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Manti Te'o, Alec Ogletree have most at stake at 2013 NFL Scouting Combine - NFL - Peter King - SI.com
7. I think the Dwight Freeney release had the league buzzing over the weekend. One GM who was very interested already in former Giant pass rusher Osi Umenyiora told me Freeney would leapfrog Umenyiora on his free-agent board. Assuming he wants to play for a Super Bowl contender, Freeney, who turns 33 tomorrow, would be smartest to take a contract that has minimal guarantees and maximum performance incentives. He's missed but two games due to injury in the last three years, but teams will be skeptical of how much he has left, considering his last two seasons produced a pedestrian 13.5 sacks.
NFL combine: Five Senior Bowl prospects to watch | National Football Post
Looking back at my notes from Mobile, here are some names to keep an eye on in Indianapolis.
Screw your elite drafts, I’ll take a deep draft any time " Seahawks Draft Blog
This April, roughly 255 amateur players will be drafted into the NFL. Many hundreds more will be signed to post-draft contracts. The amount of time required to sort, study, analyze, and choose among these options is staggering. The process is urgent, challenging, sophisticated, and above all else: guarded. Like the sports world equivalent of the Manhattan Project.
2013 NFL Draft: Star Lotulelei Scouting Report
Star Lotulelei is a senior defensive tackle out of Utah. He's my number two defensive tackle (behind Sharrif Floyd of Florida), but he's the top tackle on many people's lists, and even the top prospect for some. Let's take a look at some of his strengths and weaknesses, and where he might go on draft day.
The pass-rush project: Ezekiel 'Ziggy' Ansah is the latest 'raw' superathletic DE to make waves - Yahoo! Sports
Is the answer to the NFL's present trend of run-option quarterbacks a guy with almost no football past? That is the daunting question revolving around BYU defensive lineman Ezekial "Ziggy" Ansah. In so many ways, Ansah is the latest version of Jason Pierre-Paul, a tall, fast and uber-athletic defensive end who didn't have much experience with the game. The difference is that Ansah not only has even less football experience than Pierre-Paul, Ansah has less experience with this country and its growing fascination with the game.
Mike Mayock: Tyrann Mathieu a fourth-round prospect - NFL.com
Mike Mayock spoke for more than two and a half hours Monday because he's Mike Mayock and you're not. Gregg Rosenthal listened in and picked out the highlights, including a take on Tyrann Mathieu.
Monday draft links & a list like a big board (but not) " Seahawks Draft Blog
Mike Mayock said via conference call today that Cincinnati pass rusher Walter Stewart would be a top ten pick if healthy. It’s an interesting angle. I’ve posted his tape vs Pittsburgh above. I’ve not spent a great deal of time studying him, in part due to the injury issues. For more information, check out this piece by Jeff Darlington. Essentially, he has a rare back issue that could end his career before it’s really begun.
Geno Smith resembles Sam Bradford; more player comparisons - NFL.com
Is West Virginia playmaker Tavon Austin the next Percy Harvin? Bucky Brooks provides 10 notable comparisons between draft prospects and established NFL stars, hitting both sides of the football.
Thoughts on Steven Hauschka and the franchise tag - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
The projected franchise figure for kickers (and punters) is $2,926,000. While that's more than twice what Hauschka made in 2012, it's by no means a prohibitive amount, especially considering the Seahawks' healthy salary-cap situation.
Assessing Amendola's worth to Rams - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Sam Bradford's life as the St. Louis Rams' quarterback improves when receiver Danny Amendola is available to him.
Bucky Brooks 2-18 - Seattle's live and local sports station
Former NFL player and scout who now works as an Analyst for NFL.com/NFL Network talks about the NFL Draft.
Mike Mayock: Marcus Lattimore a third-round pick - NFL.com
NFL Network's Mike Mayock hears that South Carolina star Marcus Lattimore is way ahead of schedule in his rehab. Where will the tailback be drafted in April?
Walter Stewart takes inspirational path to NFL Scouting Combine - NFL.com
You probably don't know anything about Walter Stewart, but you should. Jeff Darlington chronicles the University of Cincinnati product's inspirational path to the NFL Scouting Combine.
NFL Scouting Combine's evolution raises questions about future - NFL.com
If you want a clear idea of how far the NFL Scouting Combine has come, you really don't need to look back much more than a decade or delve much deeper than the player interview process.
