No first-round receiver? Vince Young says no problem. I hope he’s right, I wish they’d moved up and gotten one in the 2nd though.
Archive for the 'Draft' category
Safety Drew Kelson and linebacker Robert Killebrew have been invited to the Chicago Bears’ rookie camp for a try-out. They will join 26 other unsigned players, 12 draftees, and 10 rookie free agents at the Bears’ rookie minicamp this weekend and will have three practices to try to get someone’s attention.
A try-out is not the same as signing a rookie free agent deal, there will definitely be a huge uphill battle in front of them to make the team. Their best hope may be that in this limited opportunity they can impress enough to make the Bears’ coaching staff believe they could make an important contribution on special teams. Even if they don’t make the Bears’ roster it is important they show up well and generate a little buzz around their name, hopefully resulting in a try-out with another team.
Five Longhorns were selected this weekend in the 2008 NFL Draft this weekend but several eligible players went unselected. Players like Marcus Griffin might have been disappointed Sunday, but being signed as a free agent by the best team who made the best offer is often a better situation than being a 6th or 7th round pick. Last year Selvin Young sign with perfect team (Denver) and ended up rushing for 729 yards on the season.
On Monday four players were quickly snatched up by NFL teams. Griffin and wide receiver Nate Jones were both signed by the Minnesota Vikings. If those two can earn a roster spot they’ll join Cedric Griffin and Brian Robison and definitely make the Vikings a team for Texas fans to keep an eye on.
Defensive tackle Derek Lokey signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, one of several teams that he had to choose from. “Evaluating it all, Kansas City was the best option for me and I jumped on it. I’m really excited about the opportunity. They were one of the teams that showed a lot of interest in me throughout the process,” Lokey said. Lokey well join Derrick Johnson and fellow rookie Jamaal Charles in KC.
Brandon Foster agreed to a deal with the Indianapolis Colts. If any team can look past Foster’s height it would be the Colts, starting Pro Bowl safety Bob Sanders is only 5-foot-8. Foster is the only cornerback the Colts are bringing in.
On Tuesday receiver Billy Pittman became the fifth Horn to sign a free agent deal when he agreed to terms with the San Diego Chargers.
SI.com 2009 NFL Mock Draft has Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo going in first round.
Limas Sweed to the Pittsburgh Steelers is one of the 10 best marriages of talent, team needs from 2008 NFL Draft.
Jamaal Charles in the 3rd round was one of Peter King’s favorite draft selections. Thinks he’s a great fit in Kansas City.
Texas defensive tackle Frank Okam won’t have a long flight to join his new NFL team. Frank was drafted with the 16th pick of the 5th round (151st overall) by his home state Houston Texans. The Texans have a good stable of young defensive lineman so Frank will have to work hard and earn his place in the rotation. He’s got as much upside as any defensive tackle in this draft, getting him this low could end up being a steal for the Texans.
Congratulations Frank, show up and work your tail off and show them what you’re capable of.
Update: From the official Texans’ site, an interview with defensive coordinator Richard Smith about Frank and also available his conference call with Houston media.
Texas offensive tackle Tony Hills will be joining Limas Sweed in Pittsburgh this season. Hills was selected with the 31st pick of the 4th round (130th overall) by the Steelers. Offensive line was one of Pittsburgh’s biggest needs and Hills is the first lineman they’ve selected today. The right tackle position is wide open so he should have the chance to compete right away for playing time.
Congrats Tony, go up there and tear it up with Limas.
Update: Read a transcript of Hills’ media conference call and an interview with Larry Zierlein (Steelers offensive line coach) discussing his selection, both from the Steelers’ official site.
Texas tight end Jermichael Finley was picked by the Green Bay Packers with the 28th pick of the 3rd round (91st overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. This is a little higher than what most experts expected (including myself). There were thoughts that his inconsistency and poor blocking would drop him to the 4th or 5th round, but the Packers must have fallen in love with Jermichael’s great potential. In Green Bay he should be able to come in right away and compete to be the team’s second tight end.
Congrats to Jermichael, stay warm and good luck in Green Bay!
Update: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has posted Finley’s media conference call and a good discussion about him with assistant tight ends coach Ben McAdoo. Both interesting reads.
Texas running back Jamaal Charles has been selected with the 10th pick of the 3rd round (73rd overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs. A decent place for Jamaal, he’ll have a chance to back up Larry Johnson and provide a gamebreaking threat for the Chiefs. The Chiefs need to relieve some of Johnson’s workload to keep him healthy, so there should be carries available.
