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25	April 2018

Strengths and weaknesses of the NFL draft's top QBs

I've believed that Sam Darnold is the best quarterback in the Aaron Nola Jersey 2018 NFL draft throughout the process Charles Harris Authentic Jersey leading into April. He has been the first overall pick in all three of my mock drafts, and I think if you polled league personnel, Darnold would get the most votes. Majority http://www.carolinahurricanesofficialonline.com/Adidas-Jake-Bean-Jersey doesn't matter much when it comes to the Cleveland Browns' choice at No. 1, though -- general manager John Dorsey and his personnel staff own all the votes.

But like the other top quarterbacks, Darnold also has shortcomings, which is what makes this year the most fascinating in terms of evaluating QBs since I've been at ESPN. Here are the strengths and weaknesses of the top five QBs -- Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson -- as well as what I'm hearing from NFL personnel about potential landing spots.

PITTSBURGH -- Doug Whaley took the orders from general manager Kevin Colbert and hit the phones. The 2003 Pittsburgh Steelers were prepared to make franchise history by moving up in the first round, and as Whaley began to call teams, he was greeted with disbelief http://www.titansauthenticofficialstore.com/WOMENS_YOUTH_BRUCE_MATTHEWS_JERSEY.html on the other end of the line. �A lot of teams were like, �Yeah, yeah, you�ll really come up,�� said Whaley, then-Pittsburgh�s pro personnel director who later became general manager for the Buffalo Bills. �And other teams were like, �What?� At first, they didn�t believe us. It just showed the confidence Kevin Colbert and Bill Cowher had in the player.�
That player was a game-changing safety out of USC, a speedy, hybrid defensive back before it was trendy, an eventual Hall of Fame talent who sent lightning through Pittsburgh�s defense with perfect hair and Marvel superhero leaps over the line of scrimmage. This week�s NFL draft marks the 15-year anniversary of a trade that forced a traditional team to act non-traditionally to acquire Troy Polamalu with the 16th overall pick. The Steelers never had traded up in the first round before that moment, nor had they drafted a pure safety in that round.
But the Steelers wanted to improve their secondary and got their guy for modest compensation, giving Kansas City their 27th pick -- which it used on running back Larry Johnson -- along with the 92nd pick (corner Julian Battle) and 200th pick (quarterback Brooks Bollinger). The Steelers' draft room is known as businesslike, emphasizing consensus building over reactionary high-fiving. That day, everyone sensed the satisfaction without saying a word.
�We�ve always had the philosophy, if you like a guy, you go get him,� said Ron Hughes, the Steelers� longtime college scouting coordinator who retired in 2015. �We drafted the best player available to us.� Here�s how it all went down. The buzz The Steelers planned to upgrade the Lee Flowers-Brent Alexander tandem at safety, and Polamalu�s hamstring issues during the 2002 season had them hoping he would slide into the late first round. Those plans were smashed once Polamalu smashed his pro day with elite athleticism. When the Steelers walked off the USC campus that day, they knew they had just watched a top-15 player in the draft.
�I remember [then-USC coach] Pete Carroll telling me ... 'I could wake up Troy at 3 a.m. and he�d wake up and run a 4.3 and jump 42 inches,'� said Marvin Demoff, Polamalu�s agent. �So I think the Steelers saw he was different than the people playing safety at the time. They believed in their eye.�But Demoff hadn�t pegged Courtney Upshaw Authentic Jersey Pittsburgh to his client, who visited the Steelers but didn�t have his hopes up either way. Sure, Polamalu wasn�t a perfect prospect. Hughes cited a concussion history in his file, along with the lack of "corner fluidity." But Hughes knew Polamalu�s �special� playmaking was what they needed and would fuel draft-day drama. �We ended up getting anxious on draft day,� Hughes said. �And it paid off."
The deaDemoff also represented Johnson, an explosive running back out of Penn State who was convinced Pittsburgh would select him 27th. He had the right number, wrong team. The Chiefs had targeted Johnson early in the process despite that former coach Dick Vermeil was hoping for a linebacker. �Carl [Peterson, the former Chiefs GM] was adamant about getting Larry Johnson, as was Lamar Hunt,� Vermeil said.
That presented an opening for Pittsburgh, which understood the Chiefs� draft needs while trading notes with teams over phone calls a few weeks earlier. Around the 14th pick, the Steelers brass -- Colbert, Cowher, owner Dan Rooney and son (now team president) Art Rooney II -- huddled in the corner of the room, then emerged with a plan and a ceiling for trade compensation. �[Colbert] called me over, and the http://www.footballsteelersonline.com/Joe-Greene-Jersey message was, �We�re getting on the phone, let�s do it,'� Whaley said.
The Steelers made several calls before reaching Kansas City, which felt fairly comfortable Johnson would be available at 27.Turns out the presence of Cowher, a former Chiefs defensive coordinator, would help cement the deal, Peterson said.�Both teams got what they wanted at the time,� wrote the now-retired Peterson via email while aboard The World residential cruise ship. �The Steelers needed and wanted a FS/SS, and the Chiefs wanted
a big RB. Both players gave excellent production the first 4-5 years of their careers, but Troy P. went on to a very long, and a HOF career, and Larry J. did not play near as long in his NFL career. That�s OK, because some years earlier Bill C. assisted me in moving up in the first round, to draft a pretty good TE from Cal Berkeley (Tony Gonzalez), who should be a first-ballot HOFer this Adrian Amos Youth jersey next year!� cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys from china cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys from china