The Scouts Notebook

The first round of the NFL Draft is in the books and for the Philadelphia Eagles, they go into the 2nd round having gotten their man on Thursday. As I reported in my preview the man to look for them to trade up for was Fletcher Cox and Howie Roseman made it happen.

What was so impressive about the trade was not only that they were so vigilant in their pursuit of the tenacious defensive lineman, but that Roseman was also able to stay patient – acting like a steely-eyed veteran general manager. When the Dallas Cowboys traded up via only one 2nd round pick I was already biting my nails like a prepubescent girl in line to meet Miley Cyrus. Still – Roseman waited as the board laid itself out in front of his eyes – one domino falling after the other. Of course, I continued to curse up a storm. Had I been in the driver’s seat, the Philadelphia Eagles would be without two picks on Friday.

Roseman struck right after Kansas City scooped up Dontari Poe — which coincidentally was the exact same time I took the bounty I had placed with one of my less scrupulous acquaintances off his head. The Eagles then struck and got into place before the Rams would have a chance to grab him at No. 14. It was brilliant to watch and at the same time, had me chewing on Toprol XL.

I expect tonight to be similar. There are still plenty of prospects on the board at positions that could really help the Birds and while the board unfolds, we’ll likely start seeing a run at wide receiver – helping Philly’s cause.

Names I’m watching for picks 46 and 51, in order by position that I think could be on the Eagles board/fit the team:

CB – Janoris Jenkins, Brandon Boykin

TE – Coby Fleener, Dwayne Allen

OL – Amini Silatolu, Jeff Allen, Mitchell Schwartz

LB – Lavonte David, Bobby Wagner

DE – Vinny Curry

QB – Kirk Cousins

As stated before, I think the top targets will be Coby Fleener and Janoris Jenkins. The offensive line intrigues me. I don’t believe Cordy Glenn is at all what the Eagles are looking for, however Jonathan Martin or Mike Adams could be. I do think Amini Silatolu would fit the offense well after talking to Tommy Lawlor who has studied him much more than I have. Jeff Allen is a player I could definitely see them targeting.

If a player like Vinny Curry drops, aren’t you almost forced to take him? I think it’s unlikely that some of these names fall to the Birds, but if they see someone special – a 5th rounder could get them up a few picks to land a player like Fleener. What a red zone weapon he would be!

Overall, I think the modus operandi will just be staying patient and picking spots again today. If Fleener starts to drop in the second round because offensive lineman, corners and receivers start coming off the board – the Eagles should pounce.

My three best guesses on the picks – Coby Fleener, Janoris Jenkins, Jeff Allen

Comment in here.

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The Gimp and I will be drafting for two NFL teams this year and will track the amount of starts our players have over the next five years in comparison to who that team takes. You can follow along on Twitter or the front of the site.

I drew tails on the coin flip and got the Browns by request of fans and he gets the Bengals.

by Matt Alkire

Cleveland Browns

No. 3 – Trent Richardson, RB Alabama (Actual – Trent Richardson)
No. 22 – David DeCastro, OG Stanford (Actual – Brandon Weeden)
No. 37 – Stephen Hill, WR Georgia Tech (Actual – Mitchell Schwartz)
No. 87 – Alameda Ta’amu, DT Washington (Actual – John Hughes)

by NFL Gimpy

Cincinnati Bengals

No. 17 – Dre Kirkpatrick, CB Alabama (Actual – Dre Kirkpatrick)
No. 27 – Cordy Glenn, OL Georgia (Actual – Kevin Zeitler)
No. 53 – Vinny Curry, DE Vanderbilt (Actual – Devon Still)
No. 83 – Lamar Miller, RB Miami (Actual – Mohamed Sanu)
No. 93 – Jayron Hosley, CB VaTech (Actual – Brandon Thompson)

Scout’s Notebook is a site for all teams, but of course we do cater to those of you who have followed us since the beginning – the booing, snowball throwing, beer chugging Eagles’ fans. That’s right, we love you best.    Continue reading →

Now posted on the Mock Draft page.  Make sure to check it out and make fun of all the picks that were different than mine.  Unless he gets them right.

