NFL 101: ROOKIE ORIENTATION

welcome to NFL 101 
 


NFL Draft Selection, Day One




Emotional Moments From the Draft



Cam Newton selected as 1st pick to Carolina Panthers


Mark Ingram gets emotional after being selected by New Orleans Saints

Julio Jones selected after surprising trade by Atlanta Falcons


Prince Amukamara  selected by New York Giants


Von Miller selected by Denver Broncos


1. Carolina Panthers 
Cameron Newton, QB 

2. Denver Broncos
Von Miller, LB 

3. Buffalo Bills
Marcell Dareus, DT

4. Cincinnati Bengals
A.J. Green, WR

5. Arizona Cardinals
Patrick Peterson, CB

6. Atlanta Falcons
Julio Jones, WR

7. San Francisco 49ers
Aldon Smith, DE

8. Tennessee Titans
Jake Locker, QB

9. Dallas Cowboys
Tyron Smith, OT

10. Jacksonville Jaguars
Blaine Gabbert, QB

11. Houston Texans
J.J. Watt, DE

12. Minnesota Vikings
Christian Ponder, QB

13. Detroit Lions
Nick Fairley, DT

14. St. Louis Rams
Robert Quinn, DE

15. Miami Dolphins
Mike Pouncey, OL

16. Washington Redskins
Ryan Kerrigan, DE

17. New England Patriots
Nate Solder, OL

18. San Diego Chargers
Corey Liuget, DT

19. New York Giants
Prince Amukamara, CB

20. Tampa Bay Buccanneers
Adrian Clayborn DL

21. Cleveland Browns
Phil Taylor, DL

22. Indianapolis Colts
Anthony Castonzo, OL

23. Philadelphia Eagles
Danny Watkins, OL

24. New Orleans Saints
Cameron Jordan, DE

25. Seattle Seahawks
James Carpenter, OL

26. Kansas City Chiefs
Jonathon Baldwin, WR

27. Baltimore Ravens
Jimmy Smith, CB

28. New Orleans Saints
Mark Ingram, RB

29. Chicago Bears
Gabe Carimi, OL

30. New York Jets
Muhammad Wilkerson, DT

31. Pittsburgh Steelers
Cam Heyward, DT

32. Green Bay Packers 
Derrick Sherrod, OL


Quarterback Sneak


Cam Newton, Jake Locker, Ryan Mallet, Blaine Gabbert....these names sound familiar? They should if you own a television and it's been on ESPN for more than five minutes. Why? These are the most talked about quarterback draftees in the country right now. Since the combine, some of them have moved up, some of them down the draft polls. One quarterback that I believe will make an astounding impact on the league is Tyrod Taylor of Virginia Tech. Although he is a bit on the smaller side at 6'0 3/4, but he's still taller than his predecessor Michael Vick. He had the fastest QB time in the 40 at combine, shutting down all of his other competition. Not to mention that if quarterback doesn't work for him, he still has a chance at the wide receiver position. He and Cam Newton received the same critique in that they needed to speed up their drop back. 

Taylor does have an upper hand over Newton in that he has been the starting quarterback for Virginia Tech since 2008. His freshman year at Virginia Tech, coach Frank Beamer declared that he would be a starter, but an injury forced Sean Glennon to take back over the starting position. He was originally going to be redshirted his sophomore year, but a need for more offense cancelled those plans. He has under his belt a Chick-Fil-A bowl win and an ACC Championship win and also holds the record for the second most winning quarterback at Virginia Tech. Of course Taylor isn't a big standout guy, but there is no way he won't get picked up in the second or third rounds and not make an incredible impact in the league. He may even be less of a risk than someone such as Cam Newton who doesn't have the experience. I'm eager to see what next season will look like with him as an addition.






Alabama vs. Auburn All Over Again



vs.