Congrats to Jamaal and good luck with the Chiefs. We’ll be watching you and Derrick Johnson on Sundays.
Update: The official Chiefs’ website has a Q&A up with Jamaal.
One pick away from joining Vince in Tennessee. So close…
With the number 22nd pick of the 2nd round in the 2008 NFL Draft the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Texas wide receiver Limas Sweed. Sweed goes to a team with a solid quarterback and should have a chance to contribute right away and then take over as the team’s number one guy after Hines Ward retires. Lower than everyone thought and Texas fans are disappointed, but the Steelers are a great spot for Limas.
Congrats to Limas and good luck to him in the NFL.
Update: The Steelers’ official site has a transcript of Sweed’s conference call with Pittsburgh media after his selection. Worth a read.
Update 2: Interview with Pittsburgh wide receivers coach Randy Fichtner is also now available.
Position: Defensive Tackle
Height: 6-5
Weight: 347 pounds
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Strengths: Smart football player with incredible natural strength and athleticism. Good against the run because his size and strength make him tough for opposing lineman to budge. As much upside as just about any defensive lineman in this year’s draft.
Weaknesses: Underachieved at Texas. Not a high motor guy and takes too many plays off. Is too heavy at 350 pounds, would be a much more effective player 15 pounds lighter. Recurring knee injuries possibly related to carrying too much weight.
Projection: 4th or 5th round
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ESPN draft expert Todd McShay loves Limas Sweed. He has the Texas receiver going 24th in Saturday’s draft to the Titans, but he’s even higher on him than most NFL teams. McShay believes that “ten years from now, we’re going to say Limas Sweed was the most productive and most talented wide receiver in the 2008 NFL Draft class.” Pretty bold statement and I sure hope he’s right, especially if Sweed is on the receiving end of Vince Young’s passes in Tennessee for the next ten years.
Watch his scouting report below, the quote is at the very end:
Most NFL mock drafts only include a round or maybe two, but just like last year ESPN’s Todd McShay has released his seven-round mock draft for your perusal (if you’re an ESPN Insider.) Getting one round is tough enough, but McShay actually did a decent job last year and even nailed Justin Blalock to Atlanta and Brian Robison to Minnesota last year.
Below is where McShay believes the Longhorns in the draft will go followed by my my thoughts on the picks:
Round 1
24. Tennessee Titans - Limas Sweed
This is best possible scenario for Texas fans. Titans need wide receiver help desperately and Sweed may be the best one in the draft. Getting him at #24 would be great for the Titans VY.
Round 2
43. Carolina Panthers - Jamaal Charles
Charles is the first running back taken in the second round. He’d actually have a chance to start for Carolina to, only has to beat out DeAngelo Williams.
Round 3
115. Philadelphia Eagles - Marcus Griffin
Nice spot for Marcus, interesting to see him going so high. I’ll be surprised if Griffin goes before Finley and Hills, simply because I believe those two have much higher ceilings. Great to see a former walk-on work his way into a mid-round NFL Draft pick.
127. Indianapolis Colts - Jermichael Finley
Jermichael might be a little disappointed by how far he falls but he’d be ecstatic to be picked up by the Colts. Pretty much the perfect situation for him. They use their tight end a lot, Peyton Manning to throw him the ball, they split the tight end out wide frequently, and most importantly the Colts throw work out of the shotgun a ton and Finley wouldn’t be asked to be down on the line run blocking much.
129. New England Patriots - Tony Hills
Another good situation. Hills would be given time with New England to develop and wouldn’t be asked to start right away. At the same time, there’s no young, highly regarded tackles on their roster so he’s got a chance to compete by year two.
Round 5
154. Washington Redskins - Frank Okam
Much lower slot than people expected out of Okam a few years ago but McShay may actually have him higher than the current opinion. I’m not sure what I think, I have a feeling he might go as early the fourth round if a team makes a pick based on potential but then I wouldn’t be shocked to see him go undrafted either.
Round 7
215. Baltimore Ravens - Derek Lokey
Imagine if Lokey had Okam’s build, the kid would be a first round pick. But he’s 6-foot-1 and a light 290 pounds which is considered very undersized for an NFL defensive tackle. I’d love to see Derek go to a team and be utilized as a goal line fullback and deep snapper as well as a defensive tackle who can give 15 - 20 snaps a game.
Longhorn pipeline may continue to flow for Titans. I’d love to see them pick up Sweed in the first and Charles and the second or third.
