What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Halfway point of season, time for 1st look at 2014 NFL draft (1 Viewer)

David Carr would have likely had a much different career if he wasn't behind such a terrible line for years. If I'm not mistaken, he entered the league as a guy willing to stare down the gun barrel and deliver the ball, but after getting hit on nearly every play and sacked an absurd amount of times, he began seeing ghosts.

Still had some pretty productive seasons, but I believe the hits he took early in his career drastically altered his career path.

 
Scouting report, updated yesterday on Manziel.

http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2013/11/2013_college_quarterback_repor_2.html

3. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M

6-1, 210 lbs., RS Sophomore

Yearly stats: Passing – 230-315 (73%), 3313 yards, 31 TDs, 11 INTs

Rushing – 110 carries, 611 yards, 8 TDs

Most recent game: Win vs. Mississippi State, 51-41. Passing– 30-39 (76.9%), 446 yards, 5 TDs, 3 INTs.

Rushing – 14 carries, 47 yards, 0 TD

Analysis: If Manziel played his final game in front of the hometown fans, he made it a memorable one. Yes, he threw three interceptions and those need to be cleaned up, but he also shredded Mississippi State's defense primarily with his arm. That has been a change for Manziel this year. He is running four fewer times per game and focusing on winning from inside the pocket.

Despite some key losses (OT Luke Joeckel and WR Ryan Swope) on offense, he is even better than he was in 2012 when he won the Heisman Trophy. Manziel is a one-man wrecking ball of offense. The off-the-field issues will continue to be brought up, his size will be a problem for some people as the draft gets closer and his style of play will lead to questions. But Manziel has a great understanding of the position and creates magic every week.
I haven't done any deep research but the consensus is their are not any of QB prospects are on the level of Andrew Luck or even RG III. At least no one seems to be saying that right now. So any team in need of a quarterback 'probably' won't get the sort of immediate impact of Luck or RG III.

Manziel has been compaired to Russell Wilson and Wilson came in and after the mid-point of last year he blew up so its 'possible' that Manziel 'could' have immediate impact but Russell's charActer ( :grad: Char-A-ter with an A, lol) is one of the best aspects of what he brings to a team. I don't know what the issue(s) are with Johnny Football off the field but it always gets mentioned.

Teams in DIRE need of quarterback who would need a QB to come-in and make immediate impact:

- Jacksonville

- Minnesota

Other teams who need a QB but who have at least a 'bridge-type' of quarterback in place where they could take a developmental quarterback. Someone who has the raw skils that can be developed and/or coached-up.

- Arizona

- Cleveland

Other teams with young QBs who they may or may-not stick with:

- Houston, Keenum looks pretty good

- Tampa Bay, they 'probably' will stick with Glennon

- St. Louis, I see no reason to move-on from Bradford especially with an unknown? rookie

I think Jacksoneville will go with the highest rated QB prospect, probably not Manziel.

Minnesota 'might' be the favorite if they pass-off on any character concerns.

Arizona and Cleveland would likely be evaluating the second highest rated QB and it seems that Cleveland has positioned themselves well in acquiring extra draft picks to manuver to move-up 'if' they have to but its possible that a 'developmental' QB could slide to them since I'm not sure the other teams would pull the trigger but lots of things will change between now and next May.

 
Drew Brees seems to like him. http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Drew-Brees-Johnny-Manziel-is-absolutely-an-NFL-starter-111113

But frankly, Manziel is the 3rd best NFL prospect at his own school. Without checking the stats, I have a hard time thinking of a QB who has benefitted more from his OLine than Manziel. He's a good prospect, but he won't have the same protection in the NFL.
You're watching the Johnny Manziel that plays for Texas A&M, right? The A&M that's in the state of Texas? They wear maroon and white uniforms?

Sure he has a good o-line but the guy creates plays on his own a LOT.
Creating plays on his own is his strength but it's also what will get him killed in the pros. He takes a ton of hits now, wait until the NFL DE/LB get a hold of him.

I think he would do well in the NFL.....but never healthy for more than 12 games a year.

 
Scouting report, updated yesterday on Manziel.

http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2013/11/2013_college_quarterback_repor_2.html

3. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M

6-1, 210 lbs., RS Sophomore

Yearly stats: Passing – 230-315 (73%), 3313 yards, 31 TDs, 11 INTs

Rushing – 110 carries, 611 yards, 8 TDs

Most recent game: Win vs. Mississippi State, 51-41. Passing– 30-39 (76.9%), 446 yards, 5 TDs, 3 INTs.

Rushing – 14 carries, 47 yards, 0 TD

Analysis: If Manziel played his final game in front of the hometown fans, he made it a memorable one. Yes, he threw three interceptions and those need to be cleaned up, but he also shredded Mississippi State's defense primarily with his arm. That has been a change for Manziel this year. He is running four fewer times per game and focusing on winning from inside the pocket.

Despite some key losses (OT Luke Joeckel and WR Ryan Swope) on offense, he is even better than he was in 2012 when he won the Heisman Trophy. Manziel is a one-man wrecking ball of offense. The off-the-field issues will continue to be brought up, his size will be a problem for some people as the draft gets closer and his style of play will lead to questions. But Manziel has a great understanding of the position and creates magic every week.
I haven't done any deep research but the consensus is their are not any of QB prospects are on the level of Andrew Luck or even RG III. At least no one seems to be saying that right now. So any team in need of a quarterback 'probably' won't get the sort of immediate impact of Luck or RG III.

Manziel has been compaired to Russell Wilson and Wilson came in and after the mid-point of last year he blew up so its 'possible' that Manziel 'could' have immediate impact but Russell's charActer ( :grad: Char-A-ter with an A, lol) is one of the best aspects of what he brings to a team. I don't know what the issue(s) are with Johnny Football off the field but it always gets mentioned.

Teams in DIRE need of quarterback who would need a QB to come-in and make immediate impact:

- Jacksonville

- Minnesota

Other teams who need a QB but who have at least a 'bridge-type' of quarterback in place where they could take a developmental quarterback. Someone who has the raw skils that can be developed and/or coached-up.