Alabama has been put on the map as far as the football world is concerned. Sure the state doesn't have a professional team, but some of the best professional players in the country come from schools in Alabama: Auburn University, University of Alabama, University of Alabama (Birmingham) Troy University, etc. With the impending draft bearing down upon us there are certain standouts from schools there that we expected to hear a great buzz about. The last two year's Heisman winners, Mark Ingram and Cam Newton, Julio Jones and Nick Fairley were expected to make huge impacts at combines this year. What no one expected is for defensive lineman from the University of Alabama, Marcell Dareus to slide into prospectively the number one draft position. At the end of the college football season all of the press chatter was about how awesome defensive lineman Nick Fairley was coming off of an Auburn BCS championship win. So at what point did Dareus get on top? Well let's compare the two. 
Both had relatively similar seasons this past year, however Dareus has more experience. Glancing at combine stats its clear that on paper Fairley is faster, and quicker (he opted out of weight lifting due to a shoulder injury). Being coached under Nick Saban might be what has given Dareus the edge as he is a much more disciplined player. Saban runs a 3-4 defense at Alabama, making Dareus prime on the outside and maybe in a NT position.  Fairley, a 4-3 inside rusher, sometimes slacks from play to play and is rumored to be equally as slacking in the weight room. What edge Fairley does have over Dareus is that he is a lot quicker on his feet and is a better pass rusher. Both have had character issues, Dareus was suspended for several games due to inappropriate contact with an agent. Fairley is known for occasionally showing unsportsmanlike conduct. Fairley's downfall will be the fact that he only has one year starting experience. I see both eventually being Pro Bowlers, but Dareus would be more successful with a team like New England or Green Bay who don't have picks until later in the draft. The SEC has been known for having some of the biggest and strongest players in college football. What I do know is that no matter where they end up, the players in the NFL are bigger, faster and ready to teach a rookie a lesson. Welcome to NFL 101.




NFL Draft 2011

The long awaited, much anticipated NFL draft is just days away. After viewing the combine, we've decided that we just don't know what's gonna happen this year. Cam Newton really showed up and showed out, and who would have expected Marcell Dareus to be such a big threat. Who would have known Julio Jones would run a 4.3 40yd dash on a broken foot, and does Usain Bolt know about this? We'll have all the information for who got selected as it comes in. Watch the draft live on NFL Network starting this Thursday 4/28/11. In the meantime, take a look at the draft order we've listed below. 

1. CAROLINA PANTHERS
2. DENVER BRONCOS
3. BUFFALO BILLS
4. CINCINNATI BENGALS
5.ARIZONA CARDINALS
6.CLEVELAND BROWNS
7. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
8. TENNESSEE TITANS
9. DALLAS COWBOYS
10. WASHINGTON REDSKINS
11. HOUSTON TEXANS
12. MINNESOTA VIKINGS
13. DETROIT LIONS
14. ST. LOUIS RAMS
15. MIAMI DOLPHINS
16. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
17. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
18. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
19. NEW YORK GIANTS
20. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
21. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
22. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
23. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
24. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
25. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
26. BALTIMORE RAVENS
27. ATLANTA FALCONS
28. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 
29. CHICAGO BEARS
30. NEW YORK JETS
31. PITTSBURGH STEELERS
32. GREEN BAY PACKERS




Audibles Magazine (pre combine) Mock Draft



1. Carolina Panthers: Nick Fairley DE/DT Auburn University
Fairley is the second player from Auburn to receive the Lombardi Award. He was actually coached by the first winner of the Lombardi Award from Auburn University. While Fairley has had his moments of dirty play, you can't deny his awesome ability. He led the SEC in tackles resulting in loss of yardage and was SEC Player of the Year only after being named SEC Player of the Week five times. He was also defensive MVP during the BCS Championship game in which he had five tackles against the Ducks, one sack, and one forced fumble. Carolina could use Fairley's game changing tackling ability to fill the holes in their defense.

2. Denver Broncos: Da' Quan Bowers DE Clemson
Bowers, the ACC defensive player of the year will work well with Broncos coach John Fox, who will more than likely favor a defensive end to a cornerback (Patrick Peterson would be his next likely choice). Bowers will bring back memories for Fox in what he had with Julius Peppers when he was coaching with Carolina. This pick will depend strongly on whether or not Carolina takes Fairley. If they choose Bowers, then Denver may pick Peterson.


