5/9/14 – by James Fedewa

Winners:

1. Cleveland Browns: (…and it felt just like the movie Draft Day, but Cleveland did better than the movie). The Cleveland Browns made a couple moves and trades in the first round of the draft, still drafted the #1 rated cornerback (Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State) and the #1 rated quarterback (Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M). PLUS, Cleveland acquired the Buffalo Bill’s 2015 first and fifth round picks and lost a 3^rd and a 5^th round pick this year.
2. Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings drafted five 1^st round players in the last two drafts (how does that happen?). Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA can be a defensive end or strong side OLB. Barr is the type of player that will have double digit sacks, plus a high total of tackles. Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville might be able to start week one. Bridgewater looks a lot like a young Aaron Rogers.
3. Cincinnati Bengals: Landing a top tier cornerback with the 24^th pick is a steal. Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan St, is a great pick this late in the first round.

Questionable Picks:

1. Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles needed a 3-4 OLB pass rusher and they drafted Marcus Smith, DE, Louisville with their first round selection. Smith has good talent and good sack totals in college, but he could have been drafted later. The Eagles did trade down in this round, and the also acquired a 3^rd round pick. Oddly enough, I had Smith mocked to the Eagles, but at #89 overall. So this trade-down is essentially worth two 3^rd round draft picks.
2. Detroit Lions: Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina is the top rated tight end in this draft class, but they should have drafted defense first. Adding Ebron to a loaded offense could open things up for Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate and Reggie Bush, but it can also mean subtracting catches from those stars. Top 10 pick for a tight end is a little of a reach
3. Kansas City Chiefs: Dee Ford, DE, Auburn has a lot of talent, but also has back problems (and he is a little outspoken). Plus, KC already has two Pro Bowl players at the position Ford will play (Hali and Houston). Could Tamba Hali be traded or cut before the season begins?

Losers:

NONE. Every section in this first round was very good and impressive. This draft, from top to bottom, is loaded with talent and every prospect chosen will help their team. This is probably the best looking first round in a long time. The only prospect drafted that will get the short end of the media stick is Justin Gilbert of the Cleveland Browns, as Johnny Manziel will attract all the immediate media attention. Yet Gilbert is the #2 cornerback on the Browns and he will be learning from pro bowl CB Joe Haden, which is a major bonus.

5/2/14 – by James Fedewa (@jamfed)

The NFL Draft looms closer as we are less than a week away and  fans are getting anxious for their teams new additions.  Assuming there will be mad trades and crazy exchanges, the NFL Draft can generate so much rumor and gossip, no one knows what to believe as true. But one thing we know is that the excitement is starting to build and tons of trade buzz is brewing.

The 2014 draft is noted as one of the deepest drafts in recent memory, so initially the trade rumors were said to be soft this year. Most of the “deep” talent in this draft is in the 2^nd and 3^rd rounds, and those picks will not be dealt easily. Most of the 2^nd round wide receivers this year would have been first round picks last year, and most of the 3^rd round rated cornerbacks this year could have been late 1^st or early 2^nd picks last year.  So these “tradable” 2^nd and 3^rd round draft choices are very hot this year and are valued even more than normal.

The latest buzz to surface in this years draft in the defensive secondary. Noted first round prospects like cornerbacks Justin Gilbert, Darqueze Dennard, Kyle Fuller, Bradley Roby, Jason Verrett & Safeties Calvin Pryor, Clinton-Dix and Deone Bucannon could all be gone before San Diego picks at #25. And most Chargers mock drafts have San Diego selection a cornerback in round one.  Draft runs at specific positions can trigger panic and over-drafting prospects can happen (similar to the draft run on offensive linemen in the first round of the 2013 draft).

**your comments and recommendations are truly valued (and expected)

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4/27/2013 – by James Fedewa (@jamed)

The NFL Draft seems past due this year. Feels like it should already be here, but its not.

