2012 NFL Mock Draft Pick 6

With the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft, the St. Louis Rams select:

Michael Floyd, WR Notre Dame

(Photo courtesy of http://www.thesportsbank.net/college-fball/michael-floyd-in-notre-dame-football-cleared-to-workout/)

The Rams have many needs on this team outside of QB but they desperately need a playmaking WR to pair with QB Sam Bradford, who they need to build around.

I am willing to bet that the Rams wanted Justin Blackmon but with him off the board the Rams need to switch to plan B. I also expect the Rams to field calls for a trade down but for the sake of this post they stand pat and take one of the best talents available.

Floyd had character issues in his college days but nothing that should warrant falling out of the top 15 picks. Floyd did nothing but make plays while in school and the Rams need all the help they can get.

Other possibilities are CB Morris Claiborne or OT Riley Reiff.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are now on the clock.

2012 NFL Mock Draft Pick 5

With the 5th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select:

TRENT RICHARDSON, RUNNING BACK, ALABAMA

He is probably the only running back that will go in the first round, and with good reason. He is a physical specimen -- his coaches capped him at 600 pounds on the squat and at 475 on the bench (see video below). Plus, he runs the 40 in the 4.4 range and has incredible shiftiness while maintaining his top speed, just ask Ole Miss. Richardson is the best overall athlete in the draft (I give him a slight edge over RGIII simply because of the strength component) and the Bucs could use some new life in their backfield. Josh Freeman is solid at QB but needs a better RB than LaGarrette Blount to back him up. They just signed Vincent Jackson to a huge deal and if they manage to snag Richardson in the draft, the Bucs will look more like the 10-6 team of 2010 than the mess of 2011.

And while its not "trendy" to pick running backs early in the draft any more, don't expect a beast like Trent Richardson to slip out of the top-10. He is too good to pass up.

The St. Louis Rams are now on the clock.

TK

2012 NFL Mock Draft Pick 4

With the 4th Overall Pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select:

JUSTIN BLACKMON, WR OKLAHOMA STATE



What more can I say other than, the Browns receiving corp has stunk ever since, well... EVER!
They won't get a QB in the first round this year, and will probably hold out for next year as there will be 3 outstanding QB options in, Tyler Bray, Matt Barkley, and Aaron Murray.  They need a playmaker and with 2 first round picks I expect them to make a splash.  Blackmon is a monster and the most impressive receiver since Calvin Johnson came out of Georgia Tech.  They need a weapon on offense and the only other option here is Trent Richardson.  I don't see a RB ever going top 15 ever again in the NFL Draft.  Blackmon will pair with a QB drafted next year and they will form one of the most dominant connections in the league.  Plain and simple, Blackmon is a freak of nature!

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now on the clock...

Signing Off,
Dahm

2012 NFL Mock Draft Pick 3

With the Third Overall Selection in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings pick:

MATT KALIL, Offensive Line, USC



I was really torn between Kalil and Claiborne, as Corner is the Vikings most immediate need after letting Cedric Griffin and Jared Page go.  Reaching for a Corner at #3 isn't the smartest thing to do especially when you are in a rebuilding stage as the Vikings are.  The safest pick and honestly the smartest pick is Matt Kalil, mainly because of the investment they have in Christian Ponder.  The Vikings gave up 49 sacks last year which was the 5th highest in the NFL.  Needless to say Offensive Line is a must in a pass heavy league and nothing can turn around a franchise quicker than having a great tackle to pair with a young franchise QB.  


The Cleveland Browns are now on the clock...  


Yours Truly, 
Dahm

2012 NFL Mock Draft Pick 2

The Pick is In (Wait for Chris Berman to stop gabbing)

With the Second Overall Pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins will select:

Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III QB, Baylor

Much like the Colts choice of Andrew Luck, this is a no-brainer.  The Redskins have long been hurting for a quarterback and they did not trade away three first round picks and a second round pick to draft anything short of a potential superstar QB. 

Griffin has shown all the intangibles of a great QB, he is poised, smart, confident, has a great arm, and can run well.  If you remember correctly, Baylor's football program was a laughing stock before Griffin came along....in fact so were almost all of their sports.  Griffin is so good that he changed the face of an entire school. 

There is no better place for a son of a military man like Griffin to land than in Washington, and expect him to guide the Redskins away from their years of mediocrity. 