- Arizona

- Cleveland

Other teams with young QBs who they may or may-not stick with:

- Houston, Keenum looks pretty good

- Tampa Bay, they 'probably' will stick with Glennon

- St. Louis, I see no reason to move-on from Bradford especially with an unknown? rookie

I think Jacksoneville will go with the highest rated QB prospect, probably not Manziel.

Minnesota 'might' be the favorite if they pass-off on any character concerns.

Arizona and Cleveland would likely be evaluating the second highest rated QB and it seems that Cleveland has positioned themselves well in acquiring extra draft picks to manuver to move-up 'if' they have to but its possible that a 'developmental' QB could slide to them since I'm not sure the other teams would pull the trigger but lots of things will change between now and next May.
Rumors are that Houston would love to get Manziel, Keenum or not.

Who knows what TB will do for QB since somebody else will probably be calling the shots.

 
Drew Brees seems to like him. http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Drew-Brees-Johnny-Manziel-is-absolutely-an-NFL-starter-111113

But frankly, Manziel is the 3rd best NFL prospect at his own school. Without checking the stats, I have a hard time thinking of a QB who has benefitted more from his OLine than Manziel. He's a good prospect, but he won't have the same protection in the NFL.
You're watching the Johnny Manziel that plays for Texas A&M, right? The A&M that's in the state of Texas? They wear maroon and white uniforms?

Sure he has a good o-line but the guy creates plays on his own a LOT.
Creating plays on his own is his strength but it's also what will get him killed in the pros. He takes a ton of hits now, wait until the NFL DE/LB get a hold of him.

I think he would do well in the NFL.....but never healthy for more than 12 games a year.
You're right, but those circumstances and their results can be said of any NFL QB.

He can learn when to make something happen and when to live to fight another day. The thing is, where some QBs can only be productive when they're freelancing, Manziel has shown that he can be both - good within the design of the play and also when he has to make it happen himself.

I guess I'm driving the Manziel to Minnesota bandwagon. :drive:

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Drew Brees seems to like him. http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Drew-Brees-Johnny-Manziel-is-absolutely-an-NFL-starter-111113

But frankly, Manziel is the 3rd best NFL prospect at his own school. Without checking the stats, I have a hard time thinking of a QB who has benefitted more from his OLine than Manziel. He's a good prospect, but he won't have the same protection in the NFL.
You're watching the Johnny Manziel that plays for Texas A&M, right? The A&M that's in the state of Texas? They wear maroon and white uniforms?

Sure he has a good o-line but the guy creates plays on his own a LOT.
Creating plays on his own is his strength but it's also what will get him killed in the pros. He takes a ton of hits now, wait until the NFL DE/LB get a hold of him.

I think he would do well in the NFL.....but never healthy for more than 12 games a year.
You're right, but those circumstances and their results can be said of any NFL QB.

He can learn when to make something happen and when to live to fight another day. The thing is, where some QBs can only be productive when they're freelancing, Manziel has shown that he can be both - good within the design of the play and also when he has to make it happen himself.

I guess I'm driving the Manziel to Minnesota bandwagon. :drive:
In the top 5 or just in general? Because I will bet you any amount of money he doesnt go top 10 and more than likely not even in the first.

 
I guess I'm driving the Manziel to Minnesota bandwagon. :drive:
In the top 5 or just in general? Because I will bet you any amount of money he doesnt go top 10 and more than likely not even in the first.
Have you seen the Viking QB play this year? I'd absolutely be okay with them taking him in the top 5.

If Mariotta and Hundley don't come out (which I don't think they will), I think it's a lock that Manziel goes in the top 10. Barring trade ups, as it stands now there are 5 teams in the top 9 draft positions that need a QB. Then there's Cleveland that could easily package its two picks to move up.

 
I guess I'm driving the Manziel to Minnesota bandwagon. :drive:
In the top 5 or just in general? Because I will bet you any amount of money he doesnt go top 10 and more than likely not even in the first.
Have you seen the Viking QB play this year? I'd absolutely be okay with them taking him in the top 5.

If Mariotta and Hundley don't come out (which I don't think they will), I think it's a lock that Manziel goes in the top 10. Barring trade ups, as it stands now there are 5 teams in the top 9 draft positions that need a QB. Then there's Cleveland that could easily package its two picks to move up.
I'm not sure what will happen with Mariota or Hundley but we've seen QBs go back and have that strategy back-fire on them so if they keep their high draft projections I wouldn't assume they will go back just yet.

Per the Browns moving up, yeah but they have both QB Brian Hoyer and QB Jason Cambell which doesn't make getting an 'impact' type of rookie quarterback as high of a priority. It makes more sense that the Browns would not take any risks by moving in many high draft picks unless they are absolutely smitten or positively certain about a QB prospect.

Here is what Browns general manager Michael Lombardi said about the Browns 2012 drafting of QB Brandon Weeden when he didn't have on his GM filter.

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/If-the-Eagles-want-to-draft-a-QB-this-offseason-theyll-have-plenty-of-competition.html

... You know how I know Browns new GM Michael Lombardi doesn’t like current QB Brandon Weeden? Because he said so, when he was a TV guy on NFL Network, via Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain DealerIn awkward situations such as this, the next step for Lombardi after he was hired was to come up with a lie that attempted to let the fans, media, and your QB know that you didn’t really mean it. But at the same time, Lombardi doesn’t want to come off as a media hack who was just throwing out nonsense opinions for the sake of creating TV discussion. Here’s what they came up with:

(Lombardi) had called the drafting of the 29-year-old quarterback with the No. 22 overall pick a year ago, a “panicked disaster,” even as he admitted Friday of having no memory of making that statement. Lombardi has said the Browns would have been better served conducting a competition instead of anointing Weeden the starter.
That doesn't sound lke a guy who would move-up for any prospect that he wasn't certain of but Lombardi is only part of the braintrust of, Lombardi, CEO Joe Banner, Assistant GM Ray Farmer, along with input from head coach Rob Chudzinski all being overseen by Owner Jimmy Haslan.

