Combine News

[Naismith]

greggabe: News that Jonathan Allen has moderate arthritis in both shoulders is huge. Fact is arthritic conditions never improve, they only get worse

[Naismith]

nfldraftscout: The more I hear, it sounds like a Brandin Cooks trade would be a huge deal. 1st rounders involved.

Man, looks like I undersold Cooks in the draft. Dumb Bucs wouldn't give me pick 19!

[Bucs N Beers]

Cooks has big play ability but he's not consistent at all. He racked up almost half of his yards last year in 3 games (186,173,143). Those were also the only 3 games he went over 100 yards. He also had 5 games where he had less than 50 yards.

I don't hate the guy. He's fast and talented. That mock isn't able to take FA in to account, I think we target a WR early in FA and therefore don't need to trade for Cooks. DJax+OJ Howard > Brandin Cooks.


Sidenote: I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up Tennessee. Rumors have been that Stills to Philly has been pretty much a foregone conclusion.

[Brazen331]

I had The Titans pick in our mock draft and chose Derek Barnett. This might not be a bad move for them. You have to think they are going Lattimore/Adams/Hooker at 5 and if the plan was to come back and go WR at 18 Cooks is probably a better fit for them than John Ross.

[real bucs fan]

Njoku Coming in a 6'4", 246lbs, and monstrously long 35.25" arms.

Alleviates some of the size concerns I had with him. Definitely a guy to keep an eye on at 19.

[Bootz2004]

Njoku Coming in a 6'4", 246lbs, and monstrously long 35.25" arms.

Alleviates some of the size concerns I had with him. Definitely a guy to keep an eye on at 19.

He's a big WR basically.

[Cheb]

Njoku Coming in a 6'4", 246lbs, and monstrously long 35.25" arms.

Alleviates some of the size concerns I had with him. Definitely a guy to keep an eye on at 19.

He's a big WR basically.

We've known that for awhile though.

[real bucs fan]

At least it's legit TE size. Look at Everett and Engram for example. Everett came in at 6'3" 227lbs, and Engram 6'3" 236lbs.

[Brazen331]

Be looking for that Fournette forty-time update. If he runs a 4.4 he can't possibly fall to the 8th slot, can he? I don't think so. Let's all root for that 4.4.

[MJW]

I absolutely love me some David Njoku, but after Indy I expect him to end up much higher than 19.

IMHO he's the best Miami TE prospect since Shockey. At least. Shockey was a rare and amazing talent, but he was also an injury prone headcase.

I think Njoku's ceiling (if everything goes right) is Antonio Gates. I'm not saying he'll be Antonio Gates. I'm saying if he stays healthy, plays with a good QB in a good scheme, and gets it, he could be Antonio Gates good. This doesn't just pop out at me when I watch him - it fires up a neon sign inside my eyeballs. This kid is special.

[MJW]

Cooks has big play ability but he's not consistent at all. He racked up almost half of his yards last year in 3 games (186,173,143). Those were also the only 3 games he went over 100 yards. He also had 5 games where he had less than 50 yards.

I don't hate the guy. He's fast and talented. That mock isn't able to take FA in to account, I think we target a WR early in FA and therefore don't need to trade for Cooks. DJax+OJ Howard > Brandin Cooks.


Sidenote: I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up Tennessee. Rumors have been that Stills to Philly has been pretty much a foregone conclusion.

He'd be the platonic ideal of a #2 target opposite Evans, slicing up single coverage like a knife while everyone keys on thirteen.

That said...what's going on here? Why do the Saints want to deal him? I haven't heard THAT yet and it doesn't make sense to me. Yeah, they have Thomas and the MAC who plays in the slot (blanking) but since when does Sean Payton NOT want a bunch of talented receivers? Does anyone know what's up with this?

[Mountaineer Buc]

I mentioned it in the interactive mock but I think we should all recognize that Samaje Perine banged out 30 REPS on the bench yesterday.

Only 4 linemen put up more. FOUR.

I don't care who you are, that's impressive. 5'10 234lb

[uscbucsfan]

They were just saying that while Fournette was 240 pounds, he looked lean, he's just a huge person. If he really runs a sub 4.5 at 240 pounds, that would be crazy.

[Mountaineer Buc]

They were just saying that while Fournette was 240 pounds, he looked lean, he's just a huge person. If he really runs a sub 4.5 at 240 pounds, that would be crazy.

Yeah, he's getting comparisons to Bo Jackson and Herschel Walker.

This is the hype that comes with the search for the next Zeke.

Kid is a freak of nature, but expectations are sky high on him.

[uscbucsfan]

They were just saying that while Fournette was 240 pounds, he looked lean, he's just a huge person. If he really runs a sub 4.5 at 240 pounds, that would be crazy.

Yeah, he's getting comparisons to Bo Jackson and Herschel Walker.

This is the hype that comes with the search for the next Zeke.

Kid is a freak of nature, but expectations are sky high on him.