3. Buffalo Bills: Patrick Peterson, CB LSU
Peterson will likely be able to take the spot of Terrence McGee who's been injury prone, not to mention the fact that he's 30 years old. The Bills don't necessarily need Peterson, but he is an excellant player and with two teams picking before them, he will be their best choice. However, if Carolina chooses not to pick Nick Fairley, the Broncos will definitely take Fairley over Peterson but I don't see that happening.

4.Cincinnati Bengals: A.J. Green WR Georgia
Well this is an easy choice for the Bengals. Carson Palmer hates being on the most famous team on the planet. He wants out, but the coach loves him and definitely will be willing to toss the ringleader himself Ochocino out on his ass for whatever Carson Palmer wants. With Ochocinco out, enter A.J. Green, the best wide receiver prospect in the entire country.  Green has been compared to Larry Fitzgerald and Randy Moss. In 2010 he had a career high 57 receptions for 848 yards with 9 touchdowns. If Carson Palmer walks, look to Cincinnati to pick up a quarterback, unlikely Cam Newton, and more likely Blaine Gabbert.

5. Arizona Cardinals:  Von Miller DE/OLB Texas A&M
I only pick Von Miller because I feel the Cardinals are going to make a move to acquire Donovan McNabb as quarterback, even though personally, I think his old ass needs to have a seat. Therefore, the Cardinals would be smart to fill a defensive position with someone young, especially considering that they have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. The only other option would be to give Larry Fitzgerald someone to mold, but that would rely on what Carson Palmer would do in Cincinnati and whether or not A.J. Green is still available.

6. Cleveland Browns: Julio Jones, WR Alabama
The Browns need a wide receiver desperately to take full advantage of all the Colt McCoy has to offer. I would definitely have given the Browns other players like A.J. Green or De'Quan Bowers, but I fully expect them to be off the buffet table by the time Cleveland gets to eat. I may be a little early in pulling Julio Jones out of the draft bag of tricks, but the only other person I could think of is Cameron Heyward and McCoy's style of play doesn't readily excite me with a running back as part of the blueprint. If  Jones doesn't go to Cleveland, he may not go in the first round at all.

7. San Francisco 49ers: Blaine Gabbert QB, Missouri
I don't really have a lot to say about this other than the current coaching/quarterback situation is pretty dismal and the 49ers need for Smith to just sort of walk away. The only thing I see standing in the way of the acquisition of a new quarterback is McNabb coming to the 49ers. This also is a dismal proposition because I would rather see McNabb go to Arizona who would need his help more than San Fran.

8.Tennessee Titans:Ryan Mallet QB, Arkansas
Vince Young is heading toward the exit, and that leaves a quarterback position open. I suggest Ryan Mallet for his size and the fact that he's got quite an arm on him. The Titans also need a defensive tackle, but its not solidified whether Albert Haynesworth will be around for another season with them or not. Mallet, while slept on set an Arkansas record for completing 21 of 24 passes against Tennessee Tech and was seventh in voting for the Heisman.

9. Dallas Cowboys: Prince Amukamara CB, Nebraska
With Patrick Peterson being snatched up already by Buffalo and no other team in between them and Dallas needing a corner so badly, this is likely where this young talent will end up. Jerry Jones would be a plum fool for not filling this position, especially with an aging Newman likely not returning in 2011.The only other player I see going to the Cowboys is Brandon Harris from Miami, but Amukamara's number are better and I don't see Harris going this early.

10. Washington Redskins: Cam Newton QB, Auburn
This pick could be VERY tricky. Cam Newton is awesome, but what the Redskins don't need is a Jamarcus Russell situation. Newton only had one successful year playing Division 1 football, and though he pulled a hell of a campaign out of his hiney, who knows how things will turn out in the NFL with that little experience. Though he played well in the BCS championship, it took him all of the first quarter to find his groove, and by the third quarter he was visibly worn out and in obvious pain. Size does matter, and like Russell, who was bragged on for being able to throw a 90 yard passing sitting on his bum, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. If Cam can prove himself, he will be an awesome asset to this team, but if he fails, its going to be a tough road for the Redskins to find redemption.

Congratulations to the SEC for having the most players in any NFL mock draft.
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