If the Cowboys felt like putting all their rookies on the field at once, they’d get a penalty for too many men on the field. I think this is some sort of shot gun approach, hoping to get a few good players with so many picks. I hope it works out, but I doubt we’ll see much of these guys in 2009.
I was speaking more generally of the “draft a backup with a 1st-round pick” practice. See Felix Jones, for example. I think using a second rounder is fine, and obviously improving RB depth is a bit more important to Philly than most teams.
He’s a great blocker - in today’s O’Colly talking about the draft, they talked about him begging with the coaches to send a play his way.
A running play.
He does a good job of sealing and getting down field, and he’s can catch and run too, even if his senior season was marred by injury (no TD catches 
c’mon Gundy!)
Oh, I know. I’ve heard a ton about his blocking and I know he’s a more than adequate receiver, but I just question that pick at that point. We’ll see, though.
I was watching the first round with my brother and a buddy of mine, and we cheered when Sanchez went to the Jets, because it meant that Danny Snyder had failed to get him. I think the rest of the Redskins draft was pretty good, but I’m very upset that they have been alienating Jason Campbell so much this offseason. He’s as classy as they come, but he’s probably seething inside. I expect he’ll be playing elsewhere next year. Too bad.
That was the '04 draft. I remember because Butch Davis, the greatest GM of all time, traded a 2nd round pick to move up one slot to #6 to select Winslow, letting the Lions get Williams at 7, who they were probably going to take at 6 anyway.
So the Browns. In exchange for moving from #5 to #17 they picked up #52 (2nd), DE Kenyan Coleman, QB Brett Ratliff, and S Abram Elam.
I think the Browns probably could’ve gotten more. I think draft picks are overvalued, I didn’t even want the #5 slot (and the contract that it comes with) once Curry was gone, but this seems like a place you can really gouge a team that has their eyes set on a QB high in the first.
I was concerned that these were just Mangini’s lackies. He’s taken in some old Jets defensive players in free agency and he has a reputation for being a control freak and running a paranoid and secretive franchise. On the other hand, Mangini would know those players better than anyone, so maybe he values them more highly than Rex Ryan.
After a bit of reading, they seem like they weren’t just throw ins, but quality players. Coleman was the starting DE on a 3-4 team that was #6 against the rush this year. Elam is a promising safety who made some big plays at the end of last year - we tried to sign him to an RFA offer sheet that was matched, so both teams think well of him. Ratliff is a developmental QB but apparently has shown a lot of promise in preseason action.
Overall, getting 5 players for the #5 pick instead of drafting Raji or Crabtree at the #5 contract is a pretty good deal.
From #17 they traded down 9 spots for a 6th rounder, and then 2 more spots for another 6th rounder. That’s not “proper value” but if you’re dead set on a guy you know will be available at #21, why not pick up anything you can and get him at a small contract anyway?
However, in the process, they passed up Jeremy Maclin who I thought would’ve been great value here, and a compliment to Braylon. And it’s not as if they didn’t feel the need for WRs because they drafted 2 in the second round.
But it seems pretty clear that they were dead set on Alex Mack, center, if they had a late first pick.
At first I wasn’t happy - I thought he might be available at our #36 pick. But in retrospect, no way. He’s clearly the #1 center prospect and the Bills drafted a center at #28. They’d have taken him. Even if they didn’t, after reading some Steelers forums, it seems that their fans thought he was a lock if he lasted to #32, and that he’d be the savior of their O-line. So he definitely wouldn’t have been there at #36. Still, a center at #21 must be an elite prospect.
It does shore up a major weakness since Fraley, while he’s a classic blue caller hard working type of guy, is clearly past his prime and gets destroyed by competant nose tackles. We definitely needed a center. LT Joe Thomas, LG Eric Steinbach, and C Alex Mack is going to give us the best left-to-center line in the league. Not great value, but it fills a need well.
At #36 we took Brian Robiskie, who has pretty much hit his ceiling in college. His dad is a coach… WR coach and interim head coach, and I hope drafting his son doesn’t mean we have to take him back. But it does mean that Robiskie does everything well - sharp route runner, good technique, good hands. But not that physically gifted. Still, he could be a good compliment to Braylon, he could take over the role that Joe Jurevicious served as #2 in 2007.
Still, you have to wonder if we’d be better off with WR Jeremy Maclin and C Unger at those picks instead.
Massaqoui and the rest I haven’t read much about yet.
I agree but I’m pretty stoked about Frank Summers. Arians loves to use the FB in the passing game and Carey Davis was just O.K. at it. If Summers can learn to pick up blitzes at the pro level he’ll be the starter soon. He won’t be a household name or even the next LeRon McClain but he could shore up a spot where we’ve been lacking since Dan Kreider left. He could also compete with Mendenhall for the short-yardage role now that Russell has been released. If he has any Jerome-like qualities he’ll have a nickname too - The Short Bus! 