They won't take risks with the top pick, that call is a consensus. They turned down a trade with the Rams in last year's draft after they all bought in on OLB/DE Barkevious Mingo. Amazing that they had his name written down six hours prior to the draft and turned down a trade to move-down and pick up an extra second round draft pick so they really wanted Mingo.

Mingo has great character and that was a big part of why they had a consensus on him.

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9255454/chuck-klosterman-draft-day-cleveland

... It's 2:30 p.m. on the last Thursday in April: In about six hours, these four men will officially decide that a relatively large, uncommonly quick man from Louisiana State named Barkevious Mingo .... To a degree, this verdict has already galvanized in their collective brain: Mingo is absolutely the man they want to draft. They describe him as "always relentless." They identify him as the type of player who "represents everything" they aspire to as a franchise. But — right now, as they make those remarks casually — it's still the middle of the afternoon. The future remains unwritten. Maybe they will get Mingo and maybe they will not; all they can do right now is write his name on a dry-erase board.

... At 2:30, such a deal is already in place. The St. Louis Rams are willing to surrender the 16th overall pick and their second-round selection (plus a throw-in seventh-rounder) to move up to no. 6. However, the agreement has caveats. The Browns will agree to the deal only if Mingo is no longer available at no. 6, and the Rams will make the swap only if the specific guy they want (dynamic West Virginia WR Tavon Austin) is still there at no. 6. Everything depends on Mingo being gone and Austin sticking around,...

 
Per the Browns moving up, yeah but they have both QB Brian Hoyer and QB Jason Cambell which doesn't make getting an 'impact' type of rookie quarterback as high of a priority.
Uh...what? :lol:
Lombardi called Hoyer a starting quarterback in waiting when he was with the NFL Network, long before he signed him and obviously prior to Hoyer getting his chance to start where he played very-well.

And then Jason Cambell has been a relevation with his solid play.

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2013/11/cleveland_browns_are_currently.html

2. Jason Campbell is an elite NFL quarterback.

The 20th quarterback to start an NFL game for the Browns since 1999 is one of the best I've seen in a long time. He puts sensational spin on the ball, he's accurate, he's mobile, he gets the ball out quickly and he makes good decisions. He hasn't thrown an interception in his 75 attempts this season, and he's pushed his streak to 90 attempts without a pick. His current 106.6 rating would be third only to Peyton Manning (119.4) and Aaron Rodgers (108.0) if he had enough snaps to qualify.

So why hasn't Campbell been considered elite yet in his nine-year career? Because he hasn't had the continuity of systems that a Peyton Manning, a Tom Brady or an Aaron Rodgers has had. He's had numerous head coaches and offensive coordinators, and he's on his fourth team. But he's currently in an offense similar to one he's run before -- the downfield Air Coryell scheme -- and he's flourishing in it. I'm not suggesting he's a superstar like a Manning or a Brady, but he's an elite NFL quarterback capable of taking a team to the playoffs and possibly a Super Bowl.

What's more, he's mentoring the young guys such as Gordon and Greg Little, and letting everyone feast at the reception table. He showed tremendous faith in Davone Bess after Bess' dropfest in Kansas City, and got him back on track for the home stretch. Campbell should continue to improve as the season goes alone and he gets more reps with the starters.

 
Feelings mutual.

Ponder, Cassell, Freeman.

None of them won NFC player of the week.

Jason Cambell just won AFC Player of the week before the bye.

Hoyer was playing solidily before he got injured and he just had successufl surgery.

That gives the Browns two quarterbacks who can act as a bridge if/when they draft a rookie QB next year.

The Browns can get decent QB production and win with both Hoyer and Cambell so they don't, and probably won't make any risky draft decisions going for broke with a rookie QB if they aren't completely sold. Basically they aren't in the same boat as Minnesota who really does need immediate impact from the QB position and would likely roll the dice.

You like Manziel and right now it looks like he 'could' be that sort of player so you should be happy since it seems to lining up where you'd get a shot at him.

 
I like Hoyer a lot, and you're right about Lombardi being very in on him prior to taking the GM job...but might be a good idea to settle down on the Jason Campbell optimism.

 
I like Hoyer a lot, and you're right about Lombardi being very in on him prior to taking the GM job...but might be a good idea to settle down on the Jason Campbell optimism.
That was Mary Kay' take, not mine.

My take on Cambell is he's the sort of guy who had his shot as a starter when he was much younger and it didn't work out for him. He has gotten second chances but he's never produced like he has on this hot streak so its difficult to believe he'll continue to play as well as he has.

I think someone said he's the sort of quarterback who plays well off the bench but if he's asked to start the entire year he has gotten injured or wears down. I know Tony Grossi personally sought out JC to apologize to him after his last game and MKC has obviously gone gagga over him.

He's playing well right now and the combination of Hoyer and Cambell does allow the Browns flexibility in next year's draft where they have something to fall back on if they can't move up for more of a sure-fire QB prospect. They can take a developmental guy and sit him on the bench.

 
I'm totally on board the Manziel bandwagon. I think Mariotta stays in school which makes Manziel a top 10 maybe top 5 pick.

