David Wilson

RB Virginia Tech

Height: 5’10’’

Weight: 206

40 Yard Dash:  4.49

Analysis: Wilson has tremendous athletic ability. He was named ACC Player of the Year for the Hokies as a junior. In 2011, he earned All-American honors as a triple jumper in track. He has great hands out of the backfield and can play as a slot receiver.  He recorded a 41-inch vertical at the combine, 3 inches higher than the nearest competitor.

Projection:  2^nd round

Ron Brooks

CB LSU

Height: 5’10’’

Weight: 190

40 Yard Dash: 4.37

Analysis: Brooks  is a great coverage corner, but a tad undersized. A very good zone blitzer, but not the best open field tackler. He got very little playing time at LSU during his career because he played behind 3 All-Americans. His 38-inch vertical is promising. Brooks will be a project, but has the potential to be a  solid corner 2-3 years down the road.

Projection: 6^th round

DeMario Davis

OLB Arkansas State

Height: 6’2’’

Weight: 235

40 Yard Dash: 4.61

Analysis:  DeMario Davis has great speed and size, which will suite him well at the NFL level. He is a great tackler, and could potentially be a great fit for a 4-3 defense. Davis has a 124-inch broad jump and a 38.5-inch vertical leap. He is a below average coverage linebacker and could potentially have trouble reading plays at the NFL level.

Projection: 5^th round

Dale Moss

WR South Dakota State

Height: 6’4’’

Weight: 215

40 Yard Dash: 4.4

Analysis: Two sport athlete, played only 1 year of football at South Dakota . In that one year, Moss recorded 61 catches, 949 yards, and 6 TDs. Registered a 41.5 inch vertical leap at his Pro Day. His uncle won the Heisman Trophy in 1972.

Projection: 3rd round pick

Nothing says Spring like Opening Day in Baseball. Here are 3 predictions I have for the upcoming season!

Chris Sales will finish Top 5 in Cy Young Voting

The 23^rd year old south paw quietly had a superb year for the White Sox. The Florida native pitched out of the bullpen last summer, but will move to a starting role in 2012. Over the last two year, Sales has tossed a 2.58 ERA in 94 1/3 innings; while striking out 111 batters. With an opponent’s batting average of .199 and a WHIP of 1.10, it’s hard to argue his talent. If healthy, I fully expect Sales to win 15 games and strikeout 200 batters.

Zack Greinke will finish Top 3 in Cy Young Voting

The former AL Cy Young winner is poised to become the 6^th player ever to win the Cy Young in both the American and National League. His first season as a Brewer ended in a high note after a rough start. In 2011, Greinke posted a dreadful 5.48 ERA pre All-Star break. Greinke then proceeded to turn on the burners, and went 9-3 with a 2.59 ERA after the summer classic.

Miguel Cabrera will have a .500 OBP

The annual MVP candidate has increased his walk total from 56 to 108 over the last 4 years. His batting average has also gone from .292 to .344 over that span. For the first time in his career, Cabrera is playing alongside a MVP candidate. This means he either is going to get more pitches to hit, or he is going to get walked more often.

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Matt Forte, courtesy GraphicsHunt

The Matt Forte and Chicago Bears drama has moved to the next act.

Forte accepted being in the last year of a below-market deal last season, knowing an injury could seriously hurt his pay in the offseason. When it happened, the Bears would have been foolish not to franchise him—he was perfect for his role in that offense, but they did not know if he would be the same back.

But the signing of wannabe starter Michael Bush to a four-year, $14 million contract (iffy starter’s money) left Forte feeling “disrespected” according to his Twitter account.  CEO Ted Phillips had this to say:

“Matt Forte is our No. 1 running back,” Phillips said. “He’s been told that, and he knows that. We all know that. He’s going to be a Bear for 2012, at least. He knows he has a long-term offer on the table, and we hope, at some point and time, he chooses to accept that.”

The reality is Forte will make over $7 million this season. That is probably more than he is worth to any other team.

Forte is very similar to Brian Westbrook—among the best on pass plays but good enough running the ball they have to be in there more than just one third down. He is not going to be a feature back on a rushing attack, and those are usually the backs to get $7 million per year.

Adding Bush probably means Forte sees fewer plays and runs the ball less. It uses him more sparingly when it works best, while putting a runner of at least equal running skill on the field. Since both are good in the other phase of the game, too, they keep the defense honest.

