NFL's Future

Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The NFL Draft is a perfect example of just how powerful the media is. The current modus operandi for NFL Draft media happens to be Twitter. With seemingly every draft fan linked up on the Twitter platform is easy to get a whole lot of consensus built up quickly on a player that may or may not be worthy.

The power of a Mel Kiper/Todd McShay/insert any major media member tweet about a prospect can send a player into a stratosphere that may not be indicative of his on-field play. I’m not suggesting agents or teams use their leverage to snowball draft fans…or maybe I am.

Either way, the fact remains that the media hype of players has been a historical issue, glorified by social media.

Today we take on the All-Overvalued and All-Undervalued Teams. We break down each position to give fans an idea of who we believe are being over-and-undervalued in the draft coverage.

QUARTERBACK

Overvalued – EJ Manuel, Florida State

Manuel has jumped from a mid-round pick among mainstream media types to being talked about as the second best quarterback in the draft. He performed well in the pre-draft process and has as much upside as any quarterback in the draft but the notion that he all the sudden jumped to the top of the heap is nonsense.

There’s little doubt that Manuel will be overdrafted and could come off the board on Thursday but in an effort to be honest, we think he’s a 2^nd to 3^rd round value. Manuel’s success at the Senior Bowl, Combine, and pro day are indicative of his an enormous toolbox for the quarterback position. The reality remains that Manuel has as much inconsistent film as any quarterback in the draft.

Undervalued – Zac Dysert, Miami (OH)

I have been singing the praises of Zac Dysert ever since I was sitting in the AA section of Ohio Stadium watching him carve up Ohio State’s defense. While it didn’t show up on the score board, Dysert had his team in the hunt against a 12-0 Ohio State team.

Dysert struggled to distance himself from the middle of the pack in pre-draft workouts. He was unable to participate in Indianapolis due to a slight hamstring tear and lost any steam he had going. Sometimes the media has a tendency to forget those that don’t steal the show or can’t participate – and that’s the case with Dysert. He’s a great value if he makes it into the 4^th round, which we believe is a strong possibility. Read the rest of this entry » «Position by position overvalued/undervalued 2013 NFL Draft prospects: The Offense»

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Tony Pauline is reporting that the Oakland Raiders may have a deal in place to move down a few slots in Luke Joeckel or Eric Fisher are on the board at No. 3.

Word from few people today is Oakland Raiders may have a trade in place to move down a few slots if either Joeckel/Fisher lands in their lap

— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) April 23, 2013

Look, it’s silly season and there are multiple reports that teams want to move up or down or both. The posturing is on the descent as we are a little more than 48 hours away until the 2013 NFL Draft kicks off.

All that said, Oakland is in a prime position to move down and we know they would love to recoup the second round pick lost in the Carson Palmer trade.

Looking at the teams sitting a few spots down the ladder from Oakland that would or could be interested in Joeckel/Fisher. The Lions have been a team many suspect would love to move down the draft but they have a need at left tackle and protecting Matt Stafford is priority one.

Obviously, Arizona is a team that has a need and could really use a solid LT. They have said they will be fine with Levi Brown and Bobby Massie manning the tackle spots but they would have to be intrigued by finally securing a franchise LT.

Buffalo has the need but they really don’t want to leverage picks to move up. They have been dead set on moving down and acquiring picks in this draft. I don’t see them as a viable option.

After Buffalo, the Raiders would be looking at trading into 11 with San Diego or 12 with Miami. That probably doesn’t meet the definition of a few but those two teams may have the biggest need.

Whether this comes to fruition or not, it’s clear that most all of the top six picks would love to move down the board, so expect more of this to come as anticipation builds over the course of the next two days.

One of the most talent rich positions, if not THE most talent rich position in football is the pass rusher. Rather it be an outside linebacker in a 3-4 alignment, a defensive end in a 4-3 or a defensive tackle in any scheme, we have some of the best young talent in the history of football playing right now. I will break down the the guys who I feel will be at the top of the game five years from now. I call it, the “Sack 7″….

 #5: Clay Matthews III

The next guy on my list is a proven product. With a host of young guys bursting on the scene, he seems to be a forgotten man. I can promise you one thing ….QB’s have not forgotten the name of Clay Matthews III.

