(12:01 AM): Good surfing weekend on college football sked … In a weekend without that one or two must-see games to watch there’s an opportunity top do a little channel surfing and check out a number of prospects who don’t necessarily show up in college football’s featured contest. Here's a quick preview of who to watch in some of those ganmes with an eye to the 2010 draft.
Badger back confirms NFL interest… Wisconsin red shirt sophomore RB John Clay has confirmed that he is considering leaving school this winter and entering the 2010 draft. The 6-2, 250-pound Clay, who has rushed for over 1,100 yards and 12 scores will reportedly seek an evaluation of his draft stock after the season from the NFL advisory committee.
B>Top star game goes back to matinee format… The Senior Bowl has announced that this year’s game will be played at 3 PM CT on January 30th. In a departure from tradition, the 2009 Senior game was played in the evening. For those who missed the story earlier this fall, the Senior Bowl will be staying in Mobile at least for the foreseeable future after the organizing committee flirted with the idea of moving to an NFL city in the region.
November 19
(Noon ET): More Who's hot ... Long-time GBN
friend Paul Guillmette, editor and publisher of the Pauls Pigskin Place is back
with another edition of his impressions of who stood out
during the past week's college football action. Here's Paul's thoughts from last weekend's big games
across the country.
Bonus coverage ... One thing Paul Guillmette noted in his commentary above is that weeknight college games are great because oe canm focus on just one contest. And that should be the case layter this evening when Oklahoma State hosts Colorado on ESPN at 7:30 PM ET. The game likely won't have a huge impact on the national rankings, although the 12th ranked Cowboys are a solid 8-2, however, it is a chance to check out several top 2010 draft prospects including Oklahoma State OT Russell Okung (#76, 6-5, 300), a potential top 10 pick this coming April. The Cowboys also have a very good cover corner in Perrish Cox (#16, 5-11, 195), while other OSU veterans to watch include QB Zac Robinson, RBs Kendall Hunter (#24, 5-8, 190), Keith
Toston (#5, 5-11, 205) and Beau Johnson (#2, 5-10, 210), RT Brady Bond (#60, 6-6, 295), and OLBs Andre Sexton (#20, 6-0, 220) and Patrick Levine (#4, 6-1, 225). Unfortunately, these have been lean times for the Colorado football program, although the Buffalos do have a good second-tier TE in Rain Greer (#87, 6-3, 250), who isn't all that fast but does know how to get open.
November 18
(9:00 AM): Correcion to weekly drafted orer... Thanks to eagle-eyed reader Dan S for catching the glitch, but there was a small error in the formula which calculated New England's combined W-L record (which had nothing to do with Coach Belichek going for it on 4th down). As a result in fact, Seattle would have the 27th pick overall with a pick acquired from Denver if the draft were held today, while the Patriots would pick 28th. Here is the amended first round selection order
for the 2010 draft were it to held today.
(12:01 AM): Top RB to miss game with head injury… Star Fresno State junior RB Ryan Mathews, the nation’s leading rusher, will miss Saturday's game against Louisiana Tech after sustaining a concussion last week against Nevada. Mathews, who has 1,491 yards rushing this fall along with 14 TDs, is expected to return for the Bulldogs’ season-finale at Illinois on December 5th. Meanwhile, there is no timetable for the return of California junior RB Jahvid Best who suffered a severe concussion when he landed on his head in a game two weeks ago. Best definitely won’t play Saturday when the Bears play arch-rival Stanford, while the team is reportedly taking a wait-and-see attitude as to whether Best will be available for Cal’s bowl game. The school, though, has indicated that Best’s concussion symptoms have cleared up for the most part, but that he is still suffering from a sore back.
November 17
(12:01 AM): Rams, Browns share top pick... As a result of dismal loss to Baltimore in the Monday night game, Cleveland and St. Louis would flip for the #1 pick if the 2010 draft were held today. Meanwhile, Detroit would pick third followed by
Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Oakland in the 4th, 5th and 6th spots
respectively. Here is the full,
updated first round selection order
for the 2010 draft were it to held today.
