BLOOD FOR TICKETS, BROWNS QB SITUATION CHANGES DRAMATICALLY & MY 1ST CHIEFS' VERY FLEXIBLE MOCK DRAFT
The Green Bay Packers have selected Jim Becker to be inducted into their Hall of Fame. If you haven't heard of Jim Becker, you're not alone. The 79-year old Green Bay resident & lifelong Packer fan has been a season ticket holder for 56-years. Jim & his wife had 11 children beginning with their first in 1954. It became apparent early on that Becket wouldn't be able to afford a season ticket with their growing brood. So Jim came up with a plan to pay for his ticket without dipping into the household budget, he started selling his blood for $15 pint. He continued doing so for almost 20-years, 145 pints total & Becker still has the ticket. Here's the best part of this story, Becker's father had died at age 43 from a rare blood disorder that is caused by high levels of iron in the blood stream. At the time, the only known cure was to take blood from a patient's body at regular intervals. Becker & his doctor believe his regular trips to the blood bank might have saved his life.
LaDanian Tomlinson has signed a 2-year deal with the New York Jets. He will takeover as Shonn Greene's backup. Thomas Jones was the starter until the playoffs when a decision by coach Rex Ryan sidelined him & allowed Greene much more playing time. The Jets let Jones go & he signed with the Chiefs. Since Greene isn't much of a pass receiver, LT should get plenty of snaps on obvious passing downs. When Leon Washington returns from knee rehab, he will return kickoffs & also get a few snaps from scrimmage.
So Mike Holmgren has started reshaping the Browns. He released QB Derek Anderson, RB Jamal Lewis & C Hank Fraley. He signed QB Seneca Wallace & TE Ben Watson. Then yesterday he signed former Panther QB Jake Delhomme to a 2-year deal. So that obviously made Brady Quinn the odd man out in Cleveland. Today, the Browns traded Quinn to the Denver Broncos for fullback Peyton Hillis, a 6th round pick in 2011 & a conditional pick in 2012. Doesn't sound like much does it? The 'conditional' pick could be as high as a 2nd if Quinn excels in Denver.
The aforementioned Hank Fraley canceled his scheduled visit to Kansas City on Tuesday as he signed with St. Louis today. He will back up Jason Brown, a high-dollar free agent acquisition in 2009.
So who will the Chiefs target next month in the draft? This is a speculator's dream, a one-team mock draft. Here's my picks & the rationalization behind them. Just for fun, I'm going to trade Glenn Dorsey & one of the three 5th round picks to New Orleans for a 3rd round pick, the 96th overall pick.
A few things you need to know about this draft class, one that has been called the best since '83 by Charlie Casserly & others in the know. The truly elite talent & the superior depth in this draft are on the defensive side of the ball. Several positions of need for Kansas City are very top-heavy, meaning there are a few elite players & then there's quite a drop-off. I believe they need to secure their offensive line if Matt Cassel is to develop as a starting NFL QB. So I'll start there.
1. Russell Okung or Bryan Bulaga, both left offensive tackles. The only other possibility here is Tennessee safety Eric Berry. If they really don't believe Brandon Albert is the answer at left tackle & he could be much more effective at RT or possibly guard, then pull the trigger & draft one of the elite left tackle prospects. Albert played left guard for most of his time at Virginia, but Brian Waters ably holds that position, so right guard or right tackle are the options. Drafting Berry isn't a terrible idea, it just throws Cassel's development on the back burner. Taking one of the 2nd or 3rd round tackles is much more of a risk. There's been some talk about Kansas City possibly drafting QB Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame, I can't see it.
2. Jon Asamoah(guard), Jerry Hughes(linebacker) or Golden Tate(wide receiver) I sincerely doubt Tate or Hughes will be there when Kansas City's pick, the 36th overall, rolls around. But I would take either before Asamoah. If Albert is being moved to guard, Asamoah is out as a pick here. Tate played for Charlie Weis at Notre Dame & he would be a good selection as would Hughes. Good hands & a very dangerous runner after the catch. Hughes, a former TCU defensive end, has dynamic pass rush skills, 28.5 sacks & 40 tackles for loss plus 8 forced fumbles. Non-stop motor, his ability to turn the corner & close on the quarterback is something the Chiefs desperately need opposite Tamba Hali. Asamoah is super quick for a 300-pounder. Good football strength & excellent awareness, he sees the blitzers, stunts & twists almost before they happen. Great balance with a good punch, easily the 2nd best guard prospect in this draft & should be ready to start as a rookie.