CM3 was a late bloomer. It wasn’t until his senior year at USC that he garnered the type of recognition he’s proven to have deserved. A senior year in which he had 4 sacks. As a matter of fact, in four years of college, Matthews only totaled 5 sacks. A combination of being on a stacked defense and playing out of position will have that type of affect on one’s productivity.

Though his production did not warrant a first round grade in the draft, his athleticism more than made it a possibility.

The best thing about Clay Matthews is his versatility and the completeness of the game. As it currently stands, I believe Matthews is the most complete player out of all the top pass rushers. His versatility lends itself not only to his approach at pass rushing, but also the way he handles his assignments. He can play the run like a middle linebacker. He can cover like a free safety. And his pass rush is great when he uses finesse moves, as well as power moves. I actually thinks he has no weaknesses as a player. A quick gander at the film will show some of that versatility.

Clay Matthews III playing against the “Pistol” formation.

In this formation Clay has to read his responsibilities as playing the run on his way to the pass, given the down and distance. San Fran is known for doing a myriad of things out of this pistol formation. Watch Matthews read and react. Read the rest of this entry » «The Sack 7: Coming for your QB…Clay Matthews III»

First let’s start this one by saying this is by no means a ranking of prospects. Every year, we enter the Huddle Report mock draft and top 100 players drafted contest. This is strictly our best guess on the top 100 players draft and in no means serves as our rankings.

Now that we have that disclaimer out of the way, here’s our take on the top 100 for the Huddle Report contest.

Quarterbacks (7)

1. Geno Smith, West Virginia
2. Ryan Nassib, Syracuse
3. EJ Manuel, Florida St
4. Matt Barkley, USC
5. Mike Glennon, NC State
6. Tyler Wilson, Arkansas
7. Matt Scott, Arizona Read the rest of this entry » «Huddle Report Top 100 Players Drafted»

Crystal LoGiudice-US PRESSWIRE

There has been some growing sentiment around league sources that Alabama corner Dee Milliner could slide on draft day. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen is the latest to weigh in on the possibility of Milliner sliding.

Mortensen reported that Milliner has undergone four surgeries, the latest of which is on a torn labrum that could keep him starting training camp on time. More concerning is that Milliner’s history under the knife include a rod in his tibia near his foot, a knee scope, and a hernia.

“There is some concern out there about Milliner and his medical history,” Mortensen said. “And it’s not misinformation, not trying to make a guy fall down (the draft) because all teams have this same information.”

Adding fuel to this fire was ESPN’s Todd McShay as he suggested Milliner “might fall a little bit” on NFL 32 on Monday.

Milliner has been linked to several teams drafting near the top of the draft with many speculating he could be the guy the Browns are eyeing at No. 6. It’s long been thought that Milliner may not make it to No. 6 but it appears he could be headed south on Thursday.

It’s my personal belief that Milliner is the guy at No. 6 for the Browns barring they don’t get a trade offer. The floor for me is at No. 9 with the Jets as we have long heard they are high on Milliner and traded away Darrelle Revis yesterday.

One of the most talent rich positions, if not THE most talent rich position in football is the pass rusher. Rather it be an outside linebacker in a 3-4 alignment, a defensive end in a 4-3 or a defensive tackle in any scheme, we have some of the best young talent in the history of football playing right now. I will break down the the guys who I feel will be at the top of the game five years from now. I call it, the “Sack 7″….

#6: Jarvis Jones

It’s time to take a look into the crystal ball as I project a 2013 draftee into the top of the heap of pass rushers. Jarvis Jones out of the University of Georgia has all the makings of a pass rush stud. Starting his career at the University of Southern California under now Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, Jones was originally an outside linebacker in a 4-3 scheme. Expected to cover tight ends and chase down ball carriers, it wasn’t until a neck injury forced him to transfer back home to the University of Georgia, that we got to see the makings of a superstar.

UGA had just hired former Cowboys assistant Todd Grantham to coordinate it’s defense. Grantham was in the midst of installing a 3-4 defense when he had Jarvis Jones drop in his lap. At 6’2, 241 lbs – considered too small to be an inside linebacker in a 3-4 alignment, Grantham put Jones at Outside linebacker/Rush linebacker and let him loose on opposing QB’s. After 13.5 sacks in 2011 and 14.5 in 2012, it’s safe to say that was a wise move on Grantham’s part. Read the rest of this entry » «The Sack 7: Coming for your QB….Jarvis Jones»

Joshua S. Kelly-US PRESSWIRE

The Rams selected Brian Quick at the top of the second round in last year’s draft. Quick was brought in for two workouts late in the pre-draft process. Now it seems the Rams are doing the same with Clemson pass catcher DeAndre Hopkins.