Fresno State's Carr is a first rounder too.
how would carr compare to his brother?

drafted high, but didn't pan out...
He's better.Like Carson Palmer was better than Jordan

and

Matt Hasselbeck was better than Tim

and

Ty Detmer was better than Coy

In other words, I don't think it matters.
i agree with those examples, but i was thinking more from the POV of talent evaluators leading up to the draft, like now, in our case...

the palmer brothers were the most obvious disparity, where carson was 1.1 overall, and jordan went in sixth round... everything that happened in pros confirmed the scouts' initial sense...

ty was actually a ninth rounder more than two decades ago... koy was a higher seventh rounder... fairly close pedigree... ty I guess was better in the NFL than his brother, but was still a backup for most of his career...

matt hasselbeck was a sixth rounder, tim a UFA... matt has gone on to a good career, and beat the odds of his pedigree, while his brother has proven himself career backup material. but their pedigree is not as disparate as the palmer's, and the end result may not have been as obvious or predictable at the time...

david carr went 1.1 like palmer, and was thought to be a franchise QB at the time... palmer is the only QB on the list with comparable pre-NFL resume and NFL expectations to carr...

if the younger carr is selected in the first round, that would be unlike any of the above cases with brothers... i think only other case than manning brothers with two first rounders...

point taken that david didn't fulfill the promise of his pedigree (and high pedigree QBs like ryan leaf, akili smith, david klingler, rick mirer, tim couch, heath shuler, jamarcus russell, etc. don't always work out)... upthread is a post that is a reminder that one school of thought holds that david also came into the league as a stare down the gun barrell kind of fearless QB, and was only later " broken" by a historic early career sack rate (if that is in fact what happened)...

so if we compare what scouts think of the younger carr NOW, with what scouts thought of david THEN, before he busted, with both being first rounders, it isn't as obvious with the other pairs of QBs why derek should be expected to fare better than david at the next level...

in other words, how are their respective physical traits and athletic attributes, their skill sets and games similar, and how are they different, AT A COMPARABLE STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT (and on what basis are derek's expected to be superior and serve him better as a pro)?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
From yesterday's MMQB.

NOT A MOCK DRAFT!

A top-50 big board ranking of players for next year's draft.

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/11/12/2014-nfl-draft-big-board-2/

2014 NFL Draft Big Board
1 Teddy Bridgewater
QB; Junior; Louisville; 6-3, 196

(Last Week: 1) Thanks to UCF’s win against Houston, Bridgewater probably won’t get a BCS bowl showcase at the end of the season. In last Friday’s win at Connecticut, Bridgewater completed 21 of 37 passes for 288 yards with a touchdown and an interception.


2 Jadeveon Clowney
DE; Junior; University of South Carolina; 6-6, 274

(Last week: 2) Florida quarterback Tyler Murphy is still in pain from a sprained shoulder suffered against LSU. If he can’t play, redshirt freshman Skyler Mornhinweg—son of Marty—would start in his place Saturday at South Carolina. If this happens, expect Clowney and his teammates to feast.


3 Anthony Barr
LB; Senior; UCLA; 6-4, 245

(Last Week: 3) Barr, a converted running back, must have watched UCLA freshman linebacker Myles Jack’s six-carry, 120-yard cameo in Saturday’s win at Arizona and wondered when Bruins offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone will write him into the gameplan. Barr has a pretty good thing going on defense, though.


4 Jake Matthews
OT; Senior; Texas A&M; 6-5, 305

(Last Week: 5) Matthews and the Aggies offense will have to score in bunches to compete in their remaining games at LSU and Missouri, because Texas A&M’s defense is offering no help.


5 Mike Evans
WR; Redshirt Sophomore; Texas A&M; 6-5, 225

(Last Week: 7) Evans caught five passes for 116 yards in Texas A&M’s win against Mississippi State on Saturday.


6 Cyrus Kouandjio
OT; Junior; Alabama; 6-6, 310

(Last Week: 8) Kouandjio manhandled LSU’s linemen Saturday, and he and his linemates were especially impressive in the second half. The push they got allowed Alabama to control the clock and suck the life out of the Tigers.


7 Marcus Mariota
QB; Redshirt Sophomore; Oregon; 6-4, 211

(Last Week: 6) Mariota was bottled up on the ground against Stanford because of a sprained knee, and it crippled Oregon’s offense for three quarters. He’ll have to be better at winning games with his arm, but in the NFL, his linemen probably won’t be so overmatched.


8 Taylor Lewan
OT; Senior; Michigan; 6-8, 308

(Last Week: 4) A few bad games shouldn’t drop Lewan off the radar entirely, but Michigan’s line play has been horrendous in recent weeks. More troubling is the video of Lewan yanking the facemask of Michigan State safety Isaiah Lewis after a play as Lewis lay on the ground on his stomach. Teams want aggressive players. They like a mean streak. They don’t necessarily want to invest millions in a dirty player. Because if Lewan does that to the wrong guy in the NFL, that guy is taking out one of Lewan’s knees, and there goes some team’s investment.


9 C.J. Mosley
LB; Senior; Alabama; 6-2, 232

(Last Week: 12) From a sheer collegiate production standpoint, Mosley is the best player on the No. 1 team in America. He deserves Heisman Trophy consideration, and he deserves a high draft pick.


10 Johnny Manziel
QB; Redshirt Sophomore; Texas A&M; 6-1, 200

(Last Week: 9) No one has figured out how to stop Manziel yet except possibly Manziel. Saturday against Mississippi State, he threw three interceptions. He also threw five touchdown passes.


11 AJ McCarron
QB; Senior; Alabama; 6-4, 214

(Last Week: 10) The Crimson Tide ran only 62 plays Saturday, and McCarron threw on only 20 of those. He completed 14 passes, three of them for touchdowns.


12 De'Anthony Thomas
RB; Junior; Oregon; 5-9, 176

(Last Week: 11) Thomas still doesn’t seem himself since returning from an ankle sprain. But even though he didn’t do much against Stanford, NFL scouts probably are watching quite a bit of his tape this week after fellow mighty-mite Tavon Austin rolled up 314 all-purpose yards for the Rams against the Colts.


13 Stephon Tuitt
DE; Junior; Notre Dame; 6-6, 303

(Last Week: 13) Tuitt was ejected from Notre Dame’s loss to Pittsburgh for this hit on Panthers quarterback Tom Savage. Obviously, Tuitt disagreed with the call, and he intends to use it as motivation for the rest of the season.


14 James Hurst
OT; Senior; North Carolina; 6-7, 305

(Last Week: 15) Hurst has helped the Tar Heels to a three-game win streak. The schedule has helped, but so has the fact that the three linemen alongside Hurst have grown up.


