Draft Grades

Greetings to all six of you still reading this blog. Just wanted to start by saying that we have gone past the 3000 hit mark, something that I figured would not happen until I reached the 3000 post mark. This is growing pretty nicely, and with the addition of a few guest bloggers I think that we could have a nice sports community going here. Enough with the preliminaries, onto what you really came for!

I can tell you all you need to know about the 2009 NFL Draft.

NOBODY KNOWS A DAMN THING YET!

Sure, people have some educated guesses about how each team did, but until we see these guys go through mini camp, preseason, and regular season grind that is the NFL, we will not know how each team comes out. Still, it is always fun to guess about these things and it is my duty to tell you the winners and losers of this years draft.

Winners:

• New York Giants - Yes, you can call me a homer. I never thought I'd like the Giants draft class if they did not get either Braylon Edwards or Anquan Boldin, but as I sit here typing this I can't help but think that GM Jerry Reese has pulled off another draft that will give the Giants outstanding depth. One thing is clear, the Giants did not draft a player that will come in from day one and start. However, when you can plug Hakeem Nicks (1st round, North Carolina) and Ramses Barden (3rd round, Cal-Poly) into a receiving corps that already features some great young talent (Steve Smith, Dominik Hixon, Mario Manningham, Sinorice Moss), then I think you can get some serious production. Barden has the potential to be a Brandon Jacobs type pick for the Giants - big time NFL body (6'6", 220 lbs) that needs seasoning in order to become a top pro. ILB Clint Sintim (2nd round, Virginia) started 48 games at Virginia, and gives the Giants some quality depth at the LB position. TE Travis Beckum (Wisconsin, 4th round) gives the Giants the opportunity to create some huge match up problems in the red zone. Beckum was outstanding in his junior year, but was slowed by injuries his senior year. With Nicks, Barden, and Beckum, the Giants give themselves plenty of options to try and replace the production that Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer brought to the table.


• Philadelphia Eagles - I really, really liked the Eagles draft. For starters, they brought in Jason Peters from Buffalo to help solidify the offensive line, and then brought in Ellis Hobbs from the Patriots to help solidify the secondary. That is two players right there that we know can play and succeed in the league. On top of that, they got WR Jeremy Maclin and RB Lesean McCoy in the 1st and 2nd rounds. Maclin is the type of guy that can thrive in Andy Reid's pass happy offense. He may be a little small for the prototypical #1 receiver role in the NFL, but we all saw how well Desean Jackson (5'1o", 165) played in Andy Reid's system last year. Maclin also brings great versatility in that he is an elite return man, giving the Eagles another option to bolster their special teams. McCoy has breakaway speed and can really compliment what Brian Westbrook brings to the offense. Make no mistake, Westbrook is still the man that makes the Eagles offense go. However, if he goes down to an injury (which he usually does), then McCoy can step in and do a more than serviceable job. The NFC East just got a whole lot tougher.


• Cincinnati Bengals - I can't really remember the last time the Bengals had a good draft. However, I think they did just that this year. Passing over Eugene Monroe for Andre Smith in the first round is a little questionable, but you cannot argue with the production that Smith brought while on the field at Alabama. For the Bengals sake, I pray that their M.O. of being a "thug convention" doesn't bring Smith down. If you remember, Smith was the clear cut choice for the #1 pick when the first mock drafts started pouring out during the bowl season. A few hiccups later, he found himself sliding down the draft boards. If he keeps his head on straight, I think Smith could be plugged in at RT for the Bengals for a good ten years. The next three picks are the ones that I think make the Bengals draft an elite one. In rounds 2, 3, and 4 they got LB Rey Maualuga, DE Michael Johnson, and TE Chase Coffman, respectively. Starting with Maualuga, I think this will be the steal of the draft. As Round 1 got later and later, I kept screaming at teams to take Maualuga! Simply put, I think he is going to be a leader in the middle for the Bengals for as long as he stays healthy. The Lions had the perfect opportunity to draft a face for their defense with Maualuga at #33, but chose the S out of Western Michigan instead. Big mistake. I just don't get the scouts evaluation of him. All the guy does is make play in big games (as any Michigan or Ohio State fan can attest to). Getting Michael Johnson in the third round is also a steal. There is no prospect out there as physically gifted as Johnson. He reminds me of Julius Peppers in the way that he can hunt down quarterbacks and run down running backs, all while having the versatility to drop back into coverage. There is some issues of consistency, but I think with the right coaching he could be a Pro Bowl type DE. Don't believe me? Check out this pick-6 against The U this past year. Scary. TE Chase Coffman is a reliable receiving target that will add another weapon for a healthy Carson Palmer to go to. Coffman slid on most draft boards after an injury late in his senior year. If he stays healthy, then he can be a very productive third down receiver for Cincinatti.

