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Falcons win No. 3 overall pick; plenty of big WRs available
By Todd McShay
Scouts Inc.
(Archive)
Updated: February 22, 2008
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Perhaps the biggest storyline of the day was the highly anticipated coin flip that decided whether the Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders or Kansas City Chiefs -- who all finished at 4-12 and had identical strength-of-schedule ratings -- would get the No. 3 overall pick in this year's draft. The Falcons came out on top and only time will tell how much the benefit from winning the toss, but as things stand right now they could benefit significantly.
If Boston College QB Matt Ryan is not Miami's pick at No. 1 overall then it seems likely he will end up in Atlanta. If Ryan is the top pick -- and that is the scenario that plays out in my updated top 10 -- then the Falcons and Raiders could both end up selecting defensive tackles. The Raiders are a wild card at No. 4 because owner Al Davis calls the shots and has proven erratic in his draft strategies, and it is very possible that he would take a bad deal and trade out of the top five simply to save money. Either way, the Falcons should not be that concerned about a team trading up to take the prospect Atlanta covets.
Here is how I see the top 10 picks playing out right now:
1. Miami (1-15) -- Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
2. St. Louis (3-12) -- Chris Long, DE, Virginia
3. Atlanta (4-12) -- Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
4. Oakland (4-12) -- Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
5. Kansas City (4-12) -- Jake Long, OT, Michigan
6. NY Jets (4-12) -- Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
7. New England (16-0) (via 5-11 San Francisco) -- Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB, Ohio State
8. Baltimore (4-12) -- Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy
9. Cincinnati (7-9) -- Phillip Merling, DE, Clemson
10. New Orleans (7-9) -- Keith Rivers, OLB, USC
Friday's measurements
• It is no secret that California WR DeSean Jackson is undersized, but few expected him to weigh in as low as 169 pounds. The lack of weight raises concerns about Jackson's ability to take the pounding NFL receivers absorb over the course of a 16-game season. He had problems staying healthy in college, remember, and his lack of bulk also raises questions about how well he'll be able to handle press coverage on the outside.
• Jackson's measurements certainly weren't the only disappointing ones of the day. In fact, eight of the 33 running backs here weigh less than 200 pounds. They are: Rutgers' Ray Rice (5-foot-8, 199 pounds); Houston's Anthony Alridge (5-9, 170); Cal's Justin Forsett (5-8, 194); East Carolina's Chris Johnson (5-11, 197); Kentucky's Rafael Little (5-8¾, 194) Oklahoma's Allen Patrick (6-0¾, 198); Oklahoma State's Dantrell Savage (5-8¼, 187); and West Virginia's Steve Slaton (5-9⅛, 197).
• For teams like Washington and Buffalo that are looking to add a big receiver, Friday's weigh-in was a reminder of how much supply will be available to match their demand. In fact, ten of the 53 receivers in Indy are taller than 6-foot-3. They are: Texas' Limas Sweed (6-3⅞, 215); Oklahoma's Malcolm Kelly (6-3¾, 224); Arkansas' Marcus Monk (6-4¼, 222); Stanford's Evan Moore (6-6, 233); Indiana's James Hardy (6-5⅜, 217) Virginia Tech's Justin Harper (6-3½, 213) Kansas' Marcus Henry (6-3⅝, 207); Iowa State's Todd Blythe (6-4⅛, 214); Nebraska's Maurice Purify (6-3⅛, 224); and Louisville's Mario Urrutia (6-5⅜, 232).
• After weighing in at just 185 pounds less than a month ago at the Senior Bowl, Hawaii QB Colt Brennan turned some heads when he weighed in at 207 pounds on Friday morning. Putting on 22 pounds in four weeks brings a mix of concern and curiosity from scouts. The first concern is whether the new weight will affect Brennan's overall mobility. Scouts will keep a close eye on Brennan's test times and footwork during individual drills. On a more positive note, added lower-body strength and size can affect a quarterbacks velocity and scouts will be interested to see whether Brennan has more zip on his passes this week after he struggled to make some throws at the Senior Bowl.
• Delaware QB Joe Flacco's draft stock has soared since the end of the season and on Friday he showed off prototypical size for an NFL pocket passer, checking in at 6-6⅜, 236. On the flipside, Louisville's Brian Brohm (6-2⅞
, Michigan's Chad Henne (6-2⅞ and USC's John David Booty (6-2⅜ all came in slightly under the 6-foot-3 mark.
• Jake Long continued his conquest of Indianapolis by bench pressing 225 pounds an impressive 37 times. Long showed excellent endurance and explosiveness throughout the exercise, reinforcing the belief that he has the punch to jar defenders as a drive blocker and will still be able to get his hands on edge rushers late in the game.
• McFadden is the top running back on our board and it will take something unforeseen for that to change. However, some experts are saying that Rashard Mendenhall of Illinois is as good as -- if not better than -- McFadden, and that Oregon's Jonathan Stewart is in the mix as well.
Mendenhall weighed in at 225 pounds and Stewart at 235, while McFadden was 211. In addition, McFadden fielded several questions concerning his character during his press conference, many stemming from from an incident outside a nightclub. Perhaps the stiff competition he's facing and the damage to his image factored into McFadden's decision to run the 40 and participate in some agility drills this week.
• Coastal Carolina WR Jerome Simpson (6-1¾, 199) didn’t measure as tall as some thought he would, but his arm length measured 34 ½ inches and his hand span is 11 inches. While the arm length is impressive on its own, the size of his hands is eye-opening considering they are as big as Long's. With arms and hands that size Simpson is a player who can go up and snatch the ball out of the air even without prototypical height.
Todd McShay is the director of college football scouting for Scouts Inc. He has been evaluating prospects for the NFL draft since 1998.
