Coffee & Cigarettes: Seahawks links for Monday

Links.

NFL economics: San Francisco 49ers' sustainability, Rams' plan - ESPN
"There is a lot of discussion right now about the shrinking of the middle class in football," Demoff said. "Elite players continue to get paid at high levels and there are no more $3-4 million players. A lot of that is because teams are getting better at scouting college players and the draft has become efficient." The rookie wage scale has made college players more affordable, particularly early in the draft. That could be allowing teams to concentrate their free-agent budgets on a smaller list of higher-priced veterans. "If you have $8 million to spend in free agency, you might be better off spending $7 million on one guy and $1 million on the other than buying two players at $4 million," Demoff said.

E.J. Manuel: Where To Improve - Evaluations - Rotoworld.com
At first glance, E.J. Manuel looks the part. He stands at 6'4 5/8", weighs 237 pounds and has spent many snaps under center in what many like to call a "pro-style" system. He's made NFL throws each game and shows the athleticism that personnel men are currently obsessing over. But he's been a very inconsistent passer throughout his college years, such as in 2011, which prevented him from becoming the top quarterback in this year's class despite his tools.

Corey Lemonier could be this year’s Bruce Irvin " Seahawks Draft Blog
The Auburn Tigers had a wretched 2012 season, going 3-9 (wins vs LA-Monroe, New Mexico State and Alabama A&M) while being outscored 150-21 in their final three defeats. It was ugly.

NFP Sunday Blitz | National Football Post
How Wilson is changing the QB evaluation game; best intangible QBs of all-time and combine chatter.

Jared Cook will be tagged by Tennessee Titans as TE - NFL.com
The Tennessee Titans consider Jared Cook a tight end and reportedly will franchise him as such. Cook wants the wide receiver designation, and subsequently more money, from the team.

The Shutdown 50: Cornellius ‘Tank’ Carradine, Florida State DE | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
With the 2012 NFL season in the books, and the scouting combine in the rear-view, it's time to take a closer look at the 50 players we think will be the biggest difference-makers at the next level from this draft class. To that end, we're happy to start this year's Shutdown 50 scouting reports (Hint: There may actually be more than 50). You can read last year's group here. The final 50 players listed were chosen and ranked based on game tape, combine results, overall positional value, and attributes and liabilities on and off the field.

Dustin Keller wants to return to Jets but likely will test free agency - CBSSports.com
When you think of Jets players who might be leaving this year or sometime soon, Dustin Keller's name isn't usually at the top of the list. But Keller is a free agent and said he plans to test the market though he wants to remain with the Jets.

Randy Starks willing to give discount to Miami but won't go on clearance - CBSSports.com
Dolphins defensive tackle Randy Starks is not interested in the franchise tag.

Report: Bengals RT Andre Smith wants $9 million per season - CBSSports.com
Entering the offseason, it appeared that the Bengals could choose to franchise-tag either defensive end Michael Johnson or right tackle Andre Smith. Cincinnati has gone with the former, and that means the latter is set to enter free agency. And he wants to get paid a hefty wage.

RSP Writers Project No.2 (RSPWP2): Draft In Progress | The Rookie Scouting Portfolio
The RSP Writers Project is a collection of football writers, analysts, and former scouts who participate in a now-annual event designed to share thoughts about pro football through an exercise. Last year we selected full rosters with salary caps and required each writer to develop a scheme on each side of the ball and even choose coaches. (I'm one of the GMs!)

NFL’s game of franchise tag ends Monday | ProFootballTalk
Before Friday, no players had been given the franchise tag. On Friday, five found themselves on the receiving end of the designation that keeps them off the open market.

2012 ADP vs. Reality: RBs - ADP Analysis - Rotoworld.com
Chet Gresham takes a look at how running backs performed during the 2012 season in comparison with their average draft positions.

Pro Days: RB Shavers runs blistering 40 at Purdue workout - CBSSports
There was modest interest in Purdue's Pro Day with first-round prospect defensive tackle Kawann Short still sidelined by the hamstring injury that kept him out of last week's NFL Scouting Combine, but representatives from 18 NFL teams showed up to watch 15 prospects work out Friday.

2013 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Cornelius Washington - Battle Red Blog
BRB takes a look at the fast rising Georgia linebacker/defensive end/freak of nature.

Matt Barkley leads 2013 draft prospects facing pro-day pressure - NFL.com
Matt Barkley: Top-10 pick or second-rounder? How the USC QB performs at his pro day will go a long way in answering that question. Gil Brandt chronicles several prospects under similar pressure.

2013 NFL Draft: Khaseem Greene Scouting Report
The 2013 NFL Draft will see a lot of wide receivers, defensive linemen, and tight ends drafted. But not many 4-3 linebackers stand out from the crowd. The 2012 draft class had a number of 4-3 linebackers who made an impact as rookies: Luke Kuechly, Mychal Kendricks, Lavonte David, Bobby Wagner, Zach Brown, Demario Davis, and Miles Burris were all drafted before the fifth round, and they all ended up playing significant snaps, if not starting for most of the year. I’ll be surprised if that happens this year.

2013 NFL Draft: Markus Wheaton Scouting Report
The wide receiver class in the 2013 NFL Draft is as deep as any position has been in recent years. There won't be an obvious A.J. Green or Julio Jones at the top, but there will be excellent talent spread throughout all seven rounds. One guy who has been working his way into most people’s top five lists is Markus Wheaton of Oregon State.

Mike Loyko’s Early March Mock Draft | NEPatriotsDraft.com - 2013 NFL Draft
My latest mock draft incorporates all the combine results and latest transactions around the league. Free agency is two weeks away and once it opens team needs will change dramatically. As it stands today, the draft is gaining a little more clarity as we now have an idea or who could be the first overall pick in the draft.