Diesel Power
Joe - You are correct that, on paper, Haynesworth seems like he'd be a great NT. However, he's been very vocal about his dislike of the switch to the 3-4 defense. As Phil pointed out, his attitude can be a big issue. Apparently AH flat out doesn't want to be a NT. I think he proved last season that he's not afraid to take himself out of the game if he doesn't feel like playing. He probably wasn't used very well last year, but even his former Titan teammates predicted in July that AH would fall to the ground as if he were seriously hurt, and then come back in a few plays later.
On one hand, I think there will definitely be scenarios in which Haynesworth would be a better fit for DE, which is where he wants to be in the 3-4. However, sometimes he will be required at NT. I'm not sure if Jim Haslett nor Shanahan want to put up with either giving into Haynesworth's demands and putting him at 3-4, or risk him being carted off the field again after an "injury" again (this happened last year... I've never seen a player get carted off and return a short while later in the same game).
Unfortunately, his salary (as Phil pointed out) may make him untradeable. However, I think he needs to step in line. No salary cap means no salary cap ramifications. The Skins could cut him today and not worry about how it will impact the rest of the season. Of course, they would have to eat the guarantee money already paid.
It's also worth noting that the Skins picked up Ma'ake Kemoeatu earlier in free agency. Of course, he's coming off a season of not playing due to Achilles surgery. As a result, the Skins signed him for peanuts. He was great in Carolina when he played, but the Achilles injury will likely affect the remainder of his career. We can only hope that he can eventually shoulder the load at NT, because then AH may be DE on a more permanent basis.
More on Albert Haynesworth... I think it can be said now with almost certainty that he WILL be traded before the draft. While the big headline for his contract was 7-years, $100 million, in reality it was only (!) for $42-million guaranteed over four years. He was previously considered untradeable due to being owed the remaining $37 million over 3 years after last season.
However, reportedly one of the reasons the Redskins cut all of those veterans (Betts, Randle El, Randy Thomas, etc) right before free agency was to free up cash to do things like this: Sometime since trading for McNabb, the Skins cut Haynesworth a check for a $21-million "bonus." They essentially ate most of his contract, leaving him as being owed $16-million guaranteed over 3 years. That's a bargain that probably most teams in the NFL will try to take advantage of. I think he's only 30, so he could be a way to get a high 2nd rounder.
There's only four teams that the Skins likely won't trade to: Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, and Lions. Hopefully they won't be stupid enough to trade him within the division. As for the Lions, giving them Haynesworth would fill the Lions DT need, meaning they'd be almost certain to take left tackle Russell Okung at #2.
UPDATE:
Apparently a Rams-Redskins trade is already in the works, in the form of a DT swap. Rams would get Haynesworth, Skins would get Adam Carriker. I think Carriker would be a better fit for the Redskins. In addition to having experience playing NT, he has is younger, is in way better shape, and has a MUCH better attitude. I think it's clear that these are three things that the new regime is focusing on in the off season. The only downside is this would give them two nose tackles who missed the entire 2009 season due to injury. I guess they only need to hit on one of them, though. It's noteworthy that Carriker played DE in college and some with the Rams, so he could fill that position if Kemoeatu works out at NT.
I'd support the trade. By stating publicly that he intends to work out on his own again this year (which led to him being in disastrous shape last year), I think Haynesworth has shown that he'll continue to be the same guy. Plus, he's received the bulk of his guaranteed money. What does have to play for now? Trade him and be done with it.
Another big trade this weekend, though this time the Redskins (fortunately) weren't involved. Santonio Holmes, a former first rounder and former Super Bowl MVP, was traded to the Jets for a fifth rounder and... well, that's all. A fifth round draft pick. I didn't see that coming. Maybe Holmes is in more trouble with the league than I thought.
ESPN has been reporting all weekend that Big Ben is not expected to be indicted following the latest accusation against him. Still, this just hasn't been a good off season for the Steelers, especially after following a Super Bowl win by failing to make the playoffs. Even if Ben is not indicted, I believe either the NFL or the Steelers (if not both) will take some kind of action against him because of the Personal Conduct Policy of the NFL. I think that, under the Policy, a indictment nor conviction is necessary for the League to suspend a player. There's something about Ben where he just keeps putting himself in these positions to be [wrongfully?] accused of assault. Even assuming innocence, I don't see every other player in the league being accused of similar crimes.
There are still plenty of veteran QBs on the free agent market. I expect the Steelers to make a play for one of them around the time of the draft. If Ben gets a four game suspension, I wouldn't be surprised if the Steelers made a move for a guy like Campbell.
Speaking of college, I've heard rumors that while he was at Miami-Ohio, there were [allegedly] MANY allegations such as this that all got swept under the rug.
Here's another tidbit I just picked up on... Bill Devaney, the GM of the St. Louis Rams, was the director of Player Personell for the Chargers when they drafted Ryan Leaf back in 1998. The Rams are mocked to pick QB Sam Bradford at #1 overall this year. Devaney better be double-sure of this decision. Another Ryan Leaf would certainly end his career.
