Three Dores sign as free agents

While every player dreams of getting drafted, it actually benefits them to go undrafted as opposed to getting picked in the sixth or seventh round. Now, they'll get to sign as free agents with teams that they may actually have a chance to stick around with.

So far three Dores have found new homes and others, including Gabe Hall, Brian Stamper and Josh Eames, are currently in discussions with teams.

• Defensive tackle Theo Horrocks signed with the Jacksonvile Jaguars.
• Curtis Gatewood signed with the Washington Redskins, where he will play outside linebacker.
• Outside linebacker Marcus Buggs was picked up by the Buffalo Bills.

Check out Brett Hait's story in The Nashville City Paper about Buggs and Gatewood. Both players deserve a shot in the NFL and we wouldn't be surprised to see either of them stick around with their respective teams.

SEC continues NFL Draft dominance

In total, 35 Southeastern Conference players were taken in the 2008 NFL Draft, including four of the first 10 picks. Vanderbilt saw three players drafted, which was more than Alabama, Florida, Miss. State, Ole Miss and South Carolina, and as many as Tennessee.

While this shows that the Commodores are clearly more talented than they have been in the past and that they have a coaching staff that knows how to develop players, it also leads us to ask the question: how have they not gone to a bowl game in any of the past three seasons?

But, that's a question for another day...As far as the SEC goes, it once again led all conferences in drafted players with 35. The Pac-10 was second with 34, the ACC had 33, Big 10 28 and Big 12 27.

Here's the SEC breakdown:

Alabama: 0

Arkansas: 6
Darren McFadden, RB (Round 1, Oakland)
Felix Jones, RB (Round 1, Dallas)
Marcus Harrison, DT (Round 3, Chicago)
Marcus Monk, WR (Round 7, Chicago)
Peyton Hills, FB (Round 7, Denver)
Nate Garner, OT (Round 7, NY Jets)

Auburn: 5
Quentin Groves, DE (Round 2, Jacksonville)
Patrick Lee, CB (Round 2, Green Bay)
Pat Sims, DT (Round 3, Cincinnati)
Jonathan Wilhite, CB (Round 4, New England)
King Dunlap, OT (Round 7, Philadelphia)

Florida: 2
Derrick Harvery, DE (Round 1, Jacksonville)
Andre Caldwell, WR (Round 3, Cincinnati)

Georgia: 4
Marcus Howard, OLB (Round 5, Indianapolis)
Thomas Brown, RB (Round 6, Atlanta)
Chester Adams, OG (Round 7, Chicago)
Brandon Coutu, K (Round 7, Seattle)

Kentucky: 4
Jacob Tamme, TE (Round 4, Indianapolis)
Keenan Burton, WR (Round 4, St. Louis)
Andre' Woodson, QB (Round 6, NY Giants)
Steve Johnson, WR (Round 7, Buffalo)

LSU: 7
Glenn Dorsey, DT (Round 1, Kansas City)
Chevis Jackson, CB (Round 3, Atlanta)
Jacob Hester, FB (Round 3, San Diego)
Early Doucet, WR (Round 3, Arizona)
Craig Steltz, S (Round 4, Chicago)
Matt Flynn, QB (Round 7, Green Bay)
Keith Zinger, TE (Round 7, Atlanta)

Mississippi State: 0

Ole Miss: 0

South Carolina:1
Cory Boyd, RB (Round 7, Tampa Bay)

Tennessee: 3
Jerod Mayo, LB (Round 1, New England)
Brad Cottam, TE (Round 3, Kansas City)
Erik Ainge, QB (Round 5, NY Jets)

Vanderbilt: 3
Chris Williams, OT (Round 1, Chicago)
Earl Bennett, WR (Round 3, Chicago)
Jonathan Goff, LB (Round 5, NY Giants)

A look back at the 2008 NFL Draft

All in all, it was a successful weekend for the Vanderbilt football progam as three former Commodores were drafted, the most in seven years. Offensive tackle Chris Williams (No. 14 overall) and wide receiver Earl Bennett (No. 70) find themselves in great situations in Chicago, while the New York Giants got a steal in the fifth round when they drafted linebacker Jonathan Goff.

