Aaron Donald’s Potential Fit With Bears
Each year, a group of players will get brought up with the same team over and over leading up to the draft. A combination of the player’s talent level, his fit with the team and the team’s draft slot make it convenient to send the same guy to the same team when making mock drafts.
This year, it’s Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald going No. 14 overall to the Chicago Bears.
The talent of Donald is obvious, as noted by Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Donald tore up the Senior Bowl, ran a 4.68 second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, as well as impressing in the bench press and three-cone drill.
More obvious than his talent is the potential fit as a three-technique penetrator on the Bears defensive line. Donald led the nation in tackles for loss and sacks per game, and concerns about his relative small stature (6-1, 285 pounds) have lessened as of late.
As for the Bears draft slot, landing in the mid-first round seems reasonable for Donald. CBSSports.com lists Donald as the No. 13 overall prospect and the No. 1 defensive tackle. ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay campaigned for the Bears to draft Donald, saying the team’s Plan B would be in “panic” were he to be off the board. DraftInsider.net’s Tony Pauline figures Donald to come off the board anywhere between No. 6 and 16.
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah is sold on Donald’s pro potential: “I don’t think he really has anything to answer. The only concern you’d have is he’s not a 315-pound guy. But we always talk in scouting: You want a guy to make it through the whole process and check every box.
“He’s dominant on tape. . .. He lives in the backfield as a pass rusher. He’s explosive with his hands, and he’s also able to kind of bend and wrap, and a really dynamic interior pass rusher.”
And, as pointed out by Finley in the article, after losing Henry Melton and Corey Wootton in free agency, Donald would fill the void well and figure to be a key cog in the Bears defensive line for years to come.
Poll: NFL Considering Developmental League
In August 2007, the NFL ceased operation of NFL Europa, issuing a press release that “The Time is right to re-focus the NFL’s strategy on initiatives with global impact, including worldwide media coverage of our sport and the staging of live regular-season NFL games.”
And thus ended the NFL’s developmental league, in place since 1991 save for a two-year hiatus from 1993-94.
However, the league’s new director of football operations, Troy Vincent, told the Associated Press today that he sees the installation of a developmental league as a way to preserve and grow the game.
“We need to keep the pipeline of talent flowing, and that means for all areas of our game: players, coaches, scouts, game officials,” Vincent said. “I am responsible to look at whatever the competition committee looks at, and that includes a developmental league.
“For all this football talent around, we have to create another platform for developing it. Maybe it’s an academy — at would it look like? Maybe it’s a spring league; we’ll look to see if there is an appetite for it.”
Vincent also mentioned adding an eighth official to the referee crew for games and coaches using tablets on the sidelines.
Vote in the poll below and feel free to add your opinion in the comments section.
Draft Notes: Whaley, Bills, Linebackers
If the Bills want to draft Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins or Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews — who each have visited with Buffalo — they’ll likely have to trade up from the No. 9 slot to do so. And judging by comments made by general manager Doug Whaley, it’s a definite possibility.
“If we think this guy is going to get us over the hump and get us into the playoffs, which is our stated goal, why not make the deal?” Whaley said on radio station WGR-AM, according to Jason Butt of National Football Post.
The Bills are likely more than just a player away from making the playoffs in the AFC, but that won’t stop its GM from being aggressive in the upcoming NFL Draft.
More draft notes from around the league on a Sunday night…
- Brent Sobleski of USA Today Sports ranked the top 10 linebackers in the draft, slotting Alabama’s C.J. Mosley, Ohio State’s Ryan Shazier and Wisconsin’s Chris Borland at the top.
- Ranking the top 5 tackles was Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune‘s assignment, who likes Nevada’s Joel Bitonio as the No. 5 tackle behind the consensus top-4.
- Indiana wide receiver Cody Latimer, who recently had a pre-draft visit with the 49ers, also visited with the Ravens, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. Latimer is one of the fastest rising prospects in the draft and projected to be a first-round pick.
- Heading to the Browns in Jeff Schudel of The Morning Journal‘s latest mock draft are Sammy Watkins and Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr at the No. 4 and No. 26 spots, respectively.
Poll: Should Ndamukong Suh Be With Team?
Since joining the league as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has been a wrecking ball. He has made three Pro Bowls in four seasons, was the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, earned three All-Pro selections, and has totaled 27.5 sacks.
But, he has also been a lightning rod for criticism. As ESPN.com’s Jeffri Chadiha cites in this column, Suh has been suspended and fined nearly $217K in the past three seasons. With questions swirling about his character, along with an entirely new coaching staff, Suh showing up to the team’s offseason workouts would be a step in the right direction for a player whose name is too often referred to in a negative context.
Instead, Suh spent time in Las Vegas, negotiating a contract in its early stages that would likely place the former Heisman Trophy finalist among the top-paid defensive players in NFL history.
