The reason why Devin Hester fell to Bears in 2006 draft – LenDale White

Former Bears Director of College Scouting Greg Gabriel revealed on the National Football Post how the Bears almost didn’t get a chance to select Devin Hester in the second round of the ’06 NFL Draft.

Thank you, LenDale White and Floyd Reese – the Titans general manager who chose White over Hester at pick No. 45.

Hester, drafted by Bears GM Jerry Angelo twelve picks later, was one (Danieal Manning) of the players Gabriel had his eyes on heading into the draft – “we had to get Devin Hester.”

Remember, it also took the Bills to make this happen.

Buffalo traded their second (No. 42 – Manning) and third-round (No. 73 – Dusty Dvoracek) picks for the Bears’ 26th overall pick (John McCargo) in the first round.

When Gabriel called Hester to inform him the Bears were drafting him he said, “For real? Tennessee called and told me they were going to draft me and then decided against it.”

So close.

Revisiting ’06 draft: As I look back and reminisce watching the draft live, I absolutely wanted Ohio State wide receiver Santonio Holmes at pick No. 26.  Instead, Holmes went the pick before to the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers, who traded up seven slots with the Giants to snag him.

Also, I was truly enamored with fourth-round pick (No. 120) linebacker Jamar Williams from Arizona State.  I honestly believed he was going to be our Roosevelt Colvin or Warrick Holdman to compliment Urlacher and Briggs.  All I heard about him was his instincts and ability to make plays, having a nose for the football.

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Re-doing my 2011 fantasy draft on NFL.com

If your fantasy team has been ruined by injuries — or you just did a bad job of drafting — NFL.com gives you the chance to start all over again. And the best thing? Your statistics are retroactive. So if you draft Tom Brady, his first two weeks still count. So stop by the NFL.com draft lobby and start over.

I’m going to re-draft the first three rounds, based on a 10-team league and snake-style draft. This is how I think it would go if I was in the room, watching the draft unfold, taking into account runs on positions, surprise picks and other intangibles that go on with every fantasy draft.

First Round
1. Tom Brady
2. Philip Rivers
3. LeSean McCoy
4. Ray Rice
5. Matthew Stafford
6. Adrian Peterson
7. Aaron Rodgers
8. Drew Brees
9. Michael Vick
10. Calvin Johnson

Analysis: Remember, while you will have retroactive stats, it’s also about the best production going forward. Brady is a no-brainer at No. 1 overall, and Rivers is right behind him. The top RBs take a tumble as Chris Johnson falls entirely out of the first round due to his lack of production. But don’t worry, we’ll see him soon. The age of the pass-catching running back is here, hence the increased importance of McCoy and Rice, who jump “All Day” in the draft. Still, Peterson at No. 6 is a phenomenal value pick. With the early run on QBs, the end of the first round would fall this way with owners not wanting to miss out on one of the top six. I think “Megatron” is a better pick than Andre Johnson to close the round out, considering it looks like there’s more potential for points through the air in Detroit than Houston. Boy, this is fun.

Second round
11. Matt Forte
12. Andre Johnson
13. Larry Fitzgerald
14. Darren McFadden
15. Cam Newton
16. Michael Turner
17. Roddy White
18. Kenny Britt
19. Greg Jennings
20. Wes Welker

Analysis: A couple of surprises here. Remember, if you grabbed a QB in Round 1, you’re looking elsewhere in Round 2. I debated on Newton at No. 11, but figured there’s still enough questions that he would last until mid-round. It’s possible he could have snuck into the top of the first, but there’s better bets right now. He almost is a first-rounder when you consider that teams picking 12-14 already have QBs. Speaking of QBs, seven of the teams have now filled their QB position. Six WRs were taken in Round 2 compared to just three RBs. If McFadden had been more of a goal-line threat the first couple of games, I actually may have moved him up to the final pick of the first round. This is where things start to get interesting, where you see a couple more chances taken.

Third round
21. Vincent Jackson
22. Fred Jackson
23. Steve Smith
24. Peyton Hillis
25. DeSean Jackson
26. Hakeem Nicks
27. Mike Wallace
28. LeGarrette Blount
29. Tim Hightower
30. Ryan Fitzpatrick

Analysis: Well, not what you thought it would be, huh? Gone from the first three rounds of most fantasy draft due to injuries and/or lack of production: Arian Foster, Maurice Jones-Drew, Frank Gore, Jamaal Charles, Jahvid Best and Miles Austin to name a few. Fred Jackson moves up from the eighth round or later in preseason drafts into the third round. Steve Smith up from the fifth or sixth round. Fitzpatrick from undrafted in most drafts to No. 30 overall. Like I said, plenty of these picks are taking a chance at this point due to early season success. Do you believe in the Bills and the Panthers? They each had multiple players selected, whereas the Cowboys have had none.

Happy re-draft!

– Jason Smith

Posted in: Fantasy  

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Gridiron Gab 2011 NFL Draft Prospect Scouting Report – S Rahim Moore

Rahim Moore, S, UCLA, 6'1 195

Position Ranking: #3

Strengths: A good athlete who plays light on his feet. Shows smooth footwork in his backpedal and changing direction; looks natural moving in reverse. Fluid in his overall movements with good agility. Capable of playing center field (cover 1) and has enough speed and range to get to the outside.

Played plenty of cover 2 and spent most of his time on the back end. Breaks down quickly in space to make proper technique tackles. Solid coverage awareness and has a good enough understanding of routes to put himself in position to make a play on the football. Voted team captain by peers and visibly encourages his teammates throughout the game. Well respected in the locker room and takes responsibility when the defense plays subpar.