OT wins second weekly GBN rook award... Its a rarity when an offensive lineman is named NFL rookie of the week, much less than twice in the same year, but that is the case for New England OT Sebastian Vollmer who had another outstanding effort in the Patriots' dramatic loss to Indianapolis in the late Sunday night game. Here are all the details in this week's Rookie Report . Meanwhile, here is the
updated, unofficial rookie stats sheet
through week 10 of the NFL schedule.
November 16
(12:01 AM): Top pick on line in Monday
nighter… The final weekly draft first round selection order for
the opening round of the 2010 draft won’t be decided until after
tonight’s Monday night game between Cleveland and Baltimore. If the
Browns lose to the Ravens, Cleveland and St. Louis would be tied for
the #1 overall as both teams would have the identical strength of
schedule based on their opponents’ combined W-L records. In a scenario
in which Cleveland loses to Baltimore, Detroit would be third in the
proverbial ‘if the draft were held today’ selection order, followed by
Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Oakland in the 4th, 5th and 6th spots
respectively. A Cleveland win over the Ravens, though, and the Browns
would drop all the way down to the 6th pick with everyone else moving
up one. As usual, we’ll have the updated selection order for the 2010
draft after the tonight’s Browns-Ravens dual in Cleveland.
November 13
(12:01 AM): Mid-season draft grades posted...
As usual at this time of year, our crack scouting staff has spent the
past week or so locked up in the GBN War Room pouring over tapes, stats
and scouting reports and have graded how each NFL team's 2009 rookie
class has performed over the first half of the season. Of course,
grades are provided with the proviso that it can take up to 2-3 years
for a draft class to fully develop, however, based on what we have seen
through first half of the season, teams that have goten the most
productivity from the current rookie classes include Indianapolis,
Minnesota, and Jacksonville each of which received an A, while Buffalo,
Detroit, Houston and New Engaln weren't far behind with A- grades. For
the record, the top-graded offensive rookie was Baltimore OT Michael
Oher, followed by Minnesota WR Percy Harvin and New England OT
Sebastian Vollmer. Meanwhile, the top rookie defenders have been
Houston LB Brian Cushing, Buffalo DB Jairus Byrd. Here's the full report .
First-round projection updated... With the
regular season now at the midway point, we've updated our 2010 draft
first-round projection. Let the
debate begin!
November 11
(9:00 PM): Ole Miss DE finally out for year…
The injury-plagued college career Mississippi DE Greg Hardy is most
likely over because of a fractured wrist. Hardy first injured the wrist
earlier is the season and tried to try and play through it, but
aggravated it last week and X-rays revealed a fracture. Hardy will have
surgery tomorrow. Hardy, one of the top prospects at the position for
the 2010 draft, has 26.5 career sacks including 5 sacks this season
despite playing with a stress fracture and the wrist injury.
November 10
(1:00 PM): Two more Sooners vets out for year…
Oklahoma, which has already lost QB sam Bradford and TE Jermaine
Gresham for the remainder of the year, will be without two more
veterans the rest of the regular season. DE Auston English ruptured a
tendon in an ankle during last weekend‘s loss to Nebraska, while C/G/TE
Brody Eldridge has a sprained AC joint in his shoulder. English will
likely undergo surgery in the next few days.
(9:00 AM): Orange lose top DT for rest of year…
Syracuse DT Arthur Jones, a late first-round prospect
for the 2010 draft, will miss the rest of the season with a torn MCL
that will require surgery. Its been a tough year for Jones, who
considered entering the 2009 draft before opting to return for one more
year at SU, as he tore a pectoral muscle lifting weights back in
February and then was slowed much of this season by a lingering
hamstring problem. The 6-3, 293-pound Jones finishes his career with
38.5 tackles for loss.
November 9
(3:00 PM): Duck back in the water...
Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount has been reinstated to the team and will be
available to play Saturday when the Ducks host Arizona State. Blount,
who at the start of the season was considered to be one of the top
senior prospects at the position for the 2010 draft, was suspended he
punched a Boise State player after the Ducks’ season-opening loss to
the Broncos.
