Quarterback Notes: Geno Smith, Tyler Bray

Posted: April 23, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: News, Prospect Analysis | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

With all of the questions flying around West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith, everybody is wondering where he’ll go in the first-round come Thursday’s NFL Draft festivities.

Adam Schein is adamant that Smith won’t leave the first round — in fact he goes as far as alleviating any misconceptions that Smith isn’t a legitimate franchise quarterback.

Why does Schein believe this?

Well, he cites the thought that Smith has both the “tangibles and intangibles” a team looks for in their franchise quarterback. Undoubtedly, Smith has talent. The problem many see with Smith is the same that many of the quarterbacks in this year’s draft class exhibit: inconsistency. While many young players have problems with consistency, it’s remarkable that all of these passers have at the collegiate level.

There are solid possibilities for Smith going in the top-five — Jacksonville, Oakland and Philadelphia all clearly need quarterbacks. Blaine Gabbert has flopped in his time starting for the Jaguars, Oakland is devoid of talent at the position, and the Eagles have concerns about Michael Vick’s durability and age.

Even after the addition of Kevin Kolb, it’s clear that Buffalo needs a quarterback (even if they’re looking at Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib). Smith could even go to the Cardinals, although glaring needs and the recent addition of Carson Palmer could temper any thoughts of Smith playing in Arizona.

A couple interesting teams that Schein throws into the mix for Smith should he fall from the top-ten are Tampa Bay and Tennessee. Although Josh Freeman is squarely locked-in at starter for the Bucs and Jake Locker is the heir apparent following Matt Hasselbeck’s departure from Tennessee, it’s been made known that Greg Schiano has his reservations about Freeman and Locker’s early struggles both in performance and staying on the field have worried Titans management.

It would be a bit of a shock for either team to take Smith, especially since the Buccaneers just shipped off their first-round pick for Darrelle Revis — it would likely take a few picks this year and possibly their first next year to jump back into the first. The Titans are in a similar situation to the Browns in that if they grab Smith that means they’re giving up on a former first-round pick in Brandon Weeden.

One team that Schein comments about that makes sense is the New York Jets. Yes, they’re clearly in need of defensive help at several positions (and even more so after the trading of Revis), but now with two first-round picks they could afford to spend one on Smith — thus upgrading tremendously on the likes of Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, David Garrard and Greg McIlroy.

Geno Smith makes for a very interesting story this year not only because the Revis trade has shaken up the first-round, but also because he isn’t the clear-cut prospect that we’ve seen in quarterbacks from years past — i.e. Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton, Sam Bradford or Matthew Stafford.

Steelers Looking at Quarterback?

Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com has some interesting news out of Pittsburgh: the Steelers are looking at taking an heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger come draft day.

They’ve even got one in mind already — Tennessee’s Tyler Bray.

Bray’s got talent, that’s for sure, but off-the-field issues have squarely eliminated him from first-round discussions. Between arm strength and an unabashed fearlessness when it comes to off-the-field problems (just look at Big Ben), the Steelers could be the perfect fit for Bray — that is if another team just jump on him in the second- or third-round before Pittsburgh can.

Another name Rosenthal throws out there is Miami of Ohio product Zach Dysert. The apparent backup plan, should Pittsburgh stand-pat at quarterback in the draft, is for veteran Charlie Batch to be brought back in to compete with Bruce Gradkowski for clipboard duties.

NFL Draft Reports Mock Draft 3.0

I’m currently working hard on getting out a final mock draft prior to the real thing later this week, so stay tuned tomorrow and Thursday. This one will be a beat meatier and likely will be a two-part post.

NFL Draft Preparation Under Way

The 2013 NFL Draft is only a few days away, and here at NFL Draft Reports we’re hard at work prepping for Thursday night’s first-round festivities. I’ll be personally covering the first-round with live updates with some help from a couple new faces, while the second-round will be handled by myself and a said new contributors that I’ll be announcing in the next couple days.

