2006Draft

Al Fronczak's 2006 First Round Mock Draft

FINAL MOCK

This mock was updated after the Texans signed Mario Williams.

Friday, April 27th

1. Houston Texans...DE Mario Williams (North Carolina State)...The Texans passed on Julius Peppers a few years back... but they won't make the same mistake on a prospect that some feel has a better upside than Peppers.

2. New Orleans Saints...HB Reggie Bush (USC)...The Saints will likely trade this pick to the Jets and take the Brick fourth overall...if they keep the pick...they will flip a coin to see if it comes up Bush or Brick.

3. Tennessee Titans...QB Matt Leinart (USC)...The Titans brass is said to be split between Young and Leinart with Owner Bud Adams and Gm Floyd Reese backing Vince Young while Coach Jeff Fisher (a USC Alum) and OC Norm Chow being in Leinart's corner...I've uncovered the smokescreen.

4. New York Jets...OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson (Virginia)...The Jets Gallery Gods at the Draft will get an early Christmas present if Bush falls to them here...the possibility exists that the Jets might try to move up to the Saints second pick overall to take Bush...if if the Saints take him second overall then D'Brickashaw Ferguson will be the Jets pick.

5. Green Bay Packers...TE Vernon Davis (Maryland)......With Favre back in the saddle the team needs to surround him with a as many weapons as possible for his swan-song...the pick of Vernon Davis would be one of great need since they recently lost Terrance Murphy...Javon Walker is on the block and Donald Driver wants out...this pick is now a no-brainer!

6. San Francisco 49'ers...OLB A.J. Hawk (Ohio State)...With Vernon Davis off the board the Niners may entertain trade talks to get out of this pick...if they keep it they will either take A.J. Hawk or Michael Huff here.

7. Oakland Raiders...QB Vince Young (Texas)...The Raiders have holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball but Al Davis will have a hard time passing on Young if he falls to them here.

8. Buffalo Bills...DT Haloti Ngata (Oregon) ...The Bills might move down a few spots and still land Ngata...Ngata isn't a perfect fit in the Bills new defensive scheme...but they like him better than Bunkley and need to address the DT position in one of the first two rounds...if the Bills take another position other then DT here then look for them to target John McCargo later.

9. Detroit Lions...S/CB Michael Huff (Texas) ...The Lions take Huff but will receive a call from the Vikings about moving down ...but...the Lions aren't making an intra-division trade with a team they must face just to please their trade demands.

10. Arizona Cardinals...OLB Ernie Sims (Florida State)...The Cards are looking for a weak-side OLB with speed and are said to covet Ernie Sims...the Cards think about moving down but feel the Eagles could steal Sims with their pick.

11. Minnesota Vikings TRADE (from St. Louis)...QB Jay Cutler (Vanderbilt)....The Vikings land their man in Cutler and deal their third (#83) and fourth (#115) in 2006 and their 4th round pick in 2007 for the switch...they know that they can't wait for Cutler to fall to them with the Broncos picking ahead of them in this round.

12. Cleveland Browns...OLB Kamerion Wimbley (Florida State)...The Browns wanted Ngata... but are more than happy with Wimbley.

13. Baltimore Ravens...OT Winston Justice (USC)...Justice is just what the Ravens need at RT on their O-Line.

14. Philadelphia Eagles...DT Broderick Bunkley (Florida State)...I expect the Eagles to make an effort to move up in the Draft to land either OT Justice or DT Bunkley...Bunkley is a great fit in Jimmy Johnson's defensive scheme.

15. Denver Broncos (from Atlanta)...WR Chad Jackson (Florida)...The Broncos receiving core needs help desperately...Jackson would be a start with Javon Walker to follow in round two in a trade with the Packers.

16. Miami Dolphins...CB Antonio Cromartie (Florida State)...Dolphins Coach is said to covet Cromartie a player he once heavily recruited at LSU.

17. St. Louis Rams TRADE (from Minnesota)...CB/S Jimmy Williams (Virginia Tech)...The Rams moved down in the Draft and are still able to land the prospect that DC Jim Haslett wants for his Defense.

18. Dallas Cowboys...OLB Manny Lawson (North Carolina State)...The Cowboys will either take Lawson or Bobby Carpenter here or attempt to move down with this pick.

19. San Diego Chargers...CB Tye Hill (Clemson)...The Chargers fill a big need with this pick...Hill is one of the Drafts best cover corners despite his size.

20. Kansas City Chiefs...WR Santonio Holmes (Ohio State)...The Chiefs need to find a Receiver and a Corner in day one and go with Holmes since 3 DB's are already off the board.

21. New England Patriots...LB Bobby Carpenter (Ohio State)...Carpenter would be a great for the Patriots because he has the ability to play any LB'er position in the Patriots 3-4 scheme...HB Williams is also a consideration.

22. San Francisco 49'ers (from Denver thru Wash)...OLB Chad Greenway (Iowa)..Four of the last five picks that came off the board were players that the Niners were hoping would be here..

23. Indianapolis Colts TRADE (from Tampa Bay) HB Laurence Maroney (Minnesota)...The Colts get their man by moving up 7 picks...they send the Bucs their third round pick #94 in this Draft and a fifth round pick in 2007 for the move.

24. Cincinnati Bengals...C Nick Mangold (Ohio State)...Most of the teams O-Linemen are in their last year of their contract.

25. New York Giants...CB Johnathan Joseph (South Carolina)....The Giants filled one of their needs by signing Lavar Arrington but could still use a CB despite attacking that position in free agency...the Giants also like Sinorice Moss and might move out of this pick and trade down to take him.

