2014 Official Draft Thread

[Fleet]

Chiefs WR coach is an annoying motherfucker. Its like Herm on crack.

[Formula 21]

It's so easy to dream about getting a top wr.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

Wr is risky in the first round historicly...

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

Im liking Dee Ford...


Dee Ford: Jadeveon Clowney “plays like a blind dog in a meat market”

Posted by Mike Wilkening on February 23, 2014, 8:00 PM EST

In an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio on Sunday, Auburn defensive end Dee Ford was asked if he was better than South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

As would be expected, Ford answered in the affirmative.

“I’m better. I’m better,” Ford said.

Then, as he expanded on his answer, Ford offered something of a critique of Clowney, who had just three sacks in 2013 but is widely regarded as of the top prospects in the 2014 NFL Draft.

“People are just looking at the fact that he’s a physical specimen,” Ford said. “It really don’t matter. Honestly, if you watch the film, you know, it’s kind of like, he plays like a blind dog in a meat market, basically.

“I play with a lot of technique. I watch a lot of film. These are the things that make you a great player, and these are the things that I do, and it shows up, know what I’m saying?

“This is all my opinion, you know what I’m saying? And you can see these things. You can see these things on film. Go watch the film. You know, it’s a lot of intangibles that you need to have to be a great player. You can’t just look at the fact that he’s a physical specimen. I think the NFL should have learned by that by now.”

Ford certainly was the more productive player in 2013, notching 12.5 sacks for Auburn. Per NFL.com, he measures at 6-foot-2 and 252 pounds, but Ford, in his interview with SiriusXM, noted that Elvis Dumervil, Robert Mathis and Von Miller are all successful pass rushers of somewhat shorter stature.

Nevertheless, Clowney — who’s three inches taller and 14 pounds heavier than Ford, per NFL.com —is very likely to be drafted earlier than Ford in May. Clowney’s sheer skill set makes it just about a cinch.

In some ways, Ford’s confidence and willingness to talk about his strengths is understandable. If he’s not going to talk himself up, who will? Also, by talking about Clowney — one of the draft’s marquee prospects — he indirectly draws some attention to his cause.

Anyways, it just so happens that linebackers and defensive ends work out Monday at the Combine, and anything Ford does at Lucas Oil Stadium will mean more to his draft stock than anything he says.

Clowney? His draft stock is pretty solid.

After all, Ford’s not the one doing the drafting.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

Prospect leaves Scouting Combine, says God told him to

Posted by Mike Florio on February 23, 2014, 8:27 PM EST

God once told the late Reggie White whether and where to play pro football. Regarding former San Diego State running back Adam Muema, God has issued him a far more specific direction.

According to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego, Muema left the Scouting Combine on Sunday without working out. He cited religious reasons.

But the religious reasons weren’t related to, for example, treating Sunday as the day of rest. Which would make it pretty hard to pursue a career in the NFL. God told Muema (according, obviously, to Muema) that if he didn’t work out at the Scouting Combine he’d realize his dream of playing for the Seattle Seahawks.

“Can’t go wrong with God,” Muema said. “[He] told me to sit down, be quiet, enjoy the peace.”

Muema left San Diego State as a junior. The NFL Draft Advisory Board has projected that he’ll be fourth-round to seventh-round pick.

His decision to skip the Scouting Combine workout could indeed help guarantee a path to Seattle. If Muema ultimately goes undrafted, he can sign with the Seahawks as a free agent.

[thelightningwill]

Prospect leaves Scouting Combine, says God told him to

Posted by Mike Florio on February 23, 2014, 8:27 PM EST

God once told the late Reggie White whether and where to play pro football. Regarding former San Diego State running back Adam Muema, God has issued him a far more specific direction.

According to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego, Muema left the Scouting Combine on Sunday without working out. He cited religious reasons.

But the religious reasons weren’t related to, for example, treating Sunday as the day of rest. Which would make it pretty hard to pursue a career in the NFL. God told Muema (according, obviously, to Muema) that if he didn’t work out at the Scouting Combine he’d realize his dream of playing for the Seattle Seahawks.

“Can’t go wrong with God,” Muema said. “[He] told me to sit down, be quiet, enjoy the peace.”

Muema left San Diego State as a junior. The NFL Draft Advisory Board has projected that he’ll be fourth-round to seventh-round pick.

His decision to skip the Scouting Combine workout could indeed help guarantee a path to Seattle. If Muema ultimately goes undrafted, he can sign with the Seahawks as a free agent.

Uh? Are we sure this guy is an Aztec?

