NFL Draft addicts, better known as draftniks, have rejoiced in recent years as the NFL Draft has become more and more popular. Last years draft actually had better TV ratings than the NBA Playoffs. But the draft for the average fan has always been thought of as a long drawn out, grueling affair, more of a marathon than a race. Most football fans just want to watch the first round to see who their favorite NFL team was picking and even that was an all day event. last April, for example, if you were a Colts fan, (as the Superbowl champs they had the last pick), you had to wait 6 hours and 8 minutes to see who your team was going to select. This set a record for the most elapsed time ever and probably didn't convert many football fans to Draftniks.
Unlike other sports, the NFL is not afraid to adapt it's methods and rules to improve its fan base. For example, a few years ago it made pass interference penalties more stringent, giving an advantage to the offense, which has allowed quarterbacks like Peyton Manning to shatter Dan Marino's single season touchdown record. Manning broke Dan Marino's record in 2004 with 49 touchdowns. Tom Brady now has 27 through seven games. He (Tom Brady) is set this year to break Peyton Manning's record of 49 by the 13th game. That puts him on pace to throw around 61 touchdowns this season. Fans like to see touchdown passes, and hey can you argue with success, the NFL is easily the most popular sport in America, with the annual Superbowl breaking worldwide ratings and it's own "most watched" records seemingly year after year.
The NFL Draft will never be as popular as the Superbowl, but the NFL, never one to rest on it's laurels, has taken some significant steps to improve the appeal of it's annual draft. The primary move was to speed up the entire process by cutting the allotted time between picks in the first round from 15 minutes to 10. It also moved the Draft closer to prime time, from noon EDT to 3 p.m. and limited the first day to two rounds instead of three.
The second round will also change, going from 10 minutes to 7 minutes between picks. NFL teams in the past have often waited their entire allotted time between picks trying to wheel and deal and trade up and down for draft slots. So will these changes reduce the amount of trading and dealing between picks? I don't think it will, NFL teams will just have to be more prepared and be more willing and able to "pull the trigger" quicker.
Day two won't change much except obviously it will now include rounds 3 through 7 instead of 4-7. The time between picks will stay at five minutes and to make up for that extra round the start time will be moved back an hour from 11 a.m. to 10 a.m. Like last year, both days will be broadcast by the NFL Network and ESPN. This years 2008 NFL Draft will be held on April 26-27 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
By Guest Blogger: Daryl Breault
Brian Brohm will soon know exactly how Brady Quinn, Matt Leinart and Aaron Rodgers have all felt come draft night. All three of those elite college quarterbacks watched another young passer emerge during their senior years and snatch high draft selections, not to mention millions of dollars, away from them. At least Leinart still went in the Top-10; Quinn and Rodgers plummeted all the way down the late first round.
Andre Woodson will be the one who steals the glory away from Brohm, the talented Louisville QB who has been the consensus #1 pick for a year and a half now. Brohm may even see Boston College’s Matt Ryan get selected before him now that Louisville’s season has come apart. Woodson is not a finished product, but his ceiling is incredible. If Woodson reaches his full potential in the pros, he will be a franchise QB for many years, of this I’m certain.
Woodson emerged in 2006, his junior campaign, by leading the Wildcats to a 7-5 record and a berth in the Music City Bowl against Clemson. Woodson was phenomenal in leading the Wildcats to 28-20 win as he threw for 299 yards and 3 TD. It was the Wildcats best season since the Tim Couch-lead teams of 1996-’99. The emerging talent finished the campaign with 31/7 TD/INT ratio and 3515 yards. The young Wildcats struggled against some of the nations elite teams, namely a 59-28 loss to Louisville to start the season and a 49-0 slaughter at the hands of LSU. Georgia gave him troubles with their superior front-4, but the Wildcats still won 24-20.
