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Dre Kirkpatrick

Alabama

Ht. 6-2 Wt. 193

Man Coverage:  The tale of two tapes for Dre Kirkpatrick.  He’s a physical corner that excels in press man coverage.  He uses his long arms and strong frame to dominate receivers physically at the line of scrimmage.  His problems come in off man and missing on the jam at the line.  He’s not the most fluid athlete with tighter hips.  He struggles to flip his hips and run with faster receivers as evidenced by Andre Debose running up the field vertically on him all game.  He struggles to find the football with his back to the play because of a lack of recovery speed.

Zone Coverage:  Kirkpatrick is a much better fit with a zone-heavy team.  He has terrific instincts with superior route recognition skills.  He was at his best this season sitting in zone and baiting the QB to throw underneath.  He’s a really good playmaker with the play in front of him. Read the rest of this entry » «Dre Kirkpatrick Scouting Report»

Robert Griffin III will take on the NFC East

Late Friday, while some were sleeping, a trade that may shape the future of two teams was constructed.  The Washington Redskins have agreed to send picks 6, 39, a 2013 1st, and a 2014 1st to the St. Louis Rams for the second overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.  The trade doesn’t become official until the new league year begins on Tuesday.

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports broke the story last night with Adam Schefter of ESPN adding details.

Major scoopage: Redskins have agreed to a trade w Rams for #2 pick of draft. Rams and Skins swap (cont) tl.gd/gbhvr8

— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) March 10, 2012

It’s safe to say that the first two picks (most likely three) picks in April’s draft are already made.  Robert Griffin is the apple of Washington’s eye as they hand over a king’s ransom to secure his services.  The Redskins were comfortable giving up the bounty with Rex Grossman and John Beck manning the QB position in D.C.

Adam Schefter opined that the Cleveland Browns were in on this deal offering up No. 4, 22, and a future first round pick.  The Rams opted for the Redskins deal for unbeknownst reasons.

For the Redskins they have mortgaged future drafts for the Heisman-winning QB, but this is a team without a headline QB since Joe Theismann donned a Redskins No. 7  jersey.  Griffin will join a loaded NFC East arms race with Eli Manning, Michael Vick, and Tony Romo in the fold.  The timing of the deal works out perfectly for the ‘Skins as they should be able to lure free agents to town with the addition of RGIII. Read the rest of this entry » «It appears Robert Griffin III will be a Redskin»

Blackmon runs well at pro day

Many have questioned Justin Blackmon’s long speed as the reason he can’t be a top 10 selection in April’s draft.  After opting out of running the 40 at the Combine speculation grew that Blackmon would underwhelm in the 40 yard dash.

Blackmon answered some of those questions with an unofficial 4.45 on Oklahoma State’s notably fast track.  Blackmon ran a less than impressive 7.15 in the 3-cone drill.  He added a vertical jump of 35″ and 10-foot-4 inch broad jump.  While some will jump to the conclusion that this time will lock Blackmon into a top 10 pick we reserve caution.  The reality is Blackmon doesn’t play like a low to mid 4.4 guy but rather a 4.5-4.55 guy that wins with elite body control and his physical brand of play.  Teams that rated him as a top 10 pick before today will be unlikely to change their evaluation.  Teams that didn’t view him as a top 10 pick will be unlikely to change their evaluation because of a 40 time in the mid 4.4′s on OSU’s track.

Blackmon has held steady for us between 10 and 14 on our big board rankings.  Today’s performance will do little to change that opinion and the same will be said for NFL talent evaluators.

Orson Charles arrested at 4:31 am Friday morning

Georgia tight end Orson Charles has topped off a tough week with a DUI early this morning.

Georgia held its pro day on Monday which didn’t bode well for a player that most consider among the top tight ends in the 2012 NFL Draft.  Gusting winds didn’t help Charles in his bid to secure the top tight end spot in April’s draft.  He was clocked anywhere from 4.75 to 4.90.  Charles is locked in a three-man race with Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener for the top spot.

The All SEC tight end compounded his poor performance on Monday with an early Friday morning DUI arrest in Georgia.  In such a tight race, Charles latest indiscretion could drop him out of the top spot and out of April’s first round.

It is all but given that the St. Louis Rams are going to trade the #2 overall pick, allowing some other team (likely Washington) to move up and select Robert Griffin III. The expected ransom is a swap of top 10 picks, 3^rd and 5^th round picks this year and a 1^st and 3^rd next year. That is an awful lot to give up, and the spotlight will shine brightly on whether RG3 proves worth it.

But there is another side to that light, and that is what the Rams do with the booty. There will be quite a bit of pressure on the Rams to parlay all those picks into great success. A look at some blockbuster ransoms of draft years past reveals a mixed bag.

Ricky Williams to the Saints: the most famous draft trade, as Mike Ditka traded his entire 1999 draft, and then some, to Washington to move up and select Ricky Williams. Washington picked up picks #12, 71, 107, 144, 179, and 218 in that draft plus #2 and 64 the following year.

Here’s what Washington ended up with for Williams:

#12, #71 and #144 were packaged together and traded to Chicago in order to move up and select Champ Bailey. For their part, the Bears got Cade McNown, Dewayne Bates and Khari Samuel. Sorry, Chicago fans…

#107 was Nate Stimson

#179 and #218 were packaged and traded to Denver for pick #165. That pick was Derek Smith; Denver chose Desmond Clark and Billy Miller.