-Brett

The Minnesota Vikings are now on the Clock

2012 NFL Mock Draft

As the NFL Draft draws closer, we will begin our first annual NFL Mock Draft. The four contributors to this blog will rotate picks as we work out way through the first round and will give a short reason why each team should pick each player. We will begin the mock draft today with the Indianapolis Colts on the clock.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: Andrew Luck, Stanford

With the first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts will select Andrew Luck. There is really no debate. Anyone that speculates that the Colts will go the other way and take RGIII is simply trying to be unique or draw attention to themselves. Luck has been the pick for the Colts since they finished the season 2-14 and "earned" the top pick. Luck, according to nearly every NFL scout, is the best pro QB prospect since John Elway. You can't pass on that kind of talent, and Jim Irsay won't. He will draft Luck and hope that he is the second coming of Peyton Manning. If not better.

TK

The Washington Redskins are now on the clock.

The Great Debate: Luck vs. RGIII

Welcome to the 2012 NFL Draft, The Indianapolis Colts are now on the clock...

Throughout the past week there has been a lot of debate as to whether the Colts should stick with Andrew Luck as their #1 pick or if they should pull a surprise out of their bag and take RGIII.  Before I jump into this lets look at their career statistics comparisons.

Career Statistics

Player	Comp	Att	Yards	YPA	TDs	INTs	Passer Rating
Griffin	800	1,192	10,366	8.7	78	17	158.9
Luck	713	1,064	9,430	8.9	82	22	162.8

(from espn.com)


Ummm, practically dead even in almost every category.  What we can draw from this is that both Luck and RGIII were very productive throughout their careers(unlike Mark Sanchez).  


      Luck These two are equally freaks of nature  RGIII

                        
(From nfl.com)


The last thing I want to look at before we make a conclusion is the Combine results. 

           Luck      RGIII

40 yrd Dash-     4.67                    4.41
Vert Jump-        36"                      39"
Broad Jump-     124                     120


So if I'm an NFL scout I look at these numbers and realize 1 thing and 1 thing only.  That 1 thing I learn is that there are 2 QBs in this draft that are physically and athletically RIDICULOUS! I can certainly look at film and when I have, what i have seen is this same conclusion.  I honestly believe that both of these QB's are and will be ELITE QBs.  


But the question is which one will go #1 and which will go #2


The answer is simple: 

With the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts select, Andrew Luck..
With the second overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins select RGIII.


Here is why.


The Indianapolis Colts know 1 thing, the passing game.  Andrew Luck is by far the most clean QB as far as mechanics, knowledge, and accuracy in the passing game since at least Peyton Manning back in 1998.  They are looking for the predecessor of Peyton Manning and why not replace him with a kid who is compared so closely to Peyton.  They play the same style of game, they are built very similarly, they have very similar mechanics, and they both have a crazy knowledge of the game.  When I see Andrew Luck, I see Peyton Manning.  If Im Jim Irsay of the Colts, I can't get past the comparison and I have to take Andrew Luck.


Now Washington in my mind should actually be very pleased if Andrew Luck goes #1 instead of RGIII going at #1.  Being a Broncos fan, I've seen Mike Shannahan and his style for many many years.  Mike is sitting in his office drooling over RGIII and not Andrew Luck because of the perfect fit that RGIII makes for Mike Shannahan's system.  In Denver and in Washington, Mike has ran a run heavy offense with a lot of play action and roll outs.  RGIII in my mind is at the same level as Andrew Luck in every aspect Ive discussed so far except for one thing...which he is actually better at than Andrew Luck.  RGIII can roll out, move quickly, and throw on the run better than any quarterback to come out of the draft.  Look at Shannahan's track record in Denver, he had Jake Plummer and Jay Cutler, both who's biggest strength was ability to move out of the pocket and be able to throw on the run with great arm strength.  This is what RGIII does better than Ive seen EVER!


This Video shows why RGIII will be a Redskin, he is a PERFECT fit for what Mike Shannahan likes in his QBs and his offense.  Mike Shannahan would have given 7 1st round picks for this guy if he had to, straight Al Davis style!

Yours Truly, 

Ryan 

         

NFL Quarterback Power Rankings

With the Denver Broncos signing of Peyton Manning, I figured it was time to begin a series of posts ranking the 32 best players at each position in the NFL, beginning with the quarterbacks. For the purpose of these rankings, one player from each team will be ranked for each position. That way we can compare the talent at the game's key positions for each individual team.

