Draft Insiders' Digest Premier NFL Draft and Free Agency Publication
DraftInsiders.com 2011 All-Pro Team
Photo - Aaron Rodgers - Packers
Offense
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers - Packers
Running Backs
Maurice Jones-Drew - Jaguars
Arian Foster - Texans
Wide Receivers
Calvin Johnson - Lions
Victor Cruz - Giants
Tight end
Rob Gronkowski - Patriots
Center
Maurkice Pouncey - Steelers
Guards
Jahri Evans - Saints
Carl Nicks - Saints
Offensive Tackles
Jake Long - Dolphins
Joe Thomas - Browns
Defense
Defensive Ends
NFL Draft 2012 Selection Order - The Colts are ‘On the Clock’!
Photo - DL Jared Crick - Nebraska
The Colts hold the first overall choice of the NFL Draft 2012 this April after a terrible season that saw them win only two games all year. Their poor performance cost longtime GM Bill Polian his job after a successful tenure that earned the Colts a Super Bowl title in 2007. Head coach Jim Caldwell currently holds his job as several NFL teams sign new HC and GMs with most clubs in postseason schedules. The Colts hired former Eagles Director Ryan Grigson as their new General Manager in early January. He has had an excellent track record as a personnel evaluator. He takes over an aging roster that has been an annual playoff club until the poor 2011 season.
The top overall selection should be QB Andrew Luck regardless if the Colts retain the pick or trades the selection, most likely within the top ten overall choices.
* Playoff team / y - coin flip to determine order / Conference title & Super Bowl games will determine the final positions
# Team - W-L - Opp W-L %
1 Indianapolis - 2-14 .539
2 St. Louis - 2-14 .590
3 Minnesota - 3-13 .559
4 Cleveland - 4-12 .531
5 Tampa Bay - 4-12 .551
6 Washington - 5-11 .477
7 Jacksonville - 5-11 .500
y 8/9 Carolina - 6-10 .504
y 8/9 Miami - 6-10 .504
10 Buffalo - 6-10 .520
y 11/12 Kansas City - 7-9 .512
y 11/12 Seattle - 7-9 .512
13 Arizona - 8-8 .469
14 Dallas - 8-8 .473
15 Philadelphia - 8-8 .488
16 NY Jets - 8-8 .500
17 Cincinnati (Oakland) - 8-8 .504
18 San Diego - 8-8 .516
19 Chicago - 8-8 .527
20 Tennessee - 9-7 .461
21 Cincinnati - 9-7 .492
22 Cleveland (Atlanta) - 10-6 .480
23 Detroit -10-6 .535
24 Pittsburgh - 12-4 .492
25 Denver - 8-8 .520
26 Houston - 10-6 .453
27 New England (New Orleans) - 13-3 .441
28 Green Bay - 15-1 .457
29 * NY Giants - 9-7 .520
30 * Baltimore -12-4 .477
31 * San Francisco - 13-3 .449
32 * New England - 13-3 .449
Team tie-breaking procedure for the NFL Draft
If two or more clubs are tied in the selection order, the strength-of-schedule tie breaker is applied, subject to the following exceptions for playoff clubs:
1. The Super Bowl winner is last and the Super Bowl loser next-to-last.
2. Any non-Super Bowl playoff club involved in a tie shall be assigned priority within its segment below that of non-playoff clubs and in the order that the playoff clubs exited from the playoffs. Within a tied segment a playoff club that loses in the Wild-Card game will have priority over a playoff club that loses in the Divisional playoff game that in turn will have priority over a club that loses in the Conference Championship game. If two tied clubs exited the playoffs in the same round, the tie is broken by strength of schedule.
If any ties cannot be broken by strength of schedule, the divisional or conference tie breakers, when applicable, are applied. Any ties that still exist are broken by a coin flip.
Frank Coyle is a long time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe etc for the past 20 years. He writes ‘College Football Mondays’ weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He does sports radio shows for ESPN, Fox Sports and Sporting News on a year round basis related to College Football especially during the postseason team and All-star Bowl time.