(9:00 AM): LSU RB done for year… LSU has
confirmed that RB Charles Scott, one of the top senior prospects at the
position for the 2010 draft, will miss the rest of the season with a
broken collarbone suffered in Saturday’s loss to Alabama. Scott could
return for LSU's bowl game and should be fine for the pre-drafttesting
process including the scouting combine. The 5-10, 235-pound Scott
rushed for 542 yards this season as he averaged 4.7 yards per carry and
scored 7 times; those numbers were down from the previous season when
Scott averaged 5.4 yards a try and scored 18 times while rushing for
almost 1,200 yards.
Top RB prospect dinged… California junior RB
Jahvid Best, p[otentially one of the top backs in the 2010 draft if he
opts to leave school early this winter, returned home Sunday afyer
spending the night in hospital. Best suffered what is being described
as a severe concussion when he landed on his head in the Bears’ loss to
Oregon State Saturday afternoon. Best underwent several tests while in
hospital which reportedly were negative, however, there is no timetable
for his return to the field this fall, if he returns at all as Best
also suffered a minor concussion during Cal‘s game last weekend.
November 8
November 6
(10:00 PM): Cardinal loses top LB for year…
Stanford LB Clinton Snyder, a decent second-tier prospect for the 2010
draft, will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury sustained in
practice earlier this week. The 6-3, 235-pound Snyder leads the team
with 61 tackles this season and has started 42 of 44 games in his
career. Here is the full,
updated first round selection order
for the 2010 draft were it to be held today.
(9:00 AM): OSU WR to enter draft...
Suspended Oklahoma State junior WR Dez Bryant has confirmed that he
will be entering the 2010 draft where he is expected to be a premium
pick. Bryant was suspended for the rest of the year when he lied to
NCAA investigators about his relationship with former NFL star Deion
Sanders. Bryant's final appeal to the NCAA wasrejected earlier this
week. The 6-1, 15-pound Bryant averaged 19 yards per catch on 17 total
receptions in three games this season after a breakout year in 2008
when he caught 87 passes for 1,500 yards and 19 TDs.
(12:01 AM): Big weekend of college football on
sked... The place to be in college football this weekend is
Alabama where the unbeaten and third-ranked Crimson Tide hosts 9th
ranked LSU in a game with huge national implications; and with plenty
of top prospects for the 2010 draft its also the place to be for pro
scouts. Here's a quick preview of who
to watch in this week's big college
games with an eye to the upcoming draft.
November 5
(9:00 PM): Gator LB suspends self for second
half… Florida MLB Brandon Spikes, one of the top 1-2 prospects at
the position for the 2010 draft, will sit out the entire game this
weekend when the top-ranked Gators play Vanderbilt. Spikes had been
suspended for the first half of Saturday's game after he was seen
attempting to gouge the eyes of Georgia RB Washaun Ealey during a
tackle last week. Spikes, reportedly requested that he not play at all
so as not to be a distraction. Interestingly, Ealey said earlier in the
week that he did not think Spikes should be suspended at all as he
never came close to his eyes.
November 4
(5:00 PM): Top Sun Belt QB done for year…
Florida Atlantic QB Rusty Smith, a decent second -tier prospect for the
2010 draft, will miss the remainder of the season after spraining his
non-throwing shoulder. Smith will decide if to have surgery later this
week. With or without the surgery Smith is expected to be fully healed
in time to participate in this year's scouting combine in Inianapolis
in late February. The 6-5, 230-pound Smith, a 4-year starter at, is the
program’s all-time passing leader with just over 10,000 career yards
through the air; for his career, Smith completed 56% of his pass
attempts including 76 for scores against 36 interceptions.
Top soph RB to transfer… Colorado sophomore RB
Darrell Scott, once one of the top recruits in the country, has
announced that he is going to transfer at the end of the semester,
likely to UCLA. Scott's uncle, WR Josh Smith transferred from the
Buffaloes to UCLA this year. Scott was considered a huge recruiting
coup for the Buffaloes when he selected them over Texas and several
other big-time programs two years ago, however, his tenure at Colorado
was derailed in large part by injuries. The 6-0, 220-pound Scott had
arthroscopic knee surgery late last month to clean up cartilage after
getting hurt in the second game of the season after missing large parts
of his freshman with assorted nicks.
