Draft News and Notes from Next Level
Value boards, NFL news, prospect workout notes

posted April 11, 2005 - print me!
neworleansprofootball.com

*If you believe that certain teams have shown more interest in your client or that you think his "Marketplace" grade is lower than what you have been told by teams, please feel free to share any/all notes with us.

*If any/all of your clients have had private visits/workouts leading up to the draft, please let us know, as several teams have been requesting that info.

*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.

REMEMBERING AL LUCAS:

*Our staff would like to send our thoughts and best wishes to the family, friends and teammates of AL LUCAS, who passed away after suffering a serious injury in yesterday's AFL game between Los Angeles and New York... we had the chance to encounter Lucas, who had a great personality and love for the game, both in college at Troy State and then again while he was a member of the Tampa Bay Storm in the AFL... he also played close to two years with the Carolina Panthers.

NFL MEDIA BUZZ:

Here are three of the several interesting articles that were sent to our staff over the weekend, they all provide some good feedback and quotes about the upcoming NFL Draft...

http://www.newyorkpost.com/sports/44256.htm
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/football/pro/dolphins/sfl-draft10apr10,0,1987155.story
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/sports/11357423.htm

DRAFT DAY VALUE BOARD:

Our staff will pick 1-2 guys per day who have the chance to come off the board earlier than expected through the seven rounds of the draft based on their position and the strength/weakness of that spot in this year's draft.

Former OKLAHOMA cornerback MICHAEL HAWKINS (#23/#37) ran between 4.28 and 4.34 in the 40... 4.01/4.03 short shuttle... 6.80/6.86 three-cone... 38-42" vertical... weighs 6016, 180 pounds... those numbers were posted at a pair of recent workouts... including having attended the Pro Day held on the campus of Texas-Arlington in late March... was originally signed by Oklahoma coming out of high school... had left a new daughter back home, but after a short period of time it became an issue with some team staff members to have him missing time to return home so often... an encounter with one member of the coaching staff led to him being suspended for their bowl game (2002)... so both sides decided it was best for the two sides to go their own way... made his way out to an open tryout for the Dallas Desperados two years ago, running 4.4 or better he was signed right away... he actually did not investigate being eligible for this year's NFL Draft until early January... once it was made public that he would attempt to get into the NFL, the Desperados did not dress him out for any of their early AFL season games... he officially left the team on mutual terms right after the Pro Day held at SMU in March... has been training and doing position specific drills, including having spent a few days with former NFL defensive back Bubba McDowell... several teams have had him in for private visits or had team officials fly down for private workouts... including Baltimore, Dallas, Green Bay, San Francisco... as a matter of fact there has not been enough days available for all the teams to get him in for private visits, as most wanted to get him a physical, as that information has not been shared by the teams that have seen him in-person... there are only a few highlights and game film available on him... but he flashes man cover skills and potential on those clips... has long arms... very fluid... quick feet... natural hips and athleticism for the position... an interesting kid that was actually homeless for a few weeks in high school before a high school teammate's family took him in... most other outlets passed over his name when he declared... the same won't be said come the weekend of the draft... as you should expect to hear his name called sometime on "Day Two" maybe even higher than many would believe (5th round)... there is a DVD available with game clips from both college/AFL... please contact his agent for more information.

INTERESTING WAR ROOM TIDBITS:

There is at least one team had has AKRON quarterback CHARLIE FRYE rated ahead of one or both Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith... there is at least one team that has FRYE as the top-rated quarterback in the draft... there is at least one team that has either LOUISVILLE junior running back ERIC SHELTON or TENNESSEE senior running back CEDRIC HOUSTON among the Top-5 RB's in the draft... there is at least one team that has GEORGIA senior wide receiver REGGIE BROWN rated above his teammate, FRED GIBSON, and also have him with a first round grade... there is at least one team that does not have one TIGHT END graded out with a third round grade... having the "Second Tier" tight end run starting between the fourth and fifth round... there is at least one team that has former NEBRASKA offensive lineman RICHIE INCOGNITO rated among the Top-3 centers in the draft... there is at least one team that has MICHIGAN senior DAVID BAAS not rated among the Top-5 offensive guards in the draft... but instead has him as the top-rated center... there is at least one team that has VIRGINIA senior offensive guard ELTON BROWN as the top-rated guard in the draft... but several teams have said he has "Day One" game film... but question his strength, commitment and post-season choices... there is at least one team that has WASHINGTON senior offensive tackle KHALIF BARNES rated as the #1 tackle in the draft... there is at least one team that has either/both TENNESSEE TECH senior offensive tackle FRANK OMIYALE and SAGINAW VALLEY STATE senior offensive tackle TODD HERREMANS rated among the Top-10 tackles in the draft... there is at least one team that does not have WISCONSIN senior defensive end ERASMUS JAMES rated among the Top-3 DE's in the draft... there is at least one team that has NORTHWESTERN senior defensive tackle LUIS CASTILLO rated among the Top-2 DT's in the draft... there is at least one team that does not have FLORIDA STATE senior defensive tackle TRAVIS JOHNSON rated among the Top-5 defensive tackles in the draft... there is at least one team that has given TEXAS senior linebacker DERRICK JOHNSON less than a first round grade... there is at least one team that does not have FLORIDA junior linebacker CHANNING CROWDER rated among the Top-5 inside linebackers in the draft... there is at least one team that has CONNECTICUT senior linebacker ALFRED FINCHER rated among the Top-3 inside linebackers in the draft... there is at least one team that has VIRGINIA junior linebacker DARRYL BLACKSTOCK rated as high as a late first round choice in the draft... however, there is also at least one team that has BLACKSTOCK rated as between a third-to-fourth round choice in the draft... there is at least one team that has MISSOURI senior cornerback SHIRDONYA MITCHELL with a mid-round grade inspite of the ACL injury he suffered at his Pro Day... which may force him to miss his entire rookie campaign... there is at least one team that has MARYLAND senior cornerback DOMONIQUE FOXWORTH rated as high as a second round choice in the draft... there is at least one team that has DUKE senior safety ALEX GREEN rated among the Top-10 safety prospects in the draft... there is at least one team that has OHIO STATE senior kicker MIKE NUGENT rated as a second round choice in the draft.

PRO DAY RESULTS:

ALABAMA (April 6th) senior offensive tackle WESLEY BRITT averaged 5.20 in the 40... 4.60 short shuttle... 8.40 three-cone... 34" vertical... 9'4" broad jump... also did 25 reps of 225 pounds... 33" arms... 9 3/8" hands... weighed in at 6075, 316 pounds... was not able to workout at the Combine or initial Pro Day after suffering a broken bone in his foot during the practice week at the Senior Bowl... has been training/rehabbing at the Sports Medicine Fitness Institute in Birmingham, Alabama.

ARIZONA (April 6th) senior safety RICCARDO STEWART ran between 4.78 and 4.82 in the 40... 4.21 short shuttle... 6.92 three-cone... 33.5" vertical... 9'5" broad jump... also did 21 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 5091, 214 pounds... senior center DREW HODGDON ran between 5.21 and 5.24 in the 40... weighed in at 6026, 304 pounds... senior linebacker JUSTIN BURKS ran between 4.72 and 4.80 in the 40... 4.52 short shuttle... 7.22 three-cone... 31.5" vertical.. 9'3" broad jump and also did 32 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 6004, 243 pounds... helped himself out in several categories, especially the 40 and vertical... senior tight end AARON AUSTIN ran between 4.71 and 4.75 in the 40... 4.58 short shuttle... 7.24 three-cone... 30.5" vertical... 9'6" broad jump and also did 18 reps of 225 pounds... helped himself out in several categories, especially the 40, vertical and bench press... all times were recorded on an outdoor turf surface... between 12-15 teams were in attendance for this workout.