The rankings are based on the current make up of each NFL team, with two exceptions. In all likelihood the Colts will draft Andrews Luck No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft and the Redskins will snag RGIII at No. 2. Neither team has a legitimate starting QB on the roster, so both Luck and Griffin are almost guaranteed to start right away. In order to correctly project the QB talents of both teams, I will include both Luck and RGIII on this list. The rankings are also based on player value and ability for the 2012 season. It is not a projection for the future, or a look into the past, but a ranking that symbolizes that player's value heading into the upcoming season. With that in mind, let's start with the top QB in the league:

1. Tom Brady - New England Patriots: Consistently takes his team to the playoffs and proved last season he still has a lot left in the tank. He took a Patriots team with a terrible defense all the way to the Super Bowl and was within a hail mary of winning his fourth championship. Has the edge over Rodgers because he did more with less in 2011.

2. Aaron Rodgers - Green Bay Packers: Finished last season with the most impressive statistics of any QB in the league. Had a 122.5 rating and tossed a career high 45 touchdowns. He is surrounded by elite talent and should keep the Packers in consistent Super Bowl contention.

3. Drew Brees - New Orleans Saints: Will suffer this season without Sean Payton on the sideline but remains easily the most important player on the Saints roster. Sometimes throws too many interceptions, but runs the offense with efficiency and is always in the MVP conversation.

4. Eli Manning - New York Giants: The goal of every NFL team every season is to win the Super Bowl.  The younger Manning has proven that he is a clutch performer in the playoffs and that there is no better QB in the league in a game-winning situation.

5. Peyton Manning - Denver Broncos: The neck injuries make me a bit wary of putting Peyton this high, but if he is healthy (as he and the Broncos claim) then he is easily still a top-5 QB in this league. Makes everyone around him better and knows the game better than anyone else. Just needs to improve his reputation for shrinking in the playoffs.

6. Ben Roethlisberger - Pittsburgh Steelers: Doesn't have the stats of a lot of the elite QBs on this list, but belongs in the upper echelon because of his ability to win and perform in the clutch. He is a big body that can allude pressure with the best in the NFL and has two Super Bowl rings, which is two more than everyone that trails him in these rankings.

7. Cam Newton - Carolina Panthers: Proved he is a top-tier QB in this league with the best rookie season for a quarterback in NFL history. Newton showed ability to sit in the pocket and hit receivers and knew how and when to escape and run for big yards. He played for a terrible team in Carolina last season and still managed to put up huge numbers and single-handidly added wins for his team.

8. Phillip Rivers - San Diego Chargers: Would be higher on this list if he could get the Chargers to play some consistent football. His team has been as talented as they come over the past few years yet they have continued to falter throughout the season.

9. Jay Cutler - Chicago Bears: A player that is often hated on a little too much for my liking. Has a great arm and will only get better with Brandon Marshall in the fold. His value to the Bears was demonstrated when the team finished 1-5 without him behind center.

10. Matthew Stafford - Detroit Lions: If he can stay on the field he will move up on this list. He's got Megatron locked up for the next few years, and that could be a fun tandem to watch.

11. Tony Romo - Dallas Cowboys: He is the Lebron James of the NFL -- he gets blamed for everything negative that happens on the field, even if its not his fault. Has great athleticism and accuracy, just needs to make smart decisions in tight games.

12. Matt Ryan - Atlanta Falcons: Led the Falcons to the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history, but faltered both years in the first game. Has the offensive weapons with Roddy White, Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez and Michael Turner to make some real things happen in 2012.

13. Michael Vick - Philadelphia Eagles: When he is on his game, he is the most electrifying player on the field. The 2010 Monday night game against the Washington Redskins is evidence of how good he can be. Unfortunately, he never reached those heights in 2011.

14. Matt Schaub - Houston Texans: Had he played the entirety of 2011, the Texans would have challenged New England for the AFC Super Bowl birth.

15. Andrew Luck - Indianapolis Colts: Yes, Andrew Luck will be better than about half the starting quarterbacks in the NFL in 2012. He might not have Cam Newton rookie stats, but he will make the Colts much better than 2-14 and will benefit from the resigning of Reggie Wayne.

16. Robert Griffin III - Washington Redskins: Yes, RGIII will be better than about half the starting quarterbacks in the NFL in 2012. I actually think he will have a chance to put up better overall numbers than Luck simply because the Redskins have a better all-around team than the Colts.

