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.

Judging Tim Tebow’s Pro Day

By: Brandon Wangrin

Some say Tim Tebow had a good Pro Day, just like some say that he had a great NFL Combine, but I still stand behind what I have said. Tim Tebow will not be a “quality” pro quarterback.

I had a chance to watch Tim Tebow as he threw, in front of scouts, at his Pro Day, I noticed how is mechanics have not changed and his arm strength is still not impressive. He still is throwing a 3/4 throwing arm motion and often tries to overthrow the ball, which forces him to get under throws and float them. I will admit his footwork looks better, but the main problem with his footwork is that when he got pressured in the pocket, in the Senior Bowl, he got flustered and became jittery. Without a defensive line and linebakcers rushing him, we can not know legitimately know if his footwork has improved.

Some people say that I look at Tebow with “blinders” on, but I judge everyone as I see them play. NO GRUDGES. In college, he was a product of a system that is like no system in the NFL. He rushed for yards in college, but did not rush for yards like Vince Young or Michael Vick did, he rushed for yardage with power not with speed, which will not work in the NFL. Even if it did, he would eventually get hurt with concussions or leg injuries, which is the last thing you want with a franchise quarterback (1st or 2nd round draft pick).

Tim Tebow, plain and simply, does not have the tools to be a “franchise” quarterback and he should not be drafted in the first two rounds or ahead of a quarterback like Dan LeFevour.

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.

Who Performed at the Senior Bowl?

By: Brandon Wangrin

The Senior Bowl definitely shocked some people because many people thought the South team was going to roll (not me), but the North gave them an old fashioned beat down 31-13. In terms of the draft, we learned a lot. Im going to go through each position and tell you who performed.

Quarterbacks

Of the quarterbacks there is no question that Dan LeFevour played the best in the Senior Bowl. LeFevour threw 5-10, 97 yards, and 1 touchdown. LeFevour threw two deep balls down the edge that were on the money. One being a 32 yard strike to Mardy Gilyard. LeFevour really impressed me throwing with accuracy and good zip.

Senior Bowl Practice Notes

By: Brandon Wangrin

Through three days of watching the Senior Bowl Practice, which you can catch in the afternoon on the NFL Network, I am going to tell you who is playing well and who has performed poorly:

North Team

• Of the quarterbacks (Dan LeFevour, Tony Pike, and Sean Canfield) I think that Pike has looked the best so far. All three have shown that they have pretty good zip on their passes and have the ability to throw catchable balls. Sometimes Canfield throws a little high due to his release. Pike has a stronger arm than many scouts believed. LeFevour throws a real nice spiral and is very accurate on short passes. His accuracy needs improvement on his deap ball, though.
• Mardy Gilyard the WR from Cincinnati has shown that he is a weapon and does a great job of getting open. His hands have been a little shaky, but there is no question that he has a lot of talent. I believe he will perform very well in the game. Clemson WR Jacoby Ford on Day 3 really showed off his speed after getting criticized a little bit on Day 2.
• Michigan DE Brandon Graham has been the best on this defensive line, by far. Graham does a great job of rushing the passer and has an endless motor. He led college football in tackles for loss last season.

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.

Tim Tebow: Is he an NFL “Franchise” Quarterback?

By: Brandon Wangrin

I have never seen so many people differ on a player’s game translating to the NFL more than Tim Tebow. Many people believe that Tim Tebow’s game will translate nicely due to his passion, work ethic, will to win, accomplishments in college, and his physical ability. Lets not forget how good he was at Florida. Tebow threw for 9,285 yards 88 TD’s and only 16 INT’s, not to mention his rushing statistics 2,947 yards and 57 TD’s. There is no doubt that these numbers would merit a player that should do well at the professional level.

So why do other people feel that Tim Tebow is going to be a BUST in the NFL???