Cam Newton

I have been extremely critical of Cam Newton since the end of his collegiate career. I really wish he had stayed at Auburn for another season so we could have seen how he developed with another year under his belt. Lucky for him, he still ended up going first overall based solely on his raw abilities.

I have said it before and I'll say it again, Newton has the most potential of any player I have seen coming out of college since... wait for it, JaMarcus Russell. The one thing that Newton has going for him is he is significantly more intelligent than Russell was coming out of college. Newton is a lot sharper than most people give him credit. 

However, it is not his intelligence that will hold him back. What scares me and most other evaluators is Newton's questionable moral character and his work ethic. He spent his entire college career relying on his athletic abilities to dominate opponents, but everyone in the NFL is an incredible athlete and Newton will have to work harder than he has ever done in the past for him to develop into a productive player. The only thing holding back Newton from greatness is himself, and possibly the Panthers' dreadful receiving corps. Newton has all of the God given abilities to become one of the most feared quarterbacks in the NFL, but he has a long way to go before he can get there. 

Despite being critical of Newton, I will be rooting for him and hoping that he can keep his nose clean and focus on football. How he plays during his rookie season will be one of the more interesting story lines to follow in the 2011 season, whenever it begins.

Here is a great interview with Cam Newton from NFL Networks:

http://tinyurl.com/3z23azx

Marcell Dareus

http://tinyurl.com/5rq3hz6


This is a great interview with Marcell Dareus. I absolutely love this guy and his attitude. I am still shocked, and disappointed since I am a Jets fan, that he fell to the Bills at the third overall pick. I will be rooting for him every time he is not playing the Jets. I'm excited to watch him take down Tom Brady this year, and equally terrified to watch Mark Sanchez running away from him.

Quarterback Quandaries

With free agency still on hold thanks to that pesky lockout, numerous quarterbacks are simply waiting to see what part of the country they will end up. There are numerous possibilities for all of these quarterbacks, but I have listed where I think each quarterback fits in the best as well as where I think these quarterbacks will actually end up, which includes the unemployment line for one of these guys.

Where They Should End Up

Carson Palmer – Cardinals

---The Cardinals need a proven quarterback to keep Fitzgerald happy and I’m not sure they want to risk two high value picks in the draft and Fitzgerald on a guy that has only started SEVEN games in his entire career. As I said in my last article (http://tinyurl.com/3j78k67), the Bengals need to get some value out of Carson Palmer and this is the best situation for both teams.

Kevin Kolb – Redskins

---I know… Do the Redskins really want to continually give up their drafts for Eagles’ quarterbacks? However, Kolb is a perfect fit for Shanahan’s offense: he has the mobility, the arm, and the accuracy to excel. However, I think the Eagles value Kolb significantly more than they did McNabb last season and I cannot see them trading a young, talented quarterback to a division foe, but it sure would be interesting.

What Will the Bengals Do With Carson Palmer?

The one thing Mike Brown and the Bengals cannot afford to do is not at least consider trading Carson Palmer. If Kevin Kolb is being considered worth possibly as much as a first and a second round pick, who only has 7 starts in his career, Palmer has to be worth at least a first round pick. The Bengals are clearly in a rebuilding mode and they could use as much fire power in the next few drafts to turn this team around, which was undefeated in the very tough AFC North just two years ago.

Palmer is one of the best players, if not the best player, on the Bengals roster and they simply cannot afford to just let him retire when he has value to this team either as a starter or in a trade. I understand that Mike Brown refuses to be bullied by his players, but he already proved that he alone makes the final decisions on trading players when he refused to move Chad Ochocinco a few years back. Brown should also learn from that experience since his stubbornness had a negative impact on his team. Ochocinco was a complete distraction for the rest of the team and even failed to be productive on the field. He is now more than likely going to be cut from the team before the start of the 2011 season. The Redskins were rumored to have been willing to give up not one, but two first round picks to get him just two years ago. If the Bengals had those extra two picks and not had to deal with Ochocinco’s off the field shenanigans, they could have been making a deep run into the playoffs instead of picking forth overall in the draft this year.

Not only should Brown learn from his prior mistake, but also when you are dealing with a franchise quarterback, all the rules are thrown out the window. With so many teams desperate for signal callers, Palmer’s trade value could never be higher. Once Kolb is dealt, Palmer is the only other free agent quarterback who can step in right away and man the position for at least 5 more years (Palmer is only 31 years old). Palmer’s play might have slipped a little the last few years, but I strongly believe a change of scenery and distancing himself from problematic receivers like Chad Ochocinco will motivate him to become a top 10-12 quarterback in this league again.

NFC South Draft Grades

Buccaneers: B

R1 Adrian Clayborn, DE Iowa

R2 Da’Quan Bowers, DE Clemson

R3 Mason Foster, LB Washington

R4 Luke Stocker, TE Tennessee

R5 Ahmad Black, SS Florida

R6 Allen Bradford, RB USC

R7 Anthony Gaitor, CB Florida International

R7 Daniel Hardy, TE Idaho

Clayborn and Bowers are both legitimate top 15 talent and defensive end was their biggest need coming into the draft. They both have some medical concerns, especially Bowers. If Bowers can recover from his knee injury and prove that this will not be a problem throughout his career, he could end up being the disruptive force on the Bucs defense that helps them get back into the playoffs. Both Clayborn and Bowers are big defensive ends who are effective against the run and pass. They will probably both start right away for this defense that is desperate for pass rushers.

