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Archive for 2009

Michael Crabtree: Shut up and sign

Friday, August 7th, 2009

by Jared Smola

Someone should point Michael Crabtree to WR Mike Williams’ Wikipedia page.  Because about half way down it, he’d find this little nugget:

 

Prior to the 2004 NFL Draft, and after Williams’ sophomore season at USC, Mike made a strategic error that would cost him his NCAA eligibility and require him to sit out the entire 2004 college football season. Many believe his blunder led to a deterioration of his football skills and ultimately had a profound effect on his subsequent pro career.

 

Sound familiar?  The circumstances surrounding Crabtree’s threat to sit out the 2009 season and re-enter the 2010 NFL Draft are different — and more ridiculous — but the results could turn out the same.

 

After Williams was barred from entering the 2004 draft and also prohibited from returning to college, his career fell apart.  He was lucky enough to be selected 10th overall by the Lions in ’05, but he never put up more than 350 yards in a season and his career is likely over at age 25.

 

Will the same thing happen to Crabtree?  Maybe.  But one thing’s for sure — his recent threat is selfish, greedy, and down-right stupid.

 

First of all, where does he get this idea that he deserves to be paid like a top-5 pick because he should have been one?  Am I missing something, or do a couple players drop in the NFL Draft every year?  Take Brady Quinn, for example.  In the 2007 Draft, he was pegged as a top-10 pick.  But he slipped all the way to the Browns at 22.  Tough luck, but he didn’t whine when he got paid like the late 1st-round pick that he was.  Crabtree clearly thinks he’s above general NFL standards.

 

Of course, this threat to sit out the season if he doesn’t get the coin he’s looking for could just be a bluff.  But let’s say it’s not.  Let’s say Crabtree does sit out the season and doesn’t play organized football for the next year. 

 

When he re-enters the 2010 draft, there’s no guarantee he’d be a top-10 pick.  There are a couple of other big-time WRs expected to enter the league next year — namely Illinois’ Arrelious Benn and Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant.  It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see either guy being taken before Crabtree.  Especially considering he won’t be able to attend the NFL Combine or work out for other teams since the 49ers will retain his rights up until the 2010 Draft begins.

 

Maybe 49ers HC Mike Singletary should pull down his pants in front of Crabtree.  That’d get him to sign!

www.draftsharks.com

 

Don’t Draft These Players

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

by Don Phillips

Editor’s Note: Phillips is a guest writer. His opinions do not reflect those of DraftSharks.com

Quarterbacks:
 
Jay Cutler: {ADP: QB9} Cutler’s trade to Chicago will definitely hurt his fantasy numbers across the board.  Going from a pass-friendly offense to a run-oriented team will decrease his passing attempts significantly. In turn, he may eventually force some throws and a few of them will lead to interceptions. Can you seriously see Cutler developing a cohesiveness relationship with Devin Hester, Earl Bennett and Rashied Davis this season? Let someone else over-draft him.
 
Carson Palmer: {ADP: QB13} You can throw out last season due to injuries. This season he will have to adapt to a revamped group of wide outs besides dealing with the immature behavior of Chad Johnson. Cincinnati’s pass- blocking will be a big issue for Palmer too. The Bengals allowed 51 sacks last year — 3rd most in the NFL.
 
 
Running Backs:
 
Marshawn Lynch: {ADP: RB22} Lynch will miss the first 3 games of the season due to the league suspension. When he comes back, expect him to split time with the nifty Fred Jackson, trimming Lynch’s numbers even more. Lastly, Buffalo will pass more this season with the arrival of Terrell Owens.
 
Joseph Addai: {ADP: RB21} In his first 3 seasons, Addai has reached double digits in touchdowns only once. And he’s not likely to do that this year with rookie RB Donald Brown in town. In addition, Addai is very injury prone.
 
Jamal Lewis: {ADP: RB35} Lewis has averaged over 3.6 yards per carry just once in the past 4 seasons. At this point, he’s nothing more than a glorified goal-line back. And on the Browns inept offense, he won’t be using that skill too often.
 
 
Wide Receivers:
 
Marques Colston: {ADP: WR10} Colston could not produce last season while returning from a busted thumb. For one reason or another, Colston just couldn’t get in rhythm with “Mr. Perfect” Drew Brees. New Orleans just has too many talented receivers.
 
