Draft News and Notes from Next Level
Compensatory picks, Draft and NFL news and notes, pro day data

posted March 22, 2005 - print me!
neworleansprofootball.com

*In just about three weeks of covering Pro Day events throughout the country, since the Combine, our staff has compiled nearly 390 results, including 261 in just the last six updates, not including the ones that appear in today's report.

*If any/all of your clients have setup private visits/workouts leading up to the draft we are creating a chart for that, as well, since it has been requested.

*Those prospects who have had or currently have any type of medical issues if you would like to pass along updates/reports on their status, please email those to our attention.

*If you would like to include any/all Pro Day results, updates or information, please send it to john@nlscouting.com or 504.415.9979 before 7pm eastern each day for inclusion in the next day's report.

PRO DAY SCHEDULE & NEWS FOR THIS WEEK:

(CHANGE IN LOCATION/TIME BASED ON NFL RULES) UT-CHATTANOOGA senior wide receiver ALONZO NIX (#4) and SOUTHERN U. senior cornerback/return man KEVIN MOFFETT (#37), who both attended high school in Laurel, Mississippi will be available to workout at LAUREL HIGH SCHOOL at 9AM, which is three full hours before the USM workout, which starts at 12NOON... if you are coming from the airport take 59 North towards Laurel, exit 16th Ave. N, make a right on 12th St. (Plainway Baptist Church in sight)... Laurel High is on the right hand side and the football stadium is on the left... if you are heading back to USM take 59 South (towards Hattiesburg) to 49 South (exit 67A), turn right onto Hardy St, right onto E. Memorial Dr., right onto College Dr. (should take less than 30 minutes) if you will be unable to attend, but would like full results on both prospects, please contact our staff at john@nlscouting.com.

JACKSON STATE (March 18th) senior linebacker JOSEPH SCOTT (#21) will be working out as part of the Pro Day being held at Southern Mississippi, starting at 12NOON... he was originally recruited to USM before transferring to Jackson State... his full results from his own Pro Day are listed below.

VIRGINIA (March 23rd) senior offensive guard ELTON BROWN will perform a full workout for scouts/coaches on Wednesday, MARCH 23rd at Virginia's Pro Day... he has been running in the 5.10 range in the 40, while weighing 6046, 330 pounds... his trainers say he has gone as fast as 4.90, and is showing no ill effects from the knee injury that kept him playing in the Senior Bowl and performing at the Combine.

TROY STATE (March 24th) senior running back DEWHITT BETTERSON will be available to workout for scouts/coaches again on Thursday.

UCLA (March 24th) senior safety BEN EMANUEL III will be available to workout for scouts/coaches again, as part of Hawaii's Pro Day at the Home Depot Center... he will be doing positional drills, as he recently ran mid-to-late 4.5's at his Pro Day on March 17th.

FLORIDA (March 31st) junior running back CIATRICK FASON and junior linebacker CHANNING CROWDER will both be available for workouts on March 31st, as they attempt to improve upon their times in the 40-yard dash... both felt that the cold weather and their inability to get fully warmed-up for the 40's at their first Pro Day kept them from achieving times similar to those they had posted while training... Fason was also ill leading up to the event.

Former OHIO STATE punter ANDY GROOM, who was a seventh round draft choice of San Francisco last year, will workout for Atlanta and St. Louis later today.

COMPENSATION PICKS AND HOW IT EFFECTS THE DRAFT:

On Wednesday, the NFL Management Council annouced they have awarded 32 additional compensation draft choices for next month's NFL Draft, bringing the total number of selections to 255. Phildelphia and St. Louis each received four picks, Carolina, New England and San Francisco each received three picks, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis, Oakland, Seattle and Tennessee each received two picks, while Baltimore, Kansas City and Tampa Bay each received one additional pick. Since a total of six additional third round choices were awarded it will bring the number of "Day One" draft picks to 101.

