One of my Favorite people on the Draft Beat is Nolan Nawrocki at pro Football Weekly. If it hasn't been said or overheard By him,..it's not worth repeating. Nolan has the daunting task of taking over PFW's Draft information from the late Joel Bushbaum, a man i considered a mentor. Here is Nolan's Most recent article in this week's PFW....Bill(Draftnik)

By Nolan Nawrocki
April 16, 2007


With two weeks until the draft, NFL teams have begun meetings to finalize their draft boards. As one veteran GM said, you cannot believe anything you hear at this time of the year, and we certainly do not trust everything we hear, including many of the remarks made by NFL evaluators below. However, the following is some of what evaluators have been saying in April.

“I threw a grade on Calvin Johnson that you could not take off with Ajax. It’s the highest grade I’ve ever given a player. … You can build around a quarterback. You can with a left tackle or a running back. It’s difficult for a receiver to make as much of an impact. When you are starting from scratch, it’s not the first position you are looking for.”

“(Falcons head coach) Bobby Petrino wants to get bigger on both sides of the ball, and they don’t have a lot of beef up front.”

“It’s amazing how much bad information is starting to fly. You better have your own intelligence or you could be had. I’ve heard new injury concerns arising on so many players. Teams are trying to get their guys.”

“Anyone who is going to criticize (LSU QB) JaMarcus Russell’s understanding of the game needs to remember that Steve McNair came into the league with a seventh-grade comprehension level. He was able to learn it."

“If anyone but Russell goes No. 1, the Browns will be doing cartwheels.”

“(Notre Dame QB) Brady Quinn is so dedicated, so committed, so programmed — he will become great because he will work as hard as Peyton Manning and he has more ability.”

“(Arkansas DE) Jamaal Anderson has not grown into his body yet. He is still trying to figure out how to play at high weight. People forget he came to school as a receiver. He’s so elongated that he starts stumbling when he comes out of his stance. He just has to mature physically and fill out, but he shows you enough right now to make you feel comfortable taking a chance on him.”

“The more I see of (Arkansas OT) Tony Ugoh, the more I like him. He competes. He’s got good feet. I think it’s unfair to pigeonhole him as a track (discus) guy. I think he could be a starting left tackle in the league.”

“(Boston College OT) James Marten is a big, developmental offensive tackle. If you study him in pass protection, he gets beat every game. I thought Jeremy Trueblood was a lot better, and that’s not saying much.”

“I like James Marten a lot. Put on the Clemson game and see what he did vs. Gaines Adams, and you’ll like him a lot more.”

“(Nebraska DE) Adam Carriker was coached not to make plays. He was asked to take up space and eat up blocks, not to come off the ball and get upfield. When you consider how the scheme called for him to play and see what he showed he could do at the Senior Bowl, I think he is all the more impressive. … To be honest, what scares me most about him is that he is married already. Why get married before college? I hate to even say it, because a family can be a tremendous stabilizing force and I am a family guy, but I’ve seen it happen way too much. … The first three years in the league, it hurts players when they are attached. I have a difficult time drafting players who are married in the first two rounds. It’s just not good. There are exceptions, but as a rule, you tell me who was married coming out of college and turned out to reach their potential. It does not happen a lot. It's a lot to overcome."

“(Texas S) Michael Griffin is a good player. He’s the second safety on our board behind (LSU FS LaRon) Landry. He’s smarter than (Florida FS Reggie) Nelson, and his character is much better than (Miami FS Brandon) Meriweather. He worked out better than both of them at the Combine. He’s more physical than either. He’s the best of all of them on special teams. He’s got a lot of value. I don’t think he will last very long. I think someone will take him in the middle of the first round.”

“Why do teams become enamored with defensive linemen this time of year? Because there are not any. They are very difficult to find.”

“This is the time of the year that a lot of mistakes are made. What happens in nearly every draft room — you talk to (evaluators) from different teams with different philosophies, and you find out you are going to have to draft a player a round or two sooner than you would like to get the player, and all of a sudden, players start moving up draft boards because of needs. The teams that do not get caught up in perception and where players will be drafted and let the board fall to them are the teams that typically draft the best, at least if their boards are stacked well.”

“There was not a scout who went through Washington State in the fall who thought (WR Jason) Hill could run. He is a 210-pounder with deceptive speed. They ask him to go vertical a lot in their offense, but I think he could sink his hips and get out of breaks.”

“It seemed like every tight end coach in the league was at (Minnesota TE) Matt Spaeth's workout. He did not lift. He ran in the low 4.8s. He’s a good blocker.”

"How well Kevin Boothe and Jahri Evans played as rookies is going to help (Towson OT) Jermon Bushrod. He's raw, but I think he's better than both of them."

"Alan Branch does not make any plays, and I don't like his lack of hustle."