By Todd McShay
Scouts Inc.
(Archive)
Updated: February 22, 2008
Comment
Perhaps the biggest storyline of the day was the highly anticipated coin flip that decided whether the Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders or Kansas City Chiefs -- who all finished at 4-12 and had identical strength-of-schedule ratings -- would get the No. 3 overall pick in this year's draft. The Falcons came out on top and only time will tell how much the benefit from winning the toss, but as things stand right now they could benefit significantly.
If Boston College QB Matt Ryan is not Miami's pick at No. 1 overall then it seems likely he will end up in Atlanta. If Ryan is the top pick -- and that is the scenario that plays out in my updated top 10 -- then the Falcons and Raiders could both end up selecting defensive tackles. The Raiders are a wild card at No. 4 because owner Al Davis calls the shots and has proven erratic in his draft strategies, and it is very possible that he would take a bad deal and trade out of the top five simply to save money. Either way, the Falcons should not be that concerned about a team trading up to take the prospect Atlanta covets.
Here is how I see the top 10 picks playing out right now:
1. Miami (1-15) -- Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College
2. St. Louis (3-12) -- Chris Long, DE, Virginia
3. Atlanta (4-12) -- Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
4. Oakland (4-12) -- Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
5. Kansas City (4-12) -- Jake Long, OT, Michigan
6. NY Jets (4-12) -- Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
7. New England (16-0) (via 5-11 San Francisco) -- Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB, Ohio State
8. Baltimore (4-12) -- Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy
9. Cincinnati (7-9) -- Phillip Merling, DE, Clemson
10. New Orleans (7-9) -- Keith Rivers, OLB, USC
Friday's measurements
• It is no secret that California WR DeSean Jackson is undersized, but few expected him to weigh in as low as 169 pounds. The lack of weight raises concerns about Jackson's ability to take the pounding NFL receivers absorb over the course of a 16-game season. He had problems staying healthy in college, remember, and his lack of bulk also raises questions about how well he'll be able to handle press coverage on the outside.
• Jackson's measurements certainly weren't the only disappointing ones of the day. In fact, eight of the 33 running backs here weigh less than 200 pounds. They are: Rutgers' Ray Rice (5-foot-8, 199 pounds); Houston's Anthony Alridge (5-9, 170); Cal's Justin Forsett (5-8, 194); East Carolina's Chris Johnson (5-11, 197); Kentucky's Rafael Little (5-8¾, 194) Oklahoma's Allen Patrick (6-0¾, 198); Oklahoma State's Dantrell Savage (5-8¼, 187); and West Virginia's Steve Slaton (5-9⅛, 197).
• For teams like Washington and Buffalo that are looking to add a big receiver, Friday's weigh-in was a reminder of how much supply will be available to match their demand. In fact, ten of the 53 receivers in Indy are taller than 6-foot-3. They are: Texas' Limas Sweed (6-3⅞, 215); Oklahoma's Malcolm Kelly (6-3¾, 224); Arkansas' Marcus Monk (6-4¼, 222); Stanford's Evan Moore (6-6, 233); Indiana's James Hardy (6-5⅜, 217) Virginia Tech's Justin Harper (6-3½, 213) Kansas' Marcus Henry (6-3⅝, 207); Iowa State's Todd Blythe (6-4⅛, 214); Nebraska's Maurice Purify (6-3⅛, 224); and Louisville's Mario Urrutia (6-5⅜, 232).
• After weighing in at just 185 pounds less than a month ago at the Senior Bowl, Hawaii QB Colt Brennan turned some heads when he weighed in at 207 pounds on Friday morning. Putting on 22 pounds in four weeks brings a mix of concern and curiosity from scouts. The first concern is whether the new weight will affect Brennan's overall mobility. Scouts will keep a close eye on Brennan's test times and footwork during individual drills. On a more positive note, added lower-body strength and size can affect a quarterbacks velocity and scouts will be interested to see whether Brennan has more zip on his passes this week after he struggled to make some throws at the Senior Bowl.
• Delaware QB Joe Flacco's draft stock has soared since the end of the season and on Friday he showed off prototypical size for an NFL pocket passer, checking in at 6-6⅜, 236. On the flipside, Louisville's Brian Brohm (6-2⅞
, Michigan's Chad Henne (6-2⅞ and USC's John David Booty (6-2⅜ all came in slightly under the 6-foot-3 mark. • Jake Long continued his conquest of Indianapolis by bench pressing 225 pounds an impressive 37 times. Long showed excellent endurance and explosiveness throughout the exercise, reinforcing the belief that he has the punch to jar defenders as a drive blocker and will still be able to get his hands on edge rushers late in the game.
• McFadden is the top running back on our board and it will take something unforeseen for that to change. However, some experts are saying that Rashard Mendenhall of Illinois is as good as -- if not better than -- McFadden, and that Oregon's Jonathan Stewart is in the mix as well.
Mendenhall weighed in at 225 pounds and Stewart at 235, while McFadden was 211. In addition, McFadden fielded several questions concerning his character during his press conference, many stemming from from an incident outside a nightclub. Perhaps the stiff competition he's facing and the damage to his image factored into McFadden's decision to run the 40 and participate in some agility drills this week.
• Coastal Carolina WR Jerome Simpson (6-1¾, 199) didn’t measure as tall as some thought he would, but his arm length measured 34 ½ inches and his hand span is 11 inches. While the arm length is impressive on its own, the size of his hands is eye-opening considering they are as big as Long's. With arms and hands that size Simpson is a player who can go up and snatch the ball out of the air even without prototypical height.
Todd McShay is the director of college football scouting for Scouts Inc. He has been evaluating prospects for the NFL draft since 1998.