So They Had a Draft? What's That Mean For Yours?

By: Matt Prendergast

Hey kids! Long time no talk....been busy with my macrame sculptures and innovations in the field of 'sitting around', but we're at that time....WELCOME TO THE RELAUNCH OF FANTASY CORNER AT RECLINERQB!

Yes, I know. It's June. And I hear you: 'Why in the good gosh darn would I think about my fantasy football league in June? I have Kobe Beef and British Colombian Salmon on my new Big Green Egg! THESE THINGS ARE GETTING RUINED WHILE I READ THIS! Also, please don't ask why I invested well over twelve-hundred dollars specifically on this get-together with my neighbor who has that kick-ass riding mower. That dude needs to know who's the boss, that's all.'

And that kind of attitude is exactly why you take seventh every freaking year in your re-draft league.

Now. Right now. This is when you begin to plan....and that's why ReclinerQB.com is here today; to lovingly take care of you. So let's get to the point of caressing of your wondering mind in regard to the newly christened 'changers of the game'!  Specifically, how should you be approaching the big-named players that scattered throughout the league in last month's NFL Draft?

THAT WHICH YOU DO NOT EXECUTE:

'I may not even put on my helmet the whole year'

1) DO NOT DRAFT ANDREW LUCK - Certainly deserving of his destined position as 'first pick of the whole entire draft OMG!'. Also certainly not deserving of any of your picks in your fantasy draft. And by that I mean: you'd be much better off using your eighth round pick on Alex Smith, or Blaine Gabbert, or possibly a punter.

Did you see the Colts last year? I'm being serious, did you watch ANY of their games, even for five minutes? That is a HORRIBLE team. In one of those 'maybe if we close our eyes for seven years it'll be all right' definitions of 'horrible'.  Peyton Manning might get my vote for 'All-Time MVP of the NFL Ever' for the fact that he clearly covered a nearly-incomprehensible number of holes on that team. And those holes? This year with even more gaping power.

Oh yes, and to welcome Andrew in? They let everybody even halfway decent go. Except for Reggie Wayne, who passed by the deserved 'I just want to win another ring' exit strategy in lieu of choosing the 'I won't get hit the next two years because this guy won't have time to find me' route. Smart choice. Oh, and Dwight Freeney, who doesn't catch footballs.

Vintage Double D:
Sure hands across the middle for victory.

2) DO NOT DRAFT ANY OF THE ROOKIE WIDE RECEIVERS -  But you're saying 'remember AJ Green last year'? Yes I do. I also remember two other things: a) he was available in 80% of my leagues in week 2, and b) He didn't do one god-freaking thing to help out during the playoff run.  Now granted, I play primarily in Non-PPR leagues, so I may have a grudge against dudes that only score one touchdown the last six weeks, but that's me. (Don't come at me with your Julio Jones nonsense, btw, that was an aberration of a rookie WR season).

Who's the biggest impact from-out-of-nowhere WR this year? Some dude you didn't even think about, that's who. (See: Cruz, Victor) Truth being truth, you should easily pick up ANY of the rookie WRs before week three, so use that draft choice you're thinking about in round eleven on  Donald Driver (the only GB receiver to actively participate in 'catching' during their last playoff game), or Santana Moss (yes, I said that out loud) or even Whatever Bears' Cast-off Ends Up the #3 Wideout on the Vikings (This year it's Jerome Simpson! Wait, he's not a former Bear! Tricky, Vikings....). I still prefer any veteran in a situation where they can maybe shine early to a rook with breakout potential at the start of the season. Because the best rookie receiver will have been either taken way too high, or not taken at all.

THAT WHICH YOU DO EXECUTE:

'I said: Where's. My. GATORADE. AT. REX?'

1) DRAFT RGIII - Okay, I say this with a caveat emptor: where you should take him, you won't get him. The absolutely perfect 'Cam Newton Part II' selection, but because the Redskins have nothing to lose, and everything to gain, he'll be taken in the fifth or sixth round of your draft, and by a guy who's intending on starting him. Let that go.

But on the off-chance that Robert Griffin the Third is still there in the ninth round: just do that thing. And then sit back and be patient, for his time will come, maybe even early and often.