2012 Final Mock Draft – by Tommy Lawlor

1 – IND – QB Andrew Luck, Stanford

2 – WAS – QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor

3 – MIN – OT Matt Kalil, USC

4 – CLE – RB Trent Richardson, Alabama

5 – TB – CB Morris Claiborne, LSU

6 – STL – DT Fletcher Cox, Mississippi State

7 – JAX – WR Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State

8 – MIA – QB Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M

9 – CAR – CB Stephon Gilmore, South Carolina

10 – BUF – WR Michael Floyd, Notre Dame

11 – KC – DE Michael Brockers, LSU

12 – SEA – DE Chandler Jones, Syracuse

13 – ARZ – OT Riley Reiff, Iowa

14 – DAL – SS Mark Barron, Alabama

15 – PHI – LB Luke Kuechly, Boston College

16 – NYJ – LB Melvin Ingram, South Carolina

17 – CIN – OG David DeCastro, Stanford

18 – SD – LB Whitney Mercilus, Illinois

19 – CHI – DE Shea McClellin, Boise State

20 – TEN – CB Dre Kirkpatrick, Alabama

21 – CIN – DE Quinton Coples, UNC

22 – CLE – WR Kendall Wright, Baylor

23 – DET – OL Cordy Glenn, Georiga

24 – PIT – ILB Dont’a Hightower, Alabama

25 – DEN – DT Alameda Ta’Amu – Washington

26 – HOU – WR Stephen Hill, Georgia Tech

27 – NE – DL Dontari Poe, Memphis

28 – GB – LB Courtney Upshaw, Alabama

29 – BAL – OL Peter Konz, Wisconsin

30 – SF – OG Amini Silatolu, Midwestern State

31 – NE – CB Janoris Jenkins, North Alabama

32 – NYG – DE Bruce Irvin, West Virginia

Rather than post a bunch of comments, I’ll let you guys fire off whatever questions you have.  I did let things get a bit weird at the end of the round, but it seems to me that teams start to do strange things at that point so I just went in that direction.

by NFL Gimpy (check out his Twitter nonsense greatness)

Before the draft talk, I want to address quite possibly the best thing to ever happen to NFL offenses: Brian Dawkins has retired. Here are a few potential things NFL players are thinking: Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe is thinking “I’m safe going across the middle. I only have to fear injury as opposed to instant death. I can sleep again!!!” Peyton Manning is thanking God he doesn’t have to throw against Brian in practice and get his WRs killed and throw more interceptions than he ever has. Alge Crumpler still wakes up in a cold sweat thanks to the hit Dawk gave him in the NFC Championship during the Eagles Super Bowl run.

In all seriousness, Dawk is one of my favorite players of all time. The NFL is a worse place without him on the field. He was a monster on the field and a model citizen off of it. His career ended without a Lombardi and he’ll go down as one of the best without one. He’s a Hall of Famer in my eyes and I hope the jagoffs in Canton agree. Now, on to players whose lifespan instantly increased with Dawk off the field, the draft!

The draft is a mere 3 days away and I’m pumped. It’s that time of the year when nerds like myself sit in front of the TV for 3 days straight and while the rest of society wonders what in the world is wrong with us. I know my wife looked at me cross eyed last year when I said to myself amusingly loud “Why the hell are the Titans drafting Jake Locker this early? What idiots.” I’m going to include my mock below which Matt and Tommy laughed incessantly at but as always, I like to do things a bit differently than everyone else. You’ll see some reaches, 2 odd trades you won’t see anywhere else and some bad jokes. Just like everyone else, I’m probably wrong. One thing is certain, like every year, there will be some crazy what the hell moment in the 1^st round. I made my prediction in the mock.

A few thoughts before the mock, some draft related some not.

-Misinformation galore! After Luck and RG3, pretty much every other pick has some type of crazy rumor attached to it. The Vikings don’t want Kalil, the Browns are crazy, the Eagles covet Cox, no Kuechly, no Poe! No, Vontaze Burfict! Ok, they don’t covet Burfict but teams are throwing everything at the wall right now hoping another team will bite. Don’t believe anything you read. Odds are what you assumed 2 weeks ago is more correct than what you’re reading now.

