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2013 First Round Mock

March 3rd, 2013 Comments off

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Where does Geno Smith go?

Is it March already? I just updated the 2013 mock muncher today, but I figured I would offer my own mock draft as well. Here are my projections for the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

1. Kansas City Chiefs – OT Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M
With the Chiefs trading for Alex Smith, it means that they won’t be taking a quarterback with the top pick in the draft. That likely leaves the Chiefs looking to address either their offensive or defensive lines. With Branden Albert being an impending free agent, it’s questionable if he’ll be back in Kansas City next year. Joeckel can potentially slide immediately into that vacant spot across from Eric Winston, continuing what should be a formidable ground attack helmed by Jamaal Charles.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars – DT Sharrif Floyd, Florida
The Jaguars reached on Tyson Alualu a few years back and he has not developed into the player hoped for. Terrance Knighton is also a free agent that may or may not be back. With new head coach Gus Bradley in town, the Jaguars will look to bolster their defensive line. Floyd has the versatility, size, and power to be a dominant player up front, something the Jaguars have lacked since they heydays of Marcus Stroud and John Henderson.

3. Oakland Raiders – QB Geno Smith, West Virginia
It’s been stated by the Raiders organization that Terrelle Pryor and Carson Palmer will compete for the starting job next year. But neither player was acquired by the current regime and thus they aren’t tied to either. Dennis Allen and GM Reggie McKenzie will look to put their stamp on the team by taking Smith to be their future franchise passer.

4. Philadelphia Eagles – DT Star Lotulelei, Utah
Lotulelei’s heart condition may affect his draft stock, but presuming it’s not a big deal, he would be a good addition up front for Philly. They’ve already cut Cullen Jenkins and Mike Patterson. Lotulelei can come in and be an immediate upgrade to their front and give them some much needed beef on defense.

5. Detroit Lions – OT Eric Fisher, Central Michigan
The team nabbed Riley Reiff as their top pick last year to be the heir apparent to Jeff Backus. But Gosder Cherilus is likely to part as a free agent, which could mean they could move Reiff to the right side and plug Fisher into the left tackle position. Protecting Matt Stafford and beefing up their run game are priorities for the Lions moving forward,and Fisher is a hometown kid that has risen up the boards the past few months.

Read more…

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2012 Mock Muncher (Final Update)

April 26th, 2012 Comments off
ICON SMI

TE Dwayne Allen

It’s the final update for the mock muncher, compiling projections for the Falcons pick at No. 55 overall in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Because only two-round mocks are being collated, there is a lot of diversity and not a lot of consensus on who the Falcons will take with their top pick. Most mocks seem to be going after the tight end position, as 31 of the 94 mocks munched have chosen that position for the Falcons top pick. The second most popular position seems to be offensive linemen with 28 of the mock drafts choosing a player at that position. A total of 17 mocks have chosen a pass rusher.

Coby Fleener was the most popular pick through January and February, but in March the tide has turned towards Dwayne Allen as most mocks feel that Fleener has moved up on draft boards due to a solid Combine and pro day. Allen edged out Fleener to appear in 16 total mocks (14 unique), while Fleener only appeared in 12 (9 unique). Next on the list are Cam Johnson, Kelechi Osemele, and Mitchell Schwartz, all tied with 5 total and 5 unique mocks. Out of the 39 players projected to be the Falcons top pick, 22 one of them are “one-shots” meaning they have yet to appear in a second mock draft.

4.26 – Draft Tek: Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa State
4.26 – Draft Countdown: Mitchell Schwartz, OT, California
4.26 – NFL Draft Blitz: Bobby Massie, OT, Ole Miss
4.26 – Walter Football: Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa State
4.26 – Walter Football (Charlie Campbell): Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa State
4.26 – Sideline Scouting: Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson
4.26 – NFL Draft Geek: Chris Polk, RB, Washington
4.25 – Great Blue North Report: Mychal Kendricks, LB, California
4.25 – My NFL Draft: Amini Silatolu, OG, Midwestern St.
4.25 – The Football Expert: Andre Branch, LB, Clemson
4.25 – NFL Draft 101 (Zach Bohner): Cam Johnson, DE, Virginia
4.25 – FF Toolbox (Ryan McKenzie): Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson
4.25 – FF Toolbox (Ricky Dimon): Amini Silatolu, OG, Midwestern St.
4.25 – FF Toolbox (Jonnie Stoneberg): Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa State
4.25 – FF Toolbox (Jeff Christiansen): Bobby Wagner, LB, Utah State
4.25 – FF Toolbox (Ben Standig): Mitchell Schwartz, OT, California
4.25 – Draft Season (Lupagus): Trumaine Johnson, CB, Montana
4.25 – Draft Breakdown (Eric Stoner): Mitchell Schwartz, OT, California
4.24 – FF Toolbox (Walton Spurlin): Amini Silatolu, OG, Midwestern St.
4.24 – Draft Season (Ultimate): Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson

As usual, I’ll keep track of which are “unique” mocks, indicating a mock that was updated and had the Falcons taking a different player than that site’s previous projection. Since we just got started in January, and a relatively late start, all of them were unique.

