1. Sports

Discuss in my forum

Tim McDonald

Football

By , About.com Guide

Follow me on:

Top Five NFL Draft Steals

Friday May 17, 2013

Marcus Lattimore

So, who did your team steal in the NFL draft?

An underrated linebacker, an undersized cornerback, a running back with a history of knee problems?

Every year after the draft, the debate begins about who got the best steals, the best value with the picks they had to work with.

Here are my top five 2013 draft steals. If you got a problem with it, let me know.

- Getty Images

 

NFL Minicamps: Hot Rookies

Tuesday May 14, 2013

Nate Montana

It's always intriguing to see a rookie you sense will be an NFL star someday.

Which one of the 2013 NFL rookies will someday be a Joe Montana?

It's impossible to say with this group, though we know there will be at least one related to a superstar. That would be Nate Montana, son of the legendary 49ers quarterback Joe Montana.

Nate, not coincidentally, is one of the rookies who has been a minicamp standout. Here is my list of 10 other rookie standouts thus far.

- Getty Images

 

Khan! Stop the Madness and Sign Tim Tebow!

Friday May 10, 2013

Tim Tebow

New Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan is getting some very bad advice.

His new General Manager David Caldwell keeps going public on Tim Tebow, bad-mouthing the free agent quarterback and reiterating that the Jags - no how, no way - are interested in signing Tebow.

Caldwell really should zip it publicly. Privately, he needs to say to Khan: "K-Man, go to the bank now and come back with a big ol' bag of money. We got to sign this kid now, today!"

Caldwell is so far off base on this one, a monkey could pick him off. Tebow would stop Jacksonville's sad slide into obscurity, both in the win-loss column and in attendance.

It's really a ridiculous situation in Jacksonville. Read my column on Tebow here and why the Jaguars should sign him immediately. Nobody with any sense could possibly disagree, so let me hear all your supporting arguments.

- Getty Images

Losers! Worst Pickers in 2013 NFL Draft

Monday May 6, 2013

Jerry Jones

The Browns, Cowboys, Patriots, Dolphins and Jets: These teams failed the 2013 NFL draft.

How? They're losers either because they picked losers or they did something else stupid, like trading away too many picks, drafting positions where they were already solid or letting the owner get involved in personnel matters.

You've seen the winners. Now here are the losers.

- Getty Images

The Big Winners in the 2013 NFL Draft

Friday May 3, 2013

Geno Smith

Yes, it's a little weird leading off a blog about the 2013 NFL Draft winners with the biggest loser.

But, it's hard to resist when the biggest loser brought it all on himself. Maybe Geno Smith would have been the first pick if he hadn't acted like the King of Sheba in his pre-draft meetings with NFL teams, which he did, according to media reports.

Maybe he would not have.

In any case, it was great seeing him dangle until the second round. Sorry, Mountaineer fans, but it's always good to see a situation where a little humility would have gone a long way.

The draft has come and gone and it's time to ferret out the winners and losers. Here are my winners. You may disagree, but please do it with the appropriate amount of humility.

- Getty Images

Cornerback Cornucopia!

Wednesday April 24, 2013

Dee Milliner

In the NFL, you either have a "shutdown" guy at the cornerback spot or you're looking for one.

There are plenty to choose from in tomorrow's NFL draft. Like most other positions this year, there are no bona fide Hall of Famers available.

But, there are more than a handful who have the potential to become starters in the NFL, possibly even stars. In fact, this could be the deepest position pool in the draft.

Here are my top five cornerback prospects.

- Getty Images

 

Top Five Linebackers for Thursday's NFL Draft

Monday April 22, 2013

Barkevious Mingo

A converted safety, a guy with a serious neck injury and a Hawaiian with an imaginary girlfriend.

These are your top linebacker prospects for Thursday's NFL draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

Actually, the pool is deep and wide for linebackers in this year's draft. Like most other positions, there are no guaranteed All-Pros, but there is a plethora of talented players who will make impacts on NFL squads.

Here are my top five prospects. Feel free to argue with me if you disagree.

Getty Images

2013 NFL Draft: Top Five Defensive Ends

Friday April 19, 2013

Dion Jordan

What does it say about this year's crop of defensive ends available for the draft that three of my top five prospects are foreigners?

It says that playing defensive end isn't exactly a highly technical position. If you are big, strong, quick and athletic, you can learn the position relatively quickly, no matter where you're from.

One top prospect didn't play football until he was 15 years old. Another never played the game until he was in college.

And yet another came to the U.S. in search of a track and field coach, only to end up on the football team.

It's an interesting bunch. Here they are, the top five defensive ends in this year's draft, April 25-27.

- Getty Images

NFL Draft: Top Offensive Linemen

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Can you name the last time an offensive lineman was picked first in the NFL draft?Luke Joeckel

Give me the year, name and team, and you could win a valuable prize, my grudging respect.

If you said 2008 you are correct. Jake Long was picked first overall by Miami.

There are a lot of prized offensive linemen in this year's draft, including one that could again, possibly, be the No. 1 overall pick.

Check it out, here are my top five pro prospects.

- Getty Images

Top Five Tight End Prospects in NFL Draft

Friday April 12, 2013

Vance McDonald

You remember tight ends when you were growing up, watching the old Packers, Giants and Bears?

They were mostly, rangy, strong guys, mean as snakes. Mike Ditka, Dave Casper, John Mackey.

Tight ends are just as important now as they were then, maybe even more so. The difference is now they're expected to do more, to be more versatile.

There are some good ones available in the upcoming draft. Here are my top five prospects.

- Getty Images

 

©2013 About.com. All rights reserved.