Some are mocking Clausen to take a Rodgers/Quinn-like tumble to late first round. However, I don't really see him falling out of the top 10. If the Redskins pass on him, which is probable, I think that the Seahawks would jump on him. While coaching at USC, Pete Carroll strongly courted Jimmy Clausen prior to Clausen choosing Notre Dame. Carroll has recently fallen all over himself to laud Clausen's recent pro-day performance.
If the Seahawks don't draft Clausen, I think the Bills (#9 overall) will.
I'll likely update the mock draft once more, perhaps early next week. There's a chance for several more trades and free agent signings this week.
1) SAM BRADFORD, QB, OU (St. Louis rams)
I have been agonizing over this pick for two days now. The Rams will select either Bradford of Suh. End of story. I’d be shocked if anyone else’s name is called first. Both players have pros and cons. One could argue in favor of Suh in that DTs are smaller bust risks, and that Coach Spags won a Super Bowl in New York largely based on defense. They also have a huge need on their defensive line for a QB killer.
However, the Rams NEED a QB. Unfortunately for the Rams, they’re in a position where there’s no veteran journeyman available at this point who would be willing to be a short term solution for a team that is arguably worse than the Lions team that finished 0-16. Kyle Boller is now out on the west coast, Byron Leftwich has been traded to Pittsburgh. Jeff Garcia wants to go back to Philly. Daunte Culpepper is likely to go back to the Lions. The Dolphins would be crazy to let Chad Pennington go. Rex Grossman signed with the Redskins. Jason Campbell is on the Skins’ trade block, but I think the Shanny/Allen regime is allowing him to pick his poison in return for the Snyder/Cerrato regime treating him like toilet paper for four years (He’s eyeballing Carolina). Delhomme signed with Cleveland, Anderson with Arizona… I could go on and on. The bottom line is that if the Rams don’t select a QB, then they’re best option going into the regular season is AJ FEELEY, who is the only QB on their roster that I’m remotely familiar with. At best, I’d be worried about having Feeley as a back-up for Bradford.
If the Rams didn’t stink to hell, they’d probably have already picked a journeyman who could at least buy them time. But alas, the Rams stink and no one wants to sign with them. Therefore, the best option is to guarantee $45-50 million to a guy who not only has never taken an NFL snap, but hardly took a snap in his senior year due to injury to his throwing shoulder. But man, did he look good making uncontested throws to wide open receivers on his pro day.
2) NDAMUKONG SUH, DT, Nebraska (Detroit Lions)
Arguably the best player in the draft. Again, even if the Rams had someone like Sage Rosenfells at QB they’d probably take this monster who’ll likely be killing QBs for ten years. How many sacks did the Packers give up last year, 40? Add a few more if they’re facing Suh twice a year.
More evidence: Last night at Ford Field, the Lions held a pre-draft party. A crowd of 1,500 fans chanted “SUH! SUH!” to which Coach Jim Schwartz responded that the crowd would not be disappointed with their selection.
A better option would be to take an offensive tackle, but Suh may be too good to pass on.
3) GERALD MCCOY, DT, OU (Tampa Bay Bucs)
The Bucs fill a big need on their defensive line by taking their second choice. Their first was Suh, who’s now off the board.
4) TRENT WILLIAMS, OT, OU (Washington Redskins)
Meet the man who was one of the reasons Bradford was sacked merely 25 times in about 1,000 collegiate drop-backs. Many are mocking Russell Okung to go in this spot. I did previously. However, I’ve since learned that Trent Williams may be a better fit for the zone blocking scheme that the Redskins will use. Williams is smaller and quicker than Okung, and is versatile enough to play left or right tackle (which would help if the Skins can scoop up veteran left tackle Flozell Adams for a one year deal).
Also, call me petty, but I’d prefer if the Skins take Williams at this point. Former GM Vinny Ceratto, who decimated many Redskins drafts in his day, referred to Williams as, among other things, “overrated.” Going against his word is good enough for me.
It is entirely possible that the Redskins draft Eric Berry (see #6). They could use a player like him considering they face Peyton Manning, Favre, Rodgers, Cutler, and Schaub in addition to Eli and Romo twice. In this scenario, they’d likely pick up free agent tackle Flozell Adams and hope he works out in the scheme. My preference would be to sign Adams AND draft Williams. The OL was (and is) bad enough that I don’t think they have the luxury of picking the best player on the board right now.
Best case scenario is the Seahawks suspect the Chiefs may want Berry, and they trade with the Skins. The skins maybe pick up an extra third round pick, plus they still wind up with either Okung or Williams.
5) RUSSELL OKUNG, OT, Oklahoma State (Kansas City Chiefs)
Not a shocker about the top 10 teams in the drafts, but all of them have awful offensive lines. I’m mocking the top three tackle to go one after another once (arguably) the top 3 talents are off the board. I think the Chiefs prefer Williams, but will “settle” for Okung. Okung will likely be a multi-Pro Bowler in the next 10 years. The Chiefs allowed 42 sacks of Matt Cassell last year. Their current left tackle may be a better fit on the right side of the line, so Okung would be a welcome addition.
