2012 NFL Mock Draft: Version 1.0

I'm Jack City, I'll be writing some NFL posts here for Chowdah. Here's my first go-around at an NFL first round mock draft, with modifications to come as the date draws closer. This is my first version of my draft with in-depth analysis on who's projected where and why they're in those spots.

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck/QB, Stanford
With an aging Peyton Manning, this pick becomes the most obvious in the draft as the Colts look for Peyton’s successor. The big question that arises is what the Colts do with Peyton, as it seemingly has become not feasible to keep both Luck and Manning. Look for the Colts to explore their options with dealing Peyton, which could be enticing to a team such as the Redskins, whose fans have grown restless due to the lack of production at the quarterback position. One thing needs to be said — they cannot go another year with Rex Grossman under center. It just can’t happen.

2. St. Louis Rams: TRADE to Cleveland Browns: Robert Griffin III/QB, Baylor
Trade alert. I think this trade makes lots of sense for the Rams to trade down to the No. 4 pick. They're trying to find weapons to put around franchise quarterback and former No. 1 pick Sam Bradford, and Justin Blackmon or Matt Kalil will still be available at that fourth pick. I believe that Robert Griffin’s stock will rise to the No. 2 spot, as skill positions such as a quarterback are valued highly in drafts. The Colt McCoy era ends in Cleveland, even though I am not sold on riding a quarterback off until he has the essential weapons around him, which McCoy never got. Thoughts go off in my head about Tim Couch, the last busted QB the Browns tried to draft high, but Griffin III seems to have a can’t miss arm and mobility — you saw what Cam Newton did this year with those same attributes. Those should translate over nicely in the NFL.

Who Said Boston College's Luke Kuechly Wasn't Big Enough, Fast Enough, Strong Enough?

Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly was a ball-hawking tackling machine during his three seasons as an Eagle. In his junior season last fall, he smashed his own school record for tackles in a season by racking up 191 of them. That total helped him break the ACC record for tackles in a career, etching a final tally of 532 into the books. His stellar season helped him reap several awards, including the highly renowned Butkus Award for being the best linebacker in college football.

Despite all of these accolades, NFL scouts have maintained their doubts about Kuechly's size, speed and strength in his move from the college scene to the NFL.

After Kuechly's eye-popping performance at the NFL Combine on Monday, however, many of the critics are starting to eat their own words.

Everyone knows that the former BC Eagle has an uncanny nose for the ball and an astronomical football IQ. His athleticism, though, was on full display during his combine workouts. In fact, Kuechly proved to be one of the most athletic among the linebackers — and all positions, for that matter — present at the 2012 combine.

After many emphasized the disadvantages of his small stature, Kuechly measured in at 6'3" and an impressive 242 pounds, showing that he has bulked up since the end of the college football season.

In the 40-yard dash, Kuechly ran a blistering 4.58 time, slating him third among linebackers.

On the bench press, he performed 27 reps — a very impressive number for a guy who was deemed to lack strength and muscle. His total placed him sixth among linebackers.

Kuechly's vertical jump notched a height of 38 inches, good for third-best among linebackers.

His broad jump distance of 10 feet, three inches ranked him fifth among his fellow linebackers.

His time for the three-cone drill (6.92 seconds) placed him fourth among linebackers, his 20-yard shuttle time (4.12 seconds) ranked him third, and he notched the best time among all linebackers in the 60-yard shuttle (11.43 seconds).

Pretty good for a kid who lacks athleticism.

For the local fans here at Boston College and throughout New England, there was never much doubt that Kuechly would translate to the NFL level. We've seen him play, we've seen his commitment, and we've seen his instincts in action. For some of us at the Heights, we've even seen his study habits and his profanity-free language choices. As Boston College coach Frank Spaziani and the rest of the Eagles refer to him, he's "Superboy."

The combine spread that same belief around the nation. After his impressive performance on Monday, it's a certainty that Kuechly will be drafted in the first round. I'd be stunned if he isn't gone by the 15th selection (Philadelphia). He might even go at No. 11 to the Kansas City Chiefs or No. 13 to the Arizona Cardinals. I suppose he could go to anyone — who wouldn't want Superboy?

There's one thing that I've been sure of for a while — and others are becoming convinced of it this week — Luke Kuechly is going to be a very good inside linebacker in the National Football League.

I look forward to purchasing his jersey... unless it's one of those teams from New York.

Gambling Tip: Hoyas vs. Fighting Irish, 7 PM

My name is Bobby Booze and I'm the gambling writer for Chowdah. I'll give you the gambling tips to win you some some beer money for the week. Here's my first one.

