What NFL teams are interested in Jonathan Cooper?

(Bob Donnan/US Presswire)

The NFL Draft is almost here. The workouts, meetings and interviews are almost over. Now it is time to sit back and wait to here Roger Goodell or a retired NFL player or someone else working in the NFL offices to call the names. It is also a good time to look at the Tar Heels that are expected to go high and evaluate which teams have the most interest.

First we will looked at Giovani Bernard, now we take a look at who most believe will be the first Tar Heel and interior offensive lineman selected, Jonathan Cooper.

Most likely Pro Bowler in this draft? OG Jonathan Cooper would be my choice.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) April 22, 2013

1. Tennessee Titans: It was obvious last season that the Titans needed offensive line help badly. Cooper has met with the Titans on several occasions and for the Titans, if both players available their choice will come down to Cooper and Chance Warmack.
2. San Diego Chargers: If the Titans do not take Cooper, it is possible he does not make it past the Chargers at number 11. The Chargers need offensive line help and it is likely that the top 3 Tackles in draft will be gone before the Chargers pick. There is now predraft rumblings that Dallas is looking to trade up in front of the Chargers, meaning that Dallas believes that Cooper will not make it past the Chargers 11th pick.
3. Dallas Cowboys: As mentioned above the Cowboys are extremely interested in making Cooper their first round pick. Cooper met with Jerry Jones and the Cowboys earlier in April and the meeting left both parties coming away very impressed. Cooper would also improve an offensive line that was not very good last season.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers: The Cowboys should also be worried about the Steelers drafting Cooper. Steelers personal basically welcomed Cooper in the hotel lobby at the Draft Combine, as they met with the Cooper before any other team at the Combine. The Steelers have more needs than Guard, since they took a Guard in the first round last year, but they will not pass on a player that could be best available player at pick number 17.

Draft Projection: When Thursday night is all said and done, Cooper will be the first Tar Heel to be drafted. There is also a very good chance that he will be one of two Guards taken in the first 15 picks, a position that rarely has anyone go in the top 15. Cooper did show teams during workouts that he could play center, right or left guard and that versatility on the offensive line will be hard to pass on. I believe that Cooper will be selected by the Titans as they have to get someone to protect Jake Locker and open up holes for Chris Johnson, because if the Titans offense looks as bad as it did last year there could be a new coaching staff in Nashville next year.

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What NFL teams are interested in Giovani Bernard?

The NFL Draft is almost here. The workouts, meetings and interviews are almost over. Now it is time to sit back and wait to here Roger Goodell or a retired NFL player or someone else working in the NFL offices to call the names. It is also a good time to look at the Tar Heels that are expected to go high and evaluate which teams have the most interest.

First we will look at Giovani Bernard, who has multiple teams interested, but has a few teams that are very interested.

"I would draft Giovani Bernard ahead of Eddie Lacy" (via @russlande)
— Fantasy FB Pundit (@FantasyFbPundit) April 17, 2013

1. Cincinnati Bengals: Marvin Lewis was at Carolina's Pro Day and it is believed that he was there to see Bernard. Bengals scouts were also spotted talking to Bernard at his Pro Day. Bernard also was one of the players that Cincinnati brought in to further evaluate.
2. Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins lost their starting running back, Reggie Bush, to free agency. Bernard is a very versatile running back, just like Bush. Bernard visited in Florida with Dolphins personal and met  with them for over five hours. Barry Jackson, a beat writer for the Dolphins, believes that Bernard could be an option for the Dolphins with one of their two second round picks.
3. Green Bay Packers: The Packers have been very quiet about what they are planning on doing on the draft. They need a running back in the worst way and if you put Bernard in the Green Bay offense he would be an instant threat. The Packers did meet with Bernard at the NFL combine.
4. Dallas Cowboys: I have only seen speculation from writers that follow the Cowboys, that they are interested in Bernard. Dallas' rushing offense was very bad last year and Bernard would contribute immediately on special teams and third downs. This would also give Tony Romo, who just received a contract extension, a weapon to help him and the Cowboys make the playoffs.