2.(from Atlanta) Koa Misi(linebacker), Aaron Hernandez(tight end), Daryl Washington(linebacker) or Asamoah This is the pick obtained in the Tony Gonzalez trade. Misi was a defensive end at Utah but he would transition to outside linebacker. He was a good pass rusher, but at 245 pounds, he will have to stand up outside & rush the passer. All-Academic Mountain West student. Florida's Hernandez is a superior receiver & runner after the catch, but not a skilled blocker, he's more like a tight end in the Dallas Clark mold. Washington played outside linebacker at TCU & has tremendous speed, but in a 3-4 he'd move inside. Asamoah is a fall-back pick if Tate or Hughes is selected earlier in the round.
3. Cam Thomas(nose tackle) Thomas is a run stuffing space-eater who commands a double team all the time. He's huge at 6' 3 1/2" 330 lbs. He has a big, powerful ass & it's almost impossible to knock him off the ball. He has excellent balance for a man his size & will play hurt. Had a great week of practice at the Senior Bowl. Not a pass rusher, but how many nose tackles are?
3.(from New Orleans in projected trade) Dennis Pitta(tight end) or Andre Roberts(wide receiver) Pitta, from BYU, is an excellent receiving tight end with superior body control, he can make the difficult catch. He's not a skilled blocker, but he's better than Hernandez in that area. He's not much of a runner after the catch either. But he knows how to get open, use his body to shield off defenders & catch the ball with his hands & not his body. Also runs very good routes. Roberts, from the Citadel, a military school, is ultra quick & solidly built at 5' 10" 192 lbs. He is a dangerous runner after the catch & was a decent punt returner. A small school player who never backed down against superior opposition, mentally tough & very smart. Both of these guys have good discipline, look at the schools they attended.
4. Akwasi Owusu-Ansah(cornerback & returner), Pitta or Roberts Since this pick is just 4 spots after the New Orleans pick, I'll include both Pitta & Roberts too. Owusu-Ansah is from Division II Indiana of Pennsylvania. He has the size, 6' 0" 197 lbs. the speed at sub 4.4 & excellent ball skills. He picked 10 interceptions, returned 3 kickoffs & 4 punts for touchdowns. It's important that he dominated at the Division II level. He'll need time to learn the pro game, but with his return skills he can contribute now. With his speed, he could make a good gunner on punt coverage as well.
5. (2 picks)Kendrick Lewis(safety), Blair White(wide receiver), Shaun Lauvao(guard) or Mike McLaughlin (inside linebacker) This late in the draft, it's very difficult to know who will be available. If the Chiefs do trade one of these picks, they'll still have two, so I'm sticking with this foursome for both picks. Lewis is a former wide receiver from Ole Miss. He's smart, disciplined & very coachable, the game is very important to him. He's a little small at 5' 11" & 195, but should be a strong special teams player at the least. White is a former walk-on at Michigan State who made himself into a pretty good receiver who has improved every year. Good size at 6' 2" & 205, allowing him to be a very effective blocker. Superior work ethic & very smart, can find the open spots in any zone coverage. Can make the tough catch outside his frame. Not a burner at 4.53 & not really elusive, but he is tough to bring down because of his strength. Lauvao was moved outside to left tackle in '09, but because of his height & arm length, he will need to play inside as a pro. Like most Samoans, he's very strong, one of the top lifters at the combine, very durable, starting the last 33 games at Arizona State. McLaughlin was a tackling machine at Boston College, a textbook tackler at that. He wraps up & drives thru the ball carrier. He has limitations speed-wise especially to the outside, but McLaughlin stacks up blockers, sheds them & makes a lot of tackles. He isn't pretty but he certainly gets the job done.