The 'Skins brought a lot of hungry receiving talent in - rather than break the bank on one marquee dude (like Vincent Jackson), they went with a couple of young guys that have shown some flash, but still have big axes to grind in Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan - with Santana Moss still hanging around to provide the veteran stability, and the critical re-upping of Fred Davis (plus Cooley's still hobbling about), Washington put a lot of little pieces together nicely to help aid RG3 in his quest to make Cam Newton 2011 look like a chump.  Good luck to you.

Has Hillis beat in hat/hair/glasses category already

2) GO AHEAD WITH THAT TRENT RICHARDSON IDEA, AND PLAN ON STARTING HIM - Let's think about this, rationally. The Browns have next to nothing going for them. Still. A QB Battle between  Colt Malt Liquor and Red Wheeden? There's no winners there, not this year. There's losers, though, namely Greg Little and Mohammed Massaquoi (who, let's be honest, has looked like a potentially shiny diamond ring the last two years primarily because you're viewing him inside a giant box brimming over with dung).

But the one thing the Browns can kinda do is block, son. Ask Peyton Hillis or Montario Hardesty - in the last two years, both had flashes of world-conquering magic as Cleveland Freaking Browns. Barring a catastrophic leg injury between now and week one, they've got a headlining act in Richardson - and even if he's somehow healthy this year, Montario isn't going to be cutting in on those carries much.

An additional plus point here: since he is a rookie on the Browns, unless you're playing in a dynasty or die-hards league, he'll be there in the fourth or fifth round. That's solid value for what should be a weekly starting 2nd RB with minimal time-sharing. Just hope to god he doesn't get injured like every other Cleveland RB draft pick in the last six years.

NOTE: This is advice for your 2nd RB only. If you decide to go 'all in' on any Brown BEFORE the fourth round, at the VERY earliest, I wish you a tremendous day at your job taste-testing used gum for 'flavor retentionability'.

So there you have it: Four early rookie questions answered....come early August, when the other league owners are just picking up their Pro Football Weekly preview mags, you'll already be winning the draft.

More soon.....

Follow Matt on Twitter:  @amazingmattyp.  He is filled with jolly things

Don't Forget to Follow ReclinerQB's other contributors on Twitter:  @ReclinerQB, @heartsfootball, @SonnyPrier, @CoreyDoiron, and @mwyche2 . If you don't, Terrell Owens is going to coach your kid's Pop Warner team this year.

Q & A: First Round Cornerbacks

By:  Bobby Shores
Check out recent Q&A's:

Submit your questions for ReclinerQB to answer here (Twitter) or here (Email), or just leave it in the comments. Recent Articles include:  NFL Draft Quick Hits on - Dontari Poe (Biggest Potential Draft Bust), Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Jake Bequette, My 2012 NFL Draft Player Rankings By Position and the Evolution of NFL Defense's What will happen to the Safety Position?

Question:  What do you think of the potential first round cornerbacks in the draft and will the Cowboys be able to use one?

ReclinerQB Thoughts:  While most fans want to put the failure of the defense this past season on the secondary, I believe the lack of a consistent pass rush made it nearly impossible for our defensive backs to cover and that a good pass rush is a secondary's best friend. I am also not naive enough to think that we don't need to upgrade the secondary, particularly the depth at cornerback and the starters at safety. Of course now that we have signed Brandon Carr CB is not as big a need, but you can never have to many talented corners.

When healthy, Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick are solid starters, but we have next to nothing behind them. Terence Newman has had a good career with the Cowboys, and it't time to thank him and let him go.

When it comes to the first round cornerbacks I believe there are really only three that qualify (In my opinion), and they are Morris Claiborne, Janoris Jenkins and Dre Kirkpatrick.

2012 NFL Draft Hopeful Janoris Jenkins

Janoris Jenkins-North Alabama - Jenkins is my favorite DB in the draft! When I watched him play at Florida he seemed as fluid and natural a DB as I have ever seen. The way he moves in and out of breaks and seems to know the routes before the receiver does shows his understanding of football. The way he backpedals, opens his hips to run and his change of direction skills, makes me think that he is more comfortable playing cornerback on the football field than he is walking. Just an instinctual player who is confident in his ability, and with good reason. One of things that impressed me most on him was that he plays taller than he is, and by that I mean his anticipation on the ball and the way he times his jumps makes him seem taller than 5'10. He is not as big as the other two first round corners and that hinders his ability in the run game, but he does not shy away from making a tackle.

