Jaguars make an early splash in free agency

After the Jaguars traded for wide receiver Troy Williamson earlier this week, most experts thought that the receiver position won't be addressed until the draft. Well the Jaguars already proved them wrong. The Jaguars signed Jerry Porter to a 6 year $30 million deal that includes $10 million in guaranteed money. Porter had played on the Raiders the previous eight years of his career. Porter had a solid season last year as he had 44 catches for 705 yards and 6 touchdowns. The only problem with the signing of Porter is that he is built very similar to the Jags other receivers. Questions have also been brought up about his character as Porter is known to have had gotten in fights with Art Shell during the 2006 season in which the Raiders went 2-14.


The Jaguars made another big signing today with quarterback Cleo Lemon. Lemon signed a 3 year deal worth around $9 million. Lemon will likely be the backup to David Garrard as Quinn Gray is a free agent. Lemon last season threw for 1,7773 yards with 6 touchdowns along with 6 interceptions. He could end up being a solid backup for the Jags but could be in trouble if he needs to start.


So overall the Jags didn't do to badly today in the free agency market. But considering this is only the first day, plenty more news will come.

Fbkid's all combine team

The combine has come to a close and many things have changed in regards to draft stock. Players will have stock that will change daily but this ranking will stay forever. They will have made the all combine team. None of these guys have played a down in the NFL yet but if the game was played in Under Armour shirts,they would be pretty good. Here is my 2008 All Combine team.


QB: Josh Johnson San Diego: Impressed scouts with 4.4 speed and surprising arm strength.


RB: Chris Johnson East Carolina: After a combine best 4.24 forty,people aren't taking him as lightly anymore.

RB: Darren McFadden Arkansas: It's hard to believe but McFadden's stock went up at the combine.

WR: Dexter Jackson Appalachian State: Put up a 4.37 in the forty and keeps impressing scouts with his good hands.

WR: William Franklin Missouri: Showed everything that an NFL team looks for in a receiver measuring in at 6'4 214 pounds along with running a 4.37 forty.

TE: Dustin Keller Purdue:Impressed scouts with a 4.5 forty which was best for tight ends. He also showed good hands in the passing drills.


T: Jake Long Michigan: Scouts were very impressed when Long weighed in at 6'7 313 pounds. He also moved well in drills.

G: Branden Albert Virginia: Impressed with scouts with mobility and great size.

C: Mike Pollak Arizona State: Did well in drills along with running a 5.02 forty. The fastest of all centers.

G: Chilo Rachal USC: Impressed scouts with size and the way he moved in drills.

T: Oniel Cousins UTEP: Is a developmental pick as of now but showed scouts that he could become a solid pro.


Defense:

DE: Chris Long DE Virginia: Long did very well in the drills and ran a impressive 4.7 forty.

DT: Kentwan Balmer North Carolina: Showed great size and moved well.

DT: Sedrick Ellis USC: Performed well in drills and Glenn Dorsey not participating made it seem that much better.

DE: Vernon Gholston Ohio State: Gholston showed that he is a freakish athlete after running a 4.6 forty and being among the leaders at the bench press.

LB: Shawn Crable Michigan: Showed good size and ran a impressive 4.6 forty.

LB: Jerod Mayo Tennessee: Had one of the best forty times of any linebacker and did well in the drills.

LB: Jonathan Goff Vanderbilt: Goff showed great speed running a 4.6 forty along with being one of the leaders at his position in the bench press.

CB: Dominique Rodgers Cromartie Tennessee State: His stock is going up by the minute after doing well in drills and running a 4.33 forty.

CB: Mike Jenkins USF: One of the only things scouts were wondering is how he would run. A 4.38 forty should keep his draft stock high.

S: Josh Barrett Arizona State: Impressed with a 4.35 forty and did well in the drills.

S: DaJuan Morgan S NC State: Morgan did well in the bench press along with the drills.

Reports: Jaguars to acquire Troy Williamson

Acording to the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Minneapolis Star-Tribune the Vikings have agreed in principle to trade wide receiver Troy Williamson to the Jaguars in exchange for a second-day pick. Since day two spans rounds 3-7, I would expect around a 5th or 6th rounder.

Williamson will bring speed that the Jaguars lack at receiver but he needs to eliminate drops for a chance to be the kind of player he could be. So for the Jags I don't see what the trade really does for them. Unless you consider that with Matt Jones already on board, they're doing a great job of cornering the market of overdrafted receivers from the '05 draft. In fact only Mike Williams is in the way of a complete set.

Fbkid's Combine winners and losers day 2

The combine is here and pretty much all of the offensive players have reported. Along with that are the players who are winners and losers. That has happened to many players so far and will change there daily moving draft stock. Here are my winners and losers at Indy so far.


Winners:

Michigan tackle Jake Long really impressed the scouts weighing in at 6'7 313 pounds. Scouts were also impressed that the distance from his pinky to thumb was as long as a ruler. Long was a projected top 5 pick but now could move into the top 3.

Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan's draft stock needed a boost and got it when he stepped on the scale and weighed 208 pounds. At the Senior Bowl Brennan weighed in at 185 which means that he gained 23 pounds in the last month.