NFL 2012 Season and Postseason Dates Thru NFL Draft 2012
The NFL office has announced it will hold eight regional player combines for pro prospects who are not invited to the regular Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this February. The new regional combines will begin January 28 and go through March 17. The first regional event will be held in Los Angeles with combines also scheduled for Tampa, Houston, Baltimore, Atlanta, New York, Chicago and Cleveland. Selected players can be invited to a final combine in Detroit on March 30-31. This new development should reduce the number of school pro days attended by NFL personnel staffs.
Photo – QB Aaron Rodgers - Packers
NFL Dates
Jan. 1 - Regular season ends
Jan. 7-8 - Wild Card Weekend
Jan. 14-15 - Divisional Playoffs
Jan. 22 - Conference Championships
Jan. 29 - Pro Bowl, Honolulu, Hawaii
Feb. 5 - Super Bowl XLVI, Indianapolis, In.
Feb. 22-28 - NFL Scouting Combine, Indianapolis, In.
Eight regional Player Combines in different nationwide locations from late January through late March.
April 26-28 - NFL Draft 2012, New York City, N.Y.
Frank Coyle writes ‘College Football Monday’ weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He is also a member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc. He is a voter for weekly Team and Player Awards
LSU – Alabama #1 Game Matchup
Photo - WR Rueben Randle - LSU
The much anticipated matchup of #1 LSU and #2 Alabama is finally here today after building to fever pitch over the past month. This has all the makings of this season’s Game of the Century in a classic old time battle where both clubs display a strong physical presence and dominant defenses that attack the line of scrimmage.
Both clubs like to run the ball and play field position while relying on efficient QB play. But the defensive play of both teams is worth the price of admission. What’s at stake? The SEC West Division title and the claim to undisputed #1 national ranking this week. Both clubs are 8-0 and have only one major test after today in their regular season finale – LSU faces Arkansas and Alabama meets Auburn. Winning the SEC has translated into 5 consecutive national titles. Last season’s matchup was a thrilling LSU 24-21 victory in Baton Rouge. Today’s contest is in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the scene of so many huge Tide victories.
The key to this game may be Bama star tailback Trent Richardson who was injured in last years’ losing effort. Richardson has been the catalyst for most Tide wins this season and is having a performance that ranks him one of the top three Heisman Trophy candidates. A big effort today could go a long way in winning this game, national title and the Heisman award. The LSU front seven will be fully tested by Richardson and may be the critical deciding factor in the outcome.
LSU and Alabama have incredible secondaries that already rank with NFL defenses. This game features potentially five #1 defensive back picks from both clubs over just the next two draft classes. Sophomore corner Tyrann Mathieu has been a huge impact defender for the Tigers over the early season. He is coming off a one game suspension for dress code and plenty of time to prepare for this clash of SEC titans. Both teams have had two weeks to prepare coming off a bye week that has contributed to the hype of this classic late season matchup.
Prediction - LSU 24 - Alabama 20
Game Within the Game Matchup
LSU Receiver Rueben Randle vs Alabama Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick
Great matchup of two future high #1 NFL Draft picks, maybe next April. This game features countless high draft selections especially on the defensive side of the ball. There could be as many as 8 defensive backs in this game starting eventually in the pro game.
Wideout Rueben Randle is a former five-star recruit entering LSU who struggled over his first two seasons. He is having a major breakout season despite QB changes and a rotation of starters. He has benefitted from more consistent play at QB that has allowed him to start to realize his enormous athletic potential.
Randle has already past his receptions total from last season and currently leads the SEC with 7 TD receptions despite double coverage. He has a big lean 6’4’’, 205 lb frame with a great skill set for the position. He has the vertical speed to get deep consistently and the agility, hands and run after the catch ability to take the underneath passes and make a big play.
Bama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick has rare physical skills for the position. He has great size at 6’3” and plays a physical brand of fotoball that HC Nick Saban plays and demands. He has an NFL safety body with cornerback athleticism and skills. His combination of size, hands and speed ranks him the top cornerback currently with the development to be one of the blue chip prospects for the NFL Draft 2012.
Frank Coyle is a long time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe etc for the past 18 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game.
