Brandon

I agree with you, he does have a legitimate gripe, but when it comes to the point of throwing shoes, rumors of the agent being removed from the facility, and of Kelly getting into a confrontation with the Oklahoma coaching staff, all of this possibly in front of NFL scouts, I think its going more than a little too far.

I've been defending the guy on this part of it, but its beginning to sound like he threw one hell of a tantrum.

Not that anyone really cares, but I'll probably do another one of these essentially as a prediction just before the draft to see how wrong I am. I might do another one in between if I get really bored. 1) WR Limas Sweed, Texas Given the thinning of the WR field as of late, the Bills need at the position, and the simple fact that Sweed is just a very good overall prospect, I think that this pick makes the most sense of all the alternatives. He's big at 6'4" 210lbs, plays a tough, physical game, and has managed to quiet the skeptics somewhat by running in the high 4.4s this offseason. Sweed also has the reputation of being a very high character, hard working player such as the Bills covet on draft day. He's a little overaged and will turn 24 later this year and there are still lingering concerns over his wrist as well as his ability to consistently separate from pro CBs, but overall, I think that the combination of physical talent, intangibles and team need make this a very likely pick for the Bills at 11 or possibly if they trade down a few spots. In addition, he also provides the Bills with an excellent insurance policy and leverage should Lee Evans choose to test the waters in free agency. Devin Thomas of Michigan State is also an option here, but I feel that the Bills will opt for the proven, experienced player instead. 2) CB Antoine Cason, Arizona Like Sweed, Cason fills a significant void on the roster while also providing the team with a top quality athlete for the position. After starting 46 consecutive games for Arizona, Cason would seem to be capable of starting immediately and his skillset seems well suited to this defense, an excellent zone CB with the ability and willingness to support the run. As an added bonus, he has intercepted 15 passes in his career, something that has often been missing in Bills defenses of the last several years. The only downside to this pick is that the Bills may have to trade up to get him. 3) DE Jason Jones, Eastern Michigan I was very impressed with Jones while watching the Senior Bowl. He didn't have a particularly good game, mind you, but you can see that the athleticism is there. He is extremely quick off the ball. He just needs coaching and some work in an NFL strength program. He's a project, but 2-3 years down the line, I think that he'll be a very good LDE for some team. Its notable that Jones has also played DT in college, versatility that will serve him well in the NFL. 4) TE Jermichael Finley, Texas I don't know if the Bills will consider two players from the University of Texas, especially both on offense, and I didn't plan it like this, but I really like Finley. He's probably not going to block anyone, at least not until he also gets some coaching and strength training, but he has outstanding hands and athleticism as well as pretty good pure speed. I think he'd be an excellent addition as a receiving TE in this offense. It may be a little late for Finley, but I believe that there will be a reasonably good TE prospect still available. I'd also strongly consider drafting this position as high as round 2, even if the Bills draft a WR in R1. That won't make the 'draft defense' guys happy, I know. 4) WR Keenan Burton, Kentucky Another WR, but this time as a backup and potential direct replacement for Lee Evans. 5) OL Jeremy Zuttah, Rutgers The Bills need quality depth on their OL and Zuttah is a prospect at any position up front, though most scouting reports seem to indicate his best position is center or guard. 6) WR Todd Blythe, Iowa State Yet another WR? Yes. This one is Sweed's backup and a failsafe should Sweed struggle. I think that WR is going to get a major overhaul a couple of weeks from now... 7) FB Jehuu Caulcrick, Michigan State I know everyone loves Owen Schmitt, I just don't love the high price tag. The Bills are known to have interviewed Caulcrick, so I suppose its as good a bet as any. 7) QB Matt Flynn, LSU They'll probably draft a backup QB in the last three rounds. You're guess is as good as mine which one. 7) CB Wilrey Fontenot, Arizona Cason's Arizona teammate. He'll probably never be a starter, but he does have a lot of experience and seems to have good athletic ability. In any event, expect at least two CBs out of this draft.

Well, that does it then. If a bunch of radio show hosts think that its a reach, its gotta be.

As far as I know, the answers to both questions are yes. He can schedule another workout for everyone, if he can find a venue that will agree to do it and get the teams to show up. I'm also pretty sure that the teams can also bring him in for a private workout. I don't think they're limited to just interviews.

http://www.draftdaddy.com/blog/nfldraft.cfm If that little part about his agent being thrown out of the Pro Day is true, I can imagine how well it was received. Again, if its true, and he doesn't fire that guy, I wouldn't draft him period.

One could just as easily say that it was a sign of his competitiveness. He felt he was being cheated and instead of just taking it, he made his feelings known (even if it was more than a bit whiny).

It may, but we have no idea what he said in front of the scouts or whether or not they find some truth in his words.