#2 in 2000 was Lavar Arrington, #64 was Lloyd Harrison.

So the net gain for Williams was a perennial Pro Bowl corner in Bailey (later traded for Clinton Portis) and an overrated supernova LB in Arrington, who had three good seasons before injuries ruined him. The other 3 players that never started an NFL game. The picks they subsequently traded produced a Pro Bowl tight end in Clark, an erstwhile contributor in Miller, and a crippling blow to Chicago, where the name McNown ranks above only Bartman in terms of Windy City sports ignominy. Washington won a playoff game in 1999 but did not make a return trip for the next 6 seasons.

Ryan Leaf to the Chargers: Hold your snickers please. The Chargers traded #3 and #33 overall in 1998, and the #8 pick in the 1999 draft to move up and take Ryan Leaf.

Those picks became Andre Wadsworth, Corey Chavous, and David Boston, respectively.

Wadsworth often gets overlooked, but he was nearly as big of a bust as Leaf; after a decent rookie year (5 sacks) he had just 3 sacks and 30 tackles in two more seasons before washing out of the league. Chavous flopped in Arizona as a corner (22 starts in four seasons) before finding his stride as an above-average safety in Minnesota. Boston had two very good years (out of 4) as a #1 wideout before steroids and injuries ended his career early. The Cards amazingly won a playoff game in 1998 but quickly fell back to being punching bags. San Diego never won more than 8 games in a season until 2004 when the trade below here came about. This deal is the worst case scenario for both sides of the trade. Read the rest of this entry » «The History of Trading Down»

Philly in on RGIII?

Barring a turn of events so shocking that it would probably register on the Richter Scale, Andrew Luck becoming a Colt is just a matter of pen meeting paper. So, as we all know, the real intrigue of the 2012 NFL Draft begins at pick #2, which is currently owned by the St. Louis Rams, but, in actuality, is for sale to the highest bidder.

Robert Griffin III, who would probably be the #1 overall pick in almost any other year, is undoubtedly the second-best value available this April. By now, we’re all familiar with the laundry list of QB-starved teams who will be in line for the Heisman winner’s services (Washington, Cleveland, Miami…Seattle and Kansas City to a lesser extent), but there are whispers of a less obvious, “mystery team” that could emerge as a surprise player. These rumors have opened up a Pandora’s Box of the stuff that we draftnics live for…wild speculation.

Could this mystery team be the Bills? With his intelligence, accuracy and mobility, Griffin is custom-built for Chan Gailey’s spread attack, and Buffalo could squirm out from underneath Ryan Fitzpatrick’s regrettable, $59 million contract simply by refusing to pay him a scheduled $5 million bonus by March 19. GM Buddy Nix has emphatically denied any interest in trading up to #2, but if the Bills really are interested, what would you expect him to say?

How about the Cowboys? Jerry Jones recently intimated that he would rather have Tony Romo than Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin. That statement is either obvious confirmation of what many J.J. critics have insisted all along (that he is completely unqualified to have any say in personnel decisions), or, like 99.9% of what is said by NFL decision-makers at this time of the year, nothing but hot air. For an organization like Dallas, where Staubach and Aikman have set a lofty standard at quarterback, and anything less than a Super Bowl appearance is considered a disappointment, I can’t help but think that the Romo Era is very close to running it’s course…even if a fickle owner who promised to let Wade Phillips coach out the 2010 season (only to fire him weeks later) suggests otherwise. Read the rest of this entry » «Who Is The RGIII “Mystery Team”?»

Matt Forte still looking to cash in long-term

Monday’s deadline came and went with 21 players receiving the franchise tag.  Of the 21 players franchised six of them were either kickers or punters.  Here’s a look at the players receiving the tag:

Cleveland Browns:  Kicker Phil Dawson

Cincinnati Bengals:  Kicker Mike Nugent

Denver Broncos: Kicker Matt Prater

Jacksonville Jaguars:  Kicker Josh Scobee

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  Kicker Connor Barth

New York Giants:  Punter Steve Weatherford

New Orleans Saints:  Quarterback Drew Brees

Baltimore Ravens:  Running Back Ray Rice

Chicago Bears:  Running Back Matt Forte

Kansas City Chiefs:  Wide Receiver Dwayne Bowe

New England Patriots:  Wide Receiver Wes Welker

Philadelphia Eagles:  Wide Receiver DeSean Jackson

Washington Redskins:  Tight End Fred Davis

Arizona Cardinals:  Defensive End Calais Campbell

Detroit Lions:  Defensive End Cliff Avril

Indianapolis Colts:  Defensive End Robert Mathis (signed 4 yr, $36 million deal)

Dallas Cowboys:  Linebacker Anthony Spencer

Atlanta Falcons:  Cornerback Brent Grimes

Oakland Raiders:  Safety Tyvon Branch

San Francisco 49ers:  Safety Dashon Goldson

Tennessee Titans:  Michael Griffin

With the franchise tags out of the way, we look at the top remaining free agents. Read the rest of this entry » «21 Franchise Tags Handed Out, Who’s Left?»