September 24, 2009

Where would you rank Oklahoma's Sam Bradford against the first round quarterbacks from the past three drafts?

Daniel
Toronto, Ontario

     I have never really been on the Sam Bradford bandwagon and had he been in last year’s draft I definitely would have had him behind Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez in my rankings and possibly even Josh Freeman. Don't get me wrong, Bradford is a very good player, I just think he has some major question marks (arm, build / durability, system, etc.) that would make me shy away from him early on given other options. Projecting back further, I would have had Bradford as my #2 quarterback in the 2008 NFL Draft, behind only Matt Ryan, and in 2007 he would have been behind both Brady Quinn and JaMarcus Russell.

     With that said bear in mind that those are my personal opinions. Most seem to be more impressed with Bradford than I am and he looks like a future Top 5 pick.

- Scott Wright, Draft Countdown

If there is a new Collective Bargaining Agreement for the 2010 Season that includes a rookie salary scale, like they use in the NBA, would it affect certain player's draft prospects? For example, could it allow a guy like Eric Berry to rise into the Top 3 as teams no longer have to potentially pay a safety $35-40 million or do you think the current positional values will stay in place?

Seamus
Belfast, Ireland

     A potential rookie salary scale is a very important issue that draftniks should be sure to monitor closely. Both the owners and the players seem highly motivated to implement some form of salary control in regards to the draft so it definitely appears to be on the horizon. Prior to last year’s underclassmen deadline Commissioner Roger Goodell came out and announced that there wouldn’t be anything in place this year so the Class of 2010 will be unaffected and is still in line for massive paydays. However, if it looks as though something will get done before the 2011 NFL Draft we could see a flood of juniors and redshirt sophomores declare this year in an effort to beat the clock. Nobody really knows for sure what is going to happen but my educated guess is it’s more a question of “when” rather than “if”.

     There is no doubt that a rookie salary scale will be a great thing for the NFL Draft and I’ve been a big proponent of it for many years now. With the current system it’s hard to justify taking, for example, a safety or linebacker in the Top 5 and making them the highest paid player in the history of the league at their position. Hopefully the new Collective Bargaining Agreement will fix that and once again allow teams to focus on talent rather than worry about money.

- Scott Wright, Draft Countdown

Where do you think UCLA CB Alterraun Verner will be selected? I would love to see him in a Falcons uniform next year. Do you think he would fit in well with Atlanta and what are his strengths and weaknesses?

Ike
Atlanta, GA

     Alterraun Verner kind of falls into the “Good College Player, Average Pro Prospect” category. Despite a very productive career for the Bruins Verner just doesn’t have the type of size or speed that you look for at the next level. An instinctive ballhawk with a lot of confidence and solid intangibles, Verner is more of a late round possibility who could carve out a niche as a backup in the pros.

     As for the Falcons, they just invested a relatively early draft pick on a very similar player (Chris Owens) so I’m not sure Verner would be a good fit in Atlanta.

- Scott Wright, Draft Countdown

I am a huge West Virginia fan. Which Mountaineer players do you see being picked in this year's draft and when?

Erik
Lund, Sweden

     West Virginia has a handful of legitimate prospects for the 2010 NFL Draft.

     Leading the way is OT Selvish Capers, a raw but super athletic former tight end who has drawn comparisons to Duane Brown of the Houston Texans. Right now Selvish looks like a solid second round possibility but he has the potential to move up even further. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly the next guy on the list would be QB Jarrett Brown, who is much more highly thought of in scouting circles than people realize. Brown, who backed up Pat White for most of his college career, is a great athlete with a big arm and could come off the board in the middle rounds as a developmental signal caller. After that there is a drop-off but WR Alric Arnett, ILB Reed Williams and WR Wesley Lyons are all late round possibilities.

- Scott Wright, Draft Countdown