IrishCentral NFL Draft - b5cc3275d518416eacb61d676e8d84d1

Rex Ryan and Jets add defensive weapons in first round of NFL draft (IrishCentral)

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 04:39:36 PDT

By: MATT KEOUGH

The newly John Idzik managed Jets focus for the 2013 draft is on top talent available after first round selections of cornerback Dee Milliner and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson. The Jets had the 9th and 13th overall picks and chose not to select offensive players to combat last years bottom three finish in passing yards.

New England Patriots NFL Draft: DeAndre Hopkins Scouting Report (IrishCentral)

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 06:03:01 PDT

After looking at Desmond Trufant and Justin Hunter, today's prospect in The Sports Central NFL Draft Series is Clemson's DeAndre Hopkins Hopkins is one of the most exciting prospects in the draft and some consider him to be the safest selection alsoEven with the re-signing of Julian Edelman and the continuing saga surrounding Emmanuel Sanders, the Patriots will still be in the market for an additional wide receiver presence on the outside So there is no need to change approach at this point READ MORE

New England Patriots Draft: Justin Hunter Scouting Report (IrishCentral)

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 03:47:56 PDT

With the NFL draft just a matter of weeks away, coverage of the prospects and franchises is starting to crank up Just like any of the other 31 franchises in the NFL, the New England Patriots' shortlist of targets will be coming into focus right about nowEven though they made an offer to restricted free agent Emmanuel Sanders today, wide receivers should densely populate that list One of the best fits for the Patriots is also a player they can realistically target with their first pick, Tennessee's Justin Hunter READ MORE

New England Patriots Draft: Desmond Trufant Scouting Report (IrishCentral)

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:32:58 PDT

For the first time in some time, the New England Patriots enter the NFL draft with a notably limited number of draft picks Because of the Albert Haynesworth and Chad Johnson trades, the Patriots only have five choices this year in what is considered to be a relatively deep draft classThat said, the Patriots, as they seem to always be, are in a strong position to trade up in the draft as part of an overall aggressive philosophy for the next two seasons Picking at 29th overall in the first round should allow them to grab a talented player who can help them immediately, but if they fall for a specific talent they could look to move up or trade future picks to add a choice this year READ MORE

Sports Central NFL Mock Draft 2013 (IrishCentral)

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:17:47 PDT

One would think that April would be a quiet month for a league that runs from September through February, but that is what makes the NFL so special these days The NFL has become a year round commitment and arguably the most exciting event on it's calendar is the NFL draftUnlike the Super Bowl, an event that only includes the top two teams in the league directly, every single fan has a reason to be hopeful when it comes to the draft1 Kansas City Chiefs-Luke Joeckel, OT READ MORE

New England Patriots Draft Plans Rise To Prominence (IrishCentral)

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 06:02:40 PDT

The New England Patriots wrapped up a deal for former Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings' wide receiver Michael Jenkins just in time to conclude their business in March Jenkins won't excite fans, even though he has that speed the Patriots' offense craves on the edges, but he is most likely one of the final moves to be made by the franchise ahead of the draftFree agency allowed the Patriots to re-sign their starting right tackle, Sebastian Vollmer, replace Wes Welker with Danny Amendola, add a swing tackle in Will Svitek, get a tough veteran presence in their secondary with Adrian Wilson and retain both Kyle Arrington and Aqib Talib at the cornerback positionIn no small part because of Tom Brady's contract extension, the Patriots were able to address most of their primary needs READ MORE

More pressure for Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o as NFL draft creep closer (IrishCentral)

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 05:32:30 PST

By: MATT KEOUGH

Football prospects across the nation are hoping to stand out to NFL teams as the draft creeps closer. Lately, Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o has been a stand out for all the wrong reasons. To add a cherry on top of his poor national championship performance and strange off the field drama, Te’o’s NFL combine numbers were mediocre.

Notre Dame’s Louis Nix and Zack Martin to skip the NFL draft and join Fighting Irish next year - VIDEO (IrishCentral)

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 06:32:02 PST

By: DARA KELLY

Coach Brian Kelly announced that Notre Dame’s nose guard Louis Nix III and offensive tackle Zack Martin will return to the Indiana university next year and skip the NFL draft.

Four Notre Dame players taken in NFL draft. (IrishCentral)

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 01:00:16 PDT

Michael FloydThe Notre Dame Fighting Irish added more talent to the NFL professional ranks over the weekend, as four players were selected by teams in the NFL's annual draftWide receiver Michael Floyd was selected in the first round by the Arizona Cardinals with the 13th overall pickSafety Harrison Smith, who also went in the first round, was picked 29th overall by the Minnesota VikingsOutside linebacker Darius Fleming and cornerback Robert Blanton also secured places in the camps within the professional ranks of the NFL, as they were selected by the San Francisco 49ers and the Minnestoa Vikings in the 5th round READ MORE

2012 NFL Draft New England Patriots select Dont'a Hightower (IrishCentral)

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:30:15 PDT

The New England Patriots traded up for the second time in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft to select Dont'a Hightower at pick 25The Patriots gave up their 31st and 126th pick to the Denver Broncos to select the Alabama Linebacker Hightower is one of the most versatile players to come out of the draft in recent years and led the Alabama defense to a National Championship last year Hightower is the perfect fit in the Patriots' defense as he can play in both the 3-4 and 4-3 schemes READ MORE