Skins’ Kerrigan Named NFL Defensive Rookie for September
The National Football League announced that Washington Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan has been named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for September. He is the first Redskins player to win the award since Chris Horton in September 2008 and the fourth overall to receive the honor (Horton, Fred Smoot in September 2001 and Champ Bailey in October 1999).
Photo – Redskins LB Ryan Kerrigan
Kerrigan was a nominee for Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week following his Week 1 performance against the New York Giants. In a game played on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Kerrigan totaled five tackles in his regular season debut and returned an interception nine yards for a Redskins’ go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter. He was the first rookie linebacker since 2002 (James Allen, Sept. 8) to score a touchdown on Kickoff Weekend.
For the month, the 16th overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft registered 13 tackles (five solo), five quarterback pressures, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, two passes defended and one interception returned for a touchdown. He has started all three games this season at the left outside linebacker position for the Redskins.
During the Redskins’ Week 2 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, Kerrigan recorded the first sack of his career and tipped a pass thrown by Kevin Kolb that was intercepted by London Fletcher in the third quarter of the 22-21 victory against the Cardinals. Both of his passes defensed this season have resulted in interceptions, with his first pass defended occurring prior to his own interception off of Giants quarterback Eli Manning in Week 1.
Kerrigan, 22, played four seasons at Purdue, where he appeared in 48 games, starting his final 35 contests. In his collegiate career, Kerrigan totaled 210 tackles, including 57 for loss, 33.5 sacks, 14 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, one interception and seven passes defended. The 14 forced fumbles tied the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) record.
Ryan Kerrigan Scouting Report – Draft Insiders.com Yearbook 2011
Ryan Kerrigan #94 - 6’4’ 265 lbs. - Purdue - Sp. 4.75 /Rating 88
Rugged senior defender had an outstanding close to his career that earned him 1st team Big Ten honors over his last three seasons. Ryan is a strong hard working athlete who has the combination of intangibles and AA to grade out high in all key areas for the position. He has a strong frame with good arm length and keen instincts to use his fine athleticism off the edge. Though he is not quick twitch defender, his first step allows him to gain a consistent advantage on the snap with the technique and functional strength to push the pocket. His combination of power and speed gives him a huge advantage off the snap that enables him to pressure the passer consistently. Over his career, he has been one of the best defenders in the Big Ten and he finished with 35 consecutive starts. He displays the relentless mentality that has allowed him to develop into a fine edge pass rusher, though not the explosive upfield speed rusher of many of the other prospects. He is a tough defender with the power to win vs NFL caliber offensive tackles after facing talented blockers in the Big Ten. He has developed an array of moves that utilize his strong quick hands that gains an early advantage for him to work blockers and counter quickly. Despite his marginal size for the strongside, he has also held up well in run support with good instincts and fine functional strength that allow him to hold the POA well and shed blockers to finish plays. He has shown both speed and power off the edge with the keen instincts to locate the ball and the power to separate from blockers. He can bend the corner well to pressure the passer relying on his strong power hands and technique to gain separation along with his relentless approach to finish each play. He has a strong frame and is a long limbed (333/8”) athlete with a big wingspan that allows him to keep blockers off his body and separate quickly. Over his career, he has filled out athletically and has the strong base to hold the POA well despite a size disadvantage. As a pass rusher, he is a strong athlete with quick hands and feet to win consistently off the edge. He has fast hands and the long arms to quickly separate from blockers that allow him to use his speed off the edge to make sacks. He plays well coming off the edge and moves adequately in space, though he is no experience playing up in a 3-4 defense as an attack backer. He has improved his overall body strength that has helped him hold up better at the POA vs the run. He does use consistently good leverage and keeps him alive on the play, though he struggles holding up vs double team blocks due to his lack of bulk. He is a battler and much more effective with experience to act instinctively to plays. He uses his good speed to pursue and will work from the backside to chase the play and finish well. He is not very flexible and can struggle when asked to redirect in space. He has learned to take on blockers quickly with good diagnostic skills that assist him to read, shed and make tackles. As a pass rusher, he has a fine array of moves including a good hump, rip and swim technique that he improved with experience. With more refinement on his hand usage and shedding blocks, he can continue to develop into a fine two-way defender. He needs to learn to anchor better and play the run with better leverage especially at the POA, though he grades out fairly high in that role. As a senior, he started all 12 games and registered 70 tackles with 26 TFL and 12.5 sacks that earned him Big Ten honors. As a junior, he registered 66 tackles with 18.5 TFL and 13 sacks that earned Big Ten honors. Over his career, he totaled 210 tackles with 57 TFL and 33.5 sacks in 35 starts. At the NFL Combine, he came in at just under 6’4” and 267 lbs. and ran 4.79 time. He did 31 reps with 33.5” VL and 10’2” BJ with 4.39 short shuttle and 7.18 three-cone drills. He compares to Jared Allen in size, intangibles and AA, including playing down in the 4-3 set on the strongside. He resembles Allen in body type, and combination of quickness and power as an edge rusher. He is capable of holding up vs the run inline, stringing out plays and keeping contain on the corner. Blue-collar defender with the fine skill set and upside that carries a mid 1st round grade and top 20 selection off an impressive Senior Bowl week and game. Rising prospect and well developed athlete to make a difference. Seahawks, Eagles and Titans in the hunt.
