2/27/10
2010 NFL Draft E-mails – Combine Chatter
Adam Schefter basically guaranteed that Sam Bradford will be the No. 1 pick. John Clayton agrees. Do you?
–> It doesn’t shock me that the Rams will be going quarterback. I never thought a defensive tackle made any sense, given the predicament St. Louis has at quarterback. You don’t draft a defensive tackle over a quarterback if you’re in need of the latter position, and there is a franchise guy available. In this scenario, there are two, Jimmy Clausen or Sam Bradford.
In my 2010 NFL Mock Draft, I wrote the following a couple of weeks ago: “Some e-mailers have asked me if I believe this pick comes down to Jimmy Clausen versus Ndamukong Suh. I don’t. I think it’s between Clausen and Sam Bradford. If St. Louis’ front office does its homework, evaluates Bradford’s shoulder and believes that he’s the better quarterback, then they have to take him.”
Having said that, it really surprises me that everyone around that league considers Bradford the superior quarterback. Clausen is the better prospect, but apparently there are is concern about these alleged enigmatic “off-the-field issues” that a certain ESPN NFL Draft analyst keeps harping about.
The Rams have yet to interview Clausen. There’s still a good chance they will draft him (though his not being able to work out at all before the 2010 NFL Draft diminishes those odds a bit). However, it’s a near-lock that the Rams will go with a quarterback, and as of right now, it appears as though Bradford has established the lead.
Did you read the article on ESPN where Schefter predicted Bradford going 1st overall? Did I miss something? Maybe it’s cuz I’m a Longhorns guy but Bradford’s injury history, lack of history under center and inexperience making reads scares me.
–> You definitely didn’t miss anything. Bradford’s weigh-in was impressive, but the fact remains that he had shoulder surgery, he’s not familiar with playing under center, and his arm strength isn’t as good as Jimmy Clausen’s. Bradford would be a fine candidate to go No. 1 as long as there wasn’t a superior quarterback available. But there is.
In a way, this reminds me of the 49ers opting to go with a weak-armed spread quarterback (Alex Smith) over a guy with a better arm coming out of a pro-style offense (Aaron Rodgers).
One team made that mistake in 2005, and it looks like history is going to repeat itself five years later. I’m not saying Bradford is the next Alex Smith. In fact, I think Bradford will have a fine NFL career. But Clausen is the superior prospect.
You’ll be happy to know…
“Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen measured 6’2 1/2 and 222 pounds at the Combine weigh-in Friday. Clausen is only interviewing and weighing in this weekend, but this helps him. There had been rampant speculation that he might actually be closer to 6-foot-1. At 6’2 1/2, he is taller than Mark Sanchez measured last February.”
Make sure to let Todd McShay know, lol.
–> Don’t worry, I had a carrier pigeon dispatched to the nearest tanning salon.
It looks like Todd McShay is going to have to come up with a new excuse for hating Jimmy Clausen – unless he still thinks 6’2 1/2 is too small, which would explain why he had Mark Sanchez in the second round of his 2009 NFL Mock Draft during that winter.
As Daniel S. suggested via Facebook: “So what is [McShay] going to hate on next? His cup size?”
I just read a piece on ESPN where their head coach said Jeff Backus can play left tackle or left guard, which at least is something positive. It’s possible they may trade down and try to pick Russell Okung, or possibly pick him at No. 2 which I hope no idiot (McShay) would think is a reach. Who knows, maybe the Lions are getting smarter.
–> I can’t see a trade happening because no owner wants to pay No. 2 overall money to an unknown commodity in this economy. But Russell Okung should be the pick. He’s an awesome left tackle and would be a great blind-side protector for Matthew Stafford. He would also allow Jeff Backus to move to left guard, giving the Lions two upgrades for the price of one.
However, I think the pick will be Ndamukong Suh. The Lions have made it clear that they draft the top player on their board. Also, having Backus at left guard would give Detroit two very expensive players on the front. I don’t know if the front office will want to dedicate that much money to one area.
What is the prototypical first round left tackle supposed to weigh and bench press? Because you made note about Charles Brown, but is 10 pounds a huge differnce?
–> The weigh-in was big for Charles Brown because I can’t remember the last sub-300-pound offensive tackle to be drafted in the first round. It seldom happens, if at all. Brown is talented, but there were questions about his weight. Those seem to be resolved.
But to answer your question, bench reps are OK if they’re 20 or more. And weight depends on what scheme the offensive tackle is best suited for. You’ll see guys near the 305-315 range who are good zone-blockers, and tackles who are near 320-330 who fit into the power systems.
2011 NFL Draft Mailbag Archive:
2011 NFL Draft Mailbag Home
Post-Round 1 E-mail - April 29
Hate Mail Volume 7 - April 10
Crackhead Mail Volume 2 - April 10
Random AFC Questions and Comments Volume 5 - April 10
Random NFC Questions and Comments Volume 5 - April 10
Hate Mail Volume 6 - April 3
Crackhead Mail - April 3
Trade and Prospect Speculation - April 3
Hate Mail Volume 5 - March 28
Cam Newton Mailbag - March 28
Random AFC Questions and Comments Volume 4 - March 28
Random NFC Questions and Comments Volume 4 - March 28
Hate Mail Volume 4 - March 13
Random AFC Questions and Comments Volume 3 - March 13
Random NFC Questions and Comments Volume 3 - March 13
Random Questions and Comments - March 7
Hate Mail Volume 3 - March 7
Combine Questions and Comments - March 7
Combine Hate Mail - March 7
Hate Mail Volume 2 - Feb. 22
Random AFC Questions and Comments Volume 2 - Feb. 22
Random NFC Questions and Comments Volume 2 - Feb. 22
Quarterbacks - Feb. 15
Hate Mail - Feb. 15
Random AFC Questions and Comments - Feb. 15
Random NFC Questions and Comments - Feb. 15
NFL Picks - Nov. 24
2025 NFL Mock Draft - Nov. 20
NFL Power Rankings - Nov. 19
Fantasy Football Rankings - Sept. 4
