2017-18 CFB SEASON / '18 NFL DRAFT

[CrimsonCrew]

Of those options, I'd much rather move back. Not sure what the board looks like under this scenario, but if there are still QBs there, we need to be shopping the pick. I understand the concern with Benjamin, but he's that big receiver we really need, and given we're only dropping back three spots, and know only two other guys on our board will go (as Buffalo is obviously taking a QB) before our pick, Benjamin is almost gravy. I wouldn't feel compelled to extend him.

[ChrisPozz]

49ers host Pittsburgh OT Brian O’Neill for pre-draft visit

http://www.49erswebzone.com/articles/115158-49ers-host-pittsburgh-brian-oneill-pre-draft-visit/

[ChrisPozz]

Tight End Boards: It’s Anyone’s Guess

http://draftanalyst.com/tight-end-boards-it%E2%80%99s-anyone%E2%80%99s-guess

People like Schultz, as they feel he’ll be able to immediately step in and help a team on all three downs. He’s not spectacular and doesn’t have the upside some of the other tight ends possess, but he could be a solid starter for years to come. Schultz has had workouts with the Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings and is also getting a lot of interest from the San Francisco 49ers.

[ChrisPozz]

Minkah, when asked, continued to express his desire to go in to a team as a corner and then learn safety "later" while he did his ESPN car wash tour today. Minor detail but something to file away if you're in to that kind of thing...

[ChrisPozz]

Shaquem Griffin’s Success Is About Design As Much as Desire

https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/04/12/shaquem-griffin-2018-nfl-draft-central-florida-linebacker-technique?utm_campaign=sinow&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&xid=socialflow_twitter_si

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

D.J. Moore - WR - Terrapins

NFL Media's Chad Reuter writes that Maryland WR D.J. Moore will be an "Odell Beckham-like playmaker in the NFL."

Reuter likes Moore as the top receiving prospect in this class, ranking him ahead of both Calvin Ridley and Courtland Sutton. The Panthers are a team to watch for the 6-foot, 210-pounder, as he visited Carolina this week and was recently pegged to the outfit by Draftwire's Luke Easterling in a four-round mock draft, with Easterling forwarding the possibility of a trade up to the No. 18 pick with the Seahawks in order to acquire the explosive receiver.
Source: NFL.com

Apr 12 - 4:48 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Dallas Goedert - TE - Jackrabbits

Draft Analyst's Tony Pauline relays that since early March, he's been hearing more buzz about South Dakota State TE Dallas Goedert as a first-round selection than any other tight end prospect.

While Draft Analyst views Penn State TE Mike Gesicki as tops at the position, Pauline admits that this is something of a minority opinion. He notes that evaluators have not been sold on either Gesicki's routes or his blocking. The analyst passes along that the 6-foot-4, 256-pound Goedert is preferred by many due to his well-rounded game and an intriguing amount of upside. Per Pauline, the Dolphins and Ravens are two teams particularly keen on the South Dakota State standout.
Source: Draft Analyst

Apr 12 - 2:24 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Saquon Barkley - RB - Nittany Lions

NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah views Penn State RB Saquon Barkley as the best running back prospect in the last three draft classes.

In order, Jeremiah's top three backs of recent years are Barkley, Leonard Fournette and Ezekiel Elliott. The latter two backs both were drafted with the No. 4 pick in their respective classes. That's certainly a slot which could be home to Barkley, too, should Cleveland select a quarterback with the first selection as is widely expected. In a recent mock draft, NFLDraftScout.com's Dane Brugler had the Penn State standout going just slightly lower than that, landing him at No. 6 with the Colts.
Source: NFL.com

Apr 12 - 1:29 PM

[ChrisPozz]

Antonio Callaway - WR - Gators

NFL media analyst Daniel Jeremiah tweeted that in studying Florida WR Antonio Callaway, he reminded him of former Gator Percy Harvin.

Callaway oozed talent in his time at Florida, but his off-the-field issues are rampant, as he's been cited for marijuana possession on multiple occassions and also was kicked off the team due to his role in a credit card fraud case. Still, his ability as a receiver and punt-returner is readily apparent, even while playing with some of the worst quarterbacks in the conference. Someone might take a chance on him, but you have to wonder if the risk is worth the reward.
Source: Daniel Jeremiah on Twitter

Feb 18 - 2:49 PM

I wouldn't take that kid on if you paid me big bucks to do it. I'm a hard, hard pass on that one.

