courtesy of The Red Zone) Official site of NFL Combine THR Mock Draft scores (2009 ranking, obviously) 2009 NFL Draft Links thread 2008 NFL Draft Links thread 2007 NFL Draft Links thread 2006 NFL Draft Links thread

No focking way Tebow goes 10/11 to Jax and no way there is a secret deal in place to land him in Jax. First of all, no one is taking him in the first round, so the conspiracy would have to last until the third or involve a pre-arranged trade and agreement through a few dozen picks, b/c they don't have a second round pick. Ironically, NE has their second round pick and I could definitely see him going there. It really makes a lot of sense. Belichick is one of the few coaches who could reach for him and afford to develop him in a 2-3 year window, working him in other ways. Jax may try to trade in to the late second to take him. He probably shouldn't go until the third, but someone will get delusions of grandeur about the possibilities. New England is second. I agree w/whoever said Oakland is in the mix. Who knows what Al is thinking. If he makes it to the third or fourth round, it's wide open. For dark horses there I like Philly (at least one QB is gone there. If anyone could find creative ways to use him, it's Reid), SF (if any coach would skew character over skill, it's Singletary, plus shaky QB situation), Miami (Parcells isn't afraid to take a risk), Minnesota (Droopy Dog drafted Tavaris in the second round, can you really put it past him?), and the Colts (Polian is another guy secure in his job and unconventional in evaluation; he's never backed Manning up w/a decent QB before, so this would be no different).

Yeah, I struggled with that one. He's a top 10 guy, but if both QBs go top ten, it shakes things up, it pushes he and/or Berry down. If that happens, Haden probably goes to Cleveland b/c Berry goes earlier and Taylor Mays/Earl Thomas or a lineman, either side of the ball, go to SF at that pick.

Meant OLB. Hughes is a pure pass rusher. He's looked at free agency and mid-low picks. He likes his tweeners proven, it seems. Anyway, the point was Hughes is as much a swag as anyone else

Right? Scary. There's a few 3-4 teams before, notably SD, where I thought about the fat boy, but I think he falls out of Rd 1 for now...we'll see what the Combine does. Also w/Vikings if Pat retires, I like the serendipidity of Dan Williams going there to continue the Williams Wall, I just think Dan is too hot a commodity now.