The NFL Draft thread

[sjwalker1973]

Stafford won't be a Ryan Leaf, that's for sure. He actually wanted to help them instead of be a primadonna like Leaf. Leaf was a cancer. There are many great big holes in Detroit. O line and D line need to be addressed. Stafford is being thrown to the wolves right now if he goes in there in the first season.

I'm still saying Maclin is going to have an immediate impact during the season and will groom into something special like Deshawn Jackson is already in Philly. I still would have liked to have Knoshawn, but you take what is available and go from there.

[geoffhanna]

The Broncos in general have always had a superior running game
due to the finesse O line. Year after year of swapping 1500 yard backs
without fail is a direct result of a great line. Keep your line talented,
healthy and deep, then your back need only hit the holes and not turn
the ball over.

Cheers

They don't have the finesse o-line anymore either.

It is going to be a weird year in Broncoville I think.

Hopefully not as weird as it used to be back before we got good... we used to have quarterbacks so bad they would inspire jokes like ... he got so frustrated he just spiked the ball into the ground ... and missed ...

[Lerincho]

yes broncos are no longer the "plug in running back" here system. broncos offense is going to look a lot like NE last year.

[Lerincho]

Okay, I'm not paid expert but here is my impressions from the draft having a day and a half to let it all digest.

Grade A: (in no particular order)
New York Jets - I believe while limiting themselves in picks this year and next that they addressed some key issues with this draft. Sanchez, though I think he should sit a year, will probably win the job because the QB situation there is just that bad. The kid has all the tangibles that you want in a QB and this will be HIS team for awhile. Greene probably made Thomas Jones, expendable (if they are smart will trade him for future picks instead of cutting him), but hopefully push him to show up.

Cincinnati Bengals - even with the possible character issues bringing in OT Smith, solid draft for the Bengals. Definitely got a steal with Rey Maualuga still being available in the second round. Palmer should be able to stay upright long enough to keep OchoCinco happy, and the defense finally has a leader on the field. Marvin Lewis's last stand should be a good one for the Bengals.

New England Patriots - solid draft of versitile "Patriot" type players. In addressing depth problems they were also able to stock pile picks for next year, which looking at contracts will be a tough decision off-season. Trade of Ellis Hobbs was a bit puzzling though, even with the extreme depth they had a cornerback. A little disappointed they didn't pick up Harrell in the 7th round. Hey they picked Kingsbury!

last but not least....

Detriot Lions - yes the Lions front office actually made some relatively good decisions. Only pick I asbolutely disagreed with them on was Pettigrew. Michael Oher was still on the board at this point in time, and to have 41.7 Million in your QB; you absolutely have to protect him.

[Lerincho]

Cleveland Browns - okay so you started the day with 5 picks, but you also fail to move any of the players you were hoping to dump onto someone else. Quinn and Anderson still on the roster, so is Edwards. Weren't in love with any of the top 10 picks, I can respect that, so you trade down a few times, pick a center and get a few extra picks. Mack and Mohamed Massaquoi will be the only two real contributors of this class.

Dallas Cowboys - McGee? USC's Kicker? What could have been one of the greatest off-seasons in recent Cowboy history turns out to be a dud. Could have absolutely owned the second day of the draft but instead fizzled as Jerry Jones always does. A few decent picks, Williams from Tech, TCU's linebacker; but will the rest actually make the team?

finally and definitely last....

Oakland Raiders - So Al Davis really enjoys being in the top 10 every year picking. Heyward-Bey was an absolute reach and the rest of their draft was completely insignificant.

[Aeneas]

Kirwin, I agree with your comments that both Dawkins and Buckhalter were injury prone, and that dawkins is reaching the twilight of his career, but he deserved another couple years from philadelphia and the team wouldn't have made the playoffs last year without the clutch carries Buckhalter produced in the second half when Westbrook seemed unable to find a hole.


With regards to Philadelphia's draft picks and their move to acquire Ellis Hobbs from the Pats, i think this may be the most satisfying draft i've seen out of the Eagles in quite a while. Maclin was a good pickup with the potential to develop into another Desean Jackson type receiver and hopefully displace some of the lesser receivers like Greg "the egg" Lewis. Lets hope they can all get along following the loss of veteran leadership and acquisition of multiple talented young starters as well as find a home for a still unhappy Sheldon Brown.

[UnderwearModel]

I loved Maclin in college. Mr. Excitement. On kick and punt returns, he was fun to watch.

I thought the same thing about Ted Ginn last year, I liked him as a pick for Miami.

Ginn was the same thing at Ohio State. Awesome to watch against the college kids.

