2. St. Louis Rams - OT Jason Smith (Baylor)
Cemented into this position, we think that Jason Smith could be the next Duane Brown. Remember, Duane Brown was a surprise first round pick by the Houston Texans a year ago that blossomed into an every game starter at left tackle after converting to that position from tight end at Virginia Tech.

As we all know, Smith journeyed down a similar path as he converted from tight end to left tackle at Baylor.

3. Kansas City Chiefs - OT Eugene Monroe (Virginia)
Our first change at the top of the draft in weeks! Monroe played under HC Al Groh at Virginia. Al Groh worked with new Chiefs GM Scott Pioli and new Chiefs HC Todd Haley previously with the Jets. Let’s not forget that the Chiefs drafted OT Branden Albert, a Virginia product, last year in the first round. Are you connecting the dots?

Aaron Curry is being billed as a “can’t miss” prospect but that is a farce as their are no “can’t miss” prospects. It is being revealed that while this organization likes what they see in Curry, the safer pick is Eugene Monroe. Fundamentally-speaking, football games are won upfront.

4. Seattle Seahawks - OLB Aaron Curry (Wake Forest)
The Seahawks have stated that they are set with Walter Jones & Sean Locklear at the tackle positions. They also acquired DT Cory Redding via trade and signed DT Colin Cole, relinquishing the need for a DT right away. Add in the fact that DT Brandon Mebane is coming of age.

The trade of Julian Peterson to the Detroit Lions opens up a slot at weakside linebacker for Seattle. D.D. Lewis is slotted to start unless the ‘Hawks do something like draft the best player available, Aaron Curry.

5. Cleveland Browns - OLB/DE Brian Orakpo (Texas)
The addition of a pass rusher is needed in Cleveland. The Browns are set to visit with Brian Orakpo shortly and if all goes as planned, he will be the new regime’s first choice in the draft. Add in the fact that new HC Eric Mangini has compared Orakpo to Vernon Gholston, and we have a prophesy waiting to be fulfilled.

Remember, Gholston was drafted in the first round of the 2008 draft by the New York Jets. The head coach of that team was Eric Mangini.

6. Cincinnati Bengals - OT Andre Smith (Alabama)
The truth is… I hate this pick. Andre Smith has not deemed himself worthy of a first round pick but the Bengals need for an offensive lineman will make Who-Dey fans scream in horror when they hear Smith’s name called on draft day.

We are in the business of mocking the draft, as in predicting on how it will pan out, not where we think a player should get drafted if we were pulling the levers.

7. Oakland Raiders - DE/OLB Aaron Maybin
Derrick Burgess is an able-bodied pass rusher but his best days are probably behind him. The rest of the depth at defensive end is incredibly suspect. Maybin added lean muscle and improved on his workout numbers from the combine by flashing his speed at the Penn State pro day. Al Davis loves workout warriors and he has one here.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars - CB/S Malcolm Jenkins (Ohio State)
We are 85% sure that the Jaguars will trade out of this pick. It is no secret that they do not want to pay anyone top ten dollars. Add in the fact that they have too many holes to fill and this spot gives draft analysts’ everywhere headaches. Still, considering that they have not traded this pick, they get the best long-term value with Jenkins, a guy who is ready to step in and play now.

9. Green Bay Packers - DT B.J. Raji (Boston College)
Justin Harrell, a former first round pick at DT, will be lucky to make the roster in 2009. The new 3-4 scheme will demand serious attention at nose tackle and Raji is capable of being “that” guy.

10. San Francisco 49ers - DE/OLB Clay Matthews (USC)
Mike Singletary, the new, full-time head coach for the San Francisco 49ers wants winners. He is right, you can’t win without winners and he would get a winner with Matthews. Clay Matthews, a former walk-on at USC, is the epitome of what HC Mike Singletary is looking for.

11. Buffalo Bills - DE Everette Brown (Florida State)
This is an easy pick for the Bills, as long as they don’t screw it up. A pass rusher is needed and it is extremely important that they do not pass on our top pass rusher in this draft.

