Inside Information: Draft Week
by Matt Miller
Matt Miller, President of New Era Scouting, takes us inside the war room for one final week of rumors leading up to the NFL Draft. Updated April 25th!
April 25:
- We’re going to break our own rules and predict a trade here: Kansas City sends pick #5 to Baltimore for pick #8 and a third-round pick.
- Another possible trade for KC is with the New Orleans Saints. The Saints badly want Glenn Dorsey. If he is on the board at five, the phone lines will be buzzing.
- Denver is a team who is rumored to be interested in moving back in the draft. The team recently laid off eight employees and there are concerns about available finances.
- The 49ers have sent out a lot of smoke signals about their dislike for some prospects. What does this mean? It means they want them. The team is said to covet WR DeSean Jackson, OT Gosder Cherilus or LB Dan Connor.
- Who will St. Louis draft? Our friends in the Gateway City tell us it will be Chris Long, and the decision is already made.
- If I had to bet my house on it, I’d say Atlanta trades out of pick #3 and then moves back in to round one around pick 25.
- Who is the surprise riser of round one? That will be Devin Thomas, WR, Michigan State.
- Everyone is looking for a player to fall wildly ala Aaron Rodgers. We’re sad to say it could be Jonathan Stewart, but shouldn’t be. He’s our #1 back.
April 24:
- It’s also important to note that Clemson DE Philip Merling will have his Pro Day today. Merling was sidelined after having sports hernia surgery this off-season. Many feel he could be a top 20 player if healthy.
- The Chicago Bears are having a late meeting Friday with Devin Thomas of Michigan State. Thomas is a fast-rising prospect who enjoyed one stellar season as a Spartan. The interesting bit here is that Thomas is intriguing to most teams because of his dual threat ability as a receiver and return man. The Bears already have a return man though in Devin Hester.
- Reports that the Rams want Glenn Dorsey are being called a smokescreen in conversations we’ve had. The team desperately wants the New Orleans Saints to call and offer a load for the #2 selection and the ability to draft the in-state college hero, Dorsey.
- How far will Matt Ryan fall? He hear he won’t, because the Ravens are set to draft him at #8. This is not a surprise, but what we hear is that New England was shopping the #7 pick to teams who like Ryan with this fact in find: the Ravens will draft Matt Ryan, any other suitors (Carolina) must move up to get him.
- The most puzzling aspect of the draft for us this year has been the free fall of Brian Brohm. When asking about this yesterday we heard that the Seattle Seahawks have talked about drafting Brohm with the sole intention of letting him learn behind starter Matt Hasselbeck for a season or two.
- Don’t buy the hype about the Jets wanting Matt Ryan, they are posturing for a trade only. The Jets want Darren McFadden if they sit at #6. End of story.
- With six picks in the top 82, we hear that the Chiefs are not done moving around in the draft. Expect big moves from Herm Edwards and Carl Peterson, two men on the hot seat.
April 23:
- The Vikings made the deal this morning to get Jared Allen, but where does this leave the Chiefs? Talks this morning with local experts in Kansas City lead us to believe the Chiefs are still targeting an offensive tackle with the 5th pick overall, and now a defensive end with pick 17. The Chiefs have six picks in the top 100 now, a real surplus for a team with so many needs.
- We said yesterday the Allen deal would get done, so what’s next? Expect Washington to up the offers for Anquan Boldin and Chad Johnson. The team is dead set on acquiring a wide receiver who can play right away.
- The Rams do not want Vernon Gholston. I can’t repeat that enough. St. Louis will draft either Chris Long or Glenn Dorsey. Those are their only options.
- People close to the Detroit Lions initially told us the club like Jonathan Stewart, but now we’re hearing they are not as enamored with the talented junior from Oregon. Stewart has suffered with turf toe, and the Lions play on artificial turf. This could be a reason for their change of heart.
- What are the chances Miami reunites Chad Henne with #1 pick Jake Long? We’ve heard the Dolphins like Henne enough to try and make a move back into round one (Jason Taylor trade, anyone?) to pick up the Wolverine passer.
- Those close the Saints have assured us the team is going to make a deal on draft day. The club hopes it will be to move up and get Glenn Dorsey, but it’s also possible they will make a deal for Jets nose tackle DeWayne Robertson should they not acquire Dorsey.