6. Joe Hawley(center-guard), Kyle Jolly(R-tackle or guard), Clay Harbour(tight end), Lonyae Miller (running back) or Kerry Meier(wide receiver) I really like all 5 of these prospects. Hawley, from UNLV, has started at both center & guard. He's super strong & has the perfect build for playing inside, strong powerful base with long arms. Durable, never missed any playing time in 4 seasons. Jolley played left tackle at North Carolina but he doesn't have quick enough feet or the flexibility to stay there as a pro. Perfect size at 6' 6" & 317 but he needs weight room work to improve his punch & anchoring ability. Very smart with excellent work ethic & durability, started 38 straight for the Tar Heels. Harbour looks so chiseled, yet flexible enough to catch the ball outside his frame. The Missouri State product was 2nd in the bench press & top-5 in the agility drills at the combine. Not a polished blocker to be sure, but he puts gives good effort every single snap. Lonyae Miller was cursed playing at Fresno State at the same time as Ryan Miller, the NCAA's leading rusher in '09. Miller was very productive in a backup role, rushing for over 2,000 yards & scoring 20 touchdowns. The 5' 11" 225-pound Miller has good speed too, three of his scores came on runs of over 70-yards. Meier was a former starting quarterback at Kansas but was moved to WR after Mark Mangino decided to go with Todd Reesing. Meier learned the wideout position quickly, catching 199 passes for over 2,000 yards & 16 touchdowns the last two seasons. He won't blow by anyone at the next level with his 4.62 speed, but as a former throwing QB, Meier can read defenses very well & find the openings in the coverage. He has big, soft hands to catch the ball outside his frame consistently. Very good body control near the sideline & he shows good awareness in the redzone. Doesn't get off quickly, hasn't run a full route tree coming from a spread offense. A willing blocker too.
7. John Estes(center), Ryan Stamper & Joe Pawelek(inside linebackers), Cody Grimm(safety) & Martin Tevaseu(nose tackle) Estes started 54 consecutive games at Hawaii, an NCAA record. He's slightly undersized at 6' 1 3/8" 295 but he anchor his spot against pass rushers quite well. Moves well pulling & hitting at the 2nd level. He's only snapped to QB's in the shotgun, so a guy under center will be new for him. Both Stamper(Florida) & Pawelek(Baylor) are overachievers who are slightly undersized. Neither is fast but both should become excellent special teamers with their desire to play at the next level & tackling ability. Grimm is the son of Cardinal O-line coach & future Hall of Fame guard Russ Grimm. At 5' 10" & 207, he played linebacker at Virginia Tech, but he might be able to be an in-the-box type safety as well as a terrific special team player. Grimm is very disciplined & his preparation is superior, just what you'd expect out of a coach's son. Tevaseu, another powerful Samoan player with ideal nose tackle size, 6' 1 3/4" & 329. He can collapse the pocket even tho he won't be the one to get many sacks. Needs work on his hand placement & his stamina, he wears down too quickly. But the game is important to him & as a 7th round pick, he's going to need a year to get himself ready to play in the NFL.
LaDanian Tomlinson has signed a 2-year deal with the New York Jets. He will takeover as Shonn Greene's backup. Thomas Jones was the starter until the playoffs when a decision by coach Rex Ryan sidelined him & allowed Greene much more playing time. The Jets let Jones go & he signed with the Chiefs. Since Greene isn't much of a pass receiver, LT should get plenty of snaps on obvious passing downs. When Leon Washington returns from knee rehab, he will return kickoffs & also get a few snaps from scrimmage.
So Mike Holmgren has started reshaping the Browns. He released QB Derek Anderson, RB Jamal Lewis & C Hank Fraley. He signed QB Seneca Wallace & TE Ben Watson. Then yesterday he signed former Panther QB Jake Delhomme to a 2-year deal. So that obviously made Brady Quinn the odd man out in Cleveland. Today, the Browns traded Quinn to the Denver Broncos for fullback Peyton Hillis, a 6th round pick in 2011 & a conditional pick in 2012. Doesn't sound like much does it? The 'conditional' pick could be as high as a 2nd if Quinn excels in Denver.
The aforementioned Hank Fraley canceled his scheduled visit to Kansas City on Tuesday as he signed with St. Louis today. He will back up Jason Brown, a high-dollar free agent acquisition in 2009.
So who will the Chiefs target next month in the draft? This is a speculator's dream, a one-team mock draft. Here's my picks & the rationalization behind them. Just for fun, I'm going to trade Glenn Dorsey & one of the three 5th round picks to New Orleans for a 3rd round pick, the 96th overall pick.