Clemson wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins working out today for Rams’ coaches for second time in four days, per source.

— Aaron Wilson (@RavensInsider) April 22, 2013

Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports reported that the Rams are likely to take West Virginia’s Tavon Austin or Hopkins with the 16th pick in Thursday’s draft. With the growing sentiment that Austin won’t make it to 16th (went 7th in our latest mock draft), Hopkins could be the most viable option at No. 16. Read the rest of this entry » «Rams host DeAndre Hopkins for second private workout in four days»

It’s draft week and we are jumping all over the mock drafts and content this week. This is not our final mock draft as we will be releasing our Huddle Report mock draft on Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. This will be our final multi-round mock as we give you three-rounds of fun to put a cap on this draft season.

Here’s our predicted trades, as we’ll keep this one a little conservative on the trade front.

Miami trades pick No. 42 to the Chiefs for Branden Albert

Oakland trades pick No. 3 to San Diego for No. 11 and No. 45

Green Bay trades pick No. 26 to Philadelphia for No. 35 and No. 101

It’s our final shot at getting to 500 likes and we are dying to give away this gift card. NFL’s Future is giving away a $500 Visa gift card, if we can reach 500 likes of our Facebook page before the draft. Like our Facebook page to enter your name in the hat for the gift card. Click here to like our page.

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

In the next day or two we should know the direction the Chiefs are going with this pick. As of now, it’s down to four or three, depending on which report you believe. But this pick has been about Luke Joeckel since the Chiefs traded for Alex Smith.

Read the rest of this entry » «2013 NFL Mock Draft: Draft Week Mock»

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Buffalo Bills beat writer Joe Buscaglia believes the Bills have narrowed down their selection at No. 8 to USC quarterback Matt Barkley and Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib.

Nassib to the #Bills is the toast of draft rumor talk right now, but don’t forget about Barkley. They like him a lot, too. Two-horse race.

— Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) April 21, 2013

Draft week is a time to shut your ears down a little and take everything being bantered about with a grain of salt. Normally, I’d bypass posting a rumor but Buscaglia is a plugged in beat writer and the Bills have historically not been afraid of tipping their hand. Read the rest of this entry » «Report: Barkley and Nassib in 2-horse race for 8th pick»

One of the most talent rich positions, if not THE most talent rich position in football is the pass rusher. Rather it be an outside linebacker in a 3-4 alignment, a defensive end in a 4-3 or a defensive tackle in any scheme, we have some of the best young talent in the history of football playing right now. I will break down the the guys who I feel will be at the top of the game five years from now. I call it, the “Sack 7″….

#7: Bruce Irvin

The first guy that comes to mind is Bruce Irvin of the Seattle Seahawks. Irvin has a lot of things working in his favor, like playing on possibly the most talented defense in the league for one. Not to mention he’s in a defensive rotation with about 3 double digit sack pass rushers. But it’s hard to ignore the athleticism of this guy. At 6’3, 245 lbs – Irvin is the lightest hand in the dirt pass rusher in the league (He once played Safety at the JUCO level). He’s also the fastest (Having run a 4.4 at the combine). Despite only spending two seasons at West Virginia, Irvin produced 14 sacks his first season on campus, and 8.5 in his last season. At 26 years old, Irvin is raw as all get out, but he’s also blessed with a first step reminiscent of a basketball player. Branded as a pass rush specialist – I expect Irvin to develop his full game as time progresses. As a rusher, Irvin translates his speed into power on numerous occasions. He has a great dip and rip move and can bull rush as an alternative. But for now his game is based on pure speed. Let’s go to the film.

Bruce Irvin can rush the QB with the best of them.

Here Irvin is playing the “Leo” position in coach Pete Carroll’s defense. Meaning he plays to the open side away from the tight end. He’s working in conjunction with the defensive tackle in what’s called a “Stunt” or “Twist”. Read the rest of this entry » «The Sack 7: Coming for your QB…Bruce Irvin»