PETRINO+DORRELL=4,300 TEXTS, CASINO ADS FOR THE NFL & LOTS OF DRAFT TALK
Thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, some media snoopies have uncovered a ridiculous number of texts between former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino & soon to be ex-Arkansas Football Foundation worker Jessica Dorrell, say 4,300+ texts since September 12th. There were days where the two exchanged over 70 text messages. They had over 300 cell phone calls since the first of the year. Arkansas staff members said Petrino texted them after he had been placed on admin leave to inquire if pictures that were sent or received on his cell phone could be retrieved. Doesn't sound good does it? Like I said last week, the longer this goes on, the ickier it's going to get. Petrino's Fayetteville home is for sale, the 8,700 sq. ft. home is listed at $2.5 million. I'm guessing it won't be a quick seller.
The NFL has approved casino advertising for it's stadiums. Several restrictions apply, signage must be located so they won't appear in most TV camera shots. Only casinos that do not offer sports gambling are eligible to advertise in NFL stadiums. The casinos that do advertise with NFL teams are required to donate an additional 5% of the ad costs to the leagues problem gambling program. Too bad it doesn't go to the millions of problem gamblers that do wager on NFL games. Of course the league continues to ignore this problem like it doesn't exist. This is a 2-year trial & will be re-evaluated later.
The Saints have designated linebackers & assistant head coach Joe Vitt as their interim head coach in Sean Payton's absence. Slight problem in that Vitt is also suspended for the first 6 games of the season. This is getting confusing.
The Chiefs have three more private workouts scheduled with draft prospects Brandon Brooks, 6' 5" 345 from Miami of Ohio & running backs Doug Martin of Boise State & Robert Turbin of Utah State. Martin is my 2nd best available running back in this draft so I have no idea why the Chiefs are working him out, no way he goes at #11 & will be long gone by their 2nd round pick at #44. Turbin, however, is a possibility in the 5th round or so. Brooks is a very solid 3rd round prospect who could possibly start as a rookie & still has a lot of upside at either guard spot or possibly right tackle.
The best quote I've heard thru the pre-draft run-up was this morning by former Ravens coach Brian Billick on Mike & Mike in the Morning. When asked about teams that "reach" because of need, Billick fired back "Need is the worst evaluator." No truer words were ever spoken about the NFL Draft, more mistakes are made trying to reach for a player because you need him to fill a spot on your roster & too many of them fail. This is a major reason why the draft is such a crapshoot. Billick said when he was still with the Ravens, the scouting department, GM Ozzie Newsome & Billick himself had JaMarcus Russell rated higher than any player they'd ever ranked. So you see it wasn't just Al Davis & the Raiders. He feels Ryan Tannehill is just such a reach as do I. I think he has a better than average chance to become a solid NFL quarterback in 2-3 years, but elite? Not so much. If you're picking in the top-10, I believe you better have rock-solid confidence your pick has the potential to be elite, regardless of position. If it's a quarterback, the scouting process is magnified about 10X. It's the toughest position to play in all of team sports & no matter how well they performed in college, it's no guarantee they'll be even average at the next level. Then if you add the "reach for need" component, you've just put your neck on the chopping block. Having the final word on a team's draft picks isn't for the faint of heart.
When Scott Pioli "reached" for DE Tyson Jackson, he did so out of need. No one & I mean no one had Jackson ranked in the top-10, much less #3 overall. Nothing he did at LSU suggested he should be drafted that high. He's played like a reach prospect hasn't he? I see nothing in his 3-years with Kansas City to give me even a glimmer of hope. Tho not a total bust, he's basically a serviceable NFL role player, just fine as a 4th round selection, but as the #3 overall selection, he's a bust, no other way to put it. Other 1st round defenders selected after Jackson from that draft include Pro Bowlers B.J. Raji, Brian Orapko, Brian Cushing & Clay Mathews. I had all four rated ahead of Jackson, too bad Pioli didn't. I'm not claiming to be clairvoyant, I've been hot on plenty of guys who tanked, this is a very difficult process, but not top-10 selections. I've been pretty good in that regard. That being said, with two weeks remaining before the draft kicks off on Thursday, April 26th, let's start examining the options for Kansas City. Everyday I will list my choices in each round beginning with Round One. Each rounds' selections will be narrowed to one just before the draft. Here goes nothin'.