NFL Draft News & Notes: April 11

http://draftanalyst.com/nfl-draft-news-notes-april-11

Several people have confided in me that additional and new red flags have popped up on former Florida receiver Antonio Callaway since the combine.

The talented receiver and return specialist turned in a terrific combine last month after sitting on the sidelines in 2017. Callaway, along with six other players, was suspended by the Gators last August for a violation of team rules. Josh Norris of Rotoworld reported earlier this week that the New York Jets brought Callaway in for an official visit.

[NinerSickness]

Read on Twitter

[ChrisPozz]

Read on Twitter

His inside rush arm moves are similar to young Aldon IMO but Davenport doesn't have the same feel for having go-to, set rush moves and counters like Aldon had coming in.

That's the overall theme for Davenport coming in that I've continued to preach about. You better have a guy that thinks he might be able to work on his hand usage and help him get a 2nd, a 3rd, and a 4th move and then be able to teach him how to string them together better. It's either in there or could be in there but can you get it out naturally where it becomes like clockwork for him so the physical gifts can take over?

I'll repeat that if you're a coach that thinks you can work with him you better have a set plan and role for him to start out. It better be clear cut and tailored to his current abilities. I don't think you'll be able to make it up on the fly with him. And I would also continue to say to not change his role on him right away and ask him to learn completely different techniques kind of like what the 49ers did with Solomon Thomas. I would have thought Thomas wouldn't have gotten as overwhelmed mentally as much as he said he did with it but I can't imagine Davenport being the guy you could do similar things to and in the end him saying, "Yeah, that was fine. I knew I could do that all along and it went swell."

[ChrisPozz]

‘This is the guy Dave wants’: The whispers around Giants’ No. 2 pick

https://nypost.com/2018/04/14/this-is-the-guy-dave-wants-the-whispers-around-giants-no-2-pick/

[ChrisPozz]

Read on Twitter

[NinerSickness]

Read on Twitter

His inside rush arm moves are similar to young Aldon IMO but Davenport doesn't have the same feel for having go-to, set rush moves and counters like Aldon had coming in.

That's the overall theme for Davenport coming in that I've continued to preach about. You better have a guy that thinks he might be able to work on his hand usage and help him get a 2nd, a 3rd, and a 4th move and then be able to teach him how to string them together better. It's either in there or could be in there but can you get it out naturally where it becomes like clockwork for him so the physical gifts can take over?

I'll repeat that if you're a coach that thinks you can work with him you better have a set plan and role for him to start out. It better be clear cut and tailored to his current abilities. I don't think you'll be able to make it up on the fly with him. And I would also continue to say to not change his role on him right away and ask him to learn completely different techniques kind of like what the 49ers did with Solomon Thomas. I would have thought Thomas wouldn't have gotten as overwhelmed mentally as much as he said he did with it but I can't imagine Davenport being the guy you could do similar things to and in the end him saying, "Yeah, that was fine. I knew I could do that all along and it went swell."

Great analysis. I see more Arik Armstead than Aldon in Davenport (although I like Davenport much better than I did Armstead). He's very far down on my wish list.

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

I think very highly of Penny. I think he’d be a perfect fit for our offense. One of the players on my short wish list:


Rashaad Penny - RB - Aztecs

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein reports besides RB Saquon Barkley, Rashaad Penny "seems to be the RB teams get most excited about."

Penny has taken predraft official visits with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants so far. Despite the hype on Penny, he only produced an athletic composite score in the 41st percentile and has some serious issues with pass-blocking. Penny excelled as a pure-runner, rushing for 2,248 yards while averaging 7.8 yards-per-carry and 23 touchdowns as a senior at San Diego State. It wouldn't be surprising to see him selected in the late first-round, but in a deep running back class it makes more sense for him to be an early Day 2 selection.
Source: Lance Zierlein on Twitter

Apr 15 - 5:39 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Read on Twitter

His inside rush arm moves are similar to young Aldon IMO but Davenport doesn't have the same feel for having go-to, set rush moves and counters like Aldon had coming in.