It’s an exciting time in the NFL, and we’re here to bring you all the news you need on the draft, so make sure to tune in on Thursday!

Mike Mayock Says Nawrocki Claims Have Proof

Posted: April 4, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: News, Quick Hits | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments

A new twist has emerged in the Geno Smith story that has been ongoing for the past several days.

Mere days after Pro Football Weekly’s Nolan Nawrocki posted a scathing analysis of Geno Smith’s abilities and personality and Smith responded to Nawrocki’s claims, Mike Mayock has sounded off on Smith to the public.

And overall, it’s once again a negative review of Smith’s prospects as an NFL quarterback.

Mayock takes a different approach with his criticism in this piece featured on NBC’s Pro Football Talk.

Much of Mayock’s claims concern Smith’s pocket presence and ball security–the specific stats he cites over 30 career fumbles and five sacks versus Texas this past season only in the first half–combine with poor decision making and inconsistent accuracy to form a potentially fatal combination in the NFL.

With Kyle Orton-esque tendencies to stare down a singular receiver and deep throws to wide open receivers that are often off target, Smith could have problems succeeding at a professional level where open receivers are much rarer to find and decision making is more important.

Mayock isn’t the first analysts to take shots at Smith’s consistency on the field with deep passes and decision making.

ESPN’s Merril Hoge has similar concerns, to the point that he claims Smith doesn’t exhibit qualities of a first-round quarterback.

Falcons release Tyson Clabo

The Falcons are reportedly about to release offensive tackle Tyson Clabo, one of the top tackles in the league. The plan as of right now is to head forward with second-year tackle Lamar Holmes manning the right tackle position, which is quite a risk seeing as he played only seven snaps as a rookie in 2o12.

This should make the market a bit more interesting, as Clabo joins a market that already includes ex-Bengal Andre Smith and ex-Chief Eric Winston as top tackles still on the market leading up to the draft. Teams that miss out on a first-round tackle may look to the trio as a veteran pick up.

JaMarcus Russell may be generating interest in comeback attempt

CBS Sports’ Mike Freeman writes about ex-Raiders bust JaMarcus Russell possibly drawing genuine interest from teams after reports emerged that he has lost weight and is sincere in attempts to make the NFL once again. According to Freeman, there is a “good chance he gets a second shot” and that a “number of teams” have been following Russell’s progress.

The big-armed multi-million dollar bust could be a long shot addition to several quarterback-needy teams’ rosters.

Geno Smith Fires Back at Nawrocki Report

Posted: April 2, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: News, Quick Hits | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

It didn’t take long for Geno Smith to respond to the very negative posts of Nolan Nawrocki on Pro Football Weekly’s website.

Smith and former West Virginia quarterbacks coach Jake Spavital (current Texas A&M quarterbacks coach) answered Nawrocki’s analysis of Smith’s personality and playing style with flat denials of most accusations.

Smith called the allegations against his work ethic, knowledge of the game, and overall skills as being “untrue in all things” when speaking to USA Today’s Jim Corbett.

Among the positive comments by Spavital, he mentioned how he thought Smith would step in and make an impact as a rookie due to his “personality” while citing him as “competitive” and “passionate.” Spavital also said that he thought Smith was more prepared than Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden, who Spavital coached in his time with Oklahoma State.

It’s noticeable that Smith spoke out in the middle of reports that he’s had meetings with Kansas City officials, but it’s not unexpected with the level of negativity included in Nawrocki’s analysis of Smith as an NFL prospect.

To read more about Smith and Spavital, see Jim Corbett’s piece for USA Today.

For more on Nawrocki’s criticisms of Smith, see our previous post here.

Geno Smith Called a “Gimmick” and an “Overhyped Product”

Posted: April 1, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: News, Prospect Analysis | Tags: , | 2 Comments

In what is likely to be discussed at large in the media over the next several days, a recent Pro Football Weekly scouting report on Matt Barkley and Geno Smith had some very unfavorable remarks about the prospects of Smith in the NFL.