Needs Improvement: Has a slight body frame and isn’t a powerful hitter. Strength is only adequate at the point of attack and can’t always make the tackle one-on-one on an island. Won’t be much of a threat close to the line of scrimmage at the next level; lacks the strength to consistently set the edge in contain or avoid getting washed out of the play by lineman in run support.

Doesn’t always feel the run play developing in front of him and will allow ball carrier to get on top of him before he reacts; instincts and anticipation are questionable at times. Tackling technique is off/on as are his pursuit angles.

Bottom Line: Rahim Moore has the skill set and ability to be most effective in a cover 2 scheme. He’s very comfortable in deep coverage with pass routes developing in front of him and has the necessary skills to become a reliable starter. His overall play in run support will limit his stock as Moore lacks the size and strength to be an effective last line of defense for more aggressive defensive fronts. Overall, Moore is an intelligent player with good athleticism and will likely add quality depth to a team early in his career as he continues to develop physically.

Draft Projection: 3rd round

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Should Panthers draft a QB?

Published: January 20th, 2011 | Tags: Carolina Panthers, 2011 NFL Draft, Jamie Dukes, NFL Total Access, Trent Green

The Panthers are on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Should they draft a quarterback? NFL Network analysts Jamie Dukes and Trent Green agree the Panthers would be better off going a different direction.

Posted in: Draft  

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Georgia's Houston opts for NFL draft

Justin Houston became the second Georgia player to declare early for the NFL draft when he announced Saturday that he was turning pro.

Houston, an All-SEC outside linebacker, joins former Georgia star receiver A.J. Green, who announced last week that he was skipping his senior season to enter the draft.

Houston was second in the SEC this season with 10 sacks and collected 17.5 sacks over the past two seasons. With Houston's early exit, that means the Bulldogs are losing four linebackers off this season's team. Darryl Gamble and Akeem Dent were seniors, and Marcus Dowtin is transferring to another school.

Here's an updated list of the SEC underclassmen entering the NFL draft: Randall Cobb, WR, KentuckyMarcell Dareus, DE, AlabamaNick Fairley, DT, AuburnA.J. Green, WR, GeorgiaTori Gurley, WR, South CarolinaWill Hill, S, FloridaJustin Houston, OLB, GeorgiaMark Ingram, RB, AlabamaJulio Jones, WR, AlabamaRyan Mallett, QB, ArkansasCam Newton, QB, AuburnPatrick Peterson, CB, LSUStevan Ridley, RB, LSUComments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

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Panthers secure top pick in 2011 NFL Draft

Published: December 27th, 2010 | Tags: Carolina Panthers, 2011 NFL Draft

The Carolina Panthers are now on the clock.

The Panthers lost to the Steelers in Week 16, but gained something else due to wins by the Browns and Bengals: The No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

The Panthers have had the No. 1 overall pick one other time — in their expansion year of 1995 — but traded it away to the Bengals, who drafted RB Ki-Jana Carter. The Panthers acquired first- and second-round picks from the Bengals and drafted QB Kerry Collins with the fifth overall pick and DE Shawn King with the 36th overall pick in the same draft.

More …

Posted in: Draft  

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Draft Day 2011 Could Bring Tough Choices, Surprise Decision for Seattle

The final seconds tick off the clock. Beads of sweat trickle down your face as you shuffle through your notes. All around you, phones ring and voices fight to be heard. You’re moments away from making Seattle’s first pick in the 2011 National Football League Draft and you’ve decided the team’s going to invest in a quarterback and the options at the position are plenty.

There’s Jake Locker. He’s the local product who has captured the hearts of many. Standing at 6-foot-3, 230-pounds, his physical tools are well known. He’s more mobile than most at the position and has a strong arm. His competitiveness has never been in doubt despite playing for one of the country’s worst college football teams over the past few years.

There’s also the downside to the Husky. He’s an erratic passer and, because of his mobility and competitiveness, he’s been banged up more than you’d like for someone his age.

What about Ryan Mallet? Not many quarterbacks come in the form of a 6-foot-6, 238-pound gunslinger. He’s spent two years in the SEC – a conference everybody knows is among the best if not the best in terms of competition. In the conference, he’s not only shown that he can play, but play well. His completion percentage (67.3) has jumped roughly 12 percentage points in his second season at Arkansas and is approaching 70 percent.

He’s not all that mobile, though, but is that something you need from your quarterback?

How about a dark horse? Someone that can play with the best of them and that can be had with your pick or possibly a later one if you trade back a few spots and pick up an additional selection or two in the process?

Enter Cam Newton.

In his first year starting in the SEC, Newton’s put himself front and center among the nation’s top quarterbacks and has built a strong portfolio towards winning the Heisman Trophy. His completion percentage (68.2) is better than Mallet’s and, with 1,297 rushing yards on 6.3 yards per carry and 17 rushing touchdowns, is as much a threat on the ground as he is via the air.

With all the hype also comes a serious question mark.

The alleged pay-for-play recruitment scandal has dragged Auburn’s signal caller through the mud. Did he or people associated with him take money? Did he or people associated with him even ask for money? How will this situation affect his maturity and decision making on and off the field at the next level of the sport?

With the final seconds waning quicker than they should, you call together the team’s decision makers for one last go-over of opinions and the final decision is made.

Now all that is left is to turn in the card to the commissioner and welcome in the next generation of Seahawks football.

Can’t get enough NFLGridironGab?  Follow SeahawksGab Editor Devon Heinen on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DevonHeinen.

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