12. Denver Broncos - DE Tyson Jackson (LSU)
This former LSU stand-out has the perfect frame and technique to play DE in a 3-4 scheme. The Broncos can stabilize their foundation on defense with this pick. We at Sideline Scouting are advocates for building a defense and letting the offense come around.

13. Washington Redskins - QB Mark Sanchez (USC)
The relationship between QB Jason Campbell and the front office in D.C. is beginning to fray. His contract expires after 2009 and he is not getting an extension. The Redskins are bringing Mark Sanchez in for a second private workout. Campbell is not attached to HC Jim Zorn either.

The Redskins believe they are set on defense with DT Albert Haynesworth so look for them to address the horrid QB situation.

14. New Orleans Saints - WR Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech)
Wide receivers have a tendency to slide on draft day. This is not a need whatsoever for Crabtree but HC Sean Payton probably would not pass up on this opportunity. Imagine QB Drew Brees throwing the ball to Reggie Bush, Marques Colston, Jeremy Shockey, Lance Moore… and Michael Crabtree.

15. Houston Texans - OLB Brian Cushing (USC)
Houston adds another weapon to their defense, one which will be very exciting to watch in 2009. The added dimension of Cushing to this defense is necessary and addresses the biggest need for this growing franchise.

16. San Diego Chargers - OT Michael Oher (Ole Miss)
With no viable option at defensive end here, the Chargers fail to pass on the best offensive tackle remaining. In regards to Oher, we think he should be a top ten selection.

17. New York Jets - RB Chris “Beanie” Wells (Ohio State)
This pick would help the Jets win now instead of waiting for QB Josh Freeman to develop. Add in the fact that Thomas Jones may be heading for a holdout. Expect to see a less-than illustrious camp battle between Kellen Clemens and Brett Ratliff for the starting QB job.

18. Denver Broncos (From Chicago) - DT Peria Jerry (Ole Miss)
First Tyson Jackson, second Peria Jerry. Jerry is my favorite defensive lineman prospect outside of Everette Brown. He plays with the smarts of Warren Sapp mixed in with the tenacity of Kevin Williams.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - QB Josh Freeman (Kansas State)
No franchise is hungrier for a QB than the Bucs.

20. Detroit Lions (From Dallas) - OT Eben Britton (Arizona)
Eben Britton is too much of a boom or bust prospect for our liking but he adds stability to the offensive line (on paper, at least).

21. Philadelphia Eagles - OT William Beatty (Connecticut)
This pick would allow Todd Herremans to stay at guard but do you really think the Eagles will keep two first rounders? Beatty is also a local product as he played at William Penn HS in York, Pennsylvania.

22. Minnesota Vikings - CB Vontae Davis (Illinois)
A right tackle or cornerback fills a need here. Davis has better value than Eben Britton.

23. New England Patriots - ILB Rey Maualuga (USC)
Tedy Bruschi turns 35 soon so drafting Maualuga to pair up with Jerod Mayo only makes sense.

24. Atlanta Falcons - TE Brandon Pettigrew (Oklahoma State)
The Falcons’ TEs caught only a small percentage of the passes thrown by Matt Ryan a year ago.

25. Miami Dolphins - CB Darius Butler (Connecticut)
Andre Goodman’s departure leaves a lot to be desired at cornerback for the Tuna.

26. Baltimore Ravens - WR Jeremy Maclin (Missouri)
They desperately need a WR. In a year or two, Maclin will be Roddy White-good.

27. Indianapolis Colts - DT Jarron Gilbert (San Jose State)
Forget the fact that Gilbert hails from San Jose State. He would help ease the woes at tackle for Indianapolis from day one.

28. Philadelphia Eagles (From Carolina) - DE Robert Ayers (Tennessee)
Andy Reid has never drafted a running back in the first two rounds of a draft. Only once has he drafted a wide receiver in the first round. Andy Reid has also drafted just one tight end in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft.