A few things you need to know about this draft class, one that has been called the best since '83 by Charlie Casserly & others in the know. The truly elite talent & the superior depth in this draft are on the defensive side of the ball. Several positions of need for Kansas City are very top-heavy, meaning there are a few elite players & then there's quite a drop-off. I believe they need to secure their offensive line if Matt Cassel is to develop as a starting NFL QB. So I'll start there.
1. Russell Okung or Bryan Bulaga, both left offensive tackles. The only other possibility here is Tennessee safety Eric Berry. If they really don't believe Brandon Albert is the answer at left tackle & he could be much more effective at RT or possibly guard, then pull the trigger & draft one of the elite left tackle prospects. Albert played left guard for most of his time at Virginia, but Brian Waters ably holds that position, so right guard or right tackle are the options. Drafting Berry isn't a terrible idea, it just throws Cassel's development on the back burner. Taking one of the 2nd or 3rd round tackles is much more of a risk. There's been some talk about Kansas City possibly drafting QB Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame, I can't see it.
2. Jon Asamoah(guard), Jerry Hughes(linebacker) or Golden Tate(wide receiver) I sincerely doubt Tate or Hughes will be there when Kansas City's pick, the 36th overall, rolls around. But I would take either before Asamoah. If Albert is being moved to guard, Asamoah is out as a pick here. Tate played for Charlie Weis at Notre Dame & he would be a good selection as would Hughes. Good hands & a very dangerous runner after the catch. Hughes, a former TCU defensive end, has dynamic pass rush skills, 28.5 sacks & 40 tackles for loss plus 8 forced fumbles. Non-stop motor, his ability to turn the corner & close on the quarterback is something the Chiefs desperately need opposite Tamba Hali. Asamoah is super quick for a 300-pounder. Good football strength & excellent awareness, he sees the blitzers, stunts & twists almost before they happen. Great balance with a good punch, easily the 2nd best guard prospect in this draft & should be ready to start as a rookie.
2.(from Atlanta) Koa Misi(linebacker), Aaron Hernandez(tight end), Daryl Washington(linebacker) or Asamoah This is the pick obtained in the Tony Gonzalez trade. Misi was a defensive end at Utah but he would transition to outside linebacker. He was a good pass rusher, but at 245 pounds, he will have to stand up outside & rush the passer. All-Academic Mountain West student. Florida's Hernandez is a superior receiver & runner after the catch, but not a skilled blocker, he's more like a tight end in the Dallas Clark mold. Washington played outside linebacker at TCU & has tremendous speed, but in a 3-4 he'd move inside. Asamoah is a fall-back pick if Tate or Hughes is selected earlier in the round.
3. Cam Thomas(nose tackle) Thomas is a run stuffing space-eater who commands a double team all the time. He's huge at 6' 3 1/2" 330 lbs. He has a big, powerful ass & it's almost impossible to knock him off the ball. He has excellent balance for a man his size & will play hurt. Had a great week of practice at the Senior Bowl. Not a pass rusher, but how many nose tackles are?
3.(from New Orleans in projected trade) Dennis Pitta(tight end) or Andre Roberts(wide receiver) Pitta, from BYU, is an excellent receiving tight end with superior body control, he can make the difficult catch. He's not a skilled blocker, but he's better than Hernandez in that area. He's not much of a runner after the catch either. But he knows how to get open, use his body to shield off defenders & catch the ball with his hands & not his body. Also runs very good routes. Roberts, from the Citadel, a military school, is ultra quick & solidly built at 5' 10" 192 lbs. He is a dangerous runner after the catch & was a decent punt returner. A small school player who never backed down against superior opposition, mentally tough & very smart. Both of these guys have good discipline, look at the schools they attended.
4. Akwasi Owusu-Ansah(cornerback & returner), Pitta or Roberts Since this pick is just 4 spots after the New Orleans pick, I'll include both Pitta & Roberts too. Owusu-Ansah is from Division II Indiana of Pennsylvania. He has the size, 6' 0" 197 lbs. the speed at sub 4.4 & excellent ball skills. He picked 10 interceptions, returned 3 kickoffs & 4 punts for touchdowns. It's important that he dominated at the Division II level. He'll need time to learn the pro game, but with his return skills he can contribute now. With his speed, he could make a good gunner on punt coverage as well.