AKRON (April 1st) senior defensive end/linebacker DWAYNE LEFALL ran between 4.70 and 4.72 in the 40... 4.45 short shuttle... 7.26 three-cone... 34.5" vertical... 10'1" broad jump and also did 28 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 6026, 256 pounds... has been evaluated as both a 4-3 DE and 3-4 OLB... senior offensive guard AARON CONLEY ran between 5.25 and 5.29 in the 40... 4.61 short shuttle... 7.52 three-cone... 22.5" vertical... 8'2" broad jump and also did 24 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 6026, 293 pounds... we reported on several other senior prospects that were at this event in one of our reports last week.

MICHIGAN TECH (March 31st) senior offensive lineman JOE BERGER did 30 reps of 225 pounds... as he was satifisfied with the rest of the results he had posted at the Combine... weighed in at 6053, 299 pounds... several teams liked how he worked out at the Combine in terms of his physical numbers... but also commented that he looked a little stiff and mechanical during some of his positional drills.

DUKE senior defensive back ALEX GREEN ran between 4.48 and 4.52 in the 40 during a pre-draft workout with Washington last week... was named the Defensive MVP of the East-West Shrine Game... has drawn interest from several teams since his Pro Day thanks to his versatility... played both safety spots in college... and even matched up 1-on-1 with several receivers while training, showing good footwork, hips and quickness, according to his trainer Mike Gough.

MAINE senior safety BRANDON MCGOWAN ran between 4.45 and 4.48 in the 40... 4.24 short shuttle... 7.42 three-cone... 37.5" vertical... 10'4" broad jump... also did 21 reps of 225 pounds... weighed in at 5107, 216 pounds... they had several senior prospects, but this was the one guy that stood out consistently on game film... ran faster than anticipated... showed good all-around athleticism in the workout and positional drills... all times were recorded on an outdoor turf surface.

UTEP senior tight end JONAS CRAFTS has not been able to workout for scouts leading up to the draft, as he continues to recover/rehab from a late season ACL injury, which may keep him out of on-field workouts until late spring or early summer.

PRIVATE VISIT & WORKOUT UPDATES:

MIAMI senior cornerback ANTREL ROLLE will have a private vist with San Francisco later today... he also has a private visit scheduled with Washington for later this week, Thursday, April 14th.

MICHIGAN senior wide receiver BRAYLON EDWARDS will have a private visit with San Francisco later today.

CALIFORNIA junior quarterback AARON RODGERS will have a private visit with San Francisco on Wednesday, April 13th.

UTAH junior quarterback ALEX SMITH will have a private visit with San Francisco on Tuesday, April 12th.

AKRON senior quarterback CHARLIE FRYE has drawn additional interest from Cleveland and Green Bay, since his private workout in late March.

AUBURN senior running back CARNELL WILLIAMS has a private visit scheduled with Chicago for this week... but it will take place down in Alabama not in Chicago... it will also feature GM Jerry Angelo, head coach Lovie Smith and new offensive coordinator Ron Turner.

COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES senior quarterback CHAD FRIEHAUF had a private workout on-campus that was attended by both Buffalo and Miami... ran 4.78 in the 40... 4.30 short shuttle... 6.98 three-cone... 34.5" vertical... 9'7.5" broad jump... weighed in at 6066, 211 pounds... followed that up with a solid throwing session... later dunked a few basketballs for good measure, showing his overall athleticism... there is a full tape of the workout available... please contact his agent for more information.

FLORIDA STATE senior defensive tackle TRAVIS JOHNSON will have a private visit with Carolina on Tuesday, April 12th and then head to Dallas for a private visit on April 13/14.

GEORIGA SOUTHERN senior running back/return man CHAZ WILLIAMS had several private workouts throughout last week... ran 4.50 in the 40 on grass (damp/wet) for both New England and NY Giants (April 5th)... then caught balls from a jugs machine... then ran 4.46/4.47 in the 40 on grass (dry) for Green Bay (April 6th)... also caught balls for them once again showing very good hands... not as thickly built as Leon Johnson (NYJ, SD), but could develop into that kind of guy in terms of giving you a back that can catch, return and grab a few change-of-pace carries.

HAWAII senior cornerback ABRAHAM ELIMIMIAN, who vastly improved his 40-time (4.55 range) at his recent Pro Day from the times he produced at the Combine... has been drawing a lot of interest from those who have reviewed his game film... as he did not allow a single touchdown over his final 27 college contests... which is amazing when you considered the conference he played in and style of offense his own team played.