Quarterbacks Brian Brohm of Louisville and Joe Flacco of Delaware have a easier task of impressing the scouts this weekend as Matt Ryan won't be participating in activities. The winner of this battle, will likely be the 2nd quarterback off the board come April.

Losers:

Cal receiver DeSean Jackson could have been the big loser of the day. Jackson who coming in was listed at 5'11,measured in at 5'9 167 pounds. He needs to do very well in receiving drills and the 40 to keep being considered one of the top receivers in the class.

Receivers Malcolm Kelly of Oklahoma and Early Doucet of LSU are both going to be missing activities this weekend due to injuries. This will hurt Doucet more than Kelly as he was a boarderline late 1st early 2nd pick. Kelly though could still remain a top 2 receiver if Limas Sweed of Texas performs poorly.

Quarterback Andre Woodson of Kentucky will not be working out which seems like a bad decision. Woodson would not have had to worry about the pressure of competing with the top quarterback in Matt Ryan along with the fact his stock could go up if he does better than Chad Henne of Michigan and John David Booty of USC. Woodson might possibly head into his pro day as the 6th ranked quarterback.

Fbkid's 2008 NFL Mock Draft #1

It's finally time again. The combine is coming up and the draft is fastly approaching. This is the first of many mock drafts for this year that I will have. This time around though I will not have analysis after every pick due to the fact that teams haven't started signing free agents as that will have a big factor in what teams will draft. So without further explanation here is my first mock draft.

*= pick will be determined by coin flip

1.Miami Dolphins: Chris Long DE Virginia
2.St.Louis Rams:Glenn Dorsey DT LSU
3*.Atlanta Falcons:Matt Ryan QB Boston College
4*.Oakland Raiders:Sedrick Ellis DT USC
5*.Kansas City Chiefs:Jake Long T Michigan
6.New York Jets:Darren McFadden RB Arkansas
7.New England Patriots:Aquib Talib CB Kansas
8.Baltimore Ravens:Mike Jenkins CB South Florida
9.Cincinnati Bengals:Vernon Gholston DE Ohio State
10.New Orleans Saints:Leodis McKelvin CB Troy
11.Buffalo Bills:Keith Rivers LB USC
12.Denver Broncos:Kenny Phillips S Miami(Fl)
13.Carolina Panthers:Jeff Otah T Pittsburgh
14.Chicago Bears:Ryan Clady T Boise State
15.Detroit Lions:Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB Tennessee State
16.Arizona Cardinals:Derrick Harvey DE Florida
17.Minnesota Vikings:Phillip Merling DE Clemson
18.Houston Texans:Rashard Mendenhall RB Illinois
19.Philadelphia Eagles:DeSean Jackson WR California
20.Tampa Bay Buccaneers:Kentwan Balmer DT North Carolina
21.Washington Redskins:Malcolm Kelly WR Oklahoma
22.Dallas Cowboys:Felix Jones RB Arkansas
23.Pittsburgh Steelers:Branden Albert G Virginia
24.Tennessee Titans:Mario Manningham WR Michigan
25.Seattle Seahawks: Jonathan Stewart RB Oregon
26.Jacksonville Jaguars:Reggie Smith CB Oklahoma
27.San Diego Chargers:Calais Campbell DE Miami(Fl)
28.Dallas Cowboys:Early Doucet WR LSU
29.San Francisco 49ers:Brian Brohm QB Louisville
30.Green Bay Packers:Tracy Porter CB Indiana
31.New England Patriots:Forfited due to "Spygate"
32.New York Giants:Dan Conner LB Penn State

Fbkid's Super Bowl Predictions

It is finally here. The game we have all been waiting for,the Super Bowl. Lots of things have happened in the NFL since the season has started. For instance with the two teams in the big game. I'm sure every player on the Patriots would say the first 18 wins were worthless without a Super Bowl ring. The Giants stunned everyone this season. Not only did most experts think the would finish in the cellar of the NFC East, they won an incredible 10 road games. Here is my Super Bowl prediction along with the key to victory and X-Factor for each team.


Giants

Key to Victory: Eli Manning QB: For the Giants to win, Manning has to keep playing the way he has all postseason. If he avoids costly mistakes, the Giants have a great chance of winning the game.

X-Factor: Ahmad Bradshaw RB: Most people don't realize that when the game is on the line and the Giants are running out clock, Brandon Jacobs isn't getting the ball. Instead it is Bradshaw as a surprise rookie out of Marshall doing the damage. Bradshaw has 163 yards rushing this postseason and is a home run threat to score. If he gets 12 to 17 carries the Giants are in good shape.


Patriots

Key to Victory: Laurence Maroney RB: Maroney has played very well this postseason and has had 2 100 yard games. If he can run the ball, that will be keep the Giants dominant front four from getting to Tom Brady.

X-Factor: Kevin Faulk RB: Faulk has been a key component of all of the Patriots Super Bowl wins and is one of the most underrated players on the team. Faulk has the versatility to run and catch passes out of the back field. If Faulk gets around 70 total yards the Patriots are in good shape.


Prediction: The Giants had a great run to get this far but all in all I think the Patriots just have too much fire power. My prediction is Giants 21 Patriots 27.