“Quarterback of the defense” and all that rot. I agree with you, though. Not necessarily about Dwight Smith (although he is a solid NFL player) but about the safeties.
That title is especially inappropriate because in most cases the mike is the first linebacker taken off the field in nickel and dime situations.
It’s rare indeed to see an every-down mlb.
I was just using him as an example - he’s not what you’d call a genius but he’s a brilliant coverage safety (he was a corner in college) and he plays the run very, very well, so there’s no situation where you need to sub him out.
checking in late with opinions … Kevin Fucking Smith was an excellent fit for Detroit. LOUNE is too harsh on UCF’s line (Your freinds’ fantasies are just that) but it wasn’t just blocking that got Smith those yards. He is, in many ways, the anti-Reggie Bush: a low-hype guy who waits, follows his blocks, fights for yards, and falls forward to turn one-yard holes into four-yard gains. He won’t be on Plays of the Week a lot, but he’ll fit well in a blue-collar offense. Barring injury, I’d bet on him getting his 1,000.
I wanted Limas Sweed for the Iggles instead of Jackson. At least this way we have a return man for a change.
Weak moves –
McFadden to Oakland is chrome on a Yugo. Oakland will suck until Davis croaks.
Worst move: Jacksonville trading up for a DE instead of trading for Jason Taylor.
Baltimore: Joe Flacco was beaten out at Pitt. Unless you’re unhappy with McGahee, why take Ray Rice?
Andre Woodson to NYG. Dammit, I want Jared Lorenzen in the league. Now he won’t be.
Good Moves –
Brian Brohm to GB. Rogers will have his shot this year, and if he doesn’t work out, the next guy up will be ready to go.
Mike Hart to Indy. Steal.
I wouldn’t be too sure. The front office seems to love him like Howard Stern loves Artie Lange.
Possibly have a return man. We had a return man, don’t forget. His name was Jeremy Bloom.
I pretty much tuned out for the second day of picks, had to sleep in and then have dinner with the folks. Just now catching up on the days activities. Some quick first impressions:
The Bears Draft
Round 1
14(14) Chris Williams OT VANDERBILT
Round 2
13(44) Matt Forte RB TULANE
Round 3
7(70) Earl Bennett WR VANDERBILT
27(90) Marcus Harrison DT ARKANSAS
Round 4
21(120) Craig Steltz S LSU
Round 5
7(142) Zack Bowman CB NEBRASKA
23(158) Kellen Davis TE MICHIGAN STATE
Round 7
1(208) Ervin Baldwin DE MICHIGAN STATE
15(222) Chester Adams OG GEORGIA
36(243) Joey LaRocque OLB OREGON STATE
40(247) Kirk Barton OT OHIO STATE
41(248) Marcus Monk WR ARKANSAS
Were the Bears looking to cut costs on travel within their player personnel department? Were they being lazy any only willing to watch a couple of schools game tape? We drafted 2 players from Vandy, 2 from Arkansas, 2 from Michigan State and Tulane an LSU are only a stones throw apart. This is the first draft in a long time where the Bears haven’t scooped up a small school prospect or two. Weird.
Overall I find the draft pretty unimpressive. Certainly not the type of draft that we needed with all the issues we have on offense and an aging and grumbling defense. Depth was an issue in previous years and their failure to address it means we need starters and backups now. I just don’t think we got any difference makers. This is probably the 3rd or 4th draft in a row where the Bears were just too damn passive, taking what fell to them instead of going and getting what they want.
One thing I do like is that they seem to have addressed the right needs. They were obvious so perhaps it says something that I’m counting it as an accomplishment. The general theme, though I don’t know much about most of the guys taken since I tend to avoid SEC football, is a lack or athleticism. We drafted players at the top of the draft who were productive but did not measure especially well. This is a solid concept, but leads me to think we found role players, not stars. Generally I support this but this year we really need stars, they should have gambled more.
I’m really surprised that the Bears didn’t draft a QB at all. I’m glad they didn’t reach for Brohm, Henne or Booty since none of those guys appear to project as franchise QBs (though I think Henne is the most likely to surprise us) but I really thought they would draft a guy in the 5th round or later to try and develop. We only have 2 guys on the roster right now and they are in 1-year contracts.