29. New York Giants - WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (Maryland)
Heyward-Bey is the anti-Plaxico Burress. He has more speed but is rough around the edges with his route running. Heyward-Bey also gives the Giants more options at spreading the field than Burress did.

30. Tennessee Titans - OLB/DE Larry English (Northern Illinois)
The Titans have an unusual draft history under Jeff Fisher. While they do reach for players they want desperately, the value for a cornerback or defensive tackle is not too good right here. With that said, we have them plucking the best available player left in the draft.

31. Arizona Cardinals - RB Donald Brown (Connecticut)
Donald Brown is making a strong case for the first round, at Knowshon Moreno’s expense. But hey, it is not Brown’s fault that Moreno keeps running 4.60-forty times.

For the record, the forty time is as overrated as Ryan Leaf was coming out of Washington State.

32. Pittsburgh Steelers - OC/OG Max Unger (Oregon)
Secondary help is possible here but we are going back to the thought that the Steelers should protect their biggest investment better. Sure, the makeshift offensive line from a year ago helped protect QB Ben Roethlisberger “good enough” to win the Lombardi Trophy but they could take two steps in the right direction with the selection of Max Unger.

Unger has experience at center, guard, and tackle. Although, he would better fit the Steelers blocking scheme on the interior.

Pete Dymeck is the owner of Sideline Scouting.

Aaron Curry’s stock is beginning to shift. Rumors are swirling that the Kansas City Chiefs may actually draft an offensive lineman to protect QB Matt Cassel’s blind side. By moving 2008 first rounder OT Branden Albert to right tackle, Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe would fit in well on the left side of the line. Go figure. We have said all along that linebacker’s stock has a tendency to slide on draft day.

Naturally, adding Eugene Monroe, a former Virginia Cavalier alongside fellow alum Branden Albert only makes sense as they provided one of college football’s best tandems on the offensive line in 2008. The ACC’s top pass rushers at the time, including Michael Johnson (Georgia Tech) and Calais Campbell (Miami Fl.) both struggled against the Virginia offensive line.

Several Prospects that we love
-DE/OLB Everette Brown (Florida State)
-CB/S Malcolm Jenkins (Ohio State)
-DT/DE Jarron Gilbert (San Jose State)
-CB Mike Mickens (Cincinnati)
-RB Rashad Jennings (Liberty)
-WR Deon Butler (Penn State)

Several Prospects that we like, but don’t love
-OLB/DE Clay Matthews (USC)
-QB Matt Stafford (Georgia)
-RB Chris “Beanie” Wells (Ohio State)
-DE Tyson Jackson (LSU)
-S Chip Vaughn (Wake Forest)
-TE Chase Coffman (Missouri)

Several Prospects that have bust written all over them
-OT Eben Britton (Arizona)
-RB LeSean McCoy (Pittsburgh)
-WR Kenny Britt (Rutgers)
-S William Moore (Missouri)
-ILB James Laurinaitis (Ohio State)
-TE Jared Cook (South Carolina)

It will be the second time that the Patriots have shown significant interest in the versatile athlete. As Scout.com reported last month, White held a private workout for New England on March 17.

What’s unclear at this point is whether or not the Patriots and the Eagles see him as a player who could provide an immediate boost as a return specialist while developing skills as a wide receiver—or as a quarterback.

During his senior year, White completed 65.7 percent of his throws for 1,842 yards and 21 touchdowns. He ran for 947 yards and scored eight rushing touchdowns.

Six quarterbacks drafted outside the first round have started Super Bowls in the last 10 years. Brady is one, but each of the other five was discarded by at least one team before reaching the biggest stage.

“There’s definitely a process in (developing one),” 49ers G.M. Scot McCloughan said. “I’m not saying a guy can’t come in right away and be successful, because I think for a young quarterback, success depends a lot on the personnel around them.

But there’s a learning curve, and it’s big.”

