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Falcons on hand at ‘Bama pro day

March 10, 2010 | Author: Pudge

Steve Wyche at NFL.com reports that representatives for all 32 teams were on hand for the University of Alabama’s pro day on Wednesday morning.

The reigning national champions have several top NFL prospects. Some of the biggest news out of the pro day was the revelation that top middle linebacker Rolando McClain has been suffering from Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease since high school. McClain measured at 6′4″ 249 pounds and ran 40 times of 4.69 and 4.68 per NFL.com’s Gil Brandt.

Also, defensive tackle Terrence Cody measured in at 349 pounds, down significantly from the 370 that he weighed at the Senior Bowl in January.

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Falcons eye a pair of UW prospects at pro day

March 10, 2010 | Author: Pudge

Doug Farrar of Football Outsiders.com reports that representatives of the Falcons attended the University of Washington’s pro day earlier today. NFL.com’s Gil Brandt reports that two prospects stood out at the session: linebacker Donald Butler and defensive end Daniel Te’o-Nesheim.

Per Brandt, Butler measured at just below 6′1″ 235 pounds and ran a 4.61 and 4.67 in the 40-yard dash. He also recorded a 35.5-inch vertical leap, 6.90 three-cone drill, and 4.26 short shuttle. Butler participated in the Combine, where he led linebackers with 35 bench reps of 225 pounds.

Te’o-Nesheim measured in at a little over 6′3″ and 267 pounds. He ran a pair of 40s at times of 4.72 and 4.73, and stood on the rest of his numbers from the Combine, which included a vertical leap of 37 inches, three-cone of 6.91 seconds, and short shuttle of 4.18, which were among the best of defensive linemen. Although a report in the Tacoma News Tribune clocked Te’o-Nesheim in the 4.63-4.66 range on his 40 times.

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Player Profiles Added

March 10, 2010 | Author: Pudge

We’ve updated the Player Profiles page by adding some prospects. Scouting reports on various prospects have already begun to be posted in the forums. We will continue to post more in the forums leading up to the draft.

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Mock Draft Muncher – Update No. 5

March 5, 2010 | Author: Pudge

Now that the Combine is over, we are starting to get into the thick of mock drafts. We won’t be in the home stretch until most of the free agent moves have been made in the first few weeks of free agency in March, but we’re getting close. As usual, we’re only including mocks that come from well-rounded sites that have semi-frequent updates. If you think your mock/site cuts the mustard, then you can shoot me an e-mail at: pudge@falcfans.com.

With two full months and counting of post-season mocks, we can look at trends that are occurring on the web in regards of which prospects folks think the Falcons will target with their top pick. In January, we munched 55 total mocks. However, only 38 of those mocks included a “unique” update. And by that we mean that when they updated their mock, they simply didn’t just select the same player and just slapped a brand new date. The unique mocks carry a bit more weight. That way when we compile monthly trends, sites that update frequently, but pretty much churn out the exact same mock every few days won’t skew the results.

Brandon Graham

Brandon Graham

January

Top Unique Picks
1. Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida (5)
1. Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida State (5)
3. Greg Hardy, DE, Mississippi (4)
3. Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida (4)
5. Navorro Bowman, LB, Penn State (3)
5. Donovan Warren, CB, Michigan (3)
5. Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri (3)

Top Total Picks
1. Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida (7)
1. Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida State (7)
3. Greg Hardy, DE, Mississippi (6)
3. Donovan Warren, CB, Michigan (6)
3. Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri (6)

There were 74 mocks munched in February, with 54 of them being unique.

February

Top Unique Picks
1. Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan (9)
2. Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State (7)
3. Everson Griffen, DE, USC (6)
3. Sergio Kindle, LB, Texas (6)
5. Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech (3)
5. Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida (3)
5. Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri (3)

Top Total Picks
1. Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan (12)
2. Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State (9)
3. Everson Griffen, DE, USC (8)
4. Sergio Kindle, LB, Texas (6)
4. Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri (6)

3.5: Football’s Future: #19 – Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan
3.4: Draft Season (Onebar): #19 – Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan
3.4: Heard’s Football Report: #19 – Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida State
3.4: Draft Board Insider: #19 – Everson Griffen, DE, USC
Read more »

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Weatherspoon shines at Mizzou Pro Day

March 4, 2010 | Author: Pudge
Sean Weatherspoon

Sean Weatherspoon

Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, a prospect the Falcons showed interest in during last week’s Scouting Combine, worked out today at the University of Missouri’s pro day, and had an impressive work out according to several sources. The Falcons were on hand, as a representative of the team timed him 4.48 in his 40-yard dash, per a report by Dave Matter of the Columbia Daily Tribune. Other reports, including from NFL.com’s Gil Brandt and from ShowMeMizzou.com had Weatherspoon clocked as fast as 4.43 and as “slow” as 4.53.

Weatherspoon also did 35 bench reps of 225 pounds, one more than he did last week at the Combine, matching the top total of that week. Weatherspoon measures 6′1″ 239 pounds and indicated high interest in the Falcons per the reports. To ShowMeMizzou.com, he indicated he would like to play for the Falcons due to the presence of players like Curtis Lofton and former Tiger teammate William Moore. Weatherspoon indicated that he has strong feelings about the Falcons or Saints being potential destinations for him in the first round of the draft.