If he had said he had to ditch the combine to compete in a beer-pong tournament, it would make more sense.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

2014 NFL combine results: Bench Press (Defensive Linemen) Derek Harper The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com

February 23, 2014 05:09 PM

Projected first-round pick Aaron Donald did 35 reps in

the bench press. (USATSI)

More Draft: NFL Mock Drafts | Prospect Rankings | NFL combine workout results

2014 NFL combine results: Bench Press (Defensive Linemen)

INDIANAPOLIS - Boston College's Kaleb Ramsey won the brute force strength contest among defensive linemen with 36 reps on the 225-pound bench press on Sunday. While Jadeveon Clowney raised some eyebrows with "only" 21 reps, NFLDraftScout.com senior analyst Rob Rang notes it puts Clowney in line with several of the NFL's elite pass rushers over the past decade.

Kaleb Ramsey, Boston College (36)

Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh (35)

Ryan Carrethers, Arkansas State (32)

Ra’Shede Hageman, Minnesota (32)

Robert Thomas, Arkansas (32)

Tenny Palepoi, Utah (31)

Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame (31)

Kerry Wynn, Richmond (31)

Eathyn Manumaleuna, BYU (29)

IK Enemkpali, Louisiana Tech (28)

Zachariah Kerr, Delaware (28)

Chris Smith, Arkansas (28)

Khyri Thornton, Southern Miss (28)

Timmy Jernigan, Florida St. (27)

Daniel McCullers, Tennessee (27)

Kelcy Quarles, South Carolina (27)

Jason Bromley, Syracuse (26)

Dominique Easley, Florida (26)

James Gayle, Virginia Tech (26)

Justin Ellis, Louisiana Tech (25)

DaQuan Jones, Penn St. (25)

Shamar Stephen, Connecticut (25)

Deandre Coleman, California (24)

Scott Crichton, Oregon St. (24)

Ego Ferguson, LSU (24)

Will Sutton, Arizona State (24)

Zach Moore, Concordia (MN) (23)

Mike Pennel, Colorado State-Pueblo (23)

Marcus Smith, Louisville (23)

Will Clarke, West Virginia (22)

Kony Ealy, Missouri (22)

Kareeem Martin, North Carolina (22)

Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina (21)

Taylor Hart, Oregon (21)

Howard Jones, Shepherd (21)

Josh Mauro, Stanford (21)

Jonathan Newsome, Ball St. (21)

Kerry Hyder, Texas Tech (20)

Anthony Johnson, LSU (20)

Demarcus Lawrence, Boise St. (20)

Caraun Reid, Princeton (20)

Kasim Edebali, Boston College (19)

Ethan Westbrooks, West Texas A&M (19)

Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas (18)

Aaron Lynch, South Florida (18)

George Uko, USC (18)

Tevin Mims, South Florida (17)

Michael Sam, Missouri (17)

Larry Webster, Bloomsburg (17)

Cassius Marsh, UCLA (14)

Dee Ford, Auburn (-)

Louis Nix, Notre Dame (-)

Jeoffrey Pagan, Alabama (-)

Ed Stinson, Alabama (-)

Brent Urban, Virginia (-)

Chris Whaley, Texas (-)

[Bolt-O]

Muema will be lucky to be drafted, if he even plays again.

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

POSTED FEBRUARY 20, 2014 2014 NFL combine survey: Offensive linemen recall their toughest opponents 2014 SCOUTING COMBINE, NFL DRAFT, NFL DRAFT 2014

BY CH RI S BUR KE & DOU G FAR RA R

Jadeveon Clowney gets all the headlines, but players also singled out the dominance of Aaron Donald (top). (Don Wright/AP)

INDIANAPOLIS — Offensive

linemen work as a group, but

individual battles are supremely

important at every position on the

line. Prove that you can handle the

best one-on-one matchups, and

you have a chance to place yourself

very highly in the draft.

With that thought in mind, and with

the offensive linemen going

through the media blast on

Thursday at the scouting combine,

we asked a large group of those

players who their toughest

collegiate opponents were. The

leaders? South Carolina’s Jadeveon

Clowney and Pittsburgh’s Aaron

Donald, with three mentions each.

OT Cameron Fleming, Stanford:

“[Former USC end and current

Packers OLB] Nick Perry. Because of

his speed in the pass rush. I mean,

you usually get somebody who’s big

and wants to bull-rush you, or

somebody who’s fast and wants to

get around the edge. He had both,

and he was able to do it with his

hand on the ground, which was

impressive to me.”

C Tyler Larsen, Utah: “I would say

… in the Senior Bowl, I went up

against [Pitt defensive tackle] Aaron

Donald. He’s a great DT. He has that

strength and quickness off the ball.

I would say him, by far.”

MORE: 2014 NFL Mock

Draft | 2014 NFL Draft Big

Board | Burning questions for

combine

OL Joel Bitonio, Nevada:

“Probably either Anthony Barr from

UCLA, or Demarcus Lawrence from

Boise State. Lawrence is a good

athlete — he moves around well

and he changes up his moves

pretty well when he’s pass-rushing.

