Panthers | Mixed reviews on Peppers
Albert Breer, of the Boston Globe, reports there are mixed opinions on the value of Carolina Panthers pending free-agent DL Julius Peppers around the NFL. On one side of the ledger, Peppers is regarded, mostly by people in his inner circle, as a good guy, a teammate who works hard in the weight room and is always in shape, and a player with the kind of rare talent to redefine the prototype for a position. On the other side, however, is an athlete who often disappears not for snaps or series but for games, who has been said by some to bring nothing to the locker room, and who has frustrated many coaches and teammates with a lack of passion for football. ‘I wouldn’t touch him, for that money and what he gives you,’ said an ex-Panthers personnel man. ‘On the field, he’s a freak athletically, but it’s whether he shows up or not. He’ll go two and three games and do nothing but take up space. Then he’ll have two sacks, a forced fumble, a pick, and change the game. And that’s the danger. He can mesmerize you, but it’s not consistent.’ An AFC scout added, ‘He could end up costing some personnel guy his job. I’m terrified of him. In my heart of hearts, I believe that if you pay this guy, I don’t think you’ll see a double-digit sack (season) again the rest of his career.’
Read moreBears | Interested in S. Young?
Vaughn McClure, of the Chicago Tribune, reports the Chicago Bears may be interested in Notre Dame OT Sam Young in the NFL Draft. Young could be slotted as the right tackle of the future for the Bears.
Read moreFormer Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow eyes ‘NFL style’ in preparation for draft
Former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is changing the way he holds a football, shifting it from his waist to his shoulder.
NFL | Tebow to unveil new delivery at Pro Day
Adam Schefter, of ESPN, reports Florida QB Tim Tebow has been working on the way he holds a football, shifting it from his waist to his shoulder. He is concentrating on taking three- and five-step drops instead of working out of the shotgun formation he did at Florida. Tebow will not unveil his new delivery at the NFL Scouting Combine, preferring instead to wait for his Pro Day March 17. ‘I’m not changing who I am or how I approach football,’ Tebow said. ‘But there are things that I can get a lot better at. I’ve never been asked to shorten or quicken my release and not have a loop in it. The changes I’m making have gone very well and it’s becoming more and more natural to me.’ Our View: Tebow’s mechanics have been a problem for him throughout his college career. Our very own Cecil Lammey and Matt Waldman were at the Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, and Tebow did improve over the course of three days. His improvement has scouts excited about his development as a passer, and if he looks good at his pro day his draft stock could be on the rise.
Read moreAbout selecting QBs in second round
The earlier item showing where teams target positions among the first 32 draft choices raised questions about quarterbacks in particular.
Fourteen of the 37 quarterbacks drafted in that range since 1995 went first or third overall. None went in 15 of the 32 highest spots, including 13th through 16th or 27th through 31st.
“The interesting point on second-round QB picks will be who they were, how long until they were a starter (if ever) and if they stuck with their drafting team,” Bcook122 wrote in response. “I’m hoping this year’s crop may yield a good prospect without having to exact one of those two first-round picks the Niners have.”
The first thing I did was break out all second-round quarterbacks selected in the last 30 drafts, figuring this would provide big-picture perspective. One of the quarterbacks in question, Drew Brees, appeared on the previous list because the Chargers selected him 32nd overall before the NFL expanded to 32 teams. Some of the best ones — Boomer Esiason, Randall Cunningham and Neil Lomax — were drafted between 1981 and 1984. Another, Brett Favre, went in 1991.
The next step involved narrowing the search range to all drafts since 1995.
NFL teams have drafted 17 second-round quarterbacks during that period, including Brees. The Dolphins (three) and Lions (two) drafted five of the 17, including four since 2007. Eight of the 17 were drafted since 2006. Three of the 17 have gone to Pro Bowls, but Brees is the only one with a career passer rating higher than 77.9.
The chart ranks these 17 quarterbacks by regular-season games played. Of course, the earlier a quarterback is drafted, the more chances an organization will generally give him.
Around the NFC South
…offseason labor negotiations are putting him in a difficult spot. New Orleans Saints ESPN.com’s Len Pasquarelli writes that Drew Brees is well-prepared for his post-NFL life thanks to business classes…
Read moreIf the US Olympic Committee could draft NFL players … (Yahoo! Sports)
The NFL is in a bit of a dead period right now, as the NFL Draft isn't for a while yet and free agency is…
Read moreNew-look Tebow? QB eyes ‘NFL style’ for draft
Former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is changing the way he holds a football, shifting it from his waist to his shoulder.
Read more