 The one concern that most people have with Jenkins is the off field concerns. He was kicked out of the University of Florida after three years after he was arrested twice in a three month span for possession of marijuana after the year before being arrested for a fight. While that concerns me, I heard him give a couple of interviews at the All-Star games and he never shied away from the questions asked about his character or tried to make excuses. He also seemed to be a model citizen at North Alabama, and I am not one to hold what a kid does when they are younger against him forever. We all make mistakes like that when we are 18-21, difference is we probably didn't get caught or do it in front of the entire country as a high profile college football player.

The one hole I have in scouting Jenkins is that I never got to see a game of his at North Alabama and from what I can tell he continued to play at a high level, but without actually seeing him play those games I cannot comment on them, and I do not use other people's scouting reports in my articles. But from what I did see at Florida I think he could be the most talented player in this entire draft.


Morris Claiborne-LSU - Even though the Cowboys chances of getting him are slim-to-none I still wanted to drop a note on him (and I do not think that the 'Boys will trade up into the Top 5 and grab him like my former colleague Daniel Wolf at National Football Authority does).

2012 NFL Draft Hopeful Morris Claiborne

I think Claiborne compares very favorably to Patrick Peterson (and not because they are both from LSU). And last year I was in love with Patrick Peterson and saw him as by far the safest and best prospect in the draft while also naming him to my "Pre-Draft All-Pro" list.

Main differences I see, is that partially due to size, (Peterson being about an inch taller and 50lbs heavier) he is not as good against the run and in press-man coverage as his predecessor. Don't get me wrong though, Claiborne plays hard/well against the run and does not lack aggression, just sometimes pulls the "dive at the ball carriers feet rather than take him head on and wrap him up" approach that has been getting a lot of DB's hurdled and/or juked in recent years.

On the other hand Claiborne has much better ball skills and great hands (played wide receiver in high school and some in his early years at LSU) and is not afraid to play off a receiver in an attempt to bait a quarterback into thinking he is open. There are also zero off-field or character concerns with Claiborne, and he will be a star in the NFL.

In the 2012 BCS National Championship game I did not have the Tide throwing towards Claiborne one time the entire game, at least according to my game notes. And that was a trend you saw all year long if you watched the SEC. They had a lot of respect for him.



Dre Kirkpatrick-Alabama - Very big and physical DB, and his style of play is the same.. Does not seem to have the greatest ball skills in my opinion and still needs to work on his play recognition and covering smaller quicker receivers (Ryan Mallett picked on him quite a bit in 2010, even though Alabama still beat us). Would have to play on the outside in the NFL as he is lacks some quickness and seems to be tight in the hips and would struggle covering the smaller quicker guys in the slot. Strongest DB against the run in the draft.

2012 NFL Draft Hopeful Dre Kirkpatrick

There is just something about Kirkpatrick that I cannot quite put my hands on, something that makes me uneasy about him. He is very fast and has good recovery speed, is big and physical. Doesn't seem to have the greatest knack for the ball and kinda seems to over rely on his athletic abilities instead of his brain. He also reminds me of some of those players on the 2005 Trojans (Lendale White, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, etc), they just looked like great players because of the cast around them.....I kind of get that vibe from Kirkpatrick.

My biggest problem with Kirkpatrick is not the marijuana possession. Seriously, who cares, I bet that 70% of NFL players partake in the magic herb during the year and it probably affects them less than alcohol (but this is not a place for my political views on it), my concern is that during the longest job interview of his life he was stupid enough to get caught with it, that right there makes me wonder if he has his head on straight.

So what is my final opinion on him? I think that he will be a good DB in the right system, but never the true "shutdown" corner that he came across as at Alabama. I also think that Cowboys Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan will fall in love with Kirkpatrick due to his confidence both on and off the field (his nickname is Swag), his aggressive style of play and his ability to play press-man coverage which is a favorite of Ryan.