Draft Projection: I did go on record saying that if Bernard had very good workouts he could sneak into the first round. While he has not had a workout that just blew people away he has been very consistent and has done whatever has been asked of him. If he does not get taken in the first round then someone will be getting a bargain in the second round. I still think there is a very strong chance that someone trades up to the end of the first round to grab Bernard. Two teams stick out to me, the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals, as both have expressed a lot of interest in Bernard and have extra picks in the first two days of the draft.

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Tar Heels in the NBA Playoffs

2 San Antonio Spurs vs. 7 Los Angeles Lakers

Danny Green
Green had his best season as a pro averaging 10.5 points a game and shooting 43% from 3 point range. Green is a key role player for one of the best teams in the NBA. He is a very good defender and when he is hot from outside the Spurs will be very tough to beat.

Antwan Jamison
If the Los Angeles Lakers are going to make it to the second round of the NBA playoffs, they will have to do it without Kobe Bryant. Jamison has scored 16 and 15 points in the two games without Bryant. Jamison will continue to be the Lakers first option off the bench.
Game 1 in San Antonio, April 21st at 3:30 pm EST on ABC

3 Denver Nuggets vs. 6 Golden State Warriors

Ty Lawson
Lawson had his best season in the NBA leading the Nuggets in points (16.7) and assist (6.9). He is expected to be a key factor if the Nuggets advance to the next round, as they are entering the playoffs banged up.

Harrison Barnes
In Barnes' first season he averaged 9 points and four rebounds a game. He also started 81 games this season for the Warriors.
Game 1 in Denver, April 20th at 5:30 pm EST on ESPN

4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. 5 Memphis Grizzlies

Ed Davis
Davis began the season very hot with the Toronto Raptors, but once he was traded to Memphis he was regulated to the bench and had his minutes a game cut drastically. Davis' role should be the same as the regular season and will be expected to give Memphis' front court solid minutes off the bench.
Game 1 in Los Angeles, April 20th at 10:30 pm EST on ESPN

1 Miami Heat vs. 8 Milwaukee Bucks

John Henson
Henson is playing his best basketball of the season and in the last 10 games he  has averaged 9 points and 9 rebounds a game, including posting a double-double in the last two regular season games. No one expects Milwaukee to win the series against Miami, but it will be a good opportunity for Henson to farther his development.
Game 1 in Miami, April 21st at 7:00 pm ESPN on TNT

2 New York Knicks vs. 7 Boston Celtics

Raymond Felton
The Knicks are one of the hottest teams heading into the NBA playoffs. Felton has been a big part of the teams success this year. He averaged 14 points and 5.5 assist per game. If Felton and the Knicks continue their hot play, then fans should be anticipating a New York-Miami Eastern Conference final.
Game 1 in New York, April 20th at 3:30 pm EST on ABC

3 Indiana Pacers vs. 6 Atlanta Hawks

Tyler Hansbrough
Hansbrough gives the Pacers a nice insurance policy for starter David West. When Hansbrough filled in for the injured West this season he gave them very solid minutes. Hansbrough did suffer a mild sprained ankle in practice on Friday, but is expected to play Sunday.
Game 1 in Indiana, April 21st at 1:00 pm EST on TNT

4 Brooklyn Nets vs. 5 Chicago Bulls

Jerry Stackhouse
Stackhouse missed a lot of the season and was used sparingly when he was healthy. Stackhouse is expected to come off the bench and give the Nets 10-15 solid minutes.
Game 1 in Brooklyn, April 20th at 8:00 pm EST on ESPN

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Reggie Bullock entering the NBA Draft

Junior small forward, Reggie Bullock has decided to enter the 2013 NBA draft. The deadline to enter the draft is April 28th, but Bullock weighed his options and decided to enter this years draft and forego his senior season. The announcement of  Bullock does

Is the time now for Matt Harvey to be the Mets Ace?