In 2007, Woodson and the Wildcats have emerged as one the best teams in the country. They upset Louisville in a comeback, 40-34 victory that went down to the wire and was the beginning of the end for Louisville. Woodson led the Wildcats to a 5-0 start by throwing for 16 TD over that span and not tossing his first INT of the season until 3:30 into the 3rd quarter of the fifth game against Florida Atlantic. That INT snapped an NCAA-record streak of 325 consecutive passes without an INT, the streak dating back to 1:04 left to go in the 2nd quarter of the Wildcats game against Georgia on November 4th, 2006. That 8 full games and two half games, and the Wildcats had an 8-1 record over that span.
With 21 TD in 8 games this season, Woodson now has 60 passing TD in his career. He is on pass for 36 this season, which would give him 75 total for his career. If he finishes with a passer rating above 110 this year, it will be his 4th straight season with such a number. He currently is at 149.9, the maximum. Woodson will certainly go down as one of the most productive college QB’s of all time.
Woodson has an amazing arm, leaving no doubt about the caliber of his gun, that’s for sure. That is just one of his NFL-caliber strengths. He has elite size at 6-5’ 230lbs. One of the things that stands out when you watch Woodson is his posture in the pocket and his throwing motion. He holds the ball real high when he drops back to pass, nearly touching his chin, making it difficult for blindside rushers to cause the fumble. His delivery is very compact and fast, his arm moves in a blink and he gets his entire body into it. He is so strong that he can get away with just using his upper body, but he does an excellent job of setting his feet getting into his motion. He has great velocity on his passes, throws a tight spiral, and gets a very smooth arc on longer passes. He can throw bullets 40-yards deep through coverage and he has great faith in arm. The Wildcat offensive line has been much improved this season and Woodson is afforded much time to throw out of the shotgun, which helps to pad his stats. Woodson is not scared of the pressure and takes some Byron Leftwich-esque hits in the pocket because he holds the ball too long sometimes in an effort to make a play. He has good pocket awareness in spite of this, and buys time with his feet much like Payton Manning can by sliding and getting rid of the ball quickly on short passes and screens.
Woodson’s character cannot be understated either. He is a team-leader and has the practice habits that all coaches demand. Woodson has great football acumen and works hard in the film room. He has a great rapport with a talented trio of big play receivers in Keenan Burton, Steven Johnson and Dicky Lyons. Woodson spreads the ball around evenly to all three, keeping any ego in check. The intangibles Woodson possesses will make him a great NFL player.
One of the biggest knocks on Woodson will be the system he plays in as he passes out of the shotgun on nearly 90% of his attempts. Woodson may need some time to work on getting accustomed to taking snaps from center. This issue usually gets overblown come draft time, and the success of Ben Roethlisberger and Alex Smith among other QB prospects has dampened much of this concern among most scouts. Woodson is technically sound enough to overcome this with a little work. He will need to work on dropping back in 3 and 5 step drops. Woodson is very good at going through his progressions and checking down to a back or tight end, but will have to work on getting the ball out faster against NFL defenses. He is guilty of holding the ball too long sometimes, trusting that his receivers will get open and leaving his offensive line to have to block for far too long, resulting in sacks. Woodson is also not very mobile, he will never be mistaken for Donovan McNabb, and is strictly a pure pocket passer. With experience, Woodson will learn when to throw the ball away and when to force the issue. Woodson does see his accuracy waver the longer he has to throw, but having a pro QB coach to help tighten up his mechanics will improve that.
Many of Woodson’s flaws are fixable with better coaching at the next level. He is one of the best QB prospects to come around in a long time and is far superior to JaMarcus Russell. Looking back on things, the Raiders would have been better off with Josh McCown and Daunte Culpepper, drafting Calvin Johnson, and waiting until this year to draft a QB. The 2008 draft boasts an incredibly strong group of senior quarterbacks, and Andre Woodson will be the first one selected (in my opinion).