Terrell Owens: {ADP: WR14} Crazy? Maybe so. In Owens’ last 2 seasons, his stats has fallen somewhat significantly. Who’s better at quarterback, Romo
or Edwards?
 
Braylon Edwards: {ADP: WR16} Edwards has not proven to be a consistent wide out in his last 3 years, especially in 2008 when he only scored 3 times. In late July, Edwards failed his physical for undisclosed reasons and was placed on the Non-Football Injury list. This could impact his availability and reliability heading into the 2009 campaign, making him a potential headache to own.
 

The Twitter Revolution

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

by Brett Barclay

It was August 1st, 2004. Dolphins RB Ricky Williams announced his retirement on his personal website, runrickyrun.com, at the tender age of 27. Back then, Twitter wasn’t even a glimmer in the internet’s eye, blogging was seen as 2nd rate news, and very few players had personal websites. The season prior to his retirement I caught on to runrickyrun.com and would check for updates every few days. Williams posted pictures, art, stories, etc. But once in a while he’d divulge an injury that the media hadn’t picked up on, or a player that wouldn’t be starting next week that none of the networks had announced. I thought that was the coolest thing around – news directly from the source, uncensored, unedited.
A few years later players began to regularly update blogs, but they were usually a promotion through the team’s website. Essentially, players were really limited in what they could talk about since the organization that paid them was the one editing their thoughts for fans to see. Have you ever tried to read Peyton Manning’s blog? If you could read a dosage of Nyquil instead of drink it, Manning’s blog would be the extra strength stuff.
In recent months, the NFL has caught on to social media more than ever, namely by way of Twitter. Everyone from Lions’ WR Keary Colbert to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has setup a Twitter account to interact with fans and other players. All of the NFL Network’s on-air personalities deliver regular Tweets as well. Most of the players keep it pretty normal but users like Chad Ochocinco, Shawne Merriman, Larry Fitzgerald and Kevin Boss have been really active, detailing workouts, team events, even meals. This is all unfiltered. It’s not a journalist’s interpretation of a quote. And it’s not an editor’s interpretation of a journalist’s interpretation. It’s the rawest form of player news and you can’t get it anywhere else.
I’m not saying that we’re going to be finding groundbreaking stuff in these 150 character streams of consciousness, but you’ll find some things about players that you wouldn’t know otherwise. For example, all week Kevin Boss has been training at a place called Performance Training Center, rated one of the 10 toughest gyms in the U.S. by Muscle Fitness magazine.
Despite media reports of him being unfocused, Chad Ochocinco seems to be working just as hard as anyone this offseason. He’s putting in his own personal 2-a-days, boxing, and training with the Inter Milan soccer club at UCLA for a couple of days. Meanwhile, Terrell Owens, who is just as active on the site, seems to be mentioning his VH1 show more than any offseason workouts.
Obviously, take it with a grain of salt. Not everyone is Ocho and T.O., and not all of these players Tweet everything in their daily routine. But I’ll bet that a lot of relevant fantasy news is broken via Twitter this season.