The compensatory picks have been award since 1993, and four teams, Dallas (25), Green Bay (22), Philadelphia (21) and Buffalo (20) each have been awarded 20-or-more additional choices over that period of time.

One interesting note about the compensation picks is that over 12-year period of time ('93-'05), the teams who have received the most additional choices, which range from a low of 12 (Minnesota) to a high of 25 (Dallas)... well of the 13 teams who have received the most choices, 10 of them have made at least one Super Bowl appearance during that same period of time, including New England, Dallas, Green Bay, Baltimore, St. Louis who have all won Super Bowls between 1993 and 2005.

A final oddity of this year's compensation picks is that part of the formula that decided the Denver Broncos should receive two additional third round choices came because they lost linebacker IAN GOLD to Tampa Bay, as a free agent... but he has since returned to the Broncos after being released by the Buccaneers... so they now have an extra third round choice and the player who they are being compensated for losing back on their active roster within the same 12-month period of time... there were some who thought they would not get two high selections for losing Bertrand Berry (Arizona) and Ian Gold (Tampa Bay) because another portion of the formula used by the Management Council takes into consideration the size/length of the contract given to the free agent players lost, so since Tampa Bay released Gold after only one season, the actual value of his contract turned out to be much less than originally anticipated when it was signed.

ROUND CHOICE:

3rd Round
33-96 Tennessee
34-97 Denver
35-98 Seattle
36-99 Kansas City
37-100 New England
38-101 Denver

4th Round
33-134 St. Louis
34-135 Indianapolis
35-136 Tennessee

5th Round
33-169 Carolina
34-170 New England
35-171 Carolina
36-172 Philadelphia
37-173 Indianapolis
38-174 San Francisco

6th Round
33-207 Carolina
34-208 Dallas
35-209 Dallas
36-210 St. Louis
37-211 Philadelphia
38-212 Oakland
39-213 Baltimore
40-214 Oakland

7th Round
33-247 Philadelphia
34-248 San Francisco
35-249 San Francisco
36-250 St. Louis
37-251 St. Louis
38-252 Philadelphia
39-253 Tampa Bay
40-254 Seattle
41-255 New England (Mr. Irrelevant goes from the West Coast (Oakland) in 2004 to the East Coast this year.)

PRO DAY RESULTS (Up to March 21st):

AUBURN (March 21st) senior quarterback JASON CAMPBELL ran between 4.69 and 4.75 in the 40... some reported slower times... 38" vertical... weighed in at 6045, 227 pounds... had a very successful throwing session, which included him making several 60-yard throws standing flat-footed... has done everything necessary to increase his final grade... solid at the Senior Bowl... very good showing today at his Pro Day... moved well for his size in the positional drills... scored well on the Wonderlic (28) and has impressed in his interviews... some QB coaches have said they may want to quicken his release or work on his mechanics slightly, but he has the ability to make a draft day move the way J.P. Losman (Buffalo) did based on how the Top 5-10 picks turn out... senior defensive lineman JAY RATLIFF ran between 4.85 and 4.87 in the 40... 4.23 short shuttle... 7.35 three-cone... 33.5" vertical... 9'9" broad jump and also did 26 reps of 225 pounds... capable of being a 4-3 DE, 3-4 DE or bulking up to shift inside to DT... also took some reps at NT during the East-West Shrine Game practices... Baltimore was one of many teams that paid close attention to him during the workout... had private visits scheduled with Miami (March 31st), San Diego (April 6th) and Atlanta (April 12th)... a former tight end, so he is still in the early stages of development (12-18 months)... his instincts seem to improve during the season... showed great hustle/work ethic at the East-West game... can still be a bit slow to read-react/find the ball off the snap... will drop his head when he rushes and does not always use his hands to get off initial blocks... has the athleticism and speed to make plays in pursuit... big-bodied kid with lots of upside... similar to Cletidus Hunt (Green Bay) at the same stage of his career... senior defensive back JUNIOR ROSEGREEN ran between 4.60 and 4.65 in the 40... also did positional drills... smallish safety that plays aggressively at times... will have to make his mark on special teams initially... both senior running backs RONNIE BROWN and CARNELL WILLIAMS did only positional drills, as they were carefully watched by Tampa Bay, Houston, Seattle, Arizona and even Minnesota... senior cornerback CARLOS ROGERS was ultra-smooth in all of his drills... his faster-than-expected 40-times at the Combine could be just the finishing touches that he needed to leap frog to the front of the pack at his position... Kansas City kept a very close eye on him throughout the process.