There are a number of specific criticisms from PFW writer Nolan Nawrocki, the author of the report:

  • Smith is claimed to have taken credit for on-field adjustments done by the coaching staff and thought to be “out of sync” with receivers on the field following adjustments
  • While his arm strength and accuracy (specifically ball placement) are lauded by Nawrocki, he also criticizes Smith for forcing passes and often neglecting to work through his progressions–instead locking on to receivers
  • Smith supposedly cannot scramble and can’t get away from pass-rushers
  • Nawrocki is negative about much of Smith’s mechanics in the pocket, including footwork, posture and movement in the pocket
  • Smith is claimed to be “not committed or focused–marginal work ethic” and “not a student of the game” while also being criticized for a lack of leadership and presence both on and off the field
  • Nawrocki claims Smith has poor training ethics and as a result has “minimal muscle definition or strength” and had to be “coddled in college–cannot handle hard coaching”

This is quite the list of negatives–it’s very noticeable in the report that the negatives apparently outweigh the positives, as Nawrocki spends most of his time tearing Smith apart after a short summary of Smith’s positives–durability, consistently well-thrown ball, arm strength and noticeable athleticism.

Nawrocki’s summary is even worse:

Started the season red-hot with the help of two playmaking receivers and created a national stir generating a lot of overexcitement in the scouting community. Quickly came down to earth after Kansas State disguised coverages and brought pressure he could not handle and he finished dropping six of his final eight games. A cross between Akili Smith and Aaron Brooks, Smith is a gimmick, overhyped product of the system lacking the football savvy, work habits and focus to cement a starting job and could drain energy from a QB room. Will be overdrafted and struggle to produce against NFL defensive complexities.

That is quite a negative portrayal, and Nawrocki is still only projecting Smith to go in the top-50 while claiming he’ll be overdrafted in the process.

If you can remember from several years ago, Nawrocki is the same individual who criticized Panthers quarterback Cam Newton exhibiting a “fake smile” heading into the draft process in 2011, so this report should be taken with a grain of salt.

Other news around the league:

  • Jacksonville cut DT C.J. Mosley in what the Florida Times-Union is now referring to as a move ensuring a tackle or end at the second-overall pick. The current favorites are either Oregon end Dion Jordan or Florida tackle Shariff Floyd.
  • San Francisco is in the process of acquiring Colt McCoy from the Browns in return for a couple late round picks. Details are still being ironed out. The latest info from Adam Schefter:
  •  Tony Pauline over at TFY Draft Insider talks about many different prospects, from UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin’s comparisons to Frank Gore and the possibility of one of Matt Barkley, E.J. Manuel and Ryan Nassib being selected in the mid to late first-round.

Todd McShay Jumped the Gun on Geno Smith?

Posted: March 31, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Mock Drafts | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

This week saw ESPN Insider Todd McShay post a new mock draft with an interesting change from past mocks–he has the Raiders taking Geno Smith with the third-overall pick.

The small problem with this is the rumored trade of backup Seahawks quarterback Matt Flynn to the Raiders. While it might not be finalized just yet, if Flynn is headed to Oakland that means he’s likely going to be the starter–and it also means that McShay has once again posted a mock only to have it upset immediately by news in the NFL (McShay’s last mock was out of date within days due to the Percy Harvin trade earlier this month).

McShay’s mock is still worth an analysis, especially since Flynn is still a Seahawk (for the moment). It’s also worth noting that McShay included a brief second-round projection on this mock too, which is listed at the bottom.

A reminder, as with every mock we analyze, McShay’s latest mock has been added to the NFL DR Mock Comparisons page.

1. Kansas City Chiefs – Texas A&M OT Luke Joeckel

No shocker here–few are looking elsewhere at no. 1 at this point. McShay has decided to join everybody else on Joeckel after projecting Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei here in his last mock (March 6).