Note that coaches and GMs could not say enough about the character and intellgience of all three of these guys, which is a credit to Bobby Johnson and the rest of the VU coaching staff.

In addition, The Nashville City Paper reports that defensive tackle Theo Horrocks has signed a free-agent contract with the Jackonsville, while outside linebackers Marcus Buggs and Curtis Gatewood, offensive linemen Brian Stamper and Josh Eames are also expected to get picked up this week. Gatewood would be an interesting addition for the New England Patriots, who play a 3-4 defense, as draft expert Tom Casale speculates.

With that said, here's the latest surrounding Vanderbilt's most recent NFL Draft picks:

CHRIS WILLIAMS

In need of left tackle, Bears pick Williams (Tennessean)
-Williams was the third of seven offensive tackles drafted in the first round and comes to Chicago expecting to start right away
"I don't know much about their roster, but I'm assuming they needed a left tackle and that's why they drafted me," Williams said. "I think I'm going into a great situation, a complete team for the most part. I'm going to go in and fill a need for them, hope to get in and win a lot of games."

-Chicago coach Lovie Smith visited Williams in Nashville and said he was impressed with his talent and character.
"He's played at a high level in the SEC for a long time at the left tackle position, which he'll play for us," Smith said. "That was a need we had going into the draft, and I'll just say that I didn't go out to a lot of places, but I went out to Vanderbilt hoping that he could fill that spot for us some day.
"He's a serious player. He's a newlywed. … He comes from a great family where education has been stressed. Chris is pretty driven to be one of the better players to play the position. He has high expectations for the type of play that we'll get from him, and I think we'll get that. What I saw was just a solid player who had direction and knew where he wanted to go."

Bears snare VU's Williams (Nashville City Paper)
-Williams said the Denver Broncos will regret not taking him with the 12th pick.
"They'll know why they should have taken me down the road," he said. "I'll enjoy beating the Broncos every time we play them."

-The talkative Williams was at a loss for words afterwards.
"I can't even describe it. I'm about speechless," Williams said. "And you know me, I don't get speechless too often. I'm just extremely ecstatic. It's like a dream come true."

Bears fill No. 1 need (chicagobears.com)
-Chicago GM Jerry Angelo loves Williams as not only an athlete, but a person.
“All the things you want to hear about a player intangibly, Chris has,” he said.
“We feel like we know him as well as you can know a player,” Angelo added. “Everybody … felt very good about him and what he brings to our football team. You’re going to find he’s very gregarious in terms of his personality, very intelligent and very passionate about football.”

Dedication pays for late bloomer (Sun Times)
-Williams is 70 pounds heavier than he was when arrived at Vanderbilt, a testiment to just how hard he has worked.
''The kid is just a great story,'' said Williams' high school coach, Dale Weiner. ''He just got better and better and better.''

Williams was best possible pick (Sun Times)
-"Here is a guy who can be the cornerstone of the Bears' line for the next eight seasons," writes Matt Bowman. "A good offensive tackle is hard to come by in this league. If you can find one who can stick around for a while, go about his business, and make your running game better, why not draft him?"

Grading the Bears 2008 Draft (Bleacher Report)
Williams' grade: A
Earl Bennett's grade: A-

EARL BENNETT

Gamble pays off for Bennett (Nashville City Paper)
-Brett Hait is exactly right. Bennett's decision to enter the NFL Draft after his junior season was definitely the right move. His lifelong dream of playing in the NFL is now a reality.
“Everything worked out good,” he said. “I don’t have any regrets with anything I did.”

-Bennett said he had nothing left to prove. And he didn't.
“Any time you come back, you have to face double teams, and there’s the quarterback situation at Vanderbilt,” he said. “I didn’t feel I had anything left to showcase.”