26. Chicago Bears...S Donte Whitner (Ohio State)...The Bears covet Whitner but feel they might be able to move down a bit in this Draft and still land their man.

27. Carolina Panthers...HB LenDale White (USC)...The Panthers will take a player at a skill position with this pick and really need to land another back for the team...if they pass on White the pick could be DeAngelo Williams.

28. Jacksonville Jaguars...HB DeAngelo Williams (Memphis)...The Jaguars are happy that Williams has slipped to them.

29. New York Jets (from Denver)...CB Richard Marshall (Fresno State)......The Jets were hoping that one of the LB'ers they like would still be on the board...but Marshall fills a need for their team in their secondary.

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers TRADE (from Indianapolis)...DE Mathius Kiwanuka (Boston College)...The Bucs moved down and picked up the Colts 3rd round pick #94 and a 5th rounder in 2007 and were still able to get their man.

31. Seattle Seahawks...S/CB Jason Allen (Tennessee)...The 'Hawks were hoping that a DE like Wimbley or Kiwanuka would fall to them...but Allen has the versatility the Seahawks are looking for in their defensive backfield.

32. Pittsburgh Steelers...WR Sinorice Moss (Miami-Florida)...The Steelers might make a move to go up in the Draft but if they stay here Moss would be a good fit for a team looking for a receiver that can also help out in the return game.

01/26...One Prospect that has really helped himself this week is Wr Sinorice Moss of Miami...Moss is the younger brother of Redskins receiver Santana Moss and Sinorice has the same qualities that his brother posseses including the abiility to take it to the house everytime he touches the football...one can argue that he doesn't have the ideal size that NFL Scouts are looking for...but...neither does his brother Santana or another smallish type receiver that plays for the Carolina Panthers by the name of Steve Smith...Moss is only small in stature (as in height) but is very well built especially from the waste down...Sinorice Moss has passed Arizona State Wr Derek Hagan on our Draft board and has a great chance to hear his name selected in the first round of the NFL Draft......one other prospect that has helped himself this week is Florida State DE/OLB Kamerion Wimbley...Wimbley reminds us alot of Demarcus Ware because he has that abilty to fly off the edge and put some heat on the QB...Wimbley has the ability to play DE in a 4-3 or kick out to OLB in a a 3-4.

02/13...Mark this down! - the Houston Texans won't be taking QB Vince Young with the number one pick overall now that the Texans have extended David Carr's contact for another three years...the team will either tab Reggie Bush or attempt to trade out of the pick...the ideal situation for the Texans would be if the Titans at #3 or the Jets at #4 would make an offer to move up to the number one pick and then the Texans would take OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson with the third or fourth pick overall...the Left Offensive Tackle position is the Texans most glaring need!.......remember this name heading into the Indy Combine - CB Johnathan Joseph...Joseph is an early entry for the Draft who led the South Carolina Gamecocks in interceptions in 2005 with 4 while recording 55 tackles...Joseph has two things already going for him leading into the Combine -near ideal size for a Corner at 5-11 187 and the type of speed (4.32-40) that will command the Scouts attention...what Joseph lacks in experience and seasoning for the Corner position, he makes up with his size and numbers...IF Joseph measures up and displays his athletic ability and speed in Indy...his name could be taken off the board as early as the latter stages of the first round of the upcoming Draft.

02/14...One Draft prospect whose stock took a bit of a hit during Senior Bowl week is Alabama linebacker DeMeco Ryans

...however...it wasn't what he did or didn't do during the practices and game that had the Scouts talking... but... the fact that Ryans (who measured in at 6-1.1 229) looked much smaller physically than what the Scouts had envisioned him being...bigger is always better in the Scouts minds and Ryans failed to pass the eyeball test in Mobile...Ryans is still considered to be a first round talent by many, but he's no longer considered to be a Top 15 Pick in the upcoming Draft and could slip into the latter stages of the first round or out of the first round completely come Draft day...Ryans would be a perfect fit for a team built on speed like the Indianapolis Colts who own the #30 th pick overall.

02/16...Lets look ahead to the Draft and what might happen at the very top...we're going to go on record and say that you can rule out Vince Young going to the Texans with their first pick overall since the team extended David Carr's contract just recently...just about every Mock Draft in the world has Reggie Bush being the Texans pick at number one but the talk around the league is the Tennessee Titans have their eye on USC Qb Matt Leinart and may need to leap-frog the Saints who also are said to have their eyes on Leinart at #2...the Titans have expressed their desire to bring in a young Qb to develop for the future and Titans Offensive Coordinator Norm Chow and Matt Leinart have a history since Chow coached Leinart at USC back in 2004...the Texans are targeting two prospects and could conceivably move down to the Titans pick at #3 and still be able to acquire one of the two (Reggie Bush or D'Brickashaw Ferguson) in the Draft and save themselves some money in the process since the number one pick overall will command more money than the third pick overall...not to say that a Draft pick or two wouldn't also be involved since the going price for moving up from the third pick overall to number one is equal to a second and third round pick depending on where the pick is in the Draft...however the Titans 2006 third round pick went to the Bills in the Travis Henry deal...all in all..the move would make a lot of sense for both the Titans and Texans with the Saints stuck in the middle at number two.......we reported back in early January

that the possibility exists that the Minnesota Vikings could part ways with Daunte Culpepper for several reasons including the fact that Vikings Owner Zygie Wilf was less than thrilled that his star Qb was named as one of the participants in the teams Lake Minatonka cruise...the Vikings have since denied rumors that the team would shop their star QB...however... their are several reports this week that the team has indeed talked to several NFL teams in an attempt to guage other teams interest in Culpepper to see what their star QB is worth on the trade market...it's been said...where their is smoke... there's Fire!...stay tuned!