Let’s Talk Schedules

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

by Kevin English

It’s all too often as fantasy players we find ourselves making tough lineup decisions. Do I start player X — one of my top picks — against one of the top defenses in the league? Or do I bench him in favor of player Y, a less talented later round pick who’s going against one of the league’s weaker defenses? While those kinds of decisions are inevitable during a fantasy season, a pre-draft peak at your targeted player’s schedules will give you a better idea of how a guy might perform, and when. Below are a few nuggets about how I perceive certain players will stack up against certain defenses. Last year’s numbers are used to show how effective or ineffective a defense was vs. the run or pass. Yes, nobody returns the same starting 11 on defense from the year prior, and thus the rankings are sure to be different — perhaps drastic in some cases. But examining some trends — including taking a look at key additions and losses through free agency and the draft — will give us a gauge on how tough of a matchup they could pose for some key fantasy players.
Note: Numbers in parentheses indicate the teams’ pass or run defense rank from 2008.
Favorable schedules – RBs
1.) Chris Johnson faces just 3 top-10 run defenses from 2008. (Dolphins: 10th; Steelers: 2nd; Jets: 7th)
2.) Julius Jones faces just 2 top-10 run defenses from 2008. (Bears: 5th; Minnesota: 1st)
3.) Steve Slaton faces 4 top-10 run defenses from 2008. (Jets: 7th; Titans: 6th – twice; Dolphins: 10th)
- Two of Johnson’s divisional opponents — Indianapolis and Houston — gave up over 122 yards per game on the ground last year. Despite that, he struggled against them to the tune of 242 total yards and 1TD in 3 games (he was rested week  17 vs. Indy with a playoff berth clinched). But expect that to improve in 09’. Bob Sanders is sure to be hurt by their week-5 matchup anyways…
- If he wasn’t stuck in a committee, Jones could flourish in the NFC West. St. Louis, Arizona, and San Francisco combined to give up an average of 124 yards rushing per game last year. Neither of those teams made any noticeable improvements to their run defense either.  
- Albert Haynesworth’s departure will make life easier for Slaton. The 6’6, 320 lbs behemoth will be replaced by a combination of Jovan Haye and Jason Jones, who weigh 285 lbs. and 275 lbs respectively. Needless to say, Tennessee is sure to be less dominant against the run this season. Tennessee’s defense isn’t one to be intimidated by this season.
Poor schedules – RBs
1.) Ryan Grant faces 6 top-5 defenses from 2008.  (Chicago: 5th – twice; Minnesota: 1st  - twice; Baltimore: 3rd; Pittsburgh: 2nd)
2.) Michael Turner faces 6 top-10 defenses from 2008.  (Miami: 10th; Chicago: 5th; Jets: 7th; Washington: 8th; Giants: 9th; Eagles: 4th)
3.) LT faces 6 top-10 defenses from 2008 (Baltimore: 3rd; Miami: 10th; Pittsburgh: 2nd; Giants: 9th; Eagles: 4th; Tennessee: 1st)
- Grant will have to earn his pay this year. Those 4 teams (Chicago, Minnesota, Baltimore and Pittsburgh) are sure to be the cream of the crop again this year vs. the run. Baltimore’s loss of Bart Scott and Pittsburgh’s loss of Larry Foote will hurt, but not too bad. They’re both still top-5 teams against the run. Minnesota and Chicago are elite run stoppers, with the Bears improving after adding underrated LB Pisa Tinoisamoa in free agency.  
- Not only will Turner have to prove he can handle back to back seasons with a heavy workload, but he’ll have to do it against stiff competition. Of the 6 top-10 defenses he’ll be facing, Philadelphia and Chicago are the only ones he faced last year. In his matchup vs. Philly, Turner carried the ball 17 times for just 58 yards. And against Chicago he was even worse, gaining a just 54 yards on 25 carries. Both of those units should be stout again this season.  
- L.T’s race against the Father Time won’t be easy in 2009. Despite playing against easy opponents within the division — all of which ranked 27th or worst against the run last year — L.T. will have to face the 4 toughest run Ds from 08’. The Dolphins and Giants are no pushovers either. The Giants addition of LB Michael Boley and DL Chris Canty should cement another top-10 finish for the G-men. Miami retained the core of their defense, and added run stuffing safety Gibril Wilson.
Favorable schedules – QBs
1.) Matt Hasselbeck faces just 3 top-10 pass defenses from 2008.  (Buccaneers: 4th; Colts: 6th; Cowboys: 5th)
2.) Kurt Warner faces just 3 top-10 pass defenses from 2008. (Colts: 6th; Giants: 8th; Titans: 9th)
3.) David Garrard faces just 4 top-10 defenses from 2008. (Titans: 9th - twice; Colts: 6th - twice)
- Hasselbeck finds himself in a nice situation in the NFC West. No team in that division finished higher than 19th (St. Louis) against the pass. The Cardinals did improve by inking cornerback Bryant McFadden in free agency, and for good reason. The Super Bowl runners up surrendered a shocking 36 passing TDs on the season, the most in the league by a margin of 9. For a comparison, the Colts gave up just 6 on the year. The Colts, as well as the Cowboys and Buccaneers, should repeat as some of the stingiest team’s against the pass.
- As with Hasselbeck, Warner will be playing against weak NFC West competition.  The only difference is Warner has taken advantage of it.  He averaged just over 300 yards per game against divisional opponents last year, and threw at least 1 TD pass in each. Expect his dominance to continue in 2009. The Colts, Giants and Titans all return their starting secondary’s, and should make for tough matchups. But Warner — in addition to Boldin and Fitzgerald — aren’t guys you’ll be benching anyway.
- David Garrard shouldn’t have too tough of a time navigating through the Jags schedule. Yes, Indy and Tennessee will make for tough matchups twice a year, but outside of them, their schedule appears quite favorable. Playing the aforementioned NFC West helps, as well as below average secondary’s in Kansas City and Cleveland. Garrard threw for 283 yards and 2 TDs against a Browns team that should struggle against the pass in 09’.      
Poor schedules – QBs
1.) Eli Manning plays 8 games against teams that were in the top-10 in pass defense last year. (Redskins: 7th – twice; Cowboys: 5th - twice; Buccaneers: 4th; Eagles: 3rd – twice; Raiders: 10th)
2.) Tony Romo plays 8 games against teams that were in the top-10 in pass defense last year. (Redskins: 7th – twice; Giants: 8th – twice; Eagles: 3rd – twice; Bucs: 4th; Raiders: 10th)
3.) Kyle Orton faces 9 teams that finished in the top-10 in pass defense last year. (Raiders: 10th - twice; Colts: 6th; Giants: 8th – twice; Cowboys: 5th – twice; Redskins: 7th; Eagles: 3rd; Ravens: 2nd; Steelers: 1st)
- Talk about brutal. Eli will not only be facing stiff divisional play (that he was inconsistent against in 08’) but he’ll have to take on emerging pass defenses in Oakland and Tampa Bay. Oakland features the league’s premier cover corner in Nnamdi Asomugha, and replaced in-the-box safety Gibril Wilson with 2009 2nd round pick Mike Mitchell, who brings to the table a reputation as a fearless hitter.   Tampa should be considered a tough matchup for QBs too.  Last year they gave up just 187 yards per game, and should repeat similar numbers in ‘09 thanks to the emergence of CB Aqib Talib. 
-  Where as the defenses in the NFC West are a haven for big fantasy numbers, the NFC East is just the opposite. But Romo didn’t seem fazed by the elite competition, averaging nearly 250 yards per divisional contest last year. Outside of the division, Romo faces the same teams as Manning (Buccaneers and Raiders) but is obviously a guy you’ll be starting regardless of matchup.  
- Welcome to Denver, Kyle Orton. The new Bronco will have to deal with all but 1 of the top-10 pass defenses from 2008. The Steelers and Ravens should pose the biggest challenges to Orton, despite a couple losses. Pittsburgh will be without ‘08 starter Bryant McFadden, but their pass rush will likely hide any weaknesses in the back end. They should be among the league’s elite against the pass once again.  Baltimore lost longtime secondary staple Chris McAlister, but his play has been in decline the last two seasons. Their strong pass rush should carry them too towards another top-5 finish.   Orton’s tough matchups might make him hard to even spot start effectively, especially if Brandon Marshall is shipped out of town.         
 
