NFL's Future

The 2012 NFL Draft is creeping up on us with the countdown officially set at 18 days.  With that in mind, we wanted to collaborate with our avid, informed reader’s on NFL’s Future to put together a mock draft.

The mock draft will be a pick a day with the final tally culminating at 6:00 a.m. EST the following day.  After the pick is in, that player will be off the board and the next selection will be up at 9:00 a.m. EST.  At the end we will put the mock together in anticipation of April 26th.

Thus far Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Matt Kalil, Trent Richardson, Morris Claiborne, Justin Blackmon, Melvin Ingram, Ryan Tannehill, Fletcher Cox, Michael Floyd, David DeCastro, Luke Kuechly, and Riley Reiff are off the board and the Dallas Cowboys are up.  So get voting:

The oft-troubled North Alabama cornerback can’t seem to stay out of the negative news category.

Jenkins is arguably one of the most talented corners in the draft but his off-the-field indiscretions may leave him on the outside looking in on April 26th.  Jenkins indiscretions include multiple off-the-field run-ins with the law, his dismissal from Florida, and enough baby mama drama to make Antonio Cromartie cringe.  And now his latest red-flag.

Ben Dogra confirmed @CAA_Football no longer reps CB Janoris Jenkins. “We wish him well, but this is in the best interest of all parties.”

— Liz Mullen (@SBJLizMullen) April 2, 2012

Earlier this week it was reported that Jenkins was axing his agent CAA’s Ben Dogra.  The news came on the heels of former high school teammate Dwight Bentley leaving his representation for Malik Shareef.  Jenkins would follow suit and sign with Shareef.  Players frequently change agents, usually not wise this close to the draft but harmless on the surface.

It didn’t end there with Jenkins and the agent drama.  Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel opined that Jenkins was fired by his agent.

Hearing estranged #Gators CB Janoris Jenkins was fired by his agent. You’ve got to bepretty shady for agent to fire player

— Mike Bianchi (@BianchiWrites) April 6, 2012

Bianchi’s report hasn’t been confirmed by the player or either agent involved but could serve as another major point of contention with NFL teams looking to take the talented but troubled corner.

The 2012 NFL Draft is creeping up on us with the countdown officially set at 19 days.  With that in mind, we wanted to collaborate with our avid, informed reader’s on NFL’s Future to put together a mock draft.

The mock draft will be a pick a day with the final tally culminating at 6:00 a.m. EST the following day.  After the pick is in, that player will be off the board and the next selection will be up at 9:00 a.m. EST.  At the end we will put the mock together in anticipation of April 26th.

Thus far Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Matt Kalil, Trent Richardson, Morris Claiborne, Justin Blackmon, Melvin Ingram, Ryan Tannehill, Fletcher Cox, Michael Floyd, David DeCastro, and Luke Kuechly are off the board and the Arizona Cardinals are up.  So get voting:

Dwight “Bill” Bentley

Louisiana-Lafayette

Ht. 5-11 1/2 Wt. 182

Man Coverage: Dwight Bentley is feisty and aggressive in press man coverage. He really attacks the receiver with gusto, though bigger receivers have shown they can overpower him and shake free. Bentley likes to jam and run with inside technique, trying to use his body to force the receiver further outside. His hips tend to get a little too open when he turns, but he takes very quick steps to compensate. Stays on his toes nicely and does a great job adjusting speeds to stay in a receiver’s pocket. Has consistently shown he can run deep routes with any receiver and has excellent longer speed. Savvy receivers with enough speed can take advantage of his aggressiveness and toast him on occasion.

Zone Coverage. The Rajun Cajuns played a lot of off zone in college, with Bentley primarily playing the wide side corner in a 3-deep zone. He did a good job of keeping plays in front of him, showing good route recognition and spatial awareness. Has a quick enough burst and reactions to play tighter zones but is not the playmaker that most teams using that schematic prefer to deploy at the next level. Played better when lined up closer to the line, where he was able to react quicker and transition into sticking on his man. Bentley tends to get drifty and impatient when giving a bigger cushion, and he often proved he didn’t need it due to his quickness. Looks like a more natural inside/slot corner at the next level. Read the rest of this entry » «Dwight Bentley Scouting Report»

The 2012 NFL Draft is creeping up on us with the countdown officially set at 20 days.  With that in mind, we wanted to collaborate with our avid, informed reader’s on NFL’s Future to put together a mock draft.

The mock draft will be a pick a day with the final tally culminating at 6:00 a.m. EST the following day.  After the pick is in, that player will be off the board and the next selection will be up at 9:00 a.m. EST.  At the end we will put the mock together in anticipation of April 26th.