Round One
There's a real possibility for a trade-down. If Dontari Poe is available when the Chiefs pick at #11, Dallas might not be able to hold their water & Scott Pioli could pick up an additional draft pick for trading down 3-spots. It's a smart move IMO. But trading down much further doesn't interest me, you start running out of potentially elite or impact players at that point. All three of my selections are juniors.
1. David DeCastro--guard--Stanford--22 yrs old--6' 5" 316
I list him 1st because I believe he will become an elite player at his position in a very short time. He's the best guard prospect in over a decade & has all-pro potential year after year. Elite footwork & excellent upper body strength. Started 39 games in a pro-style offense, superior technique & a mean streak. If Kansas City wants to be a top-5 running team in this league, having an elite offensive line is essential. DeCastro will be better than Brian Waters ever was in short order & would challenge Will Shields as the best guard in franchise history. He's that good.
1A. Luke Kuechly--inside linebacker--Boston College--21 yrs old--6' 3" 242
An excellent upgrade from Jovan Belcher, it would give the Chiefs a top-3 linebacking quartet. He isn't Ray Lewis, but could be similar to 49er Patrick Willis, a tackling machine who can play on 3rd down because of his excellent pass drops. Superior instincts with remarkable production(532 tackles in only 3 seasons). Ran a 4.58 forty & leaped 38" in the vertical jump. Super smart, two-time team captain. Not an elite player athletically, but one who could make a major impact, even as a rookie.
1B. Fletcher Cox--defensive end--Mississippi State--21 yrs old--6' 4" 298
This young man has a good upside, Cox has shown dramatic improvement the past two seasons. Quick first step, good hand placement & a non-stop motor. Being a great NFL player is important to Cox & he has the potential to be just that. Shows the ability to shoot gaps, penetrate & get into the backfield. Very good tackler for a big man, breaks down well & wraps up. Long arms & large, powerful hands. Ran a sick forty for a 298 pounder, 4.79. He plays fast & shows the ability to get thru the trash & find the ball.
1C. & 1D would be Memphis nose tackle Dontari Poe & LSU defensive end Michael Brockers. I'm not a fan of Poe's for reasons I've explained before & Brockers is a 1-year wonder who needs a lot of work before he is a reliable player IMO. He needs a lot of weight room work, doing just 19-reps in the bench press at the combine & 21 at LSU's pro day just doesn't get it. He's half a second slower than Cox in the forty & recorded just 2 sacks playing in one of the nations' best defenses. Does Scott Pioli really want to draft another iffy defensive lineman from LSU? You'll hear a lot about both prospects, but I'm not putting them in my first round group of hopefuls. Tomorrow I'll analyze the second round.
The NFL has approved casino advertising for it's stadiums. Several restrictions apply, signage must be located so they won't appear in most TV camera shots. Only casinos that do not offer sports gambling are eligible to advertise in NFL stadiums. The casinos that do advertise with NFL teams are required to donate an additional 5% of the ad costs to the leagues problem gambling program. Too bad it doesn't go to the millions of problem gamblers that do wager on NFL games. Of course the league continues to ignore this problem like it doesn't exist. This is a 2-year trial & will be re-evaluated later.
The Saints have designated linebackers & assistant head coach Joe Vitt as their interim head coach in Sean Payton's absence. Slight problem in that Vitt is also suspended for the first 6 games of the season. This is getting confusing.
The Chiefs have three more private workouts scheduled with draft prospects Brandon Brooks, 6' 5" 345 from Miami of Ohio & running backs Doug Martin of Boise State & Robert Turbin of Utah State. Martin is my 2nd best available running back in this draft so I have no idea why the Chiefs are working him out, no way he goes at #11 & will be long gone by their 2nd round pick at #44. Turbin, however, is a possibility in the 5th round or so. Brooks is a very solid 3rd round prospect who could possibly start as a rookie & still has a lot of upside at either guard spot or possibly right tackle.
