FanHouse QuentinGroves

Until last night, speculation in Jacksonville was that Reggie Hayward and Paul Spicer, the Jaguars' veteran defensive ends, would be battling ghosts for their jobs -- kind of like Pacman, except, y'know, not like that Pacman.

As of this morning, there's only one ghost left. The Jaguars' second-round pick, Quentin Groves, signed a four-year deal last night, just in time for the start of training camp today. That leaves former Florida star Derrick Harvey as the team's last remaining unsigned rookie.

I imagine Harvey's agent is continuing to remind the Jaguars that they gave up almost half of their draft to get their paws on Harvey, who was picked 8th overall and is expected to add some youth to their pass rush. However, the signings of 6th-overall pick Vernon Gholston and 10th-overall pick Jerrod Mayo might speed up the process of getting Harvey signed and in camp.

Harvey has given no indication of an extended holdout here, so don't expect one. He could easily be signed and ready to go by tomorrow's first practice. Then Hayward and Spicer can really start worrying about their jobs.

The Miami Dolphins have already used their top pick in the draft on Jake Long. Now, they want to find a way to get another first round pick by cutting some deals.

Word is that Jason Taylor is for sale.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that according to two NFL executives, the Dolphins are trying to land another first-round pick in order to secure a player they're concerned won't be on the board when they lead off the second round with the No. 32 pick overall. And the Palm Beach Post reported that Taylor, who is still competing on ABC's "Dancing With The Stars," has quietly requested a trade and understands he could be on the move if the team can make the right deal.

The article says that Miami wants a shot at nabbing Florida DE Derrick Harvey, Auburn DE Quentin Groves, Michigan QB Chad Henne or Delaware QB John Flacco.

I know that Bill Parcells doesn't like us talking about these things, but you knew something would heat up after the Chiefs dealt Jared Allen for a bunch of picks. Of course, Taylor is eight years older than Allen so the trade value isn't as high.

With each pick of the FanHouse mock draft, we get into the head of an NFL general manager and let you know who he'll pick and why.

The 49ers are in a rough spot here. In real life, with pretty much no viable options where need and value intersect, I think they trade back. Since that's not an option here, they have to reach.

Ideally, the team wants Gosder Cherilus to bookend the offensive line with Joe Staley. With him off the board, and Kentwan Balmer -- a defensive tackle who could play end in the 49ers' 3-4 -- gone as well, it's about the pass rush.

The 49ers like Quentin Groves, and he's got the measurables to play the pass-rush role in the 49ers' scheme opposite of Manny Lawson, but his actual game skills are slightly more cloudy. Worse yet is his reputation as having an inconsistent motor, which is a death blow when you want someone speeding towards the quarterback on almost every single down. Still, he's the best of what the 49ers need at this point. He can start from Week 1, but 49er fans will have to expect some sort of learning curve.

Calais Campbell is a backup plan to Balmer in case the team feels it's necessary to fix the end position, but that would really be a stretch. Likewise, the 49ers love Notre Dame's Trevor Laws. Though Laws played tackle in college, he's got the frame for a 3-4 end and all the intangibles Groves doesn't have. Still, he might likely last until the 49ers pick only 10 selections later at #39.

The Skinny:
Team Needs: DE, OLB, OT, OG
Player Selected: Quentin Groves, OLB, Auburn
Also Considered: Calais Campbell, DE, Miami; Trevor Laws, DT, Notre Dame

Previous Pick: No. 28,

Next Pick: No. 30, Green Bay Packers

Typically, pre-draft injuries are a bad thing. NFL teams are leery of any prospect with issues, whether they be character-based or health-related. Just ask Dennis Dixon (check his website!) and Jonathan Stewart.

One player who is apparently unaffected, however, is Auburn linebacker Quentin Groves. At least as far as the 49ers are concerned. According to the Sacramento Bee's Matthew Barrows, "... the 49ers are eyeing [Groves] the upcoming NFL draft, [who] had minor heart surgery last month, but the team says it is not concerned about it."

Barrows also addressed the concern when answering a question about the team's draft plans on his 49ers blog:

I see the Niners' list of priorities like this. A.) If Groves falls to them, they take him. B.) If not, they try to trade down and grab a couple of additional picks. C.) If neither A or B pan out, then they take the BPA, no matter the position. That could be [Dan] Connor or [DeSean] Jackson or Early Doucet or a cornerback.

Obviously, Groves' fate ultimately lies with whether team doctors give him a clean bill of health, but that San Francisco seems unconcerned suggests that his surgery was exactly that: minor. (Although, I'm not sure anytime doctors are messing about with your ticker it's anything but very, very major.)

