The 2009 NFL draft thread

Yeah, I’m not at all psyched on the Browns whiffing on another 1st round D lineman. I have a faint hope that the Chiefs will pass on Curry after signing all the free agent LBs they did.

Yeah, that isn’t too much of a surprise. I wonder how many other guys did the same thing. I also wonder if they intentionally only had one of the USC LBs on hand and if they make any considerations to not have any universities over represented.

It seems like everyone has an opinion on which UCS LB is the most flawed. A lot of people think Cushing is a Pozluszny type who won’t be able to get off blocks.

There’s no way in hell the Bengals draft Crabtree. We’ll either go best OT available (likely Smith, and before people get all up in arms about his craziness, watch his SEC tapes…the guy was literally DOMINANT when it mattered, which of course, while on the field playing football) or reach for a guy like Orakpo. Raji’s possible drug test should be enough for the Bengals, whom are ever careful and concerned about player character, to pass on him.

:slight_smile:

Plus, we just signed Tank Johnson and have a pretty decent rotation of DT’s…I don’t think we need one in the first round.

I actually hope we not only trade Chad to a team like the Eagles for something like a 2nd and a 3rd, but also trade down with our first, if possible.

I definitely want to beat the Squeelers to the punch for a top-tier center by the second round. I hope we end up with Wood or Unger.

If the Bengals trade away Chad who do they have to throw too?

An ideal solution would be to trade down in the first round with a team targeting Sanchez. Denver, Jacksonville, Carolina, Jets all might be willing to move up to get him and the Bengals would still probably have a chance to get a 1st round worthy OT, maybe even one of the top 3 guys.

I’ve changed my mind about Sanchez to the 49ers at #10. I’m not dying for him, but if he’s the best available player, I’d be OK with it. I have him at 8th behind Crabtree, Raji, Orakpo and Maclin.

They were stupid for not taking the Redskins’ offer of a 1st and a 3rd-to-1st last year.

Rumors are spreading/solidifying the Braylon Edwards is going to get traded on draft day.

Whoever gets him is lucky and will probably end up ripping him off. I’m going to be pissed. The only way I even consider it is if you’re totally confident Edwards doesn’t want to resign with your team and will be a problem - and even then I’d consider franchising him if possible. (That option may be out of the next CBA - but if the CBA isn’t signed, as a 5th year player he’ll be RFA anyway).

Braylon Edwards, the newest member of the New York Giants.
If the Browns do it “right”, they’ll end up with a LOT of first-round picks this year.

Word is Stafford’s got a handshake deal with the Lions.

More predictably, Travis Henry just pled guilty to cocaine trafficking and the Jaguars just gave MJD a $31 million extension.

fingers in ears

Lalalalalalalalalalalalala

He could be another Matt Ryan, you know.

It’s much more likely he’ll be a David Greene.

Fun fact: I went up to Athens (Georgia) for a weekend on a lark in 2004 and wound up doing shots with David Greene at a bar, then leaving with him and a pair of blonde identical twins.

Less fun fact: He got lucky and I didn’t.

It’s good to be a (retired) NFL quarterback. Stafford has a strong arm, but he’s not where he should be for a number one pick. I’d think about him starting at 3 or 4 and much more seriously after that.

If there’s a top-shelf tackle prospect, you take it. No questions asked. If you don’t need a tackle (which doesn’t happen), trade the pick or take the tackle anyways.

If there’s a quarterback that you simply must take at number one, he better not only be obviously the best player in the draft, but he better be able to start day one if needed (but not required).

Furthermore, I don’t see a huge difference between him and Sanchez. Stafford has the better arm, but Sanchez has the edge with mobility. If you can talk yourself into one of the picks, you should be able to talk yourself into the other. Transitive Law of Logic and all that.

That was when he was still in school. His junior year, I think. I didn’t even know who he was until some guy came over and bought a round.

I’m pretty much in agreement with you on Stafford (though I do think he’s a much better prospect than Sanchez). Seems like he became the “consensus” #1 pick by default, and with the minimal bust rate at tackle and the astronomical bust rate at quarterback I’d definitely take the tackle.

To me, the best player in the draft is Crabtree, and it’s not even close.

I didn’t see Crabtree play much, although I’ve heard that he’s a Jerry Rice-type receiver. He’s not blazingly fast, but he doesn’t lose a step with pads on either. He’s got very good hands and runs very good routes, and he’s got a good head on his shoulders.

Am I far off? He’s not a physical freak like, say, Randy Moss or Calvin Johnson, but he does everything very good.

He didn’t do much at the Combine or at his pro day because of the foot injury, but I’ve read that he ran a 4.42 as a true freshman. Frankly I think his college numbers speak for themselves when it comes to his athleticism.

2007 (his redshirt freshman season): 134 catches, 1962 yards, 14.6 YPC, 22 touchdowns. Set NCAA records for most receptions by a freshman in Div. 1-A, and touchdowns by a freshman.

2008: 97 catches, 1165 yards, 12.0 YPC, 19 touchdowns - while battling a high ankle sprain for five weeks.

He’s the only guy to win the Biletnikoff Award twice. He was also one of the top 50 basketball recruits in the nation coming out of high school; Mike Leach and Bob Knight both recruited him to come to Texas Tech.

By way of comparison, here are Larry Fitzgerald’s numbers for 2002-2003: 69 catches, 1005 yards, 12 TDs

and for 2003-2004: 92 1672 22

I also agree with you. If you need a receiver, he’s clearly the best. Is he the best player in the draft? I think a strong case can be made for that as well.

I think it’s either him or Curry, and (IMHO) you can find linebackers anywhere. Of course, you can find a wide receiver anywhere too, but you never see a fourth-round wideout starting in Week 1 as a rookie; you see rookie linebackers do that all the time.

To me, this seems like a really bad draft for making a splash, but a really good one for building a team. Unfortunately, it looks like the Lions are trying to do a bit of both.

If the Buccaneers don’t take a quarterback, I think this might be a terrific draft for us. If they do take a quarterback, it won’t matter who else we get because we’ll have Josh Freeman throwing the ball to the other team for three seasons.