LORK 88
Wreck'em Ŧech!
1) Houston: D’Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia – Oh yea, I put someone other than Reggie Bush at number 1. Has the world come to an end yet? No? Well with this pick, neither has David Carr’s career. D’Brickashaw is an incredible athlete for a OT and has great footwork and long arms. Many questioned his run blocking and mean streak during the season, but he put both things to rest during Senior Bowl week. He’s being considered one of the top OT talents since Orlando Pace (who Houston was interested in acquiring this off season) and Houston would be wise to take him.
2) New Orleans: Matt Leinart, QB, USC – Its no secret, New Orleans needs a QB. Many will argue that Vince would be a better fit here, but New Orleans would benefit from having a pocket passer rather than a running QB. With top defenses in the division (Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Carolina) and having already been exposed to Vick, I don’t think a dual threat QB is what would help the team out the most.
3) Tennessee: Vince Young, QB, UT – With McNair aging, and Volek not being a long term answer, Tennessee has time to take in Young and develop him into a QB. Young is easily the most athletic QB in the draft and proved himself well this season improving upon the pass. However, many (including myself) feel that he is still raw and would benefit from a year or two of guidance under McNair and Volek. Plus, we all know how much Bud Adams loves Texas . . .
4) N.Y. Jets: Reggie Bush, RB, USC – This is NY’s dream situation. They get the player they want and get to pay him half of what he would get at number 1. While I doubt they will get Bush just sitting here at number 4, for now they do. Bush is a very athletic and nimble runner who reminds people a lot of Marshall Faulk and Curtis Martin, and who better than to replace Curtis Martin than the player whose style is very similar to his?
5) Green Bay: AJ Hawk, OLB, Ohio St – With the exception of Nick Barnett, there is so much mediocrity in Green Bay’s LB core that its not even funny. AJ Hawk would help out greatly and give them more stability and athleticism at LB. his ability to get off blocks and his solid tackling ability will also help out GB’s run D which ranked 23rd last year.
6) Oakland: Mario Williams, DE, NC State – Oakland was smart last year during the off season and acquired Derrick Burgess who lead the NFL in sacks last year, but he can’t play both DE spots. In come Mario Williams, a massive, athletic DE who some say is the next Julius Peppers. His massive size will be a huge benefit to Oakland’s run D and his pass rushing ability will take some of the pressure off of Burgess and give Oakland an amazing DE tandem.
7) San Francisco: Michael Huff, DB, UT – At this point, who San Francisco picks is a massive mystery because of the amount of holes they have letting them take whoever falls. However, their pass defense ranked last in the league last year and Huff is athletic enough to play either FS or CB.
8) Buffalo: Haloti Ngata, DT, Oregon – This year, Buffalo ranked 31st in rushing defense. In 2004, they ranked 7th. The difference? Pat Williams left. The solution? Another big body in the middle. Ngata is 2 inches and 30 pounds heavier and is a much faster player, so he won’t be a serious liability against the pass. For now, lets call him Pat Williams 2.0.
9) Detroit: Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt – Lets face it, Joey Harrington is horrible. Detroit has done everything imaginable to help him out by giving him Kevin Jones, 3 1st round WRs, and Marcus Pollard, but he still hasn’t sniffed a QB rating of 80. With a new HC coming to town, this is the perfect time for a QB change (and no, Jeff Garcia doesn’t count). Cutler is said to have a huge arm and be very athletic, something Harrington was SUPPOSED to be.
10) Arizona: DeAngelo Williams, RB, Memphis – I know, Arizona took JJ Arrington last year, but he is too timid and was a big disappointment this year. Williams on the other hand is a value at pick 10 and is everything that Green has been looking for at RB: a hard, patient runner who is also very talented at catching out of the backfield.
11) St. Louis: Jimmy Williams, CB, Va Tech – Lets face it, St Louis’ secondary isn’t up to par, and Archuleta is a FA this year. With so many problems this year at DB, Williams is the smart choice here. He’s played both FS and CB and is very tall, and a playmaker so he could help out wherever St Louis sees fit.
12) Cleveland: Marcus McNeill, OT, Auburn – With no clear cut pick here for Cleveland, they address a need that has been with them for awhile now. They’ve given up a lot of sacks lately, and their best bet would be to go for OT and help out Droughns and Frye.
13) Baltimore: LenDale White, USC, RB – As we say down here in Texas, adios Jamal! With LenDale White proving himself greatly in the Rose Bowl and out-performed fellow teammate Reggie Bush, he’s launched his draft status exceedingly high. White is the same style of runner as Jamal, but will be cheaper and not as big of a liability off the field as Jamal.
14) Philadelphia: Chad Greenway, OLB, Iowa – Philly doesn’t have bad LBs, but Dhani Jones isn’t meant to play strong side. With Trotter solid in the middle and Jones good enough to play weak side, Philly should look at Greenway. He’s got great size and tremendous upside. This would also help solidify Philly’s defense which had a down year compared to seasons in the past.
15) Atlanta: Tamba Hali, DE, Penn St – He outperformed fellow DE Kiwanuka so therefore, Hali moves up as the number 2. Atlanta has other needs, especially in the secondary, but with nobody around that would be worthy of the pick, Hali makes the most sense. Just imagine how scary it would be to see him opposite Kerney.