Draft Projection: 1st Round
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BCS National Championship Series
College 2011-2012 Bowl Conference Matchups
The BCS is a five-game showcase of college football. It is designed to ensure that the two top-rated teams in the country meet in the national championship game, and to create exciting and competitive matchups among eight other highly regarded teams in four other bowl games.
It has been undeniably successful in achieving those goals. Thanks to the BCS, the top two teams have played each other 12 times in 12 years by BCS measurements and nine times in the last 12 according to the AP poll -- including the last six years in a row. Additionally, it has provided more access to the major bowls for all eleven conferences, more television exposure, and more postseason revenue than ever before.
BCS National Championship Game
BCS#1 vs BCS #2 - Jan. 9, 2012 - 8:30 p.m. - New Orleans, La.- ESPN
BCS SCHEDULE
Rose Bowl
Jan. 2, 2012 - Pasadena, Calif.
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Jan. 2, 2012 - Glendale, Ariz.
Sugar Bowl
Jan. 3, 2012 - New Orleans
Discover Orange Bowl
Jan. 4, 2012 - Miami
BCS National Championship
Jan. 9, 2012 - New Orleans
– Complete 2011-2012 Bowl Games –
December 2011
New Mexico Bowl
MWC vs Pac 12 - Albuquerque, N.M.- Dec. 17, 2011 - 2 p.m. ESPN
Humanitarian Bowl
WAC vs MAC - Boise, Idaho - Dec. 17, 5:30 p.m. ESPN
New Orleans Bowl
Sun Belt vs CUSA - New Orleans, La - Dec. 17, 9 p.m. ESPN
St. Petersburg Bowl
Big East vs CUSA - St. Petersburg, Fl - Dec. 20, 8 p.m. ESPN
Poinsettia Bowl
MWC vs WAC - Dec. 21, 8 p.m. ESPN
Las Vegas Bowl
MWC vs Pac 10 - Las Vegas, Nv - Dec. 22, 8 p.m. ESPN
Hawaii Bowl
WAC vs CUSA - Honolulu, Hi - Dec. 24, 8 p.m. ESPN
Independence Bowl
MWC vs ACC - Shreveport, La. - Dec. 26, 5 p.m. ESPN2
Little Caesars Bowl
MAC vs. Big Ten - Detroit, Mi - Dec. 27, 4:30 p.m. ESPN
Belk Bowl
Big East vs ACC – Charlotte, North Carolina - Dec. 27, 8 p.m. ESPN2
Military Bowl
ACC vs Navy - Washington, D.C. - Dec. 28, 4:30 pm ESPN
Pacific Life Holiday Bowl
Big 12 vs Pac 12 - San Diego, Ca - Dec. 28, 8 p.m. ESPN
Champs Sports Bowl
Big East vs ACC - Orlando, Fl. - Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m. ESPN
Alamo Bowl
Big 12 vs Pac 12 - San Antonio, Tx - Dec. 29, 9 p.m. ESPN
Armed Forces Bowl
CUSA vs BYU - Dallas, Tx - Dec. 30, 12 p.m ESPN
Pinstripe Bowl
Big East vs Big 12 - Bronx, NYC - Dec. 30, 3:30 p.m. ESPN
Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl
ACC vs SEC - Nashville, Tn. - Dec. 30, 6:30 p.m. ESPN
Insight Bowl
Big Ten vs Big 12 - Tempe, Ariz. - Dec. 30, 10 p.m. ESPN