03/03...Heading into the NFL Combine last week their was a general consensus that Ohio State Linebacker AJ Hawk and Iowa's Chad Greenway would be the top two 'backers to come off the board on April 29th and both were considered sure- fire Top 15 picks with the chance to crack the Top 10...well the Combine may have altered that thinking just a bit...Chad Greenway who we thought (and pointed out in our 02/10 column) would enhance his stock at the Combine didn't hold up his end of the bargain...Greenway performed pretty well in the drills... but his forty time of 4.72 was less than desireable in the Scouts eyes as he was expected to run somewhere in the 4.5's...to ad injury to insult...Greenway was only able to lift 225 pounds 16 times in the weight room which is also considered below par for a man of his size...not to say that Greenway will fall out of the first round...but unless he drastically improves his time in the forty at Iowa's Pro Day workout...Chad could slip behind Ernie Sims of Florida State on some team's boards........now that the NFL has delayed the start of Free Agency by 72 hours the NFL teams have extra time to "reshuffle the deck" so to speak and attempt to restructure some of it's players contracts to keep from being over the Cap if a new CBA isn't reached in time...one Free Agent that will be playing elsewhere in 2006 is the Saints Center LeCharles Bentley...Bentley is on several teams radar screen, but appears to be headed to Philly to play for the Eagles as soon as the Free Agency period begins at 12:01 on Monday.

03/04...Quarterback Omar Jacobs stock is back on the rise after a solid Combine which proved to Scouts that his unorthadox release is effective and accurate as he gets the ball to his receivers...a closer look at Jacobs release reveals that he actually pushes the football when he releases it...however...NFL teams are satisfied that he can be an effective QB at the next level and have decided not to ask Jacobs to alter his throwing motion..Omar Jacobs held his Pro Day workout for the NFL Scouts this week just days after his Combine performance...Breaking news at 3:50pm est...talks have broken off once again between the Owners and the Players Association which isn't good news for everyone involved....Gene Upshaw is reportedly heading back to Washington...stay tuned!

03/06...This will be a critical week for several NFL Draft prospects to prove their worth at their Pro Day workout...near the top of the list is Ohio State WR Santonio Holmes...Holmes has been considered the Top Receiver Prospect at the position since the day he declared for the Draft... but has lost ground and may have been passed by fellow underclassman Chad Jackson in recent weeks...Jackson turned in an excellent Combine performance including a 4.32 clocking in his forty dash...the fact that Jackson ran and performed all the drills at the Combine impressed the Scouts while Holmes showed up at the Combine for his weigh-in, wonderlic and the team's interviews but declined to run and work out...he then left Indy and the Combine altogether...Holmes may need a super workout this week at his Pro Day (Thursday March 9th) if he expects to be the first receiver to come off the board on Draft day...because Chad Jackson may have already passed him on several teams boards.

03/08...Commisioner Paul Tagliabue announced on Tuesday that the Owners were done negotiating with the Union and the Owners now need to decide whether to accept the latest proposal or reject it...the Owners will meet again today and have set an 8:00pm deadline for their decision...if the Owners accept the proposal and a new CBA is agreed upon then free agency will begin at 12:01 am Friday, March 10th....however...if the Owners reject the proposal then free agency will begin at 12:01 am on Thursday...stay tuned!......in prospect news...ten colleges are holding their pro day today including the Wisconsin Badgers...several NFL Scouts will be there to see if HB Brian Calhoun can improve on his dissapointing 4.62 forty time that he ran at the Combine...WR's Jonathan Orr and Brandon Williams will also be under the microscope...we pointed out in several of our previous columns including the 02/13 that the top pick in the draft may be dealt by the Houston Texans because the team believes that it can move down a few places and still land one of the two players (Reggie Bush or D'Brickashaw Ferguson) that they have targeted in the Draft...the latest news according to Agent Leigh Steinberg is the New York Jets have contacted him to arrange a private workout for his client QB Matt Leinart.

03/09...Every year there are several prospects that get drafted by NFL teams despite receiving a Combine invite... Dion Byrum of the Ohio Bobcats is a Cornerback that falls into that category this year...Byrum isn't a common household name amoung draftniks... but he's on every teams radar screen!...Byrum is 5-11.1 192...has been clocked in the 40 at 4.33 and has recorded a 41" vertical jump...he has good size and the speed, athleticism and big play ability that Scouts look for in a Corner...his production on the field won't go unnoticed on Draft day since Byrum led the nation with 3 Defensive TD's and recorded 6 interceptions in which 2 were run back for scores...he was named to the 2nd Team All-American squad by the Associated Press and was invited to the East-West Shrine Game...Byrum carries a mid to late round grade going into the Draft despite being overlooked by the Combine invitees...Dion Byrum Bio........in yesterdays 03/08 column we pointed out that it would be an important day for several prospects holding their Pro Day workouts including the trio at Wisconsin...

all three turned in terrific times as Brian Calhoun ran a 4.38-40 improving on the 4.62 he ran at the Combine...WR

Brandon Williams turned some heads as he posted a 4.39 and Jonathan Orr saved the best for last turning in a 4.25 time.

All three prospects improved their stock for the upcoming Draft.