November 3
November 2
Orange
WR out of juice… Syracuse junior WR Mike Williams, one of the
best receivers in the country, has reportedly quit the team for
undisclosed reasons. Williams did not play last year because of
academic problems and was suspended from Syracuse's game against Akron
two weeks ago for violating team policy. Williams ranks 6th nationally
with 107 receiving yards per game and has 7 TD receptions which ties
him for 14th in the country.
Top DT cited for driving offense… Nebraska DT
Ndamukong Suh, a potential top 5 prospect for the 2010 draft, was been
ticketed for negligent driving after he hit three parked cars early
Sunday morning. Suh, who was driving a 2003 Land Rover sport-utility
vehicle, said he struck the first vehicle after he swerved to avoid
hitting a small dog or cat crossing the street. Suh reportedly had been
drinking before the accident, but his blood-alcohol level was well
below the legal limit.
Top Big 10 WR out for extended period. …
Minnesota WR Eric Decker, one of the better senior prospects at the
position for the 2010 draft, will be undergoing surgery to fix torn
ligaments in his left foot. Decker will have the operation later this
week in North Carolina to repair what is being described as a sprain
Lisfranc ligament. Unfortunately, the normal rehab period for such an
injury is at least months meaning Decker won't be able to participate
in the combine or other pre-draft workouts and likely won‘t be 100%
until close to the opening of training camp next summer. Decker, who
was drafted by MLBs Minnesota Twins in June, also hasn’t ruled out
playing baseball once he’s healthy.
October 29
Top QB prospect has surgery… Oklahoma junior QB
Sam Bradford underwent what is being described as successful surgery on
his injured right shoulder on Wednesday. The surgery was performed by
Dr. James Andrews who indicated that the 35-minute procedure went "just
as expected." Bradford sprained the AC joint in his throwing shoulder
in the Sooners‘ season opener and then reinsured in the Texas game two
weeks ago. Bradford has said he plans to enter the 2010 draft if his
recovery goes as planned. That process, though, is expected to take 4-6
months.
Top D1AA DE out with mono… Montana State DE Dane
Fletcher, one of the better players at the position outside the ranks
of D1A schools, is out indefinitely because of a case of
mononuclueosis. The 6-2, 245-pound Fletcher has 46 career tackles for
loss.
October 28
(8:00 PM): No extra year for Sooners’ DT…
Oklahoma DT Demarcus Granger, who has not played this fall after
undergoing off-season back surgery, will reportedly not get an extra
year of eligibility and will be in the 2010 draft class. In fact,
Oklahoma reportedly did not even ask for a medical hardship year for
Granger because he hasn’t had multiple injuries. Oklahoma, though,
reportedly has applied for a hardship year for senior MLB Ryan
Reynolds, who has endured three knee surgeries during his career,
including one last year that ended the last half of his junior season.
October 26
Senior
Bowl stays in Mobile for now… The Senior Bowl will in fact be
played in Mobile again this coming January. City and game officials
reached an agreement to keep the game in Mobile for the next three
years earlier this month. The agreement, though, did provide a proviso
that game officials could opt out of the deal prior to the expiry of
the contract if they paid a relatively small buy-out fee. Game
officials had reportedly shopped the game, which has been played in
Mobile since the early 1950s, to several NFL in the south including
Tampa and Jacksonville.
Go north young man… Football free agents are
being invited to sign up for several upcoming tryout camps for the
Canadian Football League. Regional workouts will be conducted in
various locations across the United States over the coming months.
Those interested can submit player information to the following email:
cfltryoutcamps@yahoo.com.
October 22
Pats cut TE, get pick back ... New England
made a bunch of player moves prior to this week's trade dedline
including releasing TE Michael Matthews who had been acquired from the
Giants early in September for a conditional 2011 draft pick. With the
release of Matthews the conditions weren't met and the trade has reportedly been voided.