He’s a pretty versatile guy with a

good motor. Barr’s long and

athletic — he plays hard. That type

of stuff. Everything everyone writes

about him [laughs].”

OT Charles Leno, Boise State:

“Ezekiel Ansah. His arm length was

a little bit longer … he got his arms

on me first, and extended them,

and it was pretty hard. I’ve got long

arms, but he always got on me

first. It was pretty tough.”

OG Xavier Su’a-Filo, UCLA: “I’d

have to say Star Lotulelei. He’s with

the Carolina Panthers now, but I

faced him in his last year [at Utah].

He’s a big, strong, physical player.

For his strength and size, he had

speed and quickness I didn’t see a

lot from guys that big. You see him

moving like that, and he proved to

be a challenge on every play. I had

to bring my A-game against him.”

OT Justin Britt, Missouri:

“Probably Jadeveon Clowney. He’s a

lot stronger than he might look,

and he looks pretty strong. That 4.4

speed I think you’ll see this

weekend — that really plays a role

when you’re playing defensive end.

When you’re playing tackle and he’s

trying to back up, it’s very

challenging. Overall, he’s just a very

explosive player. He has that God-

gifted ability.”

OT Jake Matthews, Texas A&M:

“Well, we played a lot of good

colleges … any time you play

Alabama, LSU, Missouri — all those

teams. But I thought Kony Ealy

from Missouri was great. Real

aggressive, big and strong, mixed

up his pass rush moves really well.

He was really aggressive coming off

the ball in the run game, and he

was good with hands. He did a

really good job of mixing all that

up. Guys who mix it up well are

always the toughest to face.”

C Travis Swanson, Arkansas: “I

would say [former Alabama and

current Bills DT] Marcel Dareus.

Obviously, he was a very high draft

pick for that reason. Just a

mountain of a man. I also played

against [ex-Auburn and current

Lions DT] Nick Fairley. Played

against [former LSU DT] Drake

Nevis as well. So, I played against a

lot of very talented interior

defensive linemen early in my

career, which helped me a bunch

in the latter part of my career.”

C James Stone, Tennessee: “I

mean, I’ve faced some guys like

Marcel Dareus and [Florida DT]

Dominique Easley and [former

Alabama and current Patriots LB]

Dont’a Hightower, [former Missouri

and current Jets DT] Sheldon

Richardson — I’ve faced some

pretty good guys. But I’d have to

say Dominique Easley. He had a

way of timing the snap and getting

off the ball and using his hands

well. He’s definitely one of the most

impressive.”

T Taylor Lewan, Michigan:

“Jadaveon Clowney, absolutely. That

[bowl] game was unreal, having a

month to prepare for a guy like

that, knowing he was going to be a

top five pick in the NFL draft -– just

taking the time I had to watch his

film, I put myself in an NFL

situation. I spent the extra hours at

night, which you have to do when

this is your job. And I felt like I

played one of my best games

against him.”

C Weston Richburg, Colorado

State: “Aaron Donald at the Senior

Bowl. It was only for a couple of

days, but he’s a really good player.

He may be smaller than a normal

guy [at his position], but he’s very

fast. I think he’s got a lot of good

things ahead of him. He’s maybe

closer to me than he is to a guard,

so he’s going to try and get my

edge really quick. It’s really

important for me to try and get

back, and get my hands on him.

That’s something I was faced with,

facing him.”

OG David Yankey, Stanford: “The

toughest defender was probably

Stephon Tuitt, the defensive end at

Notre Dame. Really big guy. Solid

all around. I think he has one of

the best games all around.”

G/T Zack Martin, Notre Dame:

“[Pittsburgh's] Aaron Donald, we

saw each other the last couple

years. I’m not surprised that he

would be able to make the jump.”

T Michael Schofield, Michigan: “I

matched up against Jadeveon

Clowney for one series [in the 2013

Outback Bowl]. That was hardest

series of my life. … The hype is

legit.”

T Ja’Wuan James, Tennessee:

“Michael Sam. He’s a high-motor

guy, I was talking about it last year,

I was asked who was the most

underrated player and I said

Michael Sam. He’s a guy that plays

with high energy, high motor and

competed from the first play to the

last play of the game.”

[Steve]

In case you want to be able to read Stinky's post. http://nfl.si.com/2014/02/20/2014-nf...est-opponents/

INDIANAPOLIS — Offensive linemen work as a group, but individual battles are supremely important at every position on the line. Prove that you can handle the best one-on-one matchups, and you have a chance to place yourself very highly in the draft. With that thought in mind, and with the offensive linemen going through the media blast on Thursday at the scouting combine, we asked a large group of those players who their toughest
collegiate opponents were. The leaders? South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney and Pittsburgh’s Aaron Donald, with three mentions each.

