Draft Thoughts, Part II

I'm back from yesterday with a few more thoughts on the NFL Draft and other assorted topics. None of the NBA playoff games were especially exciting to me so we'll just get right into today's discussion.

- Evidently somebody in the Jaguars war room has a thing for big, physical, raw receivers. First they totally reach for Reggie Williams last year (with the expected results) and then they go after Matt Jones with the 21st pick this year. The 21st pick was too high for Jones regardless of the team's situation at receiver. Yet, when you are as in need of a proven receiver/route runner as the Jags are, why in god's name would you use your first round pick on a guy who won't be productive for at least two years? It makes no sense. Don't you want to give Byron Leftwitch somebody who was at least a proven college receiver to throw to? I realize that their weren't a ton of options at the 21st pick but you may as well have traded down if you wanted Jones that bad. He was probably going to be there for a few more picks you know.

- Although the Bucs didn't get either of the guys that I wanted in the second round I was still pleased with their draft. Barrett Ruud was an extremely smart and productive LB for Nebraska and I'm sure that he'll fit right in with Monte Kiffin's D, though if they were going to select a MLB I would've rather have seen them select Georgia's Odell Thurman. Alot of people outside of SEC country aren't very familiar with Thurman because he didn't get nearly the pub of many of the other more media friendly Bulldogs (read: David Pollack and David Greene) but he was often the best player on the field for Georgia over his two years there. He has some issues with his character and overall intelligence but was a damn beast while at Georgia and should start for Cincinnatti from day one. Getting Stanford TE Alex Smith in the third round was also a very nice pickup. He struggles in his pass protection some but should really have a great opportunity to be an impact player int he passing game for early on in Tampa. Somehow I don't think the Bucs are building any game palsn around Anthony Becht this off-season. Finally, I really liked that the Bucs took a chance on WR Larry Brackins of Pearl River Community College. Brackins is a physical freak who will need the Bucs to have some patience with his mental development and maturity but he could really end up being a steal for the Bucs.

-A few other teams that I thought had good drafts were as follows:

Cardinals: Tough to pass up on Rodgers, but we all know that Denny Green hates QBs so it really wasn't that surprising. After that the Cards picked up as many as six guys who could start for them within a year or two.

Ravens: Getting proven playmakers like Mark Clayton and the very underrated Dan Cody made this draft a success from early on.

Dolphins: As much as it pains me to say this, Saban and Co. did a heck of a job plugging holes and assembling talent. When you can pick up three studs along the lines of Ronnie Brown, Matt Roth, and Channing Crowder in the first three rounds, you're doing well. Follow those picks up with an underrated corner like Travis Daniels and you're really doing big things. With all the talk about how Corey Webster slipped during his senior year at LSU, many people forgot just how good Travis Daniels was two years ago as well. He and Webster were the best corner combo in the nation two years ago and were both really hurt by an inconsistent LSU pass rush last year. Most people saw Daniels as a second rounder last year and the Phins were able to pick him up in the fourth. One of the best drafts that the Dolphions have had in many years.

I am not ready to say that the Chargers had a great draft (you've heard my thoughts on Merriman and I think they reached a bit for Castillo) but they used to middle round picks to select two palyers who could both end up being huge impact/role players on their offense in a couple of years. The first is Darren Sproles who will allow LaDanian Tomlinson to get off the field every now and then on third down while also making an immediate impact as a return man on special teams. With the lack of quality depth at WR, you may also see Sproles lining up in the slot in four and five WR sets next year. This brings me to the second player, Northern Colorado's Vincent Jackson. Most people have heard of Vincent Jackson as ESPN ran a story on him early in the college football season. He is a 6'5" 240+ lb receiver with 4.5 speed and enormous hands. Predictably, he is very raw and needs alot of work on his ability to read defenses and his route running, but his potential is through the roof. I really like this pick. Jackson may never pan out but with a team that doesn't have alot of holes, taking a chance on a possible future Pro Bowler in round four is always a shrewd move.

-Pittsburgh selecting Heath Miller was a very smart pick. Not only is Miller a proven commodity but he will also provide a security blanket for Ben Roethlisberger for many years to come. The option of Miller in the passing game will prove to be invaluable in the overall development of Big Ben as a passer. Pittsburgh definitely had bigger needs at corner but didn't panic and went ahead and selected the best player available, which was also at a need position, and still wound up getting a very good and physical corner in Bryant McFadden. Both of these guys will start for a very talented Steeler team next year.

That's all I 've got for now. I apologize for the lack of time sensitivity with this review but its been a crazy couple of days around here, what with me trying to figure out how I'm going to feed my family and all.

Note: By "feed my family", I mean afford the booze and various cable sports packages that make my life somewhat bareable.