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NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Cambpell a Raider; Redskins trade former starting QB to Oakland
Steelers trade with Arizona for CB Bryant McFadden
Seattle Trades Fifth-round Selection to New York Jets for Leon Washington
Seattle makes a move with Tennessee for RB LenDale White
Seattle Selects Kam Chancellor in Fifth Round, 133rd Overall
Seattle Selects E.J. Wilson in Fourth Round, 1271th Overall
The latest on Favre and what he’s up to
Were the Eagles right in taking Graham in round one?
Seattle Selects Walter Thurmond III in Fourth Round, 111th Overall
With their First Pick in the Fourth Round, Seattle TRADES with Tennessee: Gets RB LenDale White

Cambpell a Raider; Redskins trade former starting QB to Oakland

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 10:38 AM PDT

A person with knowledge of the trade says the Raiders have acquired quarterback Jason Campbell from the Redskins. The person within the league said Saturday the deal had been completed. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been announced. It was not immediately clear what the Raiders gave up for Campbell.

Campbell started 52 games for Washington since being a first-round pick in 2005. He has thrown for 55 touchdowns, 38 interceptions and has a passer rating of 82.3 in his career. He became expendable in Washington after the Redskins traded for Donovan McNabb.

The Raiders were looking for an upgrade at quarterback after former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell got benched last season.

Steelers trade with Arizona for CB Bryant McFadden

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 10:31 AM PDT

As if bringing back two former Steelers already this offseason wasn’t enough, Saturday the Steelers brought back number three, acquiring CB Bryant McFadden from the Cardinals in exchange for the No. 155 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.

McFadden left the Steelers after the Super Bowl win to join the team the Steelers beat in Super Bowl XLIII, but simply wasn’t very good in Arizona, failing as a starter during his one-year stay with the Birds, but he was an effective nickel back and fill-in corner with the Steelers while with them. He should get the chance to start opposite Ike Taylor in a weak Steelers secondary, competing with William Gay and Keenan Lewis.

The move again means that you can for sure bet that the Steelers and fans have seen the last of DeShea Townsend, who remains on the free agent market.

Seattle Trades Fifth-round Selection to New York Jets for Leon Washington

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 09:29 AM PDT

According to the Seattle Times‘ Danny O’Neil:

The Seattle Seahawks acquired Leon Washington from the New York Jets, trading the second of their two fifth-round picks (No. 139) to New York for Washington and a seventh-round pick, No. 236.

Make sure to check back here at SeahawksGab.com and over at NFLGridironGab.com throughout the day leading up to the Draft and routinely during the event as I'll bring you the latest news and analysis on Seattle's selections and potential moves.

Seattle makes a move with Tennessee for RB LenDale White

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 09:15 AM PDT

The final day of the 2010 NFL Draft started with the Seahawks wheeling and dealing with the Titans, grabbing running back LenDale White, a player that new coach Pete Carroll knows all about from his days at USC.

White played for Carroll at Southern California and spent the past four seasons with Tennessee. The 2006 draft pick had a breakout 2007 season with 1,110 rushing yards, then ran for 773 yards and scored 15 touchdowns in 2008. However, he managed only 222 yards and two scores last year playing behind emerging star Chris Johnson.

Seattle also added DT Kevin Vickerson in the deal, he started two games and appeared in 11 others for Tennessee last season. He finished his third year with the Titans with 28 tackles. He spent his first two NFL seasons on the roster of the Dolphins, but did not appear in a game.

The Titans acquired the 104th overall selection, which they used on CB Alterraun Verner from UCLA, from Seattle. The Seahawks moved down in the fourth and sixth rounds in return for White and Vickerson.

Seattle Selects Kam Chancellor in Fifth Round, 133rd Overall

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 09:08 AM PDT

Safety was a position that lacked both depth and overall talent heading into the 2010 N.F.L. Draft for the Seattle Seahawks and, with their first pick in the fifth round, they continued to restock the position by selecting Kam Chancellor out of Virginia Tech.

The following are Chancellor's strengths according to the N.F.L. Scouting Combine page at NFL.com are:

Chancellor has outstanding size for the safety position. Plays with great strength and has the toughness needed to consistently help up in the box in run support. Has been a highly productive player. Durability is not a concern. Exhibits a really impressive motor, refuses to be blocked and plays hard through the whistle.

Here's what the N.F.L. Scouting Combine page has this for his weaknesses:

Chancellor can play over aggressive at times, take poor angles and is susceptible to play fakes. Taller player who could improve his pad level. Needs to be lower in his back peddle. Is more comfortable in the box and doesn't possess the coverage skills, ball skills and instincts to be consistently relied upon against the pass.

Check out Chancellor's highlight reel at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6PC-drS9IA

Seattle Selects E.J. Wilson in Fourth Round, 1271th Overall

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 08:50 AM PDT

Recognizing a need at the defensive end position thanks to the recent retirement of Patrick Kerney, Seattle called the name of defensive end E.J. Wilson out of North Carolina.