Yep, the one time that Matt Millen ever fleeced anyone. I remember that, Senor Beef. I was vowing that I’d never be a Lions fan if they took “The Warrior”.
No, the ones you always hear about, the ones that get trumpeted, are the ones that are trade ups to get a one big name. But a majority of the trades are outside of the top 10, and out of the first round entirely. The fact that the Patriots do it is really no big deal to me. But it was more about the coverage of their draft, not the technique itself. As I said, it’s a completely valid technique. I just didn’t need to here about the genius of the organization’s plan 85,000 times.
We will see. He’s certainly worth a shot in the 5th round.
It’s only a matter of the amount of risk, not the strategy. The Packers had further to move up, so they had to pay more (or overpay more depending on your view). Again, as a strategy, I like moving up to grab someone who is falling and is great value where you trade up to. Both teams did that. The Packers’ certainly took more of a risk, but it’s the same idea. They weren’t interested in Matthews in the teens or up to 22, but at 26, they made their move. And the Eagles weren’t going to move up for Maclin to 9 or the teens, but when he fell and the value was there, they pulled the trigger.
Scatback is a state of mind, not a size/weight comparison. The admittedly few bits of McCoy I saw, and the general analysis I heard, was that he bounces stuff outside and doesn’t do well between the tackles. Westbrook, however, does do that. He’s not a pile mover, but he can hit the holes that open up on the inside or sneak through, McCoy is much more comfortable bounceing things outside. Williams and Jones aren’t scatbacks like that, they certainly go up the middle. And Johnson has LenWhale to do he middle of the field carries and succeeds more outside the tackles.
Maybe something along the lines of number of starts/passer rating type of thing over the years. I see Stafford floundering early (going to the Lions can kill a QB) and Sanchez competing more quickly (what with an O Line of actual real life NFL players), but, in the long run, I don’t see White as a successful QB. Let me know what you think.
The Cowboys shocked me. I really liked their draft last year (granted it was only 6 picks), but this year they seemed content to pick a bunch of guys who won’t start. I actually liked their getting Roy Williams, I think he’ll help them immensely and was a fine first round pick. But the actual draft, they traded down, gathered picks, and … well they stunk. Almost every pick was a reach. Jason Williams is more an athlete/situational pass rusher than a 3 down linebacker, Brewster has good size, but not much else and will have to move inside, and McGee is a prospect. I have a huge man-crush on Victor Butler, when I thought he could be gotten in the 6th round. But not in the third. He’s got too many questions. I also think the Mike Mickens pick in the 7th was outstanding value. And don’t even get me started on drafting a kicker in the 5th round when you already have one of the best young kickers in the league.
It’s like they set out to improve their pass rush and secondary, but decided to do it by getting sheer numbers rather than quality. I think Butler, McGee, and Mickins may actually become solid starters, but that’s it and not for a few years.
PACKERS
As the ongoing draft conversation thread shows, I was all over the board. After a good night’s sleep, and TT finally getting Jamon Meredith at 162, I’m absolutely thrilled with the Packers draft.
Here it is:
Round 1, Pick 9 (9) B.J. Raji DT 6’2" 337 Boston College
Raji is a bit of a risk (he missed a year with academic issues and had some marijuana problems in college), but he’s got incredibly upside at a position of need for the Packers. His stock improved incredibly after the season, as he did extremely well at the Senior Bowl and combine, but he was still the anchor in a very good BC defense. I really like the pick, and I think he could be a stud.
Round 1, Pick 26 (26) (Trading up for their 2nd and 2 third round picks) Clay Matthews OLB 6’3" 240 Southern Cal
The Packers paid (and paid dearly) to move back into the bottom of the 1st round to grab a guy they just loved. Even though according to the “draft value chart” they overpaid for the pick, you have to consider that they had Matthews ranked much, much higher than 26. I love his hustle, his bloodlines, and his speed, but he’s immature and inexperienced. I’m going to trust that TT and the Packers on this one, because the price was really high.
Round 4, Pick 9 (109) T.J. Lang OT 6’4" 316 Eastern Michigan
He’s a guy who seemed to be rated a lot higher than I liked him. He’s got good size, is strong as a bull, he did well against Larry English when they played, and he’s versatile. But I just don’t see anything special about the guy. He’s like Sitton, Giancomini, Spitz, Barbre, or Preston (who we got in free agency) and the other guys we already have on our roster. He may develop into a solid RT, but doesn’t have the skills to be a LT. Still, all the charts say he was good value, the Packers need some help on the O Line, and he’s got a good attitude. He’ll get a shot, but I honestly don’t expect much from him. Hopefully, I’m wrong and we now have our starting RT for a deade. I’m just not seeing it.
