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Happy weekend y'all.
The Shutdown 50: #42 — Lavonte David, OLB, Nebraska | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
We continue this year's series with Nebraska linebacker Lavonte David. After a game against South Dakota State University in 2010, David decided that he needed to have a heart-to-heart talk with then-defensive coordinator Carl Pelini about his performance. "I just told him the truth about everything," David told the Lincoln Journal-Star at the time. "How sometimes I probably need more time in the film room or individual (drills). I knew the defense, but at the same time I didn't know the why."
NFL.com news: Draft sleepers: Non-combine invitees on the rise
arlier this week, I mentioned several high-profile players who boosted their draft stock with strong pro-day workouts. Those prospects had either opted against performing at February's NFL Scouting Combine or needed to make up for a disappointing performance in Indianapolis. But hundreds of lesser-known prospects weren't invited to the combine in the first place, leaving them to rely on school visits from NFL scouts to put their names on the draft radar.
ProFootballWeekly.com - PFW's exclusive draft value chart
The value board below is based on considerable feedback from NFL teams and projects the league value of players, pinpointing a specific area where players likely will be drafted. It is important to note that these values do not reflect where PFW thinks the players should be drafted or what type of pros they will become; that is better reflected in PFW's grades. Each round is divided into three parts: A (early), B (middle) and C (late). Thus, 2B signifies the middle of the second round. Players may be drafted higher or lower based on team needs and fits within certain schemes. The value board may not list the exact number of players in a round as there are actual selections. In some cases, more players are listed than will be drafted, especially in later rounds, because of the very minor difference between late-round draft picks and priority free agents
101Sports.com: Tony Softli - Top 5 Tight Ends in 2012 NFL Draft
The position of tight end has changed over the years for a few reasons. First, the landscape of college football has placed a heavy emphasis on spread offenses. The tight end position is moving from the traditional in-line alignment to a flex or slot, which allows a high percentage of college teams to maximize players’ athletic skill sets and take advantage of the position in the form of multiple receiver formations.
22 Days Until The Draft: 3 Players Who Will Go Earlier Than You Think " Pick 256
Just over three weeks until the 2012 NFL Draft and if you’re like me, you’re probably finishing up the touches on your draft board (or spreadsheet). Before you finish up your rankings though, here are 3 prospects who will probably go before you expect them to:
Mac's Football Blog: Rams Agree To Terms With DE William Hayes
elected with a fourth round pick (113th overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft out of Winston-Salem by the Tennessee Titans, the 6-foot-3, 272-pound Hayes has 112 tackles, eight sacks and four forced fumbles in 48 games, including 12 starts, over the last four seasons.
League says leaked regular-season schedule is "bogus" | ProFootballTalk
Many of you have submitted via email over the past day or so various links to a supposedly leaked 2012 regular-season schedule. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello says it’s "bogus."
42 restricted free agents, no offers sheets | ProFootballTalk
Free agency launched 24 days ago. The class included 42 restricted free agents. And not a single one has been signed to an offer sheet.
Ryan Tannehill, Coby Fleener on the rise; Chase Minnifield falling in NFL Draft - Tony Pauline - SI.com
Vinny Curry, DE-OLB, Marshall -- Curry's combine workout was disappointing and bordered on awful. To his credit, he looked like a different athlete at the Marshall pro day. His 40 time of 4.67 was a full .2 seconds better than his mark from Indianapolis and he bettered his vertical jump by 3 ½ inches. He's considered a terrific pass rusher and a good athlete. The combination could push Curry into the first round.
Draft prospects worth fighting for | National Football Post
Prospects who I have convictions on and would go to bat for come draft day.
Cold Hard Facts - Podcasts - MyNorthwest.com
John Clayton says the Seahawks would be better off using the 12th pick on a linebacker like Luke Kuechly or pass-rusher like Quinton Coples as opposed to trading down and settling for a lesser-talented prospect. Clayton also says Gregg Williams may never coach again after damning audio was released and that Tarvaris Jackson could be the odd-man-out if the Seahawks draft another quarterback.
Inside the NFL Draft: Seahawks team needs | National Football Post
Will Seattle target a DE in the first round?
SDB community mock draft – #6 St. Louis " Seahawks Draft Blog
Morris Claiborne is headed to Tampa Bay after receiving 86% of the votes for the #5 pick. Justin Blackmon was a distant second with 6%. So far the draft is going according to general thinking, with the top five looking like this:
What a rush: Seeking pressure from interior - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Cortez Kennedy heads to the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer while his former team tries to ramp up its pass rush, inside and out. Finding an outside pass-rusher to play opposite Chris Clemons remains an obvious need for the Seahawks heading toward the draft. The inside pass rush, which Kennedy provided in abundance, tends to get overlooked among areas where Seattle's otherwise strong defense was lacking in 2011.
Draft Spotlight: Ronnell Lewis, LB, Oklahoma " Seahawks Draft Blog
Rundown: Nicknamed "The Hammer" for his bone crushing hits, Ronnell Lewis was a junior year defensive end for Oklahoma. He is a projected outside linebacker in the NFL
10 Controversial Truths About the 2012 NFL Draft | Bleacher Report
1. Ryan Tannehill is worth a top 10 pick - I said my piece about it here . As Lance Zierlein put it , "One of biggest disconnects between public and teams is that teams project based on traits while public only sees stats/wins"...
Draft 2012: The Quarterbacks - NFL Draft Preview - Rotoworld.com
What a difference a year makes. Last draft season, many observers were convinced that Andrew Luck's return to college deprived the 2011 draft class of its only elite quarterback prospect. Fast forward one Cam Newton Rookie of the Year award and 12 months later, and a large chunk of informed analysts believe Luck should be challenged for the top quarterback ranking by the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner.
ProFootballWeekly.com - NFC West draft needs
With the NFL draft coming up April 26-28, we examine each team's personnel and identify its top three needs going into the draft, subject to any free-agent signings it may make before then.
WalterFootball.com: Ladarius Green NFL Draft Interview
An interesting prospect in the 2012 NFL Draft is tight end Ladarius Green. The Louisiana-Lafayette product earned his way into the Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine with an impressive skill set and solid college production (51 catches, 606 yards, eight touchdowns in 2011). Coming from a small school, Green showed he could take on the higher level of competition.
Scout.com: Josh Bellamy Profile
Louisville wide receiver-cornerback Josh Bellamy has a private workout with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a visit with the Seattle Seahawks, according to a league source.
Resetting NFC West needs heading to draft - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks get high marks from Gary Horton of Scouts Inc. for their offseason moves and overall plan for the future.
What If? Seahawks 7-Round Mock, Trade Down Version - NFL Mocks - Covering the 2012 NFL draft, Mock Draft Database, Scouting Reports, and Fantasy Football
If you follow the Seahawks you’re probably sick of hearing about John Schneider’s Green Bay roots, but it’s relevant. He shaped his philosophy from former Packer guru Ron Wolf, and it’s based on outworking other teams in the evaluation game and building through the draft. Now, Schneider has shown that he’s more willing to make a splash in free agency than Wolf used to be, but it’s still his work in the draft since he came to Seattle that has helped turn the Seahawk’s roster into one of the youngest, and most talented, in the league. His ability to find mid-round gems such as Kam Chancellor, K.J. Wright, Richard Sherman has transformed Seattle’s once-porous defense.