Chadiha goes all in on Suh and the Lions, chastising the player for not showing up and chastising the team for not forcing him to come: “What nobody was willing to say is what is plainly obvious to anybody watching this situation: It says plenty that Suh chose to not attend these workouts. Even if he’s getting into phenomenal shape on his own, this was the first opportunity that [head coach] Jim Caldwell and his assistants had to educate their players on the team’s new offensive and defensive schemes. If Suh wasn’t crazy about the team’s philosophies on strength and conditioning, he could’ve seen the upside in that. These are the types of gestures that leaders make in order to foster a winning atmosphere.”
This is not an uncommon occurrence. Players regularly choose to work out on their own, especially players who are in negotiations over their contract. But, as Chadiha points out, with a new coaching staff and Suh’s reputation, it was a chance for Suh to curry favor with the team.
So, do you think that Suh should have been with his team for its voluntary offseason program? Or does it even matter? Let us know your opinion in the comment section below.
Draft Notes: Wright, Robinson, Reilly
When the Seahawks selected linebacker K.J. Wright with the No. 99 overall pick in 2011, no trumpets sounded or ticker-tape parades held — that’s about where he was slated to go, writes Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. But, since draft day three years ago, Wright has proven himself to be an anchor of an underrated linebacking corps, earning the No. 18 spot of the top 25 best Seahawks draft picks of all time. Wright has the third-most tackles of any defender from the 2011 draft class (164), behind Tampa Bay’s Mason Foster (199) and Houston’s J.J. Watt (192).
More draft notes below…
- Auburn offensive lineman Greg Robinson will meet with the Rams, holders of the No. 2 overall pick, writes Joel A. Erickson of AL.com. But, since the Rams have already met with Robinson at the team’s facilities in St. Louis, the meeting will take place at Auburn or at Robinson’s high school in Thibodaux, Louisiana.
- Utah end/linebacker Trevor Reilly is one of 11 prospects chronicling his journey to the NFL Draft for USA TODAY Sports. In this piece published today via Tom Pelissero, Reilly speaks of his recent team workouts and updates us on the condition of his knee:
“My workouts with the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars two weeks ago were positive. Both coaches were awesome. The linebacker coaches came out and worked me out, and we got in the film room. My body feels good and my knee feels good, and I think during the workouts, I showed I can move around well even though I’m a pretty tall guy.”
“My knee is 100 percent now. It’s never felt better. If there were a football game tomorrow, I’d be fine. I don’t even think I’ll have a brace going into my first practice of rookie minicamp. The reason why I wore it last year is I came back so early from ACL surgery – I had the surgery in December and I was back in August – my head coach and my trainer made me wear it just as a precaution. But to me it was more of an insurance policy. It wasn’t that I needed it. It was to make sure I didn’t reinjure myself. I think my surgeon did a great job with my ACL and with the cleanup of the meniscus, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary.”
- Lindenwood cornerback Pierre Desir may come from a small school, but he plays with great size and experience, writes Arjuna Ramgopal of WEEI.com.
- Baylor guard Cyril Richardson could be a depth pick for the Bears offensive line, but holes on defense might preclude the team from taking an offensive lineman that high, per CSNChicago.com.
Draft Notes: Landry, Reilly, Thomas, Hoffman
With 18 days until the 2014 NFL Draft kicks off at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, draft-eligible prospects are flying all over the country to meet with teams, and vice-versa. Here are the latest notes and rumors with regard to the upcoming NFL Players Selection Meeting, as it is officially called:
- LSU wide receiver Jarvis Landry will visit the Jets and Falcons this week, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Landry has previously worked out for the Patriots, Panthers and 49ers.
- The Jaguars and Panthers have met with Utah outside linebacker Trevor Reilly, writes Aaron Wilson of National Football Post. Reilly, a first-team All-Pac-12 selection, underwent knee surgery in January but healed up well enough to run a 4.66 second 40-yard dash at his pro day March 19.
- Rich Tander of CSN Washington looks at the potential fit between the Redskins and Oregon running back De’Anthony Thomas.
- Finding starters every spring in the NFL Draft is the key for teams hoping to be competitive each season, writes Mark Kaboly of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- A scouting report of BYU wide receiver Cody Hoffman and his potential fit with the Bears, by the staff at CSN Chicago.
- A poll by the Minneapolis Star Tribune asking which quarterback is the best in the NFL draft.
- Looking at size, accuracy, arm strength, mobility, decision making, leadership, level of competition and experience, Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union breaks down Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Manziel and Derek Carr.
- Also by the Times-Union, a mock draft of the first two rounds.
AFC Notes: Beckham, Dolphins, Chiefs
A source confirmed to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald today that the Dolphins will host LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham, using one one of the team’s 30 allotted non-local visits.
Beckham caught 59 passes for 1,152 yards and eight touchdowns in 2013 for the Tigers and is projected as a first-round pick.