Tonight I like the Hoyas against Notre Dame, it’s not just because I go to BC. Trust Me. Notre Dame is coming off a loss to St. Johns who is having a rough season and G-Town is looking to keep up where they left off against Nova last week. ND is 5-8 against the spread on the road, so I like the odds.

PS. Hollis Thompson has a silky ass Jimmy.

The Pick: G-Town (-6)
  

Bruins Add Rolston, Zanon as Deadline Passes

Bruins fans anxiously waited throughout the day today to hear what kind of trade general manager Peter Chiarelli would swing in an effort to make his team more poised for a Stanley Cup run. Just as the 3 p.m. ET deadline struck, Boston hammered out two deals in quick succession to provide the depth that they were likely seeking.

First, the Bruins shipped prospects Yannick Riendeau and Marc Cantin to the New York Islanders in exchange for forward Brian Rolston and defenseman Mike Mottau.

Rolston is the biggest piece in the trade, while it is likely that Mottau never sees the ice for the black and gold. Rolston — who turned 39 last week — spent several seasons with the Bruins earlier in his career, but is well over the hill when it comes to production on the ice. He will look to be a depth player for the Bruins, and he likely won't figure into the lineup if/when Boston returns to full health.

A few minutes after completing that deal, the Bruins completed what is being reported as a one-for-one swap with the Minnesota Wild. The B's send young defenseman Steven Kampfer to the Wild in exchange for veteran defenseman Greg Zanon. Zanon is known as a shot-blocking defenseman and has finished near the top of the NHL each of the past few seasons in that category. He has blocked 104 shots this season, which now ranks him second on the Bruins roster behind Dennis Seidenberg.

The real question — how did Boston do this deadline? I mentioned yesterday that I wasn't expecting a big name to be brought in, but that Peter Chiarelli could still make a move. And I expected him to. With Johnny Boychuk now concussed and Rich Peverley and Nathan Horton still out of the lineup, the Bruins needed some depth on both the forward and defensive fronts.

Zanon brings a lot more to the table than Kampfer, and for that reason, I love the trade with Minnesota. Kampfer is a defensive liability, and he is not the type of player Boston needs to step into the defensive rotation when one of their six defensemen goes down. On top of that, the Bruins have several young defensemen in their minor league system that will be breaking onto the NHL scene int he next few years. Kampfer is expendable. Zanon, on the other hand, is a strong defensive defenseman who can be counted on to step up when needed. In addition, he may create some healthy competition along the blue line with Joe Corvo playing poorly of late.

As for Rolston, don't expect him to bring a ton of spark. Still, he is a veteran who has been in the league for a long time. He's the type of player you would prefer to place next to young guys on a temporary third line — Caron, Hennessy and Camper, for example, is a line far too inexperienced to succeed.

Boston's objective will still be to get healthy by the playoffs and get everyone playing up to their potential. As much as anyone may like these deadline moves, there is a chance that none of these acquired players will be a part of the playoff equation if Boychuk, Peverley and Horton all return.

Until that time, it will be up to Brian Rolston and Greg Zanon to find their spot in the Bruins locker room and prepare themselves for what may be a rigorous journey over the next few months.

Tweet of the Day — NHL Trade Deadline

Tweet of the Day is a segment that I'll be throwing up every day, as long as there is an interesting tweet on my timeline. I constructed a list on Twitter full of all the athletes, celebrities and other public figures that I follow. You know, the people you would actually be interested in reading tweets from. Unlike me (@SirDRob) or Beantown Chowder (@BeantownChowder).

Normally I'll pick stupid, funny, obnoxious or outrageous types of tweets from athletes who either can't spell, can't formulate words, or are too goofy to be taken seriously whatsoever. But today, I'm going with this John Buccigross (@Buccigross) tweet in honor of the NHL trade deadline. The clock is rapidly ticking down to 3 p.m. ET, when the final latch is closed on the trade market for the 2011-12 NHL season.

Buccigross has a good point here. Where have teams' balls gone? Grow some stones or show em if you got em, right? No one ever won anything by being mediocre. A lot of people may have questioned the Bruins sending away one of their better prospects last deadline in Joe Colborne. But let's face the music. Colborne wasn't becoming what we hoped he would. Instead of hanging on to a false sense of hope, we send him away. We send away Blake Wheeler — fine, he wasn't a huge hit in Boston. But a lot of people questioned the decision to get rid of Mark Stuart, a fan-favorite who played a solid role in our team defense. A prototypical Bruin. Taking those chances, however, brought home the first Stanley Cup that Boston has seen in 39 years.

I'm not saying the Bruins should mortgage their future to land a Rick Nash type of player. In fact, I already expressed my thoughts that I don't believe they will do that. They might land a smaller-name — and I do expect a minor deal to be made of some sort — but I'm not expecting the big fish to be reeled in. No major shake-ups.

