NFL 2019 NFL Draft Prospects Discussion

[Brasher]

The Kyler Murray bandwagon getting bigger and bigger by the day, yet the more I watch of Haskins the more I'm convinced he will be a sure fire star QB. If I need a QB I'm moving heaven and Earth to get ahead of the Giants at #6 and taking Haskins.

Word is Cards are just about all in on Murray?

I hope Haskins either absolutely blows someone away then, after Murray goes One, offers the 49ers an absolute boatload of picks. Otherwise, don't overthink it Lynch...just take Bosa and relax for the rest of the night.

 

[drd23]

You have to be impressed for a guy that big who can jump that far but I am trying to reconcile how that athletic trait transforms into how he plays OT better where he has to keep both feet anchored on the ground most of the time.

Its a measure of lower leg explosion. I could see it having some correlation with the ability to explode out of a 3 point stance when run blocking or maybe in pass blocking if he's one of those that jumps backwards in his initial pass set.

Obviously being the freakiest athletic in the world means nothing if the technique isnt there

 

[drd23]

Otherwise, don't overthink it Lynch...just take Bosa and relax for the rest of the night.

From the way some are reporting how the 9ers are conducting their combine interviews, I think they might be over thinking things

 

[Brasher]

From the way some are reporting how the 9ers are conducting their combine interviews, I think they might be over thinking things

 

[Exe Gesis]

According to draft insider Tony Pauline, Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury has told people at the NFL Combine that Arizona selecting Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray is already a "done deal."
Pauline acknowledges Kingsbury may not have final say on this decision -- GM Steve Keim technically has more power -- but Kingsbury is a quarterbacks coach by trade and should have just as much say regarding that position. Josh Rosen trade rumors are peaking with connections made to the Redskins and Dolphins, among others. Rosen isn't nearly as strong a fit for Kingsbury's Air Raid spread and would fit better in an offense like Jay Gruden's.
RELATED:

• Arizona Cardinals

SOURCE: Draft Analyst Blog
Mar 4, 2019, 7:37 AM

 

[Brasher]

According to draft insider Tony Pauline, Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury has told people at the NFL Combine that Arizona selecting Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray is already a "done deal."
Pauline acknowledges Kingsbury may not have final say on this decision -- GM Steve Keim technically has more power -- but Kingsbury is a quarterbacks coach by trade and should have just as much say regarding that position. Josh Rosen trade rumors are peaking with connections made to the Redskins and Dolphins, among others. Rosen isn't nearly as strong a fit for Kingsbury's Air Raid spread and would fit better in an offense like Jay Gruden's.
RELATED:

• Arizona Cardinals

SOURCE: Draft Analyst Blog
Mar 4, 2019, 7:37 AM

Maybe Kingsbury should just give Johnnie Manzel a call? I'm serious.

I can actually see him being a viable backup to Murray (if the Cards go this way then they are going to need a backup that they won't have to adjsut the offense too much for if called in....always a real chance with the type of player Murray is)

 

[Exe Gesis]

Maybe Kingsbury should just give Johnnie Manzel a call? I'm serious.

I can actually see him being a viable backup to Murray (if the Cards go this way then they are going to need a backup that they won't have to adjsut the offense too much for if called in....always a real chance with the type of player Murray is)

its quite possible that happens, never say never.

Kingsbury = next Chip Kelly

 

[Exe Gesis]

University of Massachusetts WR Andy Isabella blazed a 4.31 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.
Initially pigeon-holed into the slot due to his 5'10" 189-pound frame, 87th-percentile SPARQ standout Isabella turned heads in Indy when he scorched the turf with an insane 4.31 40-time. Boosting his downfield numbers from 15.7 yards per catch as a Junior at UMass to a hefty 16.8 YPC in his Senior campaign, the 2018 Consensus All-American and Senior Bowl MVP not-so-quietly posted 101/1,697/13 in his final collegiate year, including leading the nation in raw receiving yards per game (141.5). Isabella noted following his combine workout that teams started mentioning him playing both inside and along the sidelines. Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy compared the UMass product to T.Y. Hilton and Brandin Cooks.