That will not get him his payday, but it is best for the team at this point.

NFL.com reports that talks are underway for Bill Parcells to take over the New Orleans Saints while Sean Payton serves his one-year coaching suspension for his role and/or coverup with BountyGate.

This is not on the official website of the league that constantly talks about “protecting the shield” unless there is interest from both parties. It should get done quickly because it makes sense.

It is not out of question that several players will be suspended, nor that many of them face more than one game. The Saints can sign someone to replace Jonathan Vilma because he is probably gone for the year. But even staggering others’ punishments, they might have to carry more than one suspended player for multiple games.

The players will believe Parcells can lead them through the rough waters that come with losing your coach and playing with a shorthanded roster. Parcells is good at covering holes in his team by getting more out of role-players. Payton was a protege so there will be continuity in approach and system.

Parcells can make a boatload of money and feed his ego for one year without having to worry about whether he could handle the burden. He will not wear down in one year with that structure.

The Saints get a coach who is an upgrade over any choice from within their current staff and whose accomplishments command respect. While his old-fashioned approach had not been in sync with the modern athlete, the team will know he has the backing of their long-term coach.

A perfect match for all parties.

When the hammer was dropped on the New Orleans Saints for the bounty scandal the dreaded Super Bowl host curse appeared to have reared its ugly head again with the team losing its head coach for a year (not to mention any player punishments that still might come).Lucky for the Saints, a curse busting option may be available to them.

Prior to the decision being handed down by the NFL, Sean Payton approached legendary coach Bill Parcells taking over the Saints for the season.

The move is a win-win for everyone should Parcells opts to take it. New Orleans has a solid team; one that can compete for the right to play in the Super Bowl. Losing Payton hurts that, but with Parcells at the helm the team could not be in better hands.

When Parcells walked away the last time he talked about being burnt out and said he had no desire to return to the sideline. In this case it would be for a team that is a Super Bowl caliber squad and just for a single season. He could coach for one more year, have a chance to do what no team has done (play in a Super Bowl hosted by his team), and then walk away.

Not a bad deal Bill.

ESPN Milwaukee is reporting that Anthony Hargrove is headed to Green Bay. Hargrove’s Tweet:

Play with Pickett when he was a Ram. Going to be great playing with him again…

The 272-lb. defensive end may seem too small for the position in a 3-4, but generally if a player has success at both end and tackle in a 4-3 they can handle the end responsibilities in a 3-4. When he earned a Super Bowl ring with the New Orleans Saints, Gregg Williams used him at tackle.

But there lies another potential problem: Hargrove was part of the BountyGate team and could be facing punishment from the NFL. It is expected Jonathan Vilma, whose role was the most pronounced on the team, will be suspended for one season as coach Sean Payton was. It is unknown who else from the team will get how much time, but as many as 26 other players may face staggered suspensions.

It is unlikely Hargrove’s previous suspensions—twice for violating the league’s substance abuse policy—will play into a disciplinary suspension. It is also unlikely he will face more than four games.

However, if the league does not allow the players’ new teams to stagger suspensions, they could be without both Hargrove and Mike Neal for the same four games. That would leave Green Bay desperately thin (both literally and figuratively) on the defensive line into October.

Moreover, any further drug-related suspensions would be the end of Hargrove’s career, so you can bet the Packers are not putting much guaranteed money on the table. But if he stays in uniform, seeing him in on pass downs and Daniel Muir on run downs could give the Packers a defensive line more comparable to the championship defense of 2010 than the sieve line of 2011.

In his second year as Green Bay Packers General Manager (2006), Ted Thompson grabbed Charles Woodson and Ryan Pickett via free agency. Neither appeared to be a stud at the time—the Oakland Raiders thought Woodson was breaking down—but adding two starters to a team that had gone 4-12 was a step in the right direction.

In the five years that followed, Thompson’s free agents were undrafted rookies, special teamers and situational players. While Jerry Jones and Daniel Snyder kept dolling out the big bucks and getting at most one playoff win, Thompson was building a champion through the draft. His teams have consistently been among the youngest in the NFL while going 55-25.

Yet right now, the “Latest Buzz” on NFL.com shows the Packers filled the hole left from Scott Wells’ depature with Jeff Saturday and added Daniel Muir. They are also pursuing Dave Tollefson, Anthony Hargrove and Manny Lawson. So why is he breaking the pattern?