But as an NHL fan — teams around the league should grow some stones. Why aren't the Leafs getting Rick Nash? Why aren't the Rangers or Sharks making the push to get to the next level and achieve the elite status that might lead to a Cup at long last? Why are teams so scared to part ways with their pieces? If you didn't win the Cup last year, then your team can be improved. Better yet, any team can always be improved. Let's see some action!

As Deadline Approaches, Where Do Bruins Stand?

At 3 p.m. ET on Monday afternoon, the NHL trade deadline will have finally arrived and teams around the league will have either missed or taken advantage of their final shot to land a player that will improve their chances. A week ago, most Bruins fans would have considered it imperative that the team land a big name. What does the scene look like now after the B's gathered seven points on a six-game road swing?

There are plenty of names on the market this year. Yesterday, Rick Nash's agent threw a wrench into the mix when he stated that he hopes for a trade before the deadline. Dustin Brown of the LA Kings was rumored to be a hot commodity — and one that Boston was interested in, as well — but several reports have said he is no longer available. Tuomo Ruutu was taken out of the field when Carolina signed him to a new deal, but players like Ray Whitney, Shane Doan and even Jerome Iginla may still be on the block. Will any of them be donning black and gold by the end of the week?

In short, my knee-jerk reaction to that question is a negative. Peter Chiarelli has been very careful to make sure his team chemistry is exactly what he wants, and he has never really overpaid for a huge name at the deadline. The closest thing would be going out and getting Tomas Kaberle last season — and although we won the cup, Bruins fans would likely agree that Kaberle didn't exactly work out as planned.

Right now, despite their relatively successful road trip, the Bruins roster is not good enough to compete for another championship. The reason, of course, is the absence of both Nathan Horton and Rich Peverley. This team cannot win consistently with Carter Camper, Jordan Caron and Josh Hennessy playing regular shifts. Getting healthy will be the biggest obstacle, and that is the viewpoint the front office likely holds, as well.

A trade would probably make their team more formidable right now. But to Cam Neely, Peter Chiarelli and company, their team is exactly what they want come playoff time if their injured players can recover by then. Rich Peverley is expected back before the playoffs. Shawn Thornton missed Saturday's game against Ottawa, but his injury shouldn't keep him out long. The real question lies in the concussion situation that Nathan Horton is currently fighting.

Even when Peverley comes back, are the Bruins a tad shy of where they need to be as long as Horton is sidelined? After all, this is the guy who buried a Game 5 double-overtime winner and a Game 7 overtime winner against Montreal last season, only to follow it up with a late-third period Game 7 winner against Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference Finals. Needless to say, he brings an element of clutch play and timely scoring that the Bruins will need in the months of May and June. And on top of all of that, he is the piece that makes fellow linemates David Krejci and Milan Lucic really click.

When you think about it that way, the B's may be better served to go out and get a replacement for Horton. Peter Chiarelli has voiced those ideas already and mentioned that it was a possibility. But when it comes down to it, the Bruins' management group will be very careful when it comes to removing current pieces of the puzzle.

This is a team that won the Stanley Cup last June. You can be sure that Chiarelli won't go breaking up the core members of that group as a last-ditch effort to improve.

Just remember — they still are pretty damn good.

Welcome to Beantown Chowder

Ladies and gentlemen, the show has returned. Some of you likely remember the days of Ultimate Boston and the memories that came with those times. Our readership wasn't all that big, but we had a good group of faithful readers who interacted and sparked some interesting conversation. This time around, we're hoping to grow a little bit further.

It won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight. But we love the blogging game nonetheless, and we live and die by the Boston sports scene. It won't be all sports analysis all the time, though. We will be looking into some ways to get new, creative segments that can be featured on somewhat of a regular basis. Remember Who Dat? and Cage Fight posts? Those creative types of things with a touch of humor should be coming back around. For those of you who gamble, we have our sports gambling specialist — Bobby Booze is the name — who will drop the tips for you to bring in the cash. The kid won three hundo last summer, including a victory on Keegan Bradley in the US Open. Who the hell bets on one guy to win a golf tournament from the start? Bobby Booze does.

You'll get all of this and more. My name is DRob, and I'm the creator and founder of the site. I may be the one who writes a majority of the posts, but my fellow writers will be contributors, too. Average Joe was a member of the Ultimate Boston team, and he will be on board for Beantown Chowder as well. We might be interested in adding some more writers, so make sure you visit the Become a Writer application. Give us something unique — a reason why you're worth a shot.

Let's get this party started. You can visit the Chowdah Shop through the link at the top of the page. The shop is the same as the old Ultimate store, but we will add more new products in the future. I'm looking forward to kick-starting blogging career part two.