A Few Last Draft Thoughts

I swear this is the last post about the NFL draft. For tonight anyway.

I won't give draft grades, mainly because I'm lazy. Besides, who knows which of these guys will flop. Everyone thought the Chargers were smart to take Ryan Leaf when they actually did, and now he's the poster boy for high round disasters. But I also know that we really won't be able to grade this draft for about three years. I may think JaMarcus Russell isn't as much a "sure thing" as the chick John Cusack was trying to get to California to bang, but I don't know it. My belief is the league is full of guys succeeding in spite of relatively tame arm strength (Tom Brady, Peyton Manning) while the NFL bust list is full of strong armed failures (Kyle Boller, Akili Smith). Since I don't know how Brady Quinn will turn out, it's tough to condemn teams for passing on him. In fact, I don't think Miami was the big screw-up for passing on Quinn because they will eventually get Trent Green. With guys like Brian Brohm, John David Booty, Colt Brennan and even Andre Woodsen coming out, I think the quarterback pool could be deeper next year, so getting Green for a couple of years mean they can still get someone next year to be their future if that second rounder, John Beck, doesn't work out. Actually, I think Minnesota screwed up because they are going into next year with Tavaris Jackson who showed me nothing in limited time last year.

I'm not going to let Miami completely off the hook. Some people said the problem taking Ted Ginn Jr was because Quinn was still on the board. My belief is that he's a punt returner who at best might become a number two receiver. I think the best comparison I saw was Desmond Howard who was crap at receiver. That's not much for a number 9 pick.

Well, Michael Bush was the first pick of the fourth round, and he went to Oakland which I didn't really want to see. He should be able to get playing time without having to rush back from rehab, but that is poorly run organization. I was really hoping Philly would take him to complement Brian Westbrook. A couple of other Louisville players got drafted on day two, but I think next year could have four go on day one.

Actually, I was hoping the Steelers would take Bush to be the next Jerome Bettis, but it might be better that they didn't. I'm not sure about the direction of the team, so without Bill Cowher, they may not want a big back. I have mixed reactions on their draft. I did like the second round pick of Lamar Woodley as he might be small, he could be an ideal outside linebacker if (a big if) the Steelers stick with the 3-4 defense. I also like the drafting of William Gay from Louisville who I thought was underrated by draft gurus, but I might be biased. Otherwise, I've already said I didn't think much of their number one pick. The rest didn't light my world on fire either.

Since so many of my friends are Bengals fans, I'll give a few thoughts about them. Leon Hall was a good pick especially at that point and considering they needed a cornerback. I don't understand the running back in the second round. In fact, why take any offensive players early. They were in good shape there. I'm just not sure what they are going to get out of other defensive players after Hall.

I don't know why so many people were surprised that the Eagles drafted a quarterback. Donovan McNabb has finished a season in three years. In fact, in the past five years, he has only played 16 games once, but played 10 or fewer in three of them. So, you need a backup who can go for several games. Then the knock was Kevin Kolb is a "system quarterback" which means he has may not transition well (think Florida Gator quarterbacks under Steve Spurrier). What they don't mention is that coach Andy Reid runs a "system" and wants quarterbacks who fit it. The dumbest comment I heard about Kolb was from Mark Schlereth on a post-draft special. He started off with the "system quarterback" argument, but then he had to follow it up by pointing out that previous quarterbacks from the University of Houston didn't pan out. By that he meant Andre Ware and David Klingler. Brilliant. He basically said that Kolb would fail because two quarterbacks who were drafted 15 and 17 years ago didn't work out. The Colts sure were stupid to draft that Peyton Manning after Heath Shuler proved Volunteer quarterbacks can't play.

As I said, it usually takes a few years for sure to know whether my predictions were correct. Even after winning Rookie Of The Year last year, I still won't say Vince Young is a perennial Pro Bowler yet. Michael Vick and Rick Mirer peeked their rookie year. So, I can't tell you if any of my predictions will come true, but one thing I do know, my wish did. In the section on Round Two, I thought it would be funny if Keyshawn Johnson got cut in training camp because Carolina drafted a Southern Cal receiver he was gushing over. It didn't take that long.

To be honest, this wasn't one of the better drafts. There just weren't a whole lot of marquee players. When I was driving to Louisville on Sunday morning, I was listening to ESPN radio, they really focused on some silly aspects to it. Actually, silly came into play when they were talking about the NBA. One asked the other if he thought the Golden State Warriors had a legit chance at winning their series against the Dallas Mavericks. Considering that the Warriors were up 2 games to 1, they already proved they had a legit chance of beating the Mavericks. In fact, as I write this, the Warriors have a 3-1 lead in the seven game series, and they are ahead in the fourth quarter. No, they don't have a legit chance. Moron.