Kiper has him going 11 to Miami, as the top running back selected. McShay has him going 28th, to the Patriots.
Is Kyle Rudolph in the first round? First TE?
No TEs in either guy’s first round. Kiper and Scouts Inc both have Rudolph as the top overall TE.
I’m not ready to declare myself wrong on Freeman just yet. He’s certainly progressed very nicely and has certainly produced better than I had expected, but I’ll probably wait until he does it against good defenses consistently before declaring him worthy of his #15 pick. Comparing how he fared against, say Carolina twice or the Cardinals, and how he did against say Atlanta or Baltimore, or actual good defenses, he’s still got a ways to go.
There’s a reason the Ravens aren’t in the playoffs anymore. His name is Joe Flacco. Hell, even Trent Dilfer got a ring with the Ravens. And he’s right up there with the great Matt Cassell. Or, even more painfully, Kyle Orton.
He’s got one more year on Freeman, and has gotten better, but, once again, he’s not done proving himself. If he keeps improving and joins the upper echelon of QB’s, I’ll admit I was wrong. Maybe I expect too much of players drafted in the first round, but one good year just doesn’t do it for me.
Thanks Omni!
What’s the consensus for the Cowboys? I hear a lot about OL, which they need, but I don’t think the offense was as bad as the defense, where a DL might make things easier for the DBs since most of their pass rush was from Spencer and Ware. Or a safety to help shore up the defense against the big passes.
Both Kiper and McShay have Prince Amukamara projected as the Cowboys pick.
He should go higher based on the badass name alone.
Not to mention the 90’s high top fade. I actually wasn’t very impressed with what I saw of the kid in the Big 12 Championship Game and Bowl game. I suspect he’ll blow away the Combine scouts though so long as his 40 time is where it belongs.
Does anyone ever go back at revisit Kiper’s mock drafts after say 5 years and see how good or bad he was? Or McShay’s?
These guys are so sure of their opinions on draft day, but they are very wrong, on things like players who will be an impact player, a can’t miss, or a draft bust.
They are kind of like weathermen. Once the draft is over, people begin to immediately forget what they said or who they suggested a team draft.
Any studies done on their predictions?
Dopers have bumped zombie threads from past draft discussions here in the past. Our projections and the “experts” picks were often highlighted and many a Doper was made to look foolish. It’s all good fun. I’m sure the 2006 and 2007 Drafts have threads around here somewhere.
Hell, Kiper recently redid the 2005 draft, with Aaron Rodgers going first to the 49ers. This draft stuff is an imprecise science, and it’s not like there are a bunch of people that are doing it better than Kiper/McShay.
Does the draft precede the lockout?
If a lockout would happen, it would occur before the draft. But there will still be a draft, but rookies won’t be doing much after being drafted, just a quick visit to the team head quarters.
On the topic of regrading past drafts, Kiper just redid his grades for last year’s draft.
Insider only, as before if anyone wants to see what their team’s grade was let me know and I’ll post it. Here’s the Bears just for kicks, I think he hit the nail on the head.
Chicago Bears
Summary: The Bears nailed one of the top sleepers in the whole draft, when seventh-round pick J’Marcus Webb was thrown into action and performed pretty well. Suddenly, a draft that didn’t see any picks until No. 75 overall (Major Wright) found some decent value. Corey Wootton also looks like a keeper as a defensive end out of Northwestern. The Bears saw value in him as a local guy who wasn’t at 100 percent during his final season in Evanston, and it should pan out for them. There wasn’t major impact, but given where they were forced to pick, Chicago did well.
Draft grade: B | Current Grade: B
That Wootton sack on Favre makes the draft an A+ all by itself. The Bears also think that Joshua Moore could be a impact CB as well and if we lose Graham and Manning in this offseason that may be tested.
Some of the big movers in the column: The Ravens fell from A to C-. The Chargers from B to C-. The Patriots from B- to A+. The Chiefs from B- to A. The Rams from C+ to A. The Raiders from C+ to A-.
I’d like to see how the Cowboys did, I think there first two were great picks, if only they could get them to stay healthy.
Dallas Cowboys
Summary: People complained that I didn’t have Dez Bryant among my Top 10 rookies. But how could I? He missed four games and had three with zero or one catch. While he showed flashes of what should be an electrifying career – if he’s healthy – he certainly wasn’t the cherry on top of a great season. Sean Lee should become a starter, but after that, the draft offered little. Undrafted pickups were a better part of the overall rookie picture for Dallas. That they got no real help for the offensive line is still an issue.
Draft grade: B-minus | Current Grade: C-plus
Thanks. That’s like a mean version of what I thought. 