Strengths: Size, Arm, Intelligence, ToughnessWeaknesses- Mobility, Deep Accuracy, System
NFL Comparison: Alex Smith, San Francisco
Most college football teams have played a little over half their games, but for NFL Draft purposes the "Draft" season is only one quarter complete. Let me explain, if you give two points to the season, one point to the bowl games and All-Star Games (i.e. Senior Bowl, Shrine Game) and another point to the NFL Scouting Combine and individual "Pro Day" workouts, then you could surmise that the season is only 1/4 over.
So at the one-quarter spot, how does this draft stack up against last years draft and more importantly past drafts? It's to early to draw a whole lot of conclusion from last years draft, but we can speculate a little. Why not, if you follow the NFL Draft as I do do, then speculation is the name of the game.
A few months ago I wrote a piece highlighting the talented juniors that are draft eligible for the 2008 NFL Draft. Why does it seem that there are so many talented juniors this year? Because so many underclassmen entered the draft last year it has diluted the seniors for this year. I expect even more juniors to declare early this year even further diluting the seniors for the 2009 NFL Draft. That is why it has become even more important to identify the top sophomores as early as possible in the evaluating process.
OK, so what are the strengths of this 2008 NFL Draft? I think it's at the running back and offensive tackle positions. When you throw in the top juniors that are likely to declare, then these two positions are incredible indeed. Here is a list (including the juniors) of the running backs that could be drafted in the first three rounds (day one), and all of these prospects could fight for considerable playing time on NFL rosters as rookies: Darren McFadden, Jonathan Stewart, Ray Rice, James Davis, Steve Slaton, Mike Hart, Felix Jones, Tashard Choice, Ryan Torain, Allen Patrick, Kevin Smith, BenJarvus Green-Ellis. As a comparison, last year, (2007 NFL Draft) there were nine running backs drafted in the first three rounds. Yes the quantity is just slightly better, but the quality is a significant upgrade over last year, with a lot of possible franchise type backs on that list.
This group of offensive tackles is also impressive, including the top juniors, we could even see as many as seven tackles selected in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft! Here are some possible first rounders: Jake Long, Sam Baker, Gosder Cherilus, Ryan Clady, Barry Richardson, Michael Oher and Chris Williams. I can't see all seven going in round one, but I would grade all seven as first round talent. Don't know Chris Williams? He is a very athletic lineman from Vanderbilt with excellent size (6' 6" 319 lbs).
The quarterback position needs to be mentioned as well. Quantity and quality, it will be a very strong position in this draft, especially at the very top with Brian Brohm, Matt Ryan and Andre' Woodson all having the potential to be top ten picks. Last year, JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn were the only two quarterbacks selected in the first round and neither has played in the regular season yet. Not everyone is sold on Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, because he throws so may interceptions and plays against such inferior competition, but I love his potential. If I were an NFL team needing a quarterback and the top three guys were already gone, I would definitely take a chance on Brennan, yes he might burn out and fade away, but the chance that Brennan will be a super star is just to good to pass up. I really like Erik Ainge from Tennessee as a second or third round selection and even though I am not high on either Chad Henne or John David Booty, they will likely be drafted during the same time frame. As a comparison, there were six quarterbacks selected on the first day of the 2007 NFL Draft. It's way to early to draw any final conclusions, but the best quarterback from the 2007 NFL Draft looks like Trent Edwards, and he was the last quarterback selected on day one last year (92nd over-all), and so far, is the first rookie quarterback to secure a starting job, beating out Buffalo's J. P. Losman.
By guest Blogger: John April
College Football
OK, so we are roughly half way through the 2007 Season. We saw some big upsets this week, Stanford over # 2 USC 24-23, Illinois over # 5 Wisconsin 31-26, and S. Carolina beating # 8 Kentucky 38-23 all in the top 10. (AP Poll ranking)
We have also seen some up and coming teams thus far this year. And the one that strikes me boldly is # 5 South Florida (5-0). For once, I agree with the AP Poll on this one. Matt Grothe # 8, only a Sophomore, threw 17/27 for 122 yards, only to rush for an additional 120 yards. Yes, its early, but watch for this young man in the NFL Draft in a few years, I promise, he WILL be at the top.