03/10...Ohio State held it's Pro Day yesterday which attracted numerous personnel people from around the league...one of the many prospects that NFL personnel wanted to see was WR Santonio Holmes...Holmes came to the Combine for his weigh-in and interview session with the teams but declined to workout...Holmes had his chance to shine on Thursday and ran a 4.34-40 which was a time that the Scouts and NFL personnel expected out of Holmes...however...Holmes weighed in at just 179 lbs which was 9 pounds lighter than his Combine weight of 188...the fact that he ran the 4.34-40 was a positive...but the fact that he dropped 9 pounds will certainly be questioned...remember...bigger is always better in a Scouts eyes regardless of position...the results from yesterdays workout and from all the Pro Day workouts can be found by clicking our NFL.com Pro Day workout link located above this section.....The NFL trading season gets underway tonight at 11:01 along with the much anticipated Free Agency period... we will have all the latest news and signings covered througout the weekend.

03/14...Lets take a look at a Sleeper prospect that was invited to the Combine but seldom mentioned along with the other QB prospects for the upcoming Draft...Furmans Ingle Martin was considered one of the nations top prep QB's in 2000 and was heavily recruited before he decided to sign with Florida...he redshirted his first year but played in 12 games in 2002 as Rex Grossmans backup and was the teams punter in 7 games...Martin was the teams starter for the first 4 games in 2003 before giving way to one of the nations top freshmen Chris Leak...Martin transferred from Florida to Furman in January of 2004 and was named the teams starting Qb after only two weeks of spring drills...he led Furman to a 21-6 record as the starting QB in 2004 and 2005 and led the team to the Southern Conference Championship in 2004...despite playing only 2 seasons at Furman he set new school records for passing yards (5,761) td's (42) and total offensive yards (6,277)...Martin is also an accomplished punter and was named to the Sports Network All-American second team as a punter...Martin was impressive in the passing drills at the Combine displaying his accuracy and arm strength and his athletic ability in the drills...Martin was heavily recruited out of high school with good reason because he has good size (6-2.2 220) for a QB and is very athletic and mobile...his accuracy and touch is also good...he's also very mature (is married) and is considered a good leader...all in all...in all likelyhood Martin's name won't be called on the first day of the Draft...but...he has alot of tools to work with and could be a solid pick on the second day of the Draft for a team in need of a young developmental type QB.

On to the NFL...Drew Brees is set to meet with the Dolphins once again today in the hopes of coming to an agreement on a long term contract with the team...the sticking point between Brees and the Dolphins at this time is reportedly the amount of guaranteed money that the Dolphins are willing to give Brees...meanwhile the Saints have their offer on the table for Brees but are moving ahead and have scheduled a visit for today with Cardinals QB Josh McCown...McCown is reportedly the Saints choice at QB if Brees chooses to become a Dolphin...and last but not least...look for the Eagles to release Terrell Owens today and avoid paying him the 5 million dollar roster bonus that is due this afternoon...and in Dallas...Keyshawn Johnson is due a 1 million dollar roster bonus if he's still on the Cowboys roster as well...if the Cowboys release Johnson today it will only confirm the rumors that T.O. is indeed headed to Dallas...stay tuned!

03/15...As we pointed out in yesterdays column... the Cowboys may have released Keyshawn Johnson to pave the way for the games most controversial and talked about wide receiver Terrell Owens...Cowboys Coach Bill Parcells had lunch with T.O.'s Agent Drew Rosenhaus during the Indianapolis Combine which was a sign that the Cowboys were thinking about bringing T.O. on board...some nay-sayers will say that Parcells and T.O. is like mixing "oil with water" but the way we see it is.. a strong character Coach like Parcells may be just what the Doctor ordered for T.O....Parcells who has admitted that he's not getting any younger and wants another chance at winning a Super Bowl knows his "window of opportunity" is right now and is said to be more than willing to take a chance on T.O. ...the release of Keyshawn Johnson on Tuesday is an indication that the Cowboys are indeed serious about bringing T.O. on board... because both T.O. and Keyshawn would never be able to exist on the same roster...Morning update - Several QB's changed uniforms on Tuesday with the Dolphins sending a 2nd round pick in the upcoming Draft to the Vikings for Daunte Culpepper...the Saints signed Drew Brees to a huge 6 year 60 million dollar contract including a 10 million dollar signing bonus and a total of 22 million in the first two years...and the Lions inked former Bengal Jon Kitna to a multi-year deal...all three of those deals will impact the Draft because the Saints picking at #2 will no longer need to take a QB and may move down a spot or two...the Lions picking at number nine will likely pass on a QB at that spot now that Kitna is on board and the Dolphins picking at #16 will no longer need to think about moving up in the Draft for a Qb or hope that one falls to them...all in all...the Vikings who dealt Culpepper away and pick at #17 are now in the market for a young Qb to develop behind veteran Brad Johnson...the Vikings now have enough ammunition (three picks in the top 51 - #17, #48, #51) to move up in the Draft and if they were to package all three picks... they could move up into the Top 5 picks in the Draft as high as the Jets pick at #4...and last but not least...the Denver Broncos are reportedly shopping both of their first round picks (#22 and #29) and have enough ammunition with both picks combined to move up in the Draft as far as the 8th pick overall which is owned by the Bills.

