Jimmy Clausen

By: Brandon Wangrin

Some people are indifferent about Jimmy Clausen. Saying he does not have the necessary zip on his passes, saying he cant make all of the NFL throws, and saying he is not “NFL ready”.

The reason scouts and NFL Draft “experts” always have trouble evaluating quarterbacks is because they are way to obsessed with arm strength and not arm accuracy. I agree you have to be able to make the throws, but in the NFL if you cannot hit your receiver in the chest it doesnt matter how hard you throw it. Whatever happened to judging a player on his poise in the pocket, knowledge of the game, understanding of a pro offense, having a quick release, or pure accuracy. All of these things Jimmy Clausen has.

Mark my words, Jimmy Clausen will be a great quarterback in the NFL eventually. He played under Charlie Weis at Notre Dame and unlike many college quarterbacks (Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow, and Colt McCoy) he played in a pro offense. Scouts are right about Clausen, he does not have a Joe Flacco, Matt Stafford, or Jamarcus Russell like arm, but neither do a lot of quarterbacks in the NFL. He does, however, have a strong arm and the ability to make every throw. When I watch him on film, I notice how he is a natural playmaker, extreme competitor, and has the ability to make difficult throws, under pressure, and on the run that many other quarterbacks cannot make. He really reminds me of an Aaron Rodgers or Tony Romo type quarterback being that he has the ability to make plays that were un-thinkable.

If you are the Browns or Raiders and you do not draft Jimmy Clausen I will be SHOCKED and you will be missing out on a very talented, knowledgeable quarterback.

NFL Mock Draft (Updated: 4/7)

By: Brandon Wangrin

1. St. Louis Rams- Sam Bradford- Oklahoma- Quarterback: Bradford will be the #1 pick for the St. Louis Rams. He will give them a “face of the franchise” and something to build around.

2. Detroit Lions- Ndamukong Suh– Nebraska- Defensive Tackle: This defense needs size and Suh gives them that. He will apply pressure on the quarterback as well as stop the run.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Gerald McCoy- Oklahoma- Defensive Tackle: I believe they should pick Eric Berry here, but I think they will go with McCoy. They were near the bottom in sacks last year and need to get more pressure on the quarterback. McCoy will start right away.

4. Washington Redskins- Russell Okung- Oklahoma State- Offensive Tackle: Okung is the most talented offensive lineman in the draft. He is “NFL ready”, has a HUGE body, and is good in run and pass protection. Now that the Redskins addressed their issues at quarterback with Donovan McNabb their is no need to draft a quarterback, obviously.

McNabb no more in Philly; gets traded to Redskins

McNabb getting traded to the Redskins for the 37th overall pick and a 2011 3rd or 4th round pick really affects the NFL Draft. I believed the Redskins would and should draft Jimmy Clausen with the 4th overall pick, but now that will obviously change.

I believe this was a great trade for the Redskins and not so great for the Philadelphia Eagles. The Redskins desperately needed a quarterback, so Mike Shanahan could run his offense appropriately and thats what they got. McNabb has the ability to make every throw and he has a rocket arm perfect for slant routes, which Shanahan loves to run. The fact that they did not give up the 4th overall pick really makes this a great trade, because now they can look at an offensive lineman to block for McNabb or maybe even upgrade on their defense with a player like Eric Berry or possibly Gerald McCoy, which would allow them to trade Albert Haynesworth (who they are really upset with).

I understand that the Eagles feel they can win with Kevin Kolb, but I just dont see Kolb and a 2nd round draft pick winning more games than McNabb would next season. If it does not work out well for them, which I am not sure it will, Andy Reid will definitely be on the hot seat. Draft purposes this does allow the Eagles to address some obvious needs. They need help at the defensive line, outside linebacker, running back, and safety. I feel that the Eagles defense was not the same last season with the loss of Brian Dawkins. There are three very good “NFL ready” safeties (Eric Berry, Taylor Mays, and Earl Thomas), which i believe they should look at drafting one of them. Running back is a position that is usually very deep in NFL Drafts, so they can address that towards the 3rd round. In the second round I would look to draft an outside linebacker and a defensive lineman. All I know is that it will be very  interesting to see how this all turns out for the Philadelphia Eagles.

I will be updating the NFL Mock Draft later this afternoon.

(DAY 2) With the 4, 5, 6 Picks…

By: Brandon Wangrin

I am going to tell you who I believe each team should draft with their picks for the first three rounds (over the next 34 days, three picks a day). Different than a Mock Draft because in a Mock Draft I tell you who I believe they will pick in the NFL Draft. In these articles I am telling you who I would pick if I were each team.

4. Washington Redskins- Jimmy Clausen- Quarterback- Notre Dame

The thing that I love most about Jimmy Clausen is that he is very athletic and because of it he has play making ability. When I watch him I notice his ability to get away from pressure and make some very difficult throws. Many people believe that he lacks arm strength, but I believe that he has a much stronger arm than he gets credit for. He only threw four interceptions all of last season and one them hit his receiver directly in the back. His accuracy is second best in the draft to Sam Bradford. If the Redskins want to take it to the next level they need a quarterback who can get them there and thats Jimmy Clausen.

