Tag Archives: Teddy Bridgewater

KENNY RODA 2014 NFL MOCK DRAFT 2.0

One of the craziest years in trying to figure out who will do what and who’s going where. If I get six of these right I will be thrilled. So with that said, here’ my final Mock Draft for the 2014 NFL Draft.

1   Houston                      Jadeveon Clowney           DE            South Carolina

2   St. Louis                      Greg Robinson                 OT           Auburn

3   Atlanta                        Khalil Mack                       LB            Buffalo (In a Trade w/Jags)

4   Cleveland                   Sammy Watkins               WR          Clemson

5   Oakland                      Jake Matthews                 OT           Texas A&M

6   Jacksonville                Mike Evans                     WR      Texas A&M (In a Trade w/Atlanta)

7   Tampa Bay                 Johnny Manziel                QB           Texas A&M

8   Minnesota                  Blake Bortles                     QB            UCF

9   Buffalo                        Taylor Lewan                    OT           Michigan

10  Detroit                       Darqueze Dennnard        CB            Michigan State

11  Tennessee                 Justin Gilbert                    CB            Oklahoma State

12  NY Giants                  Zack Martin                       OT           Notre Dame

13  St. Louis                    Calvin Pryor                       SS             Louisville

14  Chicago                     Aaron Donald                      DT            Pitt

15 Pittsburgh                  Odell Beckham Jr.            WR           LSU

16  Dallas                         Ha Ha Clinton-Dix            FS             Alabama

17  Baltimore                  Eric Ebron                          TE            North Carolina

18  NY Jets                       Brandin Cooks                  WR          Oregon State

19  Miami                        Cyrus Kouandjio                OT           Alabama

20  Arizona                      Derek Carr                         QB          Fresno State

21  Green Bay                 Timmy Jernigan                DT          Florida St.

22  Philadelphia              Anthony Barr                    LB            UCLA

23  Kansas City                Marqise Lee                     WR          USC

24  Cincinnati                  Kyle Fuller                         CB           Virginia Tech

25  San Diego                  Jason Verrett                    CB           TCU

26  Cleveland                  Teddy Bridgewater          QB           Louisville

27  New Orleans            Marcus Martin                    C             USC

28  Carolina                    Moses Morgan                   OT           Virginia

29  New England            Stephen Tuitt                    DL           Notre Dame

30  San Francisco           Ryan Shazier                      LB           Ohio State

31  Denver                      Trent Murphy                    LB           Stanford

32  Seattle                       Louis Nix III                        DT          Notre Dame

 

PICKING APART THE NFL DRAFT PROSPECTS

The negatives.  Areas of concern. The warts. Must improve these parts of his game. Aw yes, as teams and media members prepare for the NFL draft we’re always looking for a player’s weakness and how that may affect the decision to draft him if you’re a team, or where to rank him if you’re a media member. So today I figured I’d share with you some of the negatives I’ve heard from talent evaluators that I’ve talked to about some of the top players in this draft.

DE – Jadeveon Clowney – Takes plays off. Injury issues. Plays to stiff and upright. Can be pushed up field. Maturity issues on and off field. Is he discipline enough and can he set the edge?

WR – Sammy Watkins – Only 6 foot. Caught a lot of balls at or behind the line of scrimmage. Occasional concentration issues.  Arrested for drug possession as a sophomore. Needs to stay in shape.

LB – Khalil Mack – Didn’t play against elite talent. Got in a fight with a teammate. Needs to use his arms better.

OT – Greg Robinson – Not a good pass blocker. Needs better balance. Speed rushers gave him problems.

OT – Jake Matthews – Needs to get stronger and add a few pounds. Has trouble at times with the bull or power rush. Run blocking isn’t as good as his pass blocking.

WR – Mike Evans – Has trouble getting off press coverage. Must improve his route running.  Not a guy with that burst of speed at the line or downfield.

QB – Blake Bortles – Played against few elite teams. Lack of pin-point accuracy. Not enough juice on the ball at this time for NFL throws. Doesn’t lead receivers with his throw.  Will try and force the ball. Overall fundlamentals need fine tuning. Footwork needs work.