03/16...Today is one of the most important days on the schedule for the NFL teams and their scouts as several schools hold their pro-day workouts including Penn State, Florida State and Virginia Tech...Penn State will be the destination that will draw the biggest crowd of NFL personnel, because of the fact that four prospects considered to be first day picks will be holding their first workout since they boycotted the workouts at the Combine as a group...DE Tamba Hali, DB Anwar Phillips, CB Alan Zemaitis and QB Michael Robinson all were measured and interviewed at the Combine...but none of them participated in the drills...down a bit South Jimmy Williams considered by many as the top CB available for the Draft will also be timed and worked out for the first time by the Scouts since he too passed on the drills at the Combine...and last but not least...way down South, Florida State will be holding their Pro Day as well...most of their prospects including LB Ernie Sims, DE Kameron Wimbley, HB Leon Washington, DT Broderick Bunkley, FS Pat Watkins and CB Antonio Cromartie all did full workouts at the Combine...but at least one of that group LB Ernie Sims has decided to run at today's drills to improve his already solid forty time of 4.54 which he posted at the Combine...Sims feels he will at least run in the low 4.4's today with the possibility of breaking the 4.3's...All the latest NFL News and Free Agent Signings will once again be posted at the top of this page.

03/17...Fox Sports reported yesterday (what we pointed out in both our 03/14 and 03/15 columns) that Terrell Owens is headed to Dallas to become a Cowboy...according to Jay Glazer the Cowboys and T.O. have agreed on a three year deal... however Drew Rosenhaus T.O.'s agent has denied the reports...the way we see it...it would be an upset at this point if T.O. doesn't become a Cowboy...stay tuned........you heard it here first - former Broncos TE Jeb Putzier will sign a multi-year deal with the Houston Texans where he will be reunited with Coach Gary Kubiak...Putzier is scheduled to fly in to Houston this weekend...the St. Louis Rams have reportedly reached an agreement with former Dolphins QB Gus Frerotte...Frerotte will once again be reunited with his former Coordinator and new Rams Coach Scott Linehan....Prospect news...Florida State held their Pro Day workout yesterday where CB Antonio Cromartie impressed the Scouts with a solid workout as he ran a pair of fast forty times (4.39 and 4.41) and recorded a 42" vertical jump...Cromarties stock continues to rise!....for more Pro Day workout results click on the NFL.com Pro Day workout link located above this section.

03/18...Penn State held their Pro Day on Thursday with high expectations from several of it's top prospects...however...it just wasn't the case in Happy Valley on Thursday...as we pointed out in out 03/16 column - it was an important day for several PSU prospects because as a group they decided to boycott the workouts at the Indianapolis Combine...their results weren't anything to write home about...DE Tamba Hali ran a dissapointing 4.88-40 and was only able to record 17 reps at 225 pounds on the bench...CB Alan Zemaitis ran a 4.62 -40 and had a poor 31" vertical jump...CB Anwar Phillips ran a 4.58 forty and QB Michael Robinson reportedly had a poor passing drill and ran his forty in just 4.62 which was much slower than the Scouts had anticipated...Robinson's 32" vertical jump was also less then what they expected....Jay Cutler stole the show at his Pro Day workout on Friday which was attended by representatives from 25 NFL teams...on a cold and windy day Cutler threw about 50 balls and was near perfect on all his throws...Titans Gm Floyd Reese who was one of the Gm's in attendance was quoted as saying "I can't imagine too many quarterbacks who are going to perform much better than he did today"....to read the entire article...click on the Jay Cutler link at the top of this page.

03/19...The NFL Draft is still over a month away but the Oakland Raiders have begun their search for the Quarterback of their future...former Saints QB Aaron Brooks is scheduled to meet with the Raiders this week...Brooks would be a good fit for the team as a veteran stop-gap because he has the arm strength to make the Raiders vertical passing game work... but make no mistake the Raiders are looking at the future and will take a Quarterback in the first round if the right one falls to them...one of the Raiders scouts was in attendance at Jay Cutlers Pro Day workout on Friday and witnessed a great workout by Cutler firsthand...of all the Quarterbacks in this Draft, Cutler would make the most sense for the Raiders because he possesses the arm strength and toughness that Al Davis covets in a QB...however...there has been speculation lately that the Raiders are one of the teams that could be a Draft-day trading partner with either the Texans or Saints for the right to select USC QB Matt Leinart...that could still hold true depending on Leinarts Pro Day workout on April 2nd because Al Davis has always been fond of USC prospects...however...the Raiders Cap situation may prevent them from being players in such a deal because they aren't in a position to deal away Draft choices because they will need them to build their team...which leads us back to Cutler...if the Draft falls the way we think it will Cutler will be available when the Raiders pick in the first round at #7...of the top six teams picking ahead of the Raiders the Titans are the only team that is certain to Draft a QB...the Saints landed Drew Brees and the Jets appear to be shying away from taking a QB that high since the team just acquired Patrick Ramsey and reworked Chad Pennington's deal...the Jets intend to use that pick on a DE like Mario Williams to replace John Abraham or a franchise LT like D'Brickasaw Ferguson....so unless a team like the Vikings who have the ammunition (three picks #17, #48 and #51) and are seeking a young QB to groom behind Brad Johnson moves up ahead of the Raiders...Jay Cutler could be donning the Silver and Black for years to come...stay tuned!

03/20...Today is an important day for Iowa Linebacker Chad Greenway as Iowa holds it's Pro Day workout for the Scouts..

Greenway will try to improve on some of the numbers that he posted at the Combine including a poor forty time of 4.78...He will also try to post better numbers in his vertical jump (33.5 at the Combine) and the bench press (16 reps at 225 lbs) at todays workout...Greenway was once viewed as a possible Top 10 pick in the Draft... but now carries a mid to late first round grade at best.