15 Aaron Murray
QB; Senior; Georgia; 6-1, 208

(Last Week: 16) Murray had an easy day Saturday in a blowout of Appalachian State. It won’t be so easy this week against Auburn’s excellent young pass rushers.


16 Sammy Watkins
WR; Junior; Clemson; 6-1, 205

(Last Week: 17) In Clemson’s last game—a win at Virginia on Nov. 2—Watkins caught eight passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns. He’ll get a showcase Thursday against Georgia Tech.


17 Louis Nix III
DT; Junior; Notre Dame; 6-3, 340

(Last Week: 14) Nix missed games against Air Force and Navy with a knee injury. He returned and made five tackles in the Fighting Irish’s loss at Pittsburgh.


18 Zach Mettenberger
QB; Senior; LSU; 6-5, 235

(Last Week: 29) Mettenberger looked sharp in the first half against Alabama, completing 15 of 19 passes for 173 yards and helping the Tigers convert six of seven third downs. Then Alabama turned up the pressure. Mettenberger completed only one of four passes in the second half, and he left the field limping after yet another hit from a Crimson Tide rusher.


19 Tajh Boyd
QB; Senior; Clemson; 6-1, 225

(Last Week: 18) Boyd rallied the Tigers well after a crushing loss to Florida State. Now, he has to keep them winning if they want to play in a BCS bowl.


20 Michael Sam
DE; Senior; Missouri; 6-2, 255

(Last Week: 19) Sam had a quiet game against Kentucky, but he still leads the SEC in sacks (10) and tackles for loss (16).


21 Ryan Shazier
LB; Junior; Ohio State; 6-2, 222

(Last Week: 20) With 11, Shazier is half a tackle for loss off the Big Ten lead.


22 David Yankey
OG; Senior; Stanford; 6-5, 311

(Last Week: 25) Yankey dominated Oregon last Thursday, pulling on Power to blast open holes for Stanford’s backs.


23 Will Sutton
DT; Senior; Arizona State; 6-1, 305

(Last Week: 21) Sutton had a tackle for loss and an interception in Saturday’s win at Utah. This week, he should have a chance to boost his sack total against Oregon State, which passes 65.6 percent of the time.


24 Cyril Richardson
OG; Baylor; 6-5, 335

(Last Week: 28) Richardson briefly left the Oklahoma game with an injury, but he returned to help pave the way for No. 3 tailback Shock Linwood to run for 182 yards.


25 Kyle Van Noy
LB; Senior; BYU; 6-3, 245

(Last Week: 22) Van Noy snared one of the easiest interceptions in football history Saturday at Wisconsin when a ball literally fell into his hands while Van Noy lay on his back. That’s OK. Given the effort Van Noy puts forth on every play, he earned a little good luck.


26 Braxton Miller
QB; Junior; Ohio State; 6-2, 215

(Last Week: 23) Miller hasn’t been challenged much lately. In Ohio State’s last game—a blowout of Purdue on Nov. 2—he completed 19 of 23 passes for 233 yards with four touchdowns and an interception.


27 Jason Verrett
CB; Senior; TCU; 5-10, 176

(Last Week: 24) Verrett missed the Horned Frogs’ win at Iowa State with a shoulder injury, and he’ll be a gametime decision for Saturday’s game at Kansas State.


28 Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
S; Junior; Alabama; 6-1, 208

(Last Week: 26) Clinton-Dix had five tackles in Alabama’s win against LSU.


29 Timmy Jernigan
DT; Junior; Florida State; 6-2, 298

(Last Week: 27) Jernigan made six tackles in Saturday’s win against Wake Forest. A week earlier, he pushed the pocket well against a pretty good Miami offensive line.


30 Trent Murphy
LB; Redshirt Senior; Stanford; 6-6, 261

(Last Week: 36) Murphy had half a sack in Stanford’s Party in the Backfield on Thursday against Oregon. Want to know more about Murphy? Read Stewart Mandel’s excellent profile.


31 Vic Beasley
DE; Redshirt Junior; Clemson; 6-2, 235

(Last Week: Not Ranked) Beasley has fallen off his scorching early-season pace, but he remains third in the nation in sacks with 10.


32 Loucheiz Purifoy
CB; Junior; Florida; 6-1, 189

(Last Week: 30) Purifoy might be the last healthy player on Florida’s roster. No word on whether he can play quarterback.


33 Derek Carr
QB; Senior; Fresno State; 6-3, 218

(Last Week: 31) In Saturday’s win at Wyoming, Carr completed 33 of 46 passes for 360 yards and four touchdowns.


34 Eric Ebron
TE; Junior; North Carolina; 6-4, 245

(Last Week: 37) Ebron currently leads the Tar Heels with 46 catches for 690 yards and three touchdowns.


35 Marqise Lee
WR; Junior; USC; 6-0, 195

(Last Week: 35) Lee returned from a knee injury against Oregon State with a five-catch, 105-yard performance. He followed that with a one-catch, 13-yard performance against Cal.


36 Jared Abbrederis
WR; Redshirt Senior; Wisconsin; 6-2, 190

(Last Week: 33) Abbrederis had eight catches for 67 yards in the Badgers’ win against BYU on Saturday.

37 Bradley Roby

CB; Redshirt Junior; Ohio State; 5-11, 192

(Last Week: 34) It would be nice to see Roby against an effective offense to gauge where he is, but that won’t happen against Illinois this week. He should be challenged the following week against pass-happy Indiana, though.


38 Zack Martin
OT; Senior; Notre Dame; 6-4, 304

(Last Week: 38) Martin is having a solid senior season, but he isn’t getting much help from his offensive teammates.


39 Ifo Ekpre-Olomu
CB; Junior; Oregon; 5-10, 190

(Last Week: 32) Ekpre-Olomu intercepted a pass against Stanford, but that interception was negated by a pass interference on Ekpre-Olomu. Stanford scored its second touchdown two plays later.