Round 5, Pick 9 (145) Quinn Johnson FB 6’1" 246 LSU
Why did we pick him here, when there was better choices, both as players and at positions of need? (Meredith, Scott McKillop, James Casey, Victor Harris). He may very well be an upgrade over our current FBs, but he hasn’t caught a lot of balls and averages 2 ypc, both of which knock him down on my list. Still, he’s a big, bruising lead blocker with a great mean streak and he should help in short yardage situation. While it is nice to get a starter in the 5th round, I didn’t see a whole lot of problems with their current FBs and there were other guys I liked. But, he’s a good addition to the team, just not where I would have liked him picked.
Round 5, Pick 26 (162) (Got in trade to move up into the 1st round) Jamon Meredith OT 6’5" 304 South Carolina
I LOVED this draft. If I could marry this pick, I would. Meredith seriously underacheived as a senior, but he has the size, skills, quickness, and intelligence to be a successful Left Tackle, which puts him miles ahead of the rest of the draft picks available there. I thought he was well worth a third round pick, so to (finally) get him in the 5th was great value. I think he has a very high ceiling (starting LTs in the NFL aren’t easy to find, let alone in the 5th round) and, even if he can’t cut it as a LT, he can work at any other position on the O Line. He’s an improvement on any backup on the roster already.
Round 6, Pick 9 (182) Jarius Wynn DE 6’3" 275 Georgia
Big meh. I suppose, based on how he ended the season, he has some upside, but he’s too small (for now) for a DE in a 3-4 and has little to no production against top teams. Practice squad guy at best. Give him a few years and maybe, but doubt it. I would have much rathered grabbing a blocking TE (Bear Pascoe), a speedy RB (Cedric Peerman), or a big body (Myron Pryor) to solidify the needs of the team rather than a huge project.
Round 6, Pick 14 (187) Brandon Underwood CB 6’1" 198 Cincinnati
Another wasted pick. He’s a classic athlete fuckup who doesn’t get it. But, if he does, he could develop into a solid dime/backup. I don’t think he has the head to play in the NFL, nor does he hit hard enough to be a solid Safety. All the guys I listed above should have been considered instead.
Round 7, Pick 9 (218) Brad Jones OLB 6’3" 232 Colorado
I like his measurables, and it is a position of need so I like it. He’s fast, and may very well develop into a solid nickel LB, or pass rush specialist. He also has a good attitude ( I think). Good enough for the 7th round.
All in all, the Packers’ draft will come down to the top 2, Raji and Matthews. As it stands today, I like the draft, but if Raji doesn’t get it in the NFL, or if Matthews is slow to develop, it will look bad. But I liked what TT did trading up to get a first round talent, and then using the later rounds to address problems on their O Line. I would have liked another pass rush guy, a blocking TE, and maybe a punter, but still, the Packers had a great draft and I’m really excited to see how it pans out.
I think your assessment of the Cowboys was pretty good, Hamlet. I watched all day Saturday and was completely disgusted to see them trade down and not make a single pick. Didn’t get to watch yesterday but have been reading up as much as possible on the selections. In short, there’s a possibility we’ve really improved a couple of elements in Special Teams. Oh joy.
The lions didn’t draft any receivers though so what are you talking about? Are you counting the kick returner as a receiver, I kind of doubt he’ll being seeing any non-special teams play this year barring injury.
what an idiot Mike Leach is. Crabtree didn’t go higher because the raider’s made a bad pick, it’s not like he fell out of the first round.
And while taking the A&M QB was also a questionable move, that doesn’t mean Graham Harrell’s success in your gimmicky offense makes him a pro prospect.
Still, This: "“I’m happy for Stephen McGee,” Leach told The Dallas Morning News. “The Dallas Cowboys like him more than his coaches at A&M did” is damn funny.
Graham Harrell is no more of a pro prospect than Chase Daniels, who didn’t get drafted either.
no argument there.
The Bengals had a great draft, I don’t care what anyone says. I’m especially excited to see Chase Collins play as a pass-catching TE for Carson Palmer. That guy’s college highlight reel is amazing.
And talk about a football pedigree!
The Delmas pick was already my favorite of the Lions’ draft, but after watching some clips of him I like it even more.
Their second pick was a receiver: tight ends catch passes. Pettigrew is probably their second-best target. And Derrick Williams will most assuredly be playing some WR. He’s one of their top 4 now, and may be the third WR by midseason.