October 20
(5:00 PM): Eagles send rook, pick to Rams for
vet LB ... Philadelphia has acquired LB Will Witherspoon from St.
Louis in exchange for rookie WR Brandon Gibson and a fifth-round pick
in 2010. Gibson was a 6th round pick at the 2009 draft.
Bearcats QB has arm plate repaired… Cincinnati
QB Tony Pike underwent a procedure this morning to repair the plate in
his left arm. Pike, an emerging prospect for the 2010 draft hurt his
left wrist and forearm in last week’s win at South Florida. It is the
same arm in which he had a plate and six screws inserted last year
after breaking it, but the plate shifted when he fell awkwardly on the
arm last week. Pike will not practice Tuesday or Wednesday and his
availability for Saturday’s game with Louisville will depend on the
amount of swelling in his arm.
More top QBs dinged… West Virginia is uncertain
about the availability of QB Jarrett Brown when the Mounatineers play
UConn this coming weekend. Brown, a mid-to-late round prospect for the
2010 draft, was knocked unconscious and suffered what is being
described as a mild concussion when tackled early in West Virginia’s
win over in-state rival Marshall this past weekend. Meanwhile, Texas QB
Colt McCoy, one of the top 2-3 rated prospects at the position for the
upcoming draft, bruised the thumb on his passing hand in the second
quarter of the Longhorns’ 16-13 win over arch-rival Oklahoma on
Saturday. Despite the win, McCoy in fact struggled through one of the
worst passing games of his career as he completed just 21 of 40 for a
measly 127 yards and a TD while throwing an interception.
October 19
(12:01 AM): Bucs get #2 pick for one-time early
pick… Tampa Bay has acquired in exchange for DE Gaines Adams, the
fourth overall pick at the 2007 draft.
October 13
(10:00 AM): ‘Noles TE done for year…
Florida State TE Caz Piurowski, a decent second-tier prospect at the
position, has been lost for the rest of the season after he tore
ligaments in his right knee while run-blocking during Saturday’s game
against Georgia Tech. Piurowski will reportedly have surgery sometime
in the next two weeks once the original swelling subsides. The 6-6.
270-pound Piurowski had 13 catches for 182 yards and two TDs this fall
for the Seminoles.
October 8
Update on Browns-Jets trade for WR Edwards… The
two picks that Cleveland will receive to complete the package for WR
Braylon Edwards who was acquired in a trade with Cleveland reportedly
include a conditional third-round choice which could escalate to a
second rounder if Edwards catches a certain number of passes this fall,
plus a 5th-rounder.
October 7
(9:30
AM): Another Duck CB done for year... Oregon CB Willie
Glasper will miss the rest of the season because of a right knee injury
suffered in practice. Glasper is the second Ducks' CB to be lost for
the season as Walter Thurmond is also out for the season because of a
knee injury.
Browns send WR Edwards to Jets for vets, picks….
Cleveland has sent enigmatic WR Braylon Edwards to the New York Jets in
exchange for veteran WR Chansi Stuckey, LB/special teamer Jason Trusnik
along with a pair of undisclosed draft picks. This is the second big
deal between the two clubs this year after the Browns traded the 5th
pick overall at the 2009 draft for a later first rounder and several
veterans. The jets then used the 5th pick to select QB Mark Sanchez who
has led the team to a 3-1 record to date including an early season win
over New England. Meanwhile, the NFL is probing whether Edwards
violated the league's conduct policy following accusations he assaulted
a friend of NBA star LeBron James outside a Cleveland nightclub earlier
this week.
October 6
No
juice for Illini who bench starting QB… Illinois QB Juice
Williams, a second-tier prospect for the 2010 draft, has been replaced
as the team’s starting QB following a disappointing 1-3 start. The
athletic 6-2, 235-pound Williams threw for 3,200 yards and 22 scores in
2008, but had completed just 57% of his pass attempts this fall
including only one TD pass against 4 interceptions.
Big OG back in Tech good graces.. Texas Tech has
lifted the suspension of OG Brandon Carter, potentially one of the
first 4-5 players off the board at the position at the 2010 draft.