Cosell’s Take: Running quarterbacks are great, but throwing from the pocket is still the best option | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
As I prepare for my 15th NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, I am more intrigued than ever by the evolution of offense in the NFL. Many saw the 2012 season as the dawning of a new, ground-breaking era, one few could have seen coming just a few short years ago.
Te’o, quarterbacks, Ogletree among those who need near-perfect combine performances | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
From the blog Shutdown Corner: The scouting combine is a big deal for a lot of people, but there's always a certain group of players who need it the most. Some draft prospects come through the entire process as locks to go high, but we … Continue reading →
2013 NFL Mock Drafts - CBSSports.com NFLDraftScout.com
Datone Jones, DE, UCLA: The camaraderie forged between Pete Carroll's coaching staff and the scouting staff under general manager John Schneider has resulted in several surprising but ultimately successful draft selections in recent years. The 6-4, 280-pound Jones will be viewed by some as a 'tweener but he might possess the combination of strength, length, burst and passion to aid as an interior pass rusher in Seattle's hybrid front.
The Greatest Wide Receivers Ever Version 2.0: Part I – Methodology
Regular readers know that one of my projects this off-season is to come up with a better way to grade wide receivers. I first attempted to rank every wide receiver four years ago. That study, which I will reproduce this week, has some positives and negatives. My goal is to eventually come up with four or five different ranking systems, so consider the series this week to be the first of several ranking systems to come.
Barkley sends letters to team regarding decision not to throw | ProFootballTalk
The letter explains that it’s a medical decision, based on the Grade 3 shoulder separation Barkley suffered during the 2012 college football season.
Mayock's Top-Five Rankings - NFL Draft Preview - Rotoworld.com
Late Friday, NFL Network's Mike Mayock released his top-five rankings at each position for the 2013 draft. We at Rotoworld are longtime admirers of Mayock for his football smarts, league connections, and on-air analysis. To put these top fives into some context, bang it here for a link to Mayock's preliminary rankings from last year. Considering they came out in late January, his projections were awfully impressive.
The Tape Never Lies: The flashes of Damontre Moore | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
Texas A&M pass-rusher Damontre Moore has an abundance of talent, most of which is good, not great. In a league that looks for greatness to shine every Sunday, that’s a problem for most of the scouts, coaches, and general managers who are evaluating the draft prospect.
St. Louis Rams 2013 Offseason Preview - NFL - Don Banks - SI.com
After winning just three or fewer games in four of the previous five years, the Rams took a major step to respectability in 2012, finishing a half game under .500 in the first season of the Jeff Fisher-Les Snead era. The Rams played almost everyone tough last season, and yet were still only 3-6-1 and struggling mightily to score points through 10 games. But a 4-2 run to close the season changed the outlook of the season, with St. Louis averaging nearly 24 points over that span, while holding four of six opponents to 17 points or less.
Remembering Charles Woodson's Remarkable Turnaround with the Green Bay Packers - The Triangle Blog - Grantland
When the rumor was circulating on Friday morning that the Packers were going to release Charles Woodson, I got more than one text message with the same question: "HOFer?" What makes Woodson’s time in Green Bay so notable isn’t my answer to that question — it’s how emphatically I gave it. I have no doubt that Woodson will give a speech in Canton one day, but the certainty in that assessment tends to make me forget about the uncertainty that came with Woodson signing in Green Bay.
2013 NFL Combine Preview: Prospects with the Most to Gain in Indianapolis
For most of the players heading to Indianapolis this week, the primary goal will be to avoid seeing their draft stock drop.The fact is, for the majority of players it's very difficult to raise their standing in just a few days.
Barkley injury heightens QB debate - CBSSports
Contrary to previous reports, USC quarterback Matt Barkley will not throw at the NFL Scouting Combine this week as he continues to rehab his throwing shoulder injury, according to a report by ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Georgia's Ogletree could see stock drop after DUI arrest - CBSSports
Former Georgia inside linebacker Alec Ogletree was arrested last weekend and charged with DUI, a charge NFL teams may be taking more seriously considering the tragic events that occurred in Dallas two months ago.
2013 NFL Combine Week: Draft Prospects With Something to Prove | NEPatriotsDraft.com - 2013 NFL Draft
Fans and sports media tend to get more excited about the NFL Combine than the average NFL team. Sure, teams still fall victim to so-called workout warriors (See: Poe, Dontari 2012), but the reality is most teams rely more heavily on what they see on the field than in this workouts.