| Well
it is
that time of year again! College bowl
season is over and the draft is coming up in just a few short months. The following is my first stab at the 2007
draft with a little bit of analysis for each pick.
1. Oakland Raiders-Brady Quinn-QB-Notre Dame- Quinn or JaMarcus
Russell? Which one will it be? Quinn has played in a pro style offense, is
very intelligent and has a ton of game experience.
He would be a great fit for the
Raiders.
2. Detroit Lions-JaMarcus Russell-QB-LSU- Even though the Lions
say they
don’t need a quarterback and are pretty happy with Jon Kitna, they
should still
take Russell here. Russell would be some
of medicine the Lions need to get back to winning games and making the
playoffs.
3. Cleveland Browns-Joe Thomas-OT-Wisconsin- The Browns could use some additional help on the
offensive line
and Thomas represents the best tackle prospect in the draft and the
Browns
should grab him here in the first round.
4. Tampa Bay-Gaines Adams-DE-Clemson- The
Buccaneers could use some help on the defensive line, especially since
they
didn’t generate much pass pressure last season.
5. Arizona Cardinals-Levi Brown-OT-Penn State- If Thomas is gone at this point in the draft, the
Cardinals should
look at taking Brown to help bolster their shoddy offensive line.
6. Washington Redskins-Calvin Johnson-WR-Georgia
Tech- The Redskins are having some success at the quarterback
position and
need a big play and tall receiver to sit beside Santana Moss and take
advantage
of their downfield passing ability.
7. Minnesota Vikings-Dwayne Jarrett-WR-USC- The
Vikings could use the big play ability of Jarrett who made the decision
to come
out a year early and he could be a weapon the Vikings could use to help
improve
their passing attack.
8. Houston Texans-Adrian Peterson-RB-Oklahoma- The
Texans really missed out by not
taking Reggie Bush with their first pick in the 2006 draft but taking
Peterson
here could help them improve a terrible running game.
The only question is, how durable
is
Peterson?
9. Miami Dolphins-Leon Hall-CB-Michigan- The
Dolphins are in need of some help
in protecting against the pass and Hall should be a value here at
number
nine. He has the ability to match up
well with most wide receivers and could contribute right away.
10. Atlanta Falcons-LaRon Landry-FS-LSU- The Falcons were missing a
big time
playmaker at the safety position and Landry could help fit the bill for
them
here with this pick.
11. San Francisco 49ers-Ted Ginn Jr.-WR-Ohio
State-With an offense that is starting to improve, now is the time
for the
49ers to bring in a top notch wide receiver to help stretch the field
and make
some plays downfield.
12. Buffalo Bills-Alan Branch-DT-Michigan- The Bills still have issues trying to stop the run and
could use a
big body in the middle of that defense to help. Branch
is a top of the line tackle
and would fit in their scheme nicely.
13. St. Louis-Darrelle Revis-CB-Pittsburgh- The
Rams were vulnerable to big passing plays in 2006 and should look to
grabbing
someone who can help them out in the secondary. Revis
would be a good addition to
the Rams defense.
14. Carolina Panthers-Paul Poluszny-ILB-Penn State-
With their linebacking corps
in a state of disarray, the Panthers could use some help and Poluszny
would be
a good choice here at this stage in the draft.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers-Lawrence Timmons-OLB-Florida State-
The Steelers could start to
use an upgrade at the linebacker position and although Timmons might
not go
this high, he would be a good fit for the team.
16. Green Bay Packers-Marshawn
Lynch-RB-California- With Ahman Green showing some signs of wear
and tear (and
may not be back) it is time that the Packers start thinking about the
future
and they can start here by taking Lynch before it’s too late.
17. Jacksonville Jaguars-Quentin Moses-DE-Georgia-
The Jaguars could also use an outside linebacker but starting out along
the
defensive line would be a good idea. Moses
would fit well in their
defense.
18. Cincinnati Bengals-Amobi Okoye-DT-Louisville- The Bengals have less to worry about on offense than
they have to
on defense and adding Okoye, a player who is young and has a lot of
upside to
him would be a great choice here.
19. Tennessee Titans-Jeff Samardzija-WR-Notre Dame- With
Vince Young well on his way to becoming a superstar in the NFL, he
could sure
use some sure fire speedy targets to throw the ball to.
Samardzija would fit the bill here
and give
the Titans a major upgrade on offense.
20. New York Giants-DeMarcus Tyler-DT-North
Carolina State-The Giants could go for a solid defensive end here
to start
replacing the aging and often injured Michael Strahan but getting
someone who
can be a force in the middle would be a good idea as well.
Tyler
was a solid performer at NC State and could play very well in the
Giants
defense.
21. Denver
Broncos-Jamaal Anderson-DE-Arkansas- Denver could definitely use
either a
cornerback here or a player that can come in and rush the passer and
keep speed
rushers from beating the Bronco’s defense on the edges.
Anderson
is a great pass rusher and has the speed to help keep containment on
the edge.
22. Dallas
Cowboys-Lamarr Woodley-DE-Michigan-
Adding Woodley would give the
Cowboys one of the toughest defensive lines in the NFL and would
compliment the
Cowboys current pass rushers nicely.
23. Kansas
City Chiefs-Quinn Pitcock-DT-Ohio State-
The Chiefs found gold drafting
Tamba Hali last season but could still use some help on the interior of
the
defensive line. Pitcock, who could go
higher than 23rd, would give the Chiefs what they need which
is a
run stuffing tackle who can rush the passer.
24. New England
Patriots-Reggie Nelson-S- Florida-With age and injury creeping up
in the
secondary, it is time that the Patriots started to look towards the
future. Nelson would make a great
addition and would compliment Rodney Harrison very well.
25. New
York Jets-Marcus McCauley-CB-Fresno State-
The Jets had some issues
defending top-notch wide receivers last season and could use someone
like
McCauley to help them win those battles.
26. New
Orleans Saints-Patrick
Willis-LB-Ole Miss- The Saints are doing well on
offense and don’t need to address any needs there in the first round. On defense, they could use a top notch run
stuffing linebacker with speed and Willis would fill in nicely in that
role.
27. Philadelphia Eagles-H.B.
Blades-OLB-Pittsburgh- The Eagles could go for a wide receiver here
if
there is a good one available but with there not being too much first
round
talent at the position, they should go for a linebacker here who can
help them
against the run and add some solid starting talent on defense.
28. New England
Patriots-Justin Blalock-OT-Texas- Blalock’s versatility may cause
him to go
higher than 28th but the Patriots could sure use his ability
to play
at either guard or tackle. Brady could
really use the protection.
30. Baltimore Ravens-Michael Bush-RB-Louisville- It is time to start
thinking
about replacing Jamal Lewis and Bush would be a great back to groom for
a
takeover. He had a stellar career at Louisville
and would fit in nicely in the NFL.
29. San
Diego Chargers-Josh Beekman-OG-Boston College-
The Chargers might lose Kris
Dielman through free agency and may need Beekman to replace him but
even if
Dielman sticks around, they could use the starting potential up front
on the
line.
31. Indianapolis Colts-Michael Griffin-S-Texas-
The Colts could use another safety
to sit in the backfield with Bob Sanders and wreak havoc on opposing
offenses. Griffin
would fit the bill and if the Colts can land him at 31.
32. Chicago Bears-Sidney
Rice-WR-South Carolina- The
Bears could use someone to
compliment Bernard Berrian and eventually replace Muhsin Muhammad. Giving Grossman another weapon on offense
would definitely help and help him to keep the offense on track. |