Another team that has earned some respect is # 7 South Carolina. Spurrier’s win over a # 8 ranked Kentucky, puts the Gamecocks at (5-1), 3-1 in the SEC. That makes it, 15 consecutive wins over Kentucky. South Carolina just outplayed the Wildcats, although the stats say otherwise. South Carolina will be losing 23 seniors this year, but their present QB, # 7 Chris Smelley, is only a Freshman. I feel confident that within the next 3 years, Smelley will hone his skills and that should keep S. Carolina in the top ten for a few years to come.
Personally, I don’t believe that Notre Dame’s troubles are over. They meet # 4 Boston College, then # 10 (AP)USC, and Stanford. But, if you look at it rankings and schedule wise. Notre Dame beat UCLA, who in turn has beaten Stanford, who has beaten USC, who has beaten Nebraska. You get my drift. In other words, if anything has been proven to us this year, this year especially, is that ANY team, Appalachian State, South Florida, Colorado, etc. can beat any team. So, watch this week and see if # 81 Arizona can beat # 10 USC, or another great match-up this week is # 75 Notre Dame vs. # 4 Boston College.
Some games to watch this week are: # 6 Oklahoma at # 11 Missouri and # 1 LSU at # 17 Kentucky. Of these games, I feel that Missouri has a better passing game, Chase Daniel Missouri QB last week threw for 401 yards against a tough Nebraska, where Oklahoma’s total yards last week were only 414.
# 1 LSU, playing a determined # 17 Kentucky will be another great game to view. Don’t shut Kentucky out of this one. The Wildcats can definitely move the ball, obvious from last weeks loss to # 7 S. Carolina, where Kentucky had more first downs, more totally yards, more rushing yards and more yards on punt returns. But LSU does claim to have the No. 1 defense in the nation, I question that after Tulane move the ball a total of 227 yards, and Florida had a total of 314 yards.
All in all, this should be an interesting week. And at the end of week 7, will there be another “Biggest Upset in College Football”.
It's always good to have a different set of opinions. Here is Guest Blogger, John April's version of the NCAA Football Top 20 Rankings.
Have a comment or question? Join the Discussion in our Forums
1. LSU (6-0)
Well, after the slight win 28-24, over a tough Florida team, as well as USC’s 24-23 loss to a non-ranked Stanford (1-3), I HAVE to give, and I do mean give, LSU the top spot this week. It was ONLY in the last 2 minutes of the game that they actually squeaked by.
2. California (5-0)
Ok, you can disagree with me on this one, yes they had a bye this week, but don’t hold it against them. With the USC loss, lets give them the benefit of the doubt and kick um up a notch.
3. Ohio State (6-0)
Ohio State again, with a dominant (23-7) win over a confidant (5-0) # 23 ranked Purdue, continues to climb that ladder to the top. Although Purdue out-threw Ohio State 268-200 yards, Ohio States running game more than made up for that rushing for 181 yards vs. Purdue’s four.
4. USC (4-1)
I am at a loss for words here. USC has disappointed its fans and alumni with its last 2 games, the close win over the Washington Huskies, and this weeks loss to Stanford. Special teams, the missed PAT by Buehler, as well as the 4 interceptions by Booty, is what cost USC the win this week. Still, I believe that USC can make it to the Rose Bowl.
5. South Florida ( 5-0)
No hate mail on this, please. S. Fla., not as well known as LSU, USC, Ohio State, etc., has become the ONLY undefeated team in Florida. Williams, rushing for 186 yards, was followed close behind by fellow teammate Grothe, who ran for 120 yards and passed for another 122 yards, making this 35-23 win over Fla. Atlantic, fantastic.
6. Boston College (6-0)
Boston College, a mainstay in the top 20 for the last 3 years, dominated Bowling Green (3-1) this week in a stunning 55-24 victory. 6 thrown Bowling Green interceptions, 5 by QB Sheehan, and 1 by Glaud, aided in this loss. Boston College QB Ryan had a noteworthy week, passing for 24/32, 312 yds., and 4 TD’s.