QB – Johnny Manziel – Too short. Durability will be a factor. Is a system guy. Bad weather could affect him so he needs to play in a dome or in a warm weather city. Wants to escape the pocket too soon. When he stays in the pocket will he be able to see the receivers. Fundamentals are not good. Off the field issues, will they follow him to the NFL? Can he takes snaps from under center and read a defense?

TE – Eric Ebron – A wide receiver playing tight end. Bad blocker. Route running is suspect. Must get stronger in upper and lower body to play tight end in the NFL. Too many drops.

CB – Justin Gilbert – Needs to improve his technique. Relies too much on just his athletic ability. Doesn’t tackle well at all. Plays too far off receivers and not physical enough when at the line of scrimmage.

CB – Darqueze Dennard – His size is a factor at only 5’10 and some change. Has trouble playing zone coverage. Because of his size he grabs a lot and in the NFL he’ll get caught.

QB – Teddy Bridgewater – Has a funny build and his bone frame is a concern. Numerous injuries throughout his career going back to high school. Small hands. Deep ball accuracy is not good. Competition level he played against was suspect. Horrible pro day. To glove or not to glove on his throwing hand?

QB – Derek Carr – Didn’t play against enough elite competition and when he did, he didn’t perform well. Struggles when under pressure and will try and force the ball. Isn’t very mobile and doesn’t make many pass rushers miss. Throws off his back foot at times. A lot of completions were short and quick. Can he play under center?

OT – Taylor Lewan – Needs better knee bend and balance. Gets beat inside. A hot head or a dirty player.  Grabs too much.  Needs to be more powerful to play left tackle at the NFL level. Is he going to have off the field issues like he did at Michiagn?

10 QUARTERBACK OPTIONS FOR THE BROWNS

As the Browns begin workouts for the upcoming 2014 season, they now know who, when and where they are playing. They also think they know who their quarterback is for this year as Brian Hoyer is recovering from an ACL tear and looks to be on schedule to be the team’s starting signal caller on Sunday, September 7th in Pittsburgh.

But what if Hoyer has a setback and isn’t ready? Even if he is ready, is Hoyer the quarterback for the future? If not, who is? These are all questions that owner Jimmy Haslam, general manager Ray Farmer, head coach Mike Pettine and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan are asking themselves, and each other.Jimmy Haslam Photo

As the May 8th NFL Draft draws closer and closer, the Browns brass better have multiple plans to address their quarterback situation for the here and now, as well as for next year and beyond. With that in mind here are some options the Browns will consider as they try to find that franchise quarterback, or at least, a quarterback who they feel can lead this team for the next few years.

Option 1:                                                                                                                                                     Roll the dice and draft who you think the best quarterback is with the 4th overall pick in the draft. Your candidates would be Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles, Derek Carr or Teddy Bridgewater.

Option 2:
Roll the dice in a different way and pass on the QB at pick #4 and take the best player available, and then come back at #26 and take the best quarterback that is still left on your board.

Option 3:
Go with the best player available strategy again at pick #4 and then see how far some of these quarterbacks fall in the first round, and if the one you like continues to slide but you don’t think he’ll be there at #26, then make a trade to move up in the first round and get that guy. You have plenty of draft picks to use as trade chips.

Option 4:                                                                                                                                                      Really roll the dice and pass on taking a quarterback at all in round one, and then, with your 2nd round pick at #35, you finally select a QB from the guys that are left, and who is ranked highest on your board.

Option 5:
Wait until the later rounds and draft a quarterback that you think is a sleeper because of your personal information, private workouts and interviews.

Option 6:
Take the best player available at #4 and then wait and see what the Buccaneers do at pick #7. I had one source tell me the Bucs might have some interest in Johnny Manziel if he would fall to them at #7. If he does, and they select him, then you could inquire about whether or not Tampa might be willing to trade last year’s 3rd round pick, quarterback Mike Glennon who started 13 games for the Buccaneers last season, going (4-9) while throwing for over 2,600 yards with 19 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.