Meineke Car Care Bowl
Big East vs ACC - Charlotte, N.C. - Dec. 31, Noon. ESPN
Brut Sun Bowl
ACC vs Pac 12 - El Paso, Texas - Dec. 31, 2 p.m. CBS
Liberty Bowl
SEC vs CUSA - Memphis, Tn. - Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. ABC
Fight Hunger Bowl
Army vs Pac 12 - San Francisco, Ca - Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. ESPN
Chick-fil-A Bowl
ACC vs SEC - Atlanta, Ga - Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ESPN
January 2012
Ticket City Bowl
Big Ten vs CUSA - Dallas, Tx. - Jan. 2, 1 p.m. ESPN
Capital One Bowl
Big Ten vs SEC - Orlando, Fl. - Jan. 2, 1 p.m. ABC
Gator Bowl
Big Ten vs SEC - Jacksonville, Fla. - Jan. 2, 1:00 p.m. ESPN 2
Outback Bowl
Big Ten vs SEC - Tampa, Fl. - Jan. 2, 1 p.m. ESPN
Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi
BCS - Big Ten vs Pac 10 - Pasadena, Ca - Jan. 2, 5:00 p.m. ABC
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Big Champion vs BCS - Glendale, Ariz. - Jan. 2, 8:30 p.m. ESPN
Sugar Bowl
SEC Champion vs BCS - New Orleans, La - Jan. 3, 8 p.m. ESPN
FedEx Orange Bowl
ACC Champion vs BCS - Miami, Fl - Jan. 4, 8 p.m. ESPN
AT&T Cotton Bowl
Big 12 vs SEC - Arlington, Texas - Jan. 6, 8 p.m. FOX
Compass Bowl
Big East vs SEC - Birmingham, Al - Jan. 7, 1:00 p.m. ESPN
Go Daddy.com Bowl
Sun Belt vs MAC - Mobile, Ala. - Jan. 8, 9 p.m. ESPN
BCS National Championship Game
BCS#1 vs BCS #2 - Jan. 9, 8:30 p.m. - New Orleans, La.- ESPN
Final NFL Preseason Schedule -
All Times Eastern Standard
QB Aaron Rodgers- Packers
Final Two Weekends of 2011 NFL Preseason
Thursday, August 25
Carolina at Cincinnati (7:00)
Cleveland at Philadelphia (7:30)
Washington at Baltimore (8:00)
Friday, August 26
Miami at Tampa Bay (7:30)
St. Louis at Kansas City (8:00)
Green Bay at Indianapolis (8:00)
Saturday, August 27
Jacksonville at Buffalo (7:00)
Atlanta at Pittsburgh (7:30)
Chicago at Tennessee (8:00)
New England at Detroit (8:00)
Houston at San Francisco (8:00)
Dallas at Minnesota (8:00)
Seattle at Denver (9:00)
San Diego at Arizona (10:00)
Sunday, August 28
New Orleans at Oakland (8:00)
Monday, August 29
N.Y. Jets at N.Y. Giants (7:00)
Thursday, September 1
Detroit at Buffalo (6:30)
Indianapolis at Cincinnati (7:00)
Philadelphia at N.Y. Jets (7:30)
N.Y. Giants at New England (7:30)
St. Louis at Jacksonville (7:30)
Tampa Bay at Washington (7:30)
Dallas at Miami (7:30)
Baltimore at Atlanta (7:30)
Cleveland at Chicago (8:00)
Pittsburgh at Carolina (8:00)
Houston at Minnesota (8:00)
Kansas City at Green Bay (8:00)
Tennessee at New Orleans (8:00)
San Francisco at San Diego 10:00)
Denver at Arizona (10:00)
Friday, September 2
Oakland at Seattle (10:30)
