silky_johnson
05-04-2007, 11:08 PM
Revised after some of your posters input:
01. Houston: JR Darren McFadden RB, Arkansas
-Jury is still out on whether Matt Schaub can be a successful QB but, they still have the worst offensive line in the league and no true #1 back. McFadden has a great mix of power and speed and I feel he is a better prospect then Adrian Peterson was last season.
02. Dallas (f/Cleveland): JR Kenny Philips S, Miami
-It is not often that a safety is taken in the top 5 but, this is no ordinary safety. Kenny Philips is a special player and the next one in the long line of great safeties to emerge from Miami. He’s not as polished as Sean Taylor was but, he has more potential.
03. Detroit: JR Calais Campbell DE, Miami
-I could try to be funny and put a WR here but, in all seriousness Calais Campbell is the perfect fit in a Cover 2 scheme. He is a pure pass rusher in the form of similar Cover 2 DE’s like Simeon Rice and Dwight Freeney.
04. Tampa Bay: SR Brian Brohm QB, Louisville
-I’m glad that John Gruden is giving Chris Simms one more shot to prove himself as a starter. He deserves that opportunity but, unfortunately I don’t see a whole lot of positives in Tampa next season. Brohm has all the physical tools you look for in a franchise QB.
05. Oakland: JR DeSean Jackson WR, California
-Wow. That is all I can say after seeing what DeSean Jackson has been able to do in his college career. He has world class speed, shows a willingness to go over the middle and, according to Jeff Tedford, runs precise routes. He is the most dynamic player in this draft.
06. Miami: SR Jake Long OT, Michigan
-The Dolphins mismanagement of the 2007 draft left me shaking my head. It’s one thing to draft Ted Ginn over Brady Quinn but, there are serious issues when there are reports that they tried trading up into the 20’s to draft John Beck. Long is the way to go in 2008.
07. Washington: JR Rey Maualuga MLB, Southern California
-This guy is a complete monster. He terrorized the opposition by patrolling the best front 7 in college football last season. Can you imagine a defensive core made up of Sean Taylor, LaRon Landry, and Rey Maualuga? The thought of that will give the opposition a headache.
08. Jacksonville: JR Derrick Harvey DE, Florida
-Jacksonville is a team with a great coach and tons of talent. Unfortunately, their schedule looks tough and I see them having a down year. However, the positive coming out of that will be the chance to finally nab that impact pass rusher they sorely lack.
09. Minnesota: JR Reggie Smith CB/S, Oklahoma
-If you look up and down the Vikings roster, they have just about as much talent as anyone in the league. For some reason, they can’t bring it all together. I expect another sub-par season in Minneapolis. Smith is an elite corner that any team would love to have.
10. Arizona: JR Justin King CB, Penn State
-Arizona is going to be a great team for years to come. Until that time, they will need to fix the major areas of concern on their roster namely, the lack of depth in the secondary. Justin King still has to show more at Penn State this season but, there is no questioning his pro potential.
11. Tennessee: JR James Laurinaitis MLB, Ohio State
-The Titans could go a number of directions here; a top WR to catch balls from Vince Young, a DB to upgrade a horrendous secondary, or a field general to anchor the defense. “The Animal” has a great motor and seemingly always gets to the ball carrier every snap.
12. Buffalo: SR Paul Oliver CB, Georgia
-Overshadowed by a tremendous junior class of CB’s, Paul Oliver will make himself a nationwide known commodity next season. With Nate Clements gone, the Bills will find out just how tough life can be without a top tier CB.
13. Seattle: SR Dan Connor OLB, Penn State
-I just can’t say enough good things about Dan Connor. I think he is as close to a sure thing at the next level as Joe Thomas was last season. He plays with such passion on the field and will surely be one of the top seniors off the board next year.
14. New Orleans: SR Glenn Dorsey DT, Louisiana State
-The Saints offense is amazing. The Saints defense is awful. Those bounces that went their way last season will likely go the opposite way next year. They need to upgrade that interior line and Dorsey is just the kid to do it.
15. Green Bay: JR James Hardy WR, Indiana
-6’7” height with game breaking speed is something you don’t find too often out of a WR. Hardy is a physical specimen and I am already looking forward to his combine next season. He would be the perfect compliment to Donald Driver.
16. NY Jets: JR Vernon Gholston DE/OLB, Ohio State
-Eric Mangini got a lot of credit for the Jets turnaround last year. The one problem is that the Jets still lack a player or two to fully implement the 3-4 defense. Gholston is a tremendous athlete and likely the best 3-4 OLB prospect in the country.