I also wish they’d have drafted a 2nd RB. Forte isn’t a can’t miss prospect and there was a lot of depth at the position, especially with a potential upside guy like Chauncey Washington still there in the 7th round. I agree with Hamlet on Tashard Choice’s potential and would have loved to have him in the competition to trample on Cedric Benson’s corpse.
Chris Williams - I’m not really familiar with this guy but he was consistent against SEC defenses and most of the experts had him as the 2nd or 3rd best OT prospect and more ready than Clady. Assuming they are dead on I should be really happy with the fact that he fell to us. They definitely needed to take a OL there and the draft worked out to make that a great value pick. I’m still pissed that they passed on Albert because I think he’ll be a absolute beast and would be a Pro Bowl OG but if you are insisting on having an OT Williams is a safer move.
Matt Forte - This is a classic Bears pick. He’s a good player, productive and projects into his position well, but they reached to get him at least a half round too early. He’s seen a lot of reps as a college player and has already has his knee rebuilt. There’s no doubt that he can still be a star but they struggle with the concept of value. Nevertheless, Forte does have all the tools to be a every down back and I especially like that he’s already a developed pass catcher and blocker and should help protect Grossman.
Earl Bennett - I like this pick. He’s fundamentally sound and projects as a excellent #2 possession receiver and can go up and get the ball on the fly pattern. He can fill the role vacated by Moose with a bit more speed and better hands. I hope that he clicks with one of the QBs and more importantly I hope they learn to get the ball out on a clock to capitalize on his route running precision.
Marcus Harrison - He’s supposed to be very good against the run and faced some talented backs in the SEC (not to mention two first rounders in practice). In the Bears system this is going to be key. They need a DT who can eat blocks and fill gaps and he projects well there. The character issues worry me after the Tank Johnson fiasco but reports are that this was different. According to the Sun-Times: “Harrison was pulled over for speeding and found to be in position of Ecstacy and two cigars that tested positive for marijuana.” I’m not too terribly worried about a college kid with a couple blunts and some E, sounds like a decent Saturday night for most college kids. To put a positive spin on this you can point out that he slipped probably a round and a half because of it and the Bears got an elite prospect at a bargain price. If he and Dvoracek are healthy and meet expectations we might see a huge bump in our defense this season.
Craig Steltz - Looks like a Safety cut in the Mike Brown mold. Big and aggressive and has a nose for the football. Also like Brown, he hasn’t been able to stay healthy. Hopefully between the two of them they’ll manage 16 games this year.
Zack Bowman - Developmental CB with very impressive athleticism and size. We’re set at CB for a while and have the time to develop a guy like this. All in all a worthwhile gamble and he and Steltz as DBs can make a significant impact on special teams.
Kellen Davis - Strange that we’d add another TE after drafting Ben Olsen in the first round last season and signing Desmond Clark to a 2-year extension. I suppose the depth will be valuable and Davis has optimal size and speed, but he’s had some more serious problems with the law and makes for a third TE who doesn’t excel at blocking. Considering Josh Johnson came off the board 2 picks later I really don’t like this pick.
Of the 7th rounders we drafted (5 of them!) Marcus Monk is the most compelling. He’s absolutely huge and fast, the Bears are clearly hoping he can develop into a late-round WR goldmine. He was dinged up last season and played in an Arkansas offense that simply didn’t throw much so his numbers aren’t very impressive. If the scouting report is to be trusted he sounds like a potential monster. The rest of the 7th rounders all sound like smart picks, a few were projected to go a couple rounds earlier, and we hit all our key positions of need.
Big picture I think the Bears did a reasonable job of getting good prospects that might take a couple years to develop. We didn’t land any immediate contributers aside from Williams and we still don’t have a QB we can rely on. Sadly it feels like something of a rebuilding project in progress.
The one thing that’s really bothering me is the idea that we could have had both* Chris Williams and Rashard Mendenhall (or Flacco) by giving up our 2nd and a 3rd round pick. Considering how many teams in that range were desperate to trade back someone would have been eager to do it. Why roll the dice with Forte when you could have gotten a star. I hope this doesn’t haunt us.