OT Cameron Fleming, Stanford: “[Former USC end and current Packers OLB] Nick Perry. Because of his speed in the pass rush. I mean, you usually get somebody who’s big and wants to bull-rush you, or somebody who’s fast and wants to get around the edge. He had both, and he was able to do it with his
hand on the ground, which was impressive to me.”

C Tyler Larsen, Utah: “I would say … in the Senior Bowl, I went up against [Pitt defensive tackle] Aaron Donald. He’s a great DT. He has that strength and quickness off the ball. I would say him, by far.”

OL Joel Bitonio, Nevada: “Probably either Anthony Barr from UCLA, or Demarcus Lawrence from Boise State. Lawrence is a good athlete — he moves around well and he changes up his moves pretty well when he’s pass-rushing. He’s a pretty versatile guy with a good motor. Barr’s long and athletic — he plays hard. That type of stuff. Everything everyone writes about him [laughs].”

OT Charles Leno, Boise State: “Ezekiel Ansah. His arm length was a little bit longer … he got his arms on me first, and extended them, and it was pretty hard. I’ve got long arms, but he always got on me first. It was pretty tough.”

OG Xavier Su’a-Filo, UCLA: “I’d have to say Star Lotulelei. He’s with the Carolina Panthers now, but I faced him in his last year [at Utah]. He’s a big, strong, physical player. For his strength and size, he had speed and quickness I didn’t see a lot from guys that big. You see him moving like that, and he proved to be a challenge on every play. I had to bring my A-game against him.”

OT Justin Britt, Missouri: "Probably Jadeveon Clowney. He’s a lot stronger than he might look, and he looks pretty strong. That 4.4 speed I think you’ll see this weekend — that really plays a role when you’re playing defensive end. When you’re playing tackle and he’s trying to back up, it’s very challenging. Overall, he’s just a very explosive player. He has that God-gifted ability.”

OT Jake Matthews, Texas A&M: “Well, we played a lot of good colleges … any time you play Alabama, LSU, Missouri — all those teams. But I thought Kony Ealy from Missouri was great. Real aggressive, big and strong, mixed up his pass rush moves really well. He was really aggressive coming off the ball in the run game, and he was good with hands. He did a really good job of mixing all that up. Guys who mix it up well are always the toughest to face.”

C Travis Swanson, Arkansas: “I would say [former Alabama and current Bills DT] Marcel Dareus. Obviously, he was a very high draft pick for that reason. Just a mountain of a man. I also played against [ex-Auburn and current Lions DT] Nick Fairley. Played against [former LSU DT] Drake Nevis as well. So, I played against a lot of very talented interior defensive linemen early in my career, which helped me a bunch in the latter part of my career.”

C James Stone, Tennessee: “I mean, I’ve faced some guys like Marcel Dareus and [Florida DT] Dominique Easley and [former Alabama and current Patriots LB] Dont’a Hightower, [former Missouri and current Jets DT] Sheldon Richardson — I’ve faced some pretty good guys. But I’d have to say Dominique Easley. He had a way of timing the snap and getting off the ball and using his hands well. He’s definitely one of the most impressive.”

T Taylor Lewan, Michigan: “Jadaveon Clowney, absolutely. That [bowl] game was unreal, having a month to prepare for a guy like that, knowing he was going to be a top five pick in the NFL draft -– just taking the time I had to watch his film, I put myself in an NFL situation. I spent the extra hours at night, which you have to do when this is your job. And I felt like I played one of my best games against him.”

C Weston Richburg, Colorado State: “Aaron Donald at the Senior Bowl. It was only for a couple of days, but he’s a really good player. He may be smaller than a normal guy [at his position], but he’s very fast. I think he’s got a lot of good things ahead of him. He’s maybe closer to me than he is to a guard, so he’s going to try and get my edge really quick. It’s really important for me to try and get back, and get my hands on him. That’s something I was faced with, facing him.”

OG David Yankey, Stanford: “The toughest defender was probably Stephon Tuitt, the defensive end at Notre Dame. Really big guy. Solid all around. I think he has one of the best games all around.”

G/T Zack Martin, Notre Dame: “[Pittsburgh's] Aaron Donald, we saw each other the last couple years. I’m not surprised that he would be able to make the jump.”

T Michael Schofield, Michigan: “I matched up against Jadeveon Clowney for one series [in the 2013 Outback Bowl]. That was hardest series of my life. … The hype is legit.”

T Ja’Wuan James, Tennessee: “Michael Sam. He’s a high-motor guy, I was talking about it last year, I was asked who was the most underrated player and I said Michael Sam. He’s a guy that plays with high energy, high motor and competed from the first play to the last play of the game.”

[Guest]

Thanks

Steve

that is

very

helpful.

[Bolt-O]

I believe Clowney used to be a RB in high school. He's certainly faster than most of the guys at the combine at that position. 4.48!