Bennett compares to Hines Ward -- sort of (Chicago Tribune)
-Chicago had him rated high on their board, ahead of many of the receivers who went in the second round
''We see him as having starter talent,'' college scouting director Greg Gabriel said. ''Whether he becomes a starter as a rookie, that remains to be seen.''

-Bennett can relate to the Bears' quarterback struggles
"He's done it without having a strong quarterback the last two years,'' Gabriel said.

Bears get Bennett in third round (Chicago Sun-Times)
-Bennett has no problem being labeled as a slot receiver
"I played out wide, too," he said. "But being labeled as a slot receiver, I like playing the slot. My coach always said you've got to be tough to play in the slot, because there are a lot of physical men in there, especially in that linebacker position."

Well-received pick for Bears (Daily Herald)
-Bennett received high praise from Gabriel
"If you watch the tape, he comes up big every game," Gabriel said. "He was their go-to guy. Everybody knew that was who they were going to throw to, yet he still came up with big catches."

Bears start Day 2 with wide receiver (Chicago Tribune)
-Bennett impressed Chicago offensive coordinator Ron Turner
"I like Earl a lot," Turner said. "He has great quickness. He's a really good route runner. ... He's good right after the catch [and] he will go up and catch the ball and battle for it and catch it in a crowd."

-Bennett was praised for his character and intelligence
"We will give him an opportunity, obviously, to come in and compete right away," Turner said. "He's a very intelligent young man, so he shouldn't have any trouble picking things up."

Hey Bears, meet your competition (Chicago Tribune)
-Bennett will force Brandon Lloyd to stand out in training camp considering wide receivers Marty Booker, Mark Bradley, Devin Hester and Rashied Davis are already locks to make the roster.

Chicago Bears press release

JONATHAN GOFF

NFL Draft: Who Won and Who Lost (Bleacher Report)
-This site says the Giants were the biggest winners in the 2008 draft, citing their fifth-round selection as a reason why.
"One of the more underrated picks by Jerry Reese in 2008 had to be Vandy's Jonathan Goff, With Kawika Mitchell's departure, New York had become very thin at inside linebacker. Goff is very tough, strong, and hard working.
He should be the starter from Day One next season if he can beat out former backup Gerris Wilkinson for the job. Goff may not be an every-down starter, but he and Wilkinson will fill the void left by Mitchell on the interior of the Giants' defense."

Reese's take on Giants' draft (scout.com)
-GM Jerry Reese expects Goff to contribute on special teams early on
"We think he is a middle linebacker; very productive; very smart," he said. "He can play on all of the special teams. That is a common theme with us - - got to play on all of the special teams; a young kid to bring into the fold, start developing some as a backup middle linebacker. He is smart."

Giants go for IQ with fifth-round pick (NY Daily News)
-Goff joins NY linebackers Antonio Pierce, Danny Clark, Mathias Kiwanuka, Chase Blackburn, Zak DeOssie, and Gerris Wilkinson.

Goff goes to Giants in fifth round

The defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants got a steal in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, taking former Vanderbilt linebacker Jonathan Goff.

Goff was the third Vanderbilt player to be drafted, joining offensive tackle Chris Williams (No. 14 overall) and wide receiver Earl Bennett (No. 70). It marks the first time in seven years that at least three Commodores have been selected in a draft.

The two-time captain and All-SEC performer finished his career with 307 total tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions. He also became the eighth Commodore linebacker selected in the NFL Draft since 1988.

"Jonathan embodies what a Vanderbilt student-athlete should be, how he should play and how he should conduct himself," said coach Bobby Johnson in a statement. "Jonathan's teammates know about his work ethic, they know he leads by example.

"Jonathan is a physical, tough-nosed player who works hard to improve every time he takes the field. He's a tremendously productive player on the field. Off the field, Jonathan is just a model student-athlete, a guy that has as just as much pride in his academic achievement. He's a wonderful young man."

Read the full Vanderbilt press release here.

Congratulations, Jonathan.