-For the fun of it, how about people post where they think Ryan Tannehill will go? What pick and to whom? I’ve been saying Tannehill is the most intriguing story of the draft and where he goes could blow our minds. Conventional wisdom is he goes to Miami at #8 but that’s too easy. I want crazy ideas like Cleveland at #3 or Dallas at #10.

-If the Vikings move from Minnesota to LA, will the NFL just flip flop the Vikings and the Rams in their divisions? It makes sense, so it won’t happen.     Continue reading →

With four days to go before the NFL Draft the media buzz on certain players has become a bit laughable – not in a sense that there is a lack of credibility – but in that the inconsistency between what is truth and reality seems skewed at times. A virtual world has allowed the anonymous opinion of every man or woman into our living rooms, but as I read some of this on a spring day there is a bit of confusion. That confusion lies in what is being said anonymously by one and what is said behind closed doors by many.

So, I felt it would merit time to stroll through some of the higher ranked prospects in this group and relay what I’ve personally heard.

Jonathan Martin, OT Stanford – Martin is a player that I’ve always liked, however have always admitted is weak in pass protection and seems to be afraid to use his hands. That’s fine if you’re cleaning out the garbage disposal, but not for left tackle duties. My theory was that teams would still take him high and teach him.

Apparently the scouting community feels differently. Apparently a number of organizations have late 1st or even 2nd round grades on him. The word “soft” comes up in regard to Martin. I’ve never seen that, but you have to respect people who do this for a living.

In fact, while we’re on the subject of offensive tackles – none of the Three Musketeers are fairing well past Matt Kalil.   Continue reading →

There is a lot of buzz right now about the Vikings either taking someone other than Matt Kalil or possibly trading back. What is going on? Isn’t Kalil exactly what they need?

Here’s the deal. I think the Vikings love Matt Kalil and see him as an elite LT prospect. That said, the Vikings need more than just a LT to get things turned around. The Browns have Joe Thomas. The Dolphins have Jake Long. Anyone jealous of those teams? I think the Vikings are hoping that some team wants pick #3 and will pay a good price to get it. If the Vikings could add a 2nd rounder and maybe a mid-round pick as well, that would really help them out.

The Vikings are talking up a lot of prospects so that the teams after them will think about trading up. If the Browns covet Justin Blackmon, you pressure them by talking about him. If the Bucs covet Morris Claiborne, you pressure them by talking about him. And so on.

If the Vikings stay put at #3 and pass on Kalil, I’ll be highly surprised. I’m still a believer that you get a stud LT if you have the chance to. The counter argument is for them to get Claiborne. MIN plays in a division loaded with QBs and stud WRs. The Vikings secondary is a mess right now. Adding an elite corner would make a lot of sense.

* * * * *

One player generating a ton of positive buzz right now is CB Stephon Gilmore. I’m not really sure where this all started. Gilmore has an excellent combination of size and athleticism. He had a good season and then was great at the Combine. I don’t think he has great cover skills. Mike Mayock loves him and thinks he should be a Top 10 pick. Greg Cosell thinks Gilmore is the top CB in the draft. I respect both guys a lot, but simply don’t agree with them.   Continue reading →

1. Indianapolis – Andrew Luck, QB Stanford

Jim Irsay gets his quarterback, although given the family’s track record and his penchant for Twitter, I’m not sure this is a good thing for Luck.

2. Washington (f/STL) – Robert Griffin III, QB Baylor

Despite Donovan McNabb’s warnings, I’m pretty sure Mike Shanahan is still going to pull the trigger on RGIII. All jokes aside, this is a major step forward for the ‘Skins and has to get the attention of the rest of the NFC East.

3. Minnesota – Matt Kalil, OT USC

Despite all of the trade talk I simply don’t think the Vikings can afford to pass on a franchise left tackle. The gap between Kalil and every other player at his position in this class is huge.