03/22...The Indianapolis Colts struck a huge blow to the New England Patriots on Tuesday when they signed Kicker Adam Vinatieri away from the Pats...the signing is very significant because the Colts needed to land a kicker in Free Agency to replace Mike Vanderjagt and by doing so they weakened one of their key competitors in the process...the loss of Vinatieri is huge for the Pats because they've been a team that has won numerous close games over the years because of Vinatieri's leg......on the trade front...the Broncos, Falcons and Jets were involved in a three way trade on Tuesday which sent Jets DE John Abraham to the Falcons...Atlanta also received Denvers third round pick#93 and the Broncos 4th round pick in 2007 ...the Jets received Denver's first round pick #29...the Broncos are said to be interested in taking a QB in this Draft and may be attempting to position themselves in the Top 5 of the Draft...if the Broncos were to deal both of their first round picks (#15 and #22) they would have enough ammunition to move up as high as the Jets #4 pick overall...look for the Jets to use the first round pick (#29) that they acquired from the Falcons thru the Broncos on Ohio State Center Nick Mangold if he's still on the board...on the Prospect front today is a HUGE day for Texas QB Vince Young as he performs for the NFL teams and Scouts at his Pro Day workout...Young's stock has been slipping as of late...but...if Young has a great workout today he could put all that talk to rest...we will have the latest news on Young's workout posted at the top of this page...stay tuned!

03/23...Al's take on Vince Young and his decision not to participate in all of the drills that the Scouts wanted him to..."I think Vince Young is a tremendous athlete that is extremely extinctive for his position and knows when to run the football as he senses the pressure from his opposition...he also gets the ball to his receivers despite his unorthadox release ...however he may have problems retaining information which will lead to a longer development process...I believe Vince Young would be better served if he had chosen an experienced Agent who would have prepared him for the wonderlic test at the Combine and advised him to perform all the drills that the Scouts asked of him at his workout on Wednesday...I've been scouting the Draft for a long time now and know that when his Agent Major Adams goes face to face with an NFL teams contract negotiator...Young could wind up with a deal reminiscect of the one that Ricky Williams signed when he was drafted by the Saints."

Prospect Spotlight...Will Blackmon was considered one of the top Cornerback prospects for the 2005 Draft before the season started... but it's anyones guess these days when he will come off the board during the Draft weekend of April 29/30... Blackmon was a highly touted prospect coming out of High School and was considered the top prospect in New England by Super Prep...he decided to go to Boston College and saw action at CB and as a return man in his freshman year...in his sophmore year he became the Eagles starter at CB and set a school record for kick return yardage at BC...as a Junior he earned second team All Big East honors and started nine games at Corner for the Eagles...he also became the first player in BC history to return both a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns in the same year...in his Senior year he was asked to switch to the offensive side of the ball because the team was shorthanded at the receiver position...BC knew that Blackmon could easily make the transition...Blackmon caught 51 passes for 763 yards and 4 scores as a receiver in his senior year and once again doubled as a return man...He was invited to the Senior Bowl and went back to his original position Corner...Blackmon was rusty and started out slowly during the week of practice but made strides during the week...in the game he held his own but was beaten for a TD...Blackmon was then invited to the Combine and had a great workout...he measured in at 6-0.2 and 198 and posted the best broad jump at 11-1...the best vertical jump 41"...and recorded the fastest 3-cone at 6.67 of all the receivers that worked out...he also ran a good forty time of 4.46...Blackmon has good return skills and will be able to help a team there immediately... but the question remains does an NFL team draft Blackmon as a Cornerback or as a Receiver? The bottom line is Blackmon proved his tremendous athleticism to the Scouts at the Combine and could hear his name come off the board earlier than some of the experts expect on the weekend of the Draft.

03/24...ESPN is reporting that the Carolina Panthers are close to landing former Cowboys Wr Keyshawn Johnson...Johnson would be a great fit in the Panthers offense because he's the big receiver to play opposite Steve Smith that the Panthers have been searching for since Mushin Muhammed left the team for the Chicago Bears...in a surprise move to some observers G/T Larry Allen signed a two year contract with the San Francisco 49'ers on Thursday...the Dolphins and Raiders were believed to be the front runners for Allen who decided on the Niners instead because he calls it home since he lives in the Bay area... Prospect News...Laurence Maroney held his Pro Day workout on Thursday and did exactly what the Scouts expected of him...Maroney ran a 4.47 forty for the Scouts in attendance and recorded a 35.5 vertical jump, a 10-3 broad jump and was able to do 21 reps at 225 pounds...the Scouts were also pleased that Maroney weighed in at a solid 215 pounds which is just 2 pounds less than what he weighed at the Combine...several prospects who weighed in but didn't run at the Combine weighed in at their Pro Day and lost a considerable amount of weight (Santonio Holmes 9 pounds and Tamba Hali 12 pounds) between the Combine and their Pro Day workout to seemingly give themselves an advantage when running their forty...however...the Scouts at the workouts require all the prospects to weigh in again at their Pro Day before they run their forty to see what the prospects weight is before they run.

03/25...One of the Hottest rumors circulating around the league is that the Tennessee Titans could part ways with QB Steve McNair after the NFL Draft...the Titans are expected to draft one of the top quarterback prospects in the Draft and feel that Billy Volek is more than a capable starter who could lead the team until their young prospect develops...McNair was due a 50 million dollar roster bonus just recently which was a ridiculous amount of money that was backloaded in the long term contract that McNair signed several years ago...after some negotiating the two sides compromised and McNair is now due a 1 million dollar roster bonus which the team has yet to pay him...apparently McNair isn't really thrilled about how the whole process played itself out...stay tuned!