Mar 5, 2019, 3:07 PM

 

[drd23]

That "news" is like 36 hours old. There's been a few more impressive combine performances since then

 

[Cassius_Clay]

Maybe Kingsbury should just give Johnnie Manzel a call? I'm serious.

I can actually see him being a viable backup to Murray (if the Cards go this way then they are going to need a backup that they won't have to adjsut the offense too much for if called in....always a real chance with the type of player Murray is)

What are their similarities besides lack of height and (playing) weight?

 

[Exe Gesis]

Both were Air Raid system QBs

 

[Exe Gesis]

NFL.com's Kimberly Jones reports "nearly every talent evaluator" she spoke to at the Combine expects Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray to go No. 1 overall to the Cardinals.
Jones essentially could not find anyone at the Combine to dispute the notion. The report comes the same day that Jones' NFL Network colleague Charley Casserly claimed Murray bombed the Combine, supposedly making a poor impression as a studier and leader while greatly disappointing in his "board work." Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury does not seem too worried about Casserly's assessment.
RELATED:

• Arizona Cardinals

SOURCE: NFL.com
Mar 6, 2019, 9:27 AM

 

[Exe Gesis]

Taking a closer look at Charley Casserly’s “report” regarding Kyler Murray
Posted by Mike Florio on March 5, 2019, 6:03 PM EST

Former NFL General Manager Charley Casserly is taking a beating in some circles for his comments about quarterback Kyler Murray. And rightfully so.

Casserly would be entitled to his opinions about Murray if they were indeed his own opinions. But Casserly peddled on the NFL-owned and NFL-operated broadcast network earlier today not his own opinions but opinions that were shared with him by someone who supposedly witnessed (or who heard about) Murray’s performances during Scouting Combine interviews.
Murray reportedly sat for 10 interviews at the Scouting Combine. How many of those teams did Casserly talk to in crafting his report? The quotes being distributed by NFL Network indicate that Casserly talked to “more than two teams, I’ll leave it at that.” But he shouldn’t leave it at that; he should provide the specific number of teams. It could be as few as three or as many as all of them, and that’s a critically important piece of information.

“He better hope [Kliff] Kingbury takes him No. 1 because this was not good,” Casserly said in the initial quote posted on the NFL Media Twitter account. “These were the worst comments I ever got on a top-rated quarterback and I’ve been doing this a long time. . . . Leadership — not good. Study habits — not good. The board work — below not good. Not good at all in any of those areas, raising major concerns about what this guy is going to do. Now, people will say we’re going to compare him to [Patrick] Mahomes, we’re going to run an offense like Mahomes, we’re going to run an offense like Baker Mayfield. . . . But those guys are much different. Those guys, you never questioned them about their ability on the board, you never questioned their leadership ability, their work habits. They were outstanding in those areas. This guy is not outstanding in those areas and it showed up in the interview.”

NFL Media posted on its Twitter account more verbatim quotes from Casserly’s report on Murray, which include a back-door body slam of Murray’s agent, Erik Burkhardt.

“In the interviews . . . I got exactly the same stories,” Casserly said. “They were not impressed with his leadership skills or potential for the interview. They weren’t impressed with his study habits, and I can’t give you the quotes but they’re pretty bad. And they were not impressed with his board work and understanding football concepts that was quizzed on, and that wasn’t good. I can’t give you the quotes. It was the worst report I’ve ever heard on a top-ranked quarterback from the interview part of it. One thing that stuck out to me: this guy was never trained for the interview. Whoever trained him did a poor job; guys do get trained for interviews now.”

In processing these remarks, it’s important to remember one key fact. Casserly isn’t a reporter. He’s an analyst. But he has provided under the cloak of his many years of experience what amounts to a report, not an analysis.

Remember when NFL Network had to remind Warren Sapp that he isn’t a reporter, after he outed Jeremy Shockey as the Saints’ bounty snitch? What Casserly did today is the same thing. Instead of chastising Casserly, however, the NFL is reveling in his reporting.