The following are Wilson's strengths according to the N.F.L. Scouting Combine page at NFL.com are:

Wilson is a strong defensive end capable of holding up at the point of attack. He has been a productive player in college. Has the work ethic necessary to get the most out of his ability. Plays with impressive pad leverage. Displays very good instincts when diagnosing in the running game. Is a durable performer.

Here's what the N.F.L. Scouting Combine page has this for his weaknesses:

Wilson is only an average overall athlete for the next level. He lacks the quickness to shoot gaps and penetrate against the run or come off the edge when rushing the passer. Only uses the bull rush at this point and must broaden his pass-rush package to be an every-down guy.

The latest on Favre and what he’s up to

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 08:22 AM PDT

It is either a sign that fans are sick and tired of having to hear about the Favre Watch, or fans are extremely confident that he'll be back.

Either way, I was surprised that the latest update on Favre managed to be overshadowed by the NFL Draft. One year ago, an update about Brett Favre would have trumped any other world event you could think of.

The latest update still trickled through, however, and it comes from Steve Mariucci. Favre's old coach claims that Favre is concerned about the fact that his ankle (remember those disgusting photos?) has still not recovered from the beating it took in the NFC Championship Game against the Saints.

"He doesn't know yet," Mariucci said. "He's trying to heal up. His body is recovered except for that ankle. That's not quite ready yet. It's an ankle that he had surgery on twice before and it's still pretty puffy. You remember he came out of that game with the ankle and went back in, but it's still swollen.

"He's trying to determine: Is his body telling him something here? Or is he going to be feeling better in due time. He still hasn't made up his mind, and the Vikings are not rushing him. That's what's a little bit crazy about it. I thought maybe they'd say, 'Listen, could you tell us by draft day please so we could determine where we're going to go?' But I don't think their draft needs are having to do with Brett. I think they are OK at quarterback. If he plays or if he doesn't play it doesn't matter. I think Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels will be there to play."

If Favre shocks everybody and retires (again) this year, and Jimmy Clausen lights it up with a talented Panther offense, then the Vikings brass may have gotten themselves into quite the pickle.

Were the Eagles right in taking Graham in round one?

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 08:21 AM PDT

Brandon Graham

When we saw the Eagles trade up to the 13th selection last night, I don't think anyone was too surprised at the move. It seemed almost inevitable that with Earl Thomas on the board, he would be on his way to Philadelphia. However, the Eagles chose to pass on Thomas and selected Brandon Graham, a hybrid DE/OLB from Michigan. The pick surprised a lot of people, including myself.

Defensive end was definitely a need for this team but I thought there were many other priorities that needed to be addressed before this. Safety and cornerback are the first two that come to mind. Despite that, the Eagles packaged their first round selection along with both their third round picks to move up 11 spots to get Graham.

Don't get me wrong, I think the guy is a great player; however, I'm not exactly pleased with the move. First of all, I don't think he would have gone nearly as high as he did if the Eagles didn't make a move for him. Many draft analysts have him listed up there as one of their top DE/OLB's but I don't know if any teams had him as high on their board as the Eagles did.

Next, there is a lot of depth at the defensive end position this year. With that not being one of their top needs, the Eagles could have easily gotten a talented defensive end in the second round. After yesterday, there are still players like Carlos Dunlap and Sergio Kindle on the board. Moving up to 13 just seemed way too high to take a guy who wasn't leaps and bounds above the rest of the defensive ends out there.

I'm also not thrilled about giving up two third round picks to move up that high either. They could easily trade up into the third round again or even trade back with their later second round pick and get a third round pick and something else.

This really isn't anything against the kid, as I do think he is a really good player. However, the Eagles gave up a lot to get him so he's going to have to prove something to everyone. I hope that Graham has the impact on the team that the Eagles are hoping for.

Seattle Selects Walter Thurmond III in Fourth Round, 111th Overall

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 07:59 AM PDT

A busy day already for Seattle on day three of the 2010 N.F.L. Draft.

After trading for running back LenDale White and defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson while swapping fourth- and sixth-round selections, the Seahawks hopped back on the clock seven selections later (with what was Tennessee’s selection) and picked cornerback Walter Thurmond III.

The following are Thurmond's strengths according to the N.F.L. Scouting Combine page at NFL.com are:

Thurmond is the kind of prospect coaches really like because of his outstanding work ethic and competitiveness. Additionally, he's a player with good size, strength and athleticism for the cornerback position. Also possesses good ball skills needed to make the tough interception. Was a highly productive player for the Ducks throughout his career and brings more value to the table as a return specialist.

Here's what the N.F.L. Scouting Combine page has this for his weaknesses:

Despite a quality frame, Thurmond lacks a little bulk and needs to improve his hand use to ward off blockers when coming up in run support. Durability is another possible area of concern as he's coming off season-ending knee injury.

Check out Thurmond's highlight reel at: http://www.in.com/videos/watchvideo-nfl-draft-prospect-cb-walter-thurmond-6828159.html