The Bucs have been looking for upgrades at their outside linebacker spots since they let Derrick Brooks go. Foster might not start immediately, but he has the skills to be effective in their Tampa-2 defense and will at least be a factor on special teams. He could turn into a very productive starter in a year or so. Stocker is one of the most complete tight ends in this draft and he was a great pick up in the forth round. He has the size you look for (6’5, 258) in a starting tight end, which gives him the power to be an effective blocker at the next level. He has sneaky quickness and great hands. The Bucs will be running a lot of two tight end sets with Stocker and Kellen Winslow. This will be extremely difficult to defend with the threat of two dangerous tight ends in the passing game as well as their ability to block in the run game.

Black reminds me a lot of Jim Leonard on the Jets. He is extremely undersized (5’10, 180 lbs), but he has the instincts and heart to get the job done. I think he will end up starting sooner rather than later for the Bucs at safety, who really need to add youth to their defensive backfield. Bradford is an enormous running back to pair with LeGarrette Blount. With two talented running backs over 240 lbs, the Bucs’ run game should absolutely punish defenders and really tire teams out. Gaitor and Hardy add depth to their positions and could help out on special teams.

Besides from their seventh round picks, the rest of these rookies should all have significant roles on a Bucs’ team that won 10 games last season and barely missed the playoffs for the second time in three years. This draft class will mostly be judged on whether or not Bowers can stay on the field because if he can, I have no doubt he will be an extremely productive player. Clayborn will be a solid player, but despite being the second round pick, Bowers is the guy who could really be a difference maker on this team. 

AFC South Draft Grades

Colts: A-

R1 Anthony Castonzo, OT Boston College

R2 Ben Ijalana, OL Vilanova

R3 Drake Nevis, DT LSU

R4 Delone Carter, RB Syracuse

R6 Chris Rucker, CB Michigan St.

As much as I hate the Colts, I have to respect how they consistently find a way to win at least 10 games every season. That mostly has to do with how successful they are in the draft every year. Their biggest need coming into the draft was fixing their offensive line that made Peyton Manning look like Rex Grossman for a lot of last season. Castonzo is a great blue-collar player who can play both right and left tackle. He will be a day one starter and should develop into the left tackle the Colts have been looking for since Tarik Glenn retired. Ijalana will probably play left guard or right tackle and will be another lineman to pair with Castonzo who should start for the Colts for a very long time.

The Colts’ have failed to find a decent starter at defensive tackle for a very long time and Nevis will get a shot at filling that role. The Colts have not drafted well at this spot in the past and they will hope that Nevis’ experience in the SEC will lead him to be successful in the NFL. Last year it seemed like the Colts never knew who was going to be starting for them at running back because at least one back was always injured. Carter is a short and stout physical running back who is elusive enough to take over the starting role for the Colts. Rucker is a good developmental corner. He has the size and speed to start in the NFL, but needs some time to develop and might have a hard time making this talented Colts team.

Four out of the Colts five picks could start for them this season and their fifth pick could turn into a starter down the line. They also hit on their most glaring need with their first two picks. I am sure they would have loved to get another receiver to help out Manning, but this is still a great draft. 

AFC West Draft Grades

Broncos: B+

R1 Von Miller, OLB Texas A&M

R2 Rahim Moore, FS UCLA

R2 Orlando Franklin, OL Miami

R3 Nate Irving, LB N.C. State

R4 Quinton Carter, DB Oklahoma

R4 Julius Thomas, TE Portland St.

R6 Mike Mohamed, LB California

R7 Virgil Green, TE Nevada

R7 Jeremy Beal, DE Oklahoma

Von Miller is an incredible talent, but he is much better suited to be an OLB in a 3-4 defense than a 4-3 defense and is too small to play defense end. I also think Marcell Dareus is a much better prospect and would have filled a much bigger need for the Broncos, who desperately need help all over their defensive line. Rahim Moore was a great find in the second round since he was considered the top safety in this draft. Brian Dawkins will teach him to play the position like a pro and eventually replace him. Franklin will probably step in immediately at right tackle for the Broncos and could be the starter there for a long time. Irving has the speed and size to immediately start at one of the linebacker positions for the Broncos. He is also a vocal leader and should energize this defense, which was the worst in the NFL last season. Carter adds another safety to their rotation and could end up starting next to Moore once Dawkins retires.

Thomas and Green are both pass catching tight ends with good speed. They both have great value for where they were drafted and have the potential to develop into dangerous weapons in this offense that already has the deepest receiving corps in the NFL. Mohamed will immediately be a tackling machine on special teams and should be a decent backup middle linebacker. Jeremy Beal was a steal in the seventh round and could be a dangerous situational pass rusher.

The Broncos really made the most out of their picks and got great value in every round. Their defense was absolutely horrendous last year and they loaded up on that side of the ball. They found at least three quality starters for that side of the ball, which is extremely impressive. I would have liked this draft a lot more if they had taken Dareus with the second pick, but Miller is a rare pass rushing force.