Unfortunately, all of the pros are all really, really fast. Ginn has found that out, and Maclin will find that out.

[Aeneas]

I loved Maclin in college. Mr. Excitement. On kick and punt returns, he was fun to watch.

I thought the same thing about Ted Ginn last year, I liked him as a pick for Miami.

Ginn was the same thing at Ohio State. Awesome to watch against the college kids.

Unfortunately, all of the pros are all really, really fast. Ginn has found that out, and Maclin will find that out.

When is Desean Jackson going to get the memo?

[Lerincho]

When is Desean Jackson going to get the memo?

'bout the same time he gets the memo that he has to cross goalline for it to be a touchdown to start celebrating instead of thinking he scored.


it's true you can't coach speed; however, Maclin's problem is playing injured.... he doesn't. How many teams run bubble screens every other play?

[szaijan]

Rabid Steeler fan here. As a rule, second guessing Kevin Colbert (the Steelers' GM) is a fool's game... he's generally right. That said, I found this draft very disappointing. We needed a young DL, without a doubt, but a 3rd round guard and 7th round center just don't cut it. We've been neglecting the OL for five years and it showed last year, despite the Superbowl win. We clawed and scraped out numerous games where we could have dominated, given even average OL play. We also needed a true FB, and I'm not sure if the UNLV kid (Summers?) qualified. Looks like a good short yardage back, at least.

I have no issue with the players actually picked. Hood, Wallace, and the guard (I forget his name) all seem like serviceable depth in 09 with potential for more in '10. Wallace and the CB may even contribute right away on special teams. We better hope Tony Hills (OT from the '08 draft) is making progress that no one is talking about and/or that our line suffers fewer than normal injuries or our offense could struggle even more than it did in '09, despite the likely emergence of Mendenhall and Sweed.

[Lerincho]

Rabid Steeler fan here. As a rule, second guessing Kevin Colbert (the Steelers' GM) is a fool's game... he's generally right. That said, I found this draft very disappointing. We needed a young DL, without a doubt, but a 3rd round guard and 7th round center just don't cut it. We've been neglecting the OL for five years and it showed last year, despite the Superbowl win. We clawed and scraped out numerous games where we could have dominated, given even average OL play. We also needed a true FB, and I'm not sure if the UNLV kid (Summers?) qualified. Looks like a good short yardage back, at least.

I have no issue with the players actually picked. Hood, Wallace, and the guard (I forget his name) all seem like serviceable depth in 09 with potential for more in '10. Wallace and the CB may even contribute right away on special teams. We better hope Tony Hills (OT from the '08 draft) is making progress that no one is talking about and/or that our line suffers fewer than normal injuries or our offense could struggle even more than it did in '09, despite the likely emergence of Mendenhall and Sweed.

Agreed, this is why I thought they would go with that Oregon center who is able to play guard. For the bruising running style the Steelers want, without o-line Big Ben could be scrambling around a lot. Looks to me like they only went to add marginal depth instead of looking for people to put into holes.

[sjwalker1973]

Kirwin, I agree with your comments that both Dawkins and Buckhalter were injury prone, and that dawkins is reaching the twilight of his career, but he deserved another couple years from philadelphia and the team wouldn't have made the playoffs last year without the clutch carries Buckhalter produced in the second half when Westbrook seemed unable to find a hole.


With regards to Philadelphia's draft picks and their move to acquire Ellis Hobbs from the Pats, i think this may be the most satisfying draft i've seen out of the Eagles in quite a while. Maclin was a good pickup with the potential to develop into another Desean Jackson type receiver and hopefully displace some of the lesser receivers like Greg "the egg" Lewis. Lets hope they can all get along following the loss of veteran leadership and acquisition of multiple talented young starters as well as find a home for a still unhappy Sheldon Brown.

Amen. Nothing against Dawkins and Bukhalter, but they were both injury prone and this whole offseason was dedicated to getting younger at key skill positions. They've beefed up their O line, got help for Westbrook, got another young reciever with some good hands, etc. Yeah it would have been nice to go after Gonzo or Boldin, but they don't need em. It would have been nice for BDawk to finish an Eagle, but he was asking for WAY too much money for his age and Buckhalter proved he wasn't an every down / play back that could help lessen the load for Westbrook. Mcnabb's probably got about 4 good years left if they're going to win one. Westbrook's got 3 maybe before he really starts breaking down. Maclin's not a Deshawn type receiver. He's built llike Boldin. He's a big target. He's just got to develop his skills for the pro game. I smell NFC championship game again.