17. Atlanta: SR Keith Rivers OLB, Southern California
-The Falcons had a tremendous draft last weekend. They addressed nearly every single need and didn’t need to sell the farm to do it. The Falcons are in a position to take the best player available here. Rivers is built like a brick house and a good fit with Atlanta.
18. Pittsburgh: SR Sam Baker OT, Southern California
-The Steelers have been one of the best drafting teams in the league for years now. This can mainly be attributed to the “Best Player Available” approach instead of drafting based on need. Sam Baker is a potential franchise tackle with great footwork.
19. Kansas City: JR Malcolm Jenkins CB, Ohio State
-I think the Chiefs should seriously consider taking a QB next season. Brodie Croyle will never amount to anything in the pros. With that said, that secondary also needs help. Ty Law and Patrick Surtain aren’t getting any young and Jenkins would be a great corner to groom.
20. Dallas: SR Limas Sweed WR, Texas
-I took a lot of heat from Cowboy fans for saying Tony Romo isn’t the answer. Going by their claim, they are in a position where they need to add some youth to the WR corps. Sweed has great size, good hands, and a knack for making big plays at key times.
21. St. Louis: SR Chad Henne QB, Michigan
-The Rams could go a number of directions here but, I believe the time is now to draft and groom Marc Bulger’s eventual replacement. Henne and Ainge will both be boom-or-bust type projects. It’s a gamble with either but, one that might be worth it someday.
22. Denver: JR Mario Urrutia WR, Louisville
-Jay Cutler showed great poise for a young QB last season. They need to build around him by adding more pieces in the offensive arsenal. Rod Smith’s age finally caught up with him and they need a compliment for Javon Walker. Urrutia is an absolutely huge, physical receiver.
23. NY Giants: JR Jared Gaither OT, Maryland
-Gaither is a monstrous tackle, whose size alone will make scouts drool. The Giants offensive line struggled at times last season and I suspect it will once again be their demise next season. We’ll see how good they really are without Tiki Barber juking all around the defense.
24. Cincinnati: SR Lawrence Jackson DE, Southern California
-Lawrence Jackson had a disappointing junior campaign at USC. A repeat of his sophomore season will likely guarantee him a top 20 selection in next year’s draft. For the Bengals, Jackson will finally be the balanced end they sorely lack to play opposite Justin Smith.
01. Houston: JR Darren McFadden RB, Arkansas
-Jury is still out on whether Matt Schaub can be a successful QB but, they still have the worst offensive line in the league and no true #1 back. McFadden has a great mix of power and speed and I feel he is a better prospect then Adrian Peterson was last season.
02. Dallas (f/Cleveland): JR Kenny Philips S, Miami
-It is not often that a safety is taken in the top 5 but, this is no ordinary safety. Kenny Philips is a special player and the next one in the long line of great safeties to emerge from Miami. He’s not as polished as Sean Taylor was but, he has more potential.
03. Detroit: JR Calais Campbell DE, Miami
-I could try to be funny and put a WR here but, in all seriousness Calais Campbell is the perfect fit in a Cover 2 scheme. He is a pure pass rusher in the form of similar Cover 2 DE’s like Simeon Rice and Dwight Freeney.
04. Tampa Bay: SR Brian Brohm QB, Louisville
-I’m glad that John Gruden is giving Chris Simms one more shot to prove himself as a starter. He deserves that opportunity but, unfortunately I don’t see a whole lot of positives in Tampa next season. Brohm has all the physical tools you look for in a franchise QB.
05. Oakland: JR DeSean Jackson WR, California
-Wow. That is all I can say after seeing what DeSean Jackson has been able to do in his college career. He has world class speed, shows a willingness to go over the middle and, according to Jeff Tedford, runs precise routes. He is the most dynamic player in this draft.
06. Miami: SR Jake Long OT, Michigan
-The Dolphins mismanagement of the 2007 draft left me shaking my head. It’s one thing to draft Ted Ginn over Brady Quinn but, there are serious issues when there are reports that they tried trading up into the 20’s to draft John Beck. Long is the way to go in 2008.
07. Washington: JR Rey Maualuga MLB, Southern California
-This guy is a complete monster. He terrorized the opposition by patrolling the best front 7 in college football last season. Can you imagine a defensive core made up of Sean Taylor, LaRon Landry, and Rey Maualuga? The thought of that will give the opposition a headache.
08. Jacksonville: JR Derrick Harvey DE, Florida
-Jacksonville is a team with a great coach and tons of talent. Unfortunately, their schedule looks tough and I see them having a down year. However, the positive coming out of that will be the chance to finally nab that impact pass rusher they sorely lack.