(Howard Simmons/New York Daily News)

Last season was yet another long season for Mets fan. However there were bright spots: Johan Santana's no hitter (the first in franchise history, R.A. Dickey's had a great season that ended with him winning the Cy Young, but perhaps the biggest bright spot for the Mets future, was the pitching performance by rookie Matt Harvey. Harvey had an ERA of 2.73 and struckout 70 batters in only 59 innings, but due to poor run

UNC Pro Day news, notes and Takeaways

Last year only one head coach came to Pro Day in Chapel Hill and it was Rex Ryan. He came and watched defensive end, Quinton Coples, and in April the Jets made him their first round pick. This year the Tar Heels are expected to have several players drafted this year including early round projections Jonathan Cooper, Sylvester Williams, Giovani Bernard and Kevin Reddick. There was a very good turn out compared to last year.

• Two NFL head coaches attended the pro day, Gus Bradley (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Marvin Lewis (Cincinnati Bengals).
• Three NFL general managers were also in attendance (Lions, Jets and Jaguars).
• A scout from every NFL team was present.
• Former NFL players and Tar Heels Quan Sturdivant and Brooks Foster participated in the workout.
• Senior wide receiver Jhay Boyd had a 41 1/2 inch vertical and it could have been  higher, but the device did not measure any higher.
• Boyd also ran an unofficial 4.4 in the 40. After an injury ridden senior season he had as good of a pro day he could have hoped for.
• Marvin Lewis and a Bengals scout was seen talking to Giovani Bernard, which goes back to what I said in early February that Bernard will not make it past the Bengals fifth pick in the second round.
• Jaguars sending the head coach and GM 
• Patriots, Texans, Packers and Broncos scouts all seemed very impressed with Bernard's quickness and explosiveness
• Coach Fedora tweeted that "our guys had a good day in front of the entire NFL".
• Casey Barth has a lot of work to get onto an NFL roster as no NFL scouts watched him kick
• Giovani Bernard said in an interview that he "does not want to come off the field" in the NFL.
• Former Tar Heel quarterback Cam Sexton was on hand to throw passes to Bernard and the group of receivers. 

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Tar Heel pro basketball weekly Recap

As basketball season is winding down, here is a look at a few stories this week around the NBA and over seas.

NBA

• Ty Lawson is battling a bruised heel that caused him to miss Denver's game against the 76ers on Thursday night. The Nuggets should not be without their floor general too long as he is listed as day-to-day.
• Tyler Hansbrough started two games for the Pacers this week as David West is battling a back injury. Hansbrough has averaged 16 points and 12.5 rebounds in those two games. While being without West is a big loss for the Pacers, Hansbrough is proving himself to be a capable fill in starter for the Pacers.
• Vince Carter became the 28th NBA player to reach 22,000 points in their career on Monday. Carter has been able to give the Mavericks an offensive lift off the bench this season and in his 14th year he shows he is still a very capable scorer.
• Wayne Ellington and Tyler Zeller nearly helped the Cavs shock the world this week and nearly ended the Miami Heat's winning streak, despite being without Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters. Ellington led the Cavs with 20 points and Zeller had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Overseas

• Will Graves led Malvin to the semifinal of the playoffs in Uruguay. Graves had 25 point and ten rebounds. Malvin will resume play on Monday, March 25, against Aguada.
• Sean May and Jawad Williams will look to help Paris-Levallois end a three game losing streak on Saturday. In their only game this week May was the only player to have double digits in scoring with 23 points and also led the team with eight rebounds. Williams chipped in with eight points as he struggled shooting from the field.
• Deon Thompson had 15 points and five rebounds for ALBA-Berlin in a win on Wednesday. ALBA-Berlin did not have the same outcome on Sunday as they suffered a seven point loss to Phoenix Hagen, but Thompson had a nice game with 18 points and six rebounds. Thompson and ALBA-Berlin is 16-10 on the season.
• Justin Knox will lead the Vestelspor Manisa on Saturday in Turkey, after a two week break in play.
• Reyshawn Terry is expected to miss a few more games in Lebanon for Champville SC, as he suffered a groin injury in early March.

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