We all wait an extra two weeks, due to some new 2014 NFL administrative exercises and alterations that are called “Schedule Changes.” These “Schedule Changes” sound very passive and irregular (for one of the largest entities, games and businesses on the plant). And if you are a fan of the NFL Draft, or may have a loved it for the last 20 or 30 years; and have developed a “standard” or “norm” of this time of year, you would expect the same dates and same times, right? Nope, the draft can change (like it needs improvement). Read the rest of this entry →

**UPDATED MOCK – LINKY: http://wp.me/p2pbCG-cd

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4/20/2014 – James Fedewa

Here is the latest full, three round NFL Mock Draft, not including compensatory picks or any draft trades. We are directly in the middle of mock season, so there are literally hundreds of mock drafts on-line (I know, I read them all). We are in the middle of a new era of the “mock season,” as there are an additional two weeks of anticipation added to this year’s mock season, since the draft had been moved back two weeks (now into May). Please enjoy: Read the rest of this entry →

4/11/2014 by James Fedewa

My weekly updated full NFL Mock Draft has had some minor tweaks to mock the prospect projections, based on additions, new arrivals and the latest releases of the updated rookie pool. Please use your reply button, have a voice and opinion and tell me what you think (on Twitter @jamfed) Read the rest of this entry →

4/8/13 by James Fedewa

If you earned the first pick in the NFL Draft, your team is the worst team in the league. This year the Houston Texans are that team. Oddly enough, at the beginning of the season, the Texans were considered a Super Bowl favorite. The Texans won week one (vs. the Chargers), and won again week two (vs. the Titans). A 2-0 start, followed by 14 straight losses. A Super Bowl contender, built like house of cards.

Was it the shotty quarterback play, was it lack of team confidence or leadership, was it injuries, was in poor coaching? Interpret and define as you will, it does not matter now. Moving forward, which new franchise rookie draft pick can help turn this Texans franchise around?

I nearly every NFL Draft, there is a consensus #1 overall pick (sometimes two). This year, pass rusher Jadavian Clowney the projected #1 overall pick. A once in two decades type of pass rusher with amazing abilities, scores, grades and college statistics, Clowney has the evidence and resume’ for Houston to draft him. Houston should have an easy selection, right?

Examining Houston’s current defensive pass rushers, they already look well equipped, led by defensive end J.J. Watt, OLB Brooks Reed and former 1^st round selection OLB Whitney Mercilus. Selecting Clowney can add immense value and talent to an already very good young defensive front.

There are two other #1B and #1C overall potential prospects in this draft, at different positions, with quarterbacks Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel. Bortles does not have the big resume’ but he looks the part. Built big and mobile, like a prototypical NFL quarterback, Bortles play and value has been sky rocketing for the last six months.

The other, Johnny Manziel. The 21 year old has been a superstar for the last two years. He won the Heisman Trophy as a 19 year old true freshman. His college statistics are impeccable and his charisma is electric. Manziel’s not the biggest quarterback and he does not have all of the elite physical tools and traits to make him prime top graded prospect, but finding a perfect 10 for anything, is nearly impossible…

In 2001, quarterback Michael Vick was easily that consensus #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Vick was incredible in college and the San Diego Chargers had that #1 overall pick (who traded the pick to Atlanta, who selected Vick).

Looking Vick’s and Manziel’s college statisics comparatively, what makes who the #1 overall draft pick?

Michael Vick PASSING:

Johnny Manziel PASSING:

Michael Vick RUSHING:

Johnny Manziel RUSHING:

Manziel clearly has the better stats than Vick in their two college seasons, almost mind-numbing from college quarterbacks. Manziel won a Heisman Trophy and was the most electrifying quarterback in college football in 2012 and 2013. Maturity issues might be the missing element of Manziel stock, but the difference between a college freshmen superstar (that we all met two years ago), versus the seasoned 21 year old, Manziel now seems to be 100% different.

If Vick was a consensus #1 overall draft pick, why isn’t Manziel?

4/2/14 – By James Fedewa (@jamfed)

The annual guessing game continues in this latest NFL Mock Draft. The WHO lingers, followed by the WHERE… We can make assumptions and educated guesses (which is GOLD if you’re a drafnik). It is not exactly a “guessing game” either, if you can successfully point out the combination of each teams positional needs, with their subjective “best player available” evaluation (baring trades). Include hours of player analyses and film study of these potential NFL Superstars, it is not a prediction, but a subjective-biased estimate. It will be safe to say there will be multiple trades, as there is every year, but guessing a draft day trade is more unpredictable than guessing which star in the sky is going to fall first.