Bennett goes No. 70 to Chicago

Vanderbilt fans now have even more reason to root for the Bears. Junior wide receiver Earl Bennett just joined fellow Commodore Chris Williams in Chicago as he was selected in the third round (70th overall) of the NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.

Bennett became the first Commodore receiver selected in the NFL draft since 1988 when Carl Parker was picked by Cincinnati in the 12th round.

"Earl's production on the field was amazing," said coach Bobby Johnson in a statement. "Every team we faced focused on slowing Earl and he still produced at a remarkable level. From the minute he stepped on the field as a true freshman, Earl impacted our team.

"Earl is a class act off the field, a guy that I'm really proud to have coached. He's more talkative these days, but for a long time, I thought the only words he knew was 'yes sir.' He's just a very solid citizen, a young man that brings great credit to the university, our team and his hometown."

The Bears said they had Bennett rated higher than many of the wide receivers drafted in the second round and think the Birmingham native has a chance to be a starter in the NFL.

“We see him as having starter talent,” said Greg Gabriel, the Bears’ director of college scouting. “Whether he becomes a starter as a rookie, that remains to be seen. But we see him as a guy who has starter talent. We graded him as such.”

Bennett has been compared to Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward.

“He’s a great route runner,” Gabriel said. “He’s got excellent hands and he’s very good after the catch. On top of that, his character is impeccable.”

Read the full Bears press release here, as well as Vanderbilt's press release here.

Congratulations, Earl. The Chicago Bears now have thousands of new fans.

NFL Draft Day 1 thoughts...

Well, it was an eventful and interesting day for the NFL draft. The first few picks started off pretty much as predicted as Miami took Jake Long, St. Louis took Chris Long, Atlanta took Chris Ryan (aka Matty Ice), Oakland took Darren McFadden, Kansas City took Glenn Dorsey, and the N.Y. Jets took Vernon Gholston. However, after those first six picks, there were eight trades in the first round as teams traded up and back in the draft order to get their men. The Saints traded up with the Patriots to get Sedrick Ellis, but the Patriots sacrificed their ability to draft Ellis' teammate Keith Rivers, the best linebacker in the class, as the Bengals drafted Ellis right before the Patriots. The Patriots drafted Jerod Mayo from Tennessee instead which was a huge stretch in my opinion even though they needed linebackers. It seems like they could have traded back again and still got Mayo.

Perhaps, nothing was more perplexing about the first round then the fact that no wide-receivers were taken even though Devin Thomas was predicted by many to be drafted 11th by the Buffalo Bills. While the first round was eventful, the second round was equally strange when wide-receivers finally did get picked. Malcolm Kelly from Oklahoma and Limas Sweed from Texas , who were two of the top three rated wide-receivers by many experts, were the 8th and 9th drafted wide-receivers respectively. Also, Mario Manningham, Early Doucet, and Andre Caldwell are all still undrafted although many thought they would go in the second round.

Some additional thoughts about the first day:

1) What were my Titans thinking? Devin Thomas is sitting there, and you don't take him? Don't get me wrong I LOVE Chris Johnson's 4.24 forty speed especially since I think LenDale White has no work ethic and is fat, but wide-receiver is a huge need. The Titans have not signed anyone who is a number one receiver. Justin McCareins and Justin Gage are not the answer. Alge Crumpler is a great signing, but having another wide-receiver to compliment Roydell Williams and Crumpler would have been nice for Young. Hey, if Earl is still around when the Titans pick in the third round, I would be shocked/disappointed if they pass him up because he could be a good possession receiver for Young to dump the ball off to.

Chris Johnson's speed (25-45 seconds into this video. What a second gear!!!):


2) The new time limit limiting teams from 15 min to 10 min in the first round is possibly one of the best decisions ever made. The teams don't need that long. Don't make the fans wait. Thanks Commissioner Goddell.