03/27...One prospect that seems to be flying under the radar is Maryland CB Gerrick McPhearson...McPhearson was heavily recruited out of high school and decided to go to Maryland...he suffered through nagging shoulder and ankle injuries early on but started 12 games in his final two years as a Terrapin...he also ran track and was a member of the Terps 2005 outdoor IC3A Championship relay team...McPhearson's best forty time at Mayland was a 4.21...McPhearson was measured at the Combine at 5-10.1 196 and recorded a great 41.5" vertical jump, a 10-9 broad jump and did 18 reps at 225 pounds ..McPhearson ran a 4.42 forty but wasn't 100% and couldn't perform the shuttle or cone drills...at his Pro Day workout he ran a pair of forties at 4.35 and 4.38 and recorded a 4.07 short shuttle and a terrific 6.65 cone...the numbers that he posted between the Combine and his Pro Day were better than most of the top Cornerback's numbers in this Draft...the book on McPhearson is he's a raw prospect at this time...but the Scouts consider him to have a "high ceiling" because he has great closing speed and the athleticism to work with...he needs to be coached up to improve his technique...he's a very physical corner and is considered one of the better run support CB's in this Draft...all in all...he has the one thing that every NFL Scout will tell you that you can't teach...SPEED...and because of his speed and overall athleticsim and potential...McPhearson could slip into the first day of the upcoming Draft.

03/28...Inside the NFL Rumor Rumblings...the Houston Texans are said to be very interested in Bills Wr Eric Moulds and are in the process of working on a contract that would put Moulds in a Texans uniform for the 2006 season ...however Houston isn't one of the two teams that Moulds wants to play for but a huge contract offer from the Texans could change his mind...Moulds would love to play for either the Eagles or Patriots in the upcoming season...the Bills are reportedly seeking at least a 4th round pick as compensation for Moulds...Moulds is past his prime... but he still has a couple of good years left in him and is the best receiver on the market at this time since T.O. went to Dallas and Keyshawn signed with the Panthers

...Moulds also has bargaining power on his side because this is a very weak Draft class at the receiver position...don't be surprised if a team steps up and finalizes a deal for Moulds before the end of this week because the teams interested have a great opportunity to talk trade at the owners meeting in Florida.

03/29...Inside the NFL Rumor Rumblings...the Dallas Cowboys have contacted the Detroit Lions about the services of QB Joey Harrington and are said to be one of seven teams (KC,Miami,Denver,Oakland,Seattle,Cincinnati) interested in the former Oregon Duck...Harrington was never able to turn the corner in Detroit but was thrown into the fire early in his career as a Lion and never responded to the pressure of being under the spotlight...it wasn't all Harrington's fault because the team failed to surround him with the proper weapons to flourish for most of the time he was in Detroit...however Harrington had his moments this past season including his season finale against the World Champion Steelers in Pittsburgh in which he threw for 212 yards and 3 touchdowns.......Al has updated his mock once again with several changes at the top of the order.

03/30...Back on 03/25 in this section we reported the possibility of QB Steve McNair being released by the Tennessee Titans and on Wednesday ESPN News reported that McNair could be a Salary Cap casualty in Tennessee...the team that is watching this situation closely is the Baltimore Ravens because they have already stated that they want to bring in a veteran QB to compete with Kyle Boller...many of their followers have been upset that the team has been dragging their feet and missed out or passed on several veteran signal callers that changed teams during this offseason...however...the Ravens knew all along that the possibility existed that McNair could become available and will be the front runners to land him if and when the Titans part ways with their veteran signal caller...we believe the Ravens backup plan is former Raiders signal caller Kerry Collins...Tidbits from around the league...The New York Giants are the front-runners to land Panthers Wr Ricky Proehl...the NFL is expected to announce the regular season schedule on Thursday April 6th...and on Wednesday we were the first to report that Tennessee Titans OT Brad Hopkins is considering retiring to spend more time with his family.

03/31...The USC Trojans will hold their Pro Day workout on Sunday for all the NFL teams and their scouts and a record turnout is expected...this is the most anticipated workout of all the schools because USC has four prospects (QB Matt Leinart

HB Reggie Bush, HB LenDale White and OT Winston Justice) that are considered sure-fire first round picks at this time and Safety Darnell Bing who could slip into the latter stages of the first round if he blows the scouts away with his workout...the balance of the Draft depends on how these prospects workout on Sunday and here's why...Matt Leinart is considered by most to be the top QB prospect in the Draft... but if Leinart has a bad workout (he isn't able to make all the throws and isn't accurate) the door could be left open for either Vince Young or Jay Cutler to move ahead of him on the teams boards... however...the chance of Leinart not having a decent showing on Sunday is close to slim and none and our feeling is he will put on a show and solidify his status as one of the first two prospects off the board with a chance of overtaking Reggie Bush for the right to be the first pick overall on Draft day...Reggie Bush would have to have a terrible workout for him to drop in the Draft which just won't happen...Winston Justice is on the fringe of cracking the top 15 in the Draft and if Justice has a good workout he could crack the top 10 and be taken by the Arizona Cardinals with the 10th pick overall...LenDale White needs to have a good workout because his stock has been all over the place as of late because their have been rumors circulating of possible character concerns with White and the fact that Scouts are questioning just how fast he will be able to run the forty on Sunday...White needs to have a good workout to solidify his grade and if he's able to run a fast forty (in the 4.4 range) he could move into the Top 15 picks of the Draft...if White runs a slower time (4.6 or worse) and doesn't satisfy the Scouts with his workout... he could fall to the bottom of the first round which wouldn't be a bad thing if your a Pittsburgh Steeler fan...we will have all the results as they happen from the USC Pro Day on Sunday posted at the top of this page.

o4/01...Inside the NFL Rumor Rumblings...Packers GM Ted Thompson has confirmed that several teams have contacted the Packers about the availability of the teams 5th pick overall...Thompson has stated that he will consider all offers for the pick but he doesn't want to move too far down in the Draft........Al has updated his mock once again today and has several changes in both rounds including a potential trade between the Vikings and Cardinals.

