End of an era in San Diego
National Football League
Draft King Analysis
February 22, 2010
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
Reader feedback is always welcomed here. Send your thoughts to Draft King at LouPickney@gmail.com.
The talk of the day in the NFL is the move by the San Diego Chargers to cut RB LaDainian Tomlinson. It's not at all surprising; Tomlinson turns 31 later this summer and he averaged only 3.3 yards per carry during the 2009 regular season. But he had impressive durability and production during his nine seasons with the Chargers, and he certainly lived up to the billing he had coming out of TCU in 2001.
Interesting sidebar: the day of the 2001 NFL Draft, my friend and fraternity brother Brad got married in the Louisville area. I was nonplussed about the timing at the time, and that was in the pre-Draft King era. If something comparable was to happen with another friend today, I'd very likely be a "no" RSVP. Though, with the NFL draft being moved to a Thursday night/Friday night/Saturday three day format, it's likely not going to be a problem... at least I hope.
Word came out today that the New England Patriots plan to use their franchise tag on DT Vince Wilfork. That isn't surprising, particularly since the Pats traded away Richard Seymour last year and would seemingly not be in a position to part with two top-flight defensive linemen in less than a year. Keep in mind that, with this upcoming league year having special rules, the Patriots could use a transition tag on another one of their players as well. Wilfork is guaranteed in excess of $7 million for 2010 the moment he signs his franchise tag one-year tender offer, though the Patriots say they are working on a long-term deal with the Pro Bowl nose tackle.
New England is the first team to officially use its franchise tag ahead of the 2/25/2010 deadline, though Oakland has made it clear that the team will use its franchise tag on DE Richard Seymour if a contract extension with him is not reached by the deadline. Oakland shipped a 2011 first-round pick to New England to get him last year, and Al Davis hasn't been shy about using the franchise tag. Remember that, when the blueprint for modern free agency was being molded in the early 1990s, Davis pushed for teams to have *five* franchise tags per year.
In a related note, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Oakland use its transition tag on a player, since with this upcoming off-season teams can use both the franchise tag and the transition tag.
Some notes on draft shifts that have happened as the NFL combine approaches:
-The consensus opinion seems to remain that Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh will go to St. Louis at #1 overall. There have been rumors of Tampa Bay having interest in trading up to the top spot to get Suh, but I'm not sure what it would take to pry that pick away from the Rams. It will be interesting to see what kind of offers (if any) come St. Louis' way.
-It has surprised me a bit to see Florida DE Carlos Dunlap drop in some listings. The guy has phenomenal physical skills, but at this point it looks like he is being passed by the likes of USF's Jason Pierre-Paul (raw but huge upside to use Bill Simmons' favorite word) and Georgia Tech's Derrick Morgan. Much like DHB last year, Dunlap seems like a player who Al Davis would love to bring on board, even with Richard Seymour still in the mix. If the Seahawks look DE at #6, would they take a guy like Pierre-Paul ahead of Dunlap?
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Trent Williams may be a first round pick in April. (Icon SMI)
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-Offensive tackle is an interesting position as well at the top. Oklahoma State's Russell Okung has been seen as the front-runner for some time now, but Rutgers' Anthony Davis is catching on him fast. Iowa's Bryan Bulaga and Oklahoma's Trent Williams could make it four bona fide offensive tackles going in round one, with some wild cards in the mix on the offensive line front like Idaho OG Mike Iupati and Florida C/OG Maurkice Pouncey sniffing for a spot at the end of round one. And then there's Maryland OT Bruce Campbell, a huge player with some great skills but enough questions as a run blocker to keep him out of the talk (for now) among the top-tier offensive tackles.
-Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen has some proving to do in some circles, and projecting him to go #6 to Seattle (the current listing on the Draft King mock) might end up being higher than it should be. The more I think about it, the more I think Seattle will go with a defensive end at that spot. It's being taken under advisement, at the very least.
-Florida QB Tim Tebow has reportedly modified his pass release mechanics while training not too far from where I am in the greater Nashville area. Two of my cousins ran into him recently and echoed what everyone else says about him: that Tebow is a friendly guy. If Tebow shows that a modified release makes him more likely to be able to succeed in the NFL, it will make an already interesting situation even more intriguing. What happens if a team drafts Tebow and demands that he play a Dallas Clark style H-back position? Conventional wisdom is that Tebow will get a shot at QB, but it all depends on where he ends up.
-At cornerback it's Joe Haden... then a huge drop-off to the next tier of corners. There is depth at corner for late-first/early-second round picks, but as far as elite players at CB goes it's Haden or bust. The combine will help in separating the talent in that second tier, with 40 times and drills likely to help teams get a better feel for who is worth targeting and who they should pass on, at least early.