2. Jacksonville Jaguars – Oregon OLB Dion Jordan

McShay had Joeckel going here last time–which is only natural given Joeckel’s standing on draft boards if he were to put Lotulelei as the first-overall pick. While some have Central Michigan OT Eric Fisher going to Jacksonville due to needs on the line, the pass-rush is a big need and Jordan is talented in that aspect. A growing percentage of mocks have Jordan going to the Jaguars.

3. Oakland Raiders – West Virginia QB Geno Smith

Ah, here is Smith. Yes, the Raiders may be swapping out quarterbacks, and it seems that McShay is none-too-believing in the wide-held theory that Oakland’s interest in Smith is merely a ploy to trade down. Smith would give Oakland a franchise quarterback and solve the Carson Palmer question once and for all (by making him expendable), but if they’re indeed getting Flynn then it simply makes no sense.

4. Philadelphia Eagles – Central Michigan OT Eric Fisher

This one makes sense. The Eagles need to protect Michael Vick if they expect him to succeed this season (unlike in 2012). Injuries and a lack of depth have been a major concern, and Fisher offers a top-end tackle who could be installed at either the left or right side as a long term solution.

5. Detroit Lions – BYU DE Ezekiel Ansah

Ansah is another consensus pick at this point, as most people are aware of the Lions’ favor of Ansah after coaching him at the Senior Bowl. Ansah is extremely athletic and while raw he offers a replacement for the departed Cliff Avril with potential in the range of Aldon Smith or Jason Pierre-Paul.

6. Cleveland Browns – Alabama CB Dee Milliner

The projection of Smith to the Raiders takes a quarterback out of the equation, so Milliner is the best possible pick for the Browns even if they weren’t going to stick with Weeden under center. Joe Haden and Milliner would make for an impressive duo at corner.

7. Arizona Cardinals – Oklahoma OT Lane Johnson

The Cardinals need help on the offensive line, and Johnson is one of the top tackles in the draft. The pairing makes sense, with Geno Smith off the board, but Johnson is still a reach here. I’d expect Arizona to look into trading down or grabbing a pass-rusher in the likes of Jarvis Jones or Barkevious Mingo at seventh-0verall.

8. Buffalo Bills – Alabama OG Chance Warmack

I’m chalking up these last two picks to McShay’s prediction of Smith having a domino effect on other top-ten picks. The Bills could use some help at guard, but not quite enough to justify adding Warmack at eighth-overall. This is another situation where trading down would be ideal if Smith is gone. This is a very high  projection for a guard, as tackles are usually more of a priority and guards tend to be drafted lower (first taken in 2012 was David DeCastro 24th overall, first taken in 2011 was Danny Watkins 23rd overall).

9. New York Jets – LSU OLB Barkevious Mingo

The Jets need a pass-rusher, and Mingo is as much a valid pick at ninth-overall as Georgia outside ‘backer Jarvis Jones. Both offer help for a team that has suffered from a lack of pass-rushers for years.

10. Tennessee Titans – Florida DT Shariff Floyd

This is quite a value pick, as many mocks have Floyd going to the Raiders at third-overall, and the Titans would be ecstatic to take Floyd here. While Tennessee may be in need of a guard, talent can often trump need in the top-ten.

11. San Diego Chargers – Utah DT Star Lotulelei

Lotulelei has had a rocky several weeks since the combine, as a heart condition made him drop in many mocks from top-five to the 10-20 range in the first-round (McShay had Lotulelei going to Kansas City first-overall previously). The Chargers get a talented nose tackle to shore up a defensive line that has seen many departures in recent years.

12. Miami Dolphins – North Carolina OG Jonathan Cooper

This is another pick that I believe is foiled by a recent roster addition, as the signing of free-agent Lance Louis makes the addition of Cooper quite redundant. Miami has extra talent at guard in youngster John Jerry, so it’s more likely they splurge on a corner here (Florida St.’s Xavier Rhodes, for example) than a guard.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – West Virginia WR Tavon Austin

While this may be a bit of a high projection for Austin, he’s an explosive slot receiver and has been climbing draft boards for a while now. Austin would give Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman another weapon to go along with Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams at receiver.