However, this is the same Chiefs team who drafted Tyson Jackson at #3 last year out of nowhere, so who knows?
6) ERIC BERRY, S, Tennessee (Seattle Seahawks)
New Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll is a strange guy. The former USC head coach has been on Twitter for the last couple of days giving hints of his team’s draft strategy! He’s been doing this in the form of song lyrics. The first two tweets were from the songs “Jump Around” and “California Love,” so all we can do is speculate. For all I know, this is yet another smoke screen. However, for fun, let’s speculate away…
Safety Eric Berry is arguably the best player available at this point in the draft, and has drawn comparisons to Ed Reed and the late Sean Taylor. That’s pretty good company. In a league becoming more and more “pass first” every year, teams covet players of this ability. Plus, the fact that Berry had the highest vertical at the combine goes in line with the first hint of “Jump Around.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Hooks go offensive line here. However, it’s worth noting that they also hold the #14 overall pick. Tackle Charles Brown should still be available at that point, and he played under Pete Carroll at USC (“California Love” – the second hint).
7) JOE HADEN, CB, Florida (Cleveland Browns)
If Eric Berry somehow slips through to #7, then the Browns will take about two seconds to turn in their draft card. However, seeing as Berry will be off the board, Cleveland will turn to the top cornerback prospect to help out their secondary.
8) CJ SPILLER, RB, Clemson (Oakland Raiders)
Oakland may be the toughest team ever to mock, as exemplified by their choosing Heyward-Bey at #7 overall last year. The popular opinion was that the Raiders would select tackle Bruce Campbell of your Maryland Terrapins, due to him putting up unbelievable numbers at the combine. However, his stock has since dropped significantly. Now, others are projecting another “flashy” tackle to help protect the line.
I didn’t start reconsidering my OT position until last night – Why is everyone so certain they’re going to take a tackle? Why? The Raiders, much like most teams with bad lines, just don’t draft offensive lines. The difference between the Raiders and other teams is that the Raiders’ owner is a relic. He wants his team to win NOW. He literally doesn’t have time to develop lines through the draft. Meanwhile, CJ Spiller is a guy who has been described as “Chris Johnson-like.” Lots of titles get thrown around prior to the draft, but comparing someone to a 2,000 yard runner gives pause. Plus, the Raiders just put 2008 top draft choice Darren McFadden (also an RB) on the trade block. Poor CJ Spiller.
9) ANTHONY DAVIS, OT, Rutgers (Buffalo Bills)
I was sold on Claussen going here. However, Mel Kiper’s turned me off from that selection. Normally I don’t pay attention to him, but he’s been one of Claussen’s biggest supporters. I think Kiper likes Claussen even more than Bradford. If he thinks Claussen is dropping out of the top 10, maybe there’s something to it.
10) DEREK MORGAN, DE, Georgia Tech (Jax)
I mocked myself into a corner here. I fully expect the Jags to try and trade down, but don’t really see that happening if Haden and Spiller are gone. Anyways, Derek Morgan may fit the “best player” pick scenario that the Jags like. Plus, Kampman is coming off of ACL surgery so it’s not like their line doesn’t have needs. I’m probably less confident about this slot than anything.
I saw Bradford a lot in 2007 and 2008. He looked very good but its tough to tell with him because that OU offense had a superior O-Line and very nice skill position talent.
Eric Berry is a really talented safety. I like him a lot more than Haden. Berry is not the physical freak that Taylor Mays in but hes a safety who at least at the college level exceled at both coverage and run help.
Josh Haden is a local product from Friendly. The Maryland Terps took a lot of heat as they were slow to offer him and didn't offer him until after Florida did for example. That Friendly team was loaded too. In college he started year 1 at cb. Last year that UF defense was so good that there were no weak spots. I saw him play quite a bit but because I am not a Gator fan I didn't watch him that closely. I think hes good, but I don't know one way or another if he is top 10 material.
In my opinion, CJ Spiller is a mediocre running back and top notch kick and punt returner. Hes also very dangerous as a receiver. Don't think he will rack up running yards in the NFL but he'll be dynamic. The player whose college career his career resembled the most in my opinion was Reggie Bush, who went #2 to New Orleans. Hes a little faster than Bush, but can't change direction as fast.
I was hoping the Skins would take Eric Berry. He found ways to dominate games from the safety spot. Landry in college was good and possibly faster than Berry but he never dominated games from his position. Berry and Suh were the two guys I knew could dominate from their position and I think I go with the sure thing.
That said Trent Williams was probably a pretty good pick. He his athletic and has good film. He seems like the type that could actually play either tackle or guard position. Not a bad pick, but I wanted a guy that I know was an impact player at the college level and who is has that potential at the NFL level over a good player who fills a need, but I am not sure if other than Orlando Pace there has ever been a sure thing LT coming out of college.