Should the Cowboys go ahead and draft one of these corners if they are available at #14? Ask me again after free agency (I know its a cop out), but I like the depth at the cornerback position in the draft and I think the Cowboys should only draft Jenkins of the three and as of right now they should move down to get him. So where do I think they need to upgrade the defensive backfield? I like the corners that they can get in the second or even third round, that is coming soon.

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NFL Draft Quick Hits - Dontari Poe - Biggest Bust Potential

By:  Bobby Shores

We all know by now that the first round of the NFL draft is a crapshoot at best with about a 55% success rate, meaning that about 14 players from this year's first round will be a bust and fans from about 13 teams will ultimately be unhappy about who their team selected (remember the Browns, Patriots & Bengals each have 2 picks).

So how do you determine which players are most likely to "bust", well it's an inexact science at worst, and a random guessing game at best. Me, I tend to look at guys who have shot up draft boards after less than stellar college careers (Blaine Gabbert who I didn't even know until after the college season), or ones who make huge jumps because of what they did at the Combine (Vernon Gholston), there is also looking at historical data like this site I had never heard of did (their research looks sound, just something I don't have time to do) and looking at the success rate by position which shows that wide receivers, quarterbacks and defensive tackles have the highest bust rate.

I did a couple pieces like this last year, and this will be part of my "2012 NFL Draft All-Bust List" to be published soon. My 2011 version is still the most popular article that I have ever had, and while it is still to early to tell how accurate I was, there are a few players on there that have already largely dissapointed

So who are some potential first round prospects that seem prime to be bust candidates? Well the number one on my board right now is Dontari Poe

When Poe first declared for the draft he was valued as a second round pick who could potentially work his way up into late first round consideration, but after a combine where he put up amazing numbers he has rocketed into Top 10-15 consideration. I mean, it isn't every day that a 6'4 350lb guy can run a sub 5.0 second 40-yard dash, bench 225lbs 44 times and an amazing 1.7 second 10-yard split (shows his explosiveness off the snap, much better indication of skill than 40 time, seriously when will a defensive tackle EVER run 40 yards in a straight line?).

So now we have this amazing athlete who is rocketing up draft boards after everyone now knows how great he is in the weight room and running in tights with no blockers, must have just gone unnoticed because he played at a Conference-USA school and wasn't on national TV every weekend, right? Wrong!

I hate doing reports on players I haven't watched a bunch, but I have YouTube'd video on him, and found some film on him, I also looked at his numbers because I figure a guy this athletically superior to his compeition had to have put up some strong numbers.....

Of the film I watched, he rarely "explodes" off the line which his combine numbers would seem to show he should do on every snap. Yes, he seems to be the first lineman moving at the snap of the ball, but because he seems to stand straight up, he gets pushed around to much by smaller and weaker linemen. I keep hearing people question his motor and effort on plays, in the very limited film I watched I did not see this, but if guys like Mike Mayock say its true, then I believe it. How can a guy this physically superior to everybody he plays against not dominate on nearly every snap?

With limited film work, I had to really look at his stats, which can be difficult for an interior defensive lineman because they are not usually big stat generators in the first place. But since Poe played for such a small school, in such a weak football conference and against such inferior competition then he should have generated solid stats, right? Wrong!

In 2011, his final college season, Poe registered a whopping 21 tackles and 1 sack. Yes, 1 SACK?!?!?! How do you not manage more than 1 sack against Arkansas State, Marshall, Austin Peay, Middle Tennessee, Rice and I could go on. I mean was Poe so good that teams just went away from him every single snap? No because even then the coaches would have moved him around pre-snap so that he would be involved. I mean the guy was only second team All-Conference USA??

I have also heard that Poe just needs "coaching", and that he has not had somebody show him how to properly use his hands, and with those two ingredients that he will receive in the NFL game then he will be a superstar. It's not like his coach at Memphis doesn't have some cred, Mike DuBose did coach the 1999 Alabama Crimson Tide to an SEC Championship. I think he knows how to coach some defensive linemen.

I am not saying that Poe will never make it in the NFL, I just don't think the potential reward is worth the risk of a high first round prospect.

