Slim Pickings?

The Free Agent class of 2007 is one that lacks a real star but has plenty of depth in terms of solid, rotation players. With many of the big name free agents this year being franchised, a lot of the UFA crop is going to overpayed due to the slim pickings. Here is a list of the top 20 UFA’s available.

1. Nate Clements- Top UFA and at CB, is in for a HUGE payday: Tennessee
2. Adalius Thomas- Talented backer but is likely going to get grossly overpayed: San Francisco
3. Kris Dielman- Up and comer proved himself last year and is still young: Cleveland/Miami
4. Patrick Kerney- Still a huge contributor with a motor the size of Texas: Minnesota/Tennessee
5. Eric Steinbach- Bengals’ old guard is as steady as they come: Seattle
6. London Fletcher-Baker- The ancient MLB is a heck of a tackler and a great leader: Washington (if they had any money)
7. Daniel Graham- Underrated and hidden behind Ben Watson, Graham is a solid TE both blocking and receiving: New Orleans
8. Donte Stallworth- Speed demon finally learned how to produce in 06: Tennessee
9. Leonard Davis- Monster of a man is going to get paid more than he’s earned: Dallas/Miami
10. Ahman Green- Denver looks like a good fit but he will induce a real bidding war: Denver
11. Cato June- Undersized OLB can not fit in any situation: Carolina
12. Deon Grant- Durable and underrated Grant looks like a value signing: Dallas
13. Drew Bennett- Going to be overpaid but tall and has nice hands: San Francisco
14. Jeff Garcia- West-Coast star isn’t likely to fit into just any old offense: Oakland
15. Derrick Dockery- Old guard is old school and declining but still solid: Miami
16. Robaire Smith- Broke out these last few season and fits well in ‘Zona: Arizona
17. Nick Harper- SB champ is consistently mediocre, which is still good: Minnesota could use his stability in their defensive backfield
18. Jamal Lewis- Fading star should stay in Maryland, won’t garner too much attention: Baltimore
19. Ian Scott- Rising DT out of Chicago is better than advertised and a solid pick-up: Cincinnati
20. Luke Petitgout: Recovering from devastating injury but still a great tackle if healthy, worth a shot: Tampa Bay

Outside Looking In: Ken Hamlin, DeWayne White, Kevin Curtis, Michael Lewis, Napoleon Harris

The Trade Block

These guys could very well be on the move this off-season and being sold by their teams for picks in the coming draft.

Pacman Jones- The Titans don’t know what to do with their troubled CB and are shopping him for a first day pick

Willis McGahee- Mid tier running back commands a first day pick

Takeo Spikes- Physically imposing linebacker is on the block in hopes of mid first day pick

Thomas Jones- Aging back doesn’t figure into the Bears’ plans anymore with an emerging Cedric Benson

Micheal Turner- LT’s back-up has plenty of talent but has lacked the opportunity in San Diego. He could be on the move for a mid round pick

Jake Plummer- Declining QB doesn’t hold a ton of value but could be valued by a team in need of a veteran QB such as Houston

Trent Green- The Chiefs are looking to Damon Huard as a starter after giving him a new deal and could move Green if the right deal presents itself

Jared Allen- Allen has been surpassed by Tamba Hali in the Chiefs’ depth chart and Kansas City is trying to rid themselves of his contract in exchange for a mid round pick

Darrell Jackson- With plenty of depth at WR, D-Jack has become redundant in Seattle and the Seahawks are apparently looking for a 2-3 round pick in return

Lance Briggs- Talented backer wants to leave but the Bears are somewhat hesitant to part with Briggs

Matt Schaub- Schaub is a relatively hot commodity but the Falcons’ asking price of a late 1 to early 2 round pick is just too high for now to attact any real buyers

NFL Combine Losers

I already laid out the combine’s winners but there are some that saw there stocks decline for various reasons. Whether it be that they didn’t work out at all, didn’t perform up to their expectations or didn’t interview well, these guys didn’t have great weekends to say the least.

Falling
JaMarcus Russell
Came to the combine fat and out of shape, then refused to work out at all. Can he live up to the hype and even bigger, his physical presence? Could work ethic be an issue for him? Questions are abundant even for the most physically gifted athlete in the draft (sorry Calvin Johnson).

Brady Quinn
Excuses, excuses. Brady’s interview with reporters was less than stunning, giving multiple excuses for not working out (he did lift 24 times though, quite impressive for a QB). It’s looking more and more like he’ll fall out of the top- 5 but his pro day will be crucial in deciding his draft position. Could an Aaron Rodgers type fall be on the horizon for Quinn?

Dwayne Jarrett
I really like this guy but poor performances against top CBs like Chris Houston and his choice to not participate in the combine are diminishing his value. Perhaps just needless nick-picking but concerns over speed and his inability to break press coverage are really hurting him. Again we’ll have to see how he performs on his pro day but for now, his stock is dropping.