But who vetted Casserly’s report? Who are his sources for this report? Did NFL Network require Casserly to name them before allowing him to spread such strongly negative information about a player around whom NFL Network surely will be focusing much of its pre-draft hype?

As to the unspecified number of teams to which Casserly spoke, did he talk to someone in the room? Did he talk to someone who talked to someone in the room? From how many of these interviews did he receive first- or second- or third-hand information?

Even if Casserly were a reporter, trafficking in anonymous rumor regarding draft prospects without some specific sense of context or precision is inherently untrustworthy, from the perspective of the audience. Everyone with every team lies when it comes to opinions about players in the draft pool, and those who aren’t lying are going about it wrong. The draft has become the NFL’s ultimate cloak-and-dagger exercise, where teams that love a player say bad things about him in the hopes that he’ll slide to that team and where teams that hate a player talk him up so that some sucker drafting higher in the pecking order will waste a pick on him. Anonymous scouts and coaches and executives who whisper about prospects almost always have an agenda; in this case, the potential universe of Casserly’s sources consists of franchises that have enough interest in Murray to take the time to meet with him, during a week when teams are strictly limited regarding the number of 15-minute interviews they can conduct.

In the early years of PFT, when I knew even less than I know now (if that’s possible), I often passed along anonymously-sourced opinion. Over time, I realized that, while anonymously-sourced fact (e.g., Casserly’s report that the Cardinals were shopping Josh Rosen at the Combine, something else that technically doesn’t fall under Casserly’s analyst umbrella) makes the football and non-football reporting world go ’round, anonymous opinion, especially prior to the draft, has become the fuel for those who would manipulate members of the media to push a narrative and/or to advance an agenda
Casserly’s reporting is flawed, it’s incomplete, and it likely wasn’t subjected to the standards that presumably apply to NFL Network’s small army of actual reporters. Casserly was able to pull it off because of his many years in the business, but he passed along information that may not be accurate, may not be complete, and could ultimately take millions of dollars out of Murray’s pockets, if anyone with any of the teams considering Murray actually regard Casserly’s remarks with anything more than a grain of salt.

Then again, maybe no one will. As Patriots coach Bill Belichick said about Casserly more than nine years ago, “Who’s been wrong more than Charley Casserly since he left the Redskins? His percentage is like a meteorologist.”

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

What a shit show the Cardinals are if true.... You take a guy fired from TAM last year and you let him choose his QB of choice after you just spent a top 10 pick on a QB last year.

Not to mention Kingsbury couldn't even get a job as a college HC, he was signed an OC for the upcoming season.

The leagues new Browns. At least the Suns won't feel so bad about sucking arse anymore. Arizona, professional sports dumpster fire state.

 

[Brasher]

What are their similarities besides lack of height and (playing) weight?

He had Manzel at A&M...both athletic and probably could shoe horn Manzel into the offensive style he would build around Murray (going to be a big challenge to find a backup QB to Murray that doesn't derail the offensive gameplan if Murry goes out.

 

[Exe Gesis]

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Clarence Hill reports Raiders coach Jon Gruden is "all over" Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray.
Hill adds Jon's brother, Jay, and the Redskins, are also interested in Murray. Oakland currently holds the Nos. 4, 24, and 27 overall picks in the first round, while also having the No. 35 pick in tow. If Gruden wants to make a move to get Murray, he certainly has the ammo to pull it off. However, the noise coming out of the Combine has the Cardinals having just as much love for Murray, and they hold the No. 1 pick. All we know is Murray looks like a lock to go first overall some way or another.
RELATED:

• Oakland Raiders
• , Washington Redskins

SOURCE: Clarence Hill on Twitter
Mar 7, 2019, 4:42 AM

 

[Exe Gesis]

Eagles increasingly using sports science to evaluate players
Posted by Michael David Smith on March 7, 2019, 3:56 PM EST