Zeke wasn't the prospect Fournette is though. Even from High School Fournette has had hype much like Clowney.

I worry the most about his injuries. People bringing up his games against Alabama aren't really fair IMO. They completely sold out with 11 future NFL players to stop the run. IF LSU could just complete a few passes and take advantage of that, it would have opened things up for Fournette, but they couldn't. He never had a chance in any of those games.

[Konatown]

They were just saying that while Fournette was 240 pounds, he looked lean, he's just a huge person. If he really runs a sub 4.5 at 240 pounds, that would be crazy.

Yeah, he's getting comparisons to Bo Jackson and Herschel Walker.

This is the hype that comes with the search for the next Zeke.

Kid is a freak of nature, but expectations are sky high on him.

I saw an NFL comp in Michael Turner. I think it fits.

Let's not forget Koetter was Atlanta's coordinator in his final year and Mike Smith's main RB. Wouldn't be shocked if we saw him land here.

[real bucs fan]

Some 40 guesses for my top 7 RBs.

Cook, 4.42
McCaffery, 4.45
Fournette, 4.47
Kamara, 4.52
Foreman, 4.55
Hunt, 4.57
Perrine, 4.62

[beardmcdoug]

Some 40 guesses for the RBs.

Cook, 4.42
McCaffery, 4.45
Fournette, 4.47
Kamara, 4.52
Foreman, 4.55
Hunt, 4.57
Perrine, 4.62

Woke up this morning thinking about Cook running a 4.5 for some reason. Going with it.

Cook 4.5
McCaffery 4.47
Fournette 4.46
Kamara 4.48
Foreman 4.57
Perrine 4.62

oh wtf didn't see that gallman declared - I'd love for us to land him way late

[DreadNaught]

Yeah, he's getting comparisons to Bo Jackson and Herschel Walker.

This is the hype that comes with the search for the next Zeke.

Kid is a freak of nature, but expectations are sky high on him.

Zeke wasn't the prospect Fournette is though. Even from High School Fournette has had hype much like Clowney.

I worry the most about his injuries. People bringing up his games against Alabama aren't really fair IMO. They completely sold out with 11 future NFL players to stop the run. IF LSU could just complete a few passes and take advantage of that, it would have opened things up for Fournette, but they couldn't. He never had a chance in any of those games.

That's fair, LSU couldn't pass at all. But my point was moreso that Fournette was more physically mature in HS and College than alot of his competition and their is a ceiling there, so the competition will close the gap at the top level of College and especially in the NFL. That doesn't mean he isn't an elite athlete or freak b/c of his size/speed. I'm just saying that in the NFL he's not going to be throwing people around and having defenders fall off him like he has to this point. I think the kid is a top 15 pick even in todays NFL, I'm just leary of 240lbs RBs and am very interested to see how he tests in comparison to the other talented RBs in this class.

[uscbucsfan]

Yeah, he's getting comparisons to Bo Jackson and Herschel Walker.

This is the hype that comes with the search for the next Zeke.

Kid is a freak of nature, but expectations are sky high on him.

I saw an NFL comp in Michael Turner. I think it fits.

Let's not forget Koetter was Atlanta's coordinator in his final year and Mike Smith's main RB. Wouldn't be shocked if we saw him land here.

You know we don't have a top 10 pick, right?

You should be shocked if we land him.

[uscbucsfan]

Zeke wasn't the prospect Fournette is though. Even from High School Fournette has had hype much like Clowney.

I worry the most about his injuries. People bringing up his games against Alabama aren't really fair IMO. They completely sold out with 11 future NFL players to stop the run. IF LSU could just complete a few passes and take advantage of that, it would have opened things up for Fournette, but they couldn't. He never had a chance in any of those games.

That's fair, LSU couldn't pass at all. But my point was moreso that Fournette was more physically mature in HS and College than alot of his competition and their is a ceiling there and the competition will close the gap. That doesn't mean he isn't an elite athlete of freak b/c of his size/speed. I'm just saying that in the NFL he's not going to be throwing people around and having defenders fall off him like he has to this point. I think the kid is a top 15 pick even in todays NFL, I'm just leary of 240lbs RBs and am very interested to see how he tests in comparison to the other talented RBs in this class.

If he's 240 lbs and runs a 4.4, he will be the biggest freak RB prospect I've seen since Jamal Lewis (Lewis ran a 4.58). People forget he has really good vision, he can be elusive, and loves contact. I worry more about his injuries.

I don't know how you can use his weight as a knock if he doesn't lose any speed. It will only make him tougher, hit harder, make him harder to bring down.

[beardmcdoug]

Does god damn NFL.com make their website confusing on purpose or what - its a complete **** show on there trying to figure out who runs when and who's done what, and what the upcoming schedule is. I suppose they just want you coming back frequently instead of telling you "go away and come back at 11am when fournette runs his 40"

[uscbucsfan]

I absolutely love me some David Njoku, but after Indy I expect him to end up much higher than 19.