Don’t get me wrong, talented RBs like LT, Turner, and Grant, and talented QBs like Romo, Manning and — to a lesser degree — Orton have the ability to record prime fantasy numbers vs. top defenses. It goes along the lines of “any given Sunday.” But a tough schedule vs. an easy one might be the deciding factor for you on draft day. Just keep an eye on the schedule. It doesn’t take much effort, and it could end up saving you a headache or two during the fantasy season.

Is Josh McDaniels Poison?

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

by Jared Smola

Not much has gone right for the Broncos since hiring Josh McDaniels as HC.  Let’s take a quick look at the timeline:

Dec. 30, 2008- Broncos fire HC Mike Shanahan

Jan. 11, 2009- Josh McDaniels hired as HC

Feb. 28, 2009- QB Jay Cutler’s name comes up in trade talks for QB Matt Cassel

Mar. 2, 2009- Cutler refuses to meet with management after they tried to trade him

Mar. 16, 2009- Cutler requests a trade

Apr. 2, 2009- Cutler traded to the Bears

June 12, 2009- WR Brandon Marshall does not show up for mandatory minicamp

June 15, 2009- Marshall requests a trade

Coincidence?  Maybe, but I don’t think so.  That’s not to say that Cutler and Marshall are completely innocent, but things went straight down hill for Denver after hiring McDaniels. 

But all I’m reading and hearing is sympathy for McDaniels — that he’s walking into a firestorm and how it’s a shame that his 1st few months as a HC have gone so poorly. 

