Thoughts on NFL player movement post draft

The Buffalo Bills had a confusing, but kind of interesting draft. CJ Spiller, in my opinion was the best guy on the board at 9, he can become the identity of their offense, and he’s the perfect complement to Marshawn Lynch. But it only works if they can move Lynch or Fred Jackson, and oddly enough, they’ve said they aren’t moving either.
So here’s a way they could make sense of their first round pick that would make sense for both teams: send Fred Jackson to the Rams for OT Alex Barron. The Rams drafted a new right tackle and have soured on Barron after a penalty plagued season, and need a change of pace back so that SJax doesn’t wear down. Barron is better than any of the tackles on the Bills roster.
Also, the Jags released John Henderson, because they aren’t smart nor do they want to be good. (i.e. Tyson Alalalala). The perfect destination for him: Tennessee. He’s a former Volunteer, and could replace the void left by former collegiate teammate Al Haynesworth. It seems like a great fit.

This chick's voice?

Can someone tell me why this super nasal-y lady is throwing to commercial?

7 chalk, 7 ridiculous

Yep.

WHAT?!?

Kidding about Earl Thomas, I mean I was totally joking....yikes. This has been a ridiculous sequence of picks.

CALLED IT

Called Earl Thomas Eags trade up. So did everyone else.

Chargers?

Who would they trade up for? Ryan Matthews maybe? I feel like they could wait to get him. Bulaga and Claussen are slipping, but I can't see them taking either.

Holy God Really?

i knew the raiders were gonna do something insane. Taking a linebacker when your 2 best defenders are linebackers is pretty on par. I kind of get Spiller, bc they hate Marshawn and can move him for a tackle or something. But Tyson Polamalumaleuna? Awesome. They could've gotten him in round 2. Excellent.

Mock Draft - Picks 28-32

28. Chargers – Ryan Matthews RB – Fresno St.
29. PROJECTED TRADE – Chiefs – Taylor Mays S – USC
Because the Jets want to move down and it would be cool.
30. PROJECTED TRADE – Browns – Colt McCoy QB – Texas
I just can’t see the Vikings taking a QB here. I bet they get out and pick up more picks, maybe a guard in round 2. The Browns need Colt after missing out on Sam B.
31. Colts – Roger Saffold OT - Indiana
32. Saints – Sean Weatherspoon OLB – Mizzou
The Saints would be psyched about this because he could go so much higher. I love the Saints offseason strategy: addressing their number one weakness, the D Line, with 2 or 3 big FA signings and making it a place of depth. I feel like they could repeat.

Mock Draft - Pick # 27

27. PROJECTED TRADE - Bills – Tim Tebow QB – Heaven St.

The Cowboys probably don’t want to reach for Demaryus Thomas’ broken foot or Anthony Davis’s subpar work ethic, so they trade down with Buffalo, who gets Tebow. I’m honestly rooting for this to work out, but it seems doomed.

Also, totally gratuitous pic of Tim Tebow's girlfriend's...beauty.

Mock Draft - Picks 18-26

Its getting near that time so we're gonna speed up

18. Steelers – Maurkice Pouncey C –Florida
19. Falcons – Derrick Morgan DE – Ga Tech
20. Texans – Kyle Wilson CB – Boise St.
21. Bengals – Jermaine Gresham TE Oklahoma
22. Patriots – Jared Odrick DE/DT – Penn St.
23. Packers – Brandon Graham DE/OLB - Michigan
24. Titans (via trade) – Sergio Kindle DE/OLB
25. Ravens – Golden Tate WR – Notre Dame (sleeper pick here)
26. Cardinals – Jerry Hughes DE/OLB – TCU

Mock Draft - Pick # 17

17. 49ers – Mike Iupati OT/OG – Idaho

He looks like E Honda from Street Fighter. Excellent. Well done.

Mock Draft - Pick # 16

16 PROJECTED TRADE – Eagles – Earl Thomas S – Texas

Eagles trade a 3rd and a 7th to the Titans to move up and get ET, because they have an ass-load of picks and they reported love Thomas. His segment with Jon Gruden on SportsCenter won me over when they diagrammed his interceptions. He just KNEW where the quarterback was going, and Gruden believed him.

Those segments have been golden by the way. Gruden just saying genuinely coach-y shit to smart players who are obviously taking it to heart. It’s honestly the best sports related programming I’ve seen this year. Anyone who played high school football knows how cool this is. Okay sorry I’m done.

Mock Draft - Pick # 15

15. Giants – CJ Spiller RB – Clemson
I’d actually be amazed if he falls this far. He’s crazy fast (check out that one play against Ga Tech on youtube where he catches a swing pass, jukes 2 defenders, and sprints a tightrope, it’s amazing) and the way he speaks is really cool. The Giants would replace what Derrick Ward gave them times a thousand.

