Draft Buzz: On Revis, Manuel And Matt Scott
Some draft links to pass along on this Sunday…
The big news around the league is that the Bucs appear set to acquire Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. League sources tell ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Revis has been granted permission to take a physical and negotiate a contract with Tampa.
If the deal goes through, the Jets are expected to receive the No. 13 overall pick as part of the package. That would make New York one of three teams with two first-rounders (the Jets also have the ninth pick). St. Louis (Nos. 16 and 22) and Minnesota (23 and 25) are the others.
Any time a team has multiple first-round picks, it automatically becomes a candidate to potentially move up. The Jets are in prime position to get two quality players in the top 13, but in case you’re wondering, those two first-rounders add up to 2,500 on the old draft value chart. The fourth pick, which the Eagles hold, is at 1,800.
The Jets also have the 39th pick (second round). So they could potentially package that pick with one of the first-rounders to move up to No. 4.
Again, probably unlikely, but those are the scenarios.
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Buzz continues to grow that Florida State’s E.J. Manuel will be the second QB off the board, behind Geno Smith. NFL Network’s Mike Mayock had Manuel as his second-rated signal-caller, and this from Dan Pompei of the National Football Post:
There is a feeling in some NFL front offices that E.J. Manuel has leapfrogged Matt Barkely, Mike Glennon and Ryan Nassib and now could be the second quarterback taken, perhaps even in the first round. Part of this may be because teams have been unable to sell themselves on Barkley, Glennon and Nassib. And part of it may be that Manuel might have more potential than any of them. There clearly is a bust factor with him, but some think Manuel can be a better player at the next level because he has more raw talent than any quarterback in the draft other than maybe Geno Smith.
If Manuel falls to 35, the Eagles will think seriously about taking him. But I’m not sure they’d be willing to trade back into the first round to get him.
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Which means the quarterback to keep an eye on might be Arizona’s Matt Scott. Expected to be a Day 3 pick, Scott has the athleticism Chip Kelly covets out of the quarterback position.
In his annual prospect rankings, here’s what Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel wrote about Scott:
Benched early in 2010 in favor of Nick Foles. Redshirted in 2011 and came back to flourish in coach Rich Rodriguez’ read-option offense. “Very interesting guy – he’s like a (Colin) Kaepernick,” one scout said. “Not as big and doesn’t have as strong an arm. Really came on this year. He’s a very, very talented athlete.” Finished with an 11-6 record and passer rating of 88.1. Wonderlic of 22. “Low release, lot of tipped balls, raw, OK smarts and leadership,” another scout said. “He’s had a bunch of concussions, which is a little scary. Three this year. But he’s kind of gaining steam.” From Corona, Calif. “Highly inconsistent as a decision-maker,” a third scout said. “But throwing the ball, he has up side.”
Once Smith and Manuel are off the board, Scott is the name to watch at QB for the Birds.
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