IMHO he's the best Miami TE prospect since Shockey. At least. Shockey was a rare and amazing talent, but he was also an injury prone headcase.

I think Njoku's ceiling (if everything goes right) is Antonio Gates. I'm not saying he'll be Antonio Gates. I'm saying if he stays healthy, plays with a good QB in a good scheme, and gets it, he could be Antonio Gates good. This doesn't just pop out at me when I watch him - it fires up a neon sign inside my eyeballs. This kid is special.

In what way is he better than Howard?

Howard is already better and one could argue has a higher ceiling than Njoku.

[DreadNaught]

That's fair, LSU couldn't pass at all. But my point was moreso that Fournette was more physically mature in HS and College than alot of his competition and their is a ceiling there and the competition will close the gap. That doesn't mean he isn't an elite athlete of freak b/c of his size/speed. I'm just saying that in the NFL he's not going to be throwing people around and having defenders fall off him like he has to this point. I think the kid is a top 15 pick even in todays NFL, I'm just leary of 240lbs RBs and am very interested to see how he tests in comparison to the other talented RBs in this class.

If he's 240 lbs and runs a 4.4, he will be the biggest freak RB prospect I've seen since Jamal Lewis (Lewis ran a 4.58). People forget he has really good vision, he can be elusive, and loves contact. I worry more about his injuries.

I don't know how you can use his weight as a knock if he doesn't lose any speed. It will only make him tougher, hit harder, make him harder to bring down.

I agree with that. If he runs anything under 4.5 at 240lbs it would be very impressive.

I'm not knocking his weight IF he doesn't lose speed, in fact I believe I made the comment here the other day to BMD that a heavier weight actually benefits him assuming he tests well (to your point).

I don't mean to sound bias against Fournette, I think he's a hell of a RB prospect. I'm just more leary of bigger backs at the NFL b/c they never have the same physical dominance they have in college when most of the competition is still not physically matured. In the NFL it's all grown men that have filled out physically where as in college alot of the kids are still growing and increasing there muscle mass. But if Fournette can but up anything sub 4.5 it will put alot of that concern to bed for me.

It's probably just personal preference and being overly critical for me where I like a RB in the 215-225lb range with the balance and elusiveness to get through the much smaller creases/holes that are available at the NFL level with still enough power to get through arm tackles.

[Naismith]

Some 40 guesses for my top 7 RBs.

Cook, 4.42
McCaffery, 4.45
Fournette, 4.47
Kamara, 4.52
Foreman, 4.55
Hunt, 4.57
Perrine, 4.62

Totally guessing here.

Cook 4.47
McCaffrey 4.45
Fournette 4.55
Kamara 4.54
Foreman 4.61
Hunt 4.58
Perrine 4.62

Just saw that Cam Robinson is left-handed. He's off my board. Lefties are weird.

[Bootz2004]

Some 40 guesses for my top 7 RBs.

Cook, 4.42
McCaffery, 4.45
Fournette, 4.47
Kamara, 4.52
Foreman, 4.55
Hunt, 4.57
Perrine, 4.62

Totally guessing here.

Cook 4.47
McCaffrey 4.45
Fournette 4.55
Kamara 4.54
Foreman 4.61
Hunt 4.58
Perrine 4.62

Just saw that Cam Robinson is left-handed. He's off my board. Lefties are weird.

These 40 times are more realistic.

LOL! You're weird.

[MJW]

I absolutely love me some David Njoku, but after Indy I expect him to end up much higher than 19.

IMHO he's the best Miami TE prospect since Shockey. At least. Shockey was a rare and amazing talent, but he was also an injury prone headcase.

I think Njoku's ceiling (if everything goes right) is Antonio Gates. I'm not saying he'll be Antonio Gates. I'm saying if he stays healthy, plays with a good QB in a good scheme, and gets it, he could be Antonio Gates good. This doesn't just pop out at me when I watch him - it fires up a neon sign inside my eyeballs. This kid is special.

In what way is he better than Howard?

Howard is already better and one could argue has a higher ceiling than Njoku.

Njoku is a guy who can obliterate a defensive gameplan with sheer athleticism. He's as effortless as a receiver as any tight end I can think of recently. I don't see that with Howard. I don't think Nick Saban trusted him and I don't think he has remotely Njoku's ceiling. Njoku hasn't scraped his ceiling yet. Howard I think is pretty close to his. I think we're comparing Anthony Becht, who had a nice decade-long career after going in the 1st round but who nobody really thinks about anymore, and someone who can change the complexion of games. Howard is probably the safer of the two, but Njoku is the guy who, in two years, we'll all be laughing about all the GMs who somehow passed on him.

[real bucs fan]

Forrest Lamp confirming that he is a heck of an OL prospect with athleticism and power as the cherry on top of his top notch tape.

[Naismith]

Man, that 28.5 vert makes me want change the Fournette 40 to 4.62.

[Super K]

Would not be surprised to see:

Cook pull his hammy during his 40 test..

Or

Cook run a slow 40 so he doesn't pull his hammy..