How come no one’s talking about McDaniels’ role in all of this?  Maybe Cutler and Marshall thought “I’m getting out of here” after learning about McDaniels’ hiring.  If I was a Broncos fan, I wouldn’t be feeling bad for McDaniels.  I’d be blaming him.

And it doesn’t look like things will be getting better in The Mile High City anytime soon.  In fact, based on how things were handled with Cutler, I wouldn’t be surprised if Marshall is packing his bags before training camp starts.

www.draftsharks.com

Stay Away From Those Rookie QBs

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

by Brett Barclay

I have to confess that I ‘snicker’ whenever someone takes a rookie QB in my redraft league.  Here’s why: these young QBs come to the NFL draft, get selected (or don’t), get a cool hat and are put into one of the following situations:

A. Good to great QB is drafted to save the franchise. (Matt Ryan)

B. Good QB is drafted by a team that relies on its defense and run-heavy offense. (Joe Flacco)

C. QB was in a great system in college, goes wherever and rots on the bench for the extent of his contract. Is signed by the Argonauts 3 to 5 years later. (Let’s go with Cody Pickett. John David Booty looks primed to carry on the legacy.)

See a trend?  None of these QBs — with the exception of a rare few who I will get to in a bit — are put in any position to succeed as a fantasy QB their rookie season. ESPN will tell you that Joe Flacco was one of the best quarterbacks in the league last year.  I will tell you that my league doesn’t award points for biltzes read by a 23-year-old or for his pocket presence, so he was nothing more than a low tier backup. Matt Ryan was slightly better than Flacco from a fantasy point of view, but he wasn’t worthy of being a starter in 12 team leagues, finishing the 15th best fantasy QB.  As far as Cody Pickett goes, well, he started that one time a few years ago.  Remember?

So check this out.  NFL.com lets me look at stats dating back to 1993.  From 1993 until last year only 3 rookie QBs have been worthy of even starting regularly in 12-team leagues.  Drew Bledsoe, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger.  If you actually took one of these guys as your starting QB, I hope it was Manning because the other two just barely squeaked into the top-12.

Fast forward to the present day NFL.  The roles are the same but the cast has changed a bit.  Matt Stafford takes Matt Ryan’s role.  Mark Sanchez fits into Flacco’s role and lets say undrafted rookie Chase Daniel fits into the Cody Pickett/John David Booty role.  Don’t get me wrong, these QBs, minus Daniel, will probably be pretty damn good in a few years.
You’re going to be tempted this August.  It’ll be late in your draft, you’ll be sitting in your buddy’s basement, the smell of Cooler Ranch Dorito’s stings your nostrils and you need a backup QB.  You’ll be scanning your MVP board and you’ll see Stafford and Sanchez but I’m telling you, from one fantasy enthusiast to another, there will be safer options.

NFL Draft Recap — 2006 Version

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

by Jared Smola

All the major fantasy football sites (yes, even DraftSharks) are working on 2009 NFL Draft Grades. But let’s be honest, these guys haven’t played a down of professional football yet. No one knows what they’re talking about.

In my opinion, it takes 3 seasons before we can start to see what kind of NFL players these guys are going to be. That means we can now look back at the 2006 draft with some clarity. Here are the top-5 best and worst picks from the 2006 draft:

5 Best Picks

1. QB Jay Cutler (Denver), round 1, pick 11 – The only franchise QB in the draft class, even though Cutler won’t be the franchise QB for the team that drafted him. QBs Vince Young and Matt Leinart were selected ahead of Cutler.

2. CB Cortland Finnegan (Tennessee), round 7, pick 215 – Pro Bowl CBs taken in the 7th round don’t come around too often. 19 CBs were picked ahead of Finnegan.

3. WR Brandon Marshall (Denver), round 4, picks 119 – For all the headaches he causes, Marshall was a steal in round 4. WRs like Travis Wilson, Derek Hagan, and Cory Rodgers were all picked before Marshall.

4. LT Marcus McNeil (San Diego), round 2, pick 50 – A 2-time Pro Bowl selection, McNeil is already the Chargers’ best offensive lineman. Nabbing an anchor to protect your QB’s blind-side is huge.

5. C Nick Mangold (New York Jets), round 1, pick 29 – Mangold has started all 48 games for the Jets since being drafted and made it to the Pro Bowl last year. That won’t be his last trip to Honolulu (or wherever they’re playing the Pro Bowl nowadays).