Update: Better yet, here it is

Guys I think will be moved on draft day

It's likely Albert Haynesworth will be moved tonight or tomorrow, but who are some of the other big name guys that could be moved?

I think there's little chance these guys are playing for their respective teams in the fall:

Shawne Merrimen - Chargers
Possible Destinations: Dallas, San Francisco, Seattle, Cleveland, Basically any team in 3/4 that can maneuver in the draft.

Osi Umenyiora - Gigantes
Possible Destinations: St. Louis (reunited with Spagnuolo), Philadelphia (they tried for Peppers and Kampman and failed) Oakland (they're stockpiling DE's?)Detroit, (because they've been doing badass D Line stuff all off-season), Tennessee (need.)

Shaun Rogers - Gunsville
Possible Destinations: St. Louis (gaping hole at DT) Buffalo (need a NT for the 3/4) Cincinnati (has just the right amount of off field trouble: a lot) Miami (they need a new NT and they don't have enough dumb guys)

The rest tomorrow

Happy Draft Day

Mock Draft - Pick # 14

14. Seahawks – Everson Griffen DE – USC

Pete will absolutely take a USC guy at some point, whether its Spiller at 6 (whos slipping in this off the gut feeling that RB’s just fall in this era where it’s obvious that you can wait for one), and Chuck Brown here, or Trent Williams at 6 and Griffen here. Also, they could do the smart thing and take Derrick Morgan who will probably be this year’s ‘He should have gone top ten! How did we not see that?!!?’ guy.

Mock Draft - Pick #13

13. 49ers - Joe Haden, CB - Florida

The Niners need to add depth to their secondary and invest in someone to eventually replace aging Nate Clements. After running a sluggish 40 at the NFL combine, Haden redeemed himself by running a 4.43 on his draft day. Haden is a good coverage corner but isn’t a lock to be a stud. Best CB in the draft, though.

Mock Draft - Pick #12

12. Dolphins - Jason Pierre-Paul, DE - South Florida

Miraculously, Al Davis passed on the most athletic defensive lineman in the draft. His ability to rush the passer, drop back into a 3-4 as a linebacker and do backflips apparently wasn’t enough to impress the man that some people worry might draft Heyward-Bey, again. The Dolphins get a raw athlete, here, who will need a lot of work, especially when it comes to defending the run.

Mock Draft - Pick # 11

11. Broncos – Rolando McClain MLB – Alabama

The Broncos would be relieved in this scenario because they don’t have to pass on Dez Bryant. Regardless of the dearth of wide-outs, why trade Brandon Marshall to replace him with a slightly worse one? Trading Marshall means you don’t love having a crazy good receiver. McClain would be the leader of that D a la Pat Willis.
Side note: It seems like no one values a middle linebacker during the draft, but then they have a huge impact when they go later than they should have. Willis, Maualuga, Laurenitis, Jon Beason, etc.

Mock Draft - Pick #10

10. Jaguars - Dez Bryant, WR - Oklahoma State

Jacksonville could do a lot of different things here. Obviously their franchise is in disarray and they need to do something to fill their stadium. While WR isn’t the team’s biggest need, the Jags take Dezaster Bryant here to add character (issues) to their otherwise boring offense. Jacksonville could trade down here to get Tebow but hope they can grab him early in the second round.

Mock Draft - Pick # 9

9. Bills – Dan Williams NT – Tennessee
The Bills want and need an OT pretty bad, and need a quarterback that can move, but I can see them trading for Jared Gaither and drafting Tebow, or trading for Jason Campbell and drafting OT Roger Saffold, because they wouldn’t take St. Timothy this high and there isn’t a worthy tackle. They need a 3-4 NT and Dan Williams is the most highly regarded one in the draft.
Also, I like the idea that Chan Gailey thinks a spread offense is great idea in the NFL, let alone in cold Buffalo against teams like the Jets, Pats and Phins with 3-4 D’s that will smother it. Nice coaching choice, Bills.

Mock Draft - Pick # 8

8. PROJECTED TRADE - Steelers – Jimmy Clausen QB – Notre Dame
We’re getting a little bold here at N.S. Roethlisberger to the Raiders has been floated out there, and the Steelers have admitted they’d think about a trade for a top ten pick. Bill Simmons had the best point, which was the of all the NFL teams, the Steelers don’t tolerate this kind of shit, and that ‘Roethlisberg-her-whether-her-wants-to-or-not’ is a perfect fit for the Raidas. I say the Raiders send the 8th this year, the 3rd this year, 3rd next year, and maybe the newly acquired Kam Wimbley (by the way, why did Cleveland trade him? He was their best guy on D arguably, or at least the most scary from a potential standpoint) for Rapeslisberger.