FERRIS STATE, MI (March 19th) senior defensive tackle WHITNEY BELL (#55) ran between 5.00 and 5.08 in the 40... 4.68 short shuttle... 7.68 three-cone... 30.5" vertical... 8'6" broad jump and also did 30 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 6011, 290 pounds... has been bulking up towards the 300-pound mark... multiple time Division II All-American... fairly quick off the ball... good lower body strength... good PFA fit for a one-gap scheme defense... his results came as part of Michigan State's Pro Day.

MICHIGAN STATE (March 19th) senior defensive tackle KEVIN VICKERSON ran between 4.92 and 5.00 in the 40... 4.60 short shuttle... 7.58 three-cone... 9'0" broad jump and also did 20 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 6046, 301 pounds... senior linebacker RONALD STANLEY ran between 4.78 and 4.85 in the 40... 4.48 short shuttle... 7.31 three-cone... 38" vertical... 9'6" broad jump and also did 26 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 5117, 244 pounds... had a standout effort at the Hula Bowl... played mostly ILB in college, but could also play some SLB... senior offensive tackle SEAN POOLE ran between 5.12 and 5.20 in the 40... 4.82 short shuttle... 8.28 three-cone... 30.5" vertical... 7'8" broad jump and also did 34 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 6061, 297 pounds... average athlete with some small area quickness... good upper body strength... late-round to PFA type right tackle... senior tight end JASON RANDALL ran between 4.89 and 4.95 in the 40... 4.28 short shuttle... 7.21 three-cone... 36" vertical... 9'4" broad jump and also did 20 reps of 225 pounds... senior offensive guard WILLIAM WHITTICKER ran between 5.32 and 5.38 in the 40... 4.75 short shuttle... 7.90 three-cone... 29.5" vertical... 8'1" broad jump and also did 29 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 6053, 336 pounds... not a bad athlete for his size... can get his weight moving when motivated... under-achiever to date, but has some upside... should have been an All-Big Ten-type performer... if the light-bulb ever goes all the way on... he could progress into a legit starting candidate.

JACKSON STATE (March 18th) senior linebacker JOSEPH SCOTT (#21) ran between 4.50 and 4.53... he ran 4.47 on his first attempt, but it was called off, as he rolled at the start... those are much better times that the 4.80 estimates from last spring... 4.30/4.40 short shuttle... 7.30 three-cone... 36" vertical... 9'3" broad jump and also did 23 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 6020, 236 pounds... at least two teams were in attendance for this workout.

MICHIGAN (March 18th) senior linebacker ROY MANNING (#58) ran between 4.65 and 4.70 in the 40... 4.11 short shuttle... 6.80 three-cone... 30.5" vertical... 9'7" broad jump and also did 30 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 6017, 252 pounds... opened a lot of eyes with the results he posted, especially once you take a look at his size... has played mostly inside, but could also get a look at SLB... will find a home as a backup/special teams performer based on his size/speed package... senior fullback KEVIN DUDLEY ran between 4.92 and 4.98 in the 40... 4.40 short shuttle... 29" vertical and also did 20 reps of 225 pounds weighed in at 6004, 238 pounds.