Losers:

• Oakland Raiders - Okay, this one is pretty obvious.  We all knew Al Davis had officially lost his mind about three years ago when he hired a college offensive coordinator to be his head coach, but he just keeps cementing that fact with his decisions.  Taking Darius Heyward Bey in the first round would have been fine had they been picking at 28 and not 8.  As it is, Michael Crabtree was still there and he is universally regarded as the better prospect than DHB.  However, Davis loves his speed guys and apparently he is looking for the next James Jett, not the next Larry Fitzgerald.  To top it off, the Raiders took S Michael Mitchell out of Ohio in the second round.  Mitchell was such a good prospect that most teams had him at a free agent grade, and there was not even any film available on him for Mel Kiper to break down.  At this point, it's like the Raiders are trying to get people to talk about how bad they are.  
• Indianapolis Colts - It's not that the Colts had such a terrible draft.  I just didn't like the direction they were going.  Their choice of RB Donald Brown in the first round was questionable to me.  Either Joseph Addai's injuries are not healing well, or they have plans to significantly downgrade his role.  Addai is the perfect back for Peyton Manning; he blocks, catches the ball well, and is very smart.  I'm not sure a rookie running back can come in and make the impact that the Colts think Brown can do.  There second round pick was an alright pick.  DT Fili Moala was on the loaded USC defense.  Real quick, when was the last time USC had a really good defensive lineman produce in the NFL?  DT's Mike Patterson and Shaun Cody have been busts, and some of their DE's have floundered on some practice squads.  None of their other picks jump off the page, so at this point I have their draft rated as one of the worst.  
• Dallas Cowboys - The Cowboys draft was basically WR Roy Williams from the Lions and a bunch of linebackers that will play special teams.  Because of the Williams trade, they didn't have a pick until the third round, where they took LB Jason Williams (Another Jason Williams?  How many of them are there in sports?  Has there ever been another name that has brought so much controversy to the sports world? Jayson made headlines by being suicidal over the weekend) out of Western Illinois.  They followed that up with 2 more linebackers and QB Stephen McGee from Texas A&M.  Jerry Jones is coming dangerously close to Al Davis territory.  I think he has grossly overestimated his roster, and they have taken a step behind the Eagles in the NFC East.  Tony Romo will undoubtedly go down with an injury at some point again this season, and their season will go down the tubes again. 
  

Other thoughts on the draft

• I thought ESPN's broadcast left a little to be desired.  Having Steve Young on the main set brought that crew down every second that he was on screen stuttering through what he was trying to say.  Keyshawn still needs some seasoning in the Michael Irvin role, and Mel Kiper has his haters.  Berman was solid like always, and I think it would have been 100x better if Tom Jackson and Ron Jaworski had been in place of Young and Key.  
• Did anyone catch the awkward interview between Erin Andrews/Texas WR Quan Cosby/Bill Cosby?  I'm not sure what place this had on the second day broadcast, but with each round it got increasingly more awkward.  At one point, Bill (who is no relation to Quan) had on a Temple football helmet during the interview while someone from Mississippi called Quan and HE ANSWERED IT WHILE ON TV!  Erin Andrews couldn't have looked more terrified if she was locked in a room naked with Travis Henry and Shawn Kemp.  
• Had to laugh out loud at the thought of some analysts having Brian Hoyer as the fourth best quarterback in this draft.  ESPN spotlighted him for their second day coverage, and much like Cosby, Hoyer ended up an undrafted free agent.  Anyone who watched more than two Michigan State games knew that Hoyer was a mediocre college quarterback, let alone a mediocre NFL practice squad quarterback.  
• I didn't really have a problem with the Browns draft.  C Alex Mack definitely is not the sexy pick, but he should supplant Hank Frahley for the starting center spot.  I really think the success of their draft will hinge on whether S Abram Elam can be an above average starter at one of the safety spots.  Losing Sean Jones really hurt that defense, and Elam should be able to step in and produce more than anyone from the draft could.  Out of Robiskie and Massaquoi, one of them should turn into a solid WR.  Maiava was the forgotten USC linebacker, and he will at least be solid on special teams.  The most intriguing prospect was Clemson RB James Davis late.  It is no secret that the Browns need depth at RB, and Davis could provide a solid alternative to Old Jamal Lewis.  
• The Steelers once again had a not-so-sexy but very smart draft.  DT Ziggy Hood will turn into a solid player for them and could replace Casey Hampton once he eventually moves on.  G Kraig Urbik from Wisconsin is a typical Pittsburgh OLineman, but I thought they could have used at least one more high round pick on an OLer.  AQ Shipley could be a decent backup, but nothing more.  If there was one weakness on last years team, it was definitely the OLine, and I don't really think they have upgraded it.

Here is part of the Cosby/Cosby/Andrews gem for those of you interested.

As always, NRTTS

Coach Deuce