Does Beckham’s visit mean Miami is souring on Mike Wallace just one year into his contract? That’s the logic argued by Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith, noting that Wallace wasn’t signed by current GM Dennis Hickey and that Hickey “probably” doesn’t have any intentions with Wallace beyond this season. Or, the Dolphins are just doing their due diligence and trying to find out as much about as many worthy draft-eligible prospects as possible.
More news and notes from the American Football Conference…
- A position-by-position look at the Chiefs‘ cap situation by Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star, as well as each player’s base salary, cap number, Pro Football Focus grade and contract expiration date.
- The Chiefs may need to be prepared to draft a quarterback with the No. 23 pick, Paylor writes.
- Four Patriots — Brandon Browner, Rob Gronkowski, Logan Mankins and Jerod Mayo — have an offseason workout bonus of $250K, and the team begins its offseason workouts on Monday, writes Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com. 15 players are eligible to receive offseason workout bonuses if they participate in at least 80-90% of the workouts with a total possible payout of $1.74MM.
Vikings Beat Analyzes Draft’s Top QBs
With just two quarterbacks currently under contract, the Minnesota Vikings most likely will come away from the 2014 NFL Draft with at least one new signal caller. Matt Cassel recently signed a two-year deal with the club, and Christian Ponder is under club control for at least one more season, but neither are franchise quarterbacks. In separate pieces for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Matt Vensel and Mark Craig break down the potential fits of the consensus top-three throwers: Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, Central Florida’s Blake Bortles and Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater.
Vensel separates his thorough profile of Manziel into sections, analyzing Johnny Football’s dazzling play-making ability, his smallish stature, the rock star persona and other potential choices at the position Minnesota may make. Thanks to Michael Vick and other mobile quarterbacks who have had success in the league, Vensel contends that general manager Rick Spielman will have to reconsider the future of the position, which in the past has relied upon the tall, statuesque passers.
Craig looks in depth at Bortles and Bridgewater, speaking to David Gibbs, the University of Houston defensive coordinator who faced the two quarterbacks in consecutive weeks last season.
“I think they’re both going to be good NFL quarterbacks. How good? I’m not a quarterback guru,” Gibbs said. “But neither one of them is going to be a bust. They’re safe picks. In my opinion, because of the way they’ve been trained and coached, you’re not going to get a Ryan Leaf. You’re not going to get JaMarcus Russell. You’re not going to get a guy who just can’t play.”
Gibbs likes Bortles upside, but said he’s more prone to force a throw, whereas Bridgewater is content to check down on third-and-20 rather then turn the ball over.
For Manziel, Gibbs is reticent to give his full endorsement: “I do see him as a risk. And I don’t know him personally. I’m just watching him. He’s doing all of this stuff in college. What’s he going to do when he gets to pro football? You know the lifestyle changes. He’s saying all the right things now, and he should. He’s smart. But I don’t know about him.”
NFC Notes: Cowboys, Donald, Seahawks
With his scintillating workout numbers and collegiate accolades, Pittsburgh’s Aaron Donald is viewed as the preeminent three-technique defensive tackle in the 2014 NFL Draft. The Cowboys seem to be a perfect landing spot for Donald’s services, argues Rainer Sabin of The Dallas Morning News.
Donald was a first-team All-America selection and garnered every award save for the Heisman Trophy. Sabin contends that Donald could pair with recently signed defensive tackle Henry Melton in 2014 — who signed a one-year deal — then take over as a cornerstone on the defensive line going forward.
More news and notes from the National Football Conference…
- The Seahawks didn’t blitz a whole lot, but when they did, they made it count, writes Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus.
- A look at the second chance given to Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky, by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
- It’s a relationship of trust between Packers head coach Mike McCarthy and defensive coordinator Dom Capers, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- At long last, the Cowboys are paying attention to the salary cap, via columnist Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News.
- Though there is no agreement at this point, Charlotte Observer beat writer Joe Person reports via Twitter that the Panthers are still talking with safety Thomas DeCoud.
Pauline’s Draft Notes: Latimer, Johnson, West
In this nugget-filled piece on draftinsider.net, NFL draft analyst Tony Pauline drops some knowledge on the latest workouts and visits from eligible prospects around the league. Here are a few of the notes PFR has yet to touch on:
- The Eagles hosted Indiana receiver Cody Latimer for an official visit today in addition to Brandon Coleman, Quron Pratt and Kelvin Benjamin.
- The Chargers and Saints will host New Mexico offensive lineman Darryl Johnson, whom Pauline describes as a practice squad developmental prospect who projects to guard in the NFL.
- Terrance West has already worked out for the Falcons and has made an official visit to see the Titans. At least 22 teams were represented at the Towson running back’s pro-day today.
- Georgia State offensive tackle John Ulrich has trips scheduled to visit the Falcons and Seahawks.
- Sources tell Pauline to expect the Seahawks to target offensive tackles in the upcoming draft.
- Pauline hears that the Buccaneers hope to draft at least one tackle and/or guard with starting potential.
- South Carolina edge rusher Chaz Sutton recently met with the Texans and Raiders.