Posts tagged "Kyle Wilson"

NFL 2010 Camp Preview: New York Jets

After an improbable run to the conference championship game last season the Jets enter the summer as a chic Super Bowl pick in the AFC. Eric Engberg checks in with what to expect in Jets camp this summer.

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2010 NFL Draft: Breaking Down the AFC East

With the 2010 NFL Draft in the books it is time to start breaking down the winners and losers. Eric Engberg is here with a break down on the AFC East.

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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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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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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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Dunta Robinson to Get His Freedom

After a rather contentious year in which Dunta Robinson campaigned for, and failed to obtain, a long term contract with the Houston Texans it appears as though the team is ready to move on without him. There should be a healthy market for Robinson. Find out who might have an interest in one of the better corners set to hit the free agent market.

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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

Arizona Cardinals

Overview

After losing two of three to start the season the the Cards righted the ship winning ten ball games and the NFC West by two games over the Forty Niners.  The Cardinals lost to the New Orleans Saints in the Divisional round of the playoffs and currently sit at the 26 spot in the draft.

Assets

Chris “Beanie” Wells and Tim Hightower give the Cardinals a strong one-two punch at running back.  They combined for 15 rushing touchdowns, however, they also fumbled the ball a combined 10 times this season.  Wells has the talent to be a premiere back in the league if he can just stay healthy.  Hightower is one of the more versatile backs in the league and caught 63 passes out of the back field.  With Kurt Warner deciding to retire Wells and Hightower are likely to be featured more in the offense next season.

The receiving corps does not get any better than Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston.  Boldin and Fitzgerald posted 1,000 yard seasons while Breaston is just a season removed from a 1,000 yard season of his own.

Defensively, the Cards have some real play makers in DL Darnell Dockett, Karlos Dansby, Domonique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Adrian Wilson.    Dockett, Rodgers-Cromartie, and Wilson were all elected to the Pro Bowl this year.

Last season’s playoff run for Dockett was a jumping off spot for him.  He has built on that momentum and is going to the second Pro Bowl of his career.  While Dockett is listed as a DT he has been lining up more as an end in the Cards 3-4 front to utilize his pass rushing skills.  Dockett tied for the team lead with 7 sacks and 10 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

Moving Antrel Rolle to safety has paid off for the Cards and along with Adrian Wilson Arizona has one of the better safety pairings in the league.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is considered a rising star at corner but has struggled at times to stay healthy.

Liabilities/Needs

With Warner retiring quarterback now becomes a big question mark in Arizona.  Do they go with the Leinart or go out and get an established veteran to compete for the starting job?

The corner position opposite Rodgers-Cromartie has left something to be desired the past couple of years and the defense has not been up to snuff in terms of pass defense.

The pass rush is solid but it does not have that disruptive force that teams have to game plan around a-la a DeMarcus Ware or James Harrison.

The emergence of DE Calais Campbell this season has lessened the need for pass rushing help, but, Chike Okafor, Bertrand Berry, and Clark Haggans, whom the team relies upon to pressure the quarterback are all on the wrong side of 30 and the Cardinals need to look for young talent to replace them in the next year or two.

The outside linebackers leave something to be desired.

The offensive line is decent but could use improvement, especially if they are looking at someone else other than Warner as the quarterback next season.  Warner’s uncanny ability to unload the ball in the blink of an eye helps mask some of the team’s short-comings in pass protection.

They have also been searching for a solution at tight end but one begins to wonder if Warner just has no use for the tight end given how many they have gone through the past few years.

How the Draft Might Shake Out

There is still no real consensus as to whether Leinart is ever going to amount to much in the NFL.  They could go with a quarterback if they do not feel Leinart is the guy and one of the two first rounders, Jimmy Clausen and Sam Bradford, falls to them.

If they do go offense and it is not a quarterback the team would likely look at the best available offensive lineman or grab Oklahoma tight end Jermaine Gresham.  The team has been searching for a quality tight end for several years but have never worried too much about it since Warner has never utilized his tight ends very often.

If  the Cards go defense, which they probably should given some of their defensive shortcomings, look for them to opt for the best available linebacker, defensive tackle, or corner back.  The team is only adequate at nose tackle and outside linebacker, and they need a corner to lineup opposite Rodgers-Cromartie.

Penn State’s Navorro Bowman and Texas’ Sergio Kindle are considered late first round prospects at OLB and could be there when the Cards pick.  Michigan’s Brandon Graham is seen as a potential OLB at the NFL level and is quickly moving up draft boards.

Tennessee’s Dan Williams and Penn State’s Jared Odrick are a couple of DT prospects being rated as late first round prospects and could end up in Arizona.  Odrick seems the more likely of the two as he is taller and therefore more suited to play the nose tackle position in the NFL.

Boise corner back Kyle Wilson’s stock is rising after a solid week at the Senior Bowl and could sneak into the tail end of the first round.  Wilson is not thought of as someone who will be a shut down corner in the NFL, but, he would be a good fit as the #2 corner opposite Rodgers-Cromartie.

With pass rushing specialist Bertrand Berry announcing his retirement (1/21/10) and Chike Okeafor entering his 12th season in the league Clemson pass rusher Ricky Sapp could be a possibility here as well.  Sapp played end in college but has some experience lining up at OLB in a 3-4 front and with his size and speed he projects more as a rush linebacker in a 3-4 scheme at the next level.

West Viriginia’s Selvish Capers is someone the Cards could look at in the second round to help upgrade the tackle position that has been spotty in terms of pass protection the past couple of years.

Florida’s Aaron Hernandez could be targeted as the pass catching TE they need in the second round.

Virginia’s Chris Cook is a tall corner that is expected to go late in the second round that would provide a nice compliment to Rodgers-Cromartie.

The Cardinals still do not know if Matt Leinart is going to be a bust or not.  He has been fairly inconsistent when given playing time and it is rumored that he may be dealt this spring.  It seems unlikely they would target a quarterback in the first round but do not be surprised if they grab someone like a Colt McCoy, Tim Hiller, or Tony Pike if they are there when the Cards select in the second or third rounds.

This spring’s draft also looks to be fairly deep on talent at the corner positions so look for the Cards to target a corner back in the first three rounds as well.  Michigan’s Donovan Warren or Cal’s Syd’Quan Thompson could be possible targets for the Cards as solutions at corner back in the second round.  Alabama’s Javier Arenas is on the smallish side but he has great speed and is a play-maker at corner.

Given how well second year receiver Early Doucet played down the stretch and in the playoffs for Arizona and the assumption they are moving to a more run-oriented offense next season it would not be at all surprising to see the Cards deal Boldin for an extra early round draft pick or two.  It is thought the asking price has come down to a second round pick in exchange for Boldin.  Given the dearth of talent available at the position this spring there are several teams that would probably be willing to part with a second round pick for Boldin’s services.

Click Here for a Review of Arizona’s Recent Draft History