5. Kansas City Chiefs-Russell Okung- Offensive Tackle- Oklahoma State

Scouts keep making a big deal about the forty times that Trent Williams and Bruce Campbell ran, but does that really affect offensive lineman? I mean I believe that it shows that you have good quickness, but offensive lineman never have to run 40 yards. Im just saying that I would not draft a lineman over another solely because he ran a better forty. With that being said Okung is the 6’5 and bench pressed 225 lbs 38 times (1st among lineman in the NFL Draft). He is NFL ready and the Chiefs need an offensive lineman to protect Matt Cassell’s blind side.

6. Seattle Seahawks- Gerald McCoy- Defensive Tackle- Oklahoma

This is a case of a team drafting the best available player and getting a STEAL. The Seahawks need some help getting pressure on the quarterback and could use a defensive tackle to pair with Brandon Mebane. McCoy would instantly change the attitude of this defensive line core.

The Seahawks do need a offensive lineman and a running back, but I believe they will go with a offensive lineman with their second 1st round pick (14th) and a running back in a later round. Their tend to be quality running backs in rounds past the first round.

Go here for DAY 1 (1st, 2nd, 3rd picks) to check out the first three picks.

NFL Mock Draft: Updated (3/15)

By: Brandon Wangrin

1. St. Louis Rams– Sam Bradford- Oklahoma- Quarterback: Bradford will be the #1 pick for the St. Louis Rams. He will give them a “face of the franchise” and something to build around.

2. Detroit Lions– Ndamukong Suh– Nebraska- Defensive Tackle: This defense needs size and Suh gives them that. He will apply pressure on the quarterback as well as stop the run.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers– Gerald McCoy- Oklahoma- Defensive Tackle: I believe they should pick Eric Berry here, but I think they will go with McCoy. They were near the bottom in sacks last year and need to get more pressure on the quarterback. McCoy will start right away.

4. Washington Redskins– Jimmy Clausen- Notre Dame- Quarterback: I believe Shanahan will want a quarterback to begin his franchise. Clausen is athletic, has a good arm, and is a play maker.

Stock Up & Stock Down: Quarterbacks

After the NFL Combine, some players stock is way up and other players that performed poorly are way down. I am going to run down all of the players that are under this category. Players will be evaluated with arrows. The highest I will give a player is three ↑↑↑ or ↓↓↓.

Quarterbacks

• Sam Bradford- Oklahoma ↑↑

Bradford did not throw at the NFL Combine, but his stock is going up because he measured in so well. Bradford is 6’4 and gained about 15 lbs. of muscle to get up to 236 lbs. Scouts had questions about his durability, but the weight gain will give him more durability. It will be real interesting to see him throw and I believe he will look real sharp. His wonderlic test was extremely high as well, so you know he is intelligent.

• Jimmy Clausen- Notre Dame —

No arrows for Clausen. His height was average at 6’2.5 and he did not run the 40 yard dash. His pro day will be very important and I believe he will impress scouts with his strength, accuracy, and mobility.

• Colt McCoy- Texas ↓↓

McCoy did not throw at the NFL Combine, but what he did do was size in at 6’1 and ran an average 4.79 forty time. He doesn’t have the strongest arm in the world and accuracy can only get you so far when you are his size.

NFL Mock Draft: Updated (2/4)

The Big Board has also been updated.

By: Brandon Wangrin

1. St. Louis Rams– Sam Bradford– Oklahoma- Quarterback: The Rams need a quarterback to mold their franchise around and Bradford will be NFL ready by next season.

2. Detroit Lions– Ndamukong Suh– Nebraska- Defensive Tackle: The Lions need to get bigger defensively and Suh will turn in to a star under Jim Schwartz.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers– Eric Berry– Tennessee- Safety: The Buccaneers need a game changing player at the safety position. I believe Berry is the best player in the draft and think this would be a great draft pick for the Buccaneers.

Clausen or Bradford?

By: Brandon Wangrin

A question that the Rams need to answer correctly. If they do go with a quarterback, which I am about 75% sure they will, will they draft Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen?

Both of these guys dominated at the collegiate level. Bradford, obviously, won the Heisman award and in his two full seasons at Oklahoma averaged a 178 quarterback rating. In 2008, he threw for 4,782 yards, 50 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. His “true” record was 24-5 in just three seasons. Bradford also has great size (6-4 220), precise accuracy, and a strong arm.

Clausen also has a strong arguement. Not only did Clausen learn from a very good NFL mind Charlie Weis, he also dominated this season. Clausen threw for 3,722 yards, 24 touchdowns, and only 4 interceptions. He is very smart with the ball and can make any throw. He too has very good size (6-3 220).