40 Adrian Hubbard
LB; Redshirt Junior; Alabama; 6-6, 252

(Last Week: 39) Hubbard had a sack as the Crimson Tide pounded Mettenberger late in Saturday’s win against LSU.


41 Antonio Richardson
OT; Junior; Tennessee; 6-6, 327

(Last Week: 41) Richardson and Tennessee’s offense played fairly well against Auburn, but the Vols didn’t stand a chance with a defense allowing 8.4 yards a carry.


42 Khalil Mack
LB; Senior; Buffalo; 6-3, 245

(Last Week: 41) Mack had half a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and three hurries in the Bulls’ win against Ohio last week.

43 Allen Robinson

WR; Junior; Penn State; 6-3, 210

(Last Week: 42) Robinson caught 11 passes for 165 yards against Illinois, then followed that with a seven-catch, 63-yard performance against Minnesota.


44 Melvin Gordon
RB; Redshirt Sophomore; Wisconsin; 6-1, 207

(Last Week: 44) Gordon carried 19 times for 86 yards in Saturday’s win against BYU, but teammate James White was the star with 147 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown.


45 Aaron Donald
DT; Senior; Pittsburgh; 6-0, 285

(Last Week: Not Ranked) In Pittsburgh’s loss to Georgia Tech on Nov. 2, Donald racked up six tackles for loss. In the Panthers’ win against Notre Dame, he only had a tackle and a hurry.


46 Cam Erving
OT; Redshirt Junior; Florida State; 6-6, 320

(Last Week: Not Ranked) This former defensive linemen has turned into the best player on a very good Florida State offensive line.


47 Jordan Matthews
WR; Senior; Vanderbilt; 6-3, 205

(Last Week: 45) The Commodores barely had to play offense to win with Florida just handing them the ball with favorable field position. Matthews caught five of Vanderbilt’s six completed passes for 45 yards.


48 Ka'Deem Carey
RB; Junior; Arizona; 5-10, 207

(Last Week: 46) Carey carried 28 times for 148 yards and a touchdown in a loss to UCLA.


49 Odell Beckham Jr.
WR; Junior; LSU; 6-0, 193

(Last Week: 47) Beckham caught three passes for 42 yards before Alabama’s defense clamped down Saturday.


50 Jarvis Landry
WR; Junior; LSU; 6-1, 195

(Last Week: 49) Landry was having an even better night, catching five passes for 90 yards. But the Tigers only completed one pass in the second half of their loss at Alabama.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
If Johnny Football lasts to the 2nd Round then 32 NFL teams need to have their heads examined. That guy has gone up against the best team in college football 405 yard running and both times he performed very well including a win in 2012 against Alabama.

I might not take him 1st but anything outside of the top 10 is armed robbery. He will sell tickets and he will be a lot of fun to watch in the NFL.
no offense but you are insane.

He is a small qb with a average arm. Not to mention the ryan leaf like qualities of a head case
The eyes don't lie and he passes the eyeball test for me. His off the field stuff has made ESPN a lot of money so I take it with a grain of salt.
With all due respect, and not to say anything about Manziel (honestly, I've stopped watching college football, so I don't have an opinion one way or the other), but the eyes absolutely do lie. They do it all the time. Why do you think the success rate on 1st round NFL draft picks is so low?
I thought Luck passed the eye ball test, THill not so much, drafted but 6 slots apart. Sometimes the eyes are very good.

 
If Johnny Football lasts to the 2nd Round then 32 NFL teams need to have their heads examined. That guy has gone up against the best team in college football 405 yard running and both times he performed very well including a win in 2012 against Alabama.

I might not take him 1st but anything outside of the top 10 is armed robbery. He will sell tickets and he will be a lot of fun to watch in the NFL.
no offense but you are insane.

He is a small qb with a average arm. Not to mention the ryan leaf like qualities of a head case
The eyes don't lie and he passes the eyeball test for me. His off the field stuff has made ESPN a lot of money so I take it with a grain of salt.
With all due respect, and not to say anything about Manziel (honestly, I've stopped watching college football, so I don't have an opinion one way or the other), but the eyes absolutely do lie. They do it all the time. Why do you think the success rate on 1st round NFL draft picks is so low?
The combine

 
I can see Minnesota taking Manziel, they just aren't good at assessing QBs.

Personally, I'd like to see Cleveland take a guy like Derek Carr appears to be. No real need to rush him to start, but the reports indicate he has good potential. Manziel could also fit that bill. My only argument is I don't think he's worth a top 10 pick.

 
I can see Minnesota taking Manziel, they just aren't good at assessing QBs.

Personally, I'd like to see Cleveland take a guy like Derek Carr appears to be. No real need to rush him to start, but the reports indicate he has good potential. Manziel could also fit that bill. My only argument is I don't think he's worth a top 10 pick.
Timely appearance by Browns CEO from yesterday's news conference about the proposed changes to Cleveland Browns Stadium. The beat writers swarmed him and Joe was asked about the current Cleveland QBs impact on drafting a rookie quarterback in next year's draft.

He says they are encouraged by the play of Hoyer and Cambell and are not going to 'force' anything in the draft noting that they are not isolating the draft to the quarterback position.

That is pretty much how I see it. The guys that they currently have give them flexibility to not 'force' moving and giving up the farm to try and land an impact-type of rookie QB and force him into the starting lineup due to not having options.

Hoyer and Cambell allow them to take a developmental guy and they can find someone like that late in the first round or possibly not even with a first round pick. Banner states they are not isolating the draft to the quarterback position and that is how I see it right now. Things can change but right now, this seems like an honest assessment of how things are shaping up for the top of the Browns draft next year.

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2013/11/cleveland_browns_ceo_joe_banne_7.html



Cleveland Browns CEO Joe Banner encouraged by QBs Jason Campbell and Brian Hoyer, keeps options open for first-round picks

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns CEO Joe Banner might find himself in a good predicament come May if quarterback Jason Campbell continues to play well and Brian Hoyer comes back healthy from his torn anterior cruciate ligament.

There's only one problem with that scenario.

"I don't think I'd use the word problem in that sentence,'' Banner said Wednesday after a press conference to announce proposed improvements to FirstEnergy Stadium. "You want to have as many good players as you can and the more good players you have at the most important positions, the better you are. Whether they're assets or whether they become part of the long-term plan, that can only be a good thing.''

Regardless, there's no denying that Campbell, 31, has provided the same kind of spark that Hoyer did earlier in the season. He defeated the defending Super Bowl Champion Ravens before the bye and almost knocked off the undefeated Chiefs had Davone Bess not dropped three passes and muffed a punt.

"I think he's played well,'' said Banner. "He's played hard. He’s played smart, he’s played very determined. It's clear the players around him are responding well to him. I think he’s living up to or exceeding expectations. It’s great to see.''

Banner acknowledged that he's been excited about what both backups have done this season, and how it bodes for the future.

"When we were asked at training camp, we said we felt good about all three guys and it's not often you get to your second or third quarterback, so it's a testament to the coaches and a testament to the players who are working hard and playing hard and really implementing what they're being asked to do,'' he said. "So I think it's very encouraging both short-term and long-term."



Will the Browns still use one of their two first-round picks on a quarterback if they can win with Hoyer or Campbell?

"I think we're going to have to get to the end of the season and see exactly where we are,'' he said. "Our commitment to the draft is to try and pick and the best players we can as opposed to trying to force anything at any positions. So I think we've got a lot left to learn as the season goes on in terms of finding what we want to do and where the strengths of the draft are.''

Banner noted that it's premature to predict if the college crop of quarterbacks will live up to the hype. The class is widely regarded as deep, but perhaps lacking that premier quarterback such as an Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III.

"I think there are a number of prospects out there,'' said Banner. "It's too early to say what the storytelling versus the eventual assessments are going to be."''

Likewise, he feels it's too early to determine the future of quarterback Brandon Weeden, who's been benched twice this season, once for Hoyer and once for Campbell, who will start Sunday in Cincinnati.

"When we get to January and we've got all the information from the whole season, all those kinds of questions, I don'’t want to isolate it just to the quarterback position,'' he said. "We've got a lot of areas of the team that are in the evaluative stage. When we get to January, we'll sit down and discuss where we'’re at.''

The Browns have fanned scouts out to study college quarterbacks such as Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater, Oregon's Marcus Mariota, Clemson's Tajh Boyd, Alabama's AJ McCarron, Fresno State's Derek Carr and Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel, but Banner declined to detail his own itinerary.

"Everybody involved in personnel is working hard on scouting all of the players available,'' he said. "I don't want to isolate it to a position. We've got scouts out all over the country. We've got a number of people in the offices that are working hard every day gathering character information and watching film and writing up reports. We're going to be very, very prepared when we get to April and May. We're going to be very, very prepared.''

The Browns currently have two quarterbacks on their roster, and it might stay that way despite Campbell's bruised ribs against the Ravens. They did try to sign former Wisconsin quarterback Scott Tolzien off the Packers' practice squad two weeks ago, but the Packers blocked the move. Tolzien, who was pressed into service last week and threw for 280 yards, will start for the Pack on Sunday in place of the injured Aaron Rodgers and Seneca Wallace.

""I think we're evaluating that week by week and so far we've been deciding that we'’re OK doing that,'' Banner said.

 
So he said...nothing.
The words of every NFL person in a power position within an organzation is parsed.

The trick is deciphering when they say something if it has meaning.

Joe Banner, with the Browns has been very honest and forward with his statements.

He basically stated the club wouldn't force any position in the draft when the question was framed asking about the play of the current QBs on the team providing options.

He then said they would not isolate the draft to the quarterback position.

Banner is very careful in what he says but when he states he's not going to force anything or isolate the draft to the quarterback position he means it.

 
Bracie Smathers said:
Andy Dufresne said:
So he said...nothing.
The words of every NFL person in a power position within an organzation is parsed.

The trick is deciphering when they say something if it has meaning.

Joe Banner, with the Browns has been very honest and forward with his statements.

He basically stated the club wouldn't force any position in the draft when the question was framed asking about the play of the current QBs on the team providing options.

He then said they would not isolate the draft to the quarterback position.

Banner is very careful in what he says but when he states he's not going to force anything or isolate the draft to the quarterback position he means it.
A lot of what any GM says is "coach speak" to some degree. I think I disagree with you here though in taking this at face value.

I agree that Hoyer's play before the injury, and Campbell's play since has given them a window to develop a QB as opposed to HAVING to throw a guy into the fire, but let's be honest about the situation as well. Campbell will be 32 next year, and has pretty much been a career back-up. There's not a lot of guys that explode at age 32.

Hoyer was excellent for the limited window in which he played. but he'll turn 29 next season. Could he be a franchise guy for a while? Maybe. But he's an unknown after ACL surgery (we all take for granted that guys will just return from that to exact previous levels, but it's not a complete given), and he's also a career backup who looked great in a 3 game sample size where he still completed less than 60% of his passes.

Here's my point... it gives them a window and it takes some pressure off a rookie, but it's egregious mismanagement of personnel to assume they've found their QB and not take one in this next draft. HOWEVER, it doesn't do Banner a lick of good to admit they're looking hard at the QB position. If the draft started tomorrow, Cleveland would be in a 5-way tie for the 12th pick, leaving PLENTY of room for a team behind them that REALLY needed a QB to trade in front of Cleveland. If Joe Banner tells the world, "We're looking hard at finding our QB of the future, and we know we need to bring one in next season," it's likely going to limit his options to acquire one.

No GM shows his cards... Banner isn't either. It means nothing.

 
Bracie Smathers said:
Andy Dufresne said:
So he said...nothing.
The words of every NFL person in a power position within an organzation is parsed.

The trick is deciphering when they say something if it has meaning.

Joe Banner, with the Browns has been very honest and forward with his statements.