2012 NFL Draft New England Patriots select Chandler Jones (IrishCentral)

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:15:15 PDT

The New England Patriots traded up to 21st with the Cincinnati Bengals to select Chandler Jones out of Syracuse in the first round of the NFL draftBill Belichick gave up the 27th overall pick and a third round selection to move up six spots and take the defensive end Jones has been described by some as the best pass rusher in this class The Patriots were in desperate need of defensive reinforcement and could go defense again with their second first round pick READ MORE

NFL Mock Draft 2012 - whose names will commissioner Roger Goodell announce as draft picks (IrishCentral)

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:15:10 PDT

“With the first selection, in the 2012 NFL draft, the Indianapolis Colts select Andrew Luck, Quarterback, Stanford University”One day away from the 2012 NFL draft, that is the only statement which we are guaranteed to hear from commissioner Roger Goodell as he announces the draft picksColts' general manager Ryan Grigson confirmed what everyone already knew this past week However, there is still a lot left past Luck to be determined READ MORE

NFL Draft 2012 - Could Janoris Jenkins find his way to the New England Patriots in Round 2? (IrishCentral)

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:30:10 PDT

Janoris Jenkins is one of the most intriguing prospects entering the 2012 NFL draft for every team, but especially a team like the New England Patriots who are in need of defensive helpAs I wrote yesterday, the Patriots are expected to focus their efforts on defense this Thursday when the draft begins The two primary needs for the team are pass rushers and coverage men and therefore Bill Belichick and his team of scouts will be focusing on those areas of this draft classJenkins is potentially the most talented player in coverage that this draft has to offer READ MORE

New England Patriots - Bill Belichick enters NFL Draft 2012 in a Defensive State of Mind (IrishCentral)

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 06:15:08 PDT

After a season in which the team carried a 31st ranked pass defense all the way to the Super Bowl, defense is going to be a particular focus for the New England Patriots this week during the NFL draftThe Patriots fixed their greatest weakness on offense carrying over from last season when they made multiple additions to their wide receiving corp The addition of Brandon Lloyd gives the team a viable number one receiver who can stretch the field while the return of Donte Stallworth adds another burner to their ranksWith We Welker, Deion Branch and Chad Ochocinco also returning, with potential contributions from Anthony Gonzalez also, Tom Brady should have plenty of weapons to put points on the board with next year READ MORE

NFL Mock Drafts - Six Experts' Choices for the New England Patriots in the first round (IrishCentral)

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 05:15:14 PDT

The NFL draft will begin on Thursday night with the first round kicking off the biggest event of the off-season As ever, the New England Patriots are expected to be major players in the draft Predicting what Bill Belichick will do is difficult, but that hasn't stopped everyone trying to outline exactly which team needs need to be filled the mostIn order to get a better idea of what to expect from the Patriots on Thursday night, here is a selection of picks from various experts' mock drafts:—Matt Miller—Bleacherreport 27 READ MORE

NFL Draft 2012: Retracking the Previous 27th picks for the New England Patriots (IrishCentral)

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 10:00:10 PDT

The New England Patriots, to nobody's surprise, enter the NFL draft this weekend with multiple draft picks in the first round With regards to the New Orleans Saints, after they traded their first round selection this year to draft Mark Ingram last year, the Patriots highest draft pick comes at number 27 overallBill Belichick and company are well used to picking at the end of each round as they are consistently competing in the playoffs While each year's draft is unique, there is a certain level of consistency that can generally be found if you trace the history of each draft pick from season to season READ MORE

Sports Central NFL Mock Draft 2012: Where Will Notre Dame's Michael Floyd Land? (IrishCentral)

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 03:16:24 PDT

With the NFL draft only a matter of weeks away, excitement is beginning to build to a crescendo amongst not only big draft fans, but all NFL fansThe college season is well in tow, the combine is completed and all of the pro days are done, the draft is beginning to take shape Even though the very nature of the draft makes you expect the unexpected, here is a mock draft looking forward to the big event in New York in a few weeks1 READ MORE

New England Patriots free agency and draft gameplan (IrishCentral)

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:15:16 PST

Bill Belichick is not the type of head coach to sit around licking his wounds after a devastating loss to end the season Belichick will already have spent a few weeks determining what he can do during this off-season to take that final step which eluded the team last seasonThe Patriots enter the off-season in good shape with roughly $20 million in cap spaceWhile most of their key contributors on both sides of the ball are under contract, there are some pivotal role players who the team will be desperate to sign READ MORE

Sport-Central's NFL Mock draft 2012 Edition One Part 2 (IrishCentral)

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:15:16 PST

Mock draft PART 2 is here For PART 1 click here17 Cincinnati Bengals select - Cordy Glenn, G, Georgia READ MORE

Sport-Central's NFL Mock draft 2012 Edition One Part 1 (IrishCentral)

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:00:19 PST

This is the first NFL Mock draft for 2012 from the Sports-Central blog This year's draft projections will be broken into two articles Here is the first of the season with some bold predictions*A special shout-out must go to Matt Miller of Bleacherreport and Newerascouting for providing in-depth draft grades and rankings READ MORE