Carter was suspended after the Red Raiders loss to Houston two weeks
ago when he reportedly threw his helmet and criticized the coaches.
October 3
(10:00
AM): WAC loses top QB prospect… Hawai’i QB Greg
Alexander will miss the rest of the season after suffering what is
being described as major ligament damage in a loss Wednesday night at
Louisiana Tech. The 6-3, 230-pound Alexander had been considered a
decent second-tier prospect at the position, although he has never put
up the gaudy numbers of some of his predecessors.
October 2
(3:00 PM): Ducks leave door open to
rescind RB suspension… Oregon has announced that suspended RB
LeGarrette Blount could be re-instated if he meets certain criteria,
but not until Novemeber 7 at the earliest. Blount has been suspended
since the Ducks season opener against Boise State when he punched a
Broncos player who confronted him and later go into a scuffle with a
teammate who was trying to calm before finally being dragged off the
field by coaches and security personnel. Since then, Blount has
practiced with the Ducks as a scout-team player, although he has
reportedly missed some workouts for undisclosed reasons. The 240-pound
Blount ran for just over 1,000 yards last fall as a back-up, but was
held to minus yardage in the Ducks’ loss to Boise State. Ironically,
since Bount’suspension, Oregon has won three straight including last
week’s 42-3 pounding of previously unbeaten California.
Top small school prospects profiled… It isn’t
likely that any players from outside the ranks of D1A schools will be
selected in the opening round of the 2010 draft, however, there are
still a number of very good prospects playing at the lower levels this
year. The latest edition of the GBN Scouts
Notebook profiles the top dozen prospects from outside D1A for the
upcoming draft.
October 1
(12:01 AM): Injured Sooner TE to enter draft…
Oklahoma TE Jermaine Gresham, who will miss the entire season year
after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL, has confirmed that he
will still be entering the 2010 draft. Gresham, who is considered to be
the top prospect for the position, had the option of returning to
Oklahoma for another season next fall since he has never red shirted.
Gresham injured the knee prior to the Sooners’ season opener this fall
and underwent surgery soon afterwards. Gresham hopes to begin working
out again I time to be ready for this year’s scouting combine in
Indianapolis in late February.
September 30
(12:01 AM): Top OT back on field... Iowa
junior OT Bryan Bulaga has been medically cleared to play after missing
the first three games of the season with a thyroid condition. Bulaga, a
top 10-15 prospect if he opts to enter the 2010 draft, was hospitalized
briefly when the condition first surfaced. There were also concerns
that the condition could be chronic and that Bulaga could require
life-long medication, but that no longer appears to be the case.
September 29
(3:00 PM): Chiefs get 'Phins pick for vet QB
... Kansas City has acquired an undisclosed 2010 draft pick from
Miami in exchange for veteran QB Tyler Thigpen. Thigpen will replace
Chad Pennington on the roster after the latter was placed on injured
reserve because of yet another shoulder injury. In fact, expect
Thigpen, who started 11 games with the Chiefs last fall, to replace
Pennington as the Dolphins' starter sooner rather than later.
Second-year pro Chad Henne is currently pencilled in to replace
Pennington, however, the former Michigan signal-caller is still very
much a work in progress.
Ducks lose top CB prospect for year... Oregon CB
Walter Thurmond, one of the most productive corners in college
football, will misss the rest of the year after undergoing surgery on
his right knee. Thurmond, who is also a dynamic kck returner, was
injured knee on the opening KO of Saturday's huge 42-3 victory over
California.
(9:00 AM): USC back injured in weight room
accident still critical but stable… The latest on Southern
California RB Stafon Johnson who was seriously injured in a weight room
accident at the school on Monday is that he is listed in critical but
stable condition after a 7-hour operation last night. Johnson, a
potential top 100 prospect for the 2010 draft, was doing bench presses
yesterday morning when he apparently lost control of the bar and it
landed on his neck resulting in crushing injuries to his neck as well
as severe injuries to his larynx. The eraly indications are that
Johnson is unlikely to play again this season, but that the injuries
are not life or career threatening.