Option 7:
If you don’t really believe in any of the quarterbacks in this year’s class to be your franchise QB of the future, another trade possibility to look into would be with the Washington Redskins for Kirk Cousins. One source told me Washington realizes they’re probably going to lose him down the road to free agency and might be willing to deal him for a 2nd or 3rd round pick so they at least get something in return for him as opposed to him just walking away in free agency after 2015. Plus the Skins don’t have a first round pick this year due to the RG3 trade, so they are looking to add picks. Browns could offer a 3rd or a 4th for him, but not a 2nd.

Option 8:
Another potential trade target is Ryan Mallett of the New England Patriots. Mallett has learned under, and has been Tom Brady’s back up for three years. However the 6’6 – 245 pound signal caller has thrown just 4 NFL passes during the regular season. Bill Belichick made the decision to draft him in the 3rd round in 2011, but with Mallett set to become a free agent after this 2014 season, Belichick has to make another decision. Is Mallett the Pats quarterback of the future, or do they trade him and at least get a draft pick for him before he leaves through free agency at the end of this year? Mike Lombardi loved him and would have been working the phones with his buddy Belichick, but Lombardi is gone and now it’s Ray Farmer’s call. How much, if at all, does Farmer like Mallet, and what would the Browns be willing to give up in the draft to trade for him?

Option 9:
The Browns go with Brian Hoyer as their starter for 2014. Add veteran QB Rex Grossman as his back up in free agency and then use two of their ten draft picks at some point on quarterbacks they like and see if one or the other can develop into a starting quarterback.

Option 10:
Wait until after the 2014 season and go after a free agent quarterback during the 2015 off season. Potential candidates are Colin Kaepernick, Alex Smith, Andy Dalton, Ryan Mallet, T.J. Yates and you own Brian Hoyer. Maybe Hoyer proves this year that his performance last year wasn’t “fool’s gold” and you resign him as your starter.

If I was able to come up with ten legitimate quarterback options for the Browns as they approach this draft, I’m sure JH3 and the boys have at least ten more that I haven’t even thought of as they continue to search for the one thing that has eluded this organization since their return to the NFL in 1999, a franchise quarterback.

*Bonus Option

After hearing Browns G.M. Ray Farmer’s press conference from 4-28-14 add these two names as options for the Browns at quarterback – Vince Young and Tyler Thigpen will get tryouts with the Browns during minicamp this week. 

OURLADS NFL DRAFT EXPERT DAN SHONKA 1 ON 1 WITH KENNY RODA

Dan Shonka and Kenny Roda talk Quarterbacks in the 2014 NFL Draft

Ourlads Photo

RODA RATINGS – TOP 32 PLAYERS FOR THE 2014 NFL DRAFT

1- Jadeveon Clowney          DE           South Carolina

2- Jake Mathews                 OT            Texas AM

3- Sammy Watkins              WR          Clemson

4- Greg Robinson                OT            Auburn

5- Mike Evans                      WR           Texas AM

6- Khalil Mack                      LB            Buffalo

7- Darqueze Dennard        CB            Michigan State

8- Justin Gilbert                  CB             Oklahoma State

9- Taylor Lewan                  OT            Michigan

10- Blake Bortles                QB            Central Florida

11- Eric Ebron                     TE             North Carolina

12- Anthony Barr               LB              UCLA

13- Aaron Donald              DT              Pitt

14- Zack Martin                 OG             Notre Dame

15- Johnny Manziel           QB            Texas AM

16- C.J. Mosley                   LB             Alabama

17- Ha Ha Clinton-Dix        FS             Alabama

18- Teddy Bridgewater     QB            Louisville

19- Odell Beckham Jr.       WR           LSU

20- Calvin Pryor                  FS             Louisville

21- Timmy Jernigan           DT            Florida State

22- Jason Verrett               CB             TCU

23- Louis Nix III                   DT            Notre Dame

24- Brandon Cooks            WR           Oregon State

25- Marqise Lee                WR             USC

26- Ryan Shazier                LB              Ohio State

27- Cyrus  Kouandjio        OT              Alabama

28- Stephon Tuitt              DE              Notre Dame

29- Morgan Moses           OT               Virginia

30- Deone Bucannon        SS              Washington State

31- Xavier Su’a-Filo           OG             UCLA

32- Allen Robinson           WR             Penn State

Part 2 of my conversation with Tim Couch on Johnny Manziel and other Draft QB’s

Tim and I discuss other SEC quarterbacks as well as Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater.