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6-4
Weight: 215 pounds
Hometown: Washington, TX
Strengths: Excellent size and speed combo, not a burner but fast for a receiver with his size. Great hands and uses his size well against smaller defensive backs. Knows the benefits of a subtle push off. Good work ethic and has impressed scouts with his attitude in interviews and effort coming off major wrist surgery.
Weaknesses: No injury history but wrist injury that caused him to miss most of senior season is still a question mark. Had concentration issues early in his career that resulted in too many drops. Never had a dominating season at Texas.
Projection: mid to late 1st round
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Position: Offensive Tackle
Height: 6-5
Weight: 309 pounds
Hometown: Houston, TX
Strengths: Good size and has the frame to add more weight without losing agility or quickness. Is a good pass blocker thanks to his long arms and good feet. Excellent athlete who still has more upside. Intelligent young man on and off the football field.
Weaknesses: Must get stronger and be more physical to compete against NFL power rushers. Has a lot of interests and passions, football may not be one of them. Had a career threatening injury in high school and is now coming off a fractured left leg that ended his career at Texas.
Projection: 4th or 5th round
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Position: Safety
Height: 5-10
Weight: 201 pounds
Hometown: Austin, TX
Strengths: Strength and aggressiveness make him good against the run. Good tackler who led the Longhorns in tackles in 2007 from his free safety position. Not blazing fast but ran a solid 4.55 forty at the Texas pro timing day. Fantastic special teams player who will find a way to contribute to your team.
Weaknesses: Not great quickness or recovery speed. Hasn’t shown good ball skills, doesn’t make plays even when good coverage has him in position. At 5-foot-10 lacks ideal height if matched up with a tight end. Needs to take better angles in pursuit of ball carriers.
Projection: 5th or 6th round
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Position: Cornerback
Height: 5-7.5
Weight: 185 pounds
Hometown: Arlington, TX
Strengths: Speed, speed, speed. Foster wasn’t on many teams’ radar even after two solid seasons in the defensive backfield for the Longhorns, but a 4.28 40-yard dash at Texas’ pro day certainly got people’s attention. Cover skills and ball skills are solid, had three interceptions and three touchdowns this season so he knows how to make plays.
Weaknesses: Height. Listed at 5-foot-9 on the Texas roster, Foster measured officially at 5-foot-7.5 for the NFL scouts. Some teams will avoid him solely based on that. Won’t be able to cover man-to-man against larger receivers so will have to catch on as a nickel back or in a Cover 2 system.
Projection: 6th or 7th round
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Jake Long will be first pick of 2008 NFL Draft. What does that mean for the rest of the teams picking in the top 10?
Position: Tight End
Height: 6-4.5
Weight: 243 pounds
Hometown: Diboll, TX
Strengths: Size and speed causes major match-up problems if you put a linebacker on him. Great hands and can go up and grab the football in traffic, fights off defenders well. Tons of upside that may cause a team to reach for him earlier than you expect.
Weaknesses: Can’t and/or won’t block anybody. Doesn’t show much desire to get physical down with the big boys and he can’t be a number one tight end if he’s a liability pass and run blocking. Has good height but is light for an NFL tight end, should be able to add more weight to his frame. Wasn’t a consistent contributor game in and game out for the Longhorns. Needed another year of experience to realize more of his potential.
Projection: 4th or 5th round
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Position: Running Back
Height: 5-11
Weight: 200 pounds
Hometown: Port Arthur, TX
Strengths: Good quickness and incredible speed. Football player with track star speed. Runs well inside the tackles, doesn’t go down on first contact, and can take it to the house if he gets the edge. Charles is a big play waiting to happen. Never had a ton of receptions as a Longhorn but catches the ball well out of the backfield and is dangerous once he has it in his hands.
Weaknesses: Durability and ball security are Charles’ two biggest issues affecting where he’ll be picked. He never had a serious injury but he also never seemed to be at 100%. Because of his size and his history, NFL teams will be concerned about if he can stay on the field for 16 games per year. Jamaal’s fumbling issues limited his carries for a stretch during the 2007 season, that is another huge red flag that will scare off some teams in a deep draft for running backs.
Projection: 2nd or 3rd round
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Titans looking to provide Vince Young with more help. Hopefully the team adds an offensive playmaker (or 3) to give Vince more options on offense.
Rick Gosselin’s latest NFL mock draft (4/18) has Jamaal Charles going incredibly high at #20. Also has Limas Sweed in the first round.
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