Winners
Cleveland: The Browns got Wisconsin LT Joe Thomas with their first pick. He is probably the safest bet of this year’s elite to have a 10 year career. Then they traded up to take QB Brady Quinn at the end of the first round. Some may say that the Browns gave up too much to get Quinn. The bottom line is this: if the Browns did not take a QB with their #1 pick this year they would have done so with their #1 pick next year. So, if they liked Quinn, why not give next year’s #1 pick up to take him this year. Good move.
Oakland: The Raiders had a plethora of picks and loaded up the roster. It was no surprise that they took Jemarcus Russell with the overall #1 pick. Oakland may be the perfect fit for Russell as he will be asked to throw the ball downfield and not have the abundance of checks and reads that come with a west coast style offense. This should help in the short term as Russell played in a single-read passing system at LSU. Arizona State TE Zach Miller (2nd pick) will provide some extra blocking help for the Raider’s stable of backs. DE Quentin Moses (3rd pick) and OT Mario Henderson (4th pick) are both projects, but have NFL size and the potential to be full-time players. Speedster Johnnie Lee Higgins (5th pick) is just what the Raiders look for in a receiver. And, Oakland wasted no time by taking former UofL RB Michael Bush with the first pick of the 2nd day of the draft. The Raiders will be able to give Bush time to get back to full strength as they have 3 solid young backs. It should be a good situation for Bush. Also, Oakland gets extra points for the Randy Moss trade.
Carolina: Maybe no team got move value out of their first three picks then the Panthers. They got Miami (FL) OLB Jon Beason with the 25th overall pick. He will provide immediate help for their rush defense. Then, they got USC playmaker Dwayne Jarrett with the 45th overall pick. And, it did get better. I could not believe that USC center Ryan Kalil was still on the board for Carolina to take him with the 59th overall pick. In my estimation Kalil is the best center to come out of college football since the 1980’s. He is a great zone blocker and could play 10 years in the league.
Scratching my head:
Dolphins: Taking Ted Ginn Jr. over Brady Quinn with the #9 overall pick. Taking BYU QB Jon Beck over Drew Stanton with their 2nd pick. Taking two centers and a FB in a period of four picks. Something tells me that this draft could haunt the Dolphins for a while.
Titans: As a Tennessee Titan fan I can’t say that I am too excited about this draft. Their first pick couldn’t have been better at the 19th overall slot with Texas S Michael Griffin. He can be a force in the NFL just like he was in college. With the 2nd pick they took Arizona RB Chris Henry. Solid potential, but the best bet would be to have gotten a veteran back through free agency (since they need one to play immediately) and drafted for their defense. Which is really where I did the head scratching after seeing the Titans select three WR’s. I saw all 3 play in college (Paul Williams, Fresno St.; Chris Davis, Florida St.; Joe Filani; Texas Tech) and none really stood out to me as having great NFL potential. The Titans need to start letting Head Coach Jeff Fisher have more of a say in personnel matters. Then, I think, the roster would look a whole lot better then what the Titans management has ever given him.
Underrated position
To me, the most underrated position in this years draft was at safety. I see 6 guys who could be long term players in the NFL. If I were ranking the players I would have LSU safety LaRon Landry rated as the 3rd best player in the draft (behind only Calvin Johnson and Joe Thomas). He is, by far, the best tackler in the draft and; also, the best pure hitter in the draft. He will be a great run stopper as a rookie for the Redskins. Texas’ Michael Griffin (Titans), Florida’s Reggie Nelson (Jax), Miami’s Brandon Meriweather (New England), Boise State’s Gerald Alexander (Detroit), and Virginia Tech’s Aaron Rouse (Green Bay) could all be starters (and solid contributors) as rookies. Utah’s Eric Weddle (San Diego) was listed at safety and drafted 37th overall and would be a tremendous safety, also. But, he may end up simply returning kicks, or playing a role on the offensive side of the ball.
Filling a need
With first round picks these team’s did a great job filling a team need with their pick:
San Francisco -LB Patrick Willis (Ole Miss)—-Can run and hit……..and do while playing with injury………he is a keeper.
Cincinnati -CB Leon Hall (Michigan)—Great recovery speed and good size at 5’11 for a corner.
NY Giants -CB Aaron Ross (Texas)—Great size (6’0) allows him to play well in a true cover 2 scheme or in tight man coverage. Also, a solid tackler.
Baltimore -OG Ben Grubbs (Auburn)—The best guard in this years draft. He can flat out move people.
Sleepers
Remember these names:
215th overall pick-Ben Patrick, Delaware, TE—Arizona gets a good one here. He has the size, quickness, and hands to be a #1 TE in the NFL.
231st overall pick-Michael Allen, Whitworth, TE—The D-III All-American is 6’6, 255 and can move. Will be a long time player for the Chiefs.
173rd overall pick-Michael Coe, Alabama St., DB—A college coaches son who played at both CB and S. His versatility and savvy will help him with the Colts.
2 Comments
Man, you could give Mel Kiper a run for his money!!!
Steve “Mel Kiper Jr.” Stonebraker.
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