Posts tagged "Earl Thomas"

NFL 2010 Camp Preview: Seattle Seahawks

After just one year Jim Mora, Jr. is out and Pete Carroll is in as the head coach in Seattle. Eric Engberg checks in with what to expect in Seahawks camp this summer.

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NFL Rookies: Impact Players on Defense

Eric Engberg is here with the defensive rookies to keep an eye on this summer who may have the biggest impact with their new teams.

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NFL: State of the NFC West

With this year's draft in the books it is time to take a look at the divisions around the league. Eric Engberg is here with a brief overview of the NFC West.

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2010 NFL Draft: Breaking Down the NFC West

With the 2010 NFL Draft in the books it is time to start breaking down the winners and losers. Eric Engberg is back to give his thoughts on how the teams in the NFC West fared in this year's draft.

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2010 NFL Draft: Breaking Down Round 1

With the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft in the books Eric Engberg is here to break it all down and give you his thoughts on how things unfolded.

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NFL: Eagles Looking to Move Up?

Are the Eagles looking to move up in the draft to nab one of the top safeties? Peter King seems to think so and Eric Engberg agrees that it just might happen, though Eric Berry seems untouchable at this point.

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2010 NFL Mock Draft 4.0, Round 1

Eric Engberg is back with version four of the first round of his mock draft. There are a few changes from the last version, but not many.

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2010 NFL Mock Draft 3.0, Round 1

Due to recent player movement and workouts there is some shuffling in the first round of the mock draft. Eric Engberg is back with version three of his 2010 NFL Mock Draft.

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NFL Draft Buzz

Our draft coverage continues as we have updates on some of the biggest names and teams selecting in the top 10 of the draft.  Who are the four players the Rams are considering with the top pick and will Mike Holmgren pull the trigger on a QB in the first round?  Which teams have their eye on Derrick Morgan and will Anthony Davis fall out of the first round?

St. Louis Rams

The Rams are reportedly talking to the agents for Sam Bradford, Jimmy Clausen, Ndamukong Suh, and Gerald McCoy.  Bradford is still considered the front runner to be the top pick and likely will be barring any unforeseen complications in his Pro Day workout.  The fact that Clausen’s agent is involved in the conversation leads one to believe that the Rams want to take a quarterback with the top pick.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns are reportedly looking long and hard at long term quarterback solutions.  Mike Holmgren is said to be high on Sam Bradford, but he will surely be gone by the time the Browns select at #7.  It is believed that Holmgren is not quite sold on Jimmy Clausen but is reportedly starting to warm up to the idea of drafting him.  The Redskins are thought to be interested in Clausen as well so the Browns may have to move up to get him.  The Browns are also looking at Colt McCoy as well and Holmgren is said to be interested in him as a potential second round selection.

The consensus seems to be the Browns are looking at Florida’s Joe Haden with the seventh pick.  There are also reports out there that the Browns will be hosting Eric Berry on April 8th.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals will be hosting Texas safety Earl Thomas on April 1st and 2nd for a personal workout and interviews.  Safety is a need for the Bengals this spring, but Thomas is not guarantee to still be on the board at 21.  The Bengals are also reportedly looking at picking up a TE or WR in the draft to help Carson Palmer out.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs are reportedly considering Alabama’s Terrence Cody with the 36th pick in the draft.  There is growing speculation that Cody may not be on the board when the Chiefs turn comes up in the second round though.

New England Patriots

The Pats are reportedly showing a strong interest in USC tight end Anthony McCoy.  Do not be surprised if they use a second round pick on the versatile TE.

Derrick Morgan

Morgan has already met with the Dolphins and Seahawks and is meeting with the Browns and Buccaneers in the near future.  It is interesting that the Jaguars have not come calling as Aaron Kampman is not necessarily going to be a long term solution for them.

Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis has not done any favors for himself during the pre-draft workout sessions.  He showed up to the combine looking overweight and out of shape and then bailed on Rutgers’ Pro Day claiming he was not feeling well.  Davis was once in the conversation as possibly being the first tackle off the board now there is some speculation that he may fall out of the first round altogether unless he wows folks at his private workout this week.

Dan LeFevour

Central Michigan’s Dan LeFevour’s stock is continuing to slide.  He had a so-so workout at the combine and a woeful Pro Day.  He reportedly threw the ball all over the place and blamed his poor performance on not being in “mid-season form” with his receivers.  Most teams will see that as a pretty flimsy excuse.  What has he been doing in the weeks leading up to his Pro Day?  The fact that the workout was scripted makes it even worse.  He knew exactly what was going to be expected of him ahead of time and failed to deliver.  He was once seen as a potential second or third round pick but now has likely slipped to the fourth or fifth round.

LaGarrette Blount

The Buccaneers and the Steelers have reportedly set up meetings with Blount.  It is not thought that anyone will risk a high pick on Blount and he is seen as no better than a fifth rounder right now.

2010 NFL Mock Draft 2.0, Round 1

PopPickle's Eric Engberg is back with a revised version of the first round of his mock draft. While the top three picks remain the same there has been a shakeup in the top ten. Find out who is on the rise and who is falling.

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2010 NFL Mock Draft 1.0

PopPickle's Eric Engberg takes a stab at how he sees the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft unfolding. The first few picks are what one might expect but there are a few surprises in store as well. Find out how far C. J. Spiller just might fall in this draft.

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The Eagles Need to Lock Down Sharper Then Roll the Dice

Finding a free safety should be at the top of Andy Reid's priorities this off season. Darren Sharper provides the perfect short term solution while they search the draft for their long term starter.