It might be unlikely that Mark Sanchez and Matthew Stafford make like Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, but the chance The Next Tom Brady is in the ‘09 class is miniscule. According to former NFL scout Russ Lande, here are three Day 2 prospects who could surprise:

Nate Davis, Ball State

Why he’ll stay on the board: He’s 6-1 and unorthodox. There are concerns about his ability to digest a pro offense after playing in a spread attack.

Why he should come off it: He has a big, accurate arm, avoids the rush and doesn’t put the ball in bad spots. Some scouts say he’s a Top 10 talent.

Draft forecast: Round 3-5.

NFL comparison: Donovan McNabb, Eagles.

Graham Harrell, Texas Tech

Why he’ll stay on the board: He has average arm strength and lacks a big frame. It’s tough to tell whether he can improve his arm strength, like Brady could and Ken Dorsey couldn’t. After playing in shotgun at Tech, he struggled with dropback footwork in workouts.

Why he should come off it: Like Brady, he is accurate and polished in the pocket and possesses every intangible such as how to attack defenses.

Draft forecast: Round 6 or 7.

NFL comparison: Sage Rosenfels, Vikings.

Drew Willy, Buffalo

Why he’ll stay on the board: He has average arm strength, an average release and is thinly built. Like Davis, he faces the “competition” knock.

Why he should come off it: He’s a gym rat with off-the-charts aptitude. Given a chance to develop physically, he could become a revelation.

Draft forecast: Undrafted free agent.

NFL comparison: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bills.

“Yeah, in the position we’re in, we’ll consider everything,” Devaney said. “It’s a little early. We kind of play with scenarios in our mind right now. But we haven’t gotten down to the nitty-gritty, if you will, to say: ‘OK, how far back would we trade?’ ”

With the Rams in a rebuilding mode, this is a good year to stockpile extra picks. However, finding someone willing to move up to No. 2 — where the player will get a potential contract of $50 million-plus — is another matter.

Devaney said the just-completed minicamp at Rams Park won’t have much impact on the team’s draft plans.

“We’re not going to alter our draft board based on what we see out here, guys kind of running around in shorts and T-shirts,” Devaney said. “We didn’t think going in, that with these couple of practices, we’d find out about guys and say, ‘OK, you know what? Forget about drafting this position, we need to move on to this position based off the practices.’ ”

In other words, watching five practices isn’t going to change the fact that the Rams need an offensive tackle.

“Why do you say tackle? ” Devaney replied, tongue in cheek.

But the minicamp may affect how the team views its depth at certain positions, and what may be done with the bottom of the roster between now and the start of training camp.

MORE DRAFT VISITS

Two more offensive tackles, Michael Oher of Mississippi and William Beatty of Connecticut, are making pre-draft visits next week to Rams Park, the Post-Dispatch confirmed Monday. Add North Carolina wide receiver Brandon Tate to the list as well.

That brings to 19 the number of confirmed visits by draft prospects. Four of those visitors are offensive tackles, with Oher and Beatty joining Eugene Monroe (Virginia) and Jason Smith (Baylor). And five of those visitors are wide receivers, with Tate joining Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech), Darrius Heyward-Bey (Maryland), Jeremy Maclin (Missouri) and Hakeem Nicks (North Carolina).

Oher projects as a first-round pick; Beatty is expected to go in the second round, but could creep into the late first round. Tate projects as a mid-round pick.

Source

It is now April 7 and the pro days are wrapping up. The Senior Bowl and NFL Combine are long-gone but we have three players that are increasing their value for the upcoming draft.

Due to certain circumstances, these prospects are taking advantage of the downtime in between the combine and draft.

Let’s start our journey on the eastern seaboard

RB Donald Brown (Connecticut)

First, Brown is as natural of a runner as we will see out of this year’s crop of running backs. His cut-and-slash abilities make him suitable for any offense. Brown runs at a low-pad level and absorbs the hits brought onto him.

He has soft hands, which makes him more able of a receiver than a lot of the other running backs in this draft. Brown, taking advantage of LeSean McCoy’s porous workout numbers and Knowshon Moreno’s 4.60-forty, could possibly land in the later half of the first round.