Gophers DE suspended a pair… Minnesota has
suspended starting DE Cedric McKinley for the next two games for an
unspecified violation of team rules and policies. McKinley is a late
round/free agent type prospect who has one sack and three other tackles
for loss through the 3-1 Gophers first four games this fall.
Buckeye safety suspended for game for late hit…
Ohio State SS Kurt Coleman, a second-tier prospect for the 2010 draft,
has been suspended for one game for a helmet-to-helmet hit late in the
Buckeyes' win over Illinois on Saturday.
Cal WR out for month… California WR Nyan
Boateng, a potential sleeper prospect for the 2010 draft who likely
will impress at pre-draft workouts because of his size/speed
combination although he’s never been all that productive, will miss
about a month after undergoing surgery on his broken right foot.
September 22
More injuries slow top prospects… A couple
of
more injuries to make note of regarding the 2010 draft class. Clemson
RB C.J. Spiller, arguably the top senior RB prospect this year
continues to be bothered by a turf toe type injury and had to sit out
the latter part of last weekend’s win over Boston College. In fact,
Spiller has just 176 rushing yards through three games to date and is
averaging only 4.3 yards per carry, although he has also returned both
a punt and KO for TDs this fall. Meanwhile, Penn State LB Sean Lee has
been limited this week by a strained knee and is listed as ‘day-to-day’
after straining his left knee in last weekend’s win over Temple. The
injury is another setback for Lee who missed all of the 2008 season
after tearing the ACL in his other knee. Its also another setback for
the LB corps at “LB U’ which also likely will be without star junior LB
Navorro Bowman this weekend when the Nittany Lions open their Big Ten
schedule with a visit from Iowa. Bowman had barely played this fall to
date by a groin injury.
Horns LB out for year… Texas MLB Jared
Norton, a
decent second-tier prospect for the 2010 draft, will have season-ending
shoulder surgery. Norton, who was injured in the Longhorns season
opener earlier this month, is expected to apply to the NCAA for a
medical redshirt to get another year of eligibility.
September 20
(2:00 PM): Dual-threat Big East QB done
for
year ... As feared, star South Florida QB Matt Grothe, one of the
top dual-threat QBs in the country and is the Big East’s all-time
leader in total offense, will miss the rest of the season after tearing
an ACL in yesterday's win over Charleston Southern.
(12:01 AM): Back sidelines top TE
prospect for
year… Arizona junior TE Rob Gronkowski, who had been considered a
potential late first round pick if he had ultimately opted to enter the
2010 draft, will not play this year because of a back problem that has
sidelined him since the beginning of preseason practices. The 6-5,
265-pound Gronkowski had 47 receptions for 672 yards and 10 scores in
2008 despite missing three games with a case of mono.
‘Horns’ CB back in play… Texas CB Deon
Beasley,
a late-round/free agent type prospect for the 2010 draft, has been
reinstated by the NCAA and will be eligible to play later this evening
when the 2nd ranked Longhorns host Texas Tech. Beasley had missed the
first two games of the season because of unresolved NCAA academic
eligibility issues.
September 18
OSU OT for month… Ohio State OT Jim
Cordle, a
second tier prospect for the 2010 draft, will miss the next 3-4 weeks
with an ankle injury.
Vandy loses top DB for year… Vanderbilt
has lost
veteran FS Ryan Hamilton for the year after he tore a pectoral muscle
in last weekend‘s game against LSU. Hamilton, a 4-year starter who had
over 100 tackles last fall, was considered a decent second-tier
prospect for the upcoming draft.
September 15
(9:00 AM): Top MAC back done for year…
Kent State RB Eugene Jarvis, one of the most productive backs in the
country, will miss the rest of the season with what is being reported
as a lacerated kidney. Jarvis will be hospitalized for about one week
and is expected to make a full recovery within two months, although
media reports have indicated that a CT scan also revealed that Jarvis
is missing his other kidney. The diminutive Jarvis, who’s listed at
only 5-5, 170 pounds, has over 3,400 career yards to date. Jarvis has
already used his red shirt season, but is expected to apply for a 6th
year of eligibility based on medical grounds.