7. Wisconsin (5-1)
Wisconsin’s 14-game winning streak was stopped by a 5-1 Illinois team. Beating Wisconsin in a 31-26 battle, and yes this one was a battle. Wisconsin TE Beckum, had 160 receiving yards on 11 carries. QB Donovan threw for 392 yards, and Wisconsin had 28 first downs compared to Illinois 18. None the less, Wisconsin did suffer defeat against this better than expected Illinois team.
8. Oklahoma ( 5-1)
One of the more enjoyable games available this week. Nothing really outstanding about either team for this game. It could have gone either way, but it seems that Oklahoma just wanted it more.
9. South Carolina ( 5-1)
Turnovers, turnovers. Kentucky surpassed S.C. in just about every category. first downs, total yards, time of possession and rushing. They also were ahead on turnovers 4-1, and that cost them the game.
10. Florida (4-2)
Yes, I believe that Florida should be in the top 10. After witnessing a game that I felt should have gone to Florida, with the poor officiating, there is no way that I feel comfortable putting them at less than 10th in the rankings. Florida played in what I consider the toughest stadium in the country, and actually won the game until the last 1:02 minutes.
11. Kentucky (5-1)
Now this is funny, AP has Kentucky ranked 17th in the nation. What are they thinking about. 4 turnovers are all that cost Kentucky the loss against S. Carolina. 384 total yards, 227 in the air and 157 rushing. But drop down to 17, I don’t buy it. Watch for Kentucky in the future.
12. West Virginia (5-1)
W.V. had 486 total yards this week against Syracuse. Some tough games ahead for the Mountaineers. Rutgers, Louisiville and Cincinnati, will all give W.V. a great game.
13. Oregon ( 4-1)
Oregon had a bye this week, and I hope that did some serious practicing. Arizona State 6-0, USC 4-1 and UCLA 4-2 are some tough competitors for this Oregon defense.
14. Virginia Tech (5-1)
I originally wanted to put V. Tech higher in the rankings this week, but considering the win over Clemson 41-23, did not properly disclose the true game itself, I am not truly sure V. Tech at this time, is a team to be reckoned with. Clemson totally outplayed V. Tech, in total yards, first downs and time of possession.
15. Hawaii (6-0)
At 6-0, Hawaii may look impressive, but take a look what class of teams they are beating. Utah St. 0-6, Northern Colorado 0-6, La. Tech 1-4 and Idaho 1-5. Come on give me a break. I only put them here because I do have respect for any team that goes 6-0, but I believe that Boise St. and Washington will give them a game.
16. Missouri (5-0)
Yes, they beat Illinois 5-1, and they also beat Nebraska 4-2, BUT they still have to get by Oklahoma, Colorado, Texas Tech, Texas A & M and Kansas, all tough teams. But 606 total yards against Nebraska 4-2 is very impressive. Junior QB Chase Daniel, threw for 401 yards and ran for 72. Missouri WR’s and TE’s all were instrumental in this weeks win.
17. Illinois (5-1)
# 5 RB Rashad Mendenhall, a Junior, rushed for 160 yards in this weeks exciting upset over Wisconsin 5-1. Watch for this player in the NFL Draft a couple of years from now. Despite the 519 total yards orchestrated by Wisconsin QB Donovan, Illinois was able to break Wisconsin’s winning streak of 14 games.
18. Kansas (5-0)
Lets keep our eyes on this team. I am not sure that they can hold onto a position in the top 20. The have some tough teams ahead on their schedule, a 5-1 Texas A & M and a 5-0 Missouri.
19. Arizona State ( 6-0)
Atop the PAC-10 standings sits Arizona State (3-0) along with UCLA, also 3-0.
20. Cincinnati (6-0)
The 20th spot in the ranking is very difficult to pick. There were a number of other teams I could have put here, but at 6-0 I believe they have earned it.
