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.

(DAY 1) With the 1, 2, 3 Picks….

By: Brandon Wangrin

The NFL Draft starts in approximately 34 days, so 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).

1. St. Louis Rams- Sam Bradford- Quarterback- Oklahoma

As I have said for the past month or two, the Rams should and will draft Sam Bradford with the #1 overall pick. The Rams need an identity and he will give it to them. He has had problems with injuries at Oklahoma, so what did he do? He put on 15-20 lbs. of muscle, putting him at 6’4 236 lbs. He is your prototypical size, has pinpoint accuracy, and an arm that can make ALL of the throws. When I heard people talking about the Rams drafting another defensive lineman I was dumbfounded. The Rams ranked 28th in passing offense in the NFL and 29th in passing touchdowns with 12. Regardless of how much money they paid him, Marc Bulger is not a quarterback that can take you to the playoffs anymore and he is way to injury prone.

Plain and simple, Rams draft Sam Bradford.

2. Detroit Lions-Ndamukong Suh- Defensive Tackle- Nebraska

It is obvious that the Lions will draft a defensive tackle with the 2nd overall pick, but which one will it be? I would go with Ndamukong Suh. The thing that I love about both Suh and McCoy is that they both have the ability to get to the quarterback, as well as stop the run. The reason I would go with Suh is simply because he is an athletic freak and he really dominated all of college football. He reaks havoc in the backfield and has to constantly be double teamed. Not to mention that he has great work ethic and a constant motor. Both Suh and McCoy will be very good at the next level though.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Eric Berry– Safety- Tennessee

Eric Berry in my eyes is the most talented player in the NFL Draft and I have said that for a while. After running a 4.47 forty time and having a 43 inch vertical, we know he has the capablities of being the next Ed Reed. If he drops past the fourth pick overall, I may just go balistic. He is a natural football player because of his natural instincts and his obvoius athletic capabilities.

For some reason that I can not explain, safeties always drop in the NFL Draft, but I believe it is the most important position on the defense. They not only have to play the pass, but stop the run and blitz the quarterback occasionally. I understand that the Buccaneers need pressure on the quarterback, but they will be able to find that in the second round, but you cant get a player like Berry at the second round position.

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.

NFC Team Needs

By: Brandon Wangrin

Heading in to the draft knowing teams positional needs is important. I am going to run through each NFC team and tell you what their needs are and why. I will number their biggest to smallest needs. 1 being the biggest need and 5 being the smallest need. Tomorrow I will go throught he AFC.

NFC South

– Atlanta Falcons- 1. CB 2. OT 3. WR 4. DT

Atlanta ranked 28th in the NFL against the pass. Chris Houston has shown that he has potential to be a #1 cornerback, but they need one to go along with him. Matt Ryan got banged up a lot last season and many Falcons fans believe that they will go with an offensive lineman in the first two rounds.

– Carolina Panthers- 1. S 2. DT 3. DE 4. WR

Matt Moore proved that he can lead the team, but I would still draft one in the third or fourth. They traded their first round pick this draft to get Everette Brown in the second round last year, which is the second year in a row that they did that. I think they could use help at safety or the defensive line, especially with Peppers most likely being gone.

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).

NFL Mock Draft: Updated (1/24)

By: Brandon Wangrin

Only a couple of changes:

– Trent Williams and Gerald McCoy get switched. Williams gets moved up to the Seahawks and McCoy drops to #8 Raiders.

– Bruce Carter gets bumped up from second round to #31 with Saints and Brian Price moves down one spot to the Colts.

– Terrence Cody drops to the second round.

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.

NFL Mock Draft: 01/20

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.