RODA RATINGS – 2014 NFL DRAFT – “SKILL POSITIONS”

QUARTERBACKS

Blake Bortles – UCF – 6’5 – 232
Teddy Bridgewater – Louisville – 6’2 – 214
Johnny Manziel – Texas A&M – 5’11 – 207
A.J. McCarron – Alabama – 6’3 – 220
Derek Carr – Fresno St. – 6’2 – 214

RUNNING BACKS

Carlos Hyde – Ohio St. – 6’0 – 230
Tre Mason – Auburn – 5’8 ½ – 207
Bishop Sankey – Washington – 5’9 ½ – 209
Ka’Deem Carey – Arizona – 5’9 – 207
De’Anthony Thomas – Oregon – 5’8 ½ – 174

WIDE RECEIVERS

Sammy Watkins – Clemson – 6’0 – 211
Mike Evans – Texas A&M – 6’4 ½ – 231
Brandin Cooks – Oregon St. – 5’9 ½ – 196
Marquis Lee – USC – 6’0 – 195
Odell Beckham – LSU – 6’0 – 193
Kelvin Benjamin – FSU – 6’5 – 234
Allen Robinson – Penn St. – 6’3 – 210
Davonte Adams – Fresno St. – 6’1 -212

TIGHT ENDS

Eric Ebron – North Carolina – 6’4 -250
Troy Niklas – Notre Dame – 6’6 ½ – 270
Jace Amaro – Texas Tech – 6’5 -265

MEET THE BROWNS CANDIDATES

So the two most important positions on a football team are Head Coach and Quarterback. The Browns don’t have either one right now unless, based on two games, you’re ready to give the QB job to Brian Hoyer. I for one am not. But they are in the process of trying to fill those two vacancies and here is a list of candidates for both spots. Which two guys would you like to see fill those roles for the Browns in 2014?

COACHES THEY’VE INTERVIEWED THAT ARE STILL AVAILABLE:

Dan Quinn – Seahawks Defensive Coordinator – 43 years old

Mike Munchak – Former Titans Head Coach – 53 years old

 

COACHES THEY WOULD LIKE TO INTERVIEW:

BRONCOS_PRACTICE_1JL0142

Adam Gase – Broncos Offensive Coordinator – 35 years old

Gus Malzahn – Auburn Head Coach – 48 years old

 

QUARTERBACKS AVAILABLE IN THE DRAFT:

Johnny Football Photo - Courtesy AP

Johnny Manziel – Texas AM  –  6’1-210pds-Sph.

Teddy Bridgewater – Louisville  –  6’3-196-Jr.

Blake Bortles – Central Florida  –  6’4-230pds-Jr.

Derek Carr – Fresno St.  –  6’3-218pds-Sr.

A.J. McCarron – Alabama  –  6’4-214pds-Sr.

Zach Mettenberger – LSU  –  6’5-230pds-Sr.

Aaron Murray – Georgia  –  6’1-208pds-Sr.

David Fales – San Jose St.  –  6’3-220pds-Sr.

Tajh Boyd – Clemson  –  6’1-225pds-Sr.

Jimmy Garoppolo – Eastern Illinois  –  6’3-222pds-Sr.