04/02...We will have USC' Pro Day results posted on this page as soon as we receive the information.

04/03...The USC Pro Day took center stage on Sunday as Scouts and NFL personnel from around the country gathered in Southern California for the event...as expected Reggie Bush put on a show displaying his speed, athletic ability and explosiveness in the workout...his running mate LenDale White didn't fare as well...White weighed in at 244 pounds which is 6 pounds heavier then his Combine weight which set off a red flag in itself since a number of prospects who declined to run at Indy but were measured and weighed at the combine weighed less at their Pro Day to give themselves an advantage in the forty yard dash...White did only one workout - the bench press and turned in a dissapointing 15 reps at 225 which is considered below average for a big back...then to put icying on the cake White told the Scouts he wasn't going to run or participate in the rest of the drills due to a hamstring injury which had the Scouts snickering....Scouts and NFL Personnel are now questioning White's work ethic and his mindset on what should have been the single most important day of his life...the NFL teams don't have a true time on White which (amoung other things mentioned) will send his stock into a freefall in the next two weeks...White told the teams in attendance that he's planning another individual workout which will be scheduled the week before the Draft...stay tuned!

04/04...If your a Packers fan we suggest you sit down before reading the rest of this...The Hottest Rumor circulating around the league is that Packers QB Brett Favre is leaning toward coming back for the 2006 season... but possibly in another uniform...as impossible as it might seem to see Favre in any uniform other then the Green and Gold the talk is that Favre does want to play another season... but only wants to play for a team that has a shot at the playoffs...unless a miracle is peformed in Green Bay anytime soon the Packers won't be contending for a playoff spot in 2006...as it stands right now it's all talk... but if the Packers do decide to part ways with Favre because of philisophical differences...Favre's phone will be ringing off the hook...one of the teams that is rumored to be watching the situation closely is the Tampa Bay Bucs since Favre and Bucs Coach Jon Gruden have a history going back to the days when Gruden served on the Packers staff under Mike Holmgren...stay tuned!

04/05...The latest rumor circulating around the league is the Minnesota Vikings will acquire a young QB before the first round of the Draft is complete for the team to groom behind Brad Johnson and learn the west coast offense...the Vikings talked to the Falcons on Monday about the availability of Matt Schaub and the Falcon asking price is the Vikings first pick #17 overall in the upcoming Draft...from what we were told the Vikings will try to make a move up on Draft day for Vanderbilt QB Jay Cutler if he falls to a team that is willing to move down in the Draft...if the Vikings aren't able to move up they will stay put at #17 hoping that Cutler falls to them there...if Cutler is off the board when the Vikings go on the clock the team will give the Falcons a call and deal the pick for Matt Schaub...Vikings Coach Brad Childress wants a young QB in place when training camp starts to begin his development...the Vikings apparently aren't sold on any of the other QB's in this Draft that could be drafted in rounds 2 through 7.

04/06...This is the time of the year when NFL teams begin to blow smoke-screens on their intentions for the NFL Draft which may have been the case regarding a report by Adam Schefter of the NFL Network on Tuesday...Schefter an energetic up and coming reporter for the Network reported that two NFL teams told USC HB LenDale White that they will take him in the first round of the Draft...one of the teams reportedly holds a pick in the mid-teens while the other is drafting in the twenties...the team in the twenties reportedly encouraged him not to run at the USC Pro Day...our guess is that White's Agent passed that information on to Schefter to make up for White's blunder of not working out at his Pro Day ... remember ...only believe about half of what you hear at this time of the year...and the other half - consider the source...in prospect news Florida State OLB Ernie Sims has been steadily climbing up the Draft charts since the end of the season but his stock may begin to drop just a bit because of concerns with his past history of concussions...our Draft expert Al Fronczak has Sims rated as the second best OLB available in the Draft and a mid first round pick...however...the latest concerns with Sims could cause him to slip into the later stages of the first round with several teams like the Bucs, Giants, Jaguars and Colts carefully monitoring the situation.

04/07...This is a big weekend for all the NFL teams because they will receive the medical results back on all the prospects from the Indianapolis Combine..the test results include whether a prospect is a high risk because of a prior medical condition and will also disclose whether a prospect has tested positive for a banned illegal substance including steroids...all the NFL teams are in the process of putting together their Draft boards and are discussing the prospects in meetings held by the teams...it's not uncommon for a team to drop a player off their Draft board entirely if he tests positive for a banned substance.......in other news...on Thursday the New Orleans Saints dealt their starting Left Tackle Wayne Gandy to the Falcons for Safety Bryan Scott and an undisclosed second day pick in the 2007 Draft fueling speculation that the Saints are prepared to take Virginia OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson with their first round pick...however...ESPN's John Clayton is reporting the Saints are planning on moving RT Jamaal Brown over to the left side into Gandy's spot which is exactly what the Saints should be saying at this time of the year so that they don't tip their hand...the Saints who own the second pick overall in the Draft haven't ruled out taking a QB with the second pick even though they just signed Drew Brees...the Saints designed his contract so that they have "an out" after the first year just in case Brees's arm doesn't hold up this season...

Al's Prospect Ratings Board was posted on Thursday and includes all the prospects rated by the round in which he feels they will be selected in the upcoming Draft.