Thus far Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Matt Kalil, Trent Richardson, Morris Claiborne, Justin Blackmon, Melvin Ingram, Ryan Tannehill, Fletcher Cox, Michael Floyd, and David DeCastro are off the board and the Seattle Seahawks are up.  So get voting:

Stephon Gilmore

South Carolina

Ht. 6 0 1/2 Wt. 190

Man Coverage: Gilmore played some off man coverage, primarily with an 8-yard cushion. He has excellent length and he knows how to use it to his benefit in man coverage, shading his man and using subtle hands and forearm tricks to push the receiver off the desired path. Enthusiastic in press man coverage, though he isn’t as good at jamming as you would expect for a corner with his size and length. Tends to rise up and place his hands too high in his jam. Gilmore will get grabby coming out of his break on faster receivers. Reads routes quickly and knows how to counter the attack. Gilmore lacks great long speed to stay with the fastest receivers down the field. He does have fluid movement and shoulder/hip coordination.

Zone Coverage. The Gamecocks spent most of Gilmore’s tenure in a zone shell. He reads the receiver and keys very quickly and accurately, anticipating breaks and route adjustments. Gilmore has decent quickness though he will often take an extra step to break, particularly to the inside of the field. He can capably transition receivers from zone to zone and readjust quickly, a critical skill for teams in Cover 2. Lacks great suddenness in his burst and change of direction and he will overcompensate at times by taking a false step, which can be exploited by quicker receivers. He often benefitted from a very good pass rush that didn’t force him to stay in coverage long and allowed him to get away with gambling at jumping routes. He generally sees the field well and closes in on the play with controlled quickness. His length increases his range and can take away throwing angles. Will get caught napping on occasion and can get caught jumping on the slant and getting beat over the top to the outside (see East Carolina and Auburn games). Overconfidence appears to plague Gilmore at times. Read the rest of this entry » «Stephon Gilmore Scouting Report»

The 2012 NFL Draft is creeping up on us with the countdown officially set at 21 days.  With that in mind, we wanted to collaborate with our avid, informed reader’s on NFL’s Future to put together a mock draft.

The mock draft will be a pick a day with the final tally culminating at 6:00 a.m. EST the following day.  After the pick is in, that player will be off the board and the next selection will be up at 9:00 a.m. EST.  At the end we will put the mock together in anticipation of April 26th.

Thus far Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Matt Kalil, Trent Richardson, Morris Claiborne, Justin Blackmon, Melvin Ingram, Ryan Tannehill, Fletcher Cox, and Michael Floyd are off the board and the Kansas City Chiefs are up.  So get voting:

The draft is three weeks away, and teams are in the process of finalizing their player ratings and draft boards. Part of this process involves slotting players into draft ranges, trying to ascertain in what spots other teams will select individual players.

This is when teams identify what players they really want and figure out how much they have to move from their current draft position in order to get them. Some of this is done by referencing a draft value chart, which assigns point values to each pick. In theory, teams want to get equal point value in return for the spot they are trading. But if a team really covets a player, as Atlanta did a year ago with Julio Jones, the chart takes on less importance. In fact, over the past few drafts many more teams have been more willing to sacrifice draft chart value to trade up and land a coveted target. And of course the teams with the desired picks have no problem taking more than the charted value, even if it means missing out on a player another team feels that strongly about. Read the rest of this entry » «Open for Business»

NFL’s Future has partnered with First Round Exchange to offer our readers a go at fantasy football for avid draft fans.

FRX has developed an interactive fan experience related to the NFL Draft. The game delivers a competitive fantasy sports experience through a draft stock “rising” or “falling” platform.  As we all know, most mock drafts are ruined by pick 10 and become completely pointless after the first Christian Ponder comes off the board at 12.  Instead of wasting time compiling a seven-round mock draft, we are offering you a truly interactive experience to PLAY THE DRAFT.

FRX has been kind enough to allow several of my readers to PLAY THE DRAFT at no charge.  They have set up an NFL’s Future league at the link below, allowing the first 14 players to sign up for no charge.  Just click the below link to get started in taking part in the new NFL Draft fantasy football.  It’s addicting, trust me.

PLAY THE DRAFT for free here

In case I didn’t convince you at this point, here’s Lance Zierlein of The Sideline View and Houston Chronicle on how the game works.

The 2012 NFL Draft is creeping up on us with the countdown officially set at 22 days.  With that in mind, we wanted to collaborate with our avid, informed reader’s on NFL’s Future to put together a mock draft.

The mock draft will be a pick a day with the final tally culminating at 6:00 a.m. EST the following day.  After the pick is in, that player will be off the board and the next selection will be up at 9:00 a.m. EST.  At the end we will put the mock together in anticipation of April 26th.

Thus far Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Matt Kalil, Trent Richardson, Morris Claiborne, Justin Blackmon, Melvin Ingram, Ryan Tannehill, and Fletcher Cox are off the board and the Buffalo Bills are up.  So get voting: