MTK
02-24-2012, 11:29 AM
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1. Sports Illustrated’s Don Banks wrote that Redskins coach Mike Shanahan loves Oklahoma State QB Brandon Weeden, having had a chance to work with him at the Senior Bowl. It’ll be tough to keep up with every rumor; just know that last year the Redskins were connected to almost every quarterback in the first round except Cam Newton. Also know that they’ll bring in many players for visits. Sometimes they’ll have no interest in drafting the player, but they want a chance to talk to them in case they have interest in the future.
2. However, Weeden to the Redskins makes sense for some. Russ Lande could not have been higher on a guy when he returned from the Senior Bowl. The Sporting News’ draft analyst and former scout said Weeden is the sort of guy he could see with Shanahan and said, “I really think Brandon is one of the guys on the Redskins’ radar. I like him a lot. I know people close to Bruce Allen that like him a lot. He fits what the Redskins like, which is tall, athletic and a big arm.”
3. Another scout said Weeden’s age and having played pro baseball is a plus: “To me if you have a franchise quarterback, one of the big problems is you have a young kid who walks in with a bunch of grown men who have families and most of the time that young kid is making more money than anyone else. There’s a built-in resentment, especially if you don’t know how to handle yourself. He knows how to handle himself, and he has the skills. He’s not Michael Vick, but he’s good enough. I don’t see any negatives at all.”
4. I heard from an NFL source that some teams are not high at all on Iowa left tackle Riley Reiff. In fact, the source said he has spoken with some teams who have placed a third- and even fourth-round grade on Reiff. (When I spoke with Jon Jansen a couple weeks back, he said Reiff should have returned to school). Yet most mock drafts have him going in the top 10. He’s considered a good athlete, but the source said Reiff plays too upright and gets beaten inside too easily. Just know that the same source who gave Reiff low marks did the same to Vernon Gholston a few years ago before the Jets drafted him in the first round and watched him bust.
5. You don’t draft right tackles at No. 6. Period. If the Redskins want one — it’s a bad crop in free agency — then they can find one in the second round, or late in the first if they somehow acquire more picks. Ohio State’s Mike Adams could move to the right side, and he’s athletic enough — and has long enough arms — to probably make it work. But he’s probably best, one NFL source said, in a system where he doesn’t have to set the edge in a zone scheme. And he’ll be available late in the first round.
6. Don’t make a big deal out of a quarterback’s accuracy at the combine (that is, for those QBs who actually throwing). One thing John Beck remembered from his combine experience: coaches didn’t care about how many passes you completed. Beck worked with Rod Dowhower (yes, he struggled calling plays in 1993 with Washington, but he was an offensive coordinator with four teams so he at least knows what teams look for at the combine). Beck said, “He told me when you go to the combine I want you to let your first pass go, just let it go. You can put it on the guy, but if you miss then miss it far. I want to see the ball jump out of your hands. Most coaches at the combine do not pay attention to every pass. … What they want to see is the ball jump out of a guy’s hand. “
7. One scout on Peyton Manning possibly coming to the Redskins: “Someone has to do a whole lot of adjusting. It won’t just be Peyton. He won’t fit into the hole the Shanahans have. There has to be a give and take. You have to adjust to his skills. He is a statue. That puts a crimp into the bootleg and play-action stuff. It’s a critical foundation to their offense. You have to adopt a lot of what Buffalo or New England does: shotgun, spread. That wouldn’t be the place you picture him. I picture him with the Jets. They have Tom Moore [a former assistant with the Colts] and trouble at quarterback too.”
8. Two corners to watch after the first or second round: Coastal Carolina’s Josh Norman and Northwestern State’s Jeremy Lane. Norman impressed scouts at the East-West Shrine Game by showing he could play more than just off-man coverage, as he did in college. Lane is around 5-foot-10, but Norman is a couple inches taller. “He has raw potential,” one scout said of Norman. Doesn’t sound as if he’s best fit to cover inside.
9. It’s too early to worry about what it will cost to move up to the No. 2 slot in the draft. Right now there appear to be several teams in the market for a quarterback, but what if Seattle or Miami signs Peyton Manning and Cleveland acquires Matt Flynn? Then the price for Robert Griffin III drops to a more reasonable level. Of course, if Manning goes to the Jets and the Dolphins land Flynn, then Cleveland would be in the best spot to land Griffin. Still, there’s a long way to go before the market is truly set for the No. 2 pick. Either way it’ll be steep. But the Redskins also have been paying a steep price for years for not having strong play at quarterback. Take your pick.
10. Just in case anyone had interest in Arizona State quarterback Brock Osweiler, here’s what the NFL source had to say: “I haven’t heard a scout yet who has really been impressed with him. Everyone I’ve spoken to say he’s too tall, his mechanics get out of synch quickly, and he has accuracy issues all over the place.”
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1. Sports Illustrated’s Don Banks wrote that Redskins coach Mike Shanahan loves Oklahoma State QB Brandon Weeden, having had a chance to work with him at the Senior Bowl. It’ll be tough to keep up with every rumor; just know that last year the Redskins were connected to almost every quarterback in the first round except Cam Newton. Also know that they’ll bring in many players for visits. Sometimes they’ll have no interest in drafting the player, but they want a chance to talk to them in case they have interest in the future.
2. However, Weeden to the Redskins makes sense for some. Russ Lande could not have been higher on a guy when he returned from the Senior Bowl. The Sporting News’ draft analyst and former scout said Weeden is the sort of guy he could see with Shanahan and said, “I really think Brandon is one of the guys on the Redskins’ radar. I like him a lot. I know people close to Bruce Allen that like him a lot. He fits what the Redskins like, which is tall, athletic and a big arm.”
3. Another scout said Weeden’s age and having played pro baseball is a plus: “To me if you have a franchise quarterback, one of the big problems is you have a young kid who walks in with a bunch of grown men who have families and most of the time that young kid is making more money than anyone else. There’s a built-in resentment, especially if you don’t know how to handle yourself. He knows how to handle himself, and he has the skills. He’s not Michael Vick, but he’s good enough. I don’t see any negatives at all.”
4. I heard from an NFL source that some teams are not high at all on Iowa left tackle Riley Reiff. In fact, the source said he has spoken with some teams who have placed a third- and even fourth-round grade on Reiff. (When I spoke with Jon Jansen a couple weeks back, he said Reiff should have returned to school). Yet most mock drafts have him going in the top 10. He’s considered a good athlete, but the source said Reiff plays too upright and gets beaten inside too easily. Just know that the same source who gave Reiff low marks did the same to Vernon Gholston a few years ago before the Jets drafted him in the first round and watched him bust.
5. You don’t draft right tackles at No. 6. Period. If the Redskins want one — it’s a bad crop in free agency — then they can find one in the second round, or late in the first if they somehow acquire more picks. Ohio State’s Mike Adams could move to the right side, and he’s athletic enough — and has long enough arms — to probably make it work. But he’s probably best, one NFL source said, in a system where he doesn’t have to set the edge in a zone scheme. And he’ll be available late in the first round.
6. Don’t make a big deal out of a quarterback’s accuracy at the combine (that is, for those QBs who actually throwing). One thing John Beck remembered from his combine experience: coaches didn’t care about how many passes you completed. Beck worked with Rod Dowhower (yes, he struggled calling plays in 1993 with Washington, but he was an offensive coordinator with four teams so he at least knows what teams look for at the combine). Beck said, “He told me when you go to the combine I want you to let your first pass go, just let it go. You can put it on the guy, but if you miss then miss it far. I want to see the ball jump out of your hands. Most coaches at the combine do not pay attention to every pass. … What they want to see is the ball jump out of a guy’s hand. “
7. One scout on Peyton Manning possibly coming to the Redskins: “Someone has to do a whole lot of adjusting. It won’t just be Peyton. He won’t fit into the hole the Shanahans have. There has to be a give and take. You have to adjust to his skills. He is a statue. That puts a crimp into the bootleg and play-action stuff. It’s a critical foundation to their offense. You have to adopt a lot of what Buffalo or New England does: shotgun, spread. That wouldn’t be the place you picture him. I picture him with the Jets. They have Tom Moore [a former assistant with the Colts] and trouble at quarterback too.”
8. Two corners to watch after the first or second round: Coastal Carolina’s Josh Norman and Northwestern State’s Jeremy Lane. Norman impressed scouts at the East-West Shrine Game by showing he could play more than just off-man coverage, as he did in college. Lane is around 5-foot-10, but Norman is a couple inches taller. “He has raw potential,” one scout said of Norman. Doesn’t sound as if he’s best fit to cover inside.
9. It’s too early to worry about what it will cost to move up to the No. 2 slot in the draft. Right now there appear to be several teams in the market for a quarterback, but what if Seattle or Miami signs Peyton Manning and Cleveland acquires Matt Flynn? Then the price for Robert Griffin III drops to a more reasonable level. Of course, if Manning goes to the Jets and the Dolphins land Flynn, then Cleveland would be in the best spot to land Griffin. Still, there’s a long way to go before the market is truly set for the No. 2 pick. Either way it’ll be steep. But the Redskins also have been paying a steep price for years for not having strong play at quarterback. Take your pick.
10. Just in case anyone had interest in Arizona State quarterback Brock Osweiler, here’s what the NFL source had to say: “I haven’t heard a scout yet who has really been impressed with him. Everyone I’ve spoken to say he’s too tall, his mechanics get out of synch quickly, and he has accuracy issues all over the place.”