Ideally from people that I have talked to I believe the Browns would love to come away with the combination of Adam Gase as their head man to coach Johnny Manziel at quarterback. Those are the two names I’m hearing the most from sources around the league. But Gase has to interview for the job first, and then say YES, while “Johnny Football” has to still be there at pick number #4 in the draft or the Browns have to move up to get him. So that’s a couple of big “IF’s” and because of that Jimmy Haslam, Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi better have a few back up plans in case their dream scenario falls through. You know Haslam’s ideal situation is to eventually, either after this year, or next year, have Peyton Manning come in and be a major piece in the Browns front office or coaching staff.

*Gus Malzahn could be the wild card if the Browns could entice him to leave Auburn for the NFL.

Are you on board with landing Adam Gase and Johnny Manziel to take the Browns into the future? If not, what’s the “Dynamic Duo” you’d like to see the Browns front office get?

Respond here in the comments section, or tweet you thoughts to me @TheKennyRoda on Twitter.

RODA REPORT 1-2-14

Either Urban Meyer/Ohio State and David Shaw/Stanford didn’t respect Michigan State’s defense, both are too stubborn for their own good, or they just had a major brain cramp by calling the plays they called in late game situations against the Spartans defense in the Big Ten title game and the Rose Bowl.  Why play to the strength of Michigan State’s defense in those short yardage situations? Stupid coaching decision by two of the very best coaches in college football!

Speaking of stupid, you could argue the Browns front office is just that after firing head coach Rob Chudzinski after only one year on the job. From everything that was said all season long and even before that, in last year’s off season, the team was supposedly building for 2014 and trying to establish continuity and stability. Instead Chud gets canned after one season and Jimmy Haslam, Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi are back to drawing board of yet another coaching search.  In order to fire Chud, this next coach they hire better be the second coming of Bill Belichick and what scares me is that the guy they reportedly have the most interest in, Josh McDaniels, they feel is the second coming of Belichick. Only time will tell if getting rid of Chud was a good move or if indeed the “Three Stooges” are running the Browns!

I have a bad feeling that after winning 24 games in a row, Ohio State is on the verge of losing its second game in a row in the Orange Bowl versus Clemson. The Buckeyes defense, which gave up a combined 75 points and over 1,000 yards in its last two games to Michigan and Michigan State, will be without two of their best defenders against the Tigers in cornerback Bradly Roby and defensive end Noah Spence.  How is that defense supposed to stop Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins if they couldn’t shut down the less explosive Wolverines and Spartans with a healthier defense? Add to that Braxton Miller has been very pedestrian in throwing the football in his last four games and this has the makings of another BCS Bowl disappointment for OSU. I expect it to be a shoot-out and the team that has the ball last will probably win the game, so let’s hope it’s the Buckeyes have the pigskin last.

If Johnny Manziel and Blake Bortles join Teddy Bridgewater in this year’s NFL draft, it’ll be interesting to see who is ranked highest on the QB list by the media and more importantly by NFL teams.  I don’t see a slam dunk in any of those three like I did with Andrew Luck. Will Manziel’s backyard, crazy legs style fly in the NFL? While Bortles has the size, does he have the experience and the smarts? Bridgewater looks to be the most complete of the three, but the lack of competition he played against in college; does that move him down in the rankings? I want to see these guys at the combine, hear about their interviews and see them with Jon Gruden at his quarterback school before I give my final rankings, but for now I have it 1) Bridgewater 2) Bortles and 3) Manziel.

Here’s the dilemma the Cavs have right now after a (10-21) start. If they make a trade for a player like Pau Gasol will that really impact their chances of making the playoffs in the weak Eastern Conference this year and how much will that benefit them in the long run? On the flip side, if this season is headed in the wrong direction and it’s going to take another year for this team to be a legit playoff team, would it benefit them more if they ended up in the lottery one more time for what is considered to be one of the deepest NBA Drafts in recent history?   That’s the decision owner Dan Gilbert and G.M. Chris Grant have to make. The team has been healthy all season and with the off season moves of Bynum and jack they are still a lottery team as of today. Would adding Pau Gasol via a trade with the Lakers really make that much of a difference and gain them valuable playoff experience or would they be better suited to take their chances back in the lottery and maybe land so-called future stars like Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle or others?