09. Minnesota: JR Reggie Smith CB/S, Oklahoma
-If you look up and down the Vikings roster, they have just about as much talent as anyone in the league. For some reason, they can’t bring it all together. I expect another sub-par season in Minneapolis. Smith is an elite corner that any team would love to have.
10. Arizona: JR Justin King CB, Penn State
-Arizona is going to be a great team for years to come. Until that time, they will need to fix the major areas of concern on their roster namely, the lack of depth in the secondary. Justin King still has to show more at Penn State this season but, there is no questioning his pro potential.
11. Tennessee: JR James Laurinaitis MLB, Ohio State
-The Titans could go a number of directions here; a top WR to catch balls from Vince Young, a DB to upgrade a horrendous secondary, or a field general to anchor the defense. “The Animal” has a great motor and seemingly always gets to the ball carrier every snap.
12. Buffalo: SR Paul Oliver CB, Georgia
-Overshadowed by a tremendous junior class of CB’s, Paul Oliver will make himself a nationwide known commodity next season. With Nate Clements gone, the Bills will find out just how tough life can be without a top tier CB.
13. Seattle: SR Dan Connor OLB, Penn State
-I just can’t say enough good things about Dan Connor. I think he is as close to a sure thing at the next level as Joe Thomas was last season. He plays with such passion on the field and will surely be one of the top seniors off the board next year.
14. New Orleans: SR Glenn Dorsey DT, Louisiana State
-The Saints offense is amazing. The Saints defense is awful. Those bounces that went their way last season will likely go the opposite way next year. They need to upgrade that interior line and Dorsey is just the kid to do it.
15. Green Bay: JR James Hardy WR, Indiana
-6’7” height with game breaking speed is something you don’t find too often out of a WR. Hardy is a physical specimen and I am already looking forward to his combine next season. He would be the perfect compliment to Donald Driver.
16. NY Jets: JR Vernon Gholston DE/OLB, Ohio State
-Eric Mangini got a lot of credit for the Jets turnaround last year. The one problem is that the Jets still lack a player or two to fully implement the 3-4 defense. Gholston is a tremendous athlete and likely the best 3-4 OLB prospect in the country.
17. Atlanta: SR Keith Rivers OLB, Southern California
-The Falcons had a tremendous draft last weekend. They addressed nearly every single need and didn’t need to sell the farm to do it. The Falcons are in a position to take the best player available here. Rivers is built like a brick house and a good fit with Atlanta.
18. Pittsburgh: SR Sam Baker OT, Southern California
-The Steelers have been one of the best drafting teams in the league for years now. This can mainly be attributed to the “Best Player Available” approach instead of drafting based on need. Sam Baker is a potential franchise tackle with great footwork.
19. Kansas City: JR Malcolm Jenkins CB, Ohio State
-I think the Chiefs should seriously consider taking a QB next season. Brodie Croyle will never amount to anything in the pros. With that said, that secondary also needs help. Ty Law and Patrick Surtain aren’t getting any young and Jenkins would be a great corner to groom.
20. Dallas: SR Limas Sweed WR, Texas
-I took a lot of heat from Cowboy fans for saying Tony Romo isn’t the answer. Going by their claim, they are in a position where they need to add some youth to the WR corps. Sweed has great size, good hands, and a knack for making big plays at key times.
21. St. Louis: SR Chad Henne QB, Michigan
-The Rams could go a number of directions here but, I believe the time is now to draft and groom Marc Bulger’s eventual replacement. Henne and Ainge will both be boom-or-bust type projects. It’s a gamble with either but, one that might be worth it someday.
22. Denver: JR Mario Urrutia WR, Louisville
-Jay Cutler showed great poise for a young QB last season. They need to build around him by adding more pieces in the offensive arsenal. Rod Smith’s age finally caught up with him and they need a compliment for Javon Walker. Urrutia is an absolutely huge, physical receiver.
23. NY Giants: JR Jared Gaither OT, Maryland
-Gaither is a monstrous tackle, whose size alone will make scouts drool. The Giants offensive line struggled at times last season and I suspect it will once again be their demise next season. We’ll see how good they really are without Tiki Barber juking all around the defense.
24. Cincinnati: SR Lawrence Jackson DE, Southern California
-Lawrence Jackson had a disappointing junior campaign at USC. A repeat of his sophomore season will likely guarantee him a top 20 selection in next year’s draft. For the Bengals, Jackson will finally be the balanced end they sorely lack to play opposite Justin Smith.