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3/20/2014 – by James Fedewa

The San Diego Chargers have many positional needs with this year’s draft. The Chargers can go in several directions by drafting a cornerback, defensive tackle, offensive lineman, wide receiver or pass rusher with their first round pick (the 25^th overall). Until the Chargers see which players are available with their pick, we can only guess who it might be, who it should be and who it will be. Beyond the players that will be available at the 25^th pick, another way to look at the draft is “who is behind us, and who do they want.” So what is the Chargers first round pick really worth? And is it worth a trade?

The Cleveland Browns have two first round draft picks, the 4^th and the 26^th overall picks (the 26^th immediately after the Chargers first pick). Cleveland finished the regular season with 4 – 12 record, have several holes on their roster, and most needs are very specific. Cleveland’s first and primary need is at the quarterback position and with the Browns 4^th overall pick, they may have the opportunity to draft one of the three top tier quarterbacks (like Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater or Johnny Manziel). Then again, all three top tier quarterbacks might be gone by the time the Browns choose at #4. Or the Browns may decide to go a different direction with their 4^th overall pick and wait to draft a quarterback with their other first round pick. Either way, if Cleveland does not land their future quarterback with the 4^th overall draft pick, and they aim for the “other” 1A quarterback (like Derek Carr) then the value of San Diego’s 25^th pick increases.

Why? Well, the teams that did not draft a quarterback with picks 1 through 24, who still might need a quarterback, may be willing to TRADE ahead of Cleveland to insure they get a Derek Carr quarterback (or any other projected first round quarterback that may have slid).

So what other teams are looking for a quarterback? Approximately eight teams, but if Cleveland still needs to draft a quarterback at #26, then what other team would want to trade with San Diego’s #25 pick (the pick ahead of Cleveland)? Houston, St. Louis, Jacksonville, Cleveland, Oakland, Tampa Bay, Minnesota and Arizona all need a quarterback (and possibly two other teams in the top 24 picks). That’s ten teams in the top twenty-four selections that could draft a first round quarterback.

Of course, fans can think up a hundred different pre-draft scenarios, even with some of these quarterbacks sliding into the second round (like Geno Smith of 2013) or three quarterbacks being selected 1-2-3 right out of the gate)… but only assuming Cleveland did not draft a quarterback with their #4 overall pick, then San Diego can use their pick (with a quarterback hungry team) as the bait.

Or the bluff: calling Cleveland stating the Chargers have a trade offer with Jacksonville (or any of the other teams that still need a QB) on the table, would Cleveland trade up to secure a QB?

Could Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco turn San Diego’s first round draft pick into an additional 2^nd rounder plus a 3^rd? Or even a 2^nd rounder plus next year’s 1^st? Most NFL General Managers use the K.I.S.S method (Keep It Simple Stupid), but this years draft is immensely deep with very high quality 2^nd and 3^rd round prospects. This might be a good year for the Chargers to gamble with their 1^st round pick, only based on the precise depth of this draft (and Telesco’s scouting department).

“Take what the draft gives you”… is the best way to approach a draft, but what would you do if Minnesota, Tampa, Cleveland or Arizona calls for your 25^th pick (and want they want Derek Carr or even Johnny Manziel)?

The San Diego Chargers have signed:

• Donald Brown, RB, Colts
• David Johnson, FB/TE, Steelers
• Kavell Conner, ILB, Colts
• Kellen Clemons, QB, Rams
• Brandon Ghee, CB, Bengals

The Oakland Raiders have signed:

• LaMarr Woodley OLB/DE Steelers
• Justin Tuck, DE, Giants
• Antonio Smith, DL, Texans
• Tarell Brown, CB, 49ers
• James Jones, WR, Packers
• Donald Penn, OT, Buccaneers
• Matt Schaub, QB, Texans
• Maurice Jones-Drew, RB,  Jaguars
• Carlos Rogers, CB, 49ers

The Kansas City Chiefs have signed:

• Jeff Linkenbach, OG, Colts
• Joe Mays, ILB, Texans
• Austin Howard, RT, Jets
• Vance Walker, DL, Raiders

The Denver Broncos have signed:

• DeMarcus Ware, DE/OLB, Cowboys
• Aqib Talib, CB, Patriots
• T.J. Ward, SS, Browns
• Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Steeler
• Will Montgomery. C, Redskins