14. Carolina Panthers – Missouri DT Sheldon Richardson

I’m still not a huge fan of Richardson projections to Carolina, as he’s a bit undersized for nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme at 6’2 1/2″ and 294 lbs. Nevertheless, Richardson is a valuable tackle and Carolina has a need there. If Lotulelei were to drop to 14th, expect the Panthers to pick the Utah product over Richardson.

15. New Orleans Saints – Georgia ILB Alec Ogletree

The Saints have a need at middle linebacker now that they’re moving to 3-4, and Ogletree is a great solution due to his coverage abilites as an ex-safety. The Saints have numerous needs on defense, so Ogletree certainly isn’t out of the question even if he’s not the best on the board.

16. St. Louis Rams – Tennessee WR Cordarrelle Patterson

The Rams have a severe need at receiver with both Danny Amendola and Brandon Gibson elsewhere in 2013, so Patterson makes perfect sense. St. Louis would love if Tavon Austin fell out of the top-15, but either way they get an impact receiver to bolster the passing attack.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers – Georgia OLB Jarvis Jones

Were Jones to fall this far out of the original top-ten projection, the pass-rushing needy Steelers would likely jump on Jones. While his athleticism may be questionable in some scouts’ eyes, Jones was extremely productive in college and is one of the better 3-4 pass-rushers in the draft–not to mention a steal at 17th-overall.

18. Dallas Cowboys – Texas S Kenny Vaccaro

Vaccaro is a flexible safety who can play both safety positions–making him quite valuable to a rebuilding defense in the middle of a scheme change. There’s a chance Vaccaro won’t still be on the board by Dallas’ pick in many analysts’ opinions.

19. New York Giants – Alabama OT D.J. Fluker

It seems to be a trend now that mocks are featuring Fluker in Giants blue. I’m still not buying the Giants taking a tackle when they have so many needs elsewhere.

20. Chicago Bears – Notre Dame TE Tyler Eifert

Unless McShay knows something else about the Bears’ offense that everybody else doesn’t, Eifert simply makes no sense. Whether you like Martellus Bennett, the Bears didn’t sign him long term to be replaced by Eifert in only a few years.

21. Cincinnati Bengals – Washington CB Desmond Trufant

If you’re looking at a player making a jump up the first-round, Trufant is one of them–he’s not even a consensus first-round pick. I’m not entirely sure why McShay thinks Trufant to the Bengals makes so much sense, as Cincinnati recently re-signed Pacman Jones and Terrance Newman, not to mention decent depth at corner to boot. Expect Cincinnati to instead shore up the offense in some way.

22. St. Louis Rams – North Carolina DT Sylvester Williams

The Rams would be adding high profile tackles in back-to-back first-rounds with the addition of Williams (Michael Brockers was selected out of LSU 14th-overall last year). The Rams could use a tackle, and Williams is another big body to shore up the defense after getting a receiver earlier on.

23. Minnesota Vikings – Florida St. DE Bjoern Werner

The Vikings are another team with two picks in the draft, and McShay has them adding to the defense with their first pick–taking another previous top-ten projection in Werner. Jared Allen isn’t getting any younger and he’s still demanding top money, so Werner’s pick could add leverage when contract talks start up with Allen.

24. Indianapolis Colts – Florida St. CB Xavier Rhodes

Colts fans, don’t get your hopes up–Rhodes won’t be around by pick 24. Desmond Trufant may still be, however, and he’d be a solid pick up for a defense that seems determined to improve over past seasons.

25. Minnesota Vikings – California WR Keenan Allen

The Vikings still need a receiver even after adding Greg Jennings, and Allen is as good as it gets in the receivers group with Patterson and Austin gone. Minnesota would bolster both the defense and offense with Werner and Allen.