4. Cleveland – Morris Claiborne, CB LSU

My question comes down to who is running the draft in Cleveland. If it’s Tom Heckert, I believe the pick will be Morris Claiborne to pair with the young and talented Joe Haden. If it’s Holmgren, we may see Trent Richardson come off the board.

5. Tampa Bay – Trent Richardson, RB Alabama

This has been the player I’ve felt all along that Greg Schiano will want to get his paws on and I’m still inclined to lean that way. Tampa Bay has a very solid OL and they need a star RB to utilize it.

6. St. Louis (f/Wash) – Justin Blackmon, WR Oklahoma State

Blackmon represents what the Rams need, a go-to option in their receiving corps that Sam Bradford can lean on and build toward the future with.

7. Jacksonville – Melvin Ingram, DE South Carolina

Ideally, the Jags would love to trade back and gain extra picks, but gaining a quality pass rusher here in Melvin Ingram is nothing to shake a stick at. If there is any player that reeks of a Gene Smith prospect to me it’s Ingram.

8. Miami – Ryan Tannehill, QB Texas A&M

After all is said and done I believe Tannehill will actually fall to the Dolphins. Even with the inflated value put on the quarterback position – Tannehill simply isn’t worth a Top 5 pick.

9. Carolina – Michael Floyd, WR Notre Dame

While he may not stand out to people as an immediate need, Michael Floyd further opens up an offense that Cam Newton settled into nicely last season as a rookie. The former Irish standout is a nice compliment to Steve Smith and gives them the size they have looked for in the past with players like David Gettis in the draft.

10. Philadelphia (f/Buff) – Fletcher Cox, DT Mississippi State

**TRADE*** – Eagles give picks 15, 88 and a 2013 3rd round pick

Cox is the player I said I thought the Eagles would target for months and I’ll be sticking to my guns until draft day. Unfortunately for the Birds – I don’t see any way he makes it through KC and Dallas – but a quick trade with Buffalo who doesn’t see value on the board saves the day.

11. Kansas City – Michael Brockers, DT LSU

Cox is the player I think the Chiefs would love to get their hands on, however if they strike out there they could go with Michael Brockers as a five-tech for their system. Glenn Dorsey was not drafted by the current front office and will his small frame – 6-foot-1, 297 pounds – I doubt they’ll retain him. The one player I do wonder if they’d pass on though is David DeCastro.

12. Seattle – David DeCastro, OG Stanford

Many rumors have been out there that the ‘Hawks covet Courtney Upshaw and Tony Pauline who is very respected is even reporting it. It doesn’t make sense in terms of value, but it does how Pete Carroll uses his ‘backers. I just get the gut feeling that DeCastro’s value and their need will trump that.

13. Arizona – Luke Kuechly, LB Boston College

The Cardinals signed Stewart Bradley in free agency and he turned out to be a total bust. Kuechly is the type of player that could end up being a mainstay in the middle of their defense for the next several years.

14. Dallas – Mark Barron, S Alabama

Honestly, I think this would be a horrible pick from a value standpoint, but rumors have the Cowboys going for Dontari Poe or Mark Barron. The Cowboys haven’t taken a player who hasn’t visited them privately in nearly a decade, nixing Poe. I thought heavily about Cordy Glenn here as their OG position is horribly weak, but it’s not my team.

15. Buffalo (f/Phi) – Jonathan Martin, OT Stanford

***TRADE***

The Bills trade back and still have a left tackle on the board to fill the void, picking up two extra thirds in the process. My initial thought would be Cordy Glenn given the Bills’ penchant for SEC players, but I’m just not certain he’s a surefire LT which they definitely need here.

16. N.Y. Jets – Stephen Hill, WR Georgia Tech

Hill has been to New York to visit with the Jets and they do need help at the position. He gives them the size to replace Plaxico Burress and a red zone weapon that they don’t necessarily have in Holmes or the diminutive Dustin Keller. A trade up with their 2nd rounder for Melvin Ingram to Jacksonville is a possibility as well.