This former UConn Huskie rushed for more than 2,000-yards and 18 touchdowns a year ago. He poses the upside of Shaun Alexander with the downside of Lee Suggs.

DE Lawrence Sidbury, Jr. (Richmond)
Never mind the fact that Sidbury hails from Richmond. Small school players with great talent always find a way into the NFL. Sidbury was watched by 24 NFL teams at his pro day. Just for comparison’s sake, only 1 team showed up for the Ball State pro day to see QB Nate Davis.

Teams are flocking to visit with Sidbury because he does very well in pursuit and is an aggressive attacker off of the line of scrimmage. Don’t knock him because of his size either. He has big hands and a quick burst. Coaches at Richmond declared that he was a great leader as well.

Sidbury is a prospect that will more than likely be drafted in the second or third round but he has the type of upside which would make him a sneaky late-first round selection. We all know too well how Tennessee head coach Jeff Fisher drafts who he wants, regardless of “value.” Tennessee would be a great fit for Sidbury.

TE Anthony Hill (North Carolina State)
Anthony Hill’s draft value was left for dead when he tore his ACL in 2007. Since then, he has slowly regained momentum as he has gone from an undrafted free agent prospect into a middle rounds prospect.

Hill was never quick nor was he an elite receiver but his hands are good enough. What stands out is his blocking and strength. In those two categories, Hill has as much upside as any other tight end in this draft.

Okay, he may not be rising into the first or second round but Hill is definitely re-establishing himself in his predraft workouts as a Leonard Pope-like tight end. He will make the cut for an NFL franchise and hold down a job for sure. If Robert Royal can do it, so can Anthony Hill.

The Rams get Atlanta’s fifth-round (No. 160 overall) and sixth-round (No. 196 overall) picks; Atlanta gets the Rams’ fifth-round (No. 138 overall) and sixth-round (No. 176 overall) picks.

Robinson was a third-round pick by the Falcons out of Illinois State in 2007. Rams general manager Billy Devaney was with the Falcons at that time and in the draft room when Robinson was selected.

Robinson started six games for the Falcons as a rookie, including the season opener. For the year, he appeared in 15 games with 37 catches for 437 yards. His only TD of the year was a 74-yard catch-and-run against Arizona in Game 15.

But Robinson was a Bobby Petrino draft pick, and fell out of favor with new head coach Mike Smith in 2008. Slowed by hamstring problems, Robinson appeared in just six games for the Falcons last season, catching five passes for 52 yards.

Robinson has good size at 6-2, 194 pounds, and is considered a speed guy with good hands. But the injury problems didn’t help his cause in Atlanta. Neither did the fact that he wasn’t considered physical enough by Smith’s staff, particularly as a blocker.

The Rams’ inherit his contract as a result of the trade, and Robinson comes cheaply. He has two years left on his contract and is scheduled to make $460,000 this season and $550,000 in 2010.

The Rams have made no promises about his role in St. Louis; he will simply compete for playing time.

Source

As previously reported by Scout.com, Sanchez had a private workout with Washington on March 25.

Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell is in the final year of his contract.

Source

Maualuga (6-foot-2, 260 pounds) has been likened to another former Trojan linebacker, Junior Seau.

Maualuga is projected as a mid first-round pick, and will likely be off the board if the Dolphins maintain their current position with the 25th pick.

Maualuga had a hamstring injury and ran a 4.91 at the NFL combine, but more recently reportedly ran a time in the low 4.6 range at USC’s recent pro day event.

Maualuga had some offseason problems early in his career at USC, getting arrested for punching someone at a party in 2005 and being disciplined by USC coach Pete Carroll for his behavior at a campus party the following year.

Since then his most notable exploit was dancing behind ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews, who did not see him behind her shaking his hips. The clip has more than 160,000 viewings on YouTube.

Source

The list goes on …

He’s a linebacker. No, he’s a defensive end. The Northern Illinois grad would be better in a 4-3 scheme. No, he would excel in an odd front.