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Atlanta Falcons

Overview

After running out to a 4-1 start the Falcons floundered to a 9-7 record after struggling with injuries to key players.  Essentially the Falcons have beaten up on the soft teams and lost the tough games on their schedule this season.  On a positive note the Falcons posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history.  On the downside they missed out on the playoffs.  The Falcons are currently slated to pick 19th in the first round.

Assets

Matt Ryan, 2008′s first round selection, is showing signs of being the Falcons’ franchise quarterback for years to come.  He led the Falcons to the playoffs last season and has been off to a solid start this season.  Ryan started the season strong but faded towards the end as he battled through some nagging injuries.

The Falcons battled injuries at running back all season long with Michael Turner missing significant time with ankle anf foot injuries and backup Jerious Norwood missing 6 games due to various injuries.  One positive at running back was the emergence of Jason Snelling as a productive runner for the Falcons.  Running back can be considered one of the team’s deepes positions right now.

Roddy White posted his third consecutive season of 80+ catches and 1,150 or more yards to go along with a career high of 11 TDs.  White is as good as any at the WR in the league.

Tony Gonzalez has said he intends on playing in 2010 and still had enough in the tank to catch 83 balls for the Dirty Birds this season.

Second year linebacker Curtis Lofton has been a tackling machine taking over for Keith Brooking this season.

Before losing him to a season ending injury DT Peria Jerry was showing signs of being the run-stuffer the Falcons have been lacking since Gilbert Brown was sent packing.

Johnathan Babineaux is an emerging star at DT and led the team with 6 sacks and 10 tackles-for-loss.

Second year cornerback Brent Grimes had a solid year with six interceptions and 13 passes defensed.

Liabilities/Needs

The defense, in general, was not strong for the Falcons this past season.  They surrendered 20 points and 349 yards per game.  It was okay but needs to show improvement if the team wants to get back into the playoffs next season.

At the age of 31 John Abraham is showing signs of slowing and the Falcons efforts to find another pass rusher to pair with him have been fruitless over the past couple of years.  Recent draft picks Lawrence Sidbury, Jr. and Jamaal Anderson have failed to produce any returns for the Falcons.  This season marked the first year of his career in which he failed to post double digits in sacks in a season in which he played all 16 games.

After Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez they are lacking any real depth in the passing game.  Michael Jenkins is solid but he does not produce like a #2 wide receiver in the NFL.

In general, the secondary is nothing special, and it lacks any real depth to speak of.

Aside from Babineaux the Falcons front seven lacks anyone else that offenses need to truly pay attention to any more.  Abraham used to be one of those guys but his play dropped off significantly this season.

Even though Gonzalez is back for another season they still need to think about who is going to replace him when he does retire.  It seems unlikely they would spend a high pick on a tight end but look for them to possibly consider taking one in the 3rd or 4th round.

Bottom Line

All signs point to the Falcons looking to beef up defensively in the next draft and their appear to be a handful of safeties and linebackers on track to be mid first round selections.

Florida’s Carlos Dunlap is going to be the wild card of next spring’s draft a-la Warren Sapp when he came out of school and saw his stock plummet due to a reported positive drug test.  Dunlap was considered to be a top five prospect prior to his DUI arrest the week before the SEC Championship Game.  Dunlap could see his stock fall in a similar fashion and will be awfully tempting for a Falcons team in need of a dynamic play-maker up front with Abraham apparently entering the twilight of his career.

Michigan’s Brandon Graham is a guy who played DL in college but many think might be better suited to play outside in a 3-4 defense.  He could be a guy the Falcons look at in the first round.

Safety Earl Thomas (Texas) is someone the Falcons would love to grab to upgrade the secondary, but, he is likely to be off the board by the 19th pick of the draft.

USC’s Everson Griffen is likely to be the best pure end on the board when the Falcons pick only taking him that high would probably be considered quite a reach for the Falcons.  Griffen is considered a fringe first round/early second round prospect right now.

USC safety Taylor Mays is tremendously gifted athletically but there have been a lot of questions about his coverage skills in the secondary.  He is a sound tackler and loves to deliver the big hit but was often caught out of position in pass coverage for USC this season.  One begins to wonder if he ends up going the route Thomas Davis did with the Panthers in that he has the size to play linebacker and the team that lands him may just convert him to that position.  Mays might be considered something of a reach here as well given how far his stock has dropped this winter.

Texas’ Earl Thomas is another safety whom experts are projecting as a mid first round talent, but his stock is rising right now and could be off the board before the Falcons pick.

Penn State’s Navarro Bowman and Texas’ Sergio Kindle are a pair of outside linebackers the Falcons could target in the middle of the first round.  Curtis Lofton and Mike Peterson have been good but neither is terribly dynamic in terms of stuffing the run or pressuring the quarterback.

Alabama cornerback Kareem Jackson seems to have surpassed Javier Arenas as the top cornerback prospect at ‘Bama and is now considered a mid to late first round prospect.  Boise’s Kyle Wilson is another corner moving up the charts to keep an eye on if the Falcons look to address their cornerback needs in the first round.

It seems unlikely they would spend a top pick on a receiver but do not rule out the possibility of going after someone like Minnesota’s Eric Decker or USC’s Damian Williams in the second round, or, Texas’ Jordan Shipley or Cincinnati’s Mardy Gilyard in the third round.

With tight end Tony Gonzalez getting up there in years the Falcons could also target someone like Wisconsin’s Garrett Graham or Oregon’s Ed Dickson in the early rounds.

Cal’s Syd’Quan Thompson, Oklahoma State’s Perrish Cox, or Wake Forest’s Brandon Ghee could also be potential corner prospects to upgrade the secondary.

For a review of the Falcons recent draft history click here