Yes, the forty-yard dash is overrated. But for a 185-pound speedster like Michigan wide receiver Mario Manningham, you have to play the part.

He didn't Sunday, running a 4.59 forty time. He appeared nervous and struggled to get out of the blocks the second time. As Mike Mayock said, "I didn't think he'd have any problem running a 4.45. I thought he could roll out of bed and run a sub 4.5."

The wideout position is very tough to project at this point. Manningham and DeSean Jackson are among the big names, but don't really have early first-round size. Limas Sweed doesn't have a lot of tape of him on college, but he's an imposing physical talent who ran a 4.45 Sunday and has a shot to be the first one taken.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 05:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

San Diego QB Josh Johnson was a nice sleeper quarterback going into the combine. Now he could be a late second or third-round pick.

Johnson ran a blazing 4.44 forty time Sunday, faster than almost all the receivers he's throwing to. Mike Mayock says Johnson's stock has been rising since he tore up the East-West shrine game. He won't be ready to play right away, but could be a nice fit for a West Coast offense looking to develop someone. Tampa immediately comes to mind.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Surprisingly, my wife didn't feel like spending Saturday morning watching Men in tight shorts run forty-yard dashes. So I caught up on Day one of the Combine this morning before beginning to watch Sunday's skill position coverage.

In a nutshell, the big stories of the day were ...

1) Jake Long is a stud. Each year, one tackle solidifies his dominance at the Combine. After D'Brickashaw Ferguson in 2006 and Joe Thomas in 2007, Long did the trick this year. Ryan Clady has been mentioned in his same class, but Clady didn't work out. And the NFL Network guys think Clady is closer to the next group of tackles than a top five-pick like Long.

Continue reading "Day One Recap" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

8-10 teams are supposedly interested in Troy Williamson, but I wouldn't expect any of them to give up much for the kid. His agent is fluffling up the situation, but Williamson has had a disastrous career since being taken in the top-ten of the 2005 draft.

He bottomed out with only 18 catches last year and has been benched at various points in his career for the following players: Robert Ferguson, Martin Nance, Aundrae Allison, Billy McMullen, Travis Taylor, and Marcus Robinson.

Continue reading "Williamson much ado about nothing" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 05:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If peeing in your pants was cool, this guy's Miles Davis.

I didn't nail Jamal Lewis' contract exactly, but it sounds about right if he only plays the first two years.

Continue reading "Skinny Posts: Combine" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 02:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

DeShaun Foster has had a lot of repuations for a five-year career. First, he was a promising future star following a solid rookie year. Then he was an injury-prone disappointment. Then he was a star waiting to happen, held down by an aging Stephen Davis. For the last two years, he's reminded me of a group of girls in high school that we knew, but didn't have any personality: "The Just-There Gymnasts." DeShaun Foster is just there.

His 3.9 yards-per-carry career average defines average. In the last three years, he has gained between 876-897 rushing yards with two or three touchdowns.

Continue reading "Where Foster fits" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 02:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Our NBA page has been rocking with trades lately, especially on the deadline Thursday. The NFL won't ever have that volume of action, but the increasing salary cap should make it easier for deals to happen this month.

A couple early rumors: Javon Walker could go the Bucs, and DeAngelo Hall might be headed to the Giants.

Throw in some scuttlebutt about Shaun Alexander getting cut (which we heard seperately but couldn't quite post) and we're squarely in the middle of the football hot stove season. Unfortunately, it will mostly end in about three weeks.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The running backs continue to stay put. On the heels of Justin Fargas and Travis Henry staying with their teams, Jamal Lewis has decided to re-up with the Browns.

In a deep year for backs in the draft, it made sense for Lewis to re-sign. Cleveland's offensive line will make Lewis look like a better player than he really is, just like Derek Anderson. He wasn't going to get a huge deal elsewhere.

Continue reading "Jamal Lewis shows good vision" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 02:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Players are usually too proud to take a big paycut to stay with their team, even if it's in their best interest. That's what Travis Henry did Wednesday, and it will keep him high on the fantasy radar going into 2007.

Henry wanted to atone for his miserable final 12 games in Denver. During that span, he averaged 3.2 yards-per-carry and gained fewer total yards than Andre Hall. He gained roughly 500 total yards fewer than Selvin Young after September.

Continue reading "Travis Henry stays in Denver" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

More than ever before in the salary cap era, free agency is becoming a low-profile affair. Keep a couple things in mind over the next two weeks.

1. With rare exceptions, a player only leaves if his original team wants him to

For every Asante Samuel who makes it to the market, there are a couple cornerbacks (Marcus Trufant and Nmandi Asomugha) that get franchised.

Continue reading "Good players rarely change teams" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 09:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)