He basically stated the club wouldn't force any position in the draft when the question was framed asking about the play of the current QBs on the team providing options.

He then said they would not isolate the draft to the quarterback position.

Banner is very careful in what he says but when he states he's not going to force anything or isolate the draft to the quarterback position he means it.
A lot of what any GM says is "coach speak" to some degree. I think I disagree with you here though in taking this at face value.

I agree that Hoyer's play before the injury, and Campbell's play since has given them a window to develop a QB as opposed to HAVING to throw a guy into the fire, but let's be honest about the situation as well. Campbell will be 32 next year, and has pretty much been a career back-up. There's not a lot of guys that explode at age 32.

Hoyer was excellent for the limited window in which he played. but he'll turn 29 next season. Could he be a franchise guy for a while? Maybe. But he's an unknown after ACL surgery (we all take for granted that guys will just return from that to exact previous levels, but it's not a complete given), and he's also a career backup who looked great in a 3 game sample size where he still completed less than 60% of his passes.

Here's my point... it gives them a window and it takes some pressure off a rookie, but it's egregious mismanagement of personnel to assume they've found their QB and not take one in this next draft. HOWEVER, it doesn't do Banner a lick of good to admit they're looking hard at the QB position. If the draft started tomorrow, Cleveland would be in a 5-way tie for the 12th pick, leaving PLENTY of room for a team behind them that REALLY needed a QB to trade in front of Cleveland. If Joe Banner tells the world, "We're looking hard at finding our QB of the future, and we know we need to bring one in next season," it's likely going to limit his options to acquire one.

No GM shows his cards... Banner isn't either. It means nothing.
We agree on the point that I made and what Banner stated that the play of Hoyer and Cambell means the club doesn't have to force or isoloate the draft to the QB position.

Neither Banner or I said that Hoyer or Cambell was the answer to finding a franchise QB but that they can act as a bridge and allow flexibility.

Per Joe Banner and his past statements having meaning.

When he was hired he stated he wanted an 'aggressive' coach and 'aggressive' schemes. Banner said he wanted the entire organization to be bold and aggressive.

Banner hired Rob Chudzinski as head coach and many fans blanched. Chud stated he wanted 'aggressive-attacking' schemes which echoed the philosophy that Banner clearly stated.

Banner was asked about the defense and he stated very openly and honestly that he didn't feel it was very good and it needed to be addressed.

Chud hired Ray Horton as Defensive Coordinator and Ray threw out the 4-3 defense and installed an aggressive-attacking 3-4 hybrid defense which echoed Chud and Banner's statements about building a bold aggressive team and organization

Banner never denied his interest in Mike Lombardi as GM and he hired him much to the dismay of local media and some fans but Lombardi has done a good job. Joe acted in a bold-aggressive way with that hire.

The free agency moves by Lombardi were bold and aggressive in spending a large chunk of their free agency dollars to sign OLB/DE Paul Kruger away from the Super Bowl divisional rival Baltimore Ravens as a starter on the new attack hybrid defense. Lombardi then made another big signing of DE Bryant from Oakland to further build-up the D-Line. Then Lombardi signed OLB/DE Quentin Groves and ofcourse drafted OLB/DE Barkevious Mingo with the top pick.

Point?

Banner is careful with his words but he says things and follows through moreso than jaded fans might think.

I have learned to pay attention to what Banner says because Joe has been open and honest in the past.

Joe couched his statements very carefully, he does that always but check back on this one next May.

I think it will prove true as other past statements by Banner. He didn't give away the farm, anyone who follows the team closely pretty much has seen that the play of Hoyer and Cambell means the team doesn't have to force the team into making a blockbuster deal to move-up or that the franchise has gone to the mattresses and has isolated the draft to the QB position.

 
I suppose that Campbell and Hoyer making the Browns competitive as opposed to awful would be viewed as a step in the right direction. :pokey:

All Banner is saying is that they're not going to take a QB at the first opportunity just because they need one. If they guy that's there isn't better than what they've already got, they're not going to take him.

I think that's a no-brainer.

 
I suppose that Campbell and Hoyer making the Browns competitive as opposed to awful would be viewed as a step in the right direction. :pokey:

All Banner is saying is that they're not going to take a QB at the first opportunity just because they need one. If they guy that's there isn't better than what they've already got, they're not going to take him.

I think that's a no-brainer.
So Andy. Why did you post this yesterday?

Your brain grow in the last 24 hours or are you admiting you are wrong?

Judging from your other posts I'm pretty sure you're admitting you're wrong.

Bracie Smathers, on 13 Nov 2013 - 1:29 PM, said:

Per the Browns moving up, yeah but they have both QB Brian Hoyer and QB Jason Cambell which doesn't make getting an 'impact' type of rookie quarterback as high of a priority.
Uh...what? :lol:

 
If Johnny Football lasts to the 2nd Round then 32 NFL teams need to have their heads examined. That guy has gone up against the best team in college football 405 yard running and both times he performed very well including a win in 2012 against Alabama.

I might not take him 1st but anything outside of the top 10 is armed robbery. He will sell tickets and he will be a lot of fun to watch in the NFL.
no offense but you are insane.

He is a small qb with a average arm. Not to mention the ryan leaf like qualities of a head case
The eyes don't lie and he passes the eyeball test for me. His off the field stuff has made ESPN a lot of money so I take it with a grain of salt.
With all due respect, and not to say anything about Manziel (honestly, I've stopped watching college football, so I don't have an opinion one way or the other), but the eyes absolutely do lie. They do it all the time. Why do you think the success rate on 1st round NFL draft picks is so low?
I thought Luck passed the eye ball test, THill not so much, drafted but 6 slots apart. Sometimes the eyes are very good.
Sure. 1st rounders have about a 50% success rate, which means in fact that 50% of the time, the eyes are very good.

Sometimes the eyes don't lie. Sometimes the eyes do lie. The brain is pretty good at remembering instances of the former and forgetting instances of the latter, leading to all sorts of fun cognitive biases.

 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top