And now for something completely different, during the VFA Agent money madness… some Draft talk. Last week, I took a look at the Offensive position groups and gave out grades relative to their pro potential impact. SO, now it’s time to poke at the Defensive side of the ball, and the pickings are pretty impressive up front. Probably… Read More »
We are nearing the end of the annual Draft Prospect player evaluations. We have watched players in game action from late August until early January. Then, over 300 prospects participated in the 3 major All-Star games in late January, and of course, we have just concluded the annual Combine in Indy. Pro Days are currently taking place all… Read More »
To my knowledge, just about every Draftnik throws out a list of the most obvious exclusions from the annual Combine, and certainly, it’s pretty easy to identify a handful of prospects, who are personal favorites, that don’t get invited to Indy. It is also true, just about every year, that a few of the invitees that we question,… Read More »
PIGSKIN PAUL’s 2019 NFL Mock Draft 1.0 ‘Tis the season to give Draft fans some food for thought, so to speak. So, before the Combine throws another round of pertinent information at us to analyze, let’s see how things look to yours truly right now. Please remember, I do not throw potential trades in. But I will say… Read More »
There are almost always two sides to every story. After giving you a couple of articles detailing some Star-Game winners, I felt obliged to make note of some guys who just did not measure up to the competition around them, both in St. Pete and Mobile. It doesn’t mean that they won’t be on Training Camp rosters next… Read More »
Now let’s turn our attention back to the Senior Bowl and take a look at a half dozen players who certainly surprised me with their praise worthy efforts in Mobile. Game film from last season will still be the main influence in determining their value to perspective NFL teams, but getting extra attention at this time of year… Read More »
Just as some players disappoint in the public eye at All-Star games in January, there are also some who aren’t household names, yet they step up and stand out. After rewatching the Shrine Game telecast and reviewing practice notes, I have a group of such players I wanted to highlight for you. TYLER JONES OG NC STATE 6’3/298… Read More »
SENIOR BOWL ALL-STAR Team 2019 It seems a bit strange to be posting an All-Star team from a bigger All-Star team but here goes. This year I am combining the practice week with the game performances, and making just a couple of positional transfers from the norm. QB #8 JARRETT STIDHAM AUBURN RB #2 DEXTER WILLIAMS NOTRE DAME… Read More »
Weather continues to be bright and crisp, near perfect for playing football. And that they did as the South squad came out for their final practice session. `After talking about lack of separation in the QB group in the North practice I feel like I finally have seen some based on this practice. And to be quite honest… Read More »
No rain, sunshine, cool but not frigid…. Yeah, let’s play some football. More than likely the media and NFL scouts were very happy to see decent conditions to watch the final two practices of the week. I am still struggling to find new grounds to establish QB separation down here. It feels like every time I see something… Read More »
The football gods were teasing us as we began the first practice of the 2019 Senior Bowl, Tuesday afternoon with the SOUTH squad. The sky was overcast and the air was damp and cool and the omni-present Ladd-Peebles wind was picking up a bit. But the promised/threatened rain deluge had still not begun. I always like to look… Read More »
Tuesday now starts the week here in Mobile, and it begins bright and early with the player weigh-in process. You’ve been provided with all the numbers, via link to our friend Scott Wright’s website and weigh-in chart. Here are some numbers that caught my attention. There are still plenty of guys who tip the scales at 300 lbs+,… Read More »
Today, being Sunday, is my day of rest before steering my car the 500 miles from Clermont, FL to Mobile, AL on Monday, MLK Day, to cover Senior Bowl week. Like many of you I will be watching NFL Play-Off games today, but before doing that and packing, I wanted to wrap up Shrine Week for you. The… Read More »
More often than not the Defenses dominate actual game action at this Star Game. That is due in great part to the predominance of fly-around, athletic defensive players at the event. In many instances, for example, the overall DL group may be slightly undersized by NFL standards but is very athletic and quick. Most of all, it is… Read More »
The Shrine got underway on Monday the 14th, with two afternoon practices. The morning was dedicated to National Scouting’s player weigh-in, which is a deep dark covert operation here in St. Pete, so Monday afternoon was filled with two consecutive practices at The Trop. By the end of the day, our fears were pretty much confirmed that only… Read More »
JOE LOWERY #65 OT OHIO 6’7/305 Way back before Christmas, Frank Solich and his Ohio Bobcats won another game with a 24-0 whitewashing of San Diego State in the Frisco Bowl. Now that Bill Snyder has retired, SOLICH is the senior coach in D-1 football. He plays old-fashioned offense where run first/pass second is the style. One of… Read More »
It’s Christmas in January for Pigskin Paul, with the annual All-Star football Games about to get underway. By this time next Monday, I should be entombed in The Trop in St. Pete, for the first practices of the 2019 Shrine Game. My count says this is the 10th year that this game has been in Florida. The first… Read More »
GARRETT BRADBURY #65 OC N.C. STATE 6’3/300 At the beginning of the 2018 college football season, I was of the opinion that OC was not going to be a particularly strong 2019 Draft position group. Two things have changed my mind since then. The first is the opinion of many personnel people, that a good number of other… Read More »
Time to close out the 2018 edition of College Football Bowls, which of course, take place in January. My final two, both, happen to feature Big Ten programs. Tuesday, Jan. 1st, 2019 Outback Bowl, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Noon/ET ESPN2 MISSISSIPPI STATE (8-4) vs. IOWA (8-4) Miss State had some adjustments to make in 2018 after DAN MULLEN… Read More »
The first hundred or so Bowl games are in the books… thank goodness. I am finding the new phenomenon of players leaving their teams, and heading for Performance Camps to prepare for the Draft, more annoying than I originally thought it would be. I went to Orlando last night to the Camping World Bowl game. It was an… Read More »
I’m going to cover the “other” Bowls for Saturday, leading up to the Final 4 games later in the day. PEACH BOWL Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA Noon/ET ESPN FLORIDA (9-3) vs. MICHIGAN (10-2) The Wolverines come into this game with that, all too familiar, bad taste in their mouths of a loss to Ohio State, in their Big… Read More »
Thursday Dec.27 Shreveport, LA 1:30PM/ET ESPN Independence Bowl Independence Stadium TEMPLE (8-4) vs. DUKE (7-5) The two teams in this one were at opposite ends of the spectrum when the regular season ended. Temple started the season slowly with QB injury iissues, going 2-3 in September, But they settled in and went 6-1 the rest of the season,… Read More »
JEFF ALLISON #9 IB FRESNO STATE 6’0/242 JR The Bulldogs are currently enjoying a program resurgence under HC JEFF TEDFORD, who has now led his team to double digit win totals in both of his first two seasons in charge of the program. ALLISON, who is expected to announce his intention to enter the 2019 NFL Draft very… Read More »
GASPARILLA BOWL; Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL 8PM/ET ESPN MARSHALL (8-4) vs. SOUTH FLORIDA (USF) (7-5) An extra home game for the BULLS, but unless Marshall brings a lot of fans with them, USF won’t fill that stadium, based on their regular season attendance. USF started the season 7-0, but lost their last 5 games. Marshall comes into… Read More »
With the college football season in the books, Bowling for Dollars getting underway, the NFL entering the home stretch, and much more, I felt I needed a break from the giant task of doing Bowl Game projections. So here are some thoughts weighing on the football side of my mind right now. Almost a shame as to how… Read More »