SAGINAW VALLEY STATE (March 18th) senior offensive tackle TODD HERREMANS (#55) ran between 5.18/5.25 in the 40... but pulled his hamstring (left) during his second attempt... was not able to perform any of the other drills... had done 20 reps of 225 pounds and 30" vertical... weighed in at 6056, 321 pounds... continues to get evaluated as a solid PFA... may try to workout again before the draft if he can get healthy, but would only be asked to perform positional drills.

TUSKEGEE, AL (March 18th) senior outside linebacker SCHUYLER WEAVER (#47) ran between 4.78 and 4.84 in the 40... 4.40 short shuttle... also did 17 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 6006, 235 pounds... played mostly defensive end in college... had 56 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks, as a senior... would have to find a home as a 3-4 OLB... might also draw a lot of interest as a CFL edge rusher.

MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE (March 17th) senior wide receiver/return man KERRY WRIGHT ran between 4.38 and 4.45 in the 40... some had him with slower times... 4.08 short shuttle... 6.86 three-cone... 37" vertical... 9'10" broad jump and also did 18 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 5085, 180 pounds... quickness is his top asset... more of a return specialist/slot guy... but a better player than advertised... tough for a little guy... can be very elusive in the open field... needs to do a better job of catching the ball (as a receiver) with his hands... just as good as some of the similar sized and speed WR/RT's that were invited to the Combine... senior wide receiver PEDRO HOLIDAY (#11) ran between 4.38 and 4.45 in the 40... 4.10 short shuttle... 6.92 three-cone... 37" vertical... 10'1" broad jump and also did 12 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 6012, 179 pounds... not nearly as polished as Wright, but he was a standout sprinter on the track team (10.4 100-meter), and has the long, lanky frame to eventually carry 190 pounds... sort of reminds us of Carl Ford, who has spent time with both Green Bay and Chicago, since being drafted in 7th round of the 2003 NFL Draft... senior defensive tackle THOMAS JOHNSON (#93) ran between 5.02 and 5.10 in the 40... 4.70 short shuttle... 7.69 three-cone... 29.5" vertical... 8'9" broad jump and also did 30 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 6016, 294 pounds... has gained nearly ten pounds, since the start of last season, while also dropping his 40-times from the 5.2 range... has some raw physical tools to work with, but very average technique... if you watch his game film... keep an eye on #92, who will be a senior next year, as he was a much better player on film... senior offensive lineman JULIUS GANT ran between 5.16 and 5.25 in the 40... 4.72 short shuttle... 8.12 three-cone... 28.5" vertical... 7'2" broad jump and also did 23 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 6032, 304 pounds... played mostly left tackle in college, but lacks the footwork to stay at that position... has some ability, but would be no more than a swingman-type guy.

SOUTH CAROLINA (March 16th) senior defensive end/linebacker GEORGE GAUSE, who we reported ran in the early-to-mid 4.6's at his Pro Day... was timed as fast as 4.58 in the 40 at 6036, 268 pounds by some in attendance... now getting much more of a look as a defensive end... senior linebacker MARCUS LAWRENCE has seen a rise in the attention he has been receiving, as 3-4 based teams see him as a ILB, while 4-3 teams think he can play either MLB or SLB... lack of versatile linebackers in this year's draft will likely drive up his draft day stock (3rd round)... senior offensive lineman JONATHON ALSTON ran between 5.20 and 5.33 in the 40... 1.71/1.82 10-yard... 3.00/3.05 20-yard... 4.55/4.65 short shuttle... 7.78/8.03 three-cone... 29.5" vertical... 8'3" broad jump and also did 24 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 6053, 306 pounds... 34" arms and 9 5/8" hands... versatile performer who can play OG or OT... did his positional drills, as a tackle... one big thing that you like about him is that he is naturally left-handed, so while he has played a lot of right guard/tackle... he could slide over to the other side with little problem... has gotten much more flexible and shed some bad weight, while training with Chip Smith at CES in Atlanta.