5. (2 picks)Kendrick Lewis(safety), Blair White(wide receiver), Shaun Lauvao(guard) or Mike McLaughlin (inside linebacker) This late in the draft, it's very difficult to know who will be available. If the Chiefs do trade one of these picks, they'll still have two, so I'm sticking with this foursome for both picks. Lewis is a former wide receiver from Ole Miss. He's smart, disciplined & very coachable, the game is very important to him. He's a little small at 5' 11" & 195, but should be a strong special teams player at the least. White is a former walk-on at Michigan State who made himself into a pretty good receiver who has improved every year. Good size at 6' 2" & 205, allowing him to be a very effective blocker. Superior work ethic & very smart, can find the open spots in any zone coverage. Can make the tough catch outside his frame. Not a burner at 4.53 & not really elusive, but he is tough to bring down because of his strength. Lauvao was moved outside to left tackle in '09, but because of his height & arm length, he will need to play inside as a pro. Like most Samoans, he's very strong, one of the top lifters at the combine, very durable, starting the last 33 games at Arizona State. McLaughlin was a tackling machine at Boston College, a textbook tackler at that. He wraps up & drives thru the ball carrier. He has limitations speed-wise especially to the outside, but McLaughlin stacks up blockers, sheds them & makes a lot of tackles. He isn't pretty but he certainly gets the job done.
6. Joe Hawley(center-guard), Kyle Jolly(R-tackle or guard), Clay Harbour(tight end), Lonyae Miller (running back) or Kerry Meier(wide receiver) I really like all 5 of these prospects. Hawley, from UNLV, has started at both center & guard. He's super strong & has the perfect build for playing inside, strong powerful base with long arms. Durable, never missed any playing time in 4 seasons. Jolley played left tackle at North Carolina but he doesn't have quick enough feet or the flexibility to stay there as a pro. Perfect size at 6' 6" & 317 but he needs weight room work to improve his punch & anchoring ability. Very smart with excellent work ethic & durability, started 38 straight for the Tar Heels. Harbour looks so chiseled, yet flexible enough to catch the ball outside his frame. The Missouri State product was 2nd in the bench press & top-5 in the agility drills at the combine. Not a polished blocker to be sure, but he puts gives good effort every single snap. Lonyae Miller was cursed playing at Fresno State at the same time as Ryan Miller, the NCAA's leading rusher in '09. Miller was very productive in a backup role, rushing for over 2,000 yards & scoring 20 touchdowns. The 5' 11" 225-pound Miller has good speed too, three of his scores came on runs of over 70-yards. Meier was a former starting quarterback at Kansas but was moved to WR after Mark Mangino decided to go with Todd Reesing. Meier learned the wideout position quickly, catching 199 passes for over 2,000 yards & 16 touchdowns the last two seasons. He won't blow by anyone at the next level with his 4.62 speed, but as a former throwing QB, Meier can read defenses very well & find the openings in the coverage. He has big, soft hands to catch the ball outside his frame consistently. Very good body control near the sideline & he shows good awareness in the redzone. Doesn't get off quickly, hasn't run a full route tree coming from a spread offense. A willing blocker too.
7. John Estes(center), Ryan Stamper & Joe Pawelek(inside linebackers), Cody Grimm(safety) & Martin Tevaseu(nose tackle) Estes started 54 consecutive games at Hawaii, an NCAA record. He's slightly undersized at 6' 1 3/8" 295 but he anchor his spot against pass rushers quite well. Moves well pulling & hitting at the 2nd level. He's only snapped to QB's in the shotgun, so a guy under center will be new for him. Both Stamper(Florida) & Pawelek(Baylor) are overachievers who are slightly undersized. Neither is fast but both should become excellent special teamers with their desire to play at the next level & tackling ability. Grimm is the son of Cardinal O-line coach & future Hall of Fame guard Russ Grimm. At 5' 10" & 207, he played linebacker at Virginia Tech, but he might be able to be an in-the-box type safety as well as a terrific special team player. Grimm is very disciplined & his preparation is superior, just what you'd expect out of a coach's son. Tevaseu, another powerful Samoan player with ideal nose tackle size, 6' 1 3/4" & 329. He can collapse the pocket even tho he won't be the one to get many sacks. Needs work on his hand placement & his stamina, he wears down too quickly. But the game is important to him & as a 7th round pick, he's going to need a year to get himself ready to play in the NFL.
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