It’s been reported that the Bears were quick to sign Nick Hill as an UDFA immediately after the draft. He’s a small school QB but his numbers there were outstanding, especially his 71% completion percentage. He’s got the prototypical frame for a NFL QB and is athletic (recruited as a D1 college basketball player). I’ve seen differing reports on his arm strength but I like the fact that the Bears were eager to bring him in after working him out last week. So we now have at least one QB to develop, he sounds like a more likely success story than Chris Leak and Craig Krenzel anyways.
In this draft, the Packers ended up taking two guys they saw just by coincidence. They went to UCF to check out Kevin FUCKING Smith, and end up liking and drafting Josh Sitton. Then they went to San Diego State to check out Kevin O’Connell, and end up liking and drafting that Swain kid. It is definitely weird how the whole scouting thing works.
Unimpressive is a pretty good word. I do really like Bennett, but, by and large, the rest of the Bears draft doesn’t impresses me all that much. If they all pan out, they’ll still be good solid players, though. Williams is fine in pass protection, but a liability in running the ball, but he may develop into a rock solid starter. He’s also pretty smart, but I wonder about his dedication. Forte just doesn’t do it for me. He’s be a fine grinder back, think Brian Leonard, but I don’t see him ever becoming a game changer in the NFL. Still, he get you your three yards in a cloud of dust. I really like Earl Bennett. I feel bad for him, because his college career he couldn’t really shine because of poor QB play and he goes to … the Bears. At least he’s used to adjusting to poorly thrown balls and unsure timing. I was intrigued by the Harrison pick. I think he’s good value, if he’s healthy. He tore his ACL before last year, which is never good, and had knee and ankle injuries his junior year. And even when healthy, he doesn’t always give 100% and is inconsistent. I don’t think he’ll ever develop into a force, but he might make a good rotational guy who is in there on the running downs. Which isn’t too bad for a 4th rounder. Steltz is a one year starter who is smart and seems to know football, but may not have the speed to cover deep. I was suprised to see him go so early and I thought Omni would be upset that they passed on Josh Barrett. Zach Bowman will live on IR. He’s gotten almost no experience outside of JUCO, and has bum knees and questionable heart. You’re welcome to take a chance on him, especially wasting a 5th rounder rather than a 7th. Kellen Davis needs someone to turn his light on, because he’s soft, arrogant, and relies on his athleticism rather than hard work and technique. I don’t think sitting behind Olson and Clark will help him much, but maybe, just maybe he’ll come around.
I must say, however, I liked the Bears 7th round. Generally, they’re all guys who are added depth and might not stick in the the NFL, but I think Baldwin will be a good situational pass rusher (he’s too small and not THAT quick or fast to be a full time starter), I think Adams adds some servicable depth to the O Line, which is nice; and Monk just might make a passable possession receiver. I think Barton and LaRoque will be washouts though. Still, nice work in the last round.
I think that is the main reason Angelo will never be a great drafter. He drafts for needs and not talent or best player. Williams is fine, but he’s no Albert. Forte will grind it out for you. And the rest are servicable. But there’s nothing that makes me say “Wow.” Watch out for the Bears.
I think it’s part of building the core of the team. That’s done with substance, not style. What suprised me is the amount of injuries the Bears seemed unconcerned with. Harrison, Bowman, and Monk could all never see the field. Maybe they like their doctors alot.
The biggest flaw in their draft. And inexplicable too. Not even a young guy to develop. As a Packer fan, I’m more than happy to see you guys with Grossman and Orton again! But it’s a huge flaw in this draft that they didn’t grab anyone.
I agree. I don’t understand your franchise in the least. A few years ago, they had an incredible D and were positioned to be a contender every year. And now they’re drafting like they’re rebuilding. They were so close, a solid QB and a servicable RB, and a gamebreaker (WR, maybe TE) away from being an outstanding team, but now it seems like they’re planning 3 or 4 years in the future. I really don’t understand the Bears.
Take Joe Flacco. Now replace his arm strength and throwing mechanics of … say your Aunt Mary. That’s Nick Hill.
