Welcome to new one source of information for the entire NFL Off season. I will update this blog weekly about upcoming events, player news, free agency, combine and pro-day workouts and finally culminating in the NFL Draft on April 26-28.
Here is a quick rundown of notable events in the NFL Off season:
NFL Combine: February 22-28.
Start of Free Agency: March, 13 at 4:00 p.m.
NFL Draft: April 26-28.
The NFL Combine is an event where more than 300 former college players participate in drills, receive medicals and interview with all 32 teams in the NFL. The event is crucial for teams and potential NFL players to interact and gain knowledge, not only physically, but also mentally and medically. Good performances can contribute to a player moving up in the NFL Draft, thus making more money and getting more years guaranteed on his rookie contract.
Free agency is a pivotal event in the NFL Off season. Veteran players who have accrued at least four NFL seasons or contract has expired with their previous team are eligible to enter NFL Free Agency and be courted by the other 31 NFL teams. Free agency is used to shore-up weaknesses of each team leading to the draft. Therefore, if a team needs more offensive line help, free agency can help bring more offensive line help before the draft and select a player who fulfills another area of need.
Finally, the Big Kahuna of the off season, the NFL Draft. The NFL Draft consists of seven rounds with each team allocated a selection is each round. The order of selections ranges from 1-32 and is based on the previous season team record. This year the Indianapolis Colts are picking 1st overall because they had the worst record in the 2011-2012 NFL season at 2-14. As the draft gets closer, we will look more in-depth at the intricacies and vast importance that is the NFL Draft.
I have been researching and following the draft since the 2007 NFL Off season, but people much more skilled and experienced than me have been involved with the draft for years. Here is a list of websites to follow about the NFL, free agency and the NFL Draft:
http://www.Profootballtalk.com
http://www.Walterfootball.com
http://www.Nationalfootballpost.com
http://www.NFL.com
http://www.Draftbreakdown.com
http://www.Profootballfocus.com
And here is a list of Draftniks to follow on Twitter:
@JasonLaConfora
@WesBunting
@EvanSilva
@JoshNorris
@MelKiperESPN
@TonyPauline
And there are many more, but these are some of the sites I have frequented for years and still use to gather information and form opinions.
To end my first post on my new blog, I figured I would give you viewers something to talk and debate about over the next couple of days: My first mock draft. A mock draft is my own personal prediction about where each player will go in the 1st round of the NFL Draft. As the process continues to create separation between players, I will expound on the mock draft and it will be a continually changing prediction. Enjoy!
2012 NFL Mock Draft
1. Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck QB Stanford
2. Trade with St. Louis: Washington Redskins – Robert Griffin III QB Baylor
3. Minnesota Vikings – Matt Kalil OT USC
4. Cleveland Browns – Quiton Coples DE North Carolina
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Trent Richardson RB Alabama
6. Trade with Washington:St. Louis Rams – Justin Blackmon WR Oklahoma St.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars – Michael Floyd WR Notre Dame
8. Miami Dolphins – Riley Reiff OT Iowa
9. Carolina Panthers – Dre Kirkpatrick CB Alabama
10. Buffalo Bills – Melvin Ingram DE South Carolina
11. Kansas City Chiefs – Kendall Wright WR Baylor
12. Seattle Seahawks – Ryan Tannehill QB Texas A&M
13. Arizona Cardinals – David Decastro G Stanford
14. Dallas Cowboys – Mark Barron S Alabama
15. Philadelphia Eagles – Luke Kuelchy ILB Boston College
16. New York Jets – Jonathan Martin OT Stanford
17. Cincinnati Bengals – Brandon Thompson DT Clemson
18. San Diego Chargers – Alshon Jeffery WR South Carolina
19. Chicago Bears – Michael Adams OT Ohio St.
20. Tennessee Titans – Cordy Glenn G Georgia
21. Cincinnati Bengals – Lamar Miller RB Miami
22. Cleveland Browns – Fletcher Cox DE Miss. St.
23. Detroit Lions – Stephen Gilmore CB South Carolina
24. Pittsburgh Steelers – Dontari Poe NT Memphis
25. Denver Broncos – Kelechi Osemele OG/T Iowa St.
26. Houston Texans – Orson Charles TE Georgia
27. New England Patriots – Whitney Mercilus DE/OLB Illinois
28. Green Bay Packers – Nick Perry DE/OLB USC
29. Baltimore Ravens – Peter Konz C Wisconsin
30. San Francisco 49ers – Mohamad Sanu WR Rutgers
31. New England Patriots – Markelle Martin FS Oklahoma St.
32. New York Giants – Coby Fleener TE Stanford
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