Getty Images
The Eagles have recently been at the forefront of using data to inform their decisions. During their Super Bowl-winning 2017 season, much was made of coach Doug Pederson’s use of analytics to help with in-game decision-making like going for it on fourth down. And now the Eagles say they’re increasingly using sports science to help them make personnel decisions.
Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman said before signing a free agent or drafting a player, they’re asking the sports science department to examine everything they can about the player’s athletic potential and likelihood of staying healthy.
“We use this now for everything we do,” Roseman said of sports science, via ESPN. “Before we sign a free agent, we’ll have our sports scientists look at how the gait is of this player to see if there’s anything that may give us a heads-up on a decline. We’ll have them go to the Combine and separately look at guys. For us, we want to have as many parallel paths as possible where we’re all reaching the head and being able to make a decision. So we’re not getting the same redundant information; we’re getting information from different sources, putting it in a pot and coming out with a good outcome.”
Roseman said sports science informed the Eagles’ decision to sign receiver Alshon Jeffery to a one-year, $14 million contract in free agency in 2017, and then to give him a four-year, $52 million extension later that year. Roseman said Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was initially hesitant to pay Jeffery that much money, before finding out that the sports science staff was confident Jeffery’s best years were ahead of him.
“When we started the process with this free agent and went over his age and his background, [Lurie] is like, ‘This doesn’t make a lot of sense. Why are we doing that?’ And I said, ‘Here’s what we think from an analytical perspective, here’s what we think from a value cap/cash perspective, and here’s our scouting perspective. Let me send you all the information, let’s get back on the phone, because this is what I’m looking at. And we got back on the phone and he said, ‘Not only am I in favor of this, but this seems like a great value,'” Roseman said. “For him to change his tune based on those three pieces of information, to me that’s the kind of person I want to work for — somebody who can get this information, look at it and make a decision based on that and not just stick to the decision he had before. And that’s kind of how we do business: Let’s make really good bets.”
The Eagles have made enough good bets that they won the Super Bowl last year and won a playoff game this year. Now they’re heading into an offseason of significant change, with not much cap space. They’ll be counting on that sports science staff to help them make more good bets.

 

[Exe Gesis]

D.K. Metcalf’s reported 1.6 percent body fat is not likely, not healthy
Posted by Michael David Smith on March 7, 2019, 12:57 PM EST

Getty Images
Ole Miss wide receiver D.K. Metcalf showed at the Scouting Combine that he’s an impressive physical specimen, but one measurement of Metcalf at the Combine has fitness experts scoffing.
That measurement is Metcalf’s body fat percentage, which was reported at 1.6 percent. Which is, frankly, ridiculous.
Joe DeFranco, a personal trainer and gym owner who has trained many NFL players for the Combine, said on his podcast that there is simply no way that Metcalf or anyone else could possibly have 1.6 percent body fat.
“No, it’s not possible,” DeFranco said. “It’s why I’m shocked that the NFL put it out there.”
DeFranco said the 1.6 percent body fat was a mistaken measurement, and a person with body fat that low would be in danger of dying of malnutrition.
“You need at least 3 percent body fat for your organs to function,” he said. “If somebody’s body fat percentage legitimately dips under 2 percent, that’s not an impressive physique. That’s a medical emergency. Get that person to the hospital ASAP before they die. It’s not something we’re looking at and going, ‘Wow, how impressive.’ That person needs their life to be saved.”
Jeff Cavaliere, a physical therapist who has also trained NFL players, said on his YouTube channel that he also believes the measurement was in error and that Metcalf would be at serious risk of injuries if he were anywhere close to a 1.6 percent body fat.
“Should we be happy that D.K. Metcalf is at 1.6 percent, if that was even true? The answer is no,” Cavaliere said. “Look at the injury risk. . . . You have an incredibly high risk of injury.”
Metcalf deserves plenty of credit for his 4.33-second 40-yard dash and 27 reps on the 225-pound bench press. Very few athletes have that combination of strength and speed. But while those numbers are impressive, that much-discussed 1.6 percent number is bogus.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Wizard

confirmed by NFL GMs around the league ... that the Cardinals ARE shopping Rosen around the league.

I seriously reckon Giants could be a perfect landing spot. Rosen and Eli even look similar, play similar.

 

[drd23]

confirmed by NFL GMs around the league ... that the Cardinals ARE shopping Rosen around the league.

Are they?

 

[Exe Gesis]

Are they?