That's the overall theme for Davenport coming in that I've continued to preach about. You better have a guy that thinks he might be able to work on his hand usage and help him get a 2nd, a 3rd, and a 4th move and then be able to teach him how to string them together better. It's either in there or could be in there but can you get it out naturally where it becomes like clockwork for him so the physical gifts can take over?

I'll repeat that if you're a coach that thinks you can work with him you better have a set plan and role for him to start out. It better be clear cut and tailored to his current abilities. I don't think you'll be able to make it up on the fly with him. And I would also continue to say to not change his role on him right away and ask him to learn completely different techniques kind of like what the 49ers did with Solomon Thomas. I would have thought Thomas wouldn't have gotten as overwhelmed mentally as much as he said he did with it but I can't imagine Davenport being the guy you could do similar things to and in the end him saying, "Yeah, that was fine. I knew I could do that all along and it went swell."

Great analysis. I see more Arik Armstead than Aldon in Davenport (although I like Davenport much better than I did Armstead). He's very far down on my wish list.

Lately he’s becoming one of the most underrated players (by fans not scouts) in this draft. I like him much better than Landry. Watch the highlights from the practices, and in particular the actual senior bowl game. The kid dominated some of the best tackles in the country. He’s going to have a very quiet rookie year similar but in year two, I can see him becoming one of the better DEs in the league.

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Bradley Chubb - DL - Wolfpack

NFL Draft Scout's Rob Rang said NC State DE Bradley Chubb is "a safer prospect" than former No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett.

Rang continued by saying "Bradley Chubb is the more polished player at this point, in terms of his recognition, what the offense is trying to do, his use of hands and his versatility. He was asked to rush up-field as a pass rusher as well as slide inside at times. He has the ability to hold up at the point of attack against the run." Both Rang and Senior Analyst Dane Brugler project Chubb to be selected by the Browns at pick No. 4. With the recent news about the Giants likely to stay put and not select a quarterback at No. 2 overall, he is also in play to be picked there.
Source: NFL Draft Scout

Apr 15 - 4:38 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Jaire Alexander - DB - Cardinals

NDT Scouting's Jonah Tuls compares Louisville CB Jaire Alexander to Denver Broncos CB Chris Harris Jr.

Tuls has Alexander (5'11/193) as the fourth-best player on his top 300 Big Board and said he "checked every box that I look for in a cover corner." Explaining his ranking and comparison, Tuls said "He can play press man, off man, different variances of zone coverage, come up in run support, attack the ball in the air, and stay attached on the hip pocket. The way he is able to close separation and make plays on a consistent basis in either man or zone from either the outside or the slot is what reminds me of Chris Harris Jr." Alexander produced an athletic composite score in the 91st percentile among all cornerbacks at the NFL combine and has seen his draft stock rise since then. He most recently visited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and will probably be one of the first two corners off the board in the NFL draft.
Source: NDT Scouting

Apr 15 - 4:23 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Roquan Smith - LB - Bulldogs

NDT Scouting's Jonah Tuls compares Georgia LB Roquan Smith to Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Lavonte David.

Tuls has Smith (6'1/236) at No. 3 on his big board and said "His size, play style, skill set, and projected fit at the next level as a 4-3 WLB makes me think of Tampa Bay’s Lavonte David." He also believes Smith will be a "long-time captain and difference maker for an NFL team." Smith's main flaw is he's slightly undersized at 6'1 and may struggle when locking up with offensive linemen. He has a shot to go within the first 10 picks and be the first linebacker selected.
Source: NDT Scouting

Apr 15 - 3:49 PM

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

Da'Ron Payne - DL - Crimson Tide

NFL Media's Lance Zierlein compares Alabama DT Da'Ron Payne to Los Angeles Rams DT Ndamukong Suh.

It's safe to say just based on this comparison that Zierlein is a fan of Payne's skills. "Payne possesses one of the most impressive combinations of strength and athleticism that we've seen from an interior lineman," he writes. "He will be the premier run-stuffer in this draft, but he may have enough in the pass rushing toolbox to project as a better pro than college pass rusher." It'd be an upset if Payne was still on the board after the first 32 picks, and he could go in the middle of the first round if a team has the same confidence as Zierlein does.
Source: NFL.com

Apr 14 - 7:14 PM