ILLINOIS (March 16th) senior offensive lineman BUCKY BABCOCK (#70) ran between 5.18 and 5.22 in the 40... 27 reps of 225 pounds... 28" vertical... 7'11" broad jump... weighed in at 6036, 309 pounds... under-rated performer who graded out as the team's best lineman, as a senior... has played across the line... probably works best as a swingman-type, as he can lineup at either guard spot or right tackle... not a workout warrior guy, but does some good things on tape... uses good technique and gets to his spot against quicker/more athletic defenders more times than not... type of guy that finds a spot and plays ten years in the league.

KANSAS (March 16th) senior tight end LYONEL ANDERSON ran between 4.70 and 4.78 in the 40... some had him with faster times... 4.32 short shuttle... 7.31 three-cone... 33.5" vertical... 9'9" broad jump and also did 16 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 6032, 253 pounds... displayed some good physical tools in this workout, but it fails to show up on game film enough to catch your eye... senior safety TONY STUBBS ran between 4.60 and 4.68 in the 40... 4.28 short shuttle... 7.15 three-cone... 31" vertical... 9'8" broad jump and also did 15 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 5096, 200 pounds... FA strong safety and special teams-type guy...

UL-LAFAYETTE (March 10th) senior defensive tackle KENDRICK HAYNES (#5) ran between 5.18 and 5.25 in the 40... 27" vertical and also did 19 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 6031, 311 pounds... has bulked up from 295-pound range, so he ran a little slower than the 5.10 range he did last spring... does some good things at time against the run on film... can hold his ground and create lanes for linebackers to make plays... good, but not great athlete... will never be much of a pass rusher... FA with some decent skills to work with.

TROY STATE (March 10th) senior wide receiver JASON SAMPLES ran between 4.52 and 4.58 in the 40... 4.50 short shuttle... 7.01 three-cone... 34" vertical and also did 11 reps of 225 pounds... 5112, 209 pounds... senior defensive back DERRICK ANSLEY ran between 4.52 and 4.58 in the 40.... 4.49/4.60 short shuttle... 7.01 three-cone... 37.5" vertical... 9'11" broad jump and also did ten reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 6001, 181 pounds.

BYU (March) senior cornerback BRANDON HEANEY has worked out twice for scouts the past two weeks... his best 40-times have been between 4.37 and 4.42... slower times were 4.48 to 4.52... 37" vertical... 4.01 short shuttle... 6.60 three-cone... 9'9" broad jump and also did nine reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 5105, 180 pounds... his prior shoulder injuries have some teams concerned... has flashed man cover skills, so if he gets a passing medical grade you can give him a solid PFA grade.

FREE AGENT OFFERS TO COME?:

The following seven players are the most likely restricted free agents to potentially receive offers from other teams over the next three-and-a-half weeks, we have put the value of the draft pick that a team would have to surrender if their current team decided not to match the offer made.... if you see (ROFR) it means that the current team would have the right to match the offer, but if not they would not receive any compensation, which is the current situation with cornerback KELLY HERNDON, who will become property of the Seattle Seahawks if Denver does not match the offer made to him, but will not receive any compensation in return... Pittsburgh running back/fullback VERRON HAYNES (5th round)... Dallas cornerback PETE HUNTER (5th round)... Denver defensive tackle MONSANTO POPE (7th round)... Green Bay running back NAJEH DAVENPORT (4th round)... Washington quarterback TIM HASSELBECK (ROFR)... Green Bay quarterback J.T. O'SULLIVAN (6th round)... Tennessee linebacker BRAD KASSELL (ROFR)... offers to any/all of these players must be posted to the league office by no later than 11:59pm on April 15th, 2005... meanwhile, if you looking for a few unrestricted free agents that could be signed over the coming weeks here are a few names... and now the the BALTIMORE RAVENS have matched the offer sheet given to running back CHESTER TAYLOR here is a short list of available running backs the Browns could review before the draft, as well... AMOS ZEREOUE (Could be steady #2 if Lee Suggs or a drafted RB takes over the lead role)... JAMEL WHITE (has had one tour of duty and finished last year in Baltimore)... ANTOWAIN SMITH (has ties to Coach Crennel, as he played most of his career in New England)... ANTHONY THOMAS (might be willing to take a one-year deal to re-establish himself; could be Tyrone Wheatley-type back in right situation)... RON DAYNE (Might thrive back in Big Ten country)... EDDIE GEORGE (Can he return close to his old college stomping ground)... one final option would be dealing for another team's backup... the one guy that could fit that bill is SAN DIEGO CHARGERS running back JESSE CHATMAN... they have second-year speedster Michael Turner, and probably could ask for a 3rd-to-4th round choice in return for the under-rated, north-south runner. Other UFA's who could be signed before the draft include wide receiver ALEX BANNISTER (Seattle)... safety ANTUAN EDWARDS (St. Louis)... cornerback RENALDO HILL (Arizona)... offensive guard BENNIE ANDERSON (Baltimore)... defensive end MARQUES DOUGLAS (Baltimore)... wide receiver COREY BRADFORD (Houston)... defensive tackle CHRIS HOVAN (Minnesota) and cornerback NICHOLAS HARPER (Indianapolis).

MORE PRO DAY SCHEDULE & NEWS:

IOWA senior defensive end MATT ROTH seemed to get additional attention from Indianapolis during his Pro Day on Monday.

HAMPTON U. senior wide receiver JEROME MATHIS seemed to get additional attention from Arizona, Jacksonville and Philadelphia at his Pro Day... while NY Giants, Pittsburgh and San Diego have also been evaulating his talents long and hard... he's likely to see a spike in his draft day stock based on his speed and potential to win or change the tide of 1-2 games, as a rookie.

ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM senior wide receiver RODDY WHITE has seemed to get additional attention from Atlanta, Cincinnati, New England, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle, since the Combine.

Former FLORIDA STATE quarterback ADRIAN MCPHERSON, who is preparing for his March 29th Pro Day workout, has been getting additional attention from Arizona, Buffalo, Green Bay, St. Louis and Tampa Bay.

NW OKLAHOMA STATE senior defensive end VAN BROWN (#43), who transferred from USC... will perform his Pro Day workout on Thursday, MARCH 24th, as part of Hawaii's Pro Day, which will be held at the Home Depot Center in California... keep an eye on the results that he posts that day, as they will challenge to be some of the best posted by any defensive end prospect available in this year's draft... he is also the young brother of Seattle Seahawks OLB Chad Brown.

TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE senior cornerback MICHAEL BRAGG has been cleared by NCAA and API officials to attend Thursday's Pro Day workout at the Home Depot Center... according to the rule/regulations setup he now needs to have at least one NFL team representative respond saying that they would like to see/record his workout numbers... that might not be a bad investment, as he recorded four interceptions, as a senior... and the 6004, 190-pound defender has been running in the mid-4.4 range, while training in New Orleans for this event, please contact his agent or the API facility in Carson, CA to help in this effort.

COMPANY NEWS:

*Special thanks to Carlos Holmes and Josh Buchanan, who will be helping to cover/record results from several of their regionally accessible Pro Days over the coming days/weeks.

*Be sure to listen to Sirius' NFL Radio program each day leading up to April's NFL Draft.

*Next Level Scouting Staff members Justin Van Fulpen, Dean Zarafonetis and Jared Van Fulpen also contributed to this report.

*All rights reserved by NextLevel Scouting, Inc. and John Murphy... any use of the material enclosed without the express written or verbal consent of NextLevel Scouting, Inc. or John Murphy is prohibited... John Murphy can be reached via phone or email at 504.415.9979 and john@nlscouting.com.

As always keep here at NOPF for the latest.

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