It was reported this morning on NFLN (prior to the start of the AAF game that I'm now watching ) that an unnamed GM confirmed to Rapaport (i think it was) that the Cardinals HAVE been shopping Rosen to that team and that "that" team confirmed with other teams that the Cardinals indeed were shopping him around to those other teams.

 

[Wizard]

Wizard

confirmed by NFL GMs around the league ... that the Cardinals ARE shopping Rosen around the league.

I seriously reckon Giants could be a perfect landing spot. Rosen and Eli even look similar, play similar.

As an Eli apologist this is probably best case scenario for my sanity.

 

[drd23]

confirmed to Rapaport

I think I'll believe Schefty thanks

 

[Exe Gesis]

Vincent Testaverde among players trying out at Regional Combine

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 10, 2019, 6:08 AM EDT

Getty Images


The NFL’s Regional Combines are tryouts for players who, in most cases, you haven’t heard of. But one player at the Regional Combine in Kansas City this weekend has a name football fans know.

Vincent Testaverde, son of the longtime quarterback Vinny Testaverde, was on the Chiefs’ practice field on Saturday hoping to convince some NFL team to give him a shot. Testaverde, who tried to play at both his father’s alma mater of Miami and at Texas Tech before settling in at Albany last year, is a quarterback who knows he’s an extreme long shot in the NFL.

“It’s really my one shot, you know?” he told the Kansas City Star. “I didn’t get a Combine invite. I’m not a big-time college name out there right now. Not one of the big-time top quarterbacks they’re talking about right now. So this was my opportunity to prove myself in front of the scouts, and I did my best.”

Testaverde’s father, the first overall pick in the 1987 NFL draft, has given him plenty of advice.

“My dad, he’s there with me every step of the way,” he said. “I learn everything from him. Anything that he’s learned, he teaches me and I’m still learning from him. Every day, me and him talk about everything football-wise and non-football-wise. But he played for a long time, so he knows what it’s like and prepared me for that.”

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

D.K. Metcalf’s reported 1.6 percent body fat is not likely, not healthy
Posted by Michael David Smith on March 7, 2019, 12:57 PM EST

Getty Images
Ole Miss wide receiver D.K. Metcalf showed at the Scouting Combine that he’s an impressive physical specimen, but one measurement of Metcalf at the Combine has fitness experts scoffing.
That measurement is Metcalf’s body fat percentage, which was reported at 1.6 percent. Which is, frankly, ridiculous.
Joe DeFranco, a personal trainer and gym owner who has trained many NFL players for the Combine, said on his podcast that there is simply no way that Metcalf or anyone else could possibly have 1.6 percent body fat.
“No, it’s not possible,” DeFranco said. “It’s why I’m shocked that the NFL put it out there.”
DeFranco said the 1.6 percent body fat was a mistaken measurement, and a person with body fat that low would be in danger of dying of malnutrition.
“You need at least 3 percent body fat for your organs to function,” he said. “If somebody’s body fat percentage legitimately dips under 2 percent, that’s not an impressive physique. That’s a medical emergency. Get that person to the hospital ASAP before they die. It’s not something we’re looking at and going, ‘Wow, how impressive.’ That person needs their life to be saved.”
Jeff Cavaliere, a physical therapist who has also trained NFL players, said on his YouTube channel that he also believes the measurement was in error and that Metcalf would be at serious risk of injuries if he were anywhere close to a 1.6 percent body fat.
“Should we be happy that D.K. Metcalf is at 1.6 percent, if that was even true? The answer is no,” Cavaliere said. “Look at the injury risk. . . . You have an incredibly high risk of injury.”
Metcalf deserves plenty of credit for his 4.33-second 40-yard dash and 27 reps on the 225-pound bench press. Very few athletes have that combination of strength and speed. But while those numbers are impressive, that much-discussed 1.6 percent number is bogus.

Uber bust in the making imo, sure the guy takes tremendous care of his body and can run amazing time in a straight line but wasn't he one of the worst in the cone drill meassuring his agility.. just coz he looks the part doesn't mean he will be. Someone will get suckered in and select him high in the 1st....and get burnt.