Johnnie Lee Higgins
The entire week he boasted about how he would break the 4.2 40 barrier but he ended the week with a less-than-astonishing 4.48. Thought to have game-changing speed, his stock has dropped significantly with that unimpressive time.

Zach Miller
Thought to be the quick, strong, elusive TE that so many teams are looking for he really hurt himself with an offensive lineman-esque 40 time, and by looking so awkward and unathletic in the other drills.

Gary Russell
Declared early out of Minnesota trying to follow in the footsteps of Lawrence Maroney, Russell apparently lacked the work ethic. He showed up fat and utterly out of shape. Bottom line is that this guy is a RB and he ran a 4.84 40. That is just not good enough!

Reggie Ball
When you want to play as QB in the NFL you’ve got to have a great arm and some height. So without the required skill-set for an NFL quarterback Ball transferred over to WR. This was not a great idea as he ran in the 4.7s, just not fast enough to be and effective receiver.

Daymeion Hughes
Hughes has it all except the speed and when you’re planning on playing CB in the NFL you better have speed. Hughes ran in the 4.7s at the combine, less than stunning and the former first round valued DB will probably slip to the second unless some team, who plays, say a Tampa 2 style of defense can use a big, physical guy that doesn’t have any speed.

Troy Smith
Smith did not show well. He refused to work out in the drills that likely would have shown off his athletic talents, opting instead to only work out in throwing drill where he consistantly under-threw balls. Not the best decision making from the Heisman Trophy winner.

NFL Combine Winners

NFL Combine Winners

The NFL Combine proved very helpful to some and very unhelpful to others. And while the public tends to look solely at the 40 yard dash times, the over 300 NFL prospects showed their stuff in many different drills that tested their strength, speed, technique and skill. Here are some of the winners from the week’s performers.

Winners
Drew Stanton, QB Michigan St.
With the quarterback position looking like a clear two horse race with Quinn and Russell the third spot was up for grabs. With Quinn’s stock dropping a la Matt Leinart, Russell reporting in overweight and Troy Smith looking like less and less of a solid pro prospect Stanton stepped up. His throwing was solid, and while not outstanding he did nothing to devalue himself for the draft and that was all he really needed to do.

Adrian Peterson, RB Oklahoma
While Peterson was looking like he might have fallen out of the top 5 pre-combine. The Oklahoma stud proved that he is worthy of a top pick by coming second in broad jump with a 10′7″, first a 4.4 flat in the 40 and a second in the vertical jump with a 38.5”.

Robert Meachem, WR Tennessee (Calvin Johnson = Runner-up)
While this award could easily go to Calvin Johnson for his incredible 4.35 40 with someone else’s shoes, he was already a top prospect so Meachem gets it for now. Meachem really proved in all of the drills that he is among the top receivers in this draft and increased his stock with an impressive 4.39 40 and great hands shown in the gauntlet drill in particular.

Greg Olsen, TE Miami
This guy just blew up at the combine. With his 4.51 40 time, he beat every other TE by almost .3 seconds he separated himself from the rest of the TE class. Olsen proved that he is far and away the top prospect at his position and made a lot of money by improving his draft position into the late first to early second round.

Ryan Kalil, C USC
Kalil gained some extra weight prior to the combine to prove himself as an NFL center but skeptics complained he might not be able to carry his new weight well. He showed beyond a shadow of a doubt that he could carry it successfully. With a good 40 time and by showing great athletic ability and agility he might have vaulted himself into the first round, quite an achievement for a center.

Joe Thomas, OT Wisconsin
Thomas was already almost a consensus top-5 pick but with his incredible showing at the combine he might now be considered for the top overall selection. A good fit to Detroit at number two with his sub 5.00 40 and great technique in the drills he cemented his early selection and gave credence to a possible selection from the Raiders.

Gaines Adams, DE Clemson
Adams showed he belonged as the top defensive end in the draft and possibly the top defensive player by running a 4.64 40 and looking awesome in drills. Gaines looks like a top-7 pick right now but without that great performance at the combine he could have fallen out of the top-10. With his speed and technique he looks like a top defensive prospect and a solid pass-rusher.

Patrick Willis, OLB Ole’ Miss
Willis was already looking like a great pro prospect after his performances for Ole’ Miss during his senior season, being awarded the best linebacker or the year and his stunning workout at the Senior Bowl but during the combine he proved it once again. He was once again the cream of a weak crop of linebackers in this class and may have moved himself into the top 15 picks.

Chris Houston, CB Arkansas
Houston’s stock was already on the rise prior to the combine with impressive performances against top receivers like Dwayne Jarrett being given attention but after the combine he has turned the class of corners on its head. He ran a 4.32 40 and also had an amazing 26 reps on the bench. Those numbers are stunning for a corner. He’s now a first rounder and is now in the running for the top corner to be chosen overall.

LaRon Landry, S LSU
While his brother flew under the radar during the draft he is doing no such thing. His work out at the combine was stupendous, at 213 lbs. he ran a 4.35 40. This guy is looking like a stud and could have raised his stock into the top-10.

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