26. Green Bay Packers – Florida St. OT Menelik Watson

The Packers have a definite need at tackle with the amount of injuries they’ve sustained over past seasons. Watson is still a bit of a developmental player due to his lack of football experience, but he’s a monster in size and has a ton of upside. Running back can be addressed later by Green Bay.

27. Houston Texans – Clemson WR DeAndre Hopkins

Andre Johnson isn’t getting any younger, and the Texans need a passing attack to be a true Super Bowl contender moving forward. With Johnson and Hopkins in the short term, Houston’s offense won’t just be Arian Foster and Andre Johnson any longer.

28. Denver Broncos – Notre Dame ILB Manti Te’o

Fan affiliations aside, I still don’t like this pick for Denver. Te’o isn’t an everydown ‘backer, and the loss of Elvis Dumervil creates a clear need in the pass-rush department. Denver already has multiple solutions at inside ‘backer on the roster, so they can afford to look at corner or end early and bank on a later linebacker.

29. New England Patriots – Syracuse OG Justin Pugh

While I would normally throw such a reach under the bus in normal circumstances, the Patriots aren’t known for following widely held opinions of prospects–see last year’s multiple reaches in our earlier Patriots Past Drafts feature. New England’s line is getting old and Pugh would be another young body for the future.

30. Atlanta Falcons – Florida St. Cornellius Carradine

Carradine would be the second Florida State pass-rusher taken (Bjoern Werner the first). The Falcons have less of a short-term need at pass-rusher now that they’ve nabbed Osi Umenyiora, but he’s clearly not a long-term solution–Carradine can be. There are some question marks with Carradine, but he’s a solid pick up with the 30th pick.

31. San Francisco 49ers – Georgia DT John Jenkins

The 49ers’ defensive line needs a young infusement, and Jenkins offers just that. Justin Smith may be on his way out after 2013, so Glenn Dorsey could move to end and Jenkins take over at nose tackle in his sophomore campaign.

32. Baltimore Ravens – Louisiana Tech WR Quinton Patton

The trade of Anquan Boldin leaves a hole at receiver, and Patton teaming up with Torrey Smith makes for a potentially lethal duo for the future.

Second Round Projections

  1. Jaguars – USC QB Matt Barkley
  2. 49ers (via Chiefs) – Stanford TE Zach Ertz
  3. Eagles – Florida St. QB E.J. Manuel
  4. Lions – Connecticut CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson
  5. Bengals – Florida S Matt Elam
  6. Cardinals – N.C. State QB Mike Glennon
  7. Browns – N/A (exercised in 2012 supplemental draft)
  8. Jets – SMU DE Margus Hunt
  9. Titans – Texas A&M DE Damontre Moore
  10. Bills – Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib
  11. Dolphins – Houston CB D.J. Hayden
  12. Buccaneers – Purdue DT Kawann Short
  13. Panthers – Tennessee WR Justin Hunter
  14. Saints – N/A (forfeited due to bounty investigation)
  15. Chargers – Ark. Pine Bluff OT Terron Armstead
  16. Rams – Alabama RB Eddie Lacy
  17. Cowboys – Oregon OG Kyle Long
  18. Steelers – USC WR Robert Woods
  19. Giants – Boise St. CB Jamar Taylor
  20. Bears – LSU ILB Kevin Minter
  21. Redskins – San Diego St. TE Gavin Escobar
  22. Vikings – Ohio St. DT Johnathan Hankins
  23. Bengals – Texas A&M RB Christine Michael
  24. Dolphins (via Colts) – LSU DE Sam Montgomery
  25. Packers – South Carolina S D.J. Swearinger
  26. Seahawks – Missouri Southern DT Brandon Williams
  27. Texans – Alabama DT Jesse Williams
  28. Broncos – Connecticut OLB Sio Moore
  29. Patriots – Marshall WR Aaron Dobson
  30. Falcons – Cincinnati TE Travis Kelce
  31. 49ers – FIU S Johnathan Cyprien
  32. Ravens – Wisconsin C Travis Frederick

So, how’d McShay do in your opinion?

← Older Entries