Combine Thoughts and Opinions

The NFL Scouting Combine took place over the weekend in Indianapolis, and it wraps up on Tuesday with the DBs participating in drills. The combine is still a very important event as far as preparing for the draft, but it is as vital as it once was. Now, many players will participate in only a few events in the combine and many players will then workout at their own pro day at their college campus in March and April. After the combine, there will be players that will rise up the draftboards and there will be players that take a dip in their draft status. It will be interesting to see which players really increase their value after what happens in the combine, but it won't make or break it. There is also a lot of news that usually comes out from the combine because all of the head coaches and general managers are there. Unfortunately, there are a lot of stories that come out that are simply non-stories. Here are some of my thoughts and opinions on what I read, saw and heard from this weekend's NFL Scouting Combine.

1) I'm not really putting too much stock into John Fox's quote that Kyle Orton is the Broncos starting QB right now. ESPN and NFL Network all ran with the story saying that Orton is definitely Denver's starter this year and basically naming him our starter for the season opener. My thought is that it is February and not even training camp. What coaches say now in February is a lot different then what they say in August or September. I'll give you a couple of examples: Two years ago at the Combine, Rex Ryan was interviewed. He said that the Jets were really happy with Kellen Clemens, and that he thought Clemens was going to be their QB and he was excited for that. He also said that the Jets are really happy with their QB situation. Everyone thought that the Jets would go defense in the first round and give Clemens a chance at QB. Well, the Jets then promptly traded up and drafted Mark Sanchez in the first round of the 2009 Draft. Fox left it up that there will be a competition for the QB position in Denver, but that Orton is the guy right now. Again, I'm not going to put a lot of stock into Fox's comments, but I do think the possibility of trading Orton (The best move in my opinion) won't happen this offseason. A lot will play out before we get to Week 1.
2) I don't know who Denver is going to take at number two overall, but I will be happy if it is one of these players: Da'Quan Bowers, Robert Quinn, Nick Fairley, Marcel Dareus, Patrick Peterson and Von Miller. If it isn't one of those guys, then I think the Broncos are making a mistake.
3) I'm not thrilled with this year's QB class. Blaine Gabbert doesn't really do it for me, Jake Locker is athletic and intriguing but his career seems to remind me of Chad Henne's career arc. Cam Newton has the potential and the upside, but his style is like Tim Tebow's and I'm afraid that he could be Vince Young 2.0. Ryan Mallet reminds me of Ryan Leaf and I wouldn't draft him if I was a NFL GM.
4) After watching the combine on NFL Network, Mike Mayock is the best NFL draft expert out there right now. He is so good and the reason why I like him is that he always seems to refer back to gamefilm and specific games when he is breaking down a player. He gives you specific plays and moments when talking about a certain player. Mel Kiper just sticks to his shtick that he has used for two decades, and Todd McShay just likes to use jargon to make it sound like he knows what he is talking about. Mayock blows them all away, and I love watching how enthusiastic he is when watching these players.
5) D-Day is Thursday for the NFL as the CBA expires. It is a big week for the NFL, and hopefully they will be able to at least extend the deadline, so they can come to some sort of agreement.