January Mocks (14 total, 14 unique)
1. Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford (5 total, 5 unique)
2. Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson (2 total, 2 unique)

February Mocks (30 total, 27 unique)
1. Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford (6 total, 3 unique)
2. Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson (3 total, 3 unique)
3. Cam Johnson, DE, Virginia (3 total, 3 unique)

March Mocks (22 total, 20 unique)
1. Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson (5 total, 4 unique)

April Mocks (28 total, 28 unique)
1. Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson (6 total, 5 unique)
2. Amini Silatolu, OG, Midwestern St. (4 total, 4 unique)
3. Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa State (4 total, 4 unique)
4. Mitchell Schwartz, OT, California (3 total, 3 unique)

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FalcFans.com Live Draft Podcast

April 24th, 2012 Comments off

As part of our continuing draft coverage and our efforts to bring you the fans a way to connect with your fellow Falcon fans, we will be doing a live draft show Thursday night on our broadcast channel on Justin.tv. Also we will be hosting a live chat on our channel during the course of night.

Our show will be kicking off just minutes before the draft begins at 8 pm Eastern on Thursday night. Falcon fans don’t need to be left out on the first night of the draft with the Falcons being without a pick, as they can stop by and discuss any and everything during the chat while listening to myself and co-host Ryan discuss the draft. We’ll be answering questions, talking prospects, and discussing the Falcons of course. We’ll also feature a live show on Friday night to get the immediate reaction of the Falcons pick when it comes off the board. And if you still haven’t gotten your draft fix by Saturday, you can stop by then as well.

In order to participate in the chat, you’ll need to create a free user account at Justin.tv. It’s quick and easy and we look forward to seeing you on Thursday night and throughout the weekend.

2012 Mock Draft – 3 Rounds

March 25th, 2012 Comments off
Icon SMI

Andrew Luck

This is my third mock and as such I figured I would expand it from the two rounds of my previous one.

FIRST ROUND

1. Colts – QB Andrew Luck, Stanford
It’s no secret that the Colts have been locked in on Luck from day one. He’ll be asked to fill the huge shoes left by Peyton Manning.

2. Redskins (from Rams) – QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor
The Redskins gave up too much a lot to move up to this spot to get Griffin. But he’ll be the potential franchise QB that this franchise has been wanting for over a decade now.

3. Vikings – OT Matt Kalil, USC
Kalil is a virtual lock for this position, as the Vikings have been waiting many years to get the next bookend left tackle.

4. Browns – WR Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma St.
Since the Browns appear committed to Colt McCoy for at least another year, they’ll do their best to surround him with some weapons.

5. Buccaneers – CB Morris Claiborne, LSU
Despite their acquisition of Eric Wright, the Bucs still need a lot more help in their back seven.

6. Rams (from Redskins) – RB Trent Richardson, Alabama
Needing an heir apparent to Steven Jackson, the Rams don’t see this as settling with a player many think could be comparable to Adrian Peterson in the pros.

7. Jaguars – DE Melvin Ingram, South Carolina
Ingram has the athleticism without the question marks of Coples which will cause the Jags to view him as the top pass rusher in this year’s class.

8. Dolphins – QB Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M
The fact that they had to settle on David Garrard means that they are locked in on Mike Sherman’s former protege at Texas A&M.

9. Panthers – DE Quinton Coples, North Carolina
They will roll the dice on the inconsistent athletic marvel from Chapel Hill just like they did a decade ago with Julius Peppers.

10. Bills – OT Riley Reiff, Iowa
If they lose Demetrius Bell in the coming days, they will be on the lookout for a replacement at left tackle.

Read more…

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Falcons to work out CB Bentley

March 21st, 2012 Comments off

NFL Draft Bible tweets that along with UL-Lafayette tight end Ladarius Green, the Falcons will work out his teammate cornerback Dwight “Bill” Bentley.

Bentley has been rising up boards in recent months. At 5’10″ 182-pound corner performed well at the Combine last month. He had 13 bench reps, ran a 4.43 40 seconds, 31.5-inch vertical jump, 9-6 broad jump, and 6.99 3-cone drill. Bentley is the 9th ranked cornerback on CBS Sports, and is projected as a 2nd/3rd round pick.

It’s likely that both players will be performing on-campus workouts for the Falcons given that teams are allowed a limit of 32 prospects to bring to their own facilities for private workouts.

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Tight end Green will work out for Falcons

March 20th, 2012 Comments off

Aaron Wilson of Scout.com reports that Louisiana-Lafayette tight end Ladarius Green is scheduled for a private workout with the Falcons. Green worked out today at UL-Lafayette’s pro day, where he jumped 35 inches on his vertical leap. It was a one-inch improvement from his performance at the Combine last month. He also improved his bench press with an additional rep of 225 pounds, for a total of 17.  In Indianapolis, Green measured in at 6’6″ 239 pounds and ran a 4.53 40 time. He also had a broad jump of 10 feet, 4 inches and a 7.12 3-cone drill.