April 22:
- A late night call with one AFC South assistant coach led to this quote: “(Darren) McFadden is another Reggie Bush to me. He’s never going to be an every down back. Just another over-hyped player…”
- How high will Green Bay select a quarterback? We hear they are looking at a player in rounds 3-5. The team wants someone to push Aaron Rodgers, but not break his confidence.
- Green Bay is also looking at running backs, even after the stellar rookie season by Ryan Grant. The Packers would not pass on Oregon’s Jonathan Stewart if he were available late in round one.
- Atlanta continues to try and stoke the trade fires. We hear that one team who may be interested in moving up is the Denver Broncos. The real question is if Denver has the fire-power in the ‘08 draft to move up.
- Another team trying to move up is the New Orleans Saints. The Saints are reportedly offering the #10 pick, plus a third-round selection and a player, to move up. Atlanta may be weary of trading the pick within their division, though.
- Do not expect the Carolina Panthers to pass on Florida’s Derrick Harvey. This is one of the worst kept secrets in the draft this year.
- We hear that two NFC North teams both have Jonathan Stewart as their #1 running back. The teams: Chicago and Detroit.
- Despite what others are saying, we keep hearing from people in the industry that Jake Long wants to be a Dolphin and is prepared to take a “fair” contract in order to become the first pick.
- Reports are flying this morning that the Cincinnati Bengals rejected a 2008 1st round pick from the Washington Redskins for WR Chad Johnson. We have also learned that the Bengals turned down a similar offer from the Philadelphia Eagles. The Bengals are holding steady with their stance to not trade the unhappy wide out.
- We hear from our people in Kansas City that a deal for Jared Allen will likely happen Friday night at the latest. The Chiefs are playing hard ball with the Vikings now, but the team will cave at the last minute. Kansas City has too many needs to try and make a statement.
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April 21:
- Sitting at pick number 18, expect Houston to draft a left tackle. The team really likes the agility of Chris Williams (Vanderbilt) and also the potential of Branden Albert (Virginia). Albert will not last to Houston at 18, but there is a good chance Williams will be available.
- Despite other reports, Houston is not interested in Pitt’s Jeff Otah. Otah projects as a right tackle in the NFL due to slow feet and a lack of lateral mobility. He is not a good fit for Alex Gibb’s zone blocking scheme.
- The Denver Broncos are telling people close to us and the Vanderbilt program that they would love to see Earl Bennett’s name on the board with their 2nd round pick. Bennett became the SEC’s all-time leading receiver by catching passes from Jay Cutler, Denver’s starting quarterback and Bennett’s Pro Day passer.
- The Dallas Cowboys are hoping to find Antoine Cason (Arizona) on the board with the 22nd pick in the first round. We also hear the team likes Brandon Flowers (Virginia Tech) as a physical man-to-man corner. Cornerbacks in a 3-4 defense must be able to man-up, with so much emphasis being placed on the pass rush.
- Don’t expect to know much about what the Jets or Patriots plan to do with picks 6 and 7. We hear that the Jets love Vernon Gholston, but do not plan on him being available. New England likes Branden Albert, but there are rumors floating that he is the second player on their board behind Gholston.
- The Chiefs will surprise no one when they select an offensive lineman with the 5th pick overall. The only thing that will change this pick is if Glenn Dorsey is still on the board. Carl Peterson and Herman Edwards are both big fans of Dorsey and hope to see the talented pass rusher available.
- Looking for a player to fall in the draft? We hear that Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie isn’t as high on most team’s boards as we in the media have placed him. DRC may hear his name called in the first round, but it will not likely be in the top 10.
- What will happen with Darren McFadden? We’ve been told that the only way he’ll get past Oakland is if Chris Long is available. McFadden would quickly be drafted by the Jets with the sixth pick. Kansas City would likely spend all 10 minutes trying to trade out of #5 if McFadden is available.
- Brian Brohm has gone from top pick to second rounder in only a year, a year in which he passed for over 4,000 yards. Brohm is still high on some boards, one team told us he’s their number one quarterback. If you’re looking for a surprise top 15 pick, watch out for Carolina and Chicago.
- The Bengals want Sedrick Ellis, but they may need to move in front of New York or New England to get him. That’s at least what we’re being told. Rumors out of Boston say that the Patriots don’t want Ellis, but they will shop the pick if he’s there at number seven.