17. Cincinnati (f/Oak) – Quentin Coples, DE UNC

Marvin Lewis brought in some new additions at defensive end after losing players this offseason, but the possibility of Coples falling is there and if he does – I’d be surprised if the Bengals passed up on him.

18. San Diego – Cordy Glenn, OL Georgia

Kris Dielman retired this offseason and Marcus McNeill also left in free agency, so while San Diego could use a pass rusher and help in the secondary a player like Glenn who could play all along the offensive line would help.

19. Chicago – Mike Adams, OT Ohio State

Kendall Wright has to be enticing to complete an explosive offense. That said if the Bears don’t start fixing their offensive line problems Jay Cutler may be in a body bag by mid season.

20. Tennessee – Dre Kirkpatrick, CB Alabama

The Titans will certainly be looking for players to revamp their secondary and Kirkpatrick and Stephon Gilmore are two corners I think they’d really covet in the 1st round.

21. Cincinnati – Kendall Wright, WR Oklahoma State

Pairing Wright with AJ Green could end up being a very potent combination for Andy Dalton to work with going into the future. There are other players on the board that would surely pique their interest; however Wright could make them explosive.

22. Cleveland (f/Atl) – Riley Reiff, OT Iowa

Tom Heckert needs to find the future at right tackle and Reiff could certainly represent that.

23. Detroit – Stephon Gilmore, CB South Carolina

Jim Schwartz likes his big press corners and the Lions could certainly use upgrades at the position. The former Gamecock certainly fits into their system and is a player I could see Detroit really liking.

24. Pittsburgh – Courtney Upshaw, OLB Alabama

Pittsburgh could get younger at inside and outside linebacker and Upshaw is the type of thumping, physical presence they like. His versatility would make him a weapon to the Steelers.

25. Denver – Dontari Poe, DT Memphis

It’s a week before the draft and I’m starting to wonder just how high Dontari Poe actually does go in this draft. I see a third round player on film and ask – can NFL scouts all see the same and ignore that?

26. Houston – Whitney Mercilus, OLB Illinois

Rushing the passer is key for Rick Smith and while they still have Connor Barwin and Brooks Reeds on the outside – both of those players had huge production with Mario Williams there last season. The Texans like athletic rushers and want fresh legs on the field, so a third like Mercilus would fit.

27. New England (f/NO) – Shea McClellin, OLB Boise State

As usual, there is a player that I think fits what the Patriots will be looking for in an outside linebacker. For those of you reading this – it means there is no way that Shea will end up in New England. Belichick is impossible to read.

28. Green Bay – Peter Konz, C Wisconsin

The Packers just signed Jeff Saturday, but he enters the season the ripe age of 37. Konz is a player that can also play guard without problem in a pinch and gives the Packers the ability to take a pass rusher when value is there.

29. Baltimore – Kevin Zeitler, OG Wisconsin

Baltimore lost Ben Grubbs in free agency and unless they’re planning on plugging Jah Reid in at guard, they’ll need to find a replacement. Zeitler is one of the offensive guards in this draft that may be ready to start from day one, so I see them going for him over a player like Amini Silatolu who may need to acclimate a bit more.

30. San Francisco – Amini Silatolu, OG Midwestern State

Daniel Kilgore is not the answer and I believe Silatolu’s upside will vault him into the end of the 1st round.

31. Philadelphia (f/NE) – Coby Fleener, TE Stanford

***TRADE*** – Eagles give picks 46, 114 and a 2013 4th round pick

I firmly believe the Eagles will come out of the first two rounds with either Fleener or Dwayne Allen. They have a bounty of picks to work with however and that means they can be aggressive and get back up into the first with a team they often trade with – the Patriots. Fleener gives them an outstanding red zone weapon and second tight end with a different skill set from Brent Celek.

32. N.Y. Giants – Kelechi Osemele, OL Iowa State

The Giants went with three players in David Diehl, Kevin Boothe and Mitch Petrus at left guard last season and none were ideal. On top of that – their line is aging a bit and getting run down – something they must be cognizant of. Osemele can play guard or right tackle for them in the future.