September 14
(9:00 AM): SC safety sore but okay…
The
2010 draft class appeared to take a hit early in Southern California’s
dramatic win over Ohio State on Saturday night when USC safety Taylor
Mays, a potential top 5-10 pick at the upcoming draft, had to be helped
off the field with a leg injury. Mays only missed a few plays, though,
and finished the game with a team-high 8 tackles. Mays was later
diagnosed with a sprained knee and likely will be stiff and sore this
week but is not expected to miss much if any playing time. Meanwhile,
Southern Cal junior C Kris O'Dowd, potentially the first player off the
board at the position if he opts to leave school this winter and enter
the 2010 draft, returned to action and played the entire game against
the Buckeyes. O'Dowd missed the Trojas' season-opener as a reslt of a
dislocated knee cap suffered in mid-August.
UGA loses DE for year… Georgia DE Rod
Battle, a
possible late round prospect for the 2010 draft, will miss the rest of
the season after tearing an ACL in Saturday night's 41-37 victory over
South Carolina.
September 10
(11:30 AM): Prospect injury update…
In
addition to the shoulder injury suffered by Oklahoma junior QB Sam
Bradford, the presumptive #1 pick overall at the 2010 draft, a number
of other top prospects were dinged over the weekend, although none is
expected to miss much, if any playing time. Illinois junior WR
Arrelious Benn, the projected top pick at the position if he enters the
2010 draft, for example, left the Illini’s game with Missouri with what
was feared to be a high ankle sprain which could have taken awhile to
heal, however, the injury apparently isn’t that serious and Benn now
hopes to play this weekend in Illinois’ home opener against Illinois
State. Meanwhile, Mississippi DE Greg Hardy, who was limited throughout
preseason drills due to a right foot injury he aggravated in a car
accident this summer, went down early during the Rebels' win over
Memphis with an ankle injury. Hardy was initially carted off, but he
later returned and gutted it out as part of the Rebels' defensive line
rotation through the rest of the game. Hardy’s ankle was swollen after
the game, but will reportedly continue to play. Same story for Oklahoma
State OT Russell Okung, who was forced to the sidelines for awhile in
the Cowboys’ epic win over Georgia, but did return and isn’t expected
to miss any game time. The problem, though, for each of these guys is
that they likely won’t really be at 100% for awhile and will be that
much tougher to grade for pro scouts.
(12:01 AM): Draft by the numbers…
There
will still be some fine-tuning of rosters between now and the actual
kick-off to the regular season later this week, however, for the most
part, the rosters of the 32 NFL teams that are going to contest the
upcoming season are now in place. And while it is an imperfect
indicator, results from this week's cutdown date tend to reinforce the
notion that the 2009 draft class was necessarily all that strong. For
example, 41 players selected at last April's draft were released prior
to Saturday's deadline for teams to be down to the opening-day 53-man
roster limit, considerably more than the previous year. Here‘s a quick
rundown of some the basic numbers .
Eighth round numbers too… Proof that one
doesn’t
necessarily have to be drafted to play pro football - although it sure
helps - is borne out by the fact that, as we go to press, almost 40
undrafted rookie free agents are still on an active NFL roster. Indeed,
undrafted players make up 16% of all rookies currently on an NFL
roster. Still, making an NFL roster as an undrafted rookie is something
of a longshot as only about 5-6% of all undrafted rookies in a pro camp
this summer are still around on an active roster. Overall, almost two
out of three teams in the league kept at least one undrafted rookie,
including Tampa Bay which currently has five. Here’s the unofficial
list of undrafted free agent rookies
still on an NFL roster.
With all the new draft
picks
available this year it may be hard to work out this years NFL online betting plan.
Only time will tell, once the draft is complete and the teams start to
play the picture will be clear and choosing a team to bet on shouldn't
be a problem at all.
If
you have comments or
suggestions, e-mail: The editor.
The GBN
can also be reached by phone at (613) 692-1088 or
regular mail at PO Box 5282, Merivale Depot, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada;
K2C 3H5.