In fact, the 23-year-old has so many unanswered questions regarding his draft stock that teams have him graded anywhere between a first- and sixth-round prospect.

English, possibly the most debated player of the 2009 draft class, is prepared for the negativity that any professional player inevitably draws.

“What I realized is that everything that people say about you is not always good,” he said. “At the end of the day I’m confident with myself as a football player.”

His confidence comes on the heels of a collegiate career that saw him atop the depth chart at defensive end for the Huskies each season. Few can argue with his production. English left Northern Illinois as the school’s all-time leader in sacks, pummeling opposing quarterbacks 31½ times.

English also stands as the only defensive player to win Mid-American Conference MVP awards in consecutive seasons (2007 and ’08) and only the second defensive player to win the award in any year.

“It definitely meant a lot,” English said. “That was an honor to be able to win that two times in a row, especially an award like that that is so prestigious and voted upon by your opponents.”

Even more remarkable, English won his first MAC MVP in 2007 after his team finished a 2-10 campaign — displaying how imposing he was in league play.

“He dominated the league,” said Northern Illinois coach Jerry Kill, who coached English for the first time in 2008. “He just wasn’t a good player, he dominated. People couldn’t block the kid and, to me, for a guy they’re looking at as a possible first-round draft choice, you have to dominate and he dominated.”

Kill, who coached Giants RB Brandon Jacobs and Jets LB Bart Scott when he was at the helm at Southern Illinois, is aware that it’s difficult for mid-major college players to get the same kind of recognition as players from power conferences.

As soon as Kill set foot on Northern Illinois’ campus in DeKalb, Ill., he instantly became as enamored of English as he was with Scott or Jacobs. Having coached against English when at Southern Illinois, Kill knew how difficult it was to contain him.

”He’s a can’t-miss guy,” Kill said. “I only coached the kid for a year and for me to say that, I don’t go off the limb. I knew Brandon Jacobs was a freak of nature because you could look at him and I knew Bart [Scott] was. You know when somebody has that ‘it factor’ and whatever ‘it’ is, Larry English has got ‘it.’ ”

Although the MAC has produced NFL stars like Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and Falcons RB Michael Turner in recent years, English’s ability to play against better competition has been questioned.

Scouts high on English point to examples where he played up to the level of his competition. His best efforts of the 2008 season came in away games against Tennessee and Minnesota — Northern Illinois’ only two BCS-level opponents. English totaled eight tackles, 4½ tackles for loss, 3½ sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in those two contests.

“Look at the past and a good majority of the MAC players that come out are successful,” English said. “At the end of the day we’re all football players and these guys have a chip on their shoulder because of always being not respected.”

But, respect is something that English isn’t short on. He was widely considered one of the toughest players in the MAC after breaking his right thumb and having pins surgically inserted to help the bone heal — forcing English to play the majority of the 2008 season with a cast on his hand.

For a defensive lineman, losing the use of a hand is like taking away a hair stylist’s scissors. During most of his ’08 campaign English had to rely on other ways of getting to quarterbacks.

“I think that it really made me polish up on my skills,” he said. “It really allowed me to use my chop move and keep an offensive lineman from getting his hands on me in the first place.”

Though his performance under inhibiting circumstances was admirable, his predraft workouts took a totally different turn.

After English ran a mediocre time of 4.82 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, he did little to improve those numbers at Northern Illinois’ pro day — displaying a lack of athletic ability that might not have shown up on film.

Some question the validity of Combine and pro-day numbers considering the measurements aren’t taken under game circumstances, without an audience and unrestrained by pads.

Nonetheless, scouts and NFL executives take these numbers into account and unquestionably use them to formulate their draft boards.

“I’ve been coaching for 25 years and you better judge people how they play,” Kill said. “They’re never timed in shoulder pads and full gear in front of 90,000 people.”

And as the debate rages on, it won’t matter what scouts say on Draft Day and beyond. Ultimately, English will be judged by how well he plays on Sundays.

Source