17. Alex Smith - San Francisco 49ers: Resigning with the Niners was the best possible decision for Smith. He struggled in the red zone last season but with the addition of Randy Moss, continued dominance of Vernon Davis and further instruction from coach Jim Harbaugh, he should improve.

18. Joe Flacco - Baltimore Ravens: Has steadily improved since his rookie season and put up decent numbers for a playoff team in 2011. Finished the year with 20 TDs and an 80.9 quarterback rating. Needs to improve his completion percentage in the upcoming season.

19. Andy Dalton - Cincinnati Bengals: Had numbers very similar to Flacco's in 2012 but has a lot of room to improve. Great season for a rookie and will benefit in 2012 from more offseason drills and more time to mesh with fellow first round pick AJ Green.

20. Matt Flynn - Seattle Seahawks: Could be a great player if he performs like he did against the Lions in 2011. Needs more starts before a consensus can be made.

21. Carson Palmer - Oakland Raiders: Threw way too many interceptions last season but basically entered the starting lineup after sitting on the couch all offseason. Maybe a new coach will make a difference in his game. Plus, an offseason to learn the offense and work with WRs is always beneficial.

22. Ryan Fitzpatrick - Buffalo Bills: Started off the season on a tear, got a huge contract, then plummeted. He has the potential to be a legit NFL quarterback. Time will tell.

23. Josh Freeman - Tampa Bay Bucs: Had a great rookie season before regressing exponentially last year. He was part of one of the most dysfunctional team situations but that's no excuse to throw 22 interceptions versus 16 touchdowns.

24. Matt Hasselbeck - Tennessee Titans: Threw for over 3500 yards and tossed 18 touchdowns. Not too shabby for a guy in his twilight years on a team that focuses on running the ball. Could be supplanted by Jake Locker if the season doesn't start well.

25. Matt Cassel - Kansas City Chiefs: Hasn't done anything to set himself apart since signing with the Chiefs following his stint as a backup for the New England Patriots. He is an average quarterback at best and is a big reason why so many Chiefs fans were calling for Scott Pioli to chase Peyton Manning.

26. Kevin Kolb - Arizona Cardinals: A similar player to Cassel. Signed a big contract after having a few big starts with a winning team but hasn't proven anything since taking over a permanent starting gig.

27. Mark Sanchez - New York Jets: I've never been a fan of the Sanchize. Finished with a poor QB rating last year despite having an abundance of talent around him. The fact that the Jets just gave up two picks for Tim Tebow makes me think they are trying to push their incumbent QB this season.

28. Sam Bradford - St. Louis Rams: Followed a promising rookie campaign with an awful 2011. Finished with just six touchdowns for a bad team. Has potential to be a solid QB in this league but needs more weapons and needs to show improvement this year.

29. Matt Moore - Miami Dolphins: Helped the Dolphins finish strong at the end of last season, but the fact that the team chased both Peyton Manning and Alex Smith this offseason makes me think that new coach Joe Philbin has little faith in the current starter.

30. Christian Ponder - Minnesota Vikings: Will be pushed by Joe Webb throughout this season. Wouldn't be surprised to see him relinquish his starting job to his fellow young quarterback if things don't go well early in the year. Could really struggle if Adrian Peterson doesn't play.

31. Colt McCoy - Cleveland Browns: They tried their best to trade for the No. 2 pick in the draft to take RGIII. That says they don't see a future with Mr. McCoy.

32. Blaine Gabbert - Jacksonville Jaguars: Finished his rookie campaign with an abysmal 65.4 ranking and barely a 50% completion percentage. Looked lost on the field, especially compared with fellow rookies Newton and Dalton.

TK

Positional Ranking: AL Central

Folks,

It has been way too long, and no I am not talking about since I last wrote a blog post (been a while, you guys), I am talking about since the last MLB games were played.  Fortunately, spring training is back and in full force, and the baseball chatter is flying around. 

With baseball being played, but nothing being official, it seems as though fans and writers use this time period to over-evaluate, over-judge, over guess, over-list-create, over-project, and so on and so forth.  It gets rather ridiculous, but something must hold us over until the season starts, so I decided I will join the frenzy and begin my own series of lists.  As many know, I am an open and unabashed Kansas City Royals fan, and this year more than any other of my life I have legitimate grounds for excitement (the year they signed Benito Santiago and Juan Gonzalez sadly was the next closest).