The best quote I've heard thru the pre-draft run-up was this morning by former Ravens coach Brian Billick on Mike & Mike in the Morning. When asked about teams that "reach" because of need, Billick fired back "Need is the worst evaluator." No truer words were ever spoken about the NFL Draft, more mistakes are made trying to reach for a player because you need him to fill a spot on your roster & too many of them fail. This is a major reason why the draft is such a crapshoot. Billick said when he was still with the Ravens, the scouting department, GM Ozzie Newsome & Billick himself had JaMarcus Russell rated higher than any player they'd ever ranked. So you see it wasn't just Al Davis & the Raiders. He feels Ryan Tannehill is just such a reach as do I. I think he has a better than average chance to become a solid NFL quarterback in 2-3 years, but elite? Not so much. If you're picking in the top-10, I believe you better have rock-solid confidence your pick has the potential to be elite, regardless of position. If it's a quarterback, the scouting process is magnified about 10X. It's the toughest position to play in all of team sports & no matter how well they performed in college, it's no guarantee they'll be even average at the next level. Then if you add the "reach for need" component, you've just put your neck on the chopping block. Having the final word on a team's draft picks isn't for the faint of heart.
When Scott Pioli "reached" for DE Tyson Jackson, he did so out of need. No one & I mean no one had Jackson ranked in the top-10, much less #3 overall. Nothing he did at LSU suggested he should be drafted that high. He's played like a reach prospect hasn't he? I see nothing in his 3-years with Kansas City to give me even a glimmer of hope. Tho not a total bust, he's basically a serviceable NFL role player, just fine as a 4th round selection, but as the #3 overall selection, he's a bust, no other way to put it. Other 1st round defenders selected after Jackson from that draft include Pro Bowlers B.J. Raji, Brian Orapko, Brian Cushing & Clay Mathews. I had all four rated ahead of Jackson, too bad Pioli didn't. I'm not claiming to be clairvoyant, I've been hot on plenty of guys who tanked, this is a very difficult process, but not top-10 selections. I've been pretty good in that regard. That being said, with two weeks remaining before the draft kicks off on Thursday, April 26th, let's start examining the options for Kansas City. Everyday I will list my choices in each round beginning with Round One. Each rounds' selections will be narrowed to one just before the draft. Here goes nothin'.
Round One
There's a real possibility for a trade-down. If Dontari Poe is available when the Chiefs pick at #11, Dallas might not be able to hold their water & Scott Pioli could pick up an additional draft pick for trading down 3-spots. It's a smart move IMO. But trading down much further doesn't interest me, you start running out of potentially elite or impact players at that point. All three of my selections are juniors.
1. David DeCastro--guard--Stanford--22 yrs old--6' 5" 316
I list him 1st because I believe he will become an elite player at his position in a very short time. He's the best guard prospect in over a decade & has all-pro potential year after year. Elite footwork & excellent upper body strength. Started 39 games in a pro-style offense, superior technique & a mean streak. If Kansas City wants to be a top-5 running team in this league, having an elite offensive line is essential. DeCastro will be better than Brian Waters ever was in short order & would challenge Will Shields as the best guard in franchise history. He's that good.
1A. Luke Kuechly--inside linebacker--Boston College--21 yrs old--6' 3" 242
An excellent upgrade from Jovan Belcher, it would give the Chiefs a top-3 linebacking quartet. He isn't Ray Lewis, but could be similar to 49er Patrick Willis, a tackling machine who can play on 3rd down because of his excellent pass drops. Superior instincts with remarkable production(532 tackles in only 3 seasons). Ran a 4.58 forty & leaped 38" in the vertical jump. Super smart, two-time team captain. Not an elite player athletically, but one who could make a major impact, even as a rookie.
1B. Fletcher Cox--defensive end--Mississippi State--21 yrs old--6' 4" 298
This young man has a good upside, Cox has shown dramatic improvement the past two seasons. Quick first step, good hand placement & a non-stop motor. Being a great NFL player is important to Cox & he has the potential to be just that. Shows the ability to shoot gaps, penetrate & get into the backfield. Very good tackler for a big man, breaks down well & wraps up. Long arms & large, powerful hands. Ran a sick forty for a 298 pounder, 4.79. He plays fast & shows the ability to get thru the trash & find the ball.
1C. & 1D would be Memphis nose tackle Dontari Poe & LSU defensive end Michael Brockers. I'm not a fan of Poe's for reasons I've explained before & Brockers is a 1-year wonder who needs a lot of work before he is a reliable player IMO. He needs a lot of weight room work, doing just 19-reps in the bench press at the combine & 21 at LSU's pro day just doesn't get it. He's half a second slower than Cox in the forty & recorded just 2 sacks playing in one of the nations' best defenses. Does Scott Pioli really want to draft another iffy defensive lineman from LSU? You'll hear a lot about both prospects, but I'm not putting them in my first round group of hopefuls. Tomorrow I'll analyze the second round.
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