I agree with you completely. As long as he just aired his concern to the scouts over it and didn't act like a whiny B word, he'll probably be fine. Just let the guy run where he wants. There's no harm in it. Teams have always adjusted 40s based on varying surfaces and conditions. I suspect that individual teams will give him that opportunity and he'll run much better.

He's whining, but in a way, I don't blame him (although he should have known). Let the guy run where he wants and feels most comfortable. If the Bills or any other team don't feel that its a surface equal to what he'll run on in the NFL, they'll adjust his time, and everyone's happy. You'd be pissed off too, if you thought it might cost you $5-10 millon.

I agree. I'm simply sick of the comparisons every time someone bombs their 40. That's all.

I absolutely agree. The point is that the comparisons to a once-in-a-generation player gets old after the 10,000th time. I could just as easily say that he's the next Dewayne Jarrett. Doesn't make it anywhere close to being true.

Very carefully lol. Probably not the best choice of descriptors on my part.

It was the same on my HS team as well. The point, of course, is that the difference between a pro football player and a bum off the street is suprisingly small...about half a second. In that context, a .3 difference is absolutely enormous.

Yet at the same time, the scouts and GMs continue to sit in the stands at the combine for hours, stopwatches in hand. Meanwhile, NFL owners continue spending tens of thousands of dollars flying those same scouts to dozens of campus workouts. Its not all important, but it IS important. And as for .3 of a second, well, consider the range your talking about. The average kid off the street can probably run a 40 in 5 flat.

I think that he probably is too, perhaps siginificantly faster, but if he wants to reclaim his draft position, I think he has to prove it. The knock on him all along has been speed and separation ability. He did nothing but magnify those concerns today.

I agree, if he stays around a 4.7, he's in trouble, but despite my rantings in this thread, don't discount the possibility that he could still improve it significantly before the draft and still go 11th. He may have simply had a bad day, or perhaps, as was mentioned in another post, it may have been a slow track. If he runs again at a private workout in a few days and posts a 4.55, all bets are off.

That *might* be very interesting. Its too bad that more Sooners didn't run at the combine so we could see if the entire group ran poorly compared to their times at Indy. CB Marcus Walker did, in fact, run about .2 slower today than at his combine workout, so it might be something worth checking into.

I think that the way they value them is as a cutoff point, after which most players at a given position simply aren't fast enough to play in the NFL. It doesn't mean he won't be drafted (I think he goes in R3-4 if he doesn't improve his times), but that he'll move into the same category as the project guys who have one or more very serious flaws in their game. There may be the odd exception and Kelly may be one, but generally speaking, I think that's how they view it.

Does it matter? Are Malcolm Kelly and Jerry Rice the same person? No. I'm not saying that Kelly won't make it in the NFL. He might. In fact, it would not suprise me if he posts much better times in private workouts between now and the draft. The argument is simply something that grates on my nerves. Every year, somebody gets compared to Jerry Rice or Emmitt Smith just because they ran underwhelming 40s. Well, guess what? Jerry Rice was an exceptional player in many ways, not the least of which was his exceptionally average 4.6 40 time 23 years ago. Malcolm Kelly may turn out to be a great player. But to even begin to argue that he'll beat the odds because one exceptional player did it when many, MANY others didn't, just doesn't make sense to me.

I'm not making any argument except that Jerry Rice ran a 4.6 and that trying to use 40 times to compare Kelly to arguably the greatest football player in NFL history is ridiculous.

Jerry Rice's combine time gets slower every year in order to justify a current prospect's poor showing.

I think he'll drop a good bit further than that. If teams don't think he can run, they won't touch him. As for the Bills, I think that this just makes drafting a WR at 11 all the more likely. The top tier of WRs is thinning considerably before the draft even starts. Manningham, Bowman, and now Kelly, all originally prospects for the top 2 rounds appear to be dropping fast for various reasons James Hardy may also be off their board. And inevitably, some of the players at the top simply aren't what the Bills are looking for and don't fit their system. I think that if they have a first round grade on Sweed or Thomas, they're very likely to draft one of them now.

If I wouldn't take Kelly in R1 based on a 40 time, I wouldn't take him in R2, either. Taking him one round later won't suddenly make him fast enough to play. If his times continue to hold up until the draft, I think he'll drop into R3-4 territory, right around where the 'projects' start coming off the board. Myself, I think I'd just draft someone else.

In any event, I think it more or less forces the Bills hand at 11, provided they have 1st round grades on Sweed and/or Thomas. The field of WRs in the first 2-3 rounds has been thinned considerably with the problems of Bowman, Manningham and possibly Hardy, and now Kelly turning in a horrid 40. The odds are starting to stack considerably against finding a good prospect to fill that need for a big, physical #2 WR outside of R1.