 I wanted to see how legitimate my excitement was, so I decided to rank the American League Central’s positions 1-5 per team, and see just where the Royals ranked.  I will rank each defensive position, the DH, the five starting pitchers for each team, and the closers.  Let us begin:

Catcher

1.       Carlos Santana, CLE

2.       Joe Mauer, MIN

3.       Alex Avila, DET

4.       Salvador Perez, KC

5.       A.J. Pierzynski, CWS

First Base

1.       Prince Fielder, DET

2.       Eric Hosmer, KC

3.       Paul Konerko, CWS

4.       Justin Morneau, MIN

5.       Casey Kotchman, CLE

Second Base

1.       Jason Kipnis, CLE

2.       Gordon Beckham, CWS

3.       Johnny Giavotella, KC

4.       Brandon Inge, DET

5.       Alexi Casilla, MIN

Third Base

1.       Miguel Cabrera, DET

2.       Mike Moustakas, KC

3.       Lonnie Chisenhall, CLE

4.       Brandon Morel, CWS

5.       Danny Valencia, MIN

Shortstop

1.       Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE

2.       Alexei Ramirez, CWS

3.       Alcides Escobar, KC

4.       Jhonny Peralta, DET

5.       Brett Carroll, MIN

Left Field

1.       Alex Gordon, KC

2.       Delmon Young, DET

3.       Ben Revere, MIN

4.       Dayan Viciedo, CWS

5.       Michael Brantley, CLE

Center Field

1.       Denard Span, MIN

2.       Austin Jackson, DET

3.       Lorenzo Cain, KC

4.       Alejandro De Aza, CWS

5.       Grady Sizemore, CLE

Right Field

1.       Shin-Soo Choo, CLE

2.       Jeff Francoeur, KC

3.       Alex Rios, CWS

4.       Ty Willingham, MIN

5.       Brennan Boesch, DET

Designated Hitter

1.       Billy Butler, KC

2.       Travis Hafner, CLE

3.       Ryan Raburn, DET

4.       Adam Dunn, CWS

5.       Trevor Plouffe, MIN

Number 1 Pitcher

1.       Justin Verlander, DET

2.       Ubaldo Jiminez, CLE

3.       John Danks, CWS

4.       Luke Hochevar, KC

5.       Carl Pavano, MIN

Number 2 Pitcher

1.       Francisco Liriano, MIN

2.       Doug Fister, DET

3.       Jake Peavy, CWS

4.       Bruce Chen, KC

5.       Fausto Carmona (Roberto Hernandez Heredia), CLE

Number 3 Pitcher

1.       Max Scherzer, DET

2.       Justin Masterson, CLE

3.       Gavin Floyd, CWS

4.       Scott Baker, MIN

5.       Jonathan Sanchez, KC

Number 4

1.       Rick Porcello, DET

2.       Felipe Paulino, KC

3.       Chris Sale, CWS

4.       Nick Blackburn, MIN

5.       Josh Tomlin, CLE

Number 5

1.       Jacob Turner, DET

2.       Danny Duffy, KC

3.       Phil Humber, CWS

4.       Derek Lowe, CLE

5.       Jason Marquis, MIN

Closer

1.       Joakim Soria, KC

2.       Jose Valverde, DET

3.       Chris Perez, CLE

4.       Matt Capps, MIN

5.       Joe Thornton, CWS

After totalling up my rankings, with the lowest numbers being the best, the teams totals came out as follows:

1. Tigers- 32 points

2. Royals- 40 points

3. Indians- 45 points

4. White Sox- 54 Points

5. Twins- 56 Points

Amazingly, these totals came out to what I feel is quite a realistic projection with the Tigers as the hands down division favorite, the Royals and Indians in the next tier, and the White Sox and Twins battling to stay out of the cellar.  But just to avoid any accusations of personal bias, I totaled up some projected team WAR totals based off of numbers I collected from the glorious baseball website www.fangraphs.com.  The higher the number the better for these:

1. Tigers- 47.6 WAR

Tie-2. Royals- 40.3 WAR

Tie-2. Indians-40.3 WAR

4. White Sox- 39.9 WAR

5. Twins- 34.8 WAR

Pretty close huh?  Please share your opinions in the comments section, I would love to hear how wrong or right I am in your opinion.  Join me next Monday when I rank the players of the National League Central.

-Brett