Not fantasies at all - Kruczek invited them back before camp every year, as did O’Leary his first year. Remember how we were starting three true freshman on the line in 2005? That was a simple lack of warm bodies - they were the last three healthy interior linemen on the team.
Returners are odd birds. Half the receivers, corners, small tailbacks and even safeties in any draft “have kick-return skills”, and yet only one or two turn out to be anything special. Sweed is the best all-round receiver in this draft, though, and he’ll be an excellent pro.
The McFadden pick is absolutely the worst case of ignoring need to take the BPA I can remember (other than the Millen WR “dynasty”). What makes it worse is that McFadden wasn’t even the BPA; Dorsey was. They could have taken Warren Sapp and instead they got was a more complete Trung Canidate. Probably the most serious consequence is that somewhere between a third and half of their cap will be taken by tailbacks this season.
I can’t fault Jacksonville for not taking Taylor; he’ll surely want a contract extension, and how much can you invest in a pure speed rusher who’ll be 34 by Week 1? Simeon Rice went from a 14-sack season to being cut by three different teams in 14 months. Harvey fits perfectly with what the Jaguars have always done, which is build through the draft. Other than wide receivers, and a linebacker or safety here and there, the Jaguars have never spent big money to sign free agents or traded more than 6th- and 7th-round picks for players. I certainly think they paid way too much to move up, though; I could justify spending that many picks on Dorsey, or perhaps McFadden, but not Harvey.
The Flacco pick looks terrible on the surface. Not least because Kyle Boller was also the 18th pick in the draft. At least they traded down for Flacco, instead of up. Ray Rice isn’t big enough to be a starting tailback. 5’9" and 205 pounds, and his body is already carrying every ounce of muscle it possibly can. He’ll be a very good complement to McGahee, though - think Maurice Morris. Also, John Harbaugh watched Brian Westbrook mature from a Swiss Army Knife of yardage - returning punts and kicks, third-down back, split out as a receiver - into a star feature-back. Maybe he sees the same potential in Rice. Besides, McGahee tends to get banged up a lot; not enough to keep him off the field, usually, but enough to limit him to 10-15 carries in ~6 games a season.
Woodson to the Giants makes great sense. I love the Hefty Lefty too, but Lorenzen has shown he’s not really anything more than an emergency quarterback. Woodson, on the other hand, can develop into a capable #2, and has the talent to become a solid starter. David Garrard, anyone?
I’m on the fence about the Brohm pick. The Packers have bigger needs than a quarterback, and I think Rodgers is being set up to fail. The last thing he needs is more pressure; he’s already got to a) replace a Hall of Famer b) immediately after his best statistical season in years c) in an offense where everyone will be disappointed if he doesn’t throw for 3,500 yards and 20 touchdowns. Now he’s got to contend with a backup who is ready to play right now, who the fans will start braying for about eight seconds after Rodgers’ first 3-interception game. Obviously, Brohm represents a superb value where they got him, but I can’t help thinking this is bad juju. I suppose as much as anything this is the fault of quarterback-needy teams for not trading up to get him.
While I’m here, I may as well evaluate the Buccaneers’ draft.
**1. CB - Aqib Talib
2. WR - Dexter Jackson
3. G - Jeremy Zuttah
4. DT - Dre Moore
5. QB - Josh Johnson
6. LB - Geno Hayes
7. RB - Cory Boyd **
Talib, I think we all know the sitch on. He was a pothead, and got into hot water because he says he told his coach he was going to test positive before a test, and the coach says he never did. Frankly, I couldn’t care less whether he told his coach, and I don’t understand what that has to do with anything. If he told him he was going to be arrested on Tuesday, and then did so, would he avoid a suspension? In any case, we gambled on a pot smoker last year in Gaines Adams and based on the second half of the season it might have worked out very, very well. Added to which, if I lived in Kansas I’d probably have to smoke a lot of pot too. Talib’s physical skills are jaw-dropping; I watched a bunch of Kansas’ games last season and didn’t see him get outjumped once, even by guys four or five inches taller. He did take some chances in coverage- breaking on a pass only to find it sailing over his head, mostly- but if you’re going to do that stuff anywhere, the Cover 2 is the place to do it. Heck, Brian Kelly did the same thing constantly, and Monte Kiffin seemed not to mind enough that Kelly played 10 seasons for him. The good thing about this situation is that Talib will get to play the nickel corner position for a year while Philip Buchanon plays LCB; Buchanon’s contract is up after this season, and while I hope he’ll be re-signed I don’t believe the brass is sold on him as a permanent starter.