Mock Draft - Pick #7

7. Chiefs - Bryan Bulaga, OT - Iowa

Knowing they could pick one of the two prized offensive tackles left on the board, the Chiefs pick up two late draft picks in settling for the one the Seahawks pass on, Bryan Bulaga. But this is the one the Chiefs want. Scott Pioli feels comfortable with Kirk Ferentz and has an affinity for white, blue collar, stout, (buzzed-cut) midwesterners. Bulaga just looks like he should be in KC.

Mock Draft - Pick # 6

6. Seahawks – Trent Williams OT – Oklahoma

I could see the Seahawks doing a lot of things. Right? They need a tackle, a running back, and a pass rusher, and I think Pete Carrol would like take Charles Brown and Everson Griffen (USC OT and DE respectively) with the 6th and the 14th in the first round, and Joe McKnight but he’d be laughed at immediately by the city of Seattle. Williams is the most talented OT in the draft (apparently) but he’s also allegedly a head case, which may move him down a couple 2,3 picks. Also, the Seahawks are switching to a zone blocking system, which Williams should do well in, as he’s fairly light on his feet.

Mock Draft - Pick # 5

5. PROJECTED TRADE – Browns – Eric Berry S – Tennessee
I think Scotti Pioli would love to move down because that’s what patriots do, and he’s the John Quincy to Belichick’s John Adams. The Browns won’t get anything of value if they don’t get Berry in the top ten, so it’s probably worth a 5th and 7th to move up 2 spots. (Generic Eric Berry comment: ‘He’s the next Ed Reed!’)

Mock Draft - Pick #4

4. Redskins - Russell Okung, OT - Oklahoma

After acquiring Donovan McNabb from their division rival Philadelphia Eagle, the Redskins no longer need Jimmy Clausen. Good for the Eagles (Jimmy Clausen's a prick) bad for Jimmy C. Washington will need to solidify it's 0-line and add protection for their new prize. Okung is a great pick here. He's an excellent left tackle and will be a franchise player for the Redskins.

-AD

Mock Draft - Pick # 2

3. Buccaneers – Gerald McCoy, DT – Oklahoma

As the most talented player left on the board, this is an obvious pick for the Bucs at #3. Tampa Bay needs a defensive tackle at McCoy will be a perfect fit in their Tampa 2 defense. He's a great athlete, productive and and the on and off the field leader that the young Bucs need.

Mock Draft - Pick # 2

2. Lions – House of Spears, DT – Nebraska
I’m gonna get mad hyperbolic y’all: If this pick is Suh (which it will be) and the Lions sing Keith Bulluck (which it seems like they will) this is a top 15 defense. Ernie Sims secretly missed an ass-load of tackles, and he only played half an ass-load of games, so Bulluck would be an upgrade, plus the D-line is going to be disgusting under J-Schwar-Dawg (that’s his nickname right?)

Mock Draft - Pick # 1

What’s more speculative than an NFL mock draft? Nothing. So here’s an exercise in the unoriginal.

1. Rams – Sam Bradford, QB – Oklahoma
So here’s something unprovable to say about this pick: Sam Bradford feels like a franchise quarterback. He seems really intelligent (but not in Joey Harrington’s introspective, lame kind of way), confident (but not in a retarded Ryan Leaf kind of way), and like a really normal guy (in a guy you know that happens to be a world class athlete kind of way). Analysts always talk about how accurate and smart he is. As opposed to Jamarcus Russell, where they always remark about his cannon arm and this is crucial. Cannon arm guys seem much riskier than accurate guys. Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Phil Rivers were all ‘quetionable arm strength’ QB’s. Intuitively, it seems like accurate guys will lose less games overall. Obviously, Cade McNown and Tim Couch are homeless at this moment, but it seems like an overall reality.

The First Annual Inaugural Post

Welcome to Needless Speculation, the blog with no actual breaking news, but pure, speculative bliss.

The problem with a lot of sports blogs is that when they break news, it’s often a re-posting or a half-truth, or has no actual factual basis at all. There’s only one ESPN, there’s only one BigLead, and most others are slightly worse replicas. We’ve decided to devote our capabilities as diehard fans to create an outlet devoted to all out conjecture. And subsequently, that because sports are unlike news, politics, or anything of any real life consequence, this is totally acceptable. We don’t seek to really prove anything, other than some things would be really cool if they happened (or didn’t). We’re going to take a free and easy, Bill Walton-esque approach to this blog, so feel free to comment, suppose, and email us any ideas.

Happy speculating