MINNESOTA-DULUTH senior linebacker RUSSELL RABE has had a private visit with Seattle... there are several 3-4 teams that have been eyeing him as a possible pass rusher off the corner... played mostly DE in college, but has shown the footwork and athleticism to make the transition to OLB in the pros.

MISSOURI senior cornerback SHIRDONYA MITCHELL has had private visits with Dallas and Indianapolis... has also received calls from another 6-8 defensive back coaches... all of whom want an update on his recovering from the ACL injury he suffered at his Pro Day.

Former NEBRASKA offensive lineman RICHIE INCOGNITO suffered what would be considered a similar type injury to the sprained knee he had at the Combine during the recent Pro Day workout at Arizona State... it may keep him sidelined until the start of training camp... but is not considered serious.

NEW MEXICO senior outside linebacker NICK SPEEGLE has setup private visits with Detroit and Green Bay for this week... which will be his 9th and 10th private visits, since his Pro Day.

OKLAHOMA senior wide receiver MARK CLAYTON had a private visit late last week (Friday, April 8th) with Washington.

OKLAHOMA senior center VINCE CARTER is not considered to be 100% healthy heading into the draft by many teams... most of whom feel that he may now spend all or most of his rookie campaign on the PUP or IR list... it is more than likely that he will not be selected, but rather signed by a team that gives him a two-way contract based on his health... 2-3 years from now he could prove to be a worthwhile investment, as he had a solid college career and if he can get his knee problems resolved should become a good NFL backup.

PURDUE senior fullback JON GOLDSBERRY had a private workout with Green Bay last week, which brings his total to four, as well as having several other on-campus private workouts... look for him to be a taken around the fifth round... and could even be a darkhorse candidate to be the first fullback taken in the draft because of his late surge.

SAN JOSE STATE junior running back TYSON THOMPSON had a private workout with Dallas late last week, as part of the team's pre-draft workouts held at their facility.

SOUTH CAROLINA senior cornerback TAQIY MUHAMMAD has been drawing a lot of additional attention since his Pro Day... team's have gone back to watch additional game film on him... ran mid-4.5's... 4.01/4.03 short shuttle... 7.02 three-cone... 38" vertical... 9'9" broad jump... weighs 5102, 192 pounds... could now be drawing late-round consideration rather than a PFA grade.

TEXAS senior running back CEDRIC BENSON was included in the list of players that had private visits with Miami mid-to-late last week... it was originally reported by Jason Cole of the Miami Herald.

WEST VIRGINIA junior cornerback/return man ADAM "PACMAN" JONES had a private visit with Washington late last week (Thursday/Friday).

UCLA senior wide receiver/return man CRAIG BRAGG had a private workout with San Francisco, which happened at their own facility over the weekend.

UNLV senior linebacker ADAM SEWARD has had a private visit with Philadelphia... he had an on-campus private workout with Cincinnati and New England.

USC wide receiver MIKE WILLIAMS had a private visit with Detroit late last week, but has not visited Chicago, who has the #4 pick in the first round... evidently he met and had dinner with Bears GM Jerry Angelo the night before his private workout in Tampa last month.

COMPANY NEWS:

*Be sure to listen to Sporting News Radio's Draft Day coverage, featuring former NFL lineman and Fox Sports analyst Brian Baldinger, hosts Bob Shelton, Bob Berger, analyst Jim Sabo and Next Level Scouting's own John Murphy.

*Be sure to listen to ESPN (Florida) radio's Thursday night program (7-9pm) leading up to the NFL Draft featuring Orlando Alzugaray... you can find out more by visiting www.espn1080.com.

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

*Special thanks to Carlos Holmes, Josh Buchanan, who have been helping to cover and record results from several of their regionally accessible Pro Days over the past few weeks.

*Next Level Scouting Staff members Justin Van Fulpen, Dean Zarafonetis, Matt Jansen and Jared Van Fulpen also contributed to previous reports.

*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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