16) Miami: Tye Hill, CB, Clemson – Other than Madison, Miami is lacking in the secondary. Hill is a true CB and proved himself very well at the Senior Bowl. His coverage skills are outstanding and would come in handy.
17) Minnesota: Ko Simpson, FS, South Carolina – I was tempted to give Minnesota DeMeco Ryans, but because of Darren Sharper’s age, and the fact that Cory Chavous could gone is very threatening. I also feel that Childress and his team might be able to do something with all the mediocre LBs on the team.
18) Dallas: Manny Lawson, OLB, NC State – I know this is a bit of a reach, but I don’t think Dallas would pass on the opportunity to bring in another athletic pass rusher. Lawson is an incredible athlete who has tremendous speed and is a great pass rusher. To even think about putting him opposite Ware is a scary thought. OT is also an area of concern for Dallas, but with the depth of OT this year, Dallas can find a solid OT later on in the draft.
19) San Diego: Santonio Holmes, WR, Ohio St - Marty can say that the can get by with what they have on offense, but they would be wise to take Santonio Holmes. He is a great route runner and has good speed. With the increasing age of McCardell and lack of playmaking ability outside of him, I feel that Holmes would be a solid pickup. They could also look for a CB or S here, but I feel that the draft is deep enough for them to do this later on.
20) Kansas City: Mathias Kiwanuka, DE, BC – KC still is lacking on defense, but Kiwi would also help them out in a hurry. KC already has a solid DE in Jared Allen, but is lacking someone opposite him. Kiwi would help out greatly in the run and be another solid pass rusher opposite Allen.
21) New England: Antonio Cromartie, CB, FSU – New England this past year was injury riddled and had troubles in the secondary. Cromartie was arguably one of the top CBs in college football until a knee injury took him out for the season. If he can make a full recovery, he will help out this secondary greatly.
22) Denver (from Wash): Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland – Ever since Shannon Sharpe left, they have been looking for a TE with the athletic ability that he had to come in and take over, but they haven’t found that someone until now. Some feel that Davis won’t fall this far, but I feel that the draft is too deep for someone to go TE early on.
23) Tampa Bay: Eric Winston, OT, Miami – Tampa Bay did a great job resurrecting their team this year and has a great future in Chris Simms and Cadillac Williams, but they need to do a better job blocking for both if they want to continue to succeed. Winston is a local boy who had a bit of a down year, but is an athletic OT.
24) Cincinnati: Broderick Bunkley, DT, FSU – Cincy also made great strides as a team, but had problems against the run. Bunkley had a great senior year and does a great job penetrating the gaps as a run stuffer. And to make things better, he’s added 15 pounds.
25) N.Y. Giants: DeMeco Ryans, OLB, Alabama – NY was riddled towards the end of the season with LB injuries and had to sign street FAs like Jay Foreman. Ryans is a tough, solid LB who can help NY with this problem long-term.
26) Chicago: Marcedes Lewis, TE, UCLA – I’m sure a lot of people are going to be mad that I didn’t put Pope, but Lewis is the best TE in the draft. He’s got great hands, is a solid red zone target, and is vicious as a blocker.
27) Carolina: Rodrique Wright, DT, UT – The popular pick for most people right now is to give Carolina TE, but Carolina needs a TE who can catch AND block. I feel a bigger need for Carolina is DT. With Bunkley about to retire, and Jenkins always injured, I feel a DT like Rod Wright can come into Carolina and really solidify this D Line for many years to come.
28) Jacksonville: Leonard Pope, TE, Uga – I feel a bigger need for Jax is CB but with nobody available, they do the smart thing and give Leftwich a true safety blanket. Pope is also a decent blocker and is massive. This will also keep Leftwich healthy.
29) Denver: Darnell Bing, S, USC – Denver’s Safeties right now are solid, but both Lynch and Feguson are in their 30’s and not getting any younger. In come Bing, a hard hitting safety with a lot of potential.
30) Indianapolis: Lawrence Maroney, RB, Minnesota – The Colts have a big problem this offesason and must choose to either let Reggie Wayne or Edge James go. The Colts have already come out and said that they will keep Wayne and Maroney falling down to them makes them look smarter and give them a solid replacement. Maroney has slipped with the rise of White and DeAngelo Williams but is still a very good RB who has good speed.
31) Seattle: Chad Jackson, WR, Florida – Bobby Engram is 32 and Jurevicius is 31. With 2 of Seattle’s top WRs aging and no other need evidently present, they go for a young WR who can have time to be developed. Jackson is a sure handed WR who has good size and good speed. While he isn’t the best WR prospect in the draft, he is sure handed which is something Seattle has lacked.
32) Pittsburgh: Orien Harris, DT, Miami – With an aging D Line Pittburgh’s only visible need as of right now, I won’t be surprised if they reach here for someone like Orien Harris or the best 3-4 DE around. Harris is a solid DT prospect who had a down year, but has good intangibles and could develop into a solid starter in Pitt’s 3-4 DE.
PLEASE!! If you are only here to b**** about me giving us D'Brick then don't comment!! I'm interested about what yall feel about the other picks!! There is life outside the number 1 pick we have!!!