3) Congrats to Chris Williams!!! Make us proud up there in Chicago protecting Sexy Rexy. Check out vucommodores for great interviews and videos of Williams' big day

4) I think Earl will be drafted some time in the 3rd round, but i would be surprised to see Goff go there with only four linebackers drafted so far. However, SI.com has him as the 11th best available player, so hopefully Goff will be drafted in the third, and the Commodores will make history with three players drafted in the first three round for the first time in school history. If Goff slips into the fourth or even fifth round, he will be a huge steal.

5) What was Steve Young talking about saying there won't be any franchise quarterbacks in next year's draft so the Falcons definitely should take Matty Ice? First, I am not convinced that Matt Ryan will be a franchise quarterback. Second, the name Tim Tebow ring a bell?? Sure Tebow is a junior next year, but everyone knows he is coming out and will be the first quarterback taken not to mention he just won a Heisman, so I would think that he will probably be just as good of a NFL quarterback as Matt Ryan, who's main weakness is his arm strength.

6) Kansas City, Baltimore, Carolina, Dallas, and Pittsburgh all had great first days.


Worst first day: It is hard to go with someone other than the Titans because although they addressed a need at DE with Jason Jones, he is no Antwan Odom, who the Titans lost to free agency. Also, passing up a wide receiver when you had your pick of all of them to get a running back who many had being drafted in the beginning to middle of the second round hurts. The Titans have two good backs in Chris Henry and LenDale White. They had more pressing needs then to stretch on a guy like Johnson. Overall though it is hard to find a team that you look at and say "what were they doing". Detroit didn't have an incredible first day either, and many thought they should take a running back; however, they already have Tatum Bell and Kevin Jones, so it seems like giving those two more running room by improving the offensive line makes sense. Overall, everyone seems to have had a pretty solid first two rounds as addressing needs seemed to be the theme for most teams on day one. With that said, some teams had better days then others.

Best first day: I am going to have to say it is a tie between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Steelers don't have many needs, so they basically had two luxury picks. They used them as such taking the best player available at both picks. In the first round, they picked Reshard Mendenhall, who many thought was the best back in the draft after McFadden. In the second round, they drafted Limas Sweed, who was rated the best receiver in the draft by some. Isn't it funny the difference one spot makes. Pittsburgh was one spot ahead of the Titans in both rounds, and as a Titans fan, I would take their two guys over the two the Titans drafted any day especially if the Titans were going to pick a running back in the first round.

The Chiefs also had an outstanding day with Glenn Dorsey, who was Mel Kiper's number one rated prospect in the draft, falling into their laps, and then they moved up in the first round by trading with Detroit to get Branden Albert, who many had going at the number five pick to them. Albert was also considered the second best offensive lineman in the draft after Jake Long.


The Titans may not have had the best first day, but for any fan out there who is disappointed with their team's first day moves, the good news is that the real draft begins on day two. There are still five more rounds, and there are always first round busts and late round steals as great players like Tom Brady have been drafted late as ESPN loves to remind us.



(Photo courtesy of SI.com)

NFL Draft Watch Part 2

We are just over a month away from the NFL draft, and while it appears Chris Williams has all but locked up a top-20 selection, Earl Bennett is still a big question on draft day.

I questioned why he declared for the NFL draft after a very solid class of juniors (Kelly, Manningham, Jackson, etc.) declared themselves, especially after taking a step back from last year's campaign. He looked like a third to fourth round pick until the Combine, where an excellent performance (particularly his 4.48 40-time) fueled speculation that he could be a late first or early second round pick.

However, the depth of receivers and the fact few teams have a glaring need at the position over others could drop Bennett to the back of the second round or even the third. It will probably take a very good pro day to solidify his status as a second rounder, and some of the other receivers having poor pro days to move him into first round consideration.

The problem is he simply doesn't have the size of Limas Sweed and James Hardy, or the speed of DeSean Jackson to make him stand out in the eyes of teams looking for an immediate impact at wideout.

As it stands, Jackson is the only likely top 15 pick, however, as I mentioned in a previous post many teams in the 11-20 range need both a receiver and offensive lineman, and could opt for either one. The Bills, Broncos, Bears, Eagles, Buccaneers, Redskins, Cowboys (2 picks), Titans, 49ers will all consider wideouts in the first round.