5 Worst Picks

1. QB Vince Young (Tennessee), round 1, pick 3 – It’s never a good thing when your 1st round pick is fighting for a back-up position. GMs are still scared to take QBs from spread offenses after this debacle.

2. TE Vernon Davis (San Francisco), round 1, pick 6 – He’s a better athlete than football player. TEs should never be picked in the top-10 anyways.

3. RB Reggie Bush (New Orleans), round 1, pick 2 – He’s shown flashes, but you have to be a perennial Pro Bowler to warrant the 2nd overall pick in the draft. With a career 3.7 yards per carry average, Bush is nowhere near that level.

4. S Donte Whitner (Buffalo), round 1, pick 8 – The most noise Whitner has made since entering the league was his screams when being tasered after resisting arrest a few weeks ago. Taking him at #8 was a reach back in ‘06 and it doesn’t look any better today.

5. CB Tye Hill (St. Louis), round 1, pick 15 – Hill is one of the 5 worst starting CBs in the NFL. In fact, if the Rams secondary wasn’t so putrid, he wouldn’t be a starting CB. There are better cover guys in the DraftSharks office.

www.draftsharks.com

Beer-Goggles, Farting… and a Little Football

Friday, April 10th, 2009

by Jared Smola

Check out Cowboys TE Martellus Bennett’s blog.

Pure entertainment!

(And to think someone at The Dallas Morning News is actually consciously making the decision to allow Bennett to continue to blog on their precious server space.)

www.draftsharks.com

I love Hakeem Nicks

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

by John Miller

My favorite college WR in 2008 was Hakeem Nicks. It probably helped that I watched the Meineke Car Care Bowl when Nicks caught 8 passes for 217 yards & 3 TDs. I also saw him earlier in the season when he torched Notre Dame for 9-141-1. NFL Network’s Mike Mayock compared Nicks to Anquan Boldin & Hines Ward. Nice.

Nicks measured 6′1/212 at the Combine but he looks 6′2+ to me. His 4.54 at the Combine didn’t scream “1st round!” to draft scouts but I have a feeling he’ll go early in the 2nd round. Maybe the Rams at #35, Seahawks at #37 (if they didn’t get Crabtree), or Dolphins at #44. In fact, Dolphins VP Bill Parcells accompanied HC Tony Sparano to North Carolina for Nicks’ private workout this week. Parcells must have seen this highlight reel and got curious.

Nicks only scored a 11 on the Wonderlic and his workout habits have been questioned. However, if Parcells likes ya he’ll get the most of outta ya — forget what your issues are. Slow feet (Keyshawn Johnson), head case (Terry Glenn), doesn’t matter. 

I know this: If the Bears have a chance to take Nicks in the 2nd round at #49 and pass, Bears fans should riot.

www.draftsharks.com

Steve Slaton gettin’ no love at all…

Friday, March 27th, 2009

by John Miller

For months now we’ve been hearing that Houston plans to add a RB to take some of the load off Steve Slaton. In free agency they went after Cedric Benson but he wanted too much money. HC Gary Kubiak says they’ll have to add a RB in the draft. “Obviously, that’s important,” Kubiak said. “We went the Cedric Benson route in free agency, and it didn’t work out. It’s a little nerve-racking, but you can’t force something. At least we know we have a good young one in Slaton.” I’ve never seen a rookie 1,200-yard back get disrespected so much; but it makes sense that the 200-lb Slaton should be spelled for 10-12 carries. The thing is, Slaton actually got stronger as the season went on. He averaged 4.5 per carry in the first 8 games, and 5.0 in the last 8. 

The draft? Houston has the #46 spot in the 2nd round. I think the 5′11/228-lb RB Shonn Greene seems like a possibility.  Greene ran a disappointing 4.72 at the Combine but bounced back with a 4.50 on Pro Day. Here’s a Greene highlight reel at Iowa. He reminds me of Barry Foster. If you youngsters don’t remember Foster, he was a thick-legged Steeler RB who blasted 1,690 yards in 1992.

If the Texans wait until the 4th-6th round I like 5′10/218-lb RB James Davis from Clemson.  Here he is.  But if they wait that long then Slaton’s 2008 workload is safe.

www.draftsharks.com