Image: Brandon Marshall
The NFL Football season is one quarter over and it's time to start adjusting your fantasy football rosters. By now we can start identifying trends in performance and injuries and we need to do some tweaking to our rosters to stay competitive.
I have done some research and have identified a few players that would be worth picking up if they are still available in your league. We will start with the quarterbacks, there a ton of back-ups starting now, some are pretenders and some contenders. The quarterback that looks the most appealing is the Raiders' Daunte Culpepper, he scored 2 TDs last week against Miami and is poised for a break out season, his knee finally looks 100%. Should you pick up Trent Dilfer now that Alex Smith is out for the year? I wouldn't unless you didn't have any other viable starters, Dilfer is ancient, immobile and the 49ers offensive line is struggling.
I like the Cleveland Browns Derek Anderson, he looks like he has the starting quarterback spot nailed down and has got some legitimate weapons around him with WR Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow JR. The 6' 6" 225 pound Anderson has recorded 9 touchdowns this year.
There a few interesting running backs starting to emerge. Cadillac Williams is injured and out for year for the Bucs, so the opportunity is there for someone else to emerge to fill that void, that someone is running back Earnest Graham (5' 9" 225 lbs), he is short and squat and has excellent balance and power, the Bucs like to use him near the goal line as his 3 TDs would indicate. He will share time with Michael Pittman, who is also used as a receiver. Either one of those guys could be a viable backup on your fantasy football rosters.
Denver running back Travis Henry is facing a year long suspension, so it might be a good time to reach a little and pick up Selvin Young. The rookie, Young, was an un-drafted free agent out of Texas, but he led the team in rushing in the pre-season and coach Shanahan has proven year in and year out he will put almost anyone in his backfield. Young has already played well in the regular season and has a 9.2 yards per carry average. Look for Young to get more carries as the season unfolds.
If you drafted the Dolphins' running back Ronnie Brown, grew impatient with his slow start, and were thinking about trading him, well don't. Brown is just to big, strong and fast to let go. He will get on track and have some big games for you before the season is over, he is also an excellent receiver out of the backfield. He looked good last week against Oakland, rushing for 134 yards and 1 TD. Speaking of receiving, for the season Brown has 20 catches for 248 yards and 1 TD. So Brown's versatility can get you a lot of fantasy points.
Another running back that looks like he is finally coming into his own is the Raiders' Justin Fargas. What makes Vargas an intriguing fantasy prospect is his home run speed. He has the speed to score a touchdown from anywhere on the field. Fargas had a breakout game last week against the Dolphins, he rushed 22 times for 179 yards.
The Cowboys running back Marion Barber is probably not available, but if he is you should try to get him, Dallas is primarily a passing team this season, but Barber is used around the goal line and he has emerged as the top dog over Julius Jones. Expect Barber to get more and more caries as the season goes along, especially in the second half. Barber already has scored 4 TDs.
There are a few talented receivers emerging as stars. My favorite is the Broncos' Brandon Marshall. I was infatuated with this kid coming out of college. He was selected by the Broncos in the fourth round (119th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft, from tiny Central Florida. Through four games he has 20 catches for a team-leading 290 yards (14.5 avg.) and two touchdowns. Marshal is very similar to Terrell Owens in size (6' 4" 230 lbs), speed and ability.
See if you can get Steeler wide receiver Santonio Holmes on your roster. He was the Steelers 2006 1st round (25th over-all) draft pick for a reason, he is very athletic and fast and has emerged as Ben Roethlisberger's favorite target. Last week against Arizona he caught 6 balls for 128 yards and 2 TDs. He is young, so he will get better and better and could be a pro bowler by the end of the season.
If your Fantasy Football league gives you points for individual defensive players, you need to try to get your hands on 49er rookie inside linebacker Patrick Willis, already, as a rookie he has emerged as one of the best linebackers in the NFL. He is a tackling machine, after four games he is tied for 3rd in the NFL in tackles with 38.
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