For shiggles, if the 49ers end up with Groves, he'd join last year's Defensive Rookie of the Year Patrick Willis among the linebackers. That's a pretty formidable duo. Doesn't fix the offensive issues, but maybe Mike Nolan is taking the "the best offense is a good defense" approach to winning football.

As mentioned earlier, the Steelers brought Quentin Groves in for a visit that could signify that they are considering him with their first round pick. Groves is an awesome pass rusher, but seeing makes it much easier to believe than just reading about it.

Check out Groves against the hapless Kansas State left tackle as part of a two sack, forced fumble effort. It gives you a good look at his explosiveness of the line.

By now most Steelers fans have heard the tidbit about how their first-round picks always come from guys they bring to Pittsburgh to interview. So it pays to pay attention to who the Steelers interview.

And with the potential offensive line targets all seeming to move their way up the draft boards (and possibly out of the Steelers range), Pittsburgh has to plan for some other options. They've brought Aqib Talib to town to prepare to go the cornerback route, and now they've also checked out Auburn's sack master Quentin Groves.

Groves is tied for Auburn's all-time lead in sacks with 26, although he recorded only three sacks as a senior thanks to some dislocated toes. He had recorded 9.5 sacks as a junior. He fits the profile of the typical Steelers outside linebacker in that he's a college defensive end who is a little undersized to play the same role as a pro. At 6-foot-3, 259 pounds, Groves ran a blazing 4.53 40-yard dash at the combine, so he definitely has the speed to make the transition. His 35-inch vertical at Auburn's pro day (which Mike Tomlin attended) also shows off his athleticism. And he even played the position briefly as a college senior, so the transition should be a little easier than it is for the average outside linebacker conversion.

Anybody who's been in Bryant-Denny Stadium and on the wrong end of the Rammer Jammer cheer should appreciate the following clip. It's the Auburn University Marching Band along with a prominently displayed Quentin Groves giving the Tide a little taste of their own medicine:



Perhaps even more galling to Bama fans is this exchange in the video's comment thread, filled with typical Alabama-Auburn vitriol, and this slightly exaggerated truth:

[Supposed Bama Fan] What do they play when they lose?

[Supposed Auburn fan]: None of the current players, students, band members, etc. would know. They were all in middle school the last time Bama beat Auburn.

Guess it makes getting bitten by a dog just about worth it.

If Auburn has its way, defensive end Quentin Groves will be spending a lot of quality time with Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor on Monday. And thankfully, Groves will be spending more time with his teammates come next season.

Unwilling to make the mistake Stanley McClover did a year ago by leaving early for the NFL, Groves has made the decision to return for his senior campaign. Much like McClover last season, Groves has saved his best for the biggest games. One could argue that he was the difference maker in wins over Florida and Alabama.

Through the first half of the season, it didn't appear that the NFL was even an option for Groves. The All-SEC selection had made little noise heading into the Florida game. That's win head coach Tommy Tuberville gave Groves a little pep-talk.

He told him that he expected more out of him and that he was capable of better play. That low key talk changed everything for Groves. In the Florida game, he recorded three sacks and led Auburn to a 27-17 win over the second-ranked Gators.

Auburn defensive end Quentin Groves has gone from the out-house to the penthouse in less than two weeks. Prior to the Florida game, Tigers coach Tommy Tuberville was on Groves for his lack of production. In fact, his exact words were, "Q, I think you need to make some plays. You haven't showed me anything this year."

If only my kids would respond to that kind of talk. Groves answered the critics with a three sack night and was the difference in Auburn's 27-17 win over the Gators. The performance bumped Groves up to a tie for first in sacks in the SEC with six.

Today, he was named to the Ted Hendrick's Award Mid Season Watch List. The annual award is given to the top defensive end in the country. Groves is one of 28 players to make the list. The final list will come out in November and will be made up of the top five or six defensive ends in the country. The winner will be announced on December 6th. Look for Quentin Groves to be there. He's a changed man.

The old Quentin Groves is back and that's a good thing for Auburn. Heading into his junior season, the talented defensive end was expected to be All-SEC and even an All-American candidate. When new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp came on board he built his schemes around the talented Groves.

Through the first six games things hadn't gone according to plan for Groves. In his first two seasons on the Plains he racked up 14 sacks. Coming into Saturday night's contest with Florida he had only two. It caught the eye of head coach Tommy Tuberville. According to Groves, Tuberville said to him last week, "Q, I think you need to make some plays. You haven't showed me anything this year."

He showed Tuberville plenty against Florida. Groves was a difference maker in the second half, shutting down the Florida defense and becoming Chris Leak's worst nightmare. Groves recorded three sacks for 25 yards in losses.

On Tuesday he was named the Football Writers Association of America Defensive Player of the week. Groves is now tied for the conference lead in sacks with six. What a difference a week makes. Auburn takes on Tulane this Saturday from Pat Dye Field at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:30 pm CT.