Other Tigers that worked out included defensive tackle Jaron Baston and defensive end Brian Coulter, who were not invited to the Combine. Baston measured 6′1″ and weighed 304 pounds, ran a 40 in the 5.0-5.29 range and did 26 bench reps. Baston indicated that he could bulk up to play nose tackle in a 3-4 defense which is where most interest has come for him. Coulter measured 6′3″ 251 and had 40s of 5.02 with 15 bench reps, and a 32-inch vertical leap.

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Falcons attend Buffalo Pro Day

March 4, 2010 | Author: Pudge
Buffalo WR Naaman Roosevelt

WR Naaman Roosevelt

Aaron Wilson reports on the National Football Post that the Falcons were among the twelve NFL teams that had a presence at the University of Buffalo’s pro day, held on Wednesday. Wilson’s report highlights safety Mike Newton, who had an impressive workout after not being invited to the Combine. The only Buffalo player that was invited to this past week’s Scouting Combine was running back James Starks, who according to Rodney McKissic the Buffalo News elected not to work out. Wilson’s report did not list the Falcons among the teams that had specific interest in Newton, just among the teams that were in attendance, possibly indicating their interest in another player at the school.

Another quality prospect at Buffalo is wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt. McKissic reports that Roosevelt ran a 4.59 40-yard dash, did 12 bench reps of 225 pounds, and measured a 36-inch vertical leap. NFL Draft Scout measures Roosevelt at 6′ 190 pounds and ranks him 40th on their wide receiver rankings. Draft Countdown ranks him 23rd, and National Football Post’s Wes Bunting ranks him 41st. Per Wilson, the 5′11″ 202-pound safety Newton averaged 4.47 on his two 40-yard dashes, had 9 bench reps, and a 41-inch vertical.  Newton ranks 11th among free safeties by Bunting and 23rd by NFL Draft Scout. Draft Countdown ranks him 30th among all safety prospects. Based off those ratings, neither player is likely to be drafted before the last few rounds of the draft, although Newton’s workout might have bumped up his stock some.

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2010 Mock Draft (4 Full Rounds)

March 3, 2010 | Author: Pudge

Now that the Combine is over, it’s time for the mocks to re-commence with all the fresh information that teams have collected about players and what it will do to their stock.

Here is a look at the first four rounds of the draft. I’ve included rough guesses at the projected compensatory picks based off the information provided by blogger AdamJT13. I wound up only adding three picks to the draft: one each to the Titans and Bengals at the end of the third round, and a fourth to the Falcons.

FIRST ROUND

1. Rams – QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
Strongly believe that the Rams will take a quarterback here due to money and the fact that they’ve neglected the position for years.
2. Lions – DT Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
Really a toss-up between Suh and McCoy, but I think Suh gets the slight edge because his strength will remind Jim Schwartz of Albert Haynesworth.
3. Buccaneers – DT Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma
It’s really a no-brainer pick at this point. He gives them a disruptive presence that should remind many in the organization of a young Warren Sapp.
4. Redskins – OT Russell Okung, Oklahoma State
The Redskins line is in bad shape.
5. Chiefs – S Eric Berry, Tennessee
Usually Pioli goes with linemen in the first, but I think Berry’s talent will pull him in another direction.
Read more »

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League source: Falcons like Iowa’s Spievey

March 2, 2010 | Author: Pudge
CB Amari Spievey

CB Amari Spievey

Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post reports that the Falcons are smitten with Iowa cornerback Amari Spievey. According to a league source cited by Wilson, the Falcons consider Spievey to be a first round talent. The Falcons met with Spievey over the course of the week-long Combine per Wilson.

Spievey entered this year’s draft as a junior, playing two seasons at Iowa after transferring from Iowa Central Community College. He earned All-Big Ten honors in both seasons and started 26 total games. He combined for 124 tackles, 6 interceptions, 14 pass breakups, and 1 forced fumble during that span.

Spievey measured at 5′11″ and 195 pounds at the Combine. Official results have not been released, but per Wilson he ran unofficial 40 times between 4.47 and 4.51. DraftInsiders.net lists his two unofficial 40 times at 4.52 and 4.53.

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Falcons Combine Interest

March 2, 2010 | Author: Pudge

Tracking which prospects that the Falcons have reportedly shown interest in during the week-long Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, beginning on February 24.

S Barry Church, Toledo
LB A.J. Edds, Iowa
LB Thaddeus Gibson, Ohio State
CB Joe Haden, Florida
CB Devin McCourty, Rutgers
TE Anthony McCoy, Southern California
P Zoltan Mesko, Michigan
LB Eric Norwood, South Carolina
CB Amari Spievey, Iowa
LB Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri
WR Ryan Wolfe, UNLV

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Falcons passing on pass rusher in first?

March 2, 2010 | Author: Pudge
Peria Jerry

Peria Jerry

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution did a good job covering the Falcons over the weekend at the Combine, providing us with some good quotes from both coach Mike Smith and GM Thomas Dimitroff.

But it is interesting that beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter published on Monday that among the five things we learned from the Combine, one of them was that the team would not be selecting a pass rusher in the first round.

I think it certainly is possible that the Falcons could pass on a pass rusher with their top pick. But I doubt it has much to do with the fact that the team believes that Peria Jerry’s return the lineup suddenly fixes their defensive end position, which is what the quote from Thomas Dimitroff given to Ledbetter seems to imply.

Now, since I was not in Indianapolis to hear the exact context and content of his conversation with Dimitroff, I can’t be sure. But judging from the statement released in the paper, Dimitroff’s quote doesn’t seem to rule out the team drafting a defensive end. Here is the exact quote released: Read more »

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