[I’ll do the rest of this later- stupid work]
I like Rodgers. I thought he was tremendous value at 24 when he was drafted, and the three years sitting behind Favre really helped him. Rodgers will admit that he was immature and cocky and not ready to play in the NFL when drafted, but now he has the makings of a real NFL quarterback. I think he’ll have a great career. IF …
And this is where Brohm comes in. IF Rodgers can stay healthy. He seems to get dinged up, ankle, hammy, etc., way more than you would like. While I think he will take some time to develop, Rodgers has the complete confidence of the coaching staff and the players. The pressure the fans put on him because of Brohm is nothing different than almost every other starting QB in the NFL gets, the backup is always better when the starter struggles even a bit.
And, to be completely honest, if Rodgers can’t handle that kind of pressure, he has no business in the NFL. I think he’ll be fine. He knows it’s his team and his job.
Brohm was fantastic value late in the second, and the Packers had no other QB’s that were ever drafted on their roster. Backup QB was a huge need, and to get a guy like Brohm was fantastic.
I don’t believe in juju, but I think the problem that may arise is one of reps. With Favre there, they could get Rodgers enough reps in practice to get a good idea about him and to get him the valuable practice time. But now, with Rodgers just starting, he’s going to need a great majority of the reps, and Brohm will have to settle for less, and even less for Flynn. THAT to me, the lack of reps, is what the issue may be. Not juju.
Well, I wanted to emulate Hamlet’s dissection, but there were too many freaking trades for me to keep straight for the Cowboys.
**1 (22) Felix Jones RB Arkansas
1 (25) Mike Jenkins CB South Florida
2 (61) Martellus Bennett TE Texas A&M
4 (122) Tashard Choice RB Georgia Tech
5 (143) Orlando Scandrick CB Boise State
6 (167) Erik Walden DE Middle Tennessee State **
I’m very happy with the first two picks. Jones should be able to team up with Marion Barber to be more effective than the previous Jones/Barber team. They can do all sorts of shifting stuff with both him and Jason Witten, probably making covering T.O. even harder.
Jenkins should give us a strong third corner and eventual replacement for Newman or Henry. If Pacman (a good gamble on a 4th rounder and possibly 6th round next year) works out, he’ll have even more time to develop and possibly get to work in with the dime defense.
Bennett by himself isn’t a bad pick, I think he was good value. However the need for using a second round pick was created when the Cowboys sent 2006 2nd round pick Anthony Fasano to Miami for a 4th rounder (with Ayodele). Fasano hasn’t been a star by any stretch, but he’s been solid as a 2nd TE and I don’t think this swaparoo was a good net gain.
Choice was a good…choice. A back-up for Barber, he should give us insurance for this year (Barber is the only RB with any carries on the roster) and next, should we not get a long term contract with Barber.
Sedrick was a good pick. He’ll get to compete with Ogelsby and last year’s raw 7th rounder Alan Ball for (hopefully) the last two of six spots. If Pacman isn’t reinstated, they’ll need those four to compete for the dime spot. But a good pick for the future.
I don’t know much about Walden, but he seems to be mainly there to take up Ayodele’s spot on the roster. He’s probably going to transition into an OLB in the 3-4, letting 2006 1st rounder Bobby Capenter compete with Zach Thomas to replace Ayodele. As another body and developmental guy he’s as good as any gamble in the 6th I suppose.
With all the trading down in the 3rd and 4th we picked up some picks for next year: the Brown’s 3rd rounder and the Lion’s 4th rounder. While those will be helpful next year, I’m disappointed we didn’t take Manningham in the 3rd, a few picks before the Giants. Unlike some of the talking heads out there, I don’t think we needed a WR this year, but it would have been a nice luxery for next year. All in all, I’d give them a 7 in 10 for use of their picks but 9 in 10 for the talent we got, mainly because of the extra first rounder. I’d have been much happier if that trade to Miami hadn’t taken place and we could have used that 2nd rounder better strategically.