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Best WR in the 2011 Draft - Rehash

I have been trying to post new piece once a day at the least, but with my paying job keeping me busy, having to spend time with the family (I mean WANTING to spend time, just kidding honey!!! Don't get mad), and it being relatively slow in the NFL world with the fan lockout (Yes, I think the owners and the players are locking out the fans and stopping us from enjoying our favorite past time.  No matter how you slice it, we the fans, are the only victims in this ugly game) I have just not had enough time to get any real writing done.  So while I work on constructing some new pieces with fresh ideas, I thought I would re-post one of my previous works.  The reason I chose this one (with a few edits) is because I have been saying for a long time that Julio Jones was the best WR in the draft, and have been getting ridiculed for it.  Well, now Peter King in MMQB has said that Jones has already passed Green on some teams boards (take that Evan Silva, just kidding....kinda...Follow Evan Silva on Twitter here @evansilva).  So here is the article originally posted on February 28, 2011 (with a few edits).



The consensus top 2 receivers in the draft this year are A.J. Green of Georgia and Julio Jones of Alabama.  From everything that I have read and watched on TV, A.J. Green is the unanimous best receiver in the class.  I disagree.

Now I could try and make my point by focusing on the numbers from the "Underwear Olympics" (combine), and to set the record straight I do not believe that watching football players in tight shorts and shirts run around really tells you that much about how they will perform in full pads with 21 (I hope I did the math right) other players running around with them in the same confined area, but I will get to that later.  I will use the combine numbers only because they strengthen my argument (might not be fair but I am doing it anyways).  In all the important categories (40 yard dash is kind of important for WR's) Julio Jones outperformed A.J. Green.  He was more than a second faster in the 40, had a better vertical leap by over 4 inches, and broad jumped by almost a foot more.  The only area that A.J. Green won in was the measurements, he was just under 1 inch taller.  These numbers tell me that Julio Jones is the better athlete and WR is a very athletic position.  But like I said I am not going to use the combine numbers to try and make my point.

When I look at Jones and Green side by side the comparisons to current NFL WR's are instant.  Jones reminds me of Terrell Owens while A.J. Green has more of a Randy Moss body.  I believe Jones has more explosion off the line and will fight through jams at the line better than Green because he is a more physical WR.  Jones's body type also lends itself to being able to take more hits and should allow him the advantage of "getting small" and absorbing hits while going across the middle while Green's body gives off the impression of being more of a deep, jump ball threat and while he may be able to go across the middle he leaves a bigger target for MLB's dropping into coverage and roaming safeties to unload on (even though I have watched Julio go up and get some balls during his college career).  Overall I see Julio Jones as being more dynamic and A.J. Green being more 1-dimensional in the NFL.  I could keep going on but I want to keep this at a decent length so people will read the whole thing before tuning out hopefully.

The most important criteria to evaluate when looking at draft prospects is without a doubt their college film.  Unfortunately I do not have access to it and since I was not planning on starting a blog I do not have notes like I used to take during the football season, so this is going off what I remember and a few things that I have read.  I remember both players being complete beasts in the SEC (which as a Razorback fan I follow closely), both players were "gamebreakers" capable of opening up a game with one play.  Julio Jones stood out among all other players I watched the last couple of years and here is why:
1) He seemed to be used in more ways, I remember him being a powerful and agile runner on reverses and screens.
2) He always made the play when it mattered.
3) Most important he was a dynamic blocker for the run game.  Everyone knows that Alabama has had one of the most powerful run games in the nation the last few years and Julio Jones was a major part in it.  He was a strong blocker on the edge and you very rarely saw the guy he was blocking make the play.  This tells me that he is ready to be an every down receive in the NFL, he will not be a liability in the running game.  I would compare him to Hines Ward and Roy Williams (underrated as a blocker) when it comes to run blocking.  Georgia also has a history of having a strong ground game, but I do not recall ever going "wow, look at that great block A.J. Green just threw" which I did many times during Bama games.