Last season, he caught 50 passes for 607 yards (12.1 avg) and 8 touchdowns. The previous season he had 44 catches for 794 yards (18.0 avg) and 7 touchdowns.

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Falcons check out Temple prospects at pro day

March 16th, 2012 Comments off

The Falcons were present at Temple’s pro day today. There were some impressive numbers being put on display in the speed department, as highly-rated running back Bernard Pierce clocked a 40 time as fast as 4.35 seconds according to some stopwatches. Also wideout Rod Streater was timed in the 4.3 range. Defensive end Adrian Robinson weiged in at 250 pounds and did 25 bench reps of 225 pounds. That was the same number of reps for guard Derek Dennis, who also ran a 5.23 40 tie.

The Falcons were also in attendance at Virginia’s pro day on Thursday. There they got to see highly-rated pass rusher Cam Johnson workout in positional drills. Johnson did not lift at last month’s Combine, and put up 16 bench reps at his pro day.

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Falcons Pro Day Round-Up 3/14

March 14th, 2012 Comments off

The Falcons were confirmed to be at three pro days on THursday, including Florida State, Penn State, and William & Mary, and likely to have also attended a fourth at Michigan State. Other pro days held on Thursday included California, Marshall, Maryland, and Oklahoma.

According to SI.com’s Tony Pauline, the Florida State pro day was uneventful although left tackle Andrew Datko was able to put up 20 bench reps. That was impressive given Datko’s struggles with recovering from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for most of the 2011 season.

It was the first pro day at Penn State not helmed by the late Joe Paterno in a long time. Guard Johnnie Troutman ran a 40 time in the 5.3 range. Running back Stephfon Green had 17 bench reps, 9-10 broad jump, 33-inch vertical, and ran in the 4.4 range according to reports.

The top prospects at William & Mary are a pair of potential late round picks in tight end Alex Gottlieb and linebacker Jake Trintin.

Various reports put the number of teams attending Michigan State’s pro day between 26 and all 32 NFL teams. That makes the odds good that the Falcons were also there. Tight end Garrett Celek, the younger brother of Eagles tight end Brent, ran a 4.69 40 with a 34-inch vertical, 9-11 broad jump, 4.39 short shuttle, and 19 bench reps .

At Marshall’s pro day, defensive end Vinny Curry made headlines with some major improvement from his Combine performance. He ran a 40 time in 4.65 seconds, 0.22 seconds faster than his Combine time. He also did 28 bench reps and jumped 35.5 inches on the vertical, a 3.5-inch improvement from Indianapolis. He is projected as a potential late first round pick due to his performance after a disappointing Combine, reportedly due to nerves.

Also, it has been confirmed that the Falcons were among 22 teams at California (PA)’s pro day on Tuesday. There, guard Rishaw Johnson is their top draft prospect, only performed in positional drills after a solid Combine performance last month. Wide receiver Thomas Mayo showed excellent athleticism, posting a 41.5-inch vertical jump and 4.48 40-yard dash time.

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Falcons check out UMass prospects

March 13th, 2012 Comments off

Mike Reiss of ESPN reports that the Falcons were among four teams at Massachusett’s pro day on Monday. The biggest name there was tight end/fullback Emil Igwenagu, who was invited both to the Senior Bowl and Scouting Combine in the past few months. At the Combine, Igwenagu measured 6’1″ 249 pounds, ran a 4.75 40, did 19 bench reps, and leapt 34.5 inches on the vertical.

According to Reiss, wide receiver Jesse Julmiste clocked a 4.47 40 time. Offensive lineman Josh Samuda put up 30 bench reps of 225 pounds. The Falcons have been regular attendees of the UMass pro day the past few years, attending each of the last two pro days.

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Falcons worked out Illinois DB Wilson

March 13th, 2012 Comments off

Aaron Wilson of Scout.com reported a few days ago that the Falcons were set to work out Illinois defensive back Tavon Wilson on Monday, with Thomas Dimitroff, Mike Smith, and Mike Nolan expected to be in attendance.

Wilson moved between cornerback and safety in his career at Illinois. He started this past year mainly at corner, after playing primarily safety as a junior. His first two years were played at corner.

The 5’11″ 205-pound defensive back ran a 4.50 40 at Illinois pro day last Tuesday. He also impressed with a 32-inch vertical, 10-4 broad jump, 4.16 short shuttle, 7.04 3-cone, and 17 bench reps of 225 pounds. It’s a very likely indicator that the Falcons were among the 29 teams that were said to have shown up for Illinois pro day last week.

Wilson projects most likely to safety in the NFL, but his ability to play corner adds versatility.

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