Things change, and the Packers lack of pressure was the primary difference between winning the Super Bowl in 2010—when they were second in the league in sacks—and losing in the divisional round in 2011 after finishing in the bottom-five in sack percentage. His pursuit of these players is a tacit admission that the team could not overcome the loss of relatively low-cost defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins, and shows he understands he cannot rely on his anointed replacement Mike Neal.

Neal was hurt his senior season at Purdue and most of both NFL seasons. He will be suspended for four games in 2012 for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Thompson knows he cannot fill holes in the secondary, outside linebacker and defensive line with the 28th and 59th picks in the draft.

Muir and Tollefson were on the Packers roster as rookies and have been solid players elsewhere. They may be able to start and can at least give the team depth. Hargrove, part of the 2009 New Orleans Saints defense but is likely not facing suspension, is undersized to play end in a 3-4 and lacks the athleticism to play outside linebacker, but would make a good situational player at the right price.

The Packers have a plethora of mediocre outside linebackers (Frank Zombo, Brad Jones and free agent Erik Walden) to line up opposite Clay Matthews, III. Lawson, who was a starter for the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals the past four seasons, would be an upgrade over any of them.

If Thompson can sign or trade for (perhaps from the depth at wide receiver or OLB) one more starter, he can draft everything else the Packers need.

The Cincinnati Reds are looking to be in the thick of the pennant race in the National League Central this season. Doing so will be a little bit tougher after the loss of their closer, Ryan Madson, for the season.

Madson flew to Cincinnati to have his elbow examined on Thursday. What the doctor discovered is that the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow had torn off the bone meaning Tommy John surgery is imminent.

He had appeared to be a steal during the offseason when the Reds were able to pick him up for just $8.5 million (one-year deal). For the Philadelphia Phillies last season he saved 32 games, recorded just two blown saves, struck out 62 and had an ERA of 2.37.

There is no telling just yet what the team will do at closer. Sean Marshall will likely get the nod for now until the team either brings in someone or another pitcher steps up.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones disagrees with the NFL’s decision to levy a $10 million cap fine to his team. Now it appears he will seek legal recourse over the matter.

The fines (Washington also received a $36 million fine) mean the team must stay beneath the salary cap by that amount, though the penalty can be spread out over two seasons. They were issued because the teams tried to gain a “competitive advantage” by spending more than other teams in an uncapped season.

How much advantage did two teams who failed to acquire winning seasons (13-19 between them) get? How can they violate a cap that is not there? How is Washington supposed to field a competitive team spending 14 percent less than their opponents?

These were some of the issues Jones addressed: “…all of our contracts were approved by the league, and you can’t approve a contract that is in violation of league rules. You can’t even get it on the books if it isn’t in sync with league rules.” He also noted that he has reached out to Washington owner Daniel Snyder to work together to fight the decision, noting the oddity of teaming up with a rival.

For the NFL’s part, there were discussions over the spirit of the rules governing the uncapped season. They could not put them in writing because that would have required a new collective bargaining agreement. But that is the fault of league lawyers in outlining the language and owners for deciding to go to a lockout with an uncapped year over renegotiating a new one.

In all likelihood, a more reasonable penalty will be settled on. Giving Dallas a $5 million cap restriction spread out over two years will not seriously impact them. Washington is rebuilding, and could take a $9 million hit all at once.

The Carolina Hurricanes may finally be ready to make a big splash in the NHL’s free agent market this summer.

According to TSN’s Darren Dreger via Twitter, the Hurricanes are expected to take a run at New Jersey Devils forward Zach Parise and/or Nashville Predators defenceman Ryan Suter if the opportunity presents itself this summer. From Dreger:

Carolina Hurricanes are ready to leap into contending status. Expect Canes to be strong bidders for Parise\Suter…if both are UFA’s.

This move would come after a very disappointing season for the Hurricanes, who currently find themselves 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 30-30-15 record.

The Parise saga in New Jersey has been an interesting one and it has gone on for quite some time now. Having surpassed the 30-goal plateau on four occasions throughout his career and being well on his way to that accomplishment again this season, Parise is a player who many teams would love to have on their roster.

The same can be said for Ryan Suter, who is one of three all-star-calibre players (Shea Weber and Pekka Rinne the others─the latter having already signed a new deal) the Predators would love to have re-signed in time for next season.