The Titans and Cowboys are almost locks to grab one, and there will be anywhere from three to six taken in the first round. Jackson, Sweed, Malcolm Kelly, Devin Thomas, and Hardy are the top choices, which leaves room for maybe one more.

Bennett has to prove the Combine wasn't a fluke, because even though he runs routes and catches balls better than anyone else in the draft, teams still aren't sold that he can create separation from pro cornerbacks. Mario Manningham seriously hurt his draft stock with a 4.60 40-time, Andre Caldwell has had an injury history, and Early Doucet has similar tools to Bennett with half the resume.

Therefore, Bennett could conceivably be the sixth receiver drafted, and assuming he doesn't go in the first round, there are several teams who could call his name early in the second. The Rams and Jets have desperate needs at the position and will definitely consider him. The Chiefs need a receiver, and if the Niners don't grab one in the first round, they will take one with the 39th overall pick.

After that, all those mid-round teams who passed on a receiver in the first round will get their second chance for one, so I find it hard to see him falling farther than that.

NFL Draft Watch

I'm sure most Vanderbilt football fans are well aware that there will be at least one, and possibly two, Commodores called in the first round of the NFL Draft in April. Both tackle Chris Williams and wide receiver Earl Bennett did nothing but help their stock with their combine performances several weeks ago. Williams solidified his status as a sure first-rounder, while Bennett has a good chance to land in the second round.

Of course draft position relies heavily on team need and position depth within the draft pool, which is favorable for Williams. After Jake Long and Ryan Clady, the consensus top two tackles, Williams is the next best lineman available, which probably means a pick somewhere in the teens.

Of teams in this range, there are several that have pressing offensive line concerns and should be in the market for a lineman (pick in parentheses): Buffalo Bills (11), Denver Broncos (12), Chicago Bears (14), Detroit Lions (15), Houston Texans (18). The Steelers at No. 23 are a possibility as well if Jeff Otah goes first and other cards fall in place.

The Bills were the second worst team last year in allowing yardage to opposing offenses, but already made big offseason acquisitions in defensive tackle Marcus Stroud in a trade from Jacksonville and free agent linebacker Kawika Mitchell. That means they will probably focus on offense in the draft and either find a weapon for their young QBs (whichever one starts) or find protection for them.

The Broncos desperately need a linebacker after struggling last year at the position and after cutting veteran Ian Gold. But another Vanderbilt alum is struggling behind a weak offensive line, and reuniting Williams with Jay Cutler is an intriguing possibility. However, after cutting Javon Walker loose, Denver will now think long and hard about getting another receiver.

The Bears are a mess. Last season, the defense was far from the dominant force it was during the team's Super Bowl run, though mostly because of injuries. Still, the offense is in far worse shape. Both Mushin Muhammed and Bernard Berrian are gone, leaving the receiving corps decimated, and Cedric Benson is a bust in the backfield.

Sadly for the Bears, there will be no quarterback worth taking at their draft position to solve the Rex Grossman problem. That means just like the Bills and Broncos, the Bears will likely take either a receiver or a lineman, and Williams could be the guy.

The Lions need offensive line help badly, but after taking receivers in the first round of four straight drafts, defense should take precedence this time around in Detroit.

Every year the Texans have a miserable offensive line and fail to address those positions in the draft. Williams seems like a logical choice with the defense improving and key offensive weapons already established. Then again, the prove conventional wisdom wrong every year.

Williams is not a consensus No. 3 lineman, and should Jeff Otah go before him and the teams with picks in the teens opt to address other needs, he could fall to the Steelers at 23. Losing Alan Faneca in free agency was a big blow to the offensive line stability they have had for the last several years, and they would likely jump on Williams were he to fall this far. Pittsburgh could move him to guard, and seeing as there is not another immediate concern, it is very unlikely Williams falls past Pittsburgh.

Coming soon, Earl Bennett...