What stood out to me about A.J. Green's game which many will say is the most important is that he always seemed to catch the ball like he was bitten by a radioactive spider (Do not try microwaving a spider and having it bite you, it won't give you super powers, trust me).  I specifically remember watching him work the sidelines in a few games and he was snatching everything out of the air.  It kind of reminded me of the way Chris Carter used to work the sidelines except Green has big hands and a long reach that allow him to get the ball anywhere.  The other stuff that I have read about Green say that he has the "it" factor, a nose for the ball, good route running, etc.  Those things are vital in the NFL and I believe he will be a successful WR, just not as complete a player as Julio Jones.

As I have thought about this more and more, there are a couple of "red flags" that pop up when thinking/talking about Julio vs A.J. debate, and those are the ever important "character" issues.  Julio Jones has none, was never in trouble in college (or should I say "never got caught in college"), has a work ethic superior to most prospects, and seems to be a well rounded guy overall.  A.J. on the other hand, had a mini-scandal in college when he was busted selling his jersey.  Editors Note:  I completely disagree with almost everything the NCAA does and stands for (read about it here , here, & here so while I am going to "mark" A.J. because of this it is not because I think what he did was wrong, it is because he knew the rules and chose to break them anyways which to me means he does not make the best decisions.  That small transgression, along with his reported 10 on the wonderlic test (which I do not think means much, read a great article about it from my good Twitter friend Luis DeLoureiro...Follow him here on Twitter @deloureiro) it leads me to wonder whether or not he will be able to make "sight adjustments" and read defenses at the next level.

Ultimately only time will tell (5 years minimum, 8 if you are Brandon Lloyd) who will be the better NFL WR, but in this day and age of paying huge salaries to unproven guys at the top of the draft, and how far a bad 1st round pick can set your franchise back, I am going with Julio Jones every time.

Marcell Dareus VS Nick Fairley

A lot of NFL Draft debate has swirled over which D-Line prospect should be taken first in the draft coming up in April.  Since before the National Championship game and until the last couple of weeks the near consensus was Auburn's Nick Fairley.  After a good combine workout and and people being "scared" by Fairley's lack of production before this year, Marcell Dareus of Alabama has moved into the #1 spot.  I am here to let everyone know that Fairley is the guy, and will be the guy at the NFL level (and not just because my fiance takes credit for finding him while watching college football with me).

Lately I have been comparing soon to be draft picks with current NFL players, I will continue that here.  Marcell Dareus reminds me of the Cowboys Marcus Spears.  A decent yet unspectacular player, look at Spears just about 5 or 6 years after drafting him the Cowboys are letting him walk in free agency. Why?  Because he is not worth the money it will take to lock up a former 1st round draft pick to his second contract.  Just think how much it will cost you to lock up Dareus after his first contract if he is drafted in the top 10.  Spears and Dareus have more in common than size, they both had college experience playing a position of great need in the NFL but that little value is placed, 3-4 DE.  In the NFL the 3-4 DE is expected to take on blockers to free up the linebackers, they do not get a lot of stats, it is not a glory position, so even if Dareus is better than I expect, the numbers will never bear that out.  Could Dareus become an impact player at the next level?  Yes, if he is drafted to play NT or 3-technique in an upfield, disruptive, penetrating type defense where his speed and quickness for a big guy could give him an advantage.  The only problem with that is he is not used to playing that way, and would have to learn new skills and techniques with a move inside.  Without proper coaching he will just be a guy that takes on double teams in the middle of the line and doesn't make many plays.

On the other hand Nick Fairley reminds me of pre-Washington Redskins Albert Haynesworth.  An explosive, disruptive DT with a mean fiery attitude that will keep his teammates motivated.  While he showed up at the combine a little bit lighter than expected, that does not phase me, look at the Cowboys Jay Ratliff, he is a very undersized DT that with a quick first step is able to get in the backfield before O-linemen are even out of their stance.  I am sure I will hear some arguments about Fairley being a "1 year wonder" which I normally shy away from, but there is an explanation for him.  He played at Junior College, the played 2 years at Auburn.  I believe his first year at Auburn was him just getting used to the competition of playing against SEC teams week in and week out, and that he has steadily improved each year.  Do I think he is ready to step in and have an Ndamukong Suh type impact? No.  The reason is because he needs to learn to use his hands better, he won't be able to just overpower NFL offensive linemen like he did in college, but with his motor and his fiery demeanor I believe he will be difference maker that sets the tone for his team, sooner rather than later.