Onto the second part of my analysis of the Bucs’ draft:
I wanted to add about Talib that for about three minutes it looked like a lock that the team would take Devin Thomas. ESPN’s cameras at his house showed him answering his cellphone with a big grin, as the clock ticked down to 2:00 on the pick.
Then the Commissioner walked to the podium and spoke the words I most dearly wanted to hear- anyone but Thomas.
I was hoping for James Hardy or Jerod Mayo, but we didn’t trade back far enough to make Hardy a good value and obviously Mayo was long gone even when our original pick (which was traded to the Ravens) came around.
I’ll be honest and say I had no idea who Dexter Jackson was. Still, he’s supposed to be lightning-quick, which we can use more of, and perhaps he can be a cheaper DeSean Jackson - a Steve Smith type. Plus, the last Dexter Jackson we drafted (a free safety) was a Super Bowl MVP.
Jeremy Zuttah is/was highly regarded by scouts, but after spending 1st- and 2nd- round picks in the last two drafts on guards, and giving Jeff Faine the biggest paycheck of any NFL center, I don’t know what he’s for.
Dre’ Moore gives us much-needed depth at under tackle, where Chris Hovan is aging. Monte Kiffin seems to be able to turn just about any big body into an NFL-caliber defensive tackle.
I think Dallas was in a perfect spot for this draft, with two first rounders late. After the top 5 or 6 players, there was a dropoff, and there would be plenty of talent late in the first, early in the second. And Dallas did a very good job with their picks. One thing I found interesting was that they passed on a better running back (Mendenhall) for a guy who better fit their system (Jones). But they also got a couple guys I just love, Jenkins and Choice. So, right off the bat, they had a good draft. But, generally, every team thinks it had a great draft in the days following the draft. I think Bennett was a reach and a huge risk, adn Scandrick and Walden do absolutely nothing for me.
Dallas, essentially, replaced Julius Jones with Felix Jones and added a strong backup to both of them, added a good corner to shore up their secondary, and got a developmental project at TE who isn’t going to start for a year or so. Not too bad for a team on the brink of the Super Bowl. And, given how competitive the Cowboys are, I think trading for more picks in NEXT year’s draft was very smart also. Because they’ll start to have more and more needs.
I’m very happy with the first two picks. Jones should be able to team up with Marion Barber to be more effective than the previous Jones/Barber team. They can do all sorts of shifting stuff with both him and Jason Witten, probably making covering T.O. even harder.
Jenkins should give us a strong third corner and eventual replacement for Newman or Henry. If Pacman (a good gamble on a 4th rounder and possibly 6th round next year) works out, he’ll have even more time to develop and possibly get to work in with the dime defense.
Bennett by himself isn’t a bad pick, I think he was good value. However the need for using a second round pick was created when the Cowboys sent 2006 2nd round pick Anthony Fasano to Miami for a 4th rounder (with Ayodele). Fasano hasn’t been a star by any stretch, but he’s been solid as a 2nd TE and I don’t think this swaparoo was a good net gain.
Choice was a good…choice. A back-up for Barber, he should give us insurance for this year (Barber is the only RB with any carries on the roster) and next, should we not get a long term contract with Barber.
Sedrick was a good pick. He’ll get to compete with Ogelsby and last year’s raw 7th rounder Alan Ball for (hopefully) the last two of six spots. If Pacman isn’t reinstated, they’ll need those four to compete for the dime spot. But a good pick for the future.
I don’t know much about Walden, but he seems to be mainly there to take up Ayodele’s spot on the roster. He’s probably going to transition into an OLB in the 3-4, letting 2006 1st rounder Bobby Capenter compete with Zach Thomas to replace Ayodele. As another body and developmental guy he’s as good as any gamble in the 6th I suppose.
With all the trading down in the 3rd and 4th we picked up some picks for next year: the Brown’s 3rd rounder and the Lion’s 4th rounder. While those will be helpful next year, I’m disappointed we didn’t take Manningham in the 3rd, a few picks before the Giants. Unlike some of the talking heads out there, I don’t think we needed a WR this year, but it would have been a nice luxery for next year. All in all, I’d give them a 7 in 10 for use of their picks but 9 in 10 for the talent we got, mainly because of the extra first rounder. I’d have been much happier if that trade to Miami hadn’t taken place and we could have used that 2nd rounder better strategically.
[/QUOTE]
Dexter Jackson is a Joey Galloway clone…before Galloway blew his knee out and lost a step. Jackson is a freaking missile. Great pick.
[continued]
Josh Johnson is really exciting. He’s got 4.4 speed and is accurate, something that run-happy quarterbacks always seem to be missing. A few years under Gruden and we might have our quarterback of the future. If he turns out to be a mirage, no big loss.
Geno Hayes is kind of a familiar sight- an undersized outside linebacker from Florida State. The difference is that Derrick Brooks came from the tail end of the first round (twenty-odd picks after Warren Sapp), whereas Hayes was just a sixth-rounder. If he can put on some size, he might contend for a starting spot in a few years. If not he’ll probably make for a good special-teams player and could be an excellent coverage LB.
Cory Boyd is a bit of a who-dat and since Buccaneer 7th-round picks never pan out I won’t bother talking about him. He’s a special-teams player and he might beat out Kenneth Darby for the 5th-string tailback spot, at best.
mumbles something about Johnson being a Lion
Talib is a risk. He’s damn pretty to look at and has the attributes you love. But I question whether he has the head for NFL football. (That and Jordy Nelson just destroyed him… video on youtube).
The Talib pick, I think, fits Gruden’s penchant for selecting guys with great measurables and a lot of flash, while ignoring whether they’re great “football players”. I think Talib will be another Ahmad Carrol or Terrel Buckley, guys who look great, but take too many chances, get burned too often, and have the ego that will hold them back from bettering themselves.
Oddly enough, I think Dexter Jackson is the same thing. He’s fast and he had an amazing opening game against Michigan. And that, to my mind, is it about him. Even while playing at a lower level, guess how many 100 yard games he had this year. … None. Guess how many catches all year. 30. He’s a guy you point to, tell him to go long, and fling it out there and hope he catches it. That works in IIA, but the NFL, no way. He’ll help as a returner, but was a huge reach in the 2nd round.
And the same with Josh Johnson. He’s got the look of a quarterback (a bit thin, though), with absolutely gaudy statistics. He’s athletic and fun to watch and is a ton of flash. And nowhere near ready for the NFL. He’s definitely a project, and I can’t fault the Bucs for selecting him.
I like Zuttah. He projects inside, but he’s big and he’s smart and he may develop very well. Good pick.
All in all, I think the Bucs picked guys who look really good, but may not make it in the NFL. But damn their team picture and measurables will look good.
Just for the record, Galloway ran an electronically timed 4.34 at Bucs FanFest two years ago, a few months before his 34th birthday. I wouldn’t say he’s lost a step so much as a couple of inches.
Of course he has to slow down sooner or later.
I really wonder what was going on all that time in Dallas. I know he had a severe knee injury, but could it really have taken him five years to recover?
Talib wasn’t a Gruden pick at all; He rarely if ever even comments on defensive roster moves- that one’s all Bruce Allen and Monte Kiffin. We do need more of a ballhawking corner; our safeties are good all-rounders, and teams don’t throw at Ronde Barber enough for him to pick off many passes. Brian Kelly was that kind of risk-taker, but not half the athlete Talib is.
Your description of Dexter Jackson immediately made me think of Jerry Porter (fling it deep downfield and hope it falls into his hands), and I’m okay with that. Porter looked great in the slot and hopeless when he was asked to start. Jackson won’t be asked to start, just to make other teams respect the deep ball when Galloway runs a shallow route.
Again, I like Zuttah as a player, but I don’t understand what we need a guard for. He actually played right tackle at BC, and is just projected as a guard. We already have Jeremy Trueblood, a second-round pick who’s played every snap since being drafted, at right